Marginal pricing of transmission services. An analysis of cost recovery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez-Arriaga, I.J.., Rubio, F.J.; Puerta, J.F.; Arceluz, J.; Marin, J.

1996-01-01

The authors present an in-depth analysis of network revenues that are computed with marginal pricing, and investigate the reasons why marginal prices in actual power systems fail to recover total incurred network costs. The major causes of the failure are identified and illustrated with numerical examples. The paper analyzes the regulatory implications of marginal network pricing in the context of competitive electricity markets and provides suggestions for the meaningful allocation of network costs among users. 5 figs., 9 tabs., 8 refs

Estimation of marginal costs at existing waste treatment facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Sanchez, Veronica; Hulgaard, Tore; Hindsgaul, Claus; Riber, Christian; Kamuk, Bettina; Astrup, Thomas F

2016-04-01

This investigation aims at providing an improved basis for assessing economic consequences of alternative Solid Waste Management (SWM) strategies for existing waste facilities. A bottom-up methodology was developed to determine marginal costs in existing facilities due to changes in the SWM system, based on the determination of average costs in such waste facilities as function of key facility and waste compositional parameters. The applicability of the method was demonstrated through a case study including two existing Waste-to-Energy (WtE) facilities, one with co-generation of heat and power (CHP) and another with only power generation (Power), affected by diversion strategies of five waste fractions (fibres, plastic, metals, organics and glass), named "target fractions". The study assumed three possible responses to waste diversion in the WtE facilities: (i) biomass was added to maintain a constant thermal load, (ii) Refused-Derived-Fuel (RDF) was included to maintain a constant thermal load, or (iii) no reaction occurred resulting in a reduced waste throughput without full utilization of the facility capacity. Results demonstrated that marginal costs of diversion from WtE were up to eleven times larger than average costs and dependent on the response in the WtE plant. Marginal cost of diversion were between 39 and 287 € Mg(-1) target fraction when biomass was added in a CHP (from 34 to 303 € Mg(-1) target fraction in the only Power case), between -2 and 300 € Mg(-1) target fraction when RDF was added in a CHP (from -2 to 294 € Mg(-1) target fraction in the only Power case) and between 40 and 303 € Mg(-1) target fraction when no reaction happened in a CHP (from 35 to 296 € Mg(-1) target fraction in the only Power case). Although average costs at WtE facilities were highly influenced by energy selling prices, marginal costs were not (provided a response was initiated at the WtE to keep constant the utilized thermal capacity). Failing to systematically

The Implementation of Marginal External Cost Pricing in Road Transport

OpenAIRE

Verhoef, Erik T.

1998-01-01

This paper discusses a number of issues that will become increasingly important nowthat the concept of marginal external cost pricing becomes more likely to be implementedas a policy strategy in transport in reality. The first part of the paper deals with thelong-run efficiency of marginal external cost pricing. It is shown that such prices notonly optimize short-run mobility, given the shape and position of the relevant demandand cost curves, but even more importantly, also optimally affect ...

Marginal abatement cost curves for NOx incorporating both controls and alternative measures

Science.gov (United States)

A marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) traces out the efficient marginal abatement cost level for any aggregate emissions target when a least cost approach is implemented. In order for it to represent the efficient MAC level, all abatement opportunities across all sectors and loc...

Marginal abatement cost curves for NOx that account for ...

Science.gov (United States)

A marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) traces out the relationship between the quantity of pollution abated and the marginal cost of abating each additional unit. In the context of air quality management, MACCs typically are developed by sorting end-of-pipe controls by their respective cost effectiveness. Alternative measures, such as renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching (RE/EE/FS), are not considered as it is difficult to quantify their abatement potential. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of an energy system model to develop a MACC for nitrogen oxides (NOx) that incorporates both end-of-pipe controls and these alternative measures. We decompose the MACC by sector, and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of RE/EE/FS relative to end-of-pipe controls. RE/EE/FS are shown to produce considerable emission reductions after end-of-pipe controls have been exhausted. Furthermore, some RE/EE/FS are shown to be cost-competitive with end-of-pipe controls. Demonstrate how the MARKAL energy system model can be used to evaluate the potential role of renewable electricity, energy efficiency and fuel switching (RE/EE/FS) in achieving NOx reductions. For this particular analysis, we show that RE/EE/FSs are able to increase the quantity of NOx reductions available for a particular marginal cost (ranging from $5k per ton to $40k per ton) by approximately 50%.

The Short- and Long-Run Marginal Cost Curve: A Pedagogical Note.

Science.gov (United States)

Sexton, Robert L.; And Others

1993-01-01

Contends that the standard description of the relationship between the long-run marginal cost curve and the short-run marginal cost curve is often misleading and imprecise. Asserts that a sampling of college-level textbooks confirms this confusion. Provides a definition and instructional strategy that can be used to promote student understanding…

Marginal Hospital Cost of Surgery-related Hospital-acquired Pressure Ulcers.

Science.gov (United States)

Spector, William D; Limcangco, Rhona; Owens, Pamela L; Steiner, Claudia A

2016-09-01

Patients who develop hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) are more likely to die, have longer hospital stays, and are at greater risk of infections. Patients undergoing surgery are prone to developing pressure ulcers (PUs). To estimate the hospital marginal cost of a HAPU for adults patients who were hospitalized for major surgeries, adjusted for patient characteristics, comorbidities, procedures, and hospital characteristics. Data are from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases and the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System for 2011 and 2012. PU information was obtained using retrospective structured record review from trained MPMS data abstractors. Costs are derived using HCUP hospital-specific cost-to-charge ratios. Marginal cost estimates were made using Extended Estimating Equations. We estimated the marginal cost at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of the cost distribution using Simultaneous Quantile Regression. We find that 3.5% of major surgical patients developed HAPUs and that the HAPUs added ∼$8200 to the cost of a surgical stay after adjusting for comorbidities, patient characteristics, procedures, and hospital characteristics. This is an ∼44% addition to the cost of a major surgical stay but less than half of the unadjusted cost difference. In addition, we find that for high-cost stays (75th percentile) HAPUs added ∼$12,100, whereas for low-cost stays (25th percentile) HAPUs added ∼$3900. This paper suggests that HAPUs add ∼44% to the cost of major surgical hospital stays, but the amount varies depending on the total cost of the visit.

The marginal cost of public funds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kleven, Henrik Jacobsen; Kreiner, Claus Thustrup

2006-01-01

This paper extends the theory and measurement of the marginal cost of public funds (MCF) to account for labor force participation responses. Our work is motivated by the emerging consensus in the empirical literature that extensive (participation) responses are more important than intensive (hours...... of work) responses. In the modelling of extensive responses, we argue that it is crucial to account for the presence of non-convexities created by fixed work costs. In a non-convex framework, tax and transfer reforms give rise to discrete participation responses generating first-order effects...

Marginal Cost Pricing in a World without Perfect Competition: Implications for Electricity Markets with High Shares of Low Marginal Cost Resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frew, Bethany A. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Clark, Kara [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Bloom, Aaron P. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Milligan, Michael [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-12-02

A common approach to regulating electricity is through auction-based competitive wholesale markets. The goal of this approach is to provide a reliable supply of power at the lowest reasonable cost to the consumer. This necessitates market structures and operating rules that ensure revenue sufficiency for all generators needed for resource adequacy purposes. Wholesale electricity markets employ marginal-cost pricing to provide cost-effective dispatch such that resources are compensated for their operational costs. However, marginal-cost pricing alone cannot guarantee cost recovery outside of perfect competition, and electricity markets have at least six attributes that preclude them from functioning as perfectly competitive markets. These attributes include market power, externalities, public good attributes, lack of storage, wholesale price caps, and ineffective demand curve. Until (and unless) these failures are ameliorated, some form of corrective action(s) will be necessary to improve market efficiency so that prices can correctly reflect the needed level of system reliability. Many of these options necessarily involve some form of administrative or out-of-market actions, such as scarcity pricing, capacity payments, bilateral or other out-of-market contracts, or some hybrid combination. A key focus with these options is to create a connection between the electricity market and long-term reliability/loss-of-load expectation targets, which are inherently disconnected in the native markets because of the aforementioned market failures. The addition of variable generation resources can exacerbate revenue sufficiency and resource adequacy concerns caused by these underlying market failures. Because variable generation resources have near-zero marginal costs, they effectively suppress energy prices and reduce the capacity factors of conventional generators through the merit-order effect in the simplest case of a convex market; non-convexities can also suppress prices.

Tariffs by marginal cost are the real economic values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, A.M. dos

1989-01-01

An analysis of the electric power tariffs by marginal cost in Brazilian sectors is presented with some considerations bout the economy, politics and a forecasting for 1995. Two tables with tariffs and costs are also shown. (author)

Assessment of Long-Run Marginal Costing of Transmission and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Long-Run Marginal Costing (LRMC) technique is used as a cost-reflecting pricing method and finds useful application in the recovery of the total investment cost for the use of a transmission or distribution network. This paper reviews recent applications of this technique based on some examples from United Kingdom, ...

Electricity prices in a competitive environment: Marginal cost pricing of generation services and financial status of electric utilities. A preliminary analysis through 2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-08-01

The emergence of competitive markets for electricity generation services is changing the way that electricity is and will be priced in the United States. This report presents the results of an analysis that focuses on two questions: (1) How are prices for competitive generation services likely to differ from regulated prices if competitive prices are based on marginal costs rather than regulated open-quotes cost-of-serviceclose quotes pricing? (2) What impacts will the competitive pricing of generation services (based on marginal costs) have on electricity consumption patterns, production costs, and the financial integrity patterns, production costs, and the financial integrity of electricity suppliers? This study is not intended to be a cost-benefit analysis of wholesale or retail competition, nor does this report include an analysis of the macroeconomic impacts of competitive electricity prices

Marginal cost curves for water footprint reduction in irrigated agriculture: a policy and decision making guide for efficient water use in crop production

Science.gov (United States)

Chukalla, Abebe; Krol, Maarten; Hoekstra, Arjen

2016-04-01

Reducing water footprints (WF) in irrigated crop production is an essential element in water management, particularly in water-scarce areas. To achieve this, policy and decision making need to be supported with information on marginal cost curves that rank measures to reduce the WF according to their cost-effectiveness and enable the estimation of the cost associated with a certain WF reduction target, e.g. towards a certain reasonable WF benchmark. This paper aims to develop marginal cost curves (MCC) for WF reduction. The AquaCrop model is used to explore the effect of different measures on evapotranspiration and crop yield and thus WF that is used as input in the MCC. Measures relate to three dimensions of management practices: irrigation techniques (furrow, sprinkler, drip and subsurface drip); irrigation strategies (full and deficit irrigation); and mulching practices (no mulching, organic and synthetic mulching). A WF benchmark per crop is calculated as resulting from the best-available production technology. The marginal cost curve is plotted using the ratios of the marginal cost to WF reduction of the measures as ordinate, ranking with marginal costs rise with the increase of the reduction effort. For each measure, the marginal cost to reduce WF is estimated by comparing the associated WF and net present value (NPV) to the reference case (furrow irrigation, full irrigation, no mulching). The NPV for each measure is based on its capital costs, operation and maintenances costs (O&M) and revenues. A range of cases is considered, including: different crops, soil types and different environments. Key words: marginal cost curve, water footprint benchmark, soil water balance, crop growth, AquaCrop

Marginal abatement cost curves for policy recommendation – A method for energy system analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomaschek, Jan

2015-01-01

The transport sector is seen as one of the key factors for driving future energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In order to rank possible measures marginal abatement cost curves have become a tool to graphically represent the relationship between abatement costs and emission reduction. This paper demonstrates how to derive marginal abatement cost curves for well-to-wheel GHG emissions of the transport sector considering the full energy provision chain and the interlinkages and interdependencies within the energy system. Presented marginal abatement cost curves visualize substitution effects between measures for different marginal mitigation costs. The analysis makes use of an application of the energy system model generator TIMES for South Africa (TIMES-GEECO). For the example of Gauteng province, this study exemplary shows that the transport sector is not the first sector to address for cost-efficient reduction of GHG emissions. However, the analysis also demonstrates that several options are available to mitigate transport related GHG emissions at comparable low marginal abatement costs. This methodology can be transferred to other economic sectors as well as to other regions in the world to derive cost-efficient GHG reduction strategies

Electricity prices in a competitive environment: Marginal cost pricing of generation services and financial status of electric utilities. A preliminary analysis through 2015

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-08-01

The emergence of competitive markets for electricity generation services is changing the way that electricity is and will be priced in the United States. This report presents the results of an analysis that focuses on two questions: (1) How are prices for competitive generation services likely to differ from regulated prices if competitive prices are based on marginal costs rather than regulated {open_quotes}cost-of-service{close_quotes} pricing? (2) What impacts will the competitive pricing of generation services (based on marginal costs) have on electricity consumption patterns, production costs, and the financial integrity patterns, production costs, and the financial integrity of electricity suppliers? This study is not intended to be a cost-benefit analysis of wholesale or retail competition, nor does this report include an analysis of the macroeconomic impacts of competitive electricity prices.

Marginal costs and co-benefits of energy efficiency investments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jakob, Martin

2006-01-01

Key elements of present investment decision-making regarding energy efficiency of new buildings and the refurbishment of existing buildings are the marginal costs of energy efficiency measures and incomplete knowledge of investors and architects about pricing, co-benefits and new technologies. This paper reports on a recently completed empirical study for the Swiss residential sector. It empirically quantifies the marginal costs of energy efficiency investments (i.e. additional insulation, improved window systems, ventilation and heating systems and architectural concepts). For the private sector, first results on the economic valuation of co-benefits such as improved comfort of living, improved indoor air quality, better protection against external noise, etc. may amount to the same order of magnitude as the energy-related benefits are given. The cost-benefit analysis includes newly developed technologies that show large variations in prices due to pioneer market pricing, add-on of learning costs and risk components of the installers. Based on new empirical data on the present cost-situation and past techno-economic progress, the potential of future cost reduction was estimated applying the experience curve concept. The paper shows, for the first time, co-benefits and cost dynamics of energy efficiency investments, of which decision makers in the real estate sector, politics and administrations are scarcely aware

Market modeling for assessment of demand side programs using the marginal cost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papastamatiou, Panagiotis; Psarras, John

2000-01-01

Demand side management is nowadays considered as a functional step in the energy planning process. The criteria proposed for the assessment of the demand side programs (DSPs) are usually based on the balance between the marginal supply cost and the mean DSP cost. These criteria could not support the allotting of the invested capital to incentives for the consumers and advertising. This paper presents a methodology to support the utility planning at this point with more reliability. It proposes the expansion of the assessment criteria with the use of the marginal cost of the DSP. For the calculation of the DSP marginal cost, a dynamic model is developed and it is used for the simulation of the penetration of a DS Program. Using the 'least-cost' criterion as the decision rule for the simulation, the planner has a distribution of the available investment capital throughout the whole planning period. The use of the 'most-value' criterion supports the separation of the invested capital between incentives for the consumers and supportive expenses, e.g. advertising, marketing cost, etc. (Author)

Marginal cost pricing of electricity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edsbaecker, G.

1980-01-01

The discipline is economics and the phenomenon is the power system. The purpose of this system is to produce, transmit and consume electricity in such a way that the sum of consumers and suppliers surplus in maximized. This is accomplished by the means of marginal cost pricing. The concepts of the power system and the relations prevailing between and among them are picked out, defined and analyzed in the frames of economic theory and operations research. Methods are developed aiming at efficient prices so that the short run function of the power system is managed in such a way that the sum of conumers and suppliers surplus is maximized within the framwork of this system, i.e. value of service of the power system is maximized. The task of developing such methods is accomplished subject to mixed production resources, transmission losses, periodic demand and also when there is lack of information concerning future and cost conditions. The main results are methods which take to account the conditions stated above. Methods not only allowing for traditional cost minimizing but also for maximation of value of service including a process of reaching optimum by gradual adaption when demand and cost curves are not known in advance. (author)

Marginal Congestion Cost on a Dynamic Expressway Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fosgerau, Mogens; Small, Kenneth A.

2012-01-01

a dynamic econometric model using unusually complete and accurate data from Danish motorways. We use the results to estimate the marginal external cost of adding a vehicle to a link's entry flow, finding it is highly influenced by the dynamic properties of the system of relationships between travel times......We formulate an empirical model of congestion for a series of sequential expressway links where queues may form and spill back. Its purpose is to disentangle the dynamic effect that a marginal vehicle has on the distribution of travel times experienced there and on connected links. We estimate...

Dynamics of Price-Cost Margins in the U.S. Meat Industry

OpenAIRE

Chidmi, Benaissa; Fadiga, Mohamadou L.

2007-01-01

This study analyses the stochastic behavior of price-cost margins (PCMs) in the U.S. meat industry. It, first, develops and estimates a vertical relationship economic model to derive PCMs in the U.S. meat industry (Beef, Pork, and Poultry). Second it analyzes the behavior of PCMs by decomposing them into their seasonal, cyclical, and trend components using the state-space and the Kalman filtering methods. Price-cost margins in the U.S. meat industry are governed by two common trends and two c...

Benefit–cost analysis of non-marginal climate and energy projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dietz, Simon; Hepburn, Cameron

2013-01-01

Conventional benefit–cost analysis incorporates the normally reasonable assumption that the policy or project under examination is marginal. Among the assumptions this entails is that the policy or project is small, so the underlying growth rate of the economy does not change. However, this assumption may be inappropriate in some important circumstances, including in climate-change and energy policy. One example is global targets for carbon emissions, while another is a large renewable energy project in a small economy, such as a hydropower dam. This paper develops some theory on the evaluation of non-marginal projects, with empirical applications to climate change and energy. We examine the conditions under which evaluation of a non-marginal project using marginal methods may be wrong, and in our empirical examples we show that both qualitative and large quantitative errors are plausible. - Highlights: • This paper develops the theory of the evaluation of non-marginal projects. • It also includes empirical applications to climate change and energy. • We show when evaluation of a non-marginal project using marginal methods is wrong

Marginal cost calculation of energy production in hydro thermoelectric systems considering the transmission system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereira, M.V.F.; Gorenstin, B.G.; Alvarenga Filho, S.

1989-01-01

The alternatives for calculation of energy marginal cost in hydroelectric systems, considering the transmission one, was analysed, including fundamental concepts; generation/transmission systems, represented by linear power flow model; production marginal costs in hydrothermal systems and computation aspects. (C.G.C.). 11 refs, 5 figs

Marginal Abatement Cost of CO2 in China Based on Directional Distance Function: An Industry Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bowen Xiao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Industrial sectors account for around 70% of the total energy-related CO2 emissions in China. It is of great importance to measure the potential for CO2 emissions reduction and calculate the carbon price in industrial sectors covered in the Emissions Trading Scheme and carbon tax. This paper employs the directional distance function to calculate the marginal abatement costs of CO2 emissions during 2005–2011 and makes a comparative analysis between our study and the relevant literature. Our empirical results show that the marginal abatement costs vary greatly from industry to industry: high marginal abatement costs occur in industries with low carbon intensity, and vice versa. In the application of the marginal abatement cost, the abatement distribution scheme with minimum cost is established under different abatement targets. The conclusions of abatement distribution scheme indicate that those heavy industries with low MACs and high carbon intensity should take more responsibility for emissions reduction and vice versa. Finally, the policy implications for marginal abatement cost are provided.

The importance of marginal cost electricity pricing to the success of greenhouse gas reduction programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedman, Lee S.

2011-01-01

The efficient reduction of GHG emissions requires appropriate retail pricing of off-peak electricity. However, off-peak electricity for residential consumers is priced at 331% above its marginal cost in the United States as a whole (June 2009). Even for the 1% of residences that are on some form of time-of-use (TOU) rate schedule, the off-peak rate is almost three times higher than the marginal cost. A barrier to marginal-cost based TOU rates is that less than 9% of U.S. households have the 'smart' meters in place that can measure and record the time of consumption. Policies should be put in place to achieve full deployment. Another important barrier is consumer concern about TOU rate design. Two TOU rate designs (baseline and two-part tariff) are described that utilize marginal-cost based rates, ensure appropriate cost recovery, and minimize bill changes from current rate structures. A final barrier is to get residences on to these rates. Should a marginal-cost based TOU rate design remain an alternative for which residences could 'opt-in,' or become the default choice, or become mandatory? Time-invariant rates are a historical anachronism that subsidize very costly peak-period consumption and penalize off-peak usage to our environmental detriment. They should be phased out. - Highlights: → Off-peak electricity for residences is priced at 331% above marginal cost in the US. → This inefficiently deters vehicle electrification that could reduce GHG emissions. → 9% of U.S. households have the 'smart' meters necessary for time-of-use rates. → Time-invariant rates cause substantial environmental harm and should be phased out.

26 CFR 1.994-2 - Marginal costing rules.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... supplier (as defined in § 1.994-1(a)(3)(ii)) chooses, provided that the requirements of both subparagraphs... with Y whereby Y is granted a sales franchise with respect to exporting such product line from which...), combined taxable income under marginal costing is limited to $28.50. Since under the franchise agreement Y...

Marginal abatement cost curve for NOx incorporating controls, renewable electricity, energy efficiency and fuel switching

Science.gov (United States)

A marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) traces out the relationship between the quantity of pollution abated and the marginal cost of abating each additional unit. In the context of air quality management, MACCs typically are developed by sorting end-of-pipe controls by their resp...

Marginal abatement cost curve for NOx incorporating controls, renewable electricity, energy efficiency and fuel switching

Science.gov (United States)

A marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) traces out the relationship between the quantity of pollution abated and the marginal cost of abating each additional unit. In the context of air quality management, MACCs typically are developed by sorting end-of-pipe controls by their rela...

Marginal abatement cost curves and the optimal timing of mitigation measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vogt-Schilb, Adrien; Hallegatte, Stéphane

2014-01-01

Decision makers facing abatement targets need to decide which abatement measures to implement, and in which order. Measure-explicit marginal abatement cost curves depict the cost and abating potential of available mitigation options. Using a simple intertemporal optimization model, we demonstrate why this information is not sufficient to design emission reduction strategies. Because the measures required to achieve ambitious emission reductions cannot be implemented overnight, the optimal strategy to reach a short-term target depends on longer-term targets. For instance, the best strategy to achieve European's −20% by 2020 target may be to implement some expensive, high-potential, and long-to-implement options required to meet the −75% by 2050 target. Using just the cheapest abatement options to reach the 2020 target can create a carbon-intensive lock-in and make the 2050 target too expensive to reach. Designing mitigation policies requires information on the speed at which various measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions can be implemented, in addition to the information on the costs and potential of such measures provided by marginal abatement cost curves. - Highlights: • Classification of existing Marginal Abatement Cost Curves (MACC). • MACCs do not provide separated data on the speed at which measures can be implemented. • Optimal measures to reach a short-term target depend on longer-term targets. • Unique carbon price or aggregated emission-reduction target may be insufficient. • Room for short-term sectoral policies if agents are myopic or governments cannot commit

Marginal CO2 reduction cost in ENERGY 2000 development. A socio-economic evaluation of the marginal cost for the alternative reduction methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeng, H.

1995-01-01

The official Danish environmental plan involves a reduction of CO 2 within the next 30-50 years. This report describes the analysis of socio-economic cost/consequences of marginal CO 2 reduction by means of various technical solution models. Calculations by means of the special program subroutine SAMFOKO are based on energy balance in annual, monthly, daily and hourly scale. Heat and power savings as well as the development of decentralized power plants are considered in the supply model. Socio-economic consequences in form of charges and cost are discussed. (EG)

Economic assessment of Operational Energy reduction options in a house using Marginal Benefit and Marginal Cost: A case in Bangi, Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan Rahmah Mohd Zaki; Abdul Hadi Nawawi; Sabarinah Sh Ahmad

2010-01-01

Energy Efficient (EE) appliances such as Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs and Renewable Energy (RE), namely solar Photovoltaic (PV) can help to reduce Operational Energy (OE) in a house. In addition, a house should also incorporate Passive Architecture (PA) design strategies which in the hot and humid tropical climate, mean avoiding direct heat gain, encouraging natural cross ventilation and optimising the abundant daylight. Nevertheless, reducing OE must also mean economic gain to households to encourage their participation. Common economic gauges such as Return on Investment, Payback Period, Cost Benefit Analysis, Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Cost are not suitable to validate OE options in households. These economic gauges approach economic assessment as an end-result on the cost side of the product and may result for good intention to be shelved, primarily because EE equipment and RE have high capital cost compared with the alternatives. On the other hand, reducing OE in houses is actually a continual progression from the status quo and there is always a marginal gain in doing so. The challenge is to know how much is the marginal benefit against the marginal cost of investing in EE and RE. In Economics, the ratio of Marginal Cost (MC) and Marginal Benefits (MB) measure additional benefits of every additional costs of investment at a specific level of production and consumption; and Economists suggests that effective gain and loss should be compared to the status quo, i.e., Relative Position (RP). The Economics theories of MC, MB and RP are being adapted to measure the progression of reducing OE. The living/dining area in two types of houses: with and without PA design strategies are simulated to use conventional incandescent light bulbs and CFL as well as solar PV in lieu of the mains electricity supply. The power requirement for artificial lighting in every case is translated into monetary value and the ratio of MB against MC for each case shows

Revenue Sufficiency and Reliability in a Zero Marginal Cost Future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frew, Bethany A.

2017-04-17

Features of existing wholesale electricity markets, such as administrative pricing rules and policy-based reliability standards, can distort market incentives from allowing generators sufficient opportunities to recover both fixed and variable costs. Moreover, these challenges can be amplified by other factors, including (1) inelastic demand resulting from a lack of price signal clarity, (2) low- or near-zero marginal cost generation, particularly arising from low natural gas fuel prices and variable generation (VG), such as wind and solar, and (3) the variability and uncertainty of this VG. As power systems begin to incorporate higher shares of VG, many questions arise about the suitability of the existing marginal-cost-based price formation, primarily within an energy-only market structure, to ensure the economic viability of resources that might be needed to provide system reliability. This article discusses these questions and provides a summary of completed and ongoing modelling-based work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to better understand the impacts of evolving power systems on reliability and revenue sufficiency.

An equivalent marginal cost-pricing model for the district heating market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Junli; Ge, Bin; Xu, Hongsheng

2013-01-01

District heating pricing is a core element in reforming the heating market. Existing district heating pricing methods, such as the cost-plus pricing method and the conventional marginal-cost pricing method, cannot simultaneously provide both high efficiency and sufficient investment cost return. To solve this problem, the paper presents a new pricing model, namely Equivalent Marginal Cost Pricing (EMCP) model, which is based on the EVE pricing theory and the unique characteristics of heat products and district heating. The EMCP model uses exergy as the measurement of heating product value and places products from different district heating regions into the same competition platform. In the proposed model, the return on investment cost is closely related to the quoted cost, and within the limitations of the Heating Capacity Cost Reference and the maximum compensated shadow capacity cost, both lower and higher price speculations of heat producers are restricted. Simulation results show that the model can guide heat producers to bid according to their production costs and to provide reasonable returns on investment, which contributes to stimulate the role of price leverage and to promote the optimal allocation of heat resources. - Highlights: • Presents a new district heating pricing model. • Provides both high market efficiency and sufficient investment cost return. • Provides a competition mechanism for various products from different DH regions. • Both of lower and higher price speculations are restricted in the new model

Concise method for evaluating the probability distribution of the marginal cost of power generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, S.H.; Li, Y.Z.

2000-01-01

In the developing electricity market, many questions on electricity pricing and the risk modelling of forward contracts require the evaluation of the expected value and probability distribution of the short-run marginal cost of power generation at any given time. A concise forecasting method is provided, which is consistent with the definitions of marginal costs and the techniques of probabilistic production costing. The method embodies clear physical concepts, so that it can be easily understood theoretically and computationally realised. A numerical example has been used to test the proposed method. (author)

Marginal abatement cost curves for NOx that account for renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching

Science.gov (United States)

A marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) traces out the relationship between the quantity of pollution abated and the marginal cost of abating each additional unit. In the context of air quality management, MACCs typically are developed by sorting end-of-pipe controls by their resp...

Marginal abatement cost curves for Heavy Duty Vehicles. Background report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schroten, A.; Warringa, G.; Bles, M.

2012-09-15

Cost curves were calculated for CO2 abatement technologies for Heavy Duty Vehicles. These curves were elaborated for eight different vehicle categories (six categories of truck and two subcategories), as well as for an 'average' truck and bus. Given that cost curves depend very much on underlying assumptions, the MACH model (Marginal Abatement Costs of Heavy duty vehicles) was developed. This model allows users to enter their own assumptions with respect to parameters like fuel prices and cost and lifetime of individual technologies, with the model then generating new cost curves for the various vehicle categories. This background report contains a description of the model and a summary of the results of several model runs.

On the assessment of marginal life saving costs for risk acceptance criteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fischer, Katharina; Virguez, Edgar; Sánchez-Silva, Mauricio

2013-01-01

: The definition of the marginal life saving costs, the discount rate used for comparing costs and benefits that accrue at different points in time and the time horizon over which future consequences of the decision are taken into account. In the present paper these issues are discussed based on a clear...

Marginal socio-economic effects of an employer's efforts to improve the work environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rezagholi, Mahmoud

2018-01-01

Workplace health promotion (WHP) strongly requires the employer's efforts to improve the psychosocial, ergonomic, and physical environments of the workplace. There are many studies discussing the socio-economic advantage of WHP intervention programmes and thus the internal and external factors motivating employers to implement and integrate such programmes. However, the socio-economic impacts of the employer's multifactorial efforts to improve the work environment need to be adequately assessed. Data were collected from Swedish company Sandvik Materials Technology (SMT) through a work environment survey in April 2014. Different regression equations were analysed to assess marginal effects of the employer's efforts on overall labour effectiveness (OLE), informal work impairments (IWI), lost working hours (LWH), and labour productivity loss (LPL) in terms of money. The employer's multifactorial efforts resulted in increasing OLE, decreasing IWI and illness-related LWH, and cost savings in terms of decreasing LPL. Environmental factors at the workplace are the important determinant factor for OLE, and the latter is where socio-economic impacts of the employer's efforts primarily manifest.

Revenue Sufficiency and Reliability in a Zero Marginal Cost Future: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frew, Bethany A.; Milligan, Michael; Brinkman, Greg; Bloom, Aaron; Clark, Kara; Denholm, Paul

2016-12-01

Features of existing wholesale electricity markets, such as administrative pricing rules and policy-based reliability standards, can distort market incentives from allowing generators sufficient opportunities to recover both fixed and variable costs. Moreover, these challenges can be amplified by other factors, including (1) inelastic demand resulting from a lack of price signal clarity, (2) low- or near-zero marginal cost generation, particularly arising from low natural gas fuel prices and variable generation (VG), such as wind and solar, and (3) the variability and uncertainty of this VG. As power systems begin to incorporate higher shares of VG, many questions arise about the suitability of the existing marginal-cost-based price formation, primarily within an energy-only market structure, to ensure the economic viability of resources that might be needed to provide system reliability. This article discusses these questions and provides a summary of completed and ongoing modelling-based work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to better understand the impacts of evolving power systems on reliability and revenue sufficiency.

Profit margins in Japanese retailing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.C.A. Potjes; A.R. Thurik (Roy)

1993-01-01

textabstractUsing a rich data source, we explain differences and developments in profit margins of medium-sized stores in Japan. We conclude that the protected environment enables the retailer to pass on all operating costs to the customers and to obtain a relatively high basic income. High service

Equity weighting and the marginal damage costs of climate change

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anthoff, David [The Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin (Ireland)]|[International Max Planck Research School on Earth System Modelling, Hamburg (Germany)]|[Research Unit Sustainability and Global Change, Hamburg University and Centre for Marine and Atmospheric Science, Hamburg (Germany); Hepburn, Cameron [Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, and James Martin Institute, Said Business School, University of Oxford, and New College, Oxford (United Kingdom); Tol, Richard S.J. [The Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin (Ireland)]|[Research Unit Sustainability and Global Change, Hamburg University and Centre for Marine and Atmospheric Science, Hamburg (Germany)]|[Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam (Netherlands)]|[Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

2009-01-15

Climate change will give rise to different impacts in different countries, and different countries have different levels of development. Equity-weighted estimates of the (marginal) impact of greenhouse gas emissions reflect these differences. This paper analyses the impact of equity weighting on the marginal damage cost of carbon dioxide emissions, and reaches four main conclusions. First, equity-weighted estimates are substantially higher than estimates without equity-weights; equity-weights may even change the sign of the social cost estimates. Second, estimates differ by two orders of magnitude depending on the region to which the equity weights are normalised. Third, equity-weighted estimates are sensitive to the resolution of the impact estimates. Depending on the assumed intra-regional income distribution, estimates may be more than twice as high if national rather than regional impacts are aggregated. Fourth, variations in the assumed inequality aversion have different impacts in different scenarios, not only because different scenarios have different emissions and hence warming, but also because different scenarios have different income differences, different growth rates, and different vulnerabilities. (author)

Equity weighting and the marginal damage costs of climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anthoff, David; Hepburn, Cameron; Tol, Richard S.J.

2009-01-01

Climate change will give rise to different impacts in different countries, and different countries have different levels of development. Equity-weighted estimates of the (marginal) impact of greenhouse gas emissions reflect these differences. This paper analyses the impact of equity weighting on the marginal damage cost of carbon dioxide emissions, and reaches four main conclusions. First, equity-weighted estimates are substantially higher than estimates without equity-weights; equity-weights may even change the sign of the social cost estimates. Second, estimates differ by two orders of magnitude depending on the region to which the equity weights are normalised. Third, equity-weighted estimates are sensitive to the resolution of the impact estimates. Depending on the assumed intra-regional income distribution, estimates may be more than twice as high if national rather than regional impacts are aggregated. Fourth, variations in the assumed inequality aversion have different impacts in different scenarios, not only because different scenarios have different emissions and hence warming, but also because different scenarios have different income differences, different growth rates, and different vulnerabilities. (author)

Regional and sectoral marginal abatement cost curves for NOx incorporating controls, renewable electricity, energy efficiency and fuel switching

Science.gov (United States)

A marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) traces out the relationship between the quantity of pollution abated and the marginal cost of abating each additional unit. In the context of air quality management, MACCs typically are developed by sorting end-of-pipe controls by their resp...

Electric energy deficit marginal cost: historic, evaluation and proposition of a new method; Custo marginal do deficit de energia eletrica: historico, avaliacao e proposta de uma nova metodologia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loureiro, Paulo Gerson Cayres

2009-05-15

The optimization model actually used to the energy operation planning of the National Interconnected System - NIS has as objective function the minimization of expected total cost operation. To achieve this goal the model provides optimal allocation of hydrothermal resources during the study horizon, employing aggregated subsystems. The deficit marginal cost is a parameter which is explicitly informed to the model, and does a part in the operation total cost calculation being a predominant factor in the service conditions evaluation of national electric energy market, affecting the energy costs and the risk of deficit on NIS. In this work is realized an integral study about the electric energy deficit marginal cost, starting with a historical review, followed by a actualization of your actual value and a propose of a new method for the calculation of deficit marginal cost value. The studies shows the impact of the values found over service conditions to the electric energy market in the energy operation planning, focusing on some usual indicators adopted in studies of the electrical sector. (author)

Electricity between monopoly and competition. Selling at the marginal cost. The rational guidance of electric energy consumption by tariffs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boiteux, Marcel

2015-10-01

Within the perspective of the introduction of competition, the first article comments the issues related to the different professions: distribution (which solutions as multiple grids would be too expensive?), interconnection and transport grids (same questions), and production. The author outlines some characteristics of electricity: it cannot be stored, is a rigid product, has a price elasticity almost null on the short term. Then he discusses different problems to be solved: transport tolls, competition for production, difference between customers (big clients, households, handicraft). In the second article, the author discusses the issue of pricing (why selling at cost price or at marginal cost price?) and discusses the definition of this marginal cost. In the third article, the author comments the common use of tariffs by electricity distribution companies as an incentive for a rational use of electric energy by consumers. He describes how prices are factors of economic choice, the implication of selling at cost price and at marginal cost price. He discusses the relationship between marginal cost price and budget balance, and the practical adaptation of tariffs

Marginal costs of water savings from cooling system retrofits: a case study for Texas power plants

Science.gov (United States)

Loew, Aviva; Jaramillo, Paulina; Zhai, Haibo

2016-10-01

The water demands of power plant cooling systems may strain water supply and make power generation vulnerable to water scarcity. Cooling systems range in their rates of water use, capital investment, and annual costs. Using Texas as a case study, we examined the cost of retrofitting existing coal and natural gas combined-cycle (NGCC) power plants with alternative cooling systems, either wet recirculating towers or air-cooled condensers for dry cooling. We applied a power plant assessment tool to model existing power plants in terms of their key plant attributes and site-specific meteorological conditions and then estimated operation characteristics of retrofitted plants and retrofit costs. We determined the anticipated annual reductions in water withdrawals and the cost-per-gallon of water saved by retrofits in both deterministic and probabilistic forms. The results demonstrate that replacing once-through cooling at coal-fired power plants with wet recirculating towers has the lowest cost per reduced water withdrawals, on average. The average marginal cost of water withdrawal savings for dry-cooling retrofits at coal-fired plants is approximately 0.68 cents per gallon, while the marginal recirculating retrofit cost is 0.008 cents per gallon. For NGCC plants, the average marginal costs of water withdrawal savings for dry-cooling and recirculating towers are 1.78 and 0.037 cents per gallon, respectively.

Energy-saving behavior and marginal abatement cost for household CO2 emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamamoto, Mitsutsugu

2013-01-01

This paper attempts to measure consumers' perceived net benefits (or net costs) of energy-saving measures in using energy-consuming durable goods. Using the estimated net costs and the volume of CO 2 reduced by the measures, a marginal abatement cost (MAC) curve for the average household's CO 2 emissions is produced. An analysis using the curve suggests that in order to provide households with an incentive to take actions that can lead to CO 2 emission reductions in using energy-consuming durables, a high level of carbon price is needed. In addition, a regression analysis reveals that the net benefits of the measures are larger for households that put a higher priority on energy saving, for those living in detached houses, for those with a smaller number of persons living together, and for those with less income. The result of the analysis using the MAC curve may suggest that promoting energy-saving behavior will require not only a policy to provide economic incentives but also interventions to influence psychological factors of household behavior. - Highlights: • Consumers' perceived net costs of energy-saving measures in using energy-consuming durables are measured. • Using the estimated net costs, a marginal abatement cost (MAC) curve for the average household's CO 2 emissions is produced. • A high carbon price is needed in order to provide households with an incentive to take actions for energy-savings. • Households' attributes affecting their energy-saving behavior are revealed by a regression analysis

Marginal CO2 cost pass-through under imperfect competition in power markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chernyavs'ka, Liliya; Gulli, Francesco

2008-01-01

In line with economic theory, carbon ETS determines a rise in marginal cost equal to the carbon opportunity cost regardless of whether carbon allowances are allocated free of charge or not. This paper aims at evaluating to what extent firms in imperfectly competitive markets will pass-through into electricity prices the increase in cost. By using the load duration curve approach and the dominant firm with competitive fringe model, we show that the result is ambiguous. The increase in price can be either lower or higher than the marginal CO 2 cost, depending on several structural factors: the degree of market concentration, the available capacity (whether there is excess capacity or not), the power plant mix in the market and the power demand level (peak vs. off-peak hours). The empirical analysis of the Italian context (an emblematic case of imperfectly competitive market), which can be split into four sub-markets with different structural features, provides a contribution supporting the model predictions. Market power, therefore, would determine a significant deviation from the 'full pass-through' rule but we cannot know the sign of this deviation, a priori, i.e. without before taking carefully into account the structural features of the power market. (author)

Marginal cost calculation of energy production in hydro thermoelectric systems considering the transmission system; Calculo do custo marginal de producao de energia em sistemas hidrotermoeletricos levando em consideracao a rede de transmissao

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pereira, M V.F. [Pontificia Univ. Catolica do Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Gorenstin, B G [Centro de Pesquisas de Energia Eletrica, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Alvarenga Filho, S [ELETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

1990-12-31

The alternatives for calculation of energy marginal cost in hydroelectric systems, considering the transmission one, was analysed, including fundamental concepts; generation/transmission systems, represented by linear power flow model; production marginal costs in hydrothermal systems and computation aspects. (C.G.C.). 11 refs, 5 figs.

Deep-sea environment and biodiversity of the West African Equatorial margin

Science.gov (United States)

Sibuet, Myriam; Vangriesheim, Annick

2009-12-01

The long-term BIOZAIRE multidisciplinary deep-sea environmental program on the West Equatorial African margin organized in partnership between Ifremer and TOTAL aimed at characterizing the benthic community structure in relation with physical and chemical processes in a region of oil and gas interest. The morphology of the deep Congo submarine channel and the sedimentological structures of the deep-sea fan were established during the geological ZAIANGO project and helped to select study sites ranging from 350 to 4800 m water depth inside or near the channel and away from its influence. Ifremer conducted eight deep-sea cruises on board research vessels between 2000 and 2005. Standardized methods of sampling together with new technologies such as the ROV Victor 6000 and its associated instrumentation were used to investigate this poorly known continental margin. In addition to the study of sedimentary environments more or less influenced by turbidity events, the discovery of one of the largest cold seeps near the Congo channel and deep coral reefs extends our knowledge of the different habitats of this margin. This paper presents the background, objectives and major results of the BIOZAIRE Program. It highlights the work achieved in the 16 papers in this special issue. This synthesis paper describes the knowledge acquired at a regional and local scale of the Equatorial East Atlantic margin, and tackles new interdisciplinary questions to be answered in the various domains of physics, chemistry, taxonomy and ecology to better understand the deep-sea environment in the Gulf of Guinea.

Adaptive Marginal Costs-Based Distributed Economic Control of Microgrid Clusters Considering Line Loss

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoqian Zhou

2017-12-01

Full Text Available When several microgrids (MG are interconnected into microgrid clusters (MGC, they have great potential to improve their reliability. Traditional droop control tends to make the total operating costs higher as the power is distributed by capacity ratios of distributed energy resources (DERs. This paper proposes an adaptive distributed economic control for islanded microgrids which considers line loss, specifically, an interesting marginal costs-based economic droop control is proposed, and consensus-based adaptive controller is applied, to deal with power limits and capacity constraints for storage. The whole expense can be effectively lowered by achieving identical marginal costs for DERs in MGC. Specially, the capacity constraints only for storages are also included to do further optimization. Moreover, consensus-based distributed secondary controllers are used to rapidly restore system frequency and voltage magnitudes. The above controllers only need to interact with neighbor DERs by a sparse communication network, eliminating the necessity of a central controller and enhancing the stability. A MGC, incorporating three microgrids, is used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

On the global economic potentials and marginal costs of non-renewable resources and the price of energy commodities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mercure, Jean-François; Salas, Pablo

2013-01-01

A model is presented in this work for simulating endogenously the evolution of the marginal costs of production of energy carriers from non-renewable resources, their consumption, depletion pathways and timescales. Such marginal costs can be used to simulate the long term average price formation of energy commodities. Drawing on previous work where a global database of energy resource economic potentials was constructed, this work uses cost distributions of non-renewable resources in order to evaluate global flows of energy commodities. A mathematical framework is given to calculate endogenous flows of energy resources given an exogenous commodity price path. This framework can be used in reverse in order to calculate an endogenous marginal cost of production of energy carriers given an exogenous carrier demand. Using rigid price inelastic assumptions independent of the economy, these two approaches generate limiting scenarios that depict extreme use of natural resources. This is useful to characterise the current state and possible uses of remaining non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels and natural uranium. The theory is however designed for use within economic or technology models that allow technology substitutions. In this work, it is implemented in the global power sector model FTT:Power. Policy implications are given. - Highlights: • Theoretical model to forecast marginal costs of non-renewable resources. • Tracks the consumption and costs of non-renewable resources. • For use in economic or technology models

A Methodology for Determining the Marginal Cost Per Student at the Naval Postgraduate School

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Eckardt, John

1997-01-01

The overall objective of this thesis was to develop a flexible model to determine the marginal cost of graduate education per student for each of the various curricula at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS...

Optimal Willingness to Supply Wholesale Electricity Under Asymmetric Linearized Marginal Costs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Hudgins

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This analysis derives the profit-maximizing willingness to supply functions for single-plant and multi-plant wholesale electricity suppliers that all incur linear marginal costs. The optimal strategy must result in linear residual demand functions in the absence of capacity constraints. This necessarily leads to a linear pricing rule structure that can be used by firm managers to construct their offer curves and to serve as a benchmark to evaluate firm profit-maximizing behavior. The procedure derives the cost functions and the residual demand curves for merged or multi-plant generators, and uses these to construct the individual generator plant offer curves for a multi-plant firm.

The marginal cost of public funds is one at the optimal tax system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

B. Jacobs (Bas)

2018-01-01

textabstractThis paper develops a Mirrlees framework with skill and preference heterogeneity to analyze optimal linear and nonlinear redistributive taxes, optimal provision of public goods, and the marginal cost of public funds (MCF). It is shown that the MCF equals one at the optimal tax system,

Marginal costs of intensified energy-efficiency measures in residential buildings; Grenzkosten bei forcierten Energie-Effizienzmassnahmen in Wohngebaeuden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jakob, M.; Jochem, E. [Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule (ETH), Centre for Energy Policy and Economics (CEPE), Zuerich (Switzerland); Kristen, K. [Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule (ETH), Architektur und Baurealisation, Zuerich (Switzerland)

2002-07-01

This detailed report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) examines the large potential for increasing the energy efficiency of residential buildings in Switzerland. The aims of the research project are described including investigation of costs and marginal costs for thermal insulation and efficiency measures, the updating of technical parameters for cost - efficiency characteristics on an empirical basis, a transparent presentation of cost/benefit ratios for different concepts. Another aim is to obtain a more detailed overview of costs and benefits that could be of use for planners, building owners and technology companies. The methodology used for the collection of data for the study is described. The report also takes a look at the indirect advantages of improving the thermal insulation of buildings and examines the initial economic and technical situation. A detailed review of the costs and benefits is given for the various elements of a building such as walls, floors and windows and a reference development scenario for the period 2000 -2030 is presented. Marginal cost curves for various categories of buildings are presented for thermal insulation and ventilation measures.

The impact of power market reforms on electricity price-cost margins and cross-subsidy levels: A cross country panel data analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erdogdu, Erkan

2011-01-01

One of the main expectations from power market reform has been a reduction in both price-cost margins and cross-subsidy levels between industrial and residential consumers. This paper focuses on this issue by looking at the impact of the electricity industry reforms on residential and industrial electricity price-cost margins and their effect on cross-subsidy levels between consumer groups. Using panel data for 63 developed and developing countries covering the period 1982-2009, empirical models are developed and analyzed. The research findings suggest that there is no uniform pattern for the impact of reform process as a whole on price-cost margins and cross-subsidy levels. Each individual reform step has different impact on price-cost margins and cross-subsidy levels for each consumer and country group. Our findings imply that reform steps have different impacts in different countries, which supports the idea reform prescription for a specific country cannot easily and successfully be transferred to another one. So, transferring the formal and economic structure of a successful power market in a developed country to developing countries is not a sufficient condition for good economic performance of the electricity industries in developing countries. Furthermore, the study suggests that power consumption, income level and country-specific features constitute other important determinants of electricity price-cost margins and cross-subsidy levels. - Research highlights: → The paper focuses on the impact of power market reforms on price-cost margins and cross-subsidy levels. → Using panel data for 63 countries for the period 1982-2009, empirical models are developed and analyzed. → We found that each individual reform step has different impact for each consumer and country group. → We conclude that reform prescription for a specific country cannot easily be transferred to another one.

Bureaucracy Versus Environment: The Environmental Costs of Bureaucratic Governance

Science.gov (United States)

Singer, S. Fred

The 15 contributors to this volume have an important message. They are convinced that both environmental and economic costs of bureaucratic management of natural resources are too high, and unnecessarily so. The main reason is an institutional one: Authority is given to those who do not bear responsibility for the consequences o f their actions.A classic case is the set of specific numerical emission standards for automobiles in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970. Congress arrived at these standards without a scientific basis, without technical analysis, and certainly without any consideration of costs and benefits. Only 3 years later did Senator Muskie ask the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a cost-benefit analysis. The NAS results were presented in a fashion that seemed to support the action of Congress; yet, the statutory emissions standards yielded marginal costs well beyond their marginal benefits. They had a major impact on Detroit during the 1970's, and very likely damaged, perhaps irreversibly, the competitive standing of the American automobile industry, a major segment of the U.S. economy. But the economic costs of these actions were never considered, least of all by the responsible bureaucrats. They were completely buffered from any consequences flowing from the exercise of their authority.

Operational strategy and marginal costs in simple trigeneration systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lozano, M.A.; Carvalho, M.; Serra, L.M.

2009-01-01

As a direct result of economic pressures to cut expenses, as well as the legal obligation to reduce emissions, companies and businesses are seeking ways to use energy more efficiently. Trigeneration systems (CHCP: Combined Heating, Cooling and Power generation) allow greater operational flexibility at sites with a variable demand for energy in the form of heating and cooling. This is particularly relevant in buildings where the need for heating is restricted to a few winter months. In summer, the absorption chillers make use of the cogenerated heat to produce chilled water, avoiding waste heat discharge. The operation of a simple trigeneration system is analyzed in this paper. The system is interconnected to the electric utility grid, both to receive electricity and to deliver surplus electricity. For any given demand required by the users, a great number of operating conditions are possible. A linear programming model provides the operational mode with the lowest variable cost. A thermoeconomic analysis, based on marginal production costs, is used to obtain unit costs for internal energy flows and final products as well as to explain the best operational strategy as a function of the demand for energy services and the prices of the resources consumed. (author)

Interpreting Marginal Effects in the Multinomial Logit Model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wulff, Jesper

2014-01-01

with a substantial increase in the probability of entering a foreign market using a joint venture, while increases in the unpredictability in the host country environment are associated with a lower probability of wholly owned subsidiaries and a higher probability of exporting entries....... that have entered foreign markets. Through the application of a multinomial logit model, careful analysis of the marginal effects is performed through graphical representations, marginal effects at the mean, average marginal effects and elasticities. I show that increasing cultural distance is associated......This paper presents the challenges when researchers interpret results about relationships between variables from discrete choice models with multiple outcomes. The recommended approach is demonstrated by testing predictions from transaction cost theory on a sample of 246 Scandinavian firms...

Marginal cost curves for water footprint reduction in irrigated agriculture : Guiding a cost-effective reduction of crop water consumption to a permit or benchmark level

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chukalla, Abebe D.; Krol, Maarten S.; Hoekstra, Arjen Y.

2017-01-01

Reducing the water footprint (WF) of the process of growing irrigated crops is an indispensable element in water management, particularly in water-scarce areas. To achieve this, information on marginal cost curves (MCCs) that rank management packages according to their cost-effectiveness to reduce

Marginal abatement cost curve for nitrogen oxides incorporating controls, renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching.

Science.gov (United States)

Loughlin, Daniel H; Macpherson, Alexander J; Kaufman, Katherine R; Keaveny, Brian N

2017-10-01

A marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) traces out the relationship between the quantity of pollution abated and the marginal cost of abating each additional unit. In the context of air quality management, MACCs are typically developed by sorting control technologies by their relative cost-effectiveness. Other potentially important abatement measures such as renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching (RE/EE/FS) are often not incorporated into MACCs, as it is difficult to quantify their costs and abatement potential. In this paper, a U.S. energy system model is used to develop a MACC for nitrogen oxides (NO x ) that incorporates both traditional controls and these additional measures. The MACC is decomposed by sector, and the relative cost-effectiveness of RE/EE/FS and traditional controls are compared. RE/EE/FS are shown to have the potential to increase emission reductions beyond what is possible when applying traditional controls alone. Furthermore, a portion of RE/EE/FS appear to be cost-competitive with traditional controls. Renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching can be cost-competitive with traditional air pollutant controls for abating air pollutant emissions. The application of renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching is also shown to have the potential to increase emission reductions beyond what is possible when applying traditional controls alone.

Mental Depreciation and Marginal Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

Heath; Fennema

1996-11-01

We propose that individuals practice "mental depreciation," that is, they implicitly spread the fixed costs of their expenses over time or use. Two studies explore how people spread fixed costs on durable goods. A third study shows that depreciation can lead to two distinct errors in marginal decisions: First, people sometimes invest too much effort to get their money's worth from an expense (e.g., they may use a product a lot to spread the fixed expense across more uses). Second, people sometimes invest too little effort to get their money's worth: When people add a portion of the fixed cost to the current costs, their perceived marginal (i.e., incremental) costs exceed their true marginal costs. In response, they may stop investing because their perceived costs surpass the marginal benefits they are receiving. The latter effect is supported by two field studies that explore real board plan decisions by university students.

The effect of location and facility demand on the marginal cost of delivered wood chips from energy crops: A case study of the state of Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graham, R.L.; Liu, W.; Downing, M.; Noon, C.; Daly, M.; Moore, A.

1995-01-01

Cost-supply curves for delivered wood chips from short rotation woody crops were calculated for 21 regularly-spaced locations spanning the state of Tennessee. These curves were used to systematically evaluate the combined effects of location and facility demand on wood chip feedstock costs in Tennessee. The cost-supply curves were developed using BRAVO, a GIS-based decision support system which calculates marginal cost of delivering wood chips to a specific location given road network maps and maps of farmgate prices and supplies of woody chips from short rotation energy crops. Marginal costs of delivered chips varied by both facility location in the state and facility demand. Marginal costs were lowest in central Tennessee unless the facility demand was greater than 2.7 million dry Mg per year (3 million dry tons per year) in which case west Tennessee was the lowest cost region. Marginal costs rose rapidly with increasing facility demand in the mountainous eastern portion of the state. Transportation costs accounted for 18 to 29% of the delivered cost and ranged between $8 and $18/dry Mg ($7 and $16/dry ton). Reducing the expected farmer participation rate from 100% to 50% or 25% dramatically raised the marginal costs of feedstock supply in the east and central regions of the state. The analysis demonstrates the need to use geographically-specific information when projecting the potential costs and supplies of biomass feedstock

The Price-Marginal Cost Markup and its Determinants in U.S. Manufacturing

OpenAIRE

Mazumder, Sandeep

2009-01-01

This paper estimates the price-marginal cost markup for US manufacturing using a new methodology. Most existing techniques of estimating the markup are a variant on Hall's (1988) framework involving the manipulation of the Solow Residual. However this paper argues that this notion is based on the unreasonable assumption that labor can be costlessly adjusted at a fixed wage rate. By relaxing this assumption, we are able to derive a generalized markup index, which when estimated using manufactu...

articles: The implementation of marginal external cost pricing in road transport Long run vs short run and first-best vs second-best

OpenAIRE

Erik T. Verhoef

2000-01-01

This article discusses a number of issues that will become increasingly important now that the concept of marginal external cost pricing becomes more likely to be implemented as a policy strategy in transport in reality. The first part of the article deals with the long-run efficiency of marginal external cost pricing. It is shown that such prices not only optimize short-run mobility, given the shape and position of the relevant demand and cost curves, but even more importantly, also optimall...

Report on developing bottom-up Marginal Abatement Cost Curves (MACCS) for representative farm types

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eory, V.; MacLeod, M.; Faverdin, P.

2015-01-01

a gap in our understanding of economic mitigation potential of agriculture in developing and newly industrialised countries. To address these questions this report presents three studies. The first is a literature review of the cost-effectiveness estimates of mitigation measures published in the past 15...... years, discussing the variability in these estimates. The second study reports on marginal abatement cost curves for beef cattle production in Brazil. Finally, the last report presents the conceptual basis of a tool to assess the financial implications of the mitigation measures to be used in parallel...

Bioarchaeology of adaptation to a marginal environment in bronze age Western China.

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Elizabeth; Wang, Hui

2017-07-08

This study examines human adaptation to the 4000 BP climate change event, which is said to have increased the marginality of Inner Asian environments. We propose to define "marginal" environments not in relation to a specific economic activity (e.g., agriculture), but in relation to whether humans living there are physiologically stressed. Three sites in the Hexi Corridor of Gansu were studied, one from the early and two from the late Bronze Age (N = 125). The study includes three indicators of physiological stress: linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH); tibial periosteal lesions; and fertility. The early and late Bronze Age groups were compared to examine whether human physiological stress increased. The percent of individuals with LEH declined dramatically, indicating fewer growth disruptions. Tibial periosteal reactions also changed, from mostly active to mostly healing at the time of death, indicating that frailty declined. Fertility, which is sensitive to changes in population health and resource availability, did not change significantly. Counter to the dominant narrative of environmental deterioration and subsistence system collapse, the Bronze Age residents of the Hexi Corridor show no skeletal evidence that they suffered from resource shortages or struggled to adapt in the fluctuating climate that pertained after the 4000 BP climate event. In fact, this study found that people suffered from less frailty and fewer growth disruptions after the unstable climate had persisted for some time. Therefore, in human biological terms, the Hexi Corridor did not become more marginal for human habitation during the Bronze Age. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Effectiveness of Competition Policy and the Price-Cost Margin: Evidence from Panel Data

OpenAIRE

Patrick McCloughan; Seán Lyons; William Batt

2007-01-01

This paper presents robust panel data econometric evidence suggesting that more effective competition policy curtails the exercise of market power because countries in which competition policy is judged to be more effective are characterised by lower market price-cost margins, controlling for other factors, including market growth, import penetration and spare capacity. The measure of competition policy effectiveness incorporated into our analysis is the annual survey-based ratings of nationa...

Pollution Emissions, Environmental Policy, and Marginal Abatement Costs.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Ling-Yun; Ou, Jia-Jia

2017-12-05

Pollution emissions impose serious social negative externalities, especially in terms of public health. To reduce pollution emissions cost-effectively, the marginal abatement costs (MACs) of pollution emissions must be determined. Since the industrial sectors are the essential pillars of China's economic growth, as well as leading energy consumers and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emitters, estimating MACs of SO₂ emissions at the industrial level can provide valuable information for all abatement efforts. This paper tries to address the critical and essential issue in pollution abatement: How do we determine the MACs of pollution emissions in China? This paper first quantifies the SO₂ emission contribution of different industrial sectors in the Chinese economy by an Input-Output method and then estimates MACs of SO₂ for industrial sectors at the national level, provincial level, and sectoral level by the shadow price theory. Our results show that six sectors (e.g., the Mining and Washing of Coal sector) should be covered in the Chinese pollution emission trading system. We have also found that the lowest SO₂ shadow price is 2000 Yuan/ton at the national level, and that shadow prices should be set differently at the provincial level. Our empirical study has several important policy implications, e.g., the estimated MACs may be used as a pricing benchmark through emission allowance allocation. In this paper, the MACs of industrial sectors are calculated from the national, provincial and sectoral levels; therefore, we provide an efficient framework to track the complex relationship between sectors and provinces.

Evaluating the marginal utility principle for long-term hydropower scheduling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Tongtiegang; Zhao, Jianshi; Liu, Pan; Lei, Xiaohui

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Analysis of one-, two- and multi-period hydropower scheduling. • Derivation of marginal cost and marginal return of carry-over storage. • Evaluation of the marginal utility principle in a case study of the Three Gorges Reservoir. - Abstract: The conversion of the potential energy of dammed water into hydropower depends on both reservoir storage and release, which are the major difficulties in hydropower reservoir operation. This study evaluates the marginal utility principle, which determines the optimal carry-over storage between periods, for long-term hydropower scheduling. Increasing marginal cost and decreasing marginal return are two important characteristics that determine the marginal utility principle in water supply. However, the notion of decreasing marginal return is inapplicable in hydropower scheduling. Instead, the carry-over storage from one period has an increasing marginal contribution to the power generation in the next period. Although carry-over storage incurs an increasing marginal cost to the power generation in the current period, the marginal return is higher than the marginal cost. The marginal return from the carry-over storage further increases in the multi-period case. These findings suggest saving as much carry-over storage as possible, which is bounded by the operational constraints of storage capacity, environmental flow, and installed capacity in actual hydropower scheduling. The marginal utility principle is evaluated for a case study of the Three Gorges Reservoir, and the effects of the constraints are discussed. Results confirm the theoretical findings and show that the marginal return from carry-over storage is larger than the marginal cost. The operational constraints help determine the optimal carry-over storage.

Reliability-Based Marginal Cost Pricing Problem Case with Both Demand Uncertainty and Travelers’ Perception Errors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaopeng Zhong

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Focusing on the first-best marginal cost pricing (MCP in a stochastic network with both travel demand uncertainty and stochastic perception errors within the travelers’ route choice decision processes, this paper develops a perceived risk-based stochastic network marginal cost pricing (PRSN-MCP model. Numerical examples based on an integrated method combining the moment analysis approach, the fitting distribution method, and the reliability measures are also provided to demonstrate the importance and properties of the proposed model. The main finding is that ignoring the effect of travel time reliability and travelers’ perception errors may significantly reduce the performance of the first-best MCP tolls, especially under high travelers’ confidence and network congestion levels. The analysis result could also enhance our understanding of (1 the effect of stochastic perception error (SPE on the perceived travel time distribution and the components of road toll; (2 the effect of road toll on the actual travel time distribution and its reliability measures; (3 the effect of road toll on the total network travel time distribution and its statistics; and (4 the effect of travel demand level and the value of reliability (VoR level on the components of road toll.

Rising costs call for new European refining strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sweeney, B.N.C.

1993-01-01

The outlook for the global refining industry is for increased spending and reduced margins, largely because of efforts to improve the environment. A look at these trends through the end of the decade is thus in order. Three major industry thrusts are proposed to see refiners through this uncertain period. Three main thrusts are necessary: fixed costs must be reduced by re-engineering business processes and reexamining noncore business units against total and marginal costs. In this respect the best refiners are well ahead of the good ones. New cooperative ways of meeting regulations must be sought, to avoid wasteful over capacity. Joint ventures and alliances with competitors will be needed. The cooperative principle upstream must be extended and new strategies must be sought to meet product demand changes and reduce feedstock costs. The picture that is presented is tough, largely because of the wish to improve the environment. The question that must be continually reviewed is ''Have governments got the right balance in these regulations between the environment and the downstream industry?''

Informing practice regarding marginalization: the application of the Koci Marginality Index.

Science.gov (United States)

Koci, Anne Floyd; McFarlane, Judith; Nava, Angeles; Gilroy, Heidi; Maddoux, John

2012-12-01

The 49th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared violence as the leading worldwide public health problem with a focus on the increase in the incidence of injuries to women. Violence against women is an international epidemic with specific instruments required to measure the impact on women's functioning. This article describes the application of the Koci Marginality Index (KMI), a 5-item scale to measure marginality, to the baseline data of a seven-year prospective study of 300 abused women: 150 first time users of a shelter and 150 first time applicants for a protection order from the justice system. Validity and reliability of the Koci Marginality Index and its usefulness for best clinical practice and for policy decisions for abused women's health are discussed. The 49th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared violence as the leading worldwide public health problem and focused on the increase in the incidence of injuries to women (Krug et al., 2002 ). Violence against women in the form of intimate partner violence (IPV) is costly in terms of dollars and health. In the United States in 2003, estimated costs of IPV approached $8.3 billion (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2011). Outcomes related to severity of IPV vary but in 2003 victims suffering severe IPV lost nearly 8 million days of paid work, and greater than 5 million days of household productivity annually (CDC, 2011). Besides the evident financial cost of IPV, research confirms that exposure to IPV impacts a woman's health immediately and in the long-term (Breiding, Black, & Ryan, 2008 ; Campbell, 2002 ; CDC, 2011). Such sequela adversely affect the health of women and may increase their marginalization, a concept akin to isolation that may further increase negative effects on health outcomes. Immigrant women are at high risk for IPV (Erez, 2002 ) and those without documentation are at higher risk for marginalization (Montalvo

Estimating the marginal cost of reducing global fossil fuel CO2 emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edmonds, J.; Barns, D.W.; McDonald, S.

1992-01-01

This paper estimates the marginal, total, and average cost and effectiveness of carbon taxes applied either by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) members alone, or as part of a global cooperative strategy, to reduce potential future emissions and their direct implications for employment in the US coal industry. Two sets of cases are examined, one set in which OECD members acts alone, and another set in which the world acts in concert. In each case set taxes are examined which achieve four alternative levels of emissions reduction: halve the rate of emissions growth, no emissions growth, 20% reduction from 1988 levels, and 50% reduction from 1988 levels. For the global cooperation case, carbon tax rates of $32, $113, $161, and $517 per metric ton of carbon (mtC) were needed in the year 2025 to achieve the objectives. Total costs were respectively $40, $178, $253, and $848 billions of 1990 US dollars per year in the year 2025. Average costs were $32, $55, $59, and $135 per mtC. Costs were significantly higher in the cases in which the OECD members states acted alone. OECD member states, acting alone, could not reduce global emissions by 50% or 20% relative to 1988, given reference case assumptions regarding developing and recently planned nations economic growth

Aspects of marginal expenditures in energy sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stojchev, D.; Kynev, K.

1994-01-01

Technical and economical problems of marginal analysis methodology, its application procedure in energy sector and marginal expenditures determination are outlined. A comparative characteristics of the application is made for different periods of time. The differences in calculation of the marginal expenditures and prices are discussed. The operational costs, investments and inflation are analyzed. The mechanism of application of this approach in different planing horizon is outlined. The role of the change in the costs in time, the time unit, volume, the scope of application, etc. are determined. The areas of transition from one to other form of marginal expenditures are shown. 4 refs. (orig.)

The marginal costs like reference for the decision of electric energy cogeneration in Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, D.B. da; Eduardo, J.H.B.P.

1987-01-01

The electric cogeneration question, in a form of optimal utilization of high quality chemical energy in some industrial processes, or a form of employment of any others feedstocks, can be discussed on economics view, with the marginal costs reference, actually in implantation in Brazilian Electrical Sector. In this article, some ideas are presented about the mentioned discussion, in the Brazilian Electric Sector ambient, including analysis of laws and proposed directions for its modifications, looking for the cogeneration activity development in Brazil. (author)

Marginal cost curves for water footprint reduction in irrigated agriculture: guiding a cost-effective reduction of crop water consumption to a permit or benchmark level

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. D. Chukalla

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Reducing the water footprint (WF of the process of growing irrigated crops is an indispensable element in water management, particularly in water-scarce areas. To achieve this, information on marginal cost curves (MCCs that rank management packages according to their cost-effectiveness to reduce the WF need to support the decision making. MCCs enable the estimation of the cost associated with a certain WF reduction target, e.g. towards a given WF permit (expressed in m3  ha−1 per season or to a certain WF benchmark (expressed in m3  t−1 of crop. This paper aims to develop MCCs for WF reduction for a range of selected cases. AquaCrop, a soil-water-balance and crop-growth model, is used to estimate the effect of different management packages on evapotranspiration and crop yield and thus the WF of crop production. A management package is defined as a specific combination of management practices: irrigation technique (furrow, sprinkler, drip or subsurface drip; irrigation strategy (full or deficit irrigation; and mulching practice (no, organic or synthetic mulching. The annual average cost for each management package is estimated as the annualized capital cost plus the annual costs of maintenance and operations (i.e. costs of water, energy and labour. Different cases are considered, including three crops (maize, tomato and potato; four types of environment (humid in UK, sub-humid in Italy, semi-arid in Spain and arid in Israel; three hydrologic years (wet, normal and dry years and three soil types (loam, silty clay loam and sandy loam. For each crop, alternative WF reduction pathways were developed, after which the most cost-effective pathway was selected to develop the MCC for WF reduction. When aiming at WF reduction one can best improve the irrigation strategy first, next the mulching practice and finally the irrigation technique. Moving from a full to deficit irrigation strategy is found to be a no-regret measure: it reduces the WF

Marginal cost curves for water footprint reduction in irrigated agriculture: guiding a cost-effective reduction of crop water consumption to a permit or benchmark level

Science.gov (United States)

Chukalla, Abebe D.; Krol, Maarten S.; Hoekstra, Arjen Y.

2017-07-01

Reducing the water footprint (WF) of the process of growing irrigated crops is an indispensable element in water management, particularly in water-scarce areas. To achieve this, information on marginal cost curves (MCCs) that rank management packages according to their cost-effectiveness to reduce the WF need to support the decision making. MCCs enable the estimation of the cost associated with a certain WF reduction target, e.g. towards a given WF permit (expressed in m3  ha-1 per season) or to a certain WF benchmark (expressed in m3  t-1 of crop). This paper aims to develop MCCs for WF reduction for a range of selected cases. AquaCrop, a soil-water-balance and crop-growth model, is used to estimate the effect of different management packages on evapotranspiration and crop yield and thus the WF of crop production. A management package is defined as a specific combination of management practices: irrigation technique (furrow, sprinkler, drip or subsurface drip); irrigation strategy (full or deficit irrigation); and mulching practice (no, organic or synthetic mulching). The annual average cost for each management package is estimated as the annualized capital cost plus the annual costs of maintenance and operations (i.e. costs of water, energy and labour). Different cases are considered, including three crops (maize, tomato and potato); four types of environment (humid in UK, sub-humid in Italy, semi-arid in Spain and arid in Israel); three hydrologic years (wet, normal and dry years) and three soil types (loam, silty clay loam and sandy loam). For each crop, alternative WF reduction pathways were developed, after which the most cost-effective pathway was selected to develop the MCC for WF reduction. When aiming at WF reduction one can best improve the irrigation strategy first, next the mulching practice and finally the irrigation technique. Moving from a full to deficit irrigation strategy is found to be a no-regret measure: it reduces the WF by reducing water

The Marginal Source of Finance

OpenAIRE

Lindhe, Tobias

2002-01-01

This paper addresses the ongoingdebate on which view of equity, traditional or new, that best describes firm behavior. According to the traditional view, the marginal source of finance is new equity, whereas under to the new view, marginal financing comes from retained earnings. In the theoretical part, we set up a model where the firm faces a cost of adjusting the dividend level because of an aggravated free cash flow problem. The existence of such a cost - which has been used in arguing the...

Marginal abatement cost curves in general equilibrium: The influence of world energy prices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klepper, Gernot; Peterson, Sonja

2006-01-01

Marginal abatement cost curves (MACCs) are a favorite instrument to analyze international emissions trading. This paper focuses on the question of how to define MACCs in a general equilibrium context where the global abatement level influences energy prices and in turn national MACCs. We discuss the mechanisms theoretically and then use the CGE model DART for quantitative simulations. The result is, that changes in energy prices resulting from different global abatement levels do indeed affect national MACCs. Also, we compare different possibilities of defining MACCs-of which some are robust against changes in energy prices while others vary considerably. (author)

93-103 Concerns on Mismatches between Environments of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Genetic modification of crops to improve productivity is preferred to the continual ... that marginal management characterizes the ultimate target production environments. Whether .... of varieties even if it is laborious, costly and time consuming ...

Quantification of cost of margin associated with in-core nuclear fuel management for a PWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kropaczek, D.J.; Turinsky, P.J.

1989-01-01

The problem of in-core nuclear fuel management optimization is discussed. The problem is to determine the location of core material, such as the fuel and burnable poisons, so as to minimize (maximize) a stated objective within engineering constraints. Typical objectives include maximization of cycle energy production or discharged fuel exposure, and minimization of power peaking factor or reactor vessel fluence. Constraints include discharge burnup limits and one or more of the possible objectives if not selected as the objective. The optimization problem can be characterized as a large combinatorial problem with nonlinear objective function and constraints, which are likely to be active. The authors have elected to employ the integer Monte Carlo programming method to address this optimization problem because of the just-noted problem characteristics. To evaluate the core physics characteristics as a function of fuel loading pattern, second-order accurate perturbation theory is employed with successive application to improve estimates of the optimum loading pattern. No constraints on fuel movement other than requiring quarter-core symmetry were imposed. In this paper the authors employed this methodology to address a related problem. The problem being addressed can be stated as What is the cost associated with margin? Specifically, they wish to assign some financial value in terms of increased levelized fuel cycle cost associated with an increase in core margin of some type, such as power peaking factor

Critical operations capabilities in a high cost environment: a multiple case study

Science.gov (United States)

Sansone, C.; Hilletofth, P.; Eriksson, D.

2018-04-01

Operations capabilities have been a popular research area for many years and several frameworks have been proposed in the literature. The current frameworks do not take specific contexts into consideration, for instance a high cost environment. This research gap is of particular interest since a manufacturing relocation process has been ongoing the last decades, leading to a huge amount of manufacturing being moved from high to low cost environments. The purpose of this study is to identify critical operations capabilities in a high cost environment. The two research questions were: What are the critical operations capabilities dimensions in a high cost environment? What are the critical operations capabilities in a high cost environment? A multiple case study was conducted and three Swedish manufacturing firms were selected. The study was based on the investigation of an existing framework of operations capabilities. The main dimensions of operations capabilities included in the framework were: cost, quality, delivery, flexibility, service, innovation and environment. Each of the dimensions included two or more operations capabilities. The findings confirmed the validity of the framework and its usefulness in a high cost environment and a new operations capability was revealed (employee flexibility).

Identifying cost-minimizing strategies for guaranteeing target dairy income over feed cost via use of the Livestock Gross Margin dairy insurance program.

Science.gov (United States)

Valvekar, M; Cabrera, V E; Gould, B W

2010-07-01

Milk and feed price volatility are the major source of dairy farm risk. Since August 2008 a new federally reinsured insurance program has been available to many US dairy farmers to help minimize the negative effects of adverse price movements. This insurance program is referred to as Livestock Gross Margin Insurance for Dairy Cattle. Given the flexibility in contract design, the dairy farmer has to make 3 critical decisions when purchasing this insurance: 1) the percentage of monthly milk production to be covered, 3) declared feed equivalents used to produce this milk, and 3) the level of gross margin not covered by insurance (i.e., deductible). The objective of this analysis was to provide an optimal strategy of how a dairy farmer could incorporate this insurance program to help manage the variability in net farm income. In this analysis we assumed that a risk-neutral dairy farmer wants to design an insurance contract such that a target guaranteed income over feed cost is obtained at least cost. We undertook this analysis for a representative Wisconsin dairy farm (herd size: 120 cows) producing 8,873 kg (19,545 lb) of milk/cow per year. Wisconsin statistical data indicates that dairy farms of similar size must require an income over feed cost of at least $110/Mg ($5/cwt) of milk to be profitable during the coverage period. Therefore, using data for the July 2009 insurance contract to insure $110/Mg of milk, the least cost contract was found to have a premium of $1.22/Mg ($0.055/cwt) of milk produced insuring approximately 52% of the production with variable monthly production covered during the period of September 2009 to June 2010. This premium represented 1.10% of the desired IOFC. We compared the above optimal strategy with an alternative nonoptimal strategy, defined as a contract insuring the same proportion of milk as the optimal (52%) but with a constant amount insured across all contract months. The premium was found to be almost twice the level obtained

A Methodology for Constructing Marginal Abatement Cost Curves for Climate Action in Cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadine Ibrahim

2016-03-01

Full Text Available As drivers of climate action, cities are taking measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG emissions, which if left unabated pose a challenge to meeting long-term climate targets. The economics of climate action needs to be at the forefront of climate dialogue to prioritize investments among competing mitigation measures. A marginal abatement cost (MAC curve is an effective visualization of climate action that initiates a technical and economic discussion of the cost-effectiveness and abatement potential of such actions among local leaders, policy makers, and climate experts. More commonly demonstrated for countries, MAC curves need to be developed for cities because of their heterogeneity, which vary in their urban activities, energy supply, infrastructure stock, and commuting patterns. The methodology for constructing bottom-up MAC curves for cities is presented for technologies that offer fuel switching and/or energy efficiencies, while considering technology lifetimes, city-specific electricity and fuel prices, and emission intensities. Resulting MAC curves are unique to every city, and chart the pathway towards low-carbon growth by prioritizing measures based on cost-effectiveness. A case study of Toronto’s climate targets demonstrates the prioritization of select technologies. Leveraging MAC curves to support climate programs enables cities to strategically invest in financing climate action and designing incentives.

Holocene Paleoceanographic Environments at the Chukchi-Alaskan Margin: Implications for Future Changes

Science.gov (United States)

Polyak, L.; Nam, S. I.; Dipre, G.; Kim, S. Y.; Ortiz, J. D.; Darby, D. A.

2017-12-01

The impacts of the North Pacific oceanic and atmospheric system on the Arctic Ocean result in accelerated sea-ice retreat and related changes in hydrography and biota in the western Arctic. Paleoclimatic records from the Pacific sector of the Arctic are key for understanding the long-term history of these interactions. As opposed to stratigraphically long but strongly compressed sediment cores recovered from the deep Arctic Ocean, sediment depocenters on the Chukchi-Alaskan margin yield continuous, medium to high resolution records formed since the last deglaciation. While early Holocene conditions were non-analogous to modern environments due to the effects of prolonged deglaciation and insufficiently high sea levels, mid to late Holocene sediments are more relevant for recent and modern climate variability. Notably, a large depocenter at the Alaskan margin has sedimentation rates estimated as high as a few millimeters per year, thus providing a decadal to near-annual resolution. This high accumulation can be explained by sediment delivery via the Alaskan Coastal Current originating from the Bering Sea and supposedly controlled by the Aleutian Low pressure center. Preliminary results from sediment cores recovering the last several centuries, along with a comparison with other paleoclimatic proxy records from the Arctic-North Pacific region, indicate a persistent role of the Aleutian Low in the Bering Strait inflow and attendant deposition. More proxy studies are underway to reconstruct the history of this circulation system and its relationship with sea ice extent. The expected results will improve our understanding of natural variability in oceanic and atmospheric conditions at the Chukchi-Alaskan margin, a critical area for modulating the Arctic climate change.

Cost management in a nuclear operating environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steckel, J.K.; Gruber, C.O.

1985-01-01

This paper presents an integrated philosophy and program for managing costs in a nuclear operating environment. The ideas presented here are being used by Pennsyvania Power and Light Company (PPandL) at the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station. Three basic ideas necessary to successful cost management are listed and include: recognize the framework that is needed to ''manage'': treat cost as part of an integrated plan; and apply different techniques to different types of work activities. It is the author's opinion that the technical framework of a successful cost management system must include all work activities but recognize types. Project activities should be managed to a defined scope and authorized cost using a well communicated estimating program, aggressive trending and forecasting, and a change identification process

RJD A Cost Effective Frackless Solution For Production Enhancement In Marginal Fields

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmed Kamel

2017-02-01

Full Text Available With the worldwide trend of low oil prices high maturity of oil fields excessive cost of horizontal and fracking technologies and necessity for green drilling applications radial jet drilling RJD technology can be a cost effective and environmentally-friendly alternative. RJD is an unconventional drilling technique that utilizes coiled tubing conveyed tools and the energy of high velocity jet fluids to drill laterals inside the reservoir. In recent years rapid advances in high pressure water jet technology has tremendously increased its application in oil and gas industry not only in drilling operations to improve drilling rate and reduce drilling cost but also in production to maximize hydrocarbon recovery. In addition RJD can be used to bypass near wellbore damage direct reservoir treatmentsinjections improve water disposal and re-injection rates and assist in steam or CO2 treatments. This paper highlights the theoretical basis technological advancement procedures applications and challenges of high pressure water jets. Several worldwide case studies are discussed to evaluate the success results pros and cons of RJD. The results show that nearly an average of four to five fold production increase can be obtained. The present paper clearly shows that radial jet drilling is a viable and attractive alternative in marginal and small reservoirs that still have significant oil in place to capture the benefits of horizontal drillingfracking and to improve productivity from both new wells andor workover wells that cannot be produced with the existing expensive conventional completions.

Potential for adaptive evolution at species range margins: contrasting interactions between red coral populations and their environment in a changing ocean.

Science.gov (United States)

Ledoux, Jean-Baptiste; Aurelle, Didier; Bensoussan, Nathaniel; Marschal, Christian; Féral, Jean-Pierre; Garrabou, Joaquim

2015-03-01

Studying population-by-environment interactions (PEIs) at species range margins offers the opportunity to characterize the responses of populations facing an extreme regime of selection, as expected due to global change. Nevertheless, the importance of these marginal populations as putative reservoirs of adaptive genetic variation has scarcely been considered in conservation biology. This is particularly true in marine ecosystems for which the deep refugia hypothesis proposes that disturbed shallow and marginal populations of a given species can be replenished by mesophotic ones. This hypothesis therefore assumes that identical PEIs exist between populations, neglecting the potential for adaptation at species range margins. Here, we combine reciprocal transplant and common garden experiments with population genetics analyses to decipher the PEIs in the red coral, Corallium rubrum. Our analyses reveal partially contrasting PEIs between shallow and mesophotic populations separated by approximately one hundred meters, suggesting that red coral populations may potentially be locally adapted to their environment. Based on the effective population size and connectivity analyses, we posit that genetic drift may be more important than gene flow in the adaptation of the red coral. We further investigate how adaptive divergence could impact population viability in the context of warming and demonstrate differential phenotypic buffering capacities against thermal stress. Our study questions the relevance of the deep refugia hypothesis and highlights the conservation value of marginal populations as a putative reservoir of adaptive genetic polymorphism.

IQ-Station: A Low Cost Portable Immersive Environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eric Whiting; Patrick O' Leary; William Sherman; Eric Wernert

2010-11-01

The emergence of inexpensive 3D TV’s, affordable input and rendering hardware and open-source software has created a yeasty atmosphere for the development of low-cost immersive environments (IE). A low cost IE system, or IQ-station, fashioned from commercial off the shelf technology (COTS), coupled with a targeted immersive application can be a viable laboratory instrument for enhancing scientific workflow for exploration and analysis. The use of an IQ-station in a laboratory setting also has the potential of quickening the adoption of a more sophisticated immersive environment as a critical enabler in modern scientific and engineering workflows. Prior work in immersive environments generally required either a head mounted display (HMD) system or a large projector-based implementation both of which have limitations in terms of cost, usability, or space requirements. The solution presented here provides an alternative platform providing a reasonable immersive experience that addresses those limitations. Our work brings together the needed hardware and software to create a fully integrated immersive display and interface system that can be readily deployed in laboratories and common workspaces. By doing so, it is now feasible for immersive technologies to be included in researchers’ day-to-day workflows. The IQ-Station sets the stage for much wider adoption of immersive environments outside the small communities of virtual reality centers.

Analyzing the Effects of the Iranian Energy Subsidy Reform Plan on Short- Run Marginal Generation Cost of Electricity Using Extended Input-Output Price Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zohreh Salimian

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Subsidizing energy in Iran has imposed high costs on country's economy. Thus revising energy prices, on the basis of a subsidy reform plan, is a vital remedy to boost up the economy. While the direct consequence of cutting subsidies on electricity generation costs can be determined in a simple way, identifying indirect effects, which reflect higher costs for input factors such as labor, is a challenging problem. In this paper, variables such as compensation of employees and private consumption are endogenized by using extended Input-Output (I-O price model to evaluate direct and indirect effects of electricity and fuel prices increase on economic subsectors. The determination of the short-run marginal generation cost of electricity using I-O technique with taken into account the Iranian targeted subsidy plan's influences is the main goal of this paper. Marginal cost of electricity, in various scenarios of price adjustment of energy, is estimated for three conventional categories of thermal power plants. Our results show that the raising the price of energy leads to an increase in the electricity production costs. Accordingly, the production costs will be higher than 1000 Rials per kWh until 2014 as predicted in the beginning of the reform plan by electricity suppliers.

A brief introduction to marginal analysis for the micro-economics principles course

OpenAIRE

Burkey, Mark L.

2008-01-01

This brief note provides a simple, yet powerful example of how the marginal cost/marginal benefit principle can be used in everyday life. Using the decision of the optimal choice of speed on the highway, this note was developed for use as one of the first readings in an introductory microeconomics course. It is clear in this demonstration that marginal cost is increasing, while marginal benefit is decreasing, and how the intersection of these two curves shows the optimal choice. In addition, ...

Cost Analysis In A Multi-Mission Operations Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Newhouse, M.; Felton, L.; Bornas, N.; Botts, D.; Roth, K.; Ijames, G.; Montgomery, P.

2014-01-01

Spacecraft control centers have evolved from dedicated, single-mission or single missiontype support to multi-mission, service-oriented support for operating a variety of mission types. At the same time, available money for projects is shrinking and competition for new missions is increasing. These factors drive the need for an accurate and flexible model to support estimating service costs for new or extended missions; the cost model in turn drives the need for an accurate and efficient approach to service cost analysis. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) provides operations services to a variety of customers around the world. HOSC customers range from launch vehicle test flights; to International Space Station (ISS) payloads; to small, short duration missions; and has included long duration flagship missions. The HOSC recently completed a detailed analysis of service costs as part of the development of a complete service cost model. The cost analysis process required the team to address a number of issues. One of the primary issues involves the difficulty of reverse engineering individual mission costs in a highly efficient multimission environment, along with a related issue of the value of detailed metrics or data to the cost model versus the cost of obtaining accurate data. Another concern is the difficulty of balancing costs between missions of different types and size and extrapolating costs to different mission types. The cost analysis also had to address issues relating to providing shared, cloud-like services in a government environment, and then assigning an uncertainty or risk factor to cost estimates that are based on current technology, but will be executed using future technology. Finally the cost analysis needed to consider how to validate the resulting cost models taking into account the non-homogeneous nature of the available cost data and the

General interest and investment. Long-term marginal cost and pricing at Electricite de France (1948-1949)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yon, Guillaume

2014-01-01

The paper investigates the construction of a concept in economic theory, long-term marginal cost pricing. It does so by exploring the work done within electricite de France in 1948-1949 by a group of engineer-economists who came out with the notion while they were engaged in completely remaking the pricing policy of the new public monopoly. I will show that the concept envisages a large-scale reorganization of the national power generation capacity in order to enact a certain conception of the general interest in the electric sector

Pricing hospital care: Global budgets and marginal pricing strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Sutherland, Jason M

2015-08-01

The Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) is adding financial incentives to increase the volume of surgeries provided by hospitals using a marginal pricing approach. The objective of this study is to calculate marginal costs of surgeries based on assumptions regarding hospitals' availability of labor and equipment. This study is based on observational clinical, administrative and financial data generated by hospitals. Hospital inpatient and outpatient discharge summaries from the province are linked with detailed activity-based costing information, stratified by assigned case mix categorizations. To reflect a range of operating constraints governing hospitals' ability to increase their volume of surgeries, a number of scenarios are proposed. Under these scenarios, estimated marginal costs are calculated and compared to prices being offered as incentives to hospitals. Existing data can be used to support alternative strategies for pricing hospital care. Prices for inpatient surgeries do not generate positive margins under a range of operating scenarios. Hip and knee surgeries generate surpluses for hospitals even under the most costly labor conditions and are expected to generate additional volume. In health systems that wish to fine-tune financial incentives, setting prices that create incentives for additional volume should reflect knowledge of hospitals' underlying cost structures. Possible implications of mis-pricing include no response to the incentives or uneven increases in supply. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Environment Playing Short-handed: Margin of Appreciation in Environmental Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Müllerová, Hana

2015-01-01

Roč. 24, č. 1 (2015), s. 83-92 ISSN 2050-0394 Grant - others:Rada Programu interní podpory projektů mezinárodní spolupráce AV ČR(CZ) M300681201 Program:M Institutional support: RVO:68378122 Keywords : European Court of Human Rights * margin of appreciation * environment Subject RIV: AG - Legal Sciences http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/reel.12101/epdf

Cost, cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness of integrated family planning and HIV services.

Science.gov (United States)

Shade, Starley B; Kevany, Sebastian; Onono, Maricianah; Ochieng, George; Steinfeld, Rachel L; Grossman, Daniel; Newmann, Sara J; Blat, Cinthia; Bukusi, Elizabeth A; Cohen, Craig R

2013-10-01

To evaluate costs, cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness of integration of family planning into HIV services. Integration of family planning services into HIV care and treatment clinics. A cluster-randomized trial. Twelve health facilities in Nyanza, Kenya were randomized to integrate family planning into HIV care and treatment; six health facilities were randomized to (nonintegrated) standard-of-care with separately delivered family planning and HIV services. We assessed costs, cost-efficiency (cost per additional use of more effective family planning), and cost-effectiveness (cost per pregnancy averted) associated with the first year of integration of family planning into HIV care. More effective family planning methods included oral and injectable contraceptives, subdermal implants, intrauterine device, and female and male sterilization. We collected cost data through interviews with study staff and review of financial records to determine costs of service integration. Integration of services was associated with an average marginal cost of $841 per site and $48 per female patient. Average overall and marginal costs of integration were associated with personnel costs [initial ($1003 vs. $872) and refresher ($498 vs. $330) training, mentoring ($1175 vs. $902) and supervision ($1694 vs. $1636)], with fewer resources required for other fixed ($18 vs. $0) and recurring expenses ($471 vs. $287). Integration was associated with a marginal cost of $65 for each additional use of more effective family planning and $1368 for each pregnancy averted. Integration of family planning and HIV services is feasible, inexpensive to implement, and cost-efficient in the Kenyan setting, and thus supports current Kenyan integration policy.

The cost of a clean environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schillo, B.

1992-01-01

Ideally, to help put environmental expenditures into context would entail comparing the costs and benefits of individual actions. However, great uncertainty remains in our enumeration and understanding of the harmful physical effects that would be avoided by environmental mitigation and the value to be placed on those physical effects. Therefore, this paper focuses primarily on costs, not the benefits, of environmental regulation, but it is important to remember that our environmental expenditures have produced results. To that end, some of the accomplishments over the last 20 years are reviewed. The EPA's open-quotes Environmental Investments: The Cost of a Clean Environment (Cost of Clean)close quotes which presents a good historic record of actual out-of-pocket pollution control expenditures, as well as projections of costs through the year 2000, is summarized. Some brief clarifying comments on the costs of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (1990 CAAA) are included. Finally, it is noted that out-of-pocket expenditures capture only a portion of the true impact of environmental regulation on measured gross national product (GNP). Environmental expenditures have important secondary effects, affecting economy-wide distribution of capital expenditures, increasing the cost of capital, altering the rate and composition of capital accumulation, and ultimately influencing aggregate economic growth. EPA is engaged in a series of analytic efforts designed to account for these general equilibrium effects. A general equilibrium framework is being applied to analysis of the Clean Air Act, both retrospectively and prospectively. 5 refs., 7 figs., 6 tabs

Refining margins: recent trends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baudoin, C.; Favennec, J.P.

1999-01-01

Despite a business environment that was globally mediocre due primarily to the Asian crisis and to a mild winter in the northern hemisphere, the signs of improvement noted in the refining activity in 1996 were borne out in 1997. But the situation is not yet satisfactory in this sector: the low return on invested capital and the financing of environmental protection expenditure are giving cause for concern. In 1998, the drop in crude oil prices and the concomitant fall in petroleum product prices was ultimately rather favorable to margins. Two elements tended to put a damper on this relative optimism. First of all, margins continue to be extremely volatile and, secondly, the worsening of the economic and financial crisis observed during the summer made for a sharp decline in margins in all geographic regions, especially Asia. Since the beginning of 1999, refining margins are weak and utilization rates of refining capacities have decreased. (authors)

Electricity to natural gas competition under customer-side technological change: a marginal cost pricing analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gulli', Francesco

2004-01-01

This paper aims at evaluating the impact of technological change (on the customer side of the meter) on the network energy industry (electricity and natural gas). The performances of the small gas fired power technologies and the electrical reversible heat pumps have improved remarkably over the last ten years, making possible (or more viable) two opposite technological trajectories: the fully gas-based system, based on the use of small CHP (combined heat and power generation) plants, which would involve a wide decentralisation of energy supply; the fully electric-based system, based on the use of reversible electric heat pumps, which would imply increasing centralisation of energy supply. The analysis described in this paper attempts to evaluate how these two kinds of technological solutions can impact on inter-service competition when input prices are ste equals to marginal costs of supply in each stage of the electricity and natural gas industries. For this purpose, unbundled prices over time and over space are simulated. In particular the paper shows that unbundling prices over space in not very important in affecting electricity to natural gas competition and that, when prices are set equal to long-run marginal costs, the fully electric-based solution (the reversible heat pump) is by far preferable to the fully gas-based solution (the CHP gas fired small power plant). In consequence, the first best outcome of the technological change would involve increasing large power generation and imported (from the utility grid) electricity consumption. Given this framework, we have to ask ourselves why operators, regulators and legislators are so optimistic about the development of the fully gas-based solutions. In this respect, the paper suggests that market distortions (such as market power, energy taxation and inefficient pricing regulation) might have give an ambiguous representation of the optimal technological trajectory, inducing to overestimate the social value

Influence of heat cost allocation on occupants' control of indoor environment in 56 apartments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Søren; Andersen, Rune Korsholm; Olesen, Bjarne W.

2016-01-01

-structured interviews showed a strong influence of the heat cost allocation plan on the occupants' control strategies. Occupants whose heating bills were based on floor area focused on a healthy and comfortable indoor environment. Occupants whose heating bills were based on meter readings focused on energy conservation...... of this paper was to study the indoor environment in buildings with collective and individual heat cost allocation plans, to investigate how the heat cost allocation influenced occupant behaviour and how occupants controlled the indoor environment. The effects of the heat cost allocation type were studied...

Quantification and Classification of E. coli Proteome Utilization and Unused Protein Costs across Environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

O'Brien, Edward J.; Utrilla, Jose; Palsson, Bernhard

2016-01-01

The costs and benefits of protein expression are balanced through evolution. Expression of un-utilized protein (that have no benefits in the current environment) incurs a quantifiable fitness costs on cellular growth rates; however, the magnitude and variability of un-utilized protein expression...... in varying environments. Thus, unused protein expression is the source of large and pervasive fitness costs that may provide the benefit of hedging against environmental change....... in natural settings is unknown, largely due to the challenge in determining environment-specific proteome utilization. We address this challenge using absolute and global proteomics data combined with a recently developed genome-scale model of Escherichia coli that computes the environment-specific cost...

Approach to stress tests in SIP environment based on marginal analysis

OpenAIRE

Voznak, Miroslav; Rozhon, Jan

2013-01-01

In the field of performance metrics and measurements of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) Proxy and B2BUA (Back-to-Back User Agent) no standardized methodology has been presented yet. This gap results in a problematic determination of a hardware, the performance of which would be cost-effective and sufficient for the running the SIP Server in a given environment. Today practice relies on the administrator’s skills and experience with the needs of the telephony infrastructure. From this and th...

Use of synthetic series of monthly flows in calculating the marginal cost of energy of the national interconnected power system of Peru

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarango J, D.; Velasquez B, T.

2009-01-01

In this research it was determined the feasibility of using synthetic series of monthly average flow for the determination of the average marginal cost of energy in the National Interconnected Electric System of Peru, SEIN, taking as a case study of implementing bar tariff setting in 2004, where it was used the PERSEO model for planning, simulation and optimization of the hydrothermal system in Peru. The model is currently used by the Deputy Manager of tariff regulation (GART) of the Agency for Supervision of Investment in Energy and Mining - OSINERGMIN. The model use as hydrological information the average monthly flow series of tributaries to the historical attractions of the 23 river basins of the SEIN, one of the main is the basin of the Junin Lake, whose water is used by the Mantaro and Restitution hydroelectric, generating almost 20% of the power of our country. With the HEC-4 program, developed by the Hydrological Engineering Center of the USA, from the time series of monthly historical flows tributary to the Junin Lake, 50 series were generated synthetic monthly flow, determined from them a dry series, a average series and a wet series, information that was used in the PERSEO model to calculate the average marginal cost of energy of SEIN for each case. The results obtained from the average marginal cost of energy with the use of synthetic series of monthly flows, for the dry case, average case and wet case, with the PERSEO model, compared to the historical event, are lower in order of 1.14, 1.55 and 0.87 US $/MWh, the results will determine a decline in energy prices for end users, such as the domestic, commercial, industrial and mining users. (author).

Implications of higher energy - summary of benefits, issues, commissioning cost, SEU, Cryo, QPS margins, Potential availability issues

CERN Document Server

Alemany, R

2012-01-01

The LHC is technically almost ready to run at 4 TeV per beam in 2012. Nevertheless, a review of the advantages and disadvantages of such an energy step should be carefully made before taking this decision. There fore, this paper will summarize the benefits from the physics point of view; the potential issues like a possible increase of Single Event Errors , Unidentified Flying Objects, or a significant decrease of the quench margin from beam losses that, all in all , could lead to availability issues, compromising the integrated luminosity. And last but not least, the commissioning cost will be addressed.

Relief for marginal wells is better than energy tax

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swords, J.; Wilson, D.

1993-01-01

By increasing production costs and reducing petroleum prices, President Bill Clinton's proposed energy tax would increase marginal well abandonments and hasten the decline of the US oil and gas industry. Instead, the US needs tax law changes to help counteract the increasing number of oil and gas well abandonments in the lower 48 states. The proposed tax would create potential difficulties, while three incentives could be introduced to reduce abandonments and at the same time preserve US government tax revenues that otherwise would be lost. Eliminating the net income limitation on percentage depletion allowances on wells that would otherwise be abandoned would be a great help for marginal well operators. Extended enhanced oil recovery (EOR) credits and broader investment tax credits could also serve the dual purpose of keeping marginal wells operating longer and generating more federal tax revenues. A marginal well investment tax credit should be provided that is not just a credit for incremented investments that exceed investment in prior years. An investment tax credit based on out-of-pocket costs of production, targeted for marginal wells, would be an important incentive to invest in, and continue to maintain, these properties. (author)

An assessment of household electricity load curves and corresponding CO2 marginal abatement cost curves for Gujarat state, India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garg, Amit; Shukla, P.R.; Maheshwari, Jyoti; Upadhyay, Jigeesha

2014-01-01

Gujarat, a large industrialized state in India, consumed 67 TWh of electricity in 2009–10, besides experiencing a 4.5% demand–supply short-fall. Residential sector accounted for 15% of the total electricity consumption. We conducted load research survey across 21 cities and towns of the state to estimate residential electricity load curves, share of appliances by type and usage patterns for all types of household appliances at utility, geographic, appliance, income and end-use levels. The results indicate that a large scope exists for penetration of energy efficient devices in residential sector. Marginal Abatement Cost (MAC) curves for electricity and CO 2 were generated to analyze relative attractiveness of energy efficient appliance options. Results indicate that up to 7.9 TWh of electricity can be saved per year with 6.7 Mt-CO 2 emissions mitigation at negative or very low CO 2 prices of US$ 10/t-CO 2 . Despite such options existing, their penetration is not realized due to myriad barriers such as financial, institutional or awareness and therefore cannot be taken as baseline options for CO 2 emission mitigation regimes. - Highlights: • Residential sector provides focused mitigation opportunities. • Energy efficient space cooling is the main technology transition required. • Almost 26% residential load could be reduced by DSM measures. • Myriad barriers limit penetration of negative marginal cost efficient options

Marginal costs for road maintenance and operation - a cost function approach

OpenAIRE

Haraldsson, Mattias

2007-01-01

Using observational data covering the whole Swedish national road network for the period 1998-2002, this paper estimates a set of maintenance and operation cost functions. It is found that costs for all operation and maintenance measures increase with traffic intensity, with two exceptions; total operation and winter operation measures are fixed cost activities. All other operation and maintenance measures have short run elasticities in the range 0.25-0.60. The impact of an additional vehicle...

Quantification and Classification of E. coli Proteome Utilization and Unused Protein Costs across Environments.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward J O'Brien

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The costs and benefits of protein expression are balanced through evolution. Expression of un-utilized protein (that have no benefits in the current environment incurs a quantifiable fitness costs on cellular growth rates; however, the magnitude and variability of un-utilized protein expression in natural settings is unknown, largely due to the challenge in determining environment-specific proteome utilization. We address this challenge using absolute and global proteomics data combined with a recently developed genome-scale model of Escherichia coli that computes the environment-specific cost and utility of the proteome on a per gene basis. We show that nearly half of the proteome mass is unused in certain environments and accounting for the cost of this unused protein expression explains >95% of the variance in growth rates of Escherichia coli across 16 distinct environments. Furthermore, reduction in unused protein expression is shown to be a common mechanism to increase cellular growth rates in adaptive evolution experiments. Classification of the unused protein reveals that the unused protein encodes several nutrient- and stress- preparedness functions, which may convey fitness benefits in varying environments. Thus, unused protein expression is the source of large and pervasive fitness costs that may provide the benefit of hedging against environmental change.

Internalising external costs of electricity and heat production in a municipal energy system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmgren, Kristina; Amiri, Shahnaz

2007-01-01

Both energy supply and waste treatment give rise to negative effects on the environment, so-called external effects. In this study, monetary values on external costs collected from the EU's ExternE project are used to evaluate inclusion of these costs in comparison with an energy utility perspective including present policy instruments. The studied object is a municipal district heating system with a waste incineration plant as the base supplier of heat. The evaluation concerns fuels used for heat production and total electricity production, for scenarios with external costs included and for a scenario using the present policy instrument. Impacts of assumptions on marginal power producers (coal or natural gas power plants) are investigated, since locally produced electricity is assumed to replace marginal power and thus is credited for the avoided burden. Varying levels of external costs for carbon dioxide emissions are analysed. The method used is an economic optimisation model, MODEST. The conclusion is that present policy instruments are strong incentives for cogeneration, even when external costs are included. Waste is fully utilised in all scenarios. In cases where coal is the marginal power producer, more electricity is produced; when natural gas is the marginal power producer, less is produced. There are several uncertainties in the data for external costs, both methodological and ethical. In the ExternE data, not all environmental impacts are included. For waste incineration, ashes are not included, and another difficulty is how to treat the avoided burden of other waste treatment methods

The intertemporal stability of the concentration-margins relationship in Dutch and U.S. manufacturing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Y.M. Prince (Yvonne); A.R. Thurik (Roy)

1994-01-01

textabstractFactors influencing price-cost margins are investigated using a rich panel data base of the Dutch manufacturing sector. Attention is devoted to the intertemporal stability of the relationship explaining price-cost margins and to a comparison with U.S. results. Our results indicate that

The development and change study of cost accounting in the IT environment

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Zilian Li; Qiumei Hu

2015-01-01

Relative to costs of computerized accounting, the cost accounting information further to get rid of the shackles of artificial accounting, reflecting a pure information management thinking, which contains a richer content, and traditional cost accounting theory a profound impact on the system. Clear understanding of the environment in the IT development process cost accounting will help us actively to promote cost accounting change, innovation and development.

Toward a new spacecraft optimal design lifetime? Impact of marginal cost of durability and reduced launch price

Science.gov (United States)

Snelgrove, Kailah B.; Saleh, Joseph Homer

2016-10-01

The average design lifetime of satellites continues to increase, in part due to the expectation that the satellite cost per operational day decreases monotonically with increased design lifetime. In this work, we challenge this expectation by revisiting the durability choice problem for spacecraft in the face of reduced launch price and under various cost of durability models. We first provide a brief overview of the economic thought on durability and highlight its limitations as they pertain to our problem (e.g., the assumption of zero marginal cost of durability). We then investigate the merging influence of spacecraft cost of durability and launch price, and we identify conditions that give rise cost-optimal design lifetimes that are shorter than the longest lifetime technically achievable. For example, we find that high costs of durability favor short design lifetimes, and that under these conditions the optimal choice is relatively robust to reduction in launch prices. By contrast, lower costs of durability favor longer design lifetimes, and the optimal choice is highly sensitive to reduction in launch price. In both cases, reduction in launch prices translates into reduction of the optimal design lifetime. Our results identify a number of situations for which satellite operators would be better served by spacecraft with shorter design lifetimes. Beyond cost issues and repeat purchases, other implications of long design lifetime include the increased risk of technological slowdown given the lower frequency of purchases and technology refresh, and the increased risk for satellite operators that the spacecraft will be technologically obsolete before the end of its life (with the corollary of loss of value and competitive advantage). We conclude with the recommendation that, should pressure to extend spacecraft design lifetime continue, satellite manufacturers should explore opportunities to lease their spacecraft to operators, or to take a stake in the ownership

Prices and heterogeneous search costs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luis Moraga-Gonzalez, Jose; Sandor, Zsolt; Wildenbeest, Matthijs R.

2017-01-01

We study price formation in a model of consumer search for differentiated products in which consumers have heterogeneous search costs. We provide conditions under which a pure-strategy symmetric Nash equilibrium exists and is unique. Search costs affect two margins-the intensive search margin (or

The new tariff model based on marginal costs developing concept for Brazilian electric sector. A case study for Power and Light Company of Sao Paulo State (Brazil)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Correia, S.P.S.

1991-01-01

A new methodology for power generation cost accounts in Brazilian electric sector is described, with the application of marginal costs theory and its deviation in developing economies. A case report from a Brazilian Power and Light Company is studied, focalizing the seasoning, the planning, the tariff model and the power generation, transmission and distribution. (M.V.M.). 19 refs, 28 figs, 1 tab

Links between social environment and health care utilization and costs.

Science.gov (United States)

Brault, Marie A; Brewster, Amanda L; Bradley, Elizabeth H; Keene, Danya; Tan, Annabel X; Curry, Leslie A

2018-01-01

The social environment influences health outcomes for older adults and could be an important target for interventions to reduce costly medical care. We sought to understand which elements of the social environment distinguish communities that achieve lower health care utilization and costs from communities that experience higher health care utilization and costs for older adults with complex needs. We used a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach. We classified community performance based on three outcomes: rate of hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions, all-cause risk-standardized hospital readmission rates, and Medicare spending per beneficiary. We conducted in-depth interviews with key informants (N = 245) from organizations providing health or social services. Higher performing communities were distinguished by several aspects of social environment, and these features were lacking in lower performing communities: 1) strong informal support networks; 2) partnerships between faith-based organizations and health care and social service organizations; and 3) grassroots organizing and advocacy efforts. Higher performing communities share similar social environmental features that complement the work of health care and social service organizations. Many of the supportive features and programs identified in the higher performing communities were developed locally and with limited governmental funding, providing opportunities for improvement.

Recent progress in Pacific-Asian Marginal Seas (PAMS) studies

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuno, Takeshi; Hirose, Naoki; Zhang, Jing; Cho, Yang-Ki; Chen, Dake; Yuan, Dongliang; Hung, Chin-Chang; Jan, Sen

2017-07-01

Marginal seas which represent the buffer zones between land and the pelagic ocean are being increasingly influenced by human activity. The role of the marginal seas is important for many reasons, among which are biological resources and climate change. In East Asia, we have marginal seas between the Asian Continent and the Pacific Ocean, where various countries and areas form complicated territories and EEZ. To understand the marine environment of marginal seas, international cooperative scientific activities are necessary, and it is essential to share the latest information and knowledge.

Wind energy in a competitive electricity supply environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Strbac, G; Jenkins, N [Manchester Centre for Electrical Energy, Manchester (United Kingdom)

1996-12-31

In the UK, there has been an increasing interest in the commercial aspects of the impact of wind energy on transmission and distribution networks. In a competitive electricity supply environment, mechanisms for pricing network services are considered to be the main vehicle for evaluating that impact. This article reviews the major pricing strategies based on embedded costs, short and long run marginal costing theory as well as time-of-use pricing, and comments on the influence of each particular strategy on the calculated value of wind energy. Also, prospective tools for evaluating savings in capital and operating network costs due to wind generation, are identified. (author)

Wind energy in a competitive electricity supply environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Strbac, G.; Jenkins, N. [Manchester Centre for Electrical Energy, Manchester (United Kingdom)

1995-12-31

In the UK, there has been an increasing interest in the commercial aspects of the impact of wind energy on transmission and distribution networks. In a competitive electricity supply environment, mechanisms for pricing network services are considered to be the main vehicle for evaluating that impact. This article reviews the major pricing strategies based on embedded costs, short and long run marginal costing theory as well as time-of-use pricing, and comments on the influence of each particular strategy on the calculated value of wind energy. Also, prospective tools for evaluating savings in capital and operating network costs due to wind generation, are identified. (author)

Marketing margins and agricultural technology in Mozambique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arndt, Channing; Jensen, Henning Tarp; Robinson, Sherman

2000-01-01

of improved agricultural technology and lower marketing margins yield welfare gains across the economy. In addition, a combined scenario reveals significant synergy effects, as gains exceed the sum of gains from the individual scenarios. Relative welfare improvements are higher for poor rural households......Improvements in agricultural productivity and reductions in marketing costs in Mozambique are analysed using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. The model incorporates detailed marketing margins and separates household demand for marketed and home-produced goods. Individual simulations...

Time path of marginal cost for measures against global warming toward the greenhouse gas concentration target. Analytic solution and case study of the electric power sector; Onshitsu koka gas nodo mokuhyoka deno ondanka taisaku genkai hiyo no jikan keiro. Kaisekikai to denryoku bumon no case study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagano, K.; Sugiyama, H.; Takahashi, M. [Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-01-30

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is studied from the viewpoint of implementing costs. As far as the global warming issue is concerned, the factor to affect the environment is not the emitted volume but the concentration in the air. The ultimate target is the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentration at a level not to impose serious artificial damage on the ecosystem. Accordingly, various time paths are considered, including one in which much emission is allowed at the beginning and suppression is enforced acceleratedly in the later stage. In this study, a path demanding but the minimal cost in the period up to the target time point is discussed, using as the tool the marginal cost for measure implementation. In a reasonable emission control strategy, the emission control marginal cost follows a time path that is dependent upon an increase function to be determined by the discount rate and survival rate (time constant) in the atmosphere. In the industrial branch, instead of imposing short-term and rigid emission volume control limits, a longer-term target may be set for reduction in the loads responsible for concentration acceleration, concrete emission controls under the given conditions may be implemented at the discretion of the implementing organizations, and reduction in cost may be realized by time distribution with the environmental impacts kept at approximately equal levels. 5 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.

Deregulated model and locational marginal pricing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sood, Yog Raj; Padhy, N.P.; Gupta, H.O.

2007-01-01

This paper presents a generalized optimal model that dispatches the pool in combination with privately negotiated bilateral and multilateral contracts while maximizing social benefit has been proposed. This model determines the locational marginal pricing (LMP) based on marginal cost theory. It also determines the size of non-firm transactions as well as pool demand and generations. Both firms as well as non-firm transactions are considered in this model. The proposed model has been applied to IEEE-30 bus test system. In this test system different types of transactions are added for analysis of the proposed model. (author)

Non-marginal cost-benefit analysis and the tyranny of discounting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vermeylen, K.

2013-01-01

This paper uses the Kaldor-Hicks compensation principle to compute the present value (PV) of a non-marginal future event. Three theoretical results stand out: First, decreasing returns to capital create a wedge between the PV of future generations' willingness to pay (WTP) and the PV of their

A joint estimation of price-cost margins and sunk capital. Theory and evidence from the European electricity industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roeger, W.; Warzynski, F.

2004-01-01

In this paper, we propose a new methodology to jointly estimate market power and the importance of sunk capital extending the work of Hall (1988) and Roeger (1995). Wc then apply this new technique to the European electricity industry using firm level data for the period 1994-1999, and analyze the impact of the 1996 European directive to liberalize electricity markets. We find that the average price cost margin has declined from 0.29 in 1994 to 0.22 in 1999. Moreover, the magnitude of the decline is linked to firm size: the largest firms have experienced a larger percentage fall. The variable cost parameter has increased from 0.36 in 1994 to 0.56 in 1999. The main reason of the change is the switch of the relationship between real labor productivity and the share of variable capital. Our results therefore document a more competitive electricity market and a more flexible and more efficient use of capital. (au)

Custo marginal de abatimento de emissões de gases de efeito estufa na recuperação da pastagem = Marginal abatement cost of greenhouse gases emissions in pasture recovery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Willian Jun Kimura

2016-10-01

financing with the Low Carbon Agriculture Program credit line, using the marginal abatement cost tool. To achieve the proposed goals, financial data from the Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics and the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock was used, as well as emissions data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Low Carbon Agriculture Plan in order to simulate an annual net costs and net emissions of current and abatement technologies, represented respectively by a low-tech livestock and a livestock in recovered pasture. The financial and emissions figures of a livestock in a recovered pasture were more favorable in comparison to low-tech livestock. Taking into consideration these two factors, the marginal abatement cost is - R$ 24.72 per tCO2 equivalent. In other words, for each ton of equivalent carbon dioxide mitigated by pasture recovery, the farmer has a financial gain of R$ 24.72 than keeping low-tech livestock. Thus, from a financial and environmental perspective, pasture recovery has shown to be a practice which allows a sustainable increase in food production.

Virtual learning environment for managing costs of dressings for pressure ulcers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Cristiane Alves Pereira

2014-06-01

Full Text Available A descriptive and applied study aimed at describing the construction and assessment of a virtual learning environment on the topic of cost management of pressure ulcer dressings, using WebQuest methodology. For the planning and development phases, we used simple and accessible technological resources, focused on educational aspects. During the assessment phase, four computer science specialists, four nursing professors and four nursing professionals who worked with cost management evaluated technical aspects (Response Time and Interface Quality as well as educational ones (Content, Activity, Interaction. These aspects received positive evaluations (over 86% of criteria were fulfilled, except for Response Time (62% were totally fulfilled and 30% partially fulfilled. The results demonstrated that it is possible to make use of virtual learning environments with undergraduate nursing students in order to impact education regarding material cost management in nursing. doi: 10.5216/ree.v16i2.22161.

The economics of wind and solar variability. How the variability of wind and solar power affects their marginal value, optimal deployment, and integration costs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hirth, Lion

2014-11-14

Variable renewable energy sources (VRE) for electricity generation, such as wind and solar power, are subject to inherent output fluctuations. This variability has significant impacts on power system and electricity markets if VRE are deployed at large scale. While on global average, wind and solar power currently supply only a minor share of electricity, they are expected to play a much larger role in the future - such that variability will become a major issue (which it already is in some regions). This thesis contributes to the literature that assesses these impacts the ''system and market integration'' literature. This thesis aims at answering the question: What is the impact of wind and solar power variability on the economics of these technologies? It will be laid out that the impact can be expressed in (at least) three ways: as reduction of value, as increase of cost, or as decrease of optimal deployment. Translating between these perspectives is not trivial, as evidenced by the confusion around the concept of ''integration costs''. Hence, more specifically: How does variability impact the marginal economic value of these power sources, their optimal deployment, and their integration costs? This is the question that this thesis addresses. This study comprises six papers, of which two develop a valuation framework that accounts for the specific characteristics of the good electricity, and the specific properties of wind and solar power versus ''dispatchable'' power plants. Three articles then assess quantitative questions and estimate marginal value, optimal deployment, and integration costs. These estimates stem from a newly developed numerical power market model, EMMA, market data, and quantitative literature reviews. The final paper addresses market design. In short, the principal findings of this thesis are as follows. Electricity is a peculiar economic good, being at the same time perfectly

The economics of wind and solar variability. How the variability of wind and solar power affects their marginal value, optimal deployment, and integration costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirth, Lion

2014-01-01

Variable renewable energy sources (VRE) for electricity generation, such as wind and solar power, are subject to inherent output fluctuations. This variability has significant impacts on power system and electricity markets if VRE are deployed at large scale. While on global average, wind and solar power currently supply only a minor share of electricity, they are expected to play a much larger role in the future - such that variability will become a major issue (which it already is in some regions). This thesis contributes to the literature that assesses these impacts the ''system and market integration'' literature. This thesis aims at answering the question: What is the impact of wind and solar power variability on the economics of these technologies? It will be laid out that the impact can be expressed in (at least) three ways: as reduction of value, as increase of cost, or as decrease of optimal deployment. Translating between these perspectives is not trivial, as evidenced by the confusion around the concept of ''integration costs''. Hence, more specifically: How does variability impact the marginal economic value of these power sources, their optimal deployment, and their integration costs? This is the question that this thesis addresses. This study comprises six papers, of which two develop a valuation framework that accounts for the specific characteristics of the good electricity, and the specific properties of wind and solar power versus ''dispatchable'' power plants. Three articles then assess quantitative questions and estimate marginal value, optimal deployment, and integration costs. These estimates stem from a newly developed numerical power market model, EMMA, market data, and quantitative literature reviews. The final paper addresses market design. In short, the principal findings of this thesis are as follows. Electricity is a peculiar economic good, being at the same time perfectly

A definition model of electric power tariff based on marginal cost: case study at CERON - the electric company of Rondonia, Brazil; Um modelo de definicao de tarifa de energia eletrica baseada no custo marginal: estudo de caso na CERON - Centrais Eletricas de Rondonia, Brasil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Domiciano, Jose Antonio

2002-07-01

The present competition circumstances (ambient) require enterprises (companies or undertaking) like CERON to have understanding of all conditions to propose tariffs which give correct signal the consumers. Objective. Thus, search for valuations of model to define the tariff of electric energy based on marginal cost though a study in case of CERON. Method. Develop an investigation of a model of definition of tariffs of electric energy based on marginal costs to start the study in case of CERON and followed by analysis of its tariff structure. Results. With application of the signal (sign or indication) of tariffs, can measure the degree of separation of tariffs and to propose new modalities of alternate tariffs which offer conditions to reflect the real form of costs imposed by clients who form subgroups of tariffs of CERON. With final results, it offers parameters to trace (seek) important strategy for the company. Conclusion: The model gives condition's to identify and quantify of subsidies inside the tariff structure. It is a base which permits to create alternatives to resolve tariff distortions. It permits to have a better understanding which category (class) of consumers who are free will try to seek companies with tariffs which reflect really its costs. (author)

A definition model of electric power tariff based on marginal cost: case study at CERON - the electric company of Rondonia, Brazil; Um modelo de definicao de tarifa de energia eletrica baseada no custo marginal: estudo de caso na CERON - Centrais Eletricas de Rondonia, Brasil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Domiciano, Jose Antonio

2002-07-01

The present competition circumstances (ambient) require enterprises (companies or undertaking) like CERON to have understanding of all conditions to propose tariffs which give correct signal the consumers. Objective. Thus, search for valuations of model to define the tariff of electric energy based on marginal cost though a study in case of CERON. Method. Develop an investigation of a model of definition of tariffs of electric energy based on marginal costs to start the study in case of CERON and followed by analysis of its tariff structure. Results. With application of the signal (sign or indication) of tariffs, can measure the degree of separation of tariffs and to propose new modalities of alternate tariffs which offer conditions to reflect the real form of costs imposed by clients who form subgroups of tariffs of CERON. With final results, it offers parameters to trace (seek) important strategy for the company. Conclusion: The model gives condition's to identify and quantify of subsidies inside the tariff structure. It is a base which permits to create alternatives to resolve tariff distortions. It permits to have a better understanding which category (class) of consumers who are free will try to seek companies with tariffs which reflect really its costs. (author)

Containment safety margins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Von Riesemann, W.A.

1980-01-01

Objective of the Containment Safety Margins program is the development and verification of methodologies which are capable of reliably predicting the ultimate load-carrying capability of light water reactor containment structures under accident and severe environments. The program was initiated in June 1980 at Sandia and this paper addresses the first phase of the program which is essentially a planning effort. Brief comments are made about the second phase, which will involve testing of containment models

Refining prices and margins in 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Favennec, J.P.; Baudoin, C.

1999-01-01

Despite a business environment that was globally mediocre due primarily to the Asian crisis and to a mild winter in the northern hemisphere, the signs of improvement noted in the refining activity in 1996 were borne out in 1997. But the situation is not yet satisfactory in this sector: the low return on invested capital and the financing of environmental protection expenditure are giving cause for concern. In 1998, the drop in crude oil prices and the concomitant fall in petroleum product prices was ultimately rather favorable to margins. Two elements tended to put a damper on this relative optimism. First of all, margins continue to be extremely volatile and, secondly, the worsening of the economic and financial crisis observed during the summer made for a sharp decline in margins in all geographic regions, especially Asia

Valuing productivity costs in a changing macroeconomic environment: the estimation of colorectal cancer productivity costs using the friction cost approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanly, Paul; Koopmanschap, Marc; Sharp, Linda

2016-06-01

The friction cost approach (FCA) has been proposed as an alternative to the human capital approach for productivity cost valuation. However, FCA estimates are context dependent and influenced by extant macroeconomic conditions. We applied the FCA to estimate colorectal cancer labor productivity costs and assessed the impact of a changing macroeconomic environment on these estimates. Data from colorectal cancer survivors (n = 159) derived from a postal survey undertaken in Ireland March 2010 to January 2011 were combined with national wage data, population-level survival data, and occupation-specific friction periods to calculate temporary and permanent disability, and premature mortality costs using the FCA. The effects of changing labor market conditions between 2006 and 2013 on the friction period were modeled in scenario analyses. Costs were valued in 2008 euros. In the base-case, the total FCA per-person productivity cost for incident colorectal cancer patients of working age at diagnosis was €8543. In scenario 1 (a 2.2 % increase in unemployment), the fall in the friction period caused total productivity costs to decrease by up to 18 % compared to base-case estimates. In scenario 2 (a 9.2 % increase in unemployment), the largest decrease in productivity cost was up to 65 %. Adjusting for the vacancy rate reduced the effect of unemployment on the cost results. The friction period used in calculating labor productivity costs greatly affects the derived estimates; this friction period requires reassessment following changes in labor market conditions. The influence of changes in macroeconomic conditions on FCA-derived cost estimates may be substantial.

Tourism Environment Cost Economics Interpretation%旅游环境成本的经济学诠释

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

黄强叶

2011-01-01

Based on the perspective of environment cost of tourism development of unsustainable phenomenon from externality is analyzed, and the basic attribute of tourism environment cost, combining with the special properties of the tourism industry, Combining tourism environment cost the historical evolution and economics cost attributes, analyzes tourism environment cost economic meaning. Put forward the tourism carrying capacity utilization point of view, Think tourism environment cost biochemistry inside is the key to solve an externality.%基于环境成本视角对旅游发展中的不可持续现象进行分析,从外部性这一旅游环境成本的基本属性出发,结合旅游环境成本的历史演变和经济学的成本属性,剖析旅游环境成本的经济涵义,提出旅游容量资源化的观点,认为旅游环境成本内生化是解决外部性问题的关键.

Relief for marginal wells is better than energy tax. [United States: policy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Swords, J.; Wilson, D. (Coopers and Lybrand (United States))

1993-04-01

By increasing production costs and reducing petroleum prices, President Bill Clinton's proposed energy tax would increase marginal well abandonments and hasten the decline of the US oil and gas industry. Instead, the US needs tax law changes to help counteract the increasing number of oil and gas well abandonments in the lower 48 states. The proposed tax would create potential difficulties, while three incentives could be introduced to reduce abandonments and at the same time preserve US government tax revenues that otherwise would be lost. Eliminating the net income limitation on percentage depletion allowances on wells that would otherwise be abandoned would be a great help for marginal well operators. Extended enhanced oil recovery (EOR) credits and broader investment tax credits could also serve the dual purpose of keeping marginal wells operating longer and generating more federal tax revenues. A marginal well investment tax credit should be provided that is not just a credit for incremented investments that exceed investment in prior years. An investment tax credit based on out-of-pocket costs of production, targeted for marginal wells, would be an important incentive to invest in, and continue to maintain, these properties. (author)

Marginal production in the Gulf of Mexico - I. Historical statistics and model framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, Mark J.

2010-01-01

Experts may disagree on when world oil production will peak, but there is general agreement that marginal fields will contribute a greater percentage of world supply in the future. As fields mature and operations transition into the later stages of their production cycle, decreasing revenue streams, higher operating costs, and fewer upside opportunities lead to declining profitability. Eventually, all properties are abandoned when cost exceeds the revenue of production. In this two-part paper on marginal production in the Gulf of Mexico, the number of marginal structures in the gulf and their expected contribution to future production is forecast using established economic models. In Part 1, a historical perspective on producing assets is provided and the inventory of committed assets is modeled and categorized. We operationalize the definition of marginal production based on a structure's economic limit. The model framework to identify marginal assets in the Gulf of Mexico is discussed and a step-by-step description of the methodology is provided. In Part 2, the results of the model are described. (author)

Non-Profit Organizations in a Bureaucratic Environment

OpenAIRE

Grout, Paul; Schnedler, Wendelin

2008-01-01

How does the environment of an organization influence whether workers voluntarily provide effort? We study the power relationship between a non-profit unit (e.g. university department, NGO, health trust), where workers care about the result of their work, and a bu- reaucrat, who supplies some input to the non-profit unit, but has opportunity costs in doing so (e.g. Dean of faculty, corrupt representative, government agency). We find that marginal changes in the balance of power eventually hav...

System Guidelines for EMC Safety-Critical Circuits: Design, Selection, and Margin Demonstration

Science.gov (United States)

Lawton, R. M.

1996-01-01

Demonstration of safety margins for critical points (circuits) has traditionally been required since it first became a part of systems-level Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) requirements of MIL-E-6051C. The goal of this document is to present cost-effective guidelines for ensuring adequate Electromagnetic Effects (EME) safety margins on spacecraft critical circuits. It is for the use of NASA and other government agencies and their contractors to prevent loss of life, loss of spacecraft, or unacceptable degradation. This document provides practical definition and treatment guidance to contain costs within affordable limits.

Marginal versus Average Beta of Equity under Corporate Taxation

OpenAIRE

Lund, Diderik

2009-01-01

Even for fully equity-financed firms there may be substantial effects of taxation on the after-tax cost of capital. Among the few studies of these effects, even fewer identify all effects correctly. When marginal investment is taxed together with inframarginal, marginal beta differs from average if there are investment-related deductions like depreciation. To calculate asset betas, one should not only 'unlever observed equity betas, but 'untax' and 'unaverage' them. Risky tax claims are value...

Determinants of banks’ net interest margins in Central and Eastern Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomislav Rizdak

2013-03-01

Full Text Available This research analyzes the main determinants of the net interest margin of banks operating in Central and Eastern European (CEE countries in the period from 1999 to 2010. The results reveal several main drivers of net interest margins in the CEE. Prior to 2008 the net interest margins declined primarily due to strong capital inflows and stable macroeconomic environment. In the crisis period, significant rise in government debt accompanied by the increase in macroeconomic risks and abating capital inflows were pushing margins up while other factors such as low credit demand, higher capitalization and significantly increased share of non-performing loans pressured banks’ margins down. The results also confirm the important contribution of higher efficiency to lowering banks’ margins.

FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI MARGIN PEMASARAN SAPI POTONG DAN DAGING SAPI DI KABUPATEN ACEH BESAR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hendra Koesmara

2015-02-01

Full Text Available This research identified the forms of share market, to calculate the price received by farmers and middlemen, and analyze marketing margins of beef cattle market. This research was conducted in June to August 2011, in Aceh Besar regency of Aceh province. The method used in this study was a survey method and field direct observations and interviews using questionnaires to farmers, middlemen (mugge and meat traders respondent. The number of samples were 420 respondents, including 270 respondents of livestock farmers,105 respondents of middlemen (mugee and 45 respondents of meat traders (final consumerfrom the three districts. This study used regression analysis to determine the effect of variables simultaneously observed the marketing margin. The results showed there were 2 channel marketings, channel marketing I of farmers to the final consumer through two market participants were mugee and meat traders,while the marketing channel II from farmers to consumers through one market participants that was meat traders. In marketing channels I mugee get income share 24.89% with 10.38% share of the cost, while the meat traders got incomeshare 47.70% with 17.03% share of the cost. In marketing channels II meat tradersgot income share 83.00% with17.00% share of the cost. In marketing channels I mugee marketing margin of Rp1,026,293.10/head and the meat traders of Rp1,883,045.98/head, while the meat traders of Rp2,944,838.00/head. The coefficient ofdetermination (R2 equalto 0.337321, which means cattle marketing margin could be explained jointly by 33.73% by the marketing costs, the price at the farmer level and the number of middlemen. The test results of the marketing costs (x1 significantly (P<0.05 on the marketing margin, the price at the farmer level (x2 was highly significant (P<0.01 on the marketing margin and the number of middlemen (x3 didnot affect the marketing margin. (Keywords: Cattle, District of Aceh Besar, Market share

The marginal cost of operation: a parameter for evaluating and regulating of the generation work program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, W.M.; Mendes, L.N.F.; Almeida Gattass, E. de

1989-01-01

The Brazilian Generator System is predominantly hydroelectric, with some reservoirs having a pluri annual regularization, providing a large storage capacity of potential power for the system. This water storage allows the reduction of the alertly effect from the natural flow over the hydraulic resources for electric power production. Due to this structural characteristic, the main operation problem of the system refers to a strategical determination of storage energy utilization and, consequently, the thermal generation level. This paper examines the theoretical concepts referring to the survey of this operation strategies and analyses the factors for improving. These concepts are also extended for the interconnected electric subsystems case, mainly the interchange effect over the operation strategies of each subsystem. Finally, the natural flow sample influence over the marginal cost is analysed, comparing the obtained values with the historical sample and synthetical series of affluence. (C.G.C.). 7 refs, 2 figs, 5 tabs

The nitrogen abatement cost in wetlands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bystroem, Olof

1998-01-01

The costs of abating agricultural nitrogen pollution in wetlands are estimated. By linking costs for construction of wetlands to the denitrification capacity of wetlands, an abatement cost function can be formed. A construction-cost function and a denitrification function for wetlands is estimated empirically. This paper establishes a link between abatement costs and the nitrogen load on wetlands. Since abatement costs fluctuate with nitrogen load, ignoring this link results in incorrect estimates of abatement costs. The results demonstrate that wetlands have the capacity to provide low cost abatement of nitrogen compounds in runoff. For the Kattegatt region in Sweden, marginal abatement costs for wetlands are shown to be lower than costs of land use changing measures, such as extended land under fallow or cultivation of fuel woods, but higher than the marginal costs of reducing nitrogen fertilizer

Optimising risk reduction: An expected utility approach for marginal risk reduction during regulatory decision making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jiawei; Pollard, Simon; Kendall, Graham; Soane, Emma; Davies, Gareth

2009-01-01

In practice, risk and uncertainty are essentially unavoidable in many regulation processes. Regulators frequently face a risk-benefit trade-off since zero risk is neither practicable nor affordable. Although it is accepted that cost-benefit analysis is important in many scenarios of risk management, what role it should play in a decision process is still controversial. One criticism of cost-benefit analysis is that decision makers should consider marginal benefits and costs, not present ones, in their decision making. In this paper, we investigate the problem of regulatory decision making under risk by applying expected utility theory and present a new approach of cost-benefit analysis. Directly taking into consideration the reduction of the risks, this approach achieves marginal cost-benefit analysis. By applying this approach, the optimal regulatory decision that maximizes the marginal benefit of risk reduction can be considered. This provides a transparent and reasonable criterion for stakeholders involved in the regulatory activity. An example of evaluating seismic retrofitting alternatives is provided to demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach.

Cost evaluation of clinical laboratory in Taiwan's National Health System by using activity-based costing.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Bin-Guang; Chen, Shao-Fen; Yeh, Shu-Hsing; Shih, Po-Wen; Lin, Ching-Chiang

2016-11-01

To cope with the government's policies to reduce medical costs, Taiwan's healthcare service providers are striving to survive by pursuing profit maximization through cost control. This article aimed to present the results of cost evaluation using activity-based costing performed in the laboratory in order to throw light on the differences between costs and the payment system of National Health Insurance (NHI). This study analyzed the data of costs and income of the clinical laboratory. Direct costs belong to their respective sections of the department. The department's shared costs, including public expenses and administrative assigned costs, were allocated to the department's respective sections. A simple regression equation was created to predict profit and loss, and evaluate the department's break-even point, fixed cost, and contribution margin ratio. In clinical chemistry and seroimmunology sections, the cost per test was lower than the NHI payment and their major laboratory tests had revenues with the profitability ratio of 8.7%, while the other sections had a higher cost per test than the NHI payment and their major tests were in deficit. The study found a simple linear regression model as follows: "Balance=-84,995+0.543×income (R2=0.544)". In order to avoid deficit, laboratories are suggested to increase test volumes, enhance laboratory test specialization, and become marginal scale. A hospital could integrate with regional medical institutions through alliances or OEM methods to increase volumes to reach marginal scale and reduce laboratory costs, enhancing the level and quality of laboratory medicine.

Immersive Environment Development for Training: Opportunities for Cooperation, Coordination, and Cost Savings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tackentien, J.; Hoffheins, B.; Brown, R.

2015-01-01

Immersive environments are increasingly demonstrating their utility for a number of nuclear safeguards, nuclear safety, and nuclear and physical security applications. Although training is an obvious use, the immersive (or sometimes called virtual) environment allows the user to ''visit'' nuclear facilities and sites that might have access restrictions because of security, high radiation or other hazards; are difficult and expensive to visit. An immersive environment can also be reconfigured to study various scenarios, processes, and other what-if situations, which can aid planning and design of new facilities or evaluate safeguards, safety and/or security measures before they are implemented. As the International Atomic Energy Agency, other international organizations, State Authorities, industry, and academia continue development and use of immersive environments and other electronic training technologies, more and more applications can be envisioned. Immersive environments are not a direct or always a desirable replacement for hands-on learning; however, the demand for electronic training media, particularly immersive environments, will grow. The resulting increase of system features and libraries presents opportunities to shorten development time frames, reduce costs and increase availability of immersive environments for a wider audience looking to balance the need for quality training with limited resources. Substantial time and cost savings can be realized by the sharing of raw assets among developers and organizations. This paper will explore potential guidelines, criteria, and mechanisms for such cooperation, including a prototype asset repository website. (author)

The stability margin of elongated plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Portone, Alfredo

2005-01-01

Passive stabilization is a key feature in tokamak design since it indicates the efficiency of the metallic structures to 'oppose' plasma displacements. As far as plasma vertical displacement modes are concerned, usually their passive stabilization is characterized in terms of two main indices, namely the instability growth time and the stability margin. In this study-after recalling the governing equations-we extend the definition of the stability margin given in the literature (Lazarus E. et al 1990 Nucl. Fusion 30 111, Albanese R. et al 1990 IEEE Trans. Magn. 26, Kameari A. et al 1985 Nucl. Eng. Des./Fusion 365-73) for the rigid body displacement model to the non-rigid plasma model. Numerical examples are also given for the reduced task objectives/reduced cost ITER design

GIS-based approach for defining bioenergy facilities location: A case study in Northern Spain based on marginal delivery costs and resources competition between facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Panichelli, Luis; Gnansounou, Edgard [Laboratory of Energy Systems, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, LASEN-ICARE-ENAC, Station 18, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland)

2008-04-15

This paper presents a GIS-based decision support system for selecting least-cost bioenergy locations when there is a significant variability in biomass farmgate price and when more than one bioenergy plant with a fixed capacity has to be placed in the region. The methodology tackles the resources competition problem between energy facilities through a location-allocation model based on least-cost biomass quantities. Whole system least delivery cost including intermediate bioenergy products is estimated. The methodology is based on a case study where forest wood residues (FWR) from final cuttings (FCs) are used to produce torrefied wood (TW) in two torrefaction plants (TUs) that supply a gasification unit (GU) in order to produce electricity. The provinces of Navarra, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Alava, La Rioja, Cantabria and Burgos are assessed in order to find the best locations for settling down the TUs and the GU according to biomass availability, FWR and TW marginal delivery costs. (author)

A dynamic simulation model for assessing the overall impact of incentive policies on power system reliability, costs and environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibanez-Lopez, A.S.; Martinez-Val, J.M.; Moratilla-Soria, B.Y.

2017-01-01

The liberalization of power markets has entailed dramatic changes in power system planning worldwide. The inception of new alternative technologies, smart grids and distributed generation and storage is expected to make system planning even more challenging. Government policies still play a major role in the evolution of a country's power generation mix, even in those countries with liberalized markets. This paper presents a System Dynamics model aimed at assessing the overall technical, economic and environmental impact of renewable energy incentives and capacity payment policies. The model has been used to simulate Spain's power industry in order to assess the impact of electric power policies with the goal of getting insights regarding how to achieve an optimum power generation mix. The main conclusions of the present paper are (i) the necessity of specific regulatory actions in Spain in order to keep adequate reliability levels, avoid price spikes and boom and bust investment cycles as well as to deploy specific technologies, (ii) the fact that capacity payments are a better instrument for keeping adequate reserve margins and avoiding power price spikes than renewable energy incentives and (iii) the evidence that both instruments entail additional system costs over the base case scenario. - Highlights: • A System Dynamics model of Spain's power generation mix is proposed. • The overall policy impact on system costs, environment and reliability is assessed. • Current policies are not enough to keep adequate reliability levels. • Capacity payments are an adequate instrument for guaranteeing system reliability. • RES incentives do not solve reliability issues and entail greater system costs.

Intraoperative monitoring of marginal mandibular nerve during neck dissection.

Science.gov (United States)

Tirelli, Giancarlo; Bergamini, Pier Riccardo; Scardoni, Alessandro; Gatto, Annalisa; Boscolo Nata, Francesca; Marcuzzo, Alberto Vito

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of intraoperative nerve integrity monitoring (NIM) to prevent marginal mandibular nerve injuries during neck dissection. This prospective study compared 36 patients undergoing NIM-assisted neck dissection from July 2014 to March 2015 to a cohort of 35 patients subjected to neck dissection over an identical period of time before the technique was introduced. We also assessed possible correlations between marginal mandibular nerve injuries and other factors, such as anthropometric measurements, presence of clinical neck metastases, type of neck dissection, and site of primary tumor. The incidence of marginal mandibular nerve paralyses was significantly lower among the group of patients undergoing NIM-assisted neck dissection (P = .021). There was no significant difference in the duration of the procedure, and the technique resulted in a limited increase of cost. No other factor seemed to influence the onset of marginal mandibular nerve palsy. In our opinion, NIM is a valuable aid for preventing marginal mandibular nerve injuries during neck dissection. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Marginal ambulatory teaching cost under varying levels of service utilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Panton, D M; Mushlin, A I; Gavett, J W

1980-06-01

The ambulatory component of residency training jointly produces two products, namely, training and patient services. In costing educational programs of this type, two approaches are frequently taken. The first considers the total costs of the educational program, including training and patient services. These costs are usually constructed from historical accounting records. The second approach attempts to cost the joint products separately, based upon estimates of future changes in program costs, if the product in question is added to or removed from the program. The second approach relates to typical decisions facing the managers of medical centers and practices used for teaching purposes. This article reports such a study of costs in a primary-care residency training program in a hospital outpatient setting. The costs of the product, i.e., on-the-job training, are evaluated using a replacement-cost concept under different levels of patient services. The results show that the cost of the product, training, is small at full clinical utilization and is sensitive to changes in the volume of services provided.

Extra-Margins in ACM's Adjusted NMa ‘Mortgage-Rate-Calculation Method

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkstra, M.; Schinkel, M.P.

2013-01-01

We analyse the development since 2004 of our concept of extra-margins on Dutch mortgages (Dijkstra & Schinkel, 2012), based on funding cost estimations in ACM (2013), which are an update of those in NMa (2011). Neither costs related to increased mortgage-specific risks, nor the inclusion of Basel

Potato production in Europe - a gross margin analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Søren Marcus; Bizik, Jan; Costa, Luisa Dalla

The purpose of this paper is to examine different cropping practices, cost structures and gross margins for producing conventional table potatoes in 6 different regions within the European Union: Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Slovakia. Findings from this study show that pot...

An Invocation Cost Optimization Method for Web Services in Cloud Environment

OpenAIRE

Qi, Lianyong; Yu, Jiguo; Zhou, Zhili

2017-01-01

The advent of cloud computing technology has enabled users to invoke various web services in a “pay-as-you-go” manner. However, due to the flexible pricing model of web services in cloud environment, a cloud user’ service invocation cost may be influenced by many factors (e.g., service invocation time), which brings a great challenge for cloud users’ cost-effective web service invocation. In view of this challenge, in this paper, we first investigate the multiple factors that influence the in...

Economic Recovery of Oil Trapped at Fan Margins Using High Angle Wells and Multiple Hydraulic Fractures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mike L. Laue

1997-05-30

The distal fan margin in the northeast portion of the Yowlumne field contains significant reserves but is not economical to develop using vertical wells. Numerous interbedded shales and deteriorating rock properties limit producibility. In addition, extreme depths (13,000 ft) present a challenging environment for hydraulic fracturing and artificial lift. Lastly, a mature waterflood increases risk because of the uncertainty with size and location of flood fronts. This project attempts to demonstrate the effectiveness of exploiting the distal fan margin of this slope-basin clastic reservoir through the use of a high-angle well completed with multiple hydraulic-fracture treatments. The combination of a high-angle (or horizontal) well and hydraulic fracturing will allow greater pay exposure than can be achieved with conventional vertical wells while maintaining vertical communication between thin interbedded layers and the wellbore. The equivalent production rate and reserves of three vertical wells are anticipated at one-half to two-thirds the cost.

Agency costs and income taxation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ulrich Schmidt

2012-03-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes agency costs and the moral hazard problem in the presence of income taxation. As basic framework, income taxes are integrated in the hidden action model of agency theory. In the case of symmetric information no agency costs occur, i.e. optimal risk-sharing can be achieved, if and only if the tax is proportional. It is well-known that asymmetric information causes a welfare loss, termed agency costs, even if no taxes are imposed. Introducing a proportional income tax now increases (decreases these agency costs if the agent exhibits decreasing (increasing absolute risk aversion. Additionally, we show that non-proportional taxes cause higher (lower agency costs than a proportional tax if the agent’s marginal tax rate exceeds (is smaller than the marginal tax rate of the principal.

COST 296 scientific results designed for operational use

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Pezzopane

2009-06-01

Full Text Available

margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times;">The main objective of the COST 296 Action «Mitigation of Ionospheric Effects on Radio Systems» is the establishment/

margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times;">improvement of ionospheric services by coordinating the development of specific algorithms, models,

margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times;">and tools capable of operating in a near-real-time mode.

margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times;">Key elements of these activities are contributions related to monitoring, modelling, and imaging of customer-relevant

margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times;">ionospheric quantities. COST stimulates, coordinates, and supports Europe’s goals of development and

margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times;">global cooperation by providing high quality information and knowledge of ionospheric and plasmaspheric conditions

margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times;">enabling high quality and reliable operation of radio systems.

margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times;">It also provides a platform for sharing such tools as algorithms or models, and for the joint development of advanced

margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times;">technologies. It takes advantage of many national and European service initiatives, for example DIAS

margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times;">(http://dias.space.noa.gr, SWACI (http://w3swaci.dlr.de, ESWUA (http://www.eswua.ingv.it/ingv, RWC-Warsaw

margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times;">(http://www.cbk.waw.pl/rwc, the COST Prompt Ionospheric Database http://www.wdc.rl.ac.uk/cgibin/

margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times;">digisondes/cost_database.pl, http://www.izmiran.ru/services, and others.

An Invocation Cost Optimization Method for Web Services in Cloud Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lianyong Qi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The advent of cloud computing technology has enabled users to invoke various web services in a “pay-as-you-go” manner. However, due to the flexible pricing model of web services in cloud environment, a cloud user’ service invocation cost may be influenced by many factors (e.g., service invocation time, which brings a great challenge for cloud users’ cost-effective web service invocation. In view of this challenge, in this paper, we first investigate the multiple factors that influence the invocation cost of a cloud service, for example, user’s job size, service invocation time, and service quality level; and afterwards, a novel Cloud Service Cost Optimization Method named CS-COM is put forward, by considering the above multiple impact factors. Finally, a set of experiments are designed, deployed, and tested to validate the feasibility of our proposal in terms of cost optimization. The experiment results show that our proposed CS-COM method outperforms other related methods.

UTILITATEA ANALIZEI RELAŢIEI COST-VOLUM-PROFIT ÎN METODA DIRECT-COSTING PENTRU PROCESUL DECIZIONAL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nelea CHIRILOV

2016-12-01

Full Text Available În acest articol este analizată relaţia cost-volum-profit în scopul optimizării profitului şi fundamentării unor decizii economice optime. Sunt prezentate studii de caz metodologice menite să evidenţieze necesitatea indicatorilor: pragul de rentabilitate, marja de contribuţie, rezerva stabilităţii financiare, volumul vânzărilor necesar obţinerii profitului dorit, preţul marginal. Rezultatele obţinute sunt prezentate şi analizate de autori. Articolul se încheie cu concluziile autorilor privind avantajele oferite de calculele şi analizele ce pot fi efectuate pe baza relaţiei cost-volum-profit în metoda direct-costing pentru procesul decizional.THE UTILITY OF ANALYZING COST-VOLUME-PROFIT RELATIONSHIP THROUGH THE DIRECT-COSTING METHOD FOR DECISION MAKING PROCESSIn this article it is analyzed the cost-volume-profit relationship with the aim of profit optimization and elaboration of optimum economic decisions. The statement also reflects methodological case studies which highlight the necessity of the following indicators: break-even point, contribution margin, reserve of financial stability, sales volume required for obtaining target profit, marginal price. The results are presented and are analyzed by authors. The article ends up with the conclusions of the authors with regards to advantages provided by the calculations and analysis which can be performed on the basis of cost-volume-profit relationship through the direct-costing method for decision making process.

Application of target costing in machining

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Gopalakrishnan, Bhaskaran; Kokatnur, Ameet; Gupta, Deepak P.

2004-11-01

In today's intensely competitive and highly volatile business environment, consistent development of low cost and high quality products meeting the functionality requirements is a key to a company's survival. Companies continuously strive to reduce the costs while still producing quality products to stay ahead in the competition. Many companies have turned to target costing to achieve this objective. Target costing is a structured approach to determine the cost at which a proposed product, meeting the quality and functionality requirements, must be produced in order to generate the desired profits. It subtracts the desired profit margin from the company's selling price to establish the manufacturing cost of the product. Extensive literature review revealed that companies in automotive, electronic and process industries have reaped the benefits of target costing. However target costing approach has not been applied in the machining industry, but other techniques based on Geometric Programming, Goal Programming, and Lagrange Multiplier have been proposed for application in this industry. These models follow a forward approach, by first selecting a set of machining parameters, and then determining the machining cost. Hence in this study we have developed an algorithm to apply the concepts of target costing, which is a backward approach that selects the machining parameters based on the required machining costs, and is therefore more suitable for practical applications in process improvement and cost reduction. A target costing model was developed for turning operation and was successfully validated using practical data.

Do Medicare Advantage Plans Select Enrollees in Higher Margin Clinical Categories?

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Newhouse, Joseph P.; McWilliams, J. Michael; Price, Mary; Huang, Jie; Fireman, Bruce; Hsu, John

2013-01-01

The CMS-HCC risk adjustment system for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans calculates weights, which are effectively relative prices, for beneficiaries with different observable characteristics. To do so it uses the relative amounts spent per beneficiary with those characteristics in Traditional Medicare (TM). For multiple reasons one might expect relative amounts in MA to differ from TM, thereby making some beneficiaries more profitable to treat than others. Much of the difference comes from differences in how TM and MA treat different diseases or diagnoses. Using data on actual medical spending from two MA-HMO plans, we show that the weights calculated from MA costs do indeed differ from those calculated using TM spending. One of the two plans (Plan 1) is more typical of MA-HMO plans in that it contracts with independent community providers, while the other (Plan 2) is vertically integrated with care delivery. We calculate margins, or Average Revenue/Average Cost, for Medicare beneficiaries in the two plans who have one of 48 different combinations of medical conditions. The two plans’ margins for these 48 conditions are correlated (r=0.39, pincentive for selection by HCC. Nonetheless, we find no evidence of overrepresentation of beneficiaries in high margin HCC’s in either plan. Nor, using the margins from Plan 1, the more typical plan, do we find evidence of overrepresentation of high margin HCC’s in Medicare more generally. These results do not permit a conclusion on overall social efficiency, but we note that selection according to margin could be socially efficient. In addition, our findings suggest there are omitted interaction terms in the risk adjustment model that Medicare currently uses. PMID:24308879

Lend Global, Fund Local? Price and Funding Cost Margins in Multinational Banking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Galema, R.; Koetter, M.; Liesegang, C.

2016-01-01

In a proposed model of a multinational bank, interest margins determine local lending by foreign affiliates and the internal funding by parent banks. We exploit detailed parent-affiliate-level data of all German banks to empirically test our theoretical predictions in pre-crisis times. Local lending

A dynamic water accounting framework based on marginal resource opportunity cost

Science.gov (United States)

Tilmant, A.; Marques, G.; Mohamed, Y.

2015-03-01

Many river basins throughout the world are increasingly under pressure as water demands keep rising due to population growth, industrialization, urbanization and rising living standards. In the past, the typical answer to meet those demands focused on the supply side and involved the construction of hydraulic infrastructures to capture more water from surface water bodies and from aquifers. As river basins have become more and more developed, downstream water users and ecosystems have become increasingly dependent on the management actions taken by upstream users. The increased interconnectedness between water users, aquatic ecosystems and the built environment is further compounded by climate change and its impact on the water cycle. Those pressures mean that it has become increasingly important to measure and account for changes in water fluxes and their corresponding economic value as they progress throughout the river system. Such basin water accounting should provide policy makers with important information regarding the relative contribution of each water user, infrastructure and management decision to the overall economic value of the river basin. This paper presents a dynamic water accounting approach whereby the entire river basin is considered as a value chain with multiple services including production and storage. Water users and reservoir operators are considered as economic agents who can exchange water with their hydraulic neighbors at a price corresponding to the marginal value of water. Effective water accounting is made possible by keeping track of all water fluxes and their corresponding hypothetical transactions using the results of a hydro-economic model. The proposed approach is illustrated with the Eastern Nile River basin in Africa.

Identifying the determinants of South Africa’s extensive and intensive trade margins: A gravity model approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marianne Matthee

2017-03-01

impact. In terms of the intensive margin (or the factors influencing the volume of exports, there are strong parallels with the extensive margin, with the exception being that the time involved in exporting has more of an impact than documentary requirements. Conclusion: Among the factors contributing to South Africa’s exports having largely developed in the intensive margin are a general lack of market-related information, infrastructural weaknesses (both of a physical and technological nature and a difficult regulatory environment – all of which add to the cost and time involved in exporting. Policymakers have long spoken about the need for the country to diversify its export basket, but now talk about needs to give way to action. The government and its economic partners need to arrive at a common vision of an export sector that will be able to expand into new products and markets, be an active participant in global value chains and deliver sustainable jobs.

The effects of built environment attributes on physical activity-related health and health care costs outcomes in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zapata-Diomedi, Belen; Herrera, Ana Maria Mantilla; Veerman, J Lennert

2016-11-01

Attributes of the built environment can positively influence physical activity of urban populations, which results in health and economic benefits. In this study, we derived scenarios from the literature for the association built environment-physical activity and used a mathematical model to translate improvements in physical activity to health-adjusted life years and health care costs. We modelled 28 scenarios representing a diverse range of built environment attributes including density, diversity of land use, availability of destinations, distance to transit, design and neighbourhood walkability. Our results indicated potential health gains in 24 of the 28 modelled built environment attributes. Health care cost savings due to prevented physical activity-related diseases ranged between A$1300 to A$105,355 per 100,000 adults per year. On the other hand, additional health care costs of prolonged life years attributable to improvements in physical activity were nearly 50% higher than the estimated health care costs savings. Our results give an indication of the potential health benefits of investing in physical activity-friendly built environments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comparison of pay-as-bid and marginal pricing in electricity markets

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Yongjun

This thesis investigates the behaviour of electricity markets under marginal and pay-as-bid pricing. Marginal pricing is believed to yield the maximum social welfare and is currently implemented by most electricity markets. However, in view of recent electricity market failures, pay-as-bid has been extensively discussed as a possible alternative to marginal pricing. In this research, marginal and pay-as-bid pricing have been analyzed in electricity markets with both perfect and imperfect competition. The perfect competition case is studied under both exact and uncertain system marginal cost prediction. The comparison of the two pricing methods is conducted through two steps: (i) identify the best offer strategy of the generating companies (gencos); (ii) analyze the market performance under these optimum genco strategies. The analysis results together with numerical simulations show that pay-as-bid and marginal pricing are equivalent in a perfect market with exact system marginal cost prediction. In perfect markets with uncertain demand prediction, the two pricing methods are also equivalent but in an expected value sense. If we compare from the perspective of second order statistics, all market performance measures exhibit much lower values under pay-as-bid than under marginal pricing. The risk of deviating from the mean is therefore much higher under marginal pricing than under pay-as-bid. In an imperfect competition market with exact demand prediction, the research shows that pay-as-bid pricing yields lower consumer payments and lower genco profits. This research provides quantitative evidence that challenges some common claims about pay-as-bid pricing. One is that under pay-as-bid, participants would soon learn how to offer so as to obtain the same or higher profits than what they would have obtained under marginal pricing. This research however shows that, under pay-as-bid, participants can at best earn the same profit or expected profit as under marginal

Analisis Penentuan Tarif Layanan Bus Kota Berdasarkan Marginal Cost Pricing (Studi Pada Perum Damri Kota Surabaya

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Dewi Prastiwi

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The concept of regional autonomy has implications for financing in all sectors, including transport. To be able to provide adequate public transport facilities, one of the opportunities is the mobilization of funds through tariff collection mechanism. Determination of transport rates set out in the local rules based approach Incrementalism and line items. This approach represents a lack of economic and psychological capabilities and suitability of the benefits received by the sacrifices that have been issued. Therefore research is needed to analyze the determination of rates of local regulations bound public services locally. This study aimed to analyze the determination of the city bus rate by Cost Pricing (MCP marginal approach, that was the determination of tariff by considering the social benefits received by customers, so if there were additional rates so consumers should receive additional social benefits. Based MCP, Perum Damri can assign the same rate if the consumer gets the same standard of service, but if there was a decline in the standard of service, then the rates should be differentiated.

Effect of Margin Designs on the Marginal Adaptation of Zirconia Copings.

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Habib, Syed Rashid; Al Ajmi, Mohammed Ginan; Al Dhafyan, Mohammed; Jomah, Abdulrehman; Abualsaud, Haytham; Almashali, Mazen

2017-09-01

The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate the effect of Shoulder versus Chamfer margin design on the marginal adaptation of zirconia (Zr) copings. 40 extracted molar teeth were mounted in resin and prepared for zirconia crowns with two margin preparation designs (20=Shoulder and 20=Chamfer). The copings were manufactured by Cercon® (DeguDent GmbH, Germany) using the CAD/CAM system for each tooth. They were tried on each tooth, cemented, thermocycled, re-embedded in resin and were subsequently cross sectioned centrally into two equal mesial and distal halves. They were examined under electron microscope at 200 X magnification and the measurements were recorded at 5 predetermined points in micrometers (µm). The o verall mean marginal gap for the two groups was found to be 206.98+42.78µm with Shoulder margin design (Marginal Gap=199.50+40.72µm) having better adaptation compared to Chamfer (Marginal Gap=214.46+44.85µm). The independent-samples t-test showed a statistically non-significant difference (p=.113) between the means of marginal gap for Shoulder and Chamfer margin designs and the measurements were recorded at 5 predetermined points for the two groups. The Chamfer margin design appeared to offer the same adaptation results as the Shoulder margin design.

Plio-Pleistocene facies environments from the KBS Member, Koobi Fora Formation: implications for climate controls on the development of lake-margin hominin habitats in the northeast Turkana Basin (northwest Kenya).

Science.gov (United States)

Lepre, Christopher J; Quinn, Rhonda L; Joordens, Josephine C A; Swisher, Carl C; Feibel, Craig S

2007-11-01

Climate change is hypothesized as a cause of major events of Plio-Pleistocene East African hominin evolution, but the vertically discontinuous and laterally confined nature of the relevant geological records has led to difficulties with assessing probable links between the two. High-resolution sedimentary sequences from lacustrine settings can provide comprehensive data of environmental changes and detailed correlations with well-established orbital and marine records of climate. Hominin-bearing deposits from Koobi Fora Ridge localities in the northeast Turkana Basin of Kenya are an archive of Plio-Pleistocene lake-margin sedimentation though significant developmental junctures of northern African climates, East African environments, and hominin evolution. This study examines alluvial channel and floodplain, nearshore lacustrine, and offshore lacustrine facies environments for the approximately 136-m-thick KBS Member (Koobi Fora Formation) exposed at the Koobi Fora Ridge. Aspects of the facies environments record information on the changing hydrosedimentary dynamics of the lake margin and give insights into potential climatic controls. Seasonal/yearly climate changes are represented by the varve-like laminations in offshore mudstones and the slickensides, dish-shaped fractures, and other paleosol features overprinted on floodplain strata. Vertical shifts between facies environments, however, are interpreted to indicate lake-level fluctuations deriving from longer-term, dry-wet periods in monsoonal rainfall. Recurrence periods for the inferred lake-level changes range from about 10,000 to 50,000 years, and several are consistent with the average estimated timescales of orbital precession ( approximately 20,000 years) and obliquity ( approximately 40,000 years). KBS Member facies environments from the Koobi Fora Ridge document the development of lake-margin hominin habitats in the northeast Turkana Basin. Environmental changes in these habitats may be a result of

Seismic margin analysis technique for nuclear power plant structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seo, Jeong Moon; Choi, In Kil

2001-04-01

In general, the Seismic Probabilistic Risk Assessment (SPRA) and the Seismic Margin Assessment(SAM) are used for the evaluation of realistic seismic capacity of nuclear power plant structures. Seismic PRA is a systematic process to evaluate the seismic safety of nuclear power plant. In our country, SPRA has been used to perform the probabilistic safety assessment for the earthquake event. SMA is a simple and cost effective manner to quantify the seismic margin of individual structural elements. This study was performed to improve the reliability of SMA results and to confirm the assessment procedure. To achieve this goal, review for the current status of the techniques and procedures was performed. Two methodologies, CDFM (Conservative Deterministic Failure Margin) sponsored by NRC and FA (Fragility Analysis) sponsored by EPRI, were developed for the seismic margin review of NPP structures. FA method was originally developed for Seismic PRA. CDFM approach is more amenable to use by experienced design engineers including utility staff design engineers. In this study, detailed review on the procedures of CDFM and FA methodology was performed

Determinants of the net interest margins in BH banks

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Plakalović Novo

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the subject of analysis is influence of certain macroeconomic and microeconomic variables on bank net interest margins in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH for the period from 2008 to 2013 through a multiple linear regression models. The level and dynamics of NIM indicate the efficiency of financial intermediation. The observed period is characterized by the reduction in net interest margins of banks over the previous decade, which was characterized by high GDP growth, bank loans and high-interest rates and high profitability. Therefore, this study examines the factors that affect the level of net interest margins in the domestic banking industry. The main objective of this paper is to determine whether there is interdependence in the movement between the independent and dependent variables through a multiple linear regression. The net interest margin will be observed as a dependent variable, and liquidity risk, operating costs, credit risk, the index of market concentration, funding risk, the growth rate of gross domestic product and consumer price index will be used as independent variables.

New economic initiatives are designed to protect the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fleet, B.; Fleet, N.S.

1992-01-01

The use of economic initiatives or economic instruments as an alternative to or as support for existing environmental legislation is reviewed. The most controversial area of economic incentives is the concept of creating a market in pollution rights. While emissions trading can enable economic growth in areas of high pollution, this approach is only marginally different than the traditional regulatory approach. Environmental economics is complex, with mixtures of private and public costs. Social costs include subsidies, waste treatment, landfill disposal costs, etc. More intangible social costs include public health costs and damage to the natural environment. Conventional economic approaches ignore most such social costs. Several European countries have started to develop a green gross national product (GNP) which sets out an alternative approach to the traditional measure of economic activity by subtracting a figure for harm to the environment from economic activity. This ambitious approach attempts to measure the costs of all toxic discharges along with the disappearance of plant and animal life and other environmental changes. A powerful new tool for the environmental manager is full cost accounting, which uses a long (10-20 y) window for projects, anticipates the impact of stricter discharge standards, and attempts to quantify a range of less tangible social costs elements, such as liability, improved environmental image, etc. Various strategies can be ranked on the basis of their future risk cost. The application of full cost accounting models, small business, computer models and expert systems, developing country debt-for-nature swaps, and environmental risk assessment are discussed. 12 refs

Cost analysis of prophylactic intraoperative cystoscopic ureteral stents in gynecologic surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Fanning, James; Fenton, Bradford; Jean, Geraldine Marie; Chae, Clara

2011-12-01

Prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stent placement is performed to decrease operative ureteric injury, though few data are available on the effectiveness of this procedure, and no data are available on its cost. To analyze the cost of prophylactic intraoperative cystoscopic ureteral stents in gynecologic surgery. All cases of prophylactic ureteral stent placement performed in gynecologic surgery during a 1-year period were identified and retrospectively reviewed through the electronic medical records database of Summa Health System. Costs were obtained through the Healthcare Cost Accounting System. The principles of cost-effective analysis were used (ie, explicit and detailed descriptions of costs and cost-effectiveness statistics). Importantly, we evaluated cost and not charges or financial model estimates. In addition, we obtained the contribution margins (ie, the hospital's net profit or loss) for prophylactic ureteral stent placement. Other gynecologic procedures were also analyzed. Among 792 major inpatient gynecologic procedures, 18 cases of prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stents were identified. Median costs were as follows: additional cost of prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stenting, $1580; additional cost of surgical resources, $770; cost of ureteral catheters, $427; cost of surgeons, $383. The contribution margins per case for various gynecologic surgical procedures were as follows: oophorectomy, $2804 profit; abdominal hysterectomy, $2649 profit; laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH), $1760 profit. When intraoperative ureteral stenting was added, the contribution margins changed to the following: oophorectomy, $782 profit; abdominal hysterectomy, $627 profit; LAVH, $262 loss. Overall, the contribution margin profit was decreased by about 85%, from $2400 to $380. Prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stenting in gynecologic surgery decreases a hospital's contribution margin. Because of the expense of this procedure, as well as

Regional differences in China's CO2 abatement cost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Xiaoping

2015-01-01

Under a framework of output distance function with multiple outputs, the study discusses the carbon abatement cost at provincial and regional levels in China, using the shadow price analysis. The findings show that the abatement cost, reflecting the marginal opportunity cost of carbon reduction, varies greatly among the provinces. On average, the abatement cost of the eastern region was much higher than that of the mid-western region during the observed period. The findings provide evidence that the carbon prices in the current ETS pilots have been much lower than desired levels, implying inefficiency of the markets. The wide range of the abatement cost estimates supports that the equi-marginal principle does not hold for the regulations on carbon pollution at regional levels. The regional cost differences indicate the huge potential for China to minimize the total abatement cost with policy instruments that may motive the emissions moving from areas of low abatement cost to where the abatement cost is higher. For a few undeveloped provinces that are environmentally fragile and have high abatement cost, supplementary measures will be needed to reduce the negative impact of carbon cutbacks on the poor to the minimum. - Highlights: • The marginal abatement cost of CO 2 is defined by the shadow price measure. • A linear programming model based on distance function is established. • Marginal abatement costs at provincial level are empirical investigated. • The abatement cost varies across provinces and regions in China. • The findings provide evidence that the current ETS pilots are inefficient

Retail margins and the effects of an integrated Nordic end user market for electricity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Damsgaard, Niclas; Roempoetti, Marie

2007-09-15

There is an ongoing discussion about the need for further and deeper integration of the Nordic electricity market. Following the Nordic Council of Minister's summit in Akureyri in 2004 this work has been intensified. NordREG and Nordel have produced several studies on the integration of the market. Work is currently being done on a Nordic common market platform for balancing services and a Nordic balancing agreement, the market design for a common market and a common model for supply switches and several other issues. This study should be seen in relationship with these other studies and we have deliberately aimed at avoiding overlaps. An integrated Nordic retail market for electricity would in principle imply a common market for 14 million customers served by several hundred retail companies. The question asked in this study is what are the benefits for the customers of such a development? In order to create a common Nordic market there are several barriers that needs to be overcome. There are technical barriers such as differences in IT-systems, regulatory barriers caused by differences in e.g. the responsibilities and the regulation of the DSOs and finally of course business barriers that exists for all cross-border businesses. A well-functioning Nordic retail market would lead to price equalisation - at least if the costs are equal. This would mean that particularly customers in areas with high retail margins could benefit from a joint Nordic market. Furthermore, dilution of market power could lead to more intense competition which in turn both could lead to lower costs and lower margins. In this report we focus on the possible direct effects on prices. In addition to this it is likely that there are efficiency gains, for instance through decreased costs in developing IT-systems etc. for a larger market which would decrease costs both for the suppliers and for DSOs. There might also be other economies-of-scales arising from a larger market. The possible

Transmission cost allocation based on power flow tracing considering reliability benefit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leepreechanon, N.; Singharerg, S.; Padungwech, W.; Nakawiro, W.; Eua-Arporn, B.; David, A.K.

2007-01-01

Power transmission networks must be able to accommodate the continuously growing demand for reliable and economical electricity. This paper presented a method to allocate transmission use and reliability cost to both generators and end-consumers. Although transmission cost allocation methods change depending on the local context of the electric power industry, there is a common principle that transmission line capacity should be properly allocated to accommodate actual power delivery with an adequate reliability margin. The method proposed in this paper allocates transmission embedded cost to both generators and loads in an equitable manner, incorporating probability indices to allocate transmission reliability margin among users in both supply and demand sides. The application of the proposed method was illustrated using Bialek's tracing method on a multiple-circuit, six-bus transmission system. Probabilistic indices known as the transmission internal reliability margin (TIRM) and transmission external reliability margin (TERM) decomposed from the transmission reliability margin (TRM) were introduced, making true cost of using overall transmission facilities. 6 refs., 11 tabs., 5 figs

Financial implications of ventral hernia repair: a hospital cost analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Reynolds, Drew; Davenport, Daniel L; Korosec, Ryan L; Roth, J Scott

2013-01-01

Complicated ventral hernias are often referred to tertiary care centers. Hospital costs associated with these repairs include direct costs (mesh materials, supplies, and nonsurgeon labor costs) and indirect costs (facility fees, equipment depreciation, and unallocated labor). Operative supplies represent a significant component of direct costs, especially in an era of proprietary synthetic meshes and biologic grafts. We aim to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of complex abdominal wall hernia repair at a tertiary care referral facility. Cost data on all consecutive open ventral hernia repairs (CPT codes 49560, 49561, 49565, and 49566) performed between 1 July 2008 and 31 May 2011 were analyzed. Cases were analyzed based upon hospital status (inpatient vs. outpatient) and whether the hernia repair was a primary or secondary procedure. We examined median net revenue, direct costs, contribution margin, indirect costs, and net profit/loss. Among primary hernia repairs, cost data were further analyzed based upon mesh utilization (no mesh, synthetic, or biologic). Four-hundred and fifteen patients underwent ventral hernia repair (353 inpatients and 62 outpatients); 173 inpatients underwent ventral hernia repair as the primary procedure; 180 inpatients underwent hernia repair as a secondary procedure. Median net revenue ($17,310 vs. 10,360, p costs for cases performed without mesh were $5,432; median direct costs for those using synthetic and biologic mesh were $7,590 and 16,970, respectively (p financial loss was $8,370. Outpatient ventral hernia repairs, with and without synthetic mesh, resulted in median net losses of $1,560 and 230, respectively. Ventral hernia repair is associated with overall financial losses. Inpatient synthetic mesh repairs are essentially budget neutral. Outpatient and inpatient repairs without mesh result in net financial losses. Inpatient biologic mesh repairs result in a negative contribution margin and striking net financial losses. Cost

Cost of reactive nitrogen release from human activities to the environment in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

The leakage of reactive nitrogen (N) from human activities to the environment can cause human health and ecological problems. Often these harmful effects are not reflected in the costs of food, fuel, and fiber that derive from N use. Spatial analyses of economic costs and benef...

Incentive pricing and cost recovery at the basin scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Frank A; Pulido-Velazquez, Manuel

2009-01-01

Incentive pricing programs have potential to promote economically efficient water use patterns and provide a revenue source to compensate for environmental damages. However, incentive pricing may impose disproportionate costs and aggravate poverty where high prices are levied for basic human needs. This paper presents an analysis of a two-tiered water pricing system that sets a low price for subsistence needs, while charging a price equal to marginal cost, including environmental cost, for discretionary uses. This pricing arrangement can promote efficient and sustainable water use patterns, goals set by the European Water Framework Directive, while meeting subsistence needs of poor households. Using data from the Rio Grande Basin of North America, a dynamic nonlinear program, maximizes the basin's total net economic and environmental benefits subject to several hydrological and institutional constraints. Supply costs, environmental costs, and resource costs are integrated in a model of a river basin's hydrology, economics, and institutions. Three programs are compared: (1) Law of the River, in which water allocations and prices are determined by rules governing water transfers; (2) marginal cost pricing, in which households pay the full marginal cost of supplying treated water; (3) two-tiered pricing, in which households' subsistence water needs are priced cheaply, while discretionary uses are priced at efficient levels. Compared to the Law of the River and marginal cost pricing, two-tiered pricing performs well for efficiency and adequately for sustainability and equity. Findings provide a general framework for formulating water pricing programs that promote economically and environmentally efficient water use programs while also addressing other policy goals.

On the effects of an industry-wide cost change in a Stackelberg duopoly

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Toolsema-Veldman, Linda; Schoonbeek, L

Consider a homogeneous Stackelberg leader-follower duopoly with quantity competition, in which both firms face the same industry-wide marginal costs. This paper investigates the comparative static effects of a change in these marginal costs. We show that an increase of the costs will lead to a

Indirect reciprocity provides a narrow margin of efficiency for costly punishment

Science.gov (United States)

Iwasa, Yoh; Nowak, Martin A.

2008-01-01

Indirect reciprocity1-5 is a key mechanism for the evolution of human cooperation. Our behavior toward other people depends not only on what they have done to us, but also on what they have done to others. Indirect reciprocity works via reputation5-17. The standard model of indirect reciprocity offers a binary choice: people can either cooperate or defect. Cooperation implies a cost for the donor and a benefit for the recipient. Defection has no cost and yields no benefit. Currently there is considerable interest in studying the effect of costly (or altruistic) punishment on human behavior18-25. Punishment implies a cost for the punished person. Costly punishment means that the punisher also pays a cost. It has been suggested that costly punishment between individuals can promote cooperation. Here we study the role of costly punishment in an explicit model of indirect reciprocity. We analyze all social norms, which depend on the action of the donor and the reputation of the recipient. We allow errors in assigning reputation and study gossip as a mechanism for establishing coherence. We characterize all strategies that allow the evolutionary stability of cooperation. Some of those strategies use costly punishment, while others do not. We find that punishment strategies typically reduce the average payoff of the population. Consequently, there is only a small parameter region where costly punishment leads to an efficient equilibrium. In most cases, the population does better by not using costly punishment. The efficient strategy for indirect reciprocity is to withhold help for defectors rather than punish them. PMID:19122640

A non-stationary cost-benefit based bivariate extreme flood estimation approach

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Wei; Liu, Junguo

2018-02-01

Cost-benefit analysis and flood frequency analysis have been integrated into a comprehensive framework to estimate cost effective design values. However, previous cost-benefit based extreme flood estimation is based on stationary assumptions and analyze dependent flood variables separately. A Non-Stationary Cost-Benefit based bivariate design flood estimation (NSCOBE) approach is developed in this study to investigate influence of non-stationarities in both the dependence of flood variables and the marginal distributions on extreme flood estimation. The dependence is modeled utilizing copula functions. Previous design flood selection criteria are not suitable for NSCOBE since they ignore time changing dependence of flood variables. Therefore, a risk calculation approach is proposed based on non-stationarities in both marginal probability distributions and copula functions. A case study with 54-year observed data is utilized to illustrate the application of NSCOBE. Results show NSCOBE can effectively integrate non-stationarities in both copula functions and marginal distributions into cost-benefit based design flood estimation. It is also found that there is a trade-off between maximum probability of exceedance calculated from copula functions and marginal distributions. This study for the first time provides a new approach towards a better understanding of influence of non-stationarities in both copula functions and marginal distributions on extreme flood estimation, and could be beneficial to cost-benefit based non-stationary bivariate design flood estimation across the world.

Costs and revenues of investment in enterprise-related schooling.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hartog, J.; Groot, W.J.N.; Oosterbeek, H.

1994-01-01

In this paper, a general specification of the wage equation is used to derive a marginal revenue equation for enterprise-related schooling. The optimal amount of investment in enterprise-related schooling is found by equating the marginal revenues and marginal costs. For the empirical analysis, the

42 CFR 405.2468 - Allowable costs.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... capital-related costs. (C) The marginal increase in patient care costs that the RHC or FQHC experiences as... Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICARE PROGRAM.... (f) Graduate medical education. (1) Effective for that portion of cost reporting periods occurring on...

Local health care expenditure plans and their opportunity costs.

Science.gov (United States)

Karlsberg Schaffer, Sarah; Sussex, Jon; Devlin, Nancy; Walker, Andrew

2015-09-01

In the UK, approval decisions by Health Technology Assessment bodies are made using a cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) threshold, the value of which is based on little empirical evidence. We test the feasibility of estimating the "true" value of the threshold in NHS Scotland using information on marginal services (those planned to receive significant (dis)investment). We also explore how the NHS makes spending decisions and the role of cost per QALY evidence in this process. We identify marginal services using NHS Board-level responses to the 2012/13 Budget Scrutiny issued by the Scottish Government, supplemented with information on prioritisation processes derived from interviews with Finance Directors. We search the literature for cost-effectiveness evidence relating to marginal services. The cost-effectiveness estimates of marginal services vary hugely and thus it was not possible to obtain a reliable estimate of the threshold. This is unsurprising given the finding that cost-effectiveness evidence is rarely used to justify expenditure plans, which are driven by a range of other factors. Our results highlight the differences in objectives between HTA bodies and local health service decision makers. We also demonstrate that, even if it were desirable, the use of cost-effectiveness evidence at local level would be highly challenging without extensive investment in health economics resources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Deep-sea environment and biodiversity of the West African Equatorial margin

OpenAIRE

Sibuet, Myriam; Vangriesheim, Annick

2009-01-01

The long-term BIOZAIRE multidisciplinary deep-sea environmental program on the West Equatorial African margin organized in partnership between Ifremer and TOTAL aimed at characterizing the benthic community structure in relation with physical and chemical processes in a region of oil and gas interest. The morphology of the deep Congo submarine channel and the sedimentological structures of the deep-sea fan were established during the geological ZAIANGO project and helped to select study sites...

Locational marginal prices with SVC in Indian electricity market ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Spot pricing based on short run marginal cost (SRMC) theory has the potential to provide the economic signals for the power system operation. Reactive power has gained importance as an ancillary service in competitive markets and its impact on nodal price can not be ignored. With the emergence of FACTS technology, ...

Evaluation of Thermal Margin Analysis Models for SMART

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seo, Kyong Won; Kwon, Hyuk; Hwang, Dae Hyun

2011-01-01

Thermal margin of SMART would be analyzed by three different methods. The first method is subchannel analysis by MATRA-S code and it would be a reference data for the other two methods. The second method is an on-line few channel analysis by FAST code that would be integrated into SCOPS/SCOMS. The last one is a single channel module analysis by safety analysis. Several thermal margin analysis models for SMART reactor core by subchannel analysis were setup and tested. We adopted a strategy of single stage analysis for thermal analysis of SMART reactor core. The model should represent characteristics of the SMART reactor core including hot channel. The model should be simple as possible to be evaluated within reasonable time and cost

Economics of plant production on marginal sites in the state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Science.gov (United States)

Ziesemer, Andrea; Andreas, Gurgel; Ines, Bull

2017-04-01

Marginal sites are defined by economics. It is not possible to produce any profit there under given conditions of markets and policy even when management is optimized. In the state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a portion of nearly 20 % of arable land is characterized by such conditions. There are often to find sandy sites below 28 soil points with low storage capacity and irregular water supply. Animal husbandry as a type of agricultural upgrading has a more important role in the south and southwest of the state than in the regions with better soil quality. The percentage of Maize was already in 2003 twice as high in the regions with more marginal sites. After implementation of the Renewable Energy Act many enterprises started built biogas plants. In 2010, the portion of maize was raised to 20 %. The increase of Maize was combined with a reduction of growing other fodder crops, rye and also by reducing set-aside areas. The scale of the cash crops Rape (16%), Wheat (15 %) and barley (9 %) stayed the same. The yields and production processes of several selected farms in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern were analyzed for the years 2011 to 2016. The farms reached 6.6 tons per hectare of wheat and 6.1 tons per hectare of barley on soils below 28 soil points. Hybrid rye achieved 5.4 tons per hectare and rape 3.0. Maize was especially dependent on water supply and made between 30 and 35 tons per hectare. The big problem in these regions is caused by high production costs in cropping. More than a half of the costs is required for seeds, fertilization and crop protection. However, the remaining revenues are not adequate for paying work and fix costs as an evaluation of farms in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern shows. It is not a valid option to set more land that is arable aside in regions with much marginal sites because cropping is a strategic investment there. Therefore, it is important to make effort on crop rotations and optimization of production intensities to decrease costs per unit and to

Organic carbon-sulfur relationships in sediment cores from the western and eastern continental margins of India

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Rao, P.S.; Mascarenhas, A.; Paropkari, A.L.; Rao, Ch.M.

Two sediment cores from the western continental margin (WMI, WM2) and one core from the eastern continental margin (EM) of India have been analysed to determine the relativ importance of factors such as oxidizing/reducing environment, mass...

Optimization of fuel cycles: marginal loss values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaussens, J.; Lasteyrie, B. de; Doumerc, J.

1965-01-01

Uranium processing from the pit to the fuel element rod entails metal losses at every step. These losses become more and more expensive with the elaboration of the metal. Some of the uranium must be accepted as definitely lost whilst the rest could be recovered and recycled. The high cost of these losses, whether they are recycled or not, and the fact that the higher the enrichment is the higher their costs are, make it necessary to take them into account when optimizing fuel cycles. It is therefore felt important to determine their most desirable level from an economic point of view at the various nuclear fuel processing stages. However, in France as in some other countries, fissile material production is a state concern, whilst fuel element fabrication is carried out by private enterprise. Optimization criteria and the economic value of losses are therefore different for each of the two links in the fabrication chain. One can try in spite of this to reach an optimum which would conform to public interest, without interfering with the firm's sales policy. This entails using the fact that for a given output marginal costs are equal at the optimum. One can therefore adjust the level of the losses to attain this equation of marginal costs, as these are easier to obtain from the firm than a justification of the actual prices. One notices moreover that, although mainly concerned with losses, this global analysis can bring both the state and the firm to a better use of other production factors. An account is given of the theory of this economic optimization method and practical applications in the field of natural uranium-graphite moderated and CO 2 cooled reactor fuel element fabrication are offered. (authors) [fr

Calculation of freight externality costs for South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefaan Swarts

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to quantify the marginal external costs associated with freight transport in South Africa. Six cost elements are included as externality cost items, namely, costs related to accidents, emissions, roadway land availability, policing, noise and congestion. Inputs in the calculations were a gravity-oriented freight flow model, a road transport cost model, actual transport costs for other modes, a warehousing cost survey, an inventory delay calculation and various national sources of information such as accident statistics and government budgets. Estimation techniques resulted in advances for externality cost measurement in South Africa. The quantification of the cost elements will be used to update the South African Freight Demand Model. The results show that the cost of transportation would have been 20% more if external factors were taken into account. The marginal rates of externalities can be used to develop scenarios based on alternative choices for South Africa's freight transport infrastructure configuration.

Matthew and marginality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denis C. Duling

1995-12-01

Full Text Available This article explores marginality theory as it was first proposed in  the social sciences, that is related to persons caught between two competing cultures (Park; Stonequist, and, then, as it was developed in sociology as related to the poor (Germani and in anthropology as it was related to involuntary marginality and voluntary marginality (Victor Turner. It then examines a (normative scheme' in antiquity that creates involuntary marginality at the macrosocial level, namely, Lenski's social stratification model in an agrarian society, and indicates how Matthean language might fit with a sample inventory  of socioreligious roles. Next, it examines some (normative schemes' in  antiquity for voluntary margi-nality at the microsocial level, namely, groups, and examines how the Matthean gospel would fit based on indications of factions and leaders. The article ,shows that the author of the Gospel of Matthew has an ideology of (voluntary marginality', but his gospel includes some hope for (involuntary  marginals' in  the  real world, though it is somewhat tempered. It also suggests that the writer of the Gospel is a (marginal man', especially in the sense defined by the early theorists (Park; Stone-quist.

Biodiversity and agro-ecology in field margins.

Science.gov (United States)

De Cauwer, B; Reheul, D; Nijs, I; Milbau, A

2005-01-01

This multidisciplinary study investigates agro-ecological functions (nature conservation, agriculture, environment) and implications of newly created, mown sown and unsown field margin strips installed on ex-arable land to increase biodiversity. From conservational concern, the development of species rich field margin strips was not strongly affected by the installed type of margin strip since species diversity converged over time, whether strips were sown or not. Convergence between unsown and sown margin strips occurred also in terms of species composition: unsown and sown strips became similar over time. Mowing without removal of cuttings significantly reduced species richness, yielded more grassy margin strips and delayed similarity in species composition between sown and unsown margin strips. Species richness on the longer term was not significantly affected by light regime nor by disturbance despite significant temporary effects shortly after the disturbance event. On the contrary vegetation composition in terms of importance of functional groups changed after disturbance: the share of spontaneous species within functional groups increased resulting in higher similarity between the sown and unsown vegetation. Furthermore risk of invasion was highest in the disturbed unsown community on the unshaded side of a tree lane. A positive effect of botanical diversity on insect number and diversity was found. However the effects of botanical diversity on insect number was mediated by light regime. At high light availability differences between plant communities were more pronounced compared to low light availablilty. The abundance of some insect families was dependent on the vegetation composition. Furthermore light availability significantly influenced insect diversity as well as the spatial distribution of families. From agricultural concern, installing margin strips by sowing a species mixture and a mowing regime with removal of cuttings are good practices to

An evaluation of the effect of greenhouse gas accounting methods on a marginal abatement cost curve for Irish agricultural greenhouse gas emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O’Brien, Donal; Shalloo, Laurence; Crosson, Paul; Donnellan, Trevor; Farrelly, Niall; Finnan, John; Hanrahan, Kevin; Lalor, Stan; Lanigan, Gary; Thorne, Fiona; Schulte, Rogier

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Improving productivity was the most effective strategy to reduce emissions and costs. • The accounting methods disagreed on the total abatement potential of mitigation measures. • Thus, it may be difficult to convince farmers to adopt certain abatement measures. • Domestic offsetting and consumption based accounting are options to overcome current methodological issues. - Abstract: Marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) analysis allows the evaluation of strategies to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to some reference scenario and encompasses their costs or benefits. A popular approach to quantify the potential to abate national agricultural emissions is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines for national GHG inventories (IPCC-NI method). This methodology is the standard for assessing compliance with binding national GHG reduction targets and uses a sector based framework to attribute emissions. There is however an alternative to the IPCC-NI method, known as life cycle assessment (LCA), which is the preferred method to assess the GHG intensity of food production (kg of GHG/unit of food). The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of using the IPCC-NI and LCA methodologies when completing a MACC analysis of national agricultural GHG emissions. The MACC was applied to the Irish agricultural sector and mitigation measures were only constrained by the biophysical environment. The reference scenario chosen assumed that the 2020 growth targets set by the Irish agricultural industry would be achieved. The comparison of methodologies showed that only 1.1 Mt of the annual GHG abatement potential that can be achieved at zero or negative cost could be attributed to agricultural sector using the IPCC-NI method, which was only 44% of the zero or negative cost abatement potential attributed to the sector using the LCA method. The difference between methodologies was because the IPCC-NI method attributes the

Factors of U.S. Hospitals Associated with Improved Profit Margins: An Observational Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ly, Dan P; Cutler, David M

2018-02-14

Hospitals face financial pressure from decreased margins from Medicare and Medicaid and lower reimbursement from consolidating insurers. The objectives of this study are to determine whether hospitals that became more profitable increased revenues or decreased costs more and to examine characteristics associated with improved financial performance over time. The design of this study is retrospective analyses of U.S. non-federal acute care hospitals between 2003 and 2013. There are 2824 hospitals as subjects of this study. The main measures of this study are the change in clinical operating margin, change in revenues per bed, and change in expenses per bed between 2003 and 2013. Hospitals that became more profitable had a larger magnitude of increases in revenue per bed (about $113,000 per year [95% confidence interval: $93,132 to $133,401]) than of decreases in costs per bed (about - $10,000 per year [95% confidence interval: - $28,956 to $9617]), largely driven by higher non-Medicare reimbursement. Hospitals that improved their margins were larger or joined a hospital system. Not-for-profit status was associated with increases in operating margin, while rural status and having a larger share of Medicare patients were associated with decreases in operating margin. There was no association between improved hospital profitability and changes in diagnosis related group weight, in number of profitable services, or in payer mix. Hospitals that became more profitable were more likely to increase their admissions per bed per year. Differential price increases have led to improved margins for some hospitals over time. Where significant price increases are not possible, hospitals will have to become more efficient to maintain profitability.

Local Telephone Costs and the Design of Rate Structures,

Science.gov (United States)

1981-05-01

basic principles developed from this theory. These principles call for provisionally pricing each of the firm’s outputs at its marginal cost, testing...rule--prices are increased above marginal costs in inverse proportion to the individual price elasticities of demand. This paper applies ratemaking ...The fol- lowing sections develop a series of simple models that successively incorporate these basic elements. Throughout the paper I make several

Estimating workers' marginal valuation of employer health benefits: would insured workers prefer more health insurance or higher wages?

Science.gov (United States)

Royalty, Anne Beeson

2008-01-01

In recent years the cost of health insurance has been increasing much faster than wages. In the face of these rising costs, many employers will have to make difficult decisions about whether to cut back health benefits or to compensate workers with lower wages or lower wage growth. In this paper, we ask the question, "Which do workers value more -- one additional dollar's worth of health benefits or one more dollar in their pockets?" Using a new approach to obtaining estimates of insured workers' marginal valuation of health benefits this paper estimates how much, on average, employees value the marginal dollar paid by employers for their workers' health insurance. We find that insured workers value the marginal health premium dollar at significantly less than the marginal wage dollar. However, workers value insurance generosity very highly. The marginal dollar spent on health insurance that adds an additional dollar's worth of observable dimensions of plan generosity, such as lower deductibles or coverage of additional services, is valued at significantly more than one dollar.

Capsule-type pe biogas digester: low-cost and environment friendly system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, S.; Khan, M.A.; Aslam, M.; Hussain, Z.

2005-01-01

The Indian model of the biogas digester has been introduced in the country during the last three decades, whereas the Chinese dome-type design could not be introduced due to the skills required for construction of this digester. The other problem associated with Chinese dome-type digester is that large quantities of solid waste are needed to fill the digester. The Chinese dome-type digester constructed on experimental basis could not perform satisfactorily. The Indian Model, although popular in the country, is not environment friendly and is of high cost, both in terms of capital investment and 0 and M. It creates quite dirty environment around the digester due to the free movement of slurry. It also creates problems of mosquitoes, as the environment. is conducive for their breeding. Taking into consideration, these limitations, design of polyethylene capsule-type digester (with black carbon and UV stabilizers) was developed, using water tanks normally constructed for domestic water storage by the local plastic companies. Modification was made in the PE water tank and one of the local companies collaborated to manufacture the capsule-type digester. Solid waste is introduced from the top, whereas the slurry can be disposed from the bottom through a controlled valve. Thus input of solid waste and slurry-disposal is now within the choice of the owner. The slurry can be disposed into a tank, where it can be composted to reduce the pH, before its use for agriculture. The PE capsule-type black-color digester is also attractive for increasing the temperature of the digester due to black body absorption. The production of gas during summer season might take a few days, whereas additional greenhouse effect during winter can raise the temperature by 10 degree C. Hence, this digester is more suitable for cooler regions where the Indian model is not successful. The design is modular in nature; therefore linking additional modules in series can increase the capacity of biogas

Role of specimen US for predicting resection margin status in breast conserving therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Moschetta, M; Telegrafo, M; Introna, T; Coi, L; Rella, L; Ranieri, V; Cirili, A; Stabile Ianora, A A; Angelelli, G

2015-01-01

To assess the diagnostic accuracy of specimen ultrasound (US) for predicting resection margin status in women undergoing breast conserving therapy for US-detected cancer, having the histological findings as the reference standard. A total of 132 consecutive patients (age range, 34-87 years; mean, 51 years) underwent breast-conserving surgery for US-detected invasive breast cancer. All surgical specimens underwent US examination. The presence of lesion within the specimen and its distance from the specimen margins were assessed considering a threshold distance between the lesion and specimen margins of 10 mm. US findings were then compared with the pathological ones and specimen US. Sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic accuracy, positive (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) for predicting histological margin status were evaluated, having the histological findings as the reference standard. The histological examination detected invasive ductal carcinoma in 96/132 (73%) cases, invasive lobular carcinoma in 32/132 (24%), mucinous carcinoma in 4/132 (3%). The pathological margin analysis revealed 96/132 (73%) negative margins and 36 (27%) close/positive margins. US examination detected all 132 breast lesions within the surgical specimens. 110 (83%) negative margins and 22 (17%) positive margins were found on US. Sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic accuracy, PPV and NPV of 44%, 94%, 80%, 73% and 82%, respectively, were found for specimen US. Specimen US represents a time and cost saving imaging tool for evaluating the presence of US detected-breast lesion within surgical specimen and for predicting the histological margin status.

Accounting for future redesign to balance performance and development costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villanueva, D.; Haftka, R.T.; Sankar, B.V.

2014-01-01

Most components undergo tests after they are designed and are redesigned if necessary. Tests help designers find unsafe and overly conservative designs, and redesign can restore safety or increase performance. In general, the expected changes to the performance and reliability of the design after the test and redesign are not considered. In this paper, we explore how modeling a future test and redesign provides a company an opportunity to balance development costs versus performance by simultaneously designing the design and the post-test redesign rules during the initial design stage. Due to regulations and tradition, safety margin and safety factor based design is a common practice in industry as opposed to probabilistic design. In this paper, we show that it is possible to continue to use safety margin based design, and employ probability solely to select safety margins and redesign criteria. In this study, we find the optimum safety margins and redesign criterion for an integrated thermal protection system. These are optimized in order to find a minimum mass design with minimal redesign costs. We observed that the optimum safety margin and redesign criterion call for an initially conservative design and use the redesign process to trim excess weight rather than restore safety. This would fit well with regulatory constraints, since regulations usually impose minimum safety margins. - Highlights: • Modeling future tests and redesign allows balancing performance and development cost. • We optimize safety margins and redesign criteria for desired balance. • We design with safety margins, with probabilistic optimization to decide the margins. • Redesign also allowed the trade-off of conservativeness and performance. • In our case it paid to be conservative initially but redesign for more

Fixed export cost heterogeneity, trade and welfare

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Jan Guldager; Schröder, Philipp J.H.

2008-01-01

-country intra-industry trade model where firms are of two different marginal costs types and where fixed export costs are heterogeneous across firms. This model traces many of the stylized facts of international trade. However, we find that with heterogeneous fixed export costs there exists a positive bilateral...

Marginal and happy? The need for uniqueness predicts the adjustment of marginal immigrants.

Science.gov (United States)

Debrosse, Régine; de la Sablonnière, Roxane; Rossignac-Milon, Maya

2015-12-01

Marginalization is often presented as the strategy associated with the worst adjustment for immigrants. This study identifies a critical variable that buffers marginal immigrants from the negative effects of marginalization on adjustment: The need for uniqueness. In three studies, we surveyed immigrants recruited on university campuses (n = 119, n = 116) and in the field (n = 61). Among marginal immigrants, a higher need for uniqueness predicted higher self-esteem (Study 1), affect (Study 2), and life satisfaction (Study 3), and marginally higher happiness (Study 2) and self-esteem (Study 3). No relationship between the need for uniqueness and adjustment was found among non-marginal immigrants. The adaptive value of the need for uniqueness for marginal immigrants is discussed. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

Cost incentives for doctors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schottmüller, Christoph

2013-01-01

If doctors take the costs of treatment into account when prescribing medication, their objectives differ from their patients' objectives because the patients are insured. This misalignment of interests hampers communication between patient and doctor. Giving cost incentives to doctors increases...... welfare if (i) the doctor's examination technology is sufficiently good or (ii) (marginal) costs of treatment are high enough. If the planner can costlessly choose the extent to which doctors take costs into account, he will opt for less than 100%. Optimal health care systems should implement different...... degrees of cost incentives depending on type of disease and/or doctor....

High fidelity medical simulation in the difficult environment of a helicopter: feasibility, self-efficacy and cost

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Holland Carolyn

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background This study assessed the feasibility, self-efficacy and cost of providing a high fidelity medical simulation experience in the difficult environment of an air ambulance helicopter. Methods Seven of 12 EM residents in their first postgraduate year participated in an EMS flight simulation as the flight physician. The simulation used the Laerdal SimMan™ to present a cardiac and a trauma case in an EMS helicopter while running at flight idle. Before and after the simulation, subjects completed visual analog scales and a semi-structured interview to measure their self-efficacy, i.e. comfort with their ability to treat patients in the helicopter, and recognition of obstacles to care in the helicopter environment. After all 12 residents had completed their first non-simulated flight as the flight physician; they were surveyed about self-assessed comfort and perceived value of the simulation. Continuous data were compared between pre- and post-simulation using a paired samples t-test, and between residents participating in the simulation and those who did not using an independent samples t-test. Categorical data were compared using Fisher's exact test. Cost data for the simulation experience were estimated by the investigators. Results The simulations functioned correctly 5 out of 7 times; suggesting some refinement is necessary. Cost data indicated a monetary cost of $440 and a time cost of 22 hours of skilled instructor time. The simulation and non-simulation groups were similar in their demographics and pre-hospital experiences. The simulation did not improve residents' self-assessed comfort prior to their first flight (p > 0.234, but did improve understanding of the obstacles to patient care in the helicopter (p = 0.029. Every resident undertaking the simulation agreed it was educational and it should be included in their training. Qualitative data suggested residents would benefit from high fidelity simulation in other

The external cruising costs of parking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Inci, E.; van Ommeren, J.N.; Kobus, Martijn

2017-01-01

Existing work emphasizes the importance of traffic congestion externalities, but typically ignores cruising-for-parking externalities. We estimate the marginal external cruising costs of parking—that is, the time costs that an additional parked car imposes on drivers by inducing them to cruise for

Safety margins in older adults increase with improved control of a dynamic object

Science.gov (United States)

Hasson, Christopher J.; Sternad, Dagmar

2014-01-01

Older adults face decreasing motor capabilities due to pervasive neuromuscular degradations. As a consequence, errors in movement control increase. Thus, older individuals should maintain larger safety margins than younger adults. While this has been shown for object manipulation tasks, several reports on whole-body activities, such as posture and locomotion, demonstrate age-related reductions in safety margins. This is despite increased costs for control errors, such as a fall. We posit that this paradox could be explained by the dynamic challenge presented by the body or also an external object, and that age-related reductions in safety margins are in part due to a decreased ability to control dynamics. To test this conjecture we used a virtual ball-in-cup task that had challenging dynamics, yet afforded an explicit rendering of the physics and safety margin. The hypotheses were: (1) When manipulating an object with challenging dynamics, older adults have smaller safety margins than younger adults. (2) Older adults increase their safety margins with practice. Nine young and 10 healthy older adults practiced moving the virtual ball-in-cup to a target location in exactly 2 s. The accuracy and precision of the timing error quantified skill, and the ball energy relative to an escape threshold quantified the safety margin. Compared to the young adults, older adults had increased timing errors, greater variability, and decreased safety margins. With practice, both young and older adults improved their ability to control the object with decreased timing errors and variability, and increased their safety margins. These results suggest that safety margins are related to the ability to control dynamics, and may explain why in tasks with simple dynamics older adults use adequate safety margins, but in more complex tasks, safety margins may be inadequate. Further, the results indicate that task-specific training may improve safety margins in older adults. PMID:25071566

Safety Margins in Older Adults Increase with Improved Control of a Dynamic Object

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher James Hasson

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Older adults face decreasing motor capabilities due to pervasive neuromuscular degradations. As a consequence errors in movement control increase. Thus, older individuals should maintain larger safety margins than younger adults. While this has been shown for object manipulation tasks, several reports on whole-body activities, such as posture and locomotion, however demonstrate age-related reductions in safety margins. This is despite increased costs for control errors, such as a fall. We posit that this paradox could be explained by the dynamic challenge presented by the body or an external object, and that age-related reductions in safety margins are in part due to a decreased ability to control dynamics. To test this conjecture we used a virtual ball-in-cup task that had challenging dynamics, yet afforded an explicit rendering of the physics and safety margin. The hypotheses were: 1 When manipulating an object with challenging dynamics, older adults have smaller safety margins than younger adults. 2 Older adults increase their safety margins with practice. Nine young and 10 healthy older adults practiced moving the virtual ball-in-cup to a target location in exactly two seconds. The accuracy and precision of the timing error quantified skill and the ball energy relative to an escape threshold quantified the safety margin. Compared to the young adults, older adults had increased timing errors, greater variability, and decreased safety margins. With practice, both young and older adults improved their ability to control the object with decreased timing errors and variability, and increased their safety margins. These results suggest that safety margins are related to the ability to control dynamics, and may explain why in tasks with simple dynamics older adults use adequate safety margins, but in more complex tasks, safety margins may be inadequate. Further, the results indicate that task-specific training may improve safety margins in older

INFLUENCE OF COMPLEXITY ON THE MARGINAL LOGISTICAL COSTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juraj DUBOVEC

2013-12-01

Full Text Available In the article is described the influence of complexity on the logistical operations. Ideal example is the exchange of storage in the system "kanban", which has complexity equal one. Clients directed production increases the consumption of time in logistics within manipulation with critical parts, when the ratio isn't equal to multiple capacity relevant storage. Economical consequence is the increase of costs.

Managing costs at Ginna Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mecredy, R.C.

1990-01-01

A nuclear power plant with a capital cost of $88 million and an annual operations and maintenance (O and M) cost of $3.2 million that is operated by a plant staff of 59 people? The Ginna nuclear power plant was indeed such a plant in 1970, its first full year of operation. Today that same plant has a total invested capital cost of $400 million with an annual capital cost, including upgrade projects which are being amortized, of $37 million. The annual O and M expenditure is nearly $60 million, and the total staffing, both plant and corporate support, is nearly 600 people. The result of this increased cost has been a dramatic narrowing of the cost margin between Ginna and coal units in the rochester Gas and Electric system. While increased expenditures have resulted in improved reliability and operability, and have increased the margins of safety, it is becoming necessary to implement cost monitoring and control measures so that each dollar spent provides maximum value. The factors which have contributed to the increased capital and O and M expenditures are well known. They include a broad range of safety, reliability, and operating projects and activities. Current upward pressures on cost include initiatives such as procurement control, procedure upgrades, configuration management, enhanced maintenance activities, and equipment replacements and upgrades

Socially Marginalized Environments, Unemployment and Media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moravčík Oto

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In any society, regardless of its homogeneity and heterogeneity, there are minority groups, or those that require special attention and treatment because of their social and cultural characteristics, physical appearance, or because they have a lifestyle which differs from the dominant group and this causes them to be allocated the social status of minorities. The ongoing transformation of the economy since 1989 is now a major effect which continues to affect economic development. The planned economy and socialist market economy was replaced with the principles of free enterprise and the market mechanism. The market economy is closely tied to the labor market, which we view as the meeting point of labor supply with labor demand, resulting in labor costs - or wages. Position in the labor market is one of the most important factors through which an individual integrates into the social fabric.

Evaluation of a rapid LMP-based approach for calculating marginal unit emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, Michelle M.; Wang, Yang; Wang, Caisheng; McElmurry, Shawn P.; Miller, Carol J.

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: Display Omitted - Highlights: • Pollutant emissions estimated based on locational marginal price and eGRID data. • Stochastic model using IEEE RTS-96 system used to evaluate LMP approach. • Incorporating membership function enhanced reliability of pollutant estimate. • Error in pollutant estimate typically 2 and X and SO 2 . - Abstract: To evaluate the sustainability of systems that draw power from electrical grids there is a need to rapidly and accurately quantify pollutant emissions associated with power generation. Air emissions resulting from electricity generation vary widely among power plants based on the types of fuel consumed, the efficiency of the plant, and the type of pollution control systems in service. To address this need, methods for estimating real-time air emissions from power generation based on locational marginal prices (LMPs) have been developed. Based on LMPs the type of the marginal generating unit can be identified and pollutant emissions are estimated. While conceptually demonstrated, this LMP approach has not been rigorously tested. The purpose of this paper is to (1) improve the LMP method for predicting pollutant emissions and (2) evaluate the reliability of this technique through power system simulations. Previous LMP methods were expanded to include marginal emissions estimates using an LMP Emissions Estimation Method (LEEM). The accuracy of emission estimates was further improved by incorporating a probability distribution function that characterize generator fuel costs and a membership function (MF) capable of accounting for multiple marginal generation units. Emission estimates were compared to those predicted from power flow simulations. The improved LEEM was found to predict the marginal generation type approximately 70% of the time based on typical system conditions (e.g. loads and fuel costs) without the use of a MF. With the addition of a MF, the LEEM was found to provide emission estimates with

SITE-2, Power Plant Siting, Cost, Environment, Seismic and Meteorological Effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frigerio, N.A.; Habegger, L.J.; King, R.F.; Hoover, L.J.; Clark, N.A.; Cobian, J.M.

1977-01-01

1 - Description of problem or function: SITE2 is designed to (1) screen candidate energy facility sites or areas within an electric utility region, based on the region's physical and socioeconomic attributes, the planned facility's characteristics, and impact assessments, and (2) evaluate the cumulative regional impacts associated with alternate energy supply options and inter-regional energy import/export practices, specifically, comparison of different energy technologies and their regional distribution in clustered or dispersed patterns. 2 - Method of solution: The SITE2 methodology is based on the quantification of three major site-related vectors. A cost vector is determined which identifies site-specific costs, such as transmission costs, cooling costs as related to water availability, and costs of specific controls needed to protect the surrounding environment. An impact vector is also computed for each potential site, using models of health and environmental impacts incurred in areas adjacent to the site. Finally, a site attribute vector is developed which reflects such characteristics as population, seismic conditions, meteorology, land use, and local ecological systems. This vector can be used to eliminate certain sites because of their inability to satisfy specific constraints. These three vectors can be displayed as density maps and combined in a simple overlay approach, similar to that developed by I. L. McHarg in reference 2, to identify candidate sites. Alternatively, the vector elements can be computationally combined into a weighted sum to obtain quantitative indicators of site suitability

SITE-2, Power Plant Siting, Cost, Environment, Seismic and Meteorological Effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frigerio, N A [Environmental Impact Studies, Argonne National Laboratory 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Habegger, L J; King, R F; Hoover, L J [Energy and Environmental Systems Division, Argonne National Laboratory 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Clark, N A [Applied Mathematics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Cobian, J M [Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60201 (United States)

1977-08-01

1 - Description of problem or function: SITE2 is designed to (1) screen candidate energy facility sites or areas within an electric utility region, based on the region's physical and socioeconomic attributes, the planned facility's characteristics, and impact assessments, and (2) evaluate the cumulative regional impacts associated with alternate energy supply options and inter-regional energy import/export practices, specifically, comparison of different energy technologies and their regional distribution in clustered or dispersed patterns. 2 - Method of solution: The SITE2 methodology is based on the quantification of three major site-related vectors. A cost vector is determined which identifies site-specific costs, such as transmission costs, cooling costs as related to water availability, and costs of specific controls needed to protect the surrounding environment. An impact vector is also computed for each potential site, using models of health and environmental impacts incurred in areas adjacent to the site. Finally, a site attribute vector is developed which reflects such characteristics as population, seismic conditions, meteorology, land use, and local ecological systems. This vector can be used to eliminate certain sites because of their inability to satisfy specific constraints. These three vectors can be displayed as density maps and combined in a simple overlay approach, similar to that developed by I. L. McHarg in reference 2, to identify candidate sites. Alternatively, the vector elements can be computationally combined into a weighted sum to obtain quantitative indicators of site suitability.

Comparison of hydrothermal activity between the Adriatic and the Red Sea rift margins

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, Philip; Incerpi, Nicolò; Birkle, Peter; Lacsamana, Elizabeth; Manatschal, Gianreto; Agar, Susan; Zhang, Shuo; Borsato, Ron

2017-04-01

Detailed field studies, and access to high-quality seismic reflection and refraction data have led to an improved understanding of the architecture and evolution of magma poor and magma rich margins. Associated with the spatial-temporal evolution of the rift, it is evident that there are evolving, extensive, fluid-rock interactions due to the infiltration of fluids within the sediment, basement and lithospheric mantle. Key questions therefore arise: What are the different fluid-rock reactions that can be typed to different geodynamic stages of the rift evolution? What are their compositions and how do they interact with their environment (basement, sediments, evaporites, hydrosphere, and magmatism)? What are the implications for the evolution of the margin rheology, thermal structure, depositional environments/organic matter maturity, and reservoir quality? The Adriatic paleo-rifted margin is preserved in both SE Switzerland and northern Italy. The field exposures provide a unique opportunity to study the fluid flow history of a hyperextended magma poor extensional margin. Analysis of breccias, cement veins and replacement minerals reveal that the margin records a complex, long-lasting history of dolomitization, calcification and silicification during the Jurassic rifting. The Red Sea by contrast is a young rifted margin. It differs from the paleo-Adriatic margin by several characteristics: volcanism is more evident, and syn-tectonic sediments, including evaporites (halite and anhydrite) are thicker. Several core and fluid samples are available from both onshore and offshore wells, which reveal rift-related hydrothermal alteration. In addition, we find evidence for the presence of an extreme dynamic hydraulic system with infiltration of surface water into sub-salt units during Late Pleistocene. In this study we present results from petrographic and geochemical analysis of basement and sedimentary rocks from Adriatic field-derived samples and core/subsurface fluid

The costs of mitigating carbon emissions in China: findings from China MARKAL-MACRO modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Wenying

2005-01-01

In this paper MARKAL-MACRO, an integrated energy-environment-economy model, is used to generate China's reference scenario for future energy development and carbon emission through the year 2050. The results show that with great efforts on structure adjustment, energy efficiency improvement and energy substitution, China's primary energy consumption is expected to be 4818 Mtce and carbon emission 2394 MtC by 2050 with annual decrease rate of 3% for the carbon intensity per GDP during the period 2000-2050. On the basis of this reference scenario, China's marginal abatement cost curves of carbon for the year 2010, 2020 and 2030 are derived from the model, and the impacts of carbon emission abatement on GDP are also simulated. The results are compared with those from other sources. The research shows that the marginal abatement costs vary from 12US$/tC to 216US$/tC and the rates of GDP losses relative to reference range from 0.1% to 2.54% for the reduction rates between 5% and 45%. Both the marginal abatement costs and the rates of GDP losses further enlarge on condition that the maximum capacity of nuclear power is constrained to 240 GW or 160 GW by 2050. The paper concludes that China's costs of carbon abatement is rather high in case of carbon emissions are further cut beyond the reference scenario, and China's carbon abatement room is limited due to her coal-dominant energy resource characteristic. As economic development still remains the priority and per capita income as well as per capita carbon emission are far below the world average, it will be more realistic for China to make continuous contributions to combating global climate change by implementing sustainable development strategy domestically and playing an active role in the international carbon mitigation cooperation mechanisms rather than accepting a carbon emission ceiling

Production of table potatoes in Europe – a multinational gross margin analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Søren Marcus; Bizik, J.; Dalla Costa, L.

2005-01-01

This paper examines different cropping practies, cost structures and gross margins for conventional table potato cropping in 6 different regions within the European Union: Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Slovakia. Findings from this study show that potato cropping practies va...

The financial implications of endovascular aneurysm repair in the cost containment era.

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, David H; Horvath, Alexander J; Goodney, Philip P; Rzucidlo, Eva M; Nolan, Brian W; Walsh, Daniel B; Zwolak, Robert M; Powell, Richard J

2014-02-01

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is associated with significant direct device costs. Such costs place EVAR at odds with efforts to constrain healthcare expenditures. This study examines the procedure-associated costs and operating margins associated with EVAR at a tertiary care academic medical center. All infrarenal EVARs performed from April 2011 to March 2012 were identified (n = 127). Among this cohort, 49 patients met standard commercial instruction for use guidelines, were treated using a single manufacturer device, and billed to Medicare diagnosis-related group (DRG) 238. Of these 49 patients, net technical operating margins (technical revenue minus technical cost) were calculated in conjunction with the hospital finance department. EVAR implant costs were determined for each procedure. DRG 238-associated costs and length of stay were benchmarked against other academic medical centers using University Health System Consortium 2012 data. Among the studied EVAR cohort (age 75, 82% male, mean length of stay, 1.7 days), mean technical costs totaled $31,672. Graft implants accounted for 52% of the allocated technical costs. Institutional overhead was 17% ($5495) of total technical costs. Net mean total technical EVAR-associated operating margins were -$4015 per procedure. Our institutional costs and length of stay, when benchmarked against comparable centers, remained in the lowest quartile nationally using University Health System Consortium costs for DRG 238. Stent graft price did not correlate with total EVAR market share. EVAR is currently associated with significant negative operating margins among Medicare beneficiaries. Currently, device costs account for over 50% of EVAR-associated technical costs and did not impact EVAR market share, reflecting an unawareness of cost differential among surgeons. These data indicate that EVAR must undergo dramatic care delivery redesign for this practice to remain sustainable. Copyright © 2014 Society for Vascular

Costs and cost-effectiveness of periviable care.

Science.gov (United States)

Caughey, Aaron B; Burchfield, David J

2014-02-01

With increasing concerns regarding rapidly expanding healthcare costs, cost-effectiveness analysis allows assessment of whether marginal gains from new technology are worth the increased costs. Particular methodologic issues related to cost and cost-effectiveness analysis in the area of neonatal and periviable care include how costs are estimated, such as the use of charges and whether long-term costs are included; the challenges of measuring utilities; and whether to use a maternal, neonatal, or dual perspective in such analyses. A number of studies over the past three decades have examined the costs and the cost-effectiveness of neonatal and periviable care. Broadly, while neonatal care is costly, it is also cost effective as it produces both life-years and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). However, as the gestational age of the neonate decreases, the costs increase and the cost-effectiveness threshold is harder to achieve. In the periviable range of gestational age (22-24 weeks of gestation), whether the care is cost effective is questionable and is dependent on the perspective. Understanding the methodology and salient issues of cost-effectiveness analysis is critical for researchers, editors, and clinicians to accurately interpret results of the growing body of cost-effectiveness studies related to the care of periviable pregnancies and neonates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patents and profits: A disparity of manufacturing margins in the tenofovir value chain.

Science.gov (United States)

Walwyn, David

2013-03-01

Registered in 2001, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) has quickly become a mainstay of first line regimens for the treatment of HIV. Initially only available in developed countries at a cost of US$5 000 per person per year (ppy), Gilead's Access Programme (GAP) has extended the use of the product to 2.4 million patients in low and middle income countries. The programme has two components: distribution of the branded product at reduced prices and licensing partnerships with generic manufacturers. The licensing partnerships now supply 75% of the market by volume, at a treatment cost of US$57 ppy (1% of the branded cost). From Gilead's perspective, GAP must be considered a huge success. It has enabled the company to maintain high prices in developed countries whilst reducing its input costs and deflecting criticism of its failure to provide essential medicines for the poor, hence risking the possibility of compulsory licensing. Over the period 2001 to 2011, TDF in its various forms has generated for Gilead more than US$31 billion revenue at a gross margin of 80%, equivalent to a gross profit of US$25 billion. Analysis of the TDF value chain, from preparation of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) to sale of the formulated product, shows that manufacturing margins are highly skewed in favour of the originator, with the latter's profit being US$3.2 billion vs. US$4 million for API manufacturers and US$39 million for formulators (2011). The data argues for a more rational approach to drug pricing including possible regulation in developed countries and more sustainable margins for the generic producers.

Measuring the Cost of Supermarket Promotions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gao, Cixiu

2014-01-01

The widespread use of retail promotions and the magnitude of dollars spent on them call economists to examine the role of promotional costs in shaping the coordination of pricing and promotion decisions. In this study, I estimate the marginal cost of price promotion in the retail industry. The es...

Transport and environment: policy directions for Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tinch, R.

2001-01-01

Transport externalities are among the most important environmental problems affecting quality of life in Europe. Forecasts suggest that past environmental improvements may now be rolled back by traffic growth, and current traffic trends are not sustainable. The theory of environmental policy proposes pricing external costs at their marginal social costs as one solution. Although full marginal social cost pricing is impracticable, advances in tolling technology and environmental valuation mean that it is now a viable option to approximate such charging. There are signs that the European Commission and other bodies are starting to favour pricing over regulatory instruments. However, often overlooked is the potential for non-convexities in the transport sector or between transport and the rest of the economy. For example it may be that small increases in resources for public transport would not result in welfare gains, whereas large increases would. Non-convexities would mean that market forces under marginal social cost pricing might lead away from the optimal transport system. This is one reason why pricing instruments cannot in themselves be a panacea for transport externalities or bring about a sustainable transport system. (Author)

Improved Safety Margin Characterization of Risk from Loss of Offsite Power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nelson, Paul [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

2017-11-07

Original intent: The original intent of this task was “support of the Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characteristic (RISMC) methodology in order” “to address … efficiency of computation so that more accurate and cost-effective techniques can be used to address safety margin characterizations” (S. M. Hess et al., “Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization,” Procs. ICONE17, Brussels, July 2009, CD format). It was intended that “in Task 1 itself this improvement will be directed toward upon the very important issue of Loss of Offsite Power (LOOP) events,” more specifically toward the challenge of efficient computation of the multidimensional nonrecovery integral that has been discussed by many previous contributors to the theory of nuclear safety. It was further envisioned that “three different computational approaches will be explored,” corresponding to the three subtasks listed below; deliverables were tied to the individual subtasks.

Multidimensional Screening with Complementary Activities: Regulating a Monopolist with Unknown Cost and Unknown Preference for Empire Building

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Didier Laussel

2013-09-01

Full Text Available We study the optimal regulation of a monopolist when intrinsic efficiency (intrinsic cost and empire building tendency (marginal utility of output are private information, but actual cost (the difference between intrinsic cost and effort level is observable. This is a problem of multidimensional screening with complementary activities. Results are not only driven by the prior probabilities of the four possible types, but also by the relative magnitude of the uncertainty along the two dimensions of private information. If the marginal utility of output varies much more (less across managers than the intrinsic marginal cost, there is empire building (efficiency dominance. In that case, an inefficient empire builder produces more (less and at lower (higher marginal cost than an efficient money-seeker. It is only when variabilities are similar that there may be the natural ranking of activities (empire builders produce more, while efficient managers produce at a lower cost.

Working long hours: less productive but less costly? Firm-level evidence from Belgium

OpenAIRE

DELMEZ, Françoise; Vandenberghe, Vincent

2017-01-01

From the point of view of a profit-maximizing firm, the optimal number of working hours depends not only on the marginal productivity of hours but also on the marginal labour cost. This paper develops and assesses empirically a simple model of firms' decision making where productivity varies with hours and where the firm faces labour costs per worker that are invariant to the number of hours worked: i.e. quasi-fixed labour costs. Using Belgian firm-level data on production, labour costs, work...

Increasing Profit Margins of Innovations: An Empirical Analysis of Firm's Pricing Practices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ingenbleek, P.T.M.; Frambach, R.T.; Verhallen, Th.M.M.

2004-01-01

Abstract This paper examines the impact of pricing practices that refer to the use of customer value, competition, and costs information, on the relative profit margin of a new product. Hypotheses suggest that the effects of these practices are contingent on relative product advantage and the

The costs of delivering human papillomavirus vaccination to Grade 4 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

in a marginal increase in costs. Discussion. This costing study ... A cost utility study conducted in New Zealand[17] found that it was .... programs to include school-aged boys likely to be value-for-money: A cost-utility analysis in a country with ...

Valuation of marginal CO2 abatement options for electric power plants in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Hojeong; Lim, Jaekyu

2009-01-01

The electricity generation sector in Korea is under pressure to mitigate greenhouse gases as directed by the Kyoto Protocol. The principal compliance options for power companies under the cap-and-trade include the application of direct CO 2 emission abatement and the procurement of emission allowances. The objective of this paper is to provide an analytical framework for assessing the cost-effectiveness of these options. We attempt to derive the marginal abatement cost for CO 2 using the output distance function and analyze the relative advantages of emission allowance procurement option as compared to direct abatement option. Real-option approach is adopted to incorporate emission allowance price uncertainty. Empirical result shows the marginal abatement cost with an average of Euro 14.04/ton CO 2 for fossil-fueled power plants and confirms the existence of substantial cost heterogeneity among plants which is sufficient to achieve trading gains in allowance market. The comparison of two options enables us to identify the optimal position of the compliance for each plant. Sensitivity analyses are also presented with regard to several key parameters including the initial allowance prices and interest rate. The result of this paper may help Korean power plants to prepare for upcoming regulations targeted toward the reduction of domestic greenhouse gases.

Margins for uncertainties in Hydro-Quebec's short-term operations planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beaumont, M.; Raymond, M.P.

1995-01-01

A method developed by Hydro-Quebec for establishing the short-term capacity margin requirements for dealing with uncertainties from 1 to 24 hours in advance, was presented. Hydro-Quebec's generating system and characterization of the problems associated with meeting load requirements were discussed. Factors accounted for included those concerning internal load forecast, unit forced outages, risks of not meeting firm load, risks of not meeting real-time reserves requirements, costs, time delays, and operating constraints of non-hydraulic resources. Each of these were described in detail, and methods for combining mathematical uncertainties were presented. Procedures used for selecting an appropriate risk level and building a margin policy were described. Improvements for more accurate modelling were discussed. 5 refs., 2 tabs., 5 figs

Enhancing the diversity of breeding invertebrates within field margins of intensively managed grassland: Effects of alternative management practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Fritch, Rochelle A; Sheridan, Helen; Finn, John A; McCormack, Stephen; Ó hUallacháin, Daire

2017-11-01

Severe declines in biodiversity have been well documented for many taxonomic groups due to intensification of agricultural practices. Establishment and appropriate management of arable field margins can improve the diversity and abundance of invertebrate groups; however, there is much less research on field margins within grassland systems. Three grassland field margin treatments (fencing off the existing vegetation "fenced"; fencing with rotavation and natural regeneration "rotavated" and; fencing with rotavation and seeding "seeded") were compared to a grazed control in the adjacent intensively managed pasture. Invertebrates were sampled using emergence traps to investigate species breeding and overwintering within the margins. Using a manipulation experiment, we tested whether the removal of grazing pressure and nutrient inputs would increase the abundance and richness of breeding invertebrates within grassland field margins. We also tested whether field margin establishment treatments, with their different vegetation communities, would change the abundance and richness of breeding invertebrates in the field margins. Exclusion of grazing and nutrient inputs led to increased abundance and richness in nearly all invertebrate groups that we sampled. However, there were more complex effects of field margin establishment treatment on the abundance and richness of invertebrate taxa. Each of the three establishment treatments supported a distinct invertebrate community. The removal of grazing from grassland field margins provided a greater range of overwintering/breeding habitat for invertebrates. We demonstrate the capacity of field margin establishment to increase the abundance and richness in nearly all invertebrate groups in study plots that were located on previously more depauperate areas of intensively managed grassland. These results from grassland field margins provide evidence to support practical actions that can inform Greening (Pillar 1) and agri-environment

Profitability indicators of milk production cost center in intensive systems of production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Glauber dos Santos

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The objective was to estimate some profitability indicators of dairy cost center farms with a high volume of daily production in feedlot. The Intended was also to identify the components that had the greatest influence on the operational cost. We used data from three milk systems production, with the origin of the purebred Holsteins. It was considered as a milk cost center production all expenses related in lactating and dry cows. The methodology used total cost and operating cost in profitability analysis. A production system, by presenting gross margin, net positive result, was able to produce short, medium and long term. Another production system had a positive gross margin and net, with conditions to survive in the short and medium term. Finally, the third system of production has shown a negative gross margin presenting decapitalizing and entering into debt, as revenues were not enough to pay operating expenses even effective. The component items of the effective operational cost that exercised higher “impact” cost and income from milk were, in decreasing order, the feeding, labor, miscellaneous expenses, sanitation, energy, milking, reproduction, equipment rental, BST and taxes.

"We call ourselves marginalized"

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Nanna Jordt

2014-01-01

of the people we refer to as marginalized. In this paper, I discuss how young secondary school graduates from a pastoralist community in Kenya use and negotiate indigeneity, marginal identity, and experiences of marginalization in social navigations aimed at broadening their current and future opportunities. I...

Improved Safety Margin Characterization of Risk from Loss of Offsite Power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, Paul

2017-01-01

Original intent: The original intent of this task was ''support of the Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characteristic (RISMC) methodology in order'' ''to address ... efficiency of computation so that more accurate and cost-effective techniques can be used to address safety margin characterizations'' (S. M. Hess et al., ''Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization,'' Procs. ICONE17, Brussels, July 2009, CD format). It was intended that ''in Task 1 itself this improvement will be directed toward upon the very important issue of Loss of Offsite Power (LOOP) events,'' more specifically toward the challenge of efficient computation of the multidimensional nonrecovery integral that has been discussed by many previous contributors to the theory of nuclear safety. It was further envisioned that ''three different computational approaches will be explored,'' corresponding to the three subtasks listed below; deliverables were tied to the individual subtasks.

Calculating the Social Costs of Carbon without knowing preferences : Comment on “A rapid assessment model for understanding the social cost of carbon”

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerlagh, R.

The Social Costs of Carbon (SCC) equals the marginal welfare loss associated with one unit of emitted CO2, divided by the marginal welfare gain associated with one unit of consumption. In stochastic assessments, both the nominator and denominator can depend on uncertain parameters; specifically they

Financial Intermediation Costs in Low-Income Countries; The Role of Regulatory, Institutional, and Macroeconomic Factors

OpenAIRE

Tigran Poghosyan

2012-01-01

We analyze factors driving persistently higher financial intermediation costs in low-income countries (LICs) relative to emerging market (EMs) country comparators. Using the net interest margin as a proxy for financial intermediation costs at the bank level, we find that within LICs a substantial part of the variation in interest margins can be explained by bank-specific factors: margins tend to increase with higher riskiness of credit portfolio, lower bank capitalization, and smaller bank si...

The marginal cost of operation: a parameter for evaluating and regulating of the generation work program; O custo marginal de operacao: um parametro para a avaliacao e ajuste do programa de obras de geracao

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lima, W M; Mendes, L N.F.; Almeida Gattass, E de [FURNAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

1990-12-31

The Brazilian Generator System is predominantly hydroelectric, with some reservoirs having a pluri annual regularization, providing a large storage capacity of potential power for the system. This water storage allows the reduction of the alertly effect from the natural flow over the hydraulic resources for electric power production. Due to this structural characteristic, the main operation problem of the system refers to a strategical determination of storage energy utilization and, consequently, the thermal generation level. This paper examines the theoretical concepts referring to the survey of this operation strategies and analyses the factors for improving. These concepts are also extended for the interconnected electric subsystems case, mainly the interchange effect over the operation strategies of each subsystem. Finally, the natural flow sample influence over the marginal cost is analysed, comparing the obtained values with the historical sample and synthetical series of affluence. (C.G.C.). 7 refs, 2 figs, 5 tabs.

Machined part sales price build-up based on the contribution margin concept

OpenAIRE

Lucato, Wagner Cesar; Baptista, Elesandro Antonio; Coppini, Nivaldo Lemos

2009-01-01

One of the main competitive moves observed in the last two decades was the change in product pricing, evolving from a cost plus margin paradigm to a market-driven one. In the present days, the customer defines how much he or she is willing to pay for a given product or service. As a result, traditional cost accounting procedures and their related pricing formulas cannot accommodate that kind of change without significant turnaround in practices and concepts. Taking that into consideration, th...

Global warming and carbon taxation. Optimal policy and the role of administration costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, M.

1995-01-01

This paper develops a model relating CO 2 emissions to atmosphere concentrations, global temperature change and economic damages. For a variety of parameter assumptions, the model provides estimates of the marginal cost of emissions in various years. The optimal carbon tax is a function of the marginal emission cost and the costs of administering the tax. This paper demonstrates that under any reasonable assumptions, the optimal carbon tax is zero for at least several decades. (author)

Hardwood sawmill downtime costs

Science.gov (United States)

Jan Wiedenbeck; Kyle Blackwell

2003-01-01

How time flies when you don't pay attention to it. With hardwood sawmill operating costs ranging from $4 to $25 per operating minute ($95/MBF to $335/MBF) and gross profit margins ranging from $0.10/BF to $0.35/BF, five extra minutes of downtime per day will cost a sawmill that produces an average of 20,000 BF per day (5 MMBF annually) between $21 and $73 per day...

Higher US crop prices trigger little area expansion so marginal land for biofuel crops is limited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swinton, Scott M.; Babcock, Bruce A.; James, Laura K.; Bandaru, Varaprasad

2011-01-01

By expanding energy biomass production on marginal lands that are not currently used for crops, food prices increase and indirect climate change effects can be mitigated. Studies of the availability of marginal lands for dedicated bioenergy crops have focused on biophysical land traits, ignoring the human role in decisions to convert marginal land to bioenergy crops. Recent history offers insights about farmer willingness to put non-crop land into crop production. The 2006-09 leap in field crop prices and the attendant 64% gain in typical profitability led to only a 2% increase in crop planted area, mostly in the prairie states. At this rate, a doubling of expected profitability from biomass crops would expand cropland supply by only 3.2%. Yet targets for cellulosic ethanol production in the US Energy Independence and Security Act imply boosting US planted area by 10% or more with perennial biomass crops. Given landowner reluctance to expand crop area with familiar crops in the short run, large scale expansion of the area in dedicated bioenergy crops will likely be difficult and costly to achieve. - Highlights: → Biofuel crops on cropland can displace food crops, reducing food supply and triggering indirect land use. → Growing biofuel crops on non-crop marginal land avoids these problems. → But US farmers expanded cropland by only 2% when crop profitability jumped 64% during 2006-09. → So medium-term availability of marginal lands for biofuel crops is limited and costly.

Cost-effectiveness Assessment of 5G Systems with Cooperative Radio Resource Sharing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Nikolikj

2015-11-01

Full Text Available By use of techno-economic analysis of heterogeneous hierarchical cell structures and spectral efficiencies of the forthcoming advanced radio access technologies, this paper proposes various cost-efficient capacity enlargement strategies evaluated through the level of the production cost per transferred data unit and achievable profit margins. For the purpose of maximizing the aggregate performance (capacity or profit, we also assess the cooperative manners of radio resource sharing between mobile network operators, especially in the cases of capacity over-provisioning, when we also determine the principles to provide guaranteed data rates to a particular number of users. The results show that, for heavily loaded office environments, the future 5G pico base stations could be a preferable deployment solution. Also, we confirm that the radio resource management method with dynamic resource allocation can significantly improve the capacity of two comparably loaded operators which share the resources and aim to increase their cost effectiveness.

Marginal Matter

Science.gov (United States)

van Hecke, Martin

2013-03-01

All around us, things are falling apart. The foam on our cappuccinos appears solid, but gentle stirring irreversibly changes its shape. Skin, a biological fiber network, is firm when you pinch it, but soft under light touch. Sand mimics a solid when we walk on the beach but a liquid when we pour it out of our shoes. Crucially, a marginal point separates the rigid or jammed state from the mechanical vacuum (freely flowing) state - at their marginal points, soft materials are neither solid nor liquid. Here I will show how the marginal point gives birth to a third sector of soft matter physics: intrinsically nonlinear mechanics. I will illustrate this with shock waves in weakly compressed granular media, the nonlinear rheology of foams, and the nonlinear mechanics of weakly connected elastic networks.

Marginalization of the Youth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Niels Rosendal

2009-01-01

The article is based on a key note speach in Bielefeld on the subject "welfare state and marginalized youth", focusing upon the high ambition of expanding schooling in Denmark from 9 to 12 years. The unintended effect may be a new kind of marginalization.......The article is based on a key note speach in Bielefeld on the subject "welfare state and marginalized youth", focusing upon the high ambition of expanding schooling in Denmark from 9 to 12 years. The unintended effect may be a new kind of marginalization....

How Big is Too Big for Hubs: Marginal Profitability in Hub-and-Spoke Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Leola B.; Schmidt, Stephen J.

1997-01-01

Increasing the scale of hub operations at major airports has led to concerns about congestion at excessively large hubs. In this paper, we estimate the marginal cost of adding spokes to an existing hub network. We observe entry/non-entry decisions on potential spokes from existing hubs, and estimate both a variable profit function for providing service in markets using that spoke as well as the fixed costs of providing service to the spoke. We let the fixed costs depend upon the scale of operations at the hub, and find the hub size at which spoke service costs are minimized.

High tolerance to temperature and salinity change should enable scleractinian coral Platygyra acuta from marginal environments to persist under future climate change.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Apple Pui Yi Chui

Full Text Available With projected changes in the marine environment under global climate change, the effects of single stressors on corals have been relatively well studied. However, more focus should be placed on the interactive effects of multiple stressors if their impacts upon corals are to be assessed more realistically. Elevation of sea surface temperature is projected under global climate change, and future increases in precipitation extremes related to the monsoon are also expected. Thus, the lowering of salinity could become a more common phenomenon and its impact on corals could be significant as extreme precipitation usually occurs during the coral spawning season. Here, we investigated the interactive effects of temperature [24, 27 (ambient, 30, 32°C] and salinity [33 psu (ambient, 30, 26, 22, 18, 14 psu] on larval settlement, post-settlement survival and early growth of the dominant coral Platygyra acuta from Hong Kong, a marginal environment for coral growth. The results indicate that elevated temperatures (+3°C and +5°C above ambient did not have any significant effects on larval settlement success and post-settlement survival for up to 56 days of prolonged exposure. Such thermal tolerance was markedly higher than that reported in the literature for other coral species. Moreover, there was a positive effect of these elevated temperatures in reducing the negative effects of lowered salinity (26 psu on settlement success. The enhanced settlement success brought about by elevated temperatures, together with the high post-settlement survival recorded up to 44 and 8 days of exposure under +3°C and +5°C ambient respectively, resulted in the overall positive effects of elevated temperatures on recruitment success. These results suggest that projected elevation in temperature over the next century should not pose any major problem for the recruitment success of P. acuta. The combined effects of higher temperatures and lowered salinity (26 psu could

Convexity and Marginal Vectors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Velzen, S.; Hamers, H.J.M.; Norde, H.W.

2002-01-01

In this paper we construct sets of marginal vectors of a TU game with the property that if the marginal vectors from these sets are core elements, then the game is convex.This approach leads to new upperbounds on the number of marginal vectors needed to characterize convexity.An other result is that

Can Better Outdoor Environments Lead to Cost Benefits in Assisted Living Facilities Through Increased Word-of-Mouth Referrals?

Science.gov (United States)

Rodiek, Susan; Boggess, May M; Lee, Chanam; Booth, Geoffrey J; Morris, Alisan

2013-01-01

This study explores how better outdoor environments may produce cost benefits for assisted living providers by raising occupancy levels through increased resident satisfaction and word-of-mouth referrals. Older adults who spend even minimal time outdoors may reap substantial health benefits. However, many existing outdoor areas in assisted living facilities are reportedly underutilized, in part because of design issues. Providers may be more willing to improve outdoor areas if they produce cost benefits for provider organizations. This study used data from a recent assisted living survey to assess the relationship between satisfaction with outdoor spaces, time spent outdoors, and resulting improvements in mood. A financial analysis was developed to estimate potential benefits from improved outdoor areas attributable to increased occupancy and decreased marketing costs associated with increased word-of-mouth referrals. Increasing resident satisfaction with outdoor areas (from approximately 29% to 96%) results in residents spending more time outdoors (increase of 1½ hours per week per resident) and improved psychological well-being (12% increase in feeling better). This greater overall satisfaction leads to 8% more residents willing to refer potential residents to their community. Because word-of-mouth referrals by current residents are a major factor in resident recruitment, improving outdoors areas leads to an estimated 4% increase in new residents, resulting in over $170,000 of increased revenue per year for a community of 100 residents. Improved outdoor space can provide substantial cost benefits for assisted living providers. Increasing resident well-being and satisfaction, and thereby generating additional word-of-mouth referrals, can result in higher occupancy levels. Outdoor environments, assisted living, cost benefits, resident satisfaction, occupancy levels, seniors, rental income, word-of-mouth referralPreferred Citation: Rodiek, S., Boggess, M. M., Lee

Cutting risk, boosting cash flow and developing marginal fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baustad, T.; Courtin, G.; Davies, T.; Kenison, R.; Turnbull, J.; Gray, B.; Jalali, Y.; Remondet, J.C.; Hjelmsmark, L.; Oldfield, T.; Romano, C.; Saier, R.; Rannestad, G.

1996-01-01

To minimize financial risk and accelerate return on investment, oil companies are using low-cost, reusable production systems. The scope of these development options is illustrated by looking at three offshore case studies that range from extended well test to marginal field development. In each case, production systems technology has been deployed to provide superior data, early oil or both, thus reducing economic uncertainty and delivering accelerated cash flow. 10 figs., 23 refs

Contributions to knowledge of the continental margin of Uruguay. Uruguayan continental margin: Physiographic and seismic analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preciozzi, F

2014-01-01

This work is about the kind of continental margins such as a )Atlantic type passive margins which can be hard or soft b) An active or Pacific margins that because of the very frequent earthquakes develop a morphology dominated by tectonic processes. The Uruguayan continental margin belongs to a soft Atlantic margin

Fixing soft margins

NARCIS (Netherlands)

P. Kofman (Paul); A. Vaal, de (Albert); C.G. de Vries (Casper)

1993-01-01

textabstractNon-parametric tolerance limits are employed to calculate soft margins such as advocated in Williamson's target zone proposal. In particular, the tradeoff between softness and zone width is quantified. This may be helpful in choosing appropriate margins. Furthermore, it offers

Search costs and efficiency : Do unemployed workers search enough?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gautier, Pieter A.; Moraga González, José; Wolthoff, Ronald P.

Many labor market policies affect the marginal benefits and costs of job search. The impact and desirability of such policies depend on the distribution of search costs. In this paper, we provide an equilibrium framework for identifying the distribution of search costs and we apply it to the Dutch

SOCIAL MARGINALIZATION AND HEALTH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marjana Bogdanović

2007-04-01

Full Text Available The 20th century was characterized by special improvement in health. The aim of WHO’s policy EQUITY IN HEALTH is to enable equal accessibility and equal high quality of health care for all citizens. More or less some social groups have stayed out of many social systems even out of health care system in the condition of social marginalization. Phenomenon of social marginalization is characterized by dynamics. Marginalized persons have lack of control over their life and available resources. Social marginalization stands for a stroke on health and makes the health status worse. Low socio-economic level dramatically influences people’s health status, therefore, poverty and illness work together. Characteristic marginalized groups are: Roma people, people with AIDS, prisoners, persons with development disorders, persons with mental health disorders, refugees, homosexual people, delinquents, prostitutes, drug consumers, homeless…There is a mutual responsibility of community and marginalized individuals in trying to resolve the problem. Health and other problems could be solved only by multisector approach to well-designed programs.

Pickering seismic safety margin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghobarah, A.; Heidebrecht, A.C.; Tso, W.K.

1992-06-01

A study was conducted to recommend a methodology for the seismic safety margin review of existing Canadian CANDU nuclear generating stations such as Pickering A. The purpose of the seismic safety margin review is to determine whether the nuclear plant has sufficient seismic safety margin over its design basis to assure plant safety. In this review process, it is possible to identify the weak links which might limit the seismic performance of critical structures, systems and components. The proposed methodology is a modification the EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) approach. The methodology includes: the characterization of the site margin earthquake, the definition of the performance criteria for the elements of a success path, and the determination of the seismic withstand capacity. It is proposed that the margin earthquake be established on the basis of using historical records and the regional seismo-tectonic and site specific evaluations. The ability of the components and systems to withstand the margin earthquake is determined by database comparisons, inspection, analysis or testing. An implementation plan for the application of the methodology to the Pickering A NGS is prepared

A cost-benefit/cost-effectiveness analysis of proposed supervised injection facilities in Ottawa, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Jozaghi, Ehsan; Reid, Andrew A; Andresen, Martin A; Juneau, Alexandre

2014-08-04

Supervised injection facilities (SIFs) are venues where people who inject drugs (PWID) have access to a clean and medically supervised environment in which they can safely inject their own illicit drugs. There is currently only one legal SIF in North America: Insite in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The responses and feedback generated by the evaluations of Insite in Vancouver have been overwhelmingly positive. This study assesses whether the above mentioned facility in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver needs to be expanded to other locations, more specifically that of Canada's capital city, Ottawa. The current study is aimed at contributing to the existing literature on health policy by conducting cost-benefit and cost-effective analyses for the opening of SIFs in Ottawa, Ontario. In particular, the costs of operating numerous SIFs in Ottawa was compared to the savings incurred; this was done after accounting for the prevention of new HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV) infections. To ensure accuracy, two distinct mathematical models and a sensitivity analysis were employed. The sensitivity analyses conducted with the models reveals the potential for SIFs in Ottawa to be a fiscally responsible harm reduction strategy for the prevention of HCV cases--when considered independently. With a baseline sharing rate of 19%, the cumulative annual cost model supported the establishment of two SIFs and the marginal annual cost model supported the establishment of a single SIF. More often, the prevention of HIV or HCV alone were not sufficient to justify the establishment cost-effectiveness; rather, only when both HIV and HCV are considered does sufficient economic support became apparent. Funded supervised injection facilities in Ottawa appear to be an efficient and effective use of financial resources in the public health domain.

Cost Accounting in the Automated Manufacturing Environment

Science.gov (United States)

1988-06-01

1 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL M terey, California 0 DTIC II ELECTE R AD%$° NO 0,19880 -- THESIS COST ACCOUNTING IN THE AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING...PROJECT TASK WORK UNIT ELEMENT NO. NO NO ACCESSION NO 11. TITLE (Include Security Classification) E COST ACCOUNTING IN THE AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING...GROUP ’" Cost Accounting ; Product Costing ; Automated Manufacturing; CAD/CAM- CIM 19 ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by blo

Indian Ocean margins

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Naqvi, S.W.A

in the latter two areas. Some of these fluxes are expected to be substantial in the case of Indonesian continental margins and probably also across the eastern coasts of Africa not covered in this chapter. However, a dearth of information makes these margins...

Marginal kidney donor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ganesh Gopalakrishnan

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Renal transplantation is the treatment of choice for a medically eligible patient with end stage renal disease. The number of renal transplants has increased rapidly over the last two decades. However, the demand for organs has increased even more. This disparity between the availability of organs and waitlisted patients for transplants has forced many transplant centers across the world to use marginal kidneys and donors. We performed a Medline search to establish the current status of marginal kidney donors in the world. Transplant programs using marginal deceased renal grafts is well established. The focus is now on efforts to improve their results. Utilization of non-heart-beating donors is still in a plateau phase and comprises a minor percentage of deceased donations. The main concern is primary non-function of the renal graft apart from legal and ethical issues. Transplants with living donors outnumbered cadaveric transplants at many centers in the last decade. There has been an increased use of marginal living kidney donors with some acceptable medical risks. Our primary concern is the safety of the living donor. There is not enough scientific data available to quantify the risks involved for such donation. The definition of marginal living donor is still not clear and there are no uniform recommendations. The decision must be tailored to each donor who in turn should be actively involved at all levels of the decision-making process. In the current circumstances, our responsibility is very crucial in making decisions for either accepting or rejecting a marginal living donor.

Structure across the northeastern margin of Flemish Cap, offshore Newfoundland from Erable multichannel seismic reflection profiles: evidence for a transtensional rifting environment

Science.gov (United States)

Welford, J. Kim; Hall, Jeremy; Sibuet, Jean-Claude; Srivastava, Shiri P.

2010-11-01

We present the results from processing and interpreting nine multichannel seismic reflection lines collected during the 1992 Erable experiment over the northeastern margin of Flemish Cap offshore Newfoundland. These lines, combined into five cross-sections, provide increased seismic coverage over this lightly probed section of the margin and reveal tectonically significant along-strike variations in the degree and compartmentalization of crustal thinning. Similar to the southeastern margins of Flemish Cap and the Grand Banks, a transitional zone of exhumed serpentinized mantle is interpreted between thinned continental and oceanic crust. The 25 km wide transitional zone bears similarities to the 120 km wide transitional zone interpreted as exhumed serpentinized mantle on the conjugate Irish Atlantic margin but the significant width difference is suggestive of an asymmetric conjugate pair. A 40-50 km wide zone of inferred strike-slip shearing is interpreted and observed to extend along most of the northeastern margin of Flemish Cap. Individual shear zones (SZs) may represent extensions of SZs and normal faults within the Orphan Basin providing further evidence for the rotation and displacement of Flemish Cap out of Orphan Basin. The asymmetry between the Flemish Cap and Irish conjugate pairs is likely due in large part to the rotation and displacement of Flemish Cap which resulted in the Flemish Cap margin displaying features of both a strike-slip margin and an extensional margin.

Convergent adaptive evolution in marginal environments: unloading transposable elements as a common strategy among mangrove genomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyu, Haomin; He, Ziwen; Wu, Chung-I; Shi, Suhua

2018-01-01

Several clades of mangrove trees independently invade the interface between land and sea at the margin of woody plant distribution. As phenotypic convergence among mangroves is common, the possibility of convergent adaptation in their genomes is quite intriguing. To study this molecular convergence, we sequenced multiple mangrove genomes. In this study, we focused on the evolution of transposable elements (TEs) in relation to the genome size evolution. TEs, generally considered genomic parasites, are the most common components of woody plant genomes. Analyzing the long terminal repeat-retrotransposon (LTR-RT) type of TE, we estimated their death rates by counting solo-LTRs and truncated elements. We found that all lineages of mangroves massively and convergently reduce TE loads in comparison to their nonmangrove relatives; as a consequence, genome size reduction happens independently in all six mangrove lineages; TE load reduction in mangroves can be attributed to the paucity of young elements; the rarity of young LTR-RTs is a consequence of fewer births rather than access death. In conclusion, mangrove genomes employ a convergent strategy of TE load reduction by suppressing element origination in their independent adaptation to a new environment. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Environment, agriculture, and settlement patterns in a marginal Polynesian landscape

Science.gov (United States)

Kirch, P.V.; Hartshorn, A.S.; Chadwick, O.A.; Vitousek, P.M.; Sherrod, D.R.; Coil, J.; Holm, L.; Sharp, W.D.

2004-01-01

Beginning ca. A.D. 1400, Polynesian farmers established permanent settlements along the arid southern flank of Haleakala Volcano, Maui, Hawaiian Islands; peak population density (43-57 persons per km2) was achieved by A.D. 1700-1800, and it was followed by the devastating effects of European contact. This settlement, based on dryland agriculture with sweet potato as a main crop, is represented by >3,000 archaeological features investigated to date. Geological and environmental factors are the most important influence on Polynesian farming and settlement practices in an agriculturally marginal landscape. Interactions between lava flows, whose ages range from 3,000 to 226,000 years, and differences in rainfall create an environmental mosaic that constrained precontact Polynesian farming practices to a zone defined by aridity at low elevation and depleted soil nutrients at high elevation. Within this productive zone, however, large-scale agriculture was concentrated on older, tephra-blanketed lava flows; younger flows were reserved for residential sites, small ritual gardens, and agricultural temples.

Modelling the costs of energy crops. A case study of US corn and Brazilian sugar cane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mejean, Aurelie; Hope, Chris

2010-01-01

High crude oil prices, uncertainties about the consequences of climate change and the eventual decline of conventional oil production raise the prospects of alternative fuels, such as biofuels. This paper describes a simple probabilistic model of the costs of energy crops, drawing on the user's degree of belief about a series of parameters as an input. This forward-looking analysis quantifies the effects of production constraints and experience on the costs of corn and sugar cane, which can then be converted to bioethanol. Land is a limited and heterogeneous resource: the crop cost model builds on the marginal land suitability, which is assumed to decrease as more land is taken into production, driving down the marginal crop yield. Also, the maximum achievable yield is increased over time by technological change, while the yield gap between the actual yield and the maximum yield decreases through improved management practices. The results show large uncertainties in the future costs of producing corn and sugar cane, with a 90% confidence interval of 2.9-7.2$/GJ in 2030 for marginal corn costs, and 1.5-2.5$/GJ in 2030 for marginal sugar cane costs. The influence of each parameter on these supply costs is examined. (author)

Methodology for oversizing marginal quality riprap for erosion control at uranium mill tailings sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staub, W.P.; Abt, S.R.

1987-01-01

Properly selected and oversized local sources of riprap may provide superior erosion protection compared with revegetation at a number of uranium mill tailings sites in arid regions of the United States. Whereas highly durable rock is appropriate for protecting diversion channels to the height of the 5-year flood, marginal quality rock may be adequate for protecting infrequently flooded side slopes of diversion channels, tailings embankments and caps. Marginal quality rock may require oversizing to guarantee that design size specifications are met at the end of the performance period (200 to 1000 years). This paper discusses a methodology for oversizing marginal quality rock. Results of cyclic freezing and thawing tests are used to determine oversizing requirements as functions of the performance period and environment. Test results show that marginal quality rock may be used in frequently saturated areas but in some cases oversizing will be substantial and in other cases marginal quality rock may be disqualified. Oversizing of marginal quality rock appears to be a practical reality in occasionally saturated areas (between the 5-year and 100-year floods). Furthermore, oversizing will not generally be required on slopes from the 100-year flood. 6 refs., 4 tabs

Endogenous Transport Costs in International Trade

OpenAIRE

Joern Kleinert; Julia Spies

2011-01-01

In this paper we claim that distance alone is a poor proxy for international transport costs in empirical studies. We model a manufacturing and a transport sector and let the level of manufacturing exports determine the demand for transport services. Above a particular trade level, transport service suppliers find it profit-maximizing to invest in an advanced transport technology, which lowers their marginal costs and as a consequence, equilibrium transport prices. Transport costs thus vary w...

Reconciling quality and cost: A case study in interventional radiology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Li; Mahnken, Andreas; Domroese, Sascha

2015-01-01

To provide a method to calculate delay cost and examine the relationship between quality and total cost. The total cost including capacity, supply and delay cost for running an interventional radiology suite was calculated. The capacity cost, consisting of labour, lease and overhead costs, was derived based on expenses per unit time. The supply cost was calculated according to actual procedural material use. The delay cost and marginal delay cost derived from queueing models was calculated based on waiting times of inpatients for their procedures. Quality improvement increased patient safety and maintained the outcome. The average daily delay costs were reduced from 1275 EUR to 294 EUR, and marginal delay costs from approximately 2000 EUR to 500 EUR, respectively. The one-time annual cost saved from the transfer of surgical to radiological procedures was approximately 130,500 EUR. The yearly delay cost saved was approximately 150,000 EUR. With increased revenue of 10,000 EUR in project phase 2, the yearly total cost saved was approximately 290,000 EUR. Optimal daily capacity of 4.2 procedures was determined. An approach for calculating delay cost toward optimal capacity allocation was presented. An overall quality improvement was achieved at reduced costs. (orig.)

Reconciling quality and cost: A case study in interventional radiology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Li; Mahnken, Andreas [University Hospital Giessen and Marburg, Philipps University of Marburg, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Baldinger Strasse, Marburg (Germany); Domroese, Sascha [University Hospital Giessen and Marburg, Philipps University of Marburg, Division of Controlling, Baldinger Strasse, Marburg (Germany)

2015-10-15

To provide a method to calculate delay cost and examine the relationship between quality and total cost. The total cost including capacity, supply and delay cost for running an interventional radiology suite was calculated. The capacity cost, consisting of labour, lease and overhead costs, was derived based on expenses per unit time. The supply cost was calculated according to actual procedural material use. The delay cost and marginal delay cost derived from queueing models was calculated based on waiting times of inpatients for their procedures. Quality improvement increased patient safety and maintained the outcome. The average daily delay costs were reduced from 1275 EUR to 294 EUR, and marginal delay costs from approximately 2000 EUR to 500 EUR, respectively. The one-time annual cost saved from the transfer of surgical to radiological procedures was approximately 130,500 EUR. The yearly delay cost saved was approximately 150,000 EUR. With increased revenue of 10,000 EUR in project phase 2, the yearly total cost saved was approximately 290,000 EUR. Optimal daily capacity of 4.2 procedures was determined. An approach for calculating delay cost toward optimal capacity allocation was presented. An overall quality improvement was achieved at reduced costs. (orig.)

On marginal regeneration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stein, H.N.

1991-01-01

On applying the marginal regeneration concept to the drainage of free liquid films, problems are encountered: the films do not show a "neck" of minimum thickness at the film/border transition; and the causes of the direction dependence of the marginal regeneration are unclear. Both problems can be

From low cost to high tech: possible margins of technical progress in photovoltaic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guillemoles, J.F.

2009-01-01

Photovoltaic is developing in response to 3 requirements: conservation of the environment, security in energy, and economic growth. Given this, the terawatt (TW) scale should be used to measure the magnitude of energy needs. Can solar, in particular photovoltaic, power meet these needs? This has nothing to do with the availability of solar energy - in a single hour, the sun sends to the earth as much energy as the electricity consumed by all of humanity during an entire year. Instead, it raises questions about the industrial deployment and, eventually, the availability of raw materials and land. The sustainable development of photovoltaic power implies wisely using resources (raw materials, energy and capital) and improving the efficiency not only of the process for transforming resources into photovoltaic units but also of the photovoltaic units themselves for converting light into electricity. It is worth noting that the predictable change of scale in the photovoltaic industry will have implications for this industry's deployment on a large scale. This deployment depends on: the availability of technology, know-how, capital and raw materials; the cost of investments; the speed of implementation; and the rhythm of production of cells. (author)

An automation of design and modelling tasks in NX Siemens environment with original software - cost module

Science.gov (United States)

Zbiciak, R.; Grabowik, C.; Janik, W.

2015-11-01

The design-constructional process is a creation activity which strives to fulfil, as well as it possible at the certain moment of time, all demands and needs formulated by a user taking into account social, technical and technological advances. Engineer knowledge and skills and their inborn abilities have the greatest influence on the final product quality and cost. They have also deciding influence on product technical and economic value. Taking into account above it seems to be advisable to make software tools that support an engineer in the process of manufacturing cost estimation. The Cost module is built with analytical procedures which are used for relative manufacturing cost estimation. As in the case of the Generator module the Cost module was written in object programming language C# in Visual Studio environment. During the research the following eight factors, that have the greatest influence on overall manufacturing cost, were distinguished and defined: (i) a gear wheel teeth type it is straight or helicoidal, (ii) a gear wheel design shape A, B with or without wheel hub, (iii) a gear tooth module, (iv) teeth number, (v) gear rim width, (vi) gear wheel material, (vii) heat treatment or thermochemical treatment, (viii) accuracy class. Knowledge of parameters (i) to (v) is indispensable for proper modelling of 3D gear wheels models in CAD system environment. These parameters are also processed in the Cost module. The last three parameters it is (vi) to (viii) are exclusively used in the Cost module. The estimation of manufacturing relative cost is based on indexes calculated for each particular parameter. Estimated in this way the manufacturing relative cost gives an overview of design parameters influence on the final gear wheel manufacturing cost. This relative manufacturing cost takes values from 0.00 to 1,00 range. The bigger index value the higher relative manufacturing cost is. Verification whether the proposed algorithm of relative manufacturing

Costs for frequency reserve and regulation power options in Iceland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The price for ancillary services that ensures an efficient use of resources is equal to the marginal costs of providing these services. In an expanding hydro power system there are two optimal designs for expansion; one design is optimal when ancillary services are not to be provided and another design is optimal when these services are to be provided. The right price for ancillary services cover the net difference in costs between the two designs. The difference in design in an expanding system is specific for that particular system and hence no general number can be specified. In an expanding hydro power system, the efficient price typically covers parts of the marginal investment costs for excess capacity in turbine and generator, but no investment costs for waterways and reservoirs

Indigenous women's voices: marginalization and health.

Science.gov (United States)

Dodgson, Joan E; Struthers, Roxanne

2005-10-01

Marginalization may affect health care delivery. Ways in which indigenous women experienced marginalization were examined. Data from 57 indigenous women (18 to 65 years) were analyzed for themes. Three themes emerged: historical trauma as lived marginalization, biculturalism experienced as marginalization, and interacting within a complex health care system. Experienced marginalization reflected participants' unique perspective and were congruent with previous research. It is necessary for health care providers to assess the detrimental impact of marginalization on the health status of individuals and/or communities.

Refining margins and prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baudouin, C.; Favennec, J.P.

1997-01-01

Refining margins throughout the world have remained low in 1996. In Europe, in spite of an improvement, particularly during the last few weeks, they are still not high enough to finance new investments. Although the demand for petroleum products is increasing, experts are still sceptical about any rapid recovery due to prevailing overcapacity and to continuing capacity growth. After a historical review of margins and an analysis of margins by regions, we analyse refining over-capacities in Europe and the unbalances between production and demand. Then we discuss the current situation concerning barriers to the rationalization, agreements between oil companies, and the consequences on the future of refining capacities and margins. (author)

Safety margins in deterministic safety analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Viktorov, A.

2011-01-01

The concept of safety margins has acquired certain prominence in the attempts to demonstrate quantitatively the level of the nuclear power plant safety by means of deterministic analysis, especially when considering impacts from plant ageing and discovery issues. A number of international or industry publications exist that discuss various applications and interpretations of safety margins. The objective of this presentation is to bring together and examine in some detail, from the regulatory point of view, the safety margins that relate to deterministic safety analysis. In this paper, definitions of various safety margins are presented and discussed along with the regulatory expectations for them. Interrelationships of analysis input and output parameters with corresponding limits are explored. It is shown that the overall safety margin is composed of several components each having different origins and potential uses; in particular, margins associated with analysis output parameters are contrasted with margins linked to the analysis input. While these are separate, it is possible to influence output margins through the analysis input, and analysis method. Preserving safety margins is tantamount to maintaining safety. At the same time, efficiency of operation requires optimization of safety margins taking into account various technical and regulatory considerations. For this, basic definitions and rules for safety margins must be first established. (author)

Work environment satisfaction and employee health: panel evidence from Denmark, France and Spain, 1994-2001.

Science.gov (United States)

Datta Gupta, Nabanita; Kristensen, Nicolai

2008-02-01

This paper investigates whether a satisfactory work environment can promote employee health even after controlling for socioeconomic status and life style factors. A dynamic panel model of health is estimated from worker samples from Denmark, France and Spain, employing both self-assessed general health and the presence of a functional limitation. In all three countries and for both types of health measures, a good perceived work environment is found to be a highly significant determinant of worker health even after controlling for unobserved heterogeneity and minimizing reverse causality. The marginal effect is, however, larger in France and Denmark than in Spain. Several potential explanations for this finding are discussed. Further, a satisfactory working environment is found to be at least as important for employee health as socioeconomic status. Thus, investing in giving workers a satisfying work environment could be a low-cost way of improving employee health.

Marginal Models for Categorial Data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bergsma, W.P.; Rudas, T.

2002-01-01

Statistical models defined by imposing restrictions on marginal distributions of contingency tables have received considerable attention recently. This paper introduces a general definition of marginal log-linear parameters and describes conditions for a marginal log-linear parameter to be a smooth

Consistent cost curves for identification of optimal energy savings across industry and residential sectors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klinge Jacobsen, Henrik; Baldini, Mattia

the costs are incurred and savings (difference in discount rates both private and social) • The issue of marginal investment in a case of replacement anyway or a full investment in the energy saving technology • Implementation costs (and probability of investment) differs across sectors • Cost saving...... with constructing and applying the cost curves in modelling: • Cost curves do not have the same cost interpretation across economic subsectors and end-use technologies (investment cost for equipment varies – including/excluding installation – adaptation costs – indirect production costs) • The time issue of when...... options are not additive - meaning that marginal energy savings from one option depends on what other options implemented We address the importance of these issues and illustrate with Danish cases how large the difference in savings cost curves can be if different methodologies are used. For example...

The Marginal Value of the CRAF DC-10-10 Compared to the KC-10A

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1981-01-01

...) DC-lO-lO aircraft was provided for HQ USAF review. In light of the modification costs, AF/SA was tasked to examine the marginal value between the proposal and the procurement of additional Air Force KC-1OA tankers...

Sedimentation on continental margins: An integrated program for innovative studies during the 1990s

Science.gov (United States)

Nittrourer, Charles A.; Coleman, James M.; Rouge, Baton; Flood, Roger D.; Ginsburg, Robert N.; Gorsline, Donn S.; Hine, Albert C.; Sternberg, Richard W.; Swift, Donald J. P.; Wright, L. Donelson

Continental margins are of great scientific interest, and they represent the focus of human interaction with the ocean. Their deep structure forms the transition from continental to oceanic crust, and their surface expression extends from coastal environments of estuaries and shorelines across the continental shelf and slope to either the base of a continental rise or a marginal trough. Modern continental margins represent natural laboratories for investigation of complex relationships between physical, chemical, and biological phenomena, which are sensitive to environmental conditions both on the land and in the ocean. The history of these conditions is preserved within the sedimentary deposits of continental margins. The deposits form repositories for much of the particulate material transported off the world's land masses and produced from dissolved components in the world ocean. Past deposits of continental margins have been uplifted to form many mountain ranges and sedimentary terrains of the world, which record details of Earth history and contain valuable natural resources, such as petroleum and natural gas. Modern deposits of continental margins record the more recent events that have influenced Earth and also contain natural resources (for instance, minerals, sand, and gravel), as well as anthropogenic pollutants (for example, heavy metals and pesticides). The fates of many materials beneficial and deleterious to humans are dependent on the pathways followed by sedimentary particles on continental margins.

Digital Margins : How spatially and socially marginalized communities deal with digital exclusion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Salemink, Koen

2016-01-01

The increasing importance of the Internet as a means of communication has transformed economies and societies. For spatially and socially marginalized communities, this transformation has resulted in digital exclusion and further marginalization. This book presents a study of two kinds of

Clinical benefit and cost effectiveness of total knee arthroplasty in the older patient

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krummenauer F

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Purpose Total knee arthroplasty (TKA is an effective, but also cost-intensive health care procedure for the elderly. Furthermore, bearing demographic changes in Western Europe in mind, TKA-associated financial investment for health care insurers will increase notably and thereby catalyze discussions on ressource allocation to Orthopedic surgery. To derive a quantitative rationale for such discussions within Western Europe's health care systems, a prospective assessment of both the benefit of TKA from a patient's perspective as well as its cost effectiveness from a health care insurer's perspective was implemented. Methods A prospective cost effectiveness trial recruited a total of 65 patients (60% females, who underwent TKA in 2006; median age of patients was 66 years (interquartile range 61 - 74 years. Before and three months after surgery patients were interviewed by means of the EuroQol-5D and the WOMAC questionnaires to assess their individual benefit due to TKA and the subsequent inpatient rehabilitation. Both questionnaires' benefit estimates were transformed into the number of gained quality adjusted life years [QALYs]. Total direct cost estimates for the overall care were based on German DRG and rehabilitation cost rates [€]. The primary clinical endpoint of the investigation was the individual number of QALYs gained by TKA based on the WOMAC interview; the primary health economic endpoint was the marginal cost effectiveness ratio (MCER relating the costs to the associated gain in quality of life [€/QALY]. Results Total direct costs for the overall procedure were estimed 9549 € in median. The WOMAC based interview revealed an overall gain of 4.59 QALYs (interquartile range 2.39 - 6.21 QALYs, resulting in marginal costs of 1795 €/QALY (1488 - 3288 €/QALY. The corresponding EuroQol based estimates were 2.93 QALYs (1.75 - 5.59 QALYs and 3063 €/QALY (1613 - 5291 €/QALY. Logistic regression modelling identified the

Ownership, competition, and the adoption of new technologies and cost-saving practices in a fixed-price environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirth, R A; Chernew, M E; Orzol, S M

2000-01-01

Advances in medical technology have been implicated as the primary cause of rising health care expenditures. It is not yet known whether the increasing prevalence of managed care mechanisms, particularly capitation, will change substantially incentives for acquiring and using cost-increasing innovations. We examined the decisions of dialysis units (a set of providers that has faced capitation and real decreases in payment for several decades) with respect to use of cost-increasing technologies that enhance quality of care, cost-cutting practices that reduce quality of care, and amenities desired by patients that are unrelated to quality of care. We found that the dialysis payment system does not appear to have blocked access to a number of new, quality-enhancing technologies that were developed in the 1980s. However, facilities made adjustments along other valuable margins to facilitate adoption of these technologies; use of new technologies varied with numerous facility, regulatory, and case-mix characteristics including ownership, chain membership, size, market competition, and certificate of need programs. Interestingly, the trade-offs made by for-profit and nonprofit facilities when faced with fixed prices appeared quite different. For-profits tended to deliver lower technical quality of care but more amenities, while nonprofits favored technical quality of care over amenities. Our findings may have implications for the response of other types of health care providers to capitation and increasing economic constraints.

Flood offers new hope for marginal oil fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1966-03-14

The economics of producing a marginal Cardium sand oil field in west-central Alberta have been greatly improved by introduction of an inexpensive waterflood pressure maintenance and secondary recovery project. Canadian Gridoil Ltd. is now in full operation at its Willesden Green Cardium Unit No. 5. Of the 8.1 million bbl estimated original oil in place, only 9% would have been recoverable by primary depletion. The waterflood is calculated to add 13%, for ultimate recovery of 22% or 1.8 million bbl. This waterflood installation is considered a prototype of economical and profitable pressure maintenance systems which can be built to advantage in marginal oil fields in Alberta. Ultimate returns in the form of increased oil production and more than doubled oil recovery will be immensely greater than the capital investment of $195,000 in the facilities. Assuming GOR control and full well allowables, the entire capital cost should be paid out within 3 years. Life of the field is estimated at not less than 25 years.

Neogene sedimentation on the outer continental margin, southern Bering Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Vallier, T.L.; Underwood, M.B.; Gardner, J.V.; Barron, J.A.

1980-01-01

Neogene sedimentary rocks and sediments from sites on the outer continental margin in the southern Bering Sea and on the Alaska Peninsula are dominated by volcanic components that probably were eroded from an emergent Aleutian Ridge. A mainland continental source is subordinate. Most sediment in the marine environment was transported to the depositional sites by longshore currents, debris flows, and turbidity currents during times when sea level was near the outermost continental shelf. Fluctuations of sea level are ascribed both to worldwide glacio-eustatic effects and to regional vertical tectonics. Large drainage systems, such as the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers, had little direct influence on sedimentation along the continental slope and Unmak Plateau in the southern Bering Sea. Sediments from those drainage systems probably were transported to the floor of the Aleutian Basin, to the numerous shelf basins that underlie the outer continental shelf, and to the Arctic Ocean after passing through the Bering Strait. Environments of deposition at the sites along the outer continental margin have not changed significantly since the middle Miocene. The site on the Alaska Peninsula, however, is now emergent following shallow-marine and transitional sedimentation during the Neogene. ?? 1980.

On the censored cost-effectiveness analysis using copula information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles Fontaine

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Information and theory beyond copula concepts are essential to understand the dependence relationship between several marginal covariates distributions. In a therapeutic trial data scheme, most of the time, censoring occurs. That could lead to a biased interpretation of the dependence relationship between marginal distributions. Furthermore, it could result in a biased inference of the joint probability distribution function. A particular case is the cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA, which has shown its utility in many medico-economic studies and where censoring often occurs. Methods This paper discusses a copula-based modeling of the joint density and an estimation method of the costs, and quality adjusted life years (QALY in a cost-effectiveness analysis in case of censoring. This method is not based on any linearity assumption on the inferred variables, but on a punctual estimation obtained from the marginal distributions together with their dependence link. Results Our results show that the proposed methodology keeps only the bias resulting statistical inference and don’t have anymore a bias based on a unverified linearity assumption. An acupuncture study for chronic headache in primary care was used to show the applicability of the method and the obtained ICER keeps in the confidence interval of the standard regression methodology. Conclusion For the cost-effectiveness literature, such a technique without any linearity assumption is a progress since it does not need the specification of a global linear regression model. Hence, the estimation of the a marginal distributions for each therapeutic arm, the concordance measures between these populations and the right copulas families is now sufficient to process to the whole CEA.

Marginal abatement cost and carbon reduction potential outlook of key energy efficiency technologies in China's building sector to 2030

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao, He; Wei, Qingpeng; Wang, Hailin

2014-01-01

China achieved an energy savings of 67.5 Mtce in the building sector at the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan and set a new target of 116 Mtce by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan. In this paper, an improved bottom-up model is developed to assess the carbon abatement potential and marginal abatement cost (MAC) of 34 selected energy-saving technologies/measures for China's building sector. The total reduction potential is 499.8 million t-CO 2 by 2030. 4.8 Gt-CO 2 potential will be achieved cumulatively to 2030. By 2030, total primary energy consumption of Chinese building sector will rise continuously to 1343 Mtce in the reference scenario and 1114 Mtce in the carbon reduction scenario. Total carbon dioxide emission will rise to 2.39 Gt-CO 2 and 1.9 Gt-CO 2 in two scenarios separately. The average carbon abatement cost of the aforementioned technologies is 19.5 $/t-CO 2 . The analysis reveals that strengthening successfully energy-saving technologies is important, especially for the residential building sector. The central government's direct investments in such technologies should be reduced without imposing significant negative effects. - Highlights: • MAC of 34 energy-saving technologies of China's building sector is calculated. • Energy use and CO 2 emission of China's building sector by 2030 is forecasted. • The reference and the carbon reduction scenarios are compared

A low cost, high precision extreme/harsh cold environment, autonomous sensor data gathering and transmission platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Chetty, S.; Field, L. A.

2014-12-01

SWIMS III, is a low cost, autonomous sensor data gathering platform developed specifically for extreme/harsh cold environments. Arctic ocean's continuing decrease of summer-time ice is related to rapidly diminishing multi-year ice due to the effects of climate change. Ice911 Research aims to develop environmentally inert materials that when deployed will increase the albedo, enabling the formation and/preservation of multi-year ice. SWIMS III's sophisticated autonomous sensors are designed to measure the albedo, weather, water temperature and other environmental parameters. This platform uses low cost, high accuracy/precision sensors, extreme environment command and data handling computer system using satellite and terrestrial wireless solution. The system also incorporates tilt sensors and sonar based ice thickness sensors. The system is light weight and can be deployed by hand by a single person. This presentation covers the technical, and design challenges in developing and deploying these platforms.

Minimising negative externalities cost using 0-1 mixed integer linear programming model in e-commerce environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akyene Tetteh

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Although the Internet boosts business profitability, without certain activities like efficient transportation, scheduling, products ordered via the Internet may reach their destination very late. The environmental problems (vehicle part disposal, carbon monoxide [CO], nitrogen oxide [NOx] and hydrocarbons [HC] associated with transportation are mostly not accounted for by industries. Objectives: The main objective of this article is to minimising negative externalities cost in e-commerce environments. Method: The 0-1 mixed integer linear programming (0-1 MILP model was used to model the problem statement. The result was further analysed using the externality percentage impact factor (EPIF. Results: The simulation results suggest that (1 The mode of ordering refined petroleum products does not impact on the cost of distribution, (2 an increase in private cost is directly proportional to the externality cost, (3 externality cost is largely controlled by the government and number of vehicles used in the distribution and this is in no way influenced by the mode of request (i.e. Internet or otherwise and (4 externality cost may be reduce by using more ecofriendly fuel system.

Determinants of Change in the Cost-effectiveness Threshold.

Science.gov (United States)

Paulden, Mike; O'Mahony, James; McCabe, Christopher

2017-02-01

The cost-effectiveness threshold in health care systems with a constrained budget should be determined by the cost-effectiveness of displacing health care services to fund new interventions. Using comparative statics, we review some potential determinants of the threshold, including the budget for health care, the demand for existing health care interventions, the technical efficiency of existing interventions, and the development of new health technologies. We consider the anticipated direction of impact that would affect the threshold following a change in each of these determinants. Where the health care system is technically efficient, an increase in the health care budget unambiguously raises the threshold, whereas an increase in the demand for existing, non-marginal health interventions unambiguously lowers the threshold. Improvements in the technical efficiency of existing interventions may raise or lower the threshold, depending on the cause of the improvement in efficiency, whether the intervention is already funded, and, if so, whether it is marginal. New technologies may also raise or lower the threshold, depending on whether the new technology is a substitute for an existing technology and, again, whether the existing technology is marginal. Our analysis permits health economists and decision makers to assess if and in what direction the threshold may change over time. This matters, as threshold changes impact the cost-effectiveness of interventions that require decisions now but have costs and effects that fall in future periods.

CO2 emission costs and Gas/Coal competition for power production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santi, Federico

2005-01-01

This paper demonstrates how a CO 2 emission reduction programme can change the competition between the two power production technologies which will probably dominate the future of the Italian power industry: the coal fired USC steam power plant and the natural gas fired CCGT power plant. An economic value of the CO 2 emission is calculated, in order to make the short-run-marginal-cost (or the long-run-marginal-cost). equal for both technologies, under a CO 2 emission trading scheme and following a single-plant specific CO 2 emission homogenizing approach [it

American business ethics and health care costs.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrett, T M; Klonoski, R J; Baillie, H W

1993-01-01

The health care industry operates in the margin between market competition and social welfare programs. Violations of business ethics on the market side add considerably to costs. When the inefficient use of resources and market distortions due to power and ignorance as well as legal and subsidized monopolies are added, increased costs can approach $100 billion. Modest remedies are suggested.

From cost survey to « cost killing » on ASTRID Fast Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vernhet, Didier

2013-01-01

Conclusions: • Due to the different level of readiness for each equipement, we found a wide scale of elementary costs. • We have no industrial reference (except SuperPhenix – ‘80s) and the approach of actual cost can be with a important uncertainty margin. • It is not easy to measure: ⇒ the impact of increasing rules and regulation; ⇒ the loss of know-how of manufacturers. • The appreciation of the risks for this type of innovative prototype and corresponding cost allowances is very complex. • These various estimating processes led to a range for a first evaluation of the construction cost of ASTRID, but still with large bias and uncertainties given the design stage of the project. • The analysis of the elementary value are a great imput data for an efficiency « Cost Killing » approach. • The wide range of cost approach can give us some new supports for the selection of each further design, during the 2 next years

Cost of practice in a tertiary/quaternary referral center: is it sustainable?

Science.gov (United States)

Cologne, K G; Hwang, G S; Senagore, A J

2014-11-01

Third-party payers are moving toward a bundled care payment system. This means that there will need to be a warranty cost of care-where the cost of complexity and complication rates is built into the bundled payment. The theoretical benefit of this system is that providers with lower complication rates will be able to provide care with lower warranty costs and lower overall costs. This may also result in referring riskier patients to tertiary or quaternary referral centers. Unless the payment model truly covers the higher cost of managing such referred cases, the economic risk may be unsustainable for these centers. We took the last seven patients that were referred by other surgeons as "too high risk" for colectomy at other centers. A contribution margin was calculated using standard Medicare reimbursement rates at our institution and cost of care based on our administrative database. We then recalculated a contribution margin assuming a 3 % reduction in payment for a higher than average readmission rate, like that which will take effect in 2014. Finally, we took into account the cost of any readmissions. Seven patients with diagnosis related group (DRG) 330 were reviewed with an average age of 66.8 ± 16 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists score 2.3 ± 1.0, body mass index 31.6 ± 9.8 kg/m(2) (range 22-51 kg/m(2)). There was a 57 % readmission rate, 29 % reoperation rate, 10.8 ± 7.7 day average initial length of stay with 14 ± 8.6 day average readmission length of stay. Forty-two percent were discharged to a location other than home. Seventy-one percent of these patients had Medicare insurance. The case mix index was 2.45. Average reimbursement for DRG 330 was $17,084 (based on Medicare data) for our facility in 2012, with the national average being $12,520. The total contribution margin among all cases collectively was -$19,122 ± 13,285 (average per patient -$2,731, range -$21,905-$12,029). Assuming a 3 % reimbursement reduction made the overall

Erosion and marginalization in Pahuatlán municipality, Puebla: A binomial of causality?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosalía Castelán Vega

2012-02-01

Full Text Available An understanding of the interaction between deterioration of the environment and marginalization of communities is essential in order to formulate public policies that will combine social and environmental objectives. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between erosion and marginalization in the municipality of Pahuatlán, Puebla, Mexico. The erosion was assessed by the methods developed by FAO and Ruiz et al. Marginalization was determined by the Consejo Nacional de Población (CONAPO method using Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI indicators. The relationship was established by a simple correspondence analysis and was confirmed by Pearson´s Chi-square test. Erosion could be assigned to one of three grades: moderate, severe and very severe. In the 32 towns that constitute the municipality, marginalization was moderate in 5, severe in 14 and very severe in 13. The correspondence analysis and the Chi-square test showed a causal relationship between erosion and marginalization, although it was not possible to detect with certainty which is the cause and which the effect. However, the results can contribute to the design of sustainable strategies for the municipality.

The effect of repair costs on the profitability of a ureteroscopy program.

Science.gov (United States)

Tosoian, Jeffrey J; Ludwig, Wesley; Sopko, Nikolai; Mullins, Jeffrey K; Matlaga, Brian R

2015-04-01

Ureteroscopy (URS) is a common treatment for patients with stone disease. One of the disadvantages of this approach is the great capital expense associated with the purchase and repair of endoscopic equipment. In some cases, these costs can outpace revenues and lead to an unprofitable and unsustainable enterprise. We sought to characterize the profitability of our URS program when accounting for endoscope maintenance and repair costs. We identified all URS cases performed at a single hospital during fiscal year 2013 (FY2013). Charges, collection rates, and fixed and variable costs including annual equipment repair costs were obtained. The net margin and break-even point of URS were derived on a per-case basis. For 190 cases performed in FY2013, total endoscope repair costs totaled $115,000, resulting in an average repair cost of $605 per case. The vast majority of cases (94.2%) were conducted in the outpatient setting, which generated a net margin of $659 per case, while inpatient cases yielded a net loss of $455. URS was ultimately associated with a net positive margin approaching $600 per case. On break-even analysis, URS remained profitable until repair costs reached $1200 per case. Based on these findings, an established URS program can sustain profitability even with large equipment repair costs. Nonetheless, our findings serve to emphasize the importance of controlling costs, particularly in the current setting of decreasing reimbursement. A multifaceted approach, based on improving endoscope durability and exploring digital and disposable platforms, will be critical in maintaining the sustainability of URS.

Applying Quality Costs in a Software Development Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.P. Hollingsworth

1999-05-01

Full Text Available This paper shows how Quality Costs can be a measure of software quality. The relationship between Quality Costs and other software quality metrics is briefly explained, and software development oriented versions of the two principal Quality Cost models are described. Finally the paper discusses the major issues involved in setting up a software Quality Cost programme. The concepts are based on previous research on Quality Costs in manufacturing, coupled with work on software metrics and the work currently being undertaken by the authors in a number of industries.

Task Group on Safety Margins Action Plan (SMAP). Safety Margins Action Plan - Final Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hrehor, Miroslav; Gavrilas, Mirela; Belac, Josef; Sairanen, Risto; Bruna, Giovanni; Reocreux, Michel; Touboul, Francoise; Krzykacz-Hausmann, B.; Park, Jong Seuk; Prosek, Andrej; Hortal, Javier; Sandervaag, Odbjoern; Zimmerman, Martin

2007-01-01

The international nuclear community has expressed concern that some changes in existing plants could challenge safety margins while fulfilling all the regulatory requirements. In 1998, NEA published a report by the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities on Future Nuclear Regulatory Challenges. The report recognized 'Safety margins during more exacting operating modes' as a technical issue with potential regulatory impact. Examples of plant changes that can cause such exacting operating modes include power up-rates, life extension or increased fuel burnup. In addition, the community recognized that the cumulative effects of simultaneous changes in a plant could be larger than the accumulation of the individual effects of each change. In response to these concerns, CSNI constituted the safety margins action plan (SMAP) task group with the following objectives: 'To agree on a framework for integrated assessments of the changes to the overall safety of the plant as a result of simultaneous changes in plant operation / condition; To develop a CSNI document which can be used by member countries to assess the effect of plant change on the overall safety of the plant; To share information and experience.' The two approaches to safety analysis, deterministic and probabilistic, use different methods and have been developed mostly independently of each other. This makes it difficult to assure consistency between them. As the trend to use information on risk (where the term risk means results of the PSA/PRA analysis) to support regulatory decisions is growing in many countries, it is necessary to develop a method of evaluating safety margin sufficiency that is applicable to both approaches and, whenever possible, integrated in a consistent way. Chapter 2 elaborates on the traditional view of safety margins and the means by which they are currently treated in deterministic analyses. This chapter also discusses the technical basis for safety limits as they are used today

Fixed and variable cost of automobiles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mulalic, Ismir; Rouwendal, Jan

costs of various quality aspects using an extensive Danish data set. We show that under suitable assumptions the marginal willingness to pay for quality aspects is a structural parameter of the consumer’s preference. We use our results to investigate this structural parameter and study its relationship......Recent empirical analyses have found strong reactions of car prices to changes in fuel costs. We develop a model of car quality choice to further investigate this relationship. We show that in the empirically relevant case quality characteristics increase fixed as well as variable costs, and our...

Cost Analysis for a Supplier in an Inflationary Environment with Stock Dependent Demand Rate for Perishable Items

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madhu Jain

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The present study is concerned with the cost modeling of an inventory system with perishable multi-items having stock dependent demand rates under an inflationary environment of the market. The concept of permissible delay is taken into account. The study provides the cost analysis of inventory system under the decision criteria of time value of money, inflation, deterioration, and stock dependent demand. Numerical illustrations are derived from the quantitative model to validate the results. The cost of inventory and optimal time are also computed by varying different system parameters. The comparison of these results is facilitated by computing the results with neurofuzzy results.

Application of geoinformation techniques in sustainable development of marginal rural

Science.gov (United States)

Leszczynska, G.

2009-04-01

The basic objective of the studies is to create a geographic information system that would assure integration of activities aimed at protecting biological diversity with sustainable development of marginal rural areas through defining the conditions for development of tourism and recreation in the identified areas. The choice of that solution is a consequence of the fact that numerous phenomena and processes presented in maps are linked to functional relations or they can be viewed as functions of space, time and attributes. The paper presents the system development stage aimed at elaborating the template for the system serving solution of the above-presented problem. In case of this issue the geographic information system will be developed to support development of marginal rural areas through selection of appropriate forms of tourism for the endangered areas including indication of locations for development of appropriate tourist infrastructure. Selection of the appropriate form of tourism will depend on natural, tourist and infrastructure values present in a given area and conditioned by the need to present the biodiversity component present in those areas together with elements of traditional agricultural landscape. The most important problem is to reconcile two seemingly contradictory aims: 1. Preventing social and economic marginalization of the restructured rural areas. 2. Preserving biological diversity in the restructured areas.Agriculture influences many aspects of the natural environment such as water resources, biodiversity and status of natural habitats, status of soils, landscape and, in a wider context, the climate. Project implementation will involve application of technologies allowing analysis of the systems for managing marginal rural areas as spatial models based on geographic information systems. Modelling of marginal rural areas management using the GIS technologies will involve creating spatial models of actual objects. On the basis of data

Statistical model for forecasting uranium prices to estimate the nuclear fuel cycle cost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sung Ki; Ko, Won Il; Nam, Hyoon; Kim, Chul Min; Chung, Yang Hon; Bang, Sung Sig

2017-01-01

This paper presents a method for forecasting future uranium prices that is used as input data to calculate the uranium cost, which is a rational key cost driver of the nuclear fuel cycle cost. In other words, the statistical autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model and existing engineering cost estimation method, the so-called escalation rate model, were subjected to a comparative analysis. When the uranium price was forecasted in 2015, the margin of error of the ARIMA model forecasting was calculated and found to be 5.4%, whereas the escalation rate model was found to have a margin of error of 7.32%. Thus, it was verified that the ARIMA model is more suitable than the escalation rate model at decreasing uncertainty in nuclear fuel cycle cost calculation

Statistical model for forecasting uranium prices to estimate the nuclear fuel cycle cost

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Sung Ki; Ko, Won Il; Nam, Hyoon [Nuclear Fuel Cycle Analysis, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Chul Min; Chung, Yang Hon; Bang, Sung Sig [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2017-08-15

This paper presents a method for forecasting future uranium prices that is used as input data to calculate the uranium cost, which is a rational key cost driver of the nuclear fuel cycle cost. In other words, the statistical autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model and existing engineering cost estimation method, the so-called escalation rate model, were subjected to a comparative analysis. When the uranium price was forecasted in 2015, the margin of error of the ARIMA model forecasting was calculated and found to be 5.4%, whereas the escalation rate model was found to have a margin of error of 7.32%. Thus, it was verified that the ARIMA model is more suitable than the escalation rate model at decreasing uncertainty in nuclear fuel cycle cost calculation.

The Social Cost of Trading: Measuring the Increased Damages from Sulfur Dioxide Trading in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Henry, David D., III; Muller, Nicholas Z.; Mendelsohn, Robert O.

2011-01-01

The sulfur dioxide (SO[subscript 2]) cap and trade program established in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments is celebrated for reducing abatement costs ($0.7 to $2.1 billion per year) by allowing emissions allowances to be traded. Unfortunately, places with high marginal costs also tend to have high marginal damages. Ton-for-ton trading reduces…

Multiple-pollutant cost-effectiveness of greenhouse gas mitigation measures in the UK agriculture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eory, Vera; Topp, Cairistiona F.E.; Moran, Dominic

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Multiple-pollutant marginal abatement cost curves can inform integrated environmental policy. ► We incorporated the co-effects on NH 3 , NO 3 − , P and sediment, as monetary values, into the UK GHG MACC. ► Adding co-effects modifies the GHG MACC, though with little impact unless using high damage values. ► Further research is needed on the co-effects of GHG mitigation measures and on damage values. ► Analysis should focus on the co-effects of measures that are slightly above or below the threshold. -- Abstract: This paper develops multiple-pollutant marginal abatement cost curve analysis to identify an optimal set of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation measures considering the trade-offs and synergies with other environmental pollutants. The analysis is applied to UK agriculture, a sector expected to make a contribution to the national GHG mitigation effort. Previous analyses using marginal abatement cost curves (MACCs) have determined the sector's GHG abatement potential based on the cost-effectiveness of a variety of technically feasible mitigation measures. Most of these measures have external effects on other pollution loads arising from agricultural activities. Here the monetary values of four of the most important impacts to water and air (specifically ammonia, nitrate, phosphorous and sediment) are included in the cost-effectiveness analysis. The resulting multiple-pollutant marginal abatement cost curve (MP MACC) informs the design of sustainable climate change policies by showing how the MP MACC for the UK agriculture can differ from the GHG MACC. The analysis also highlights research gaps, and suggests a need to understand the wider environmental effects of GHG mitigation options and to reduce the uncertainty in pollutant damage cost estimates

MagRad: A code to optimize the operation of superconducting magnets in a radiation environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeaw, C.T.

1995-01-01

A powerful computational tool, called MagRad, has been developed which optimizes magnet design for operation in radiation fields. Specifically, MagRad has been used for the analysis and design modification of the cable-in-conduit conductors of the TF magnet systems in fusion reactor designs. Since the TF magnets must operate in a radiation environment which damages the material components of the conductor and degrades their performance, the optimization of conductor design must account not only for start-up magnet performance, but also shut-down performance. The degradation in performance consists primarily of three effects: reduced stability margin of the conductor; a transition out of the well-cooled operating regime; and an increased maximum quench temperature attained in the conductor. Full analysis of the magnet performance over the lifetime of the reactor includes: radiation damage to the conductor, stability, protection, steady state heat removal, shielding effectiveness, optimal annealing schedules, and finally costing of the magnet and reactor. Free variables include primary and secondary conductor geometric and compositional parameters, as well as fusion reactor parameters. A means of dealing with the radiation damage to the conductor, namely high temperature superconductor anneals, is proposed, examined, and demonstrated to be both technically feasible and cost effective. Additionally, two relevant reactor designs (ITER CDA and ARIES-II/IV) have been analyzed. Upon addition of pure copper strands to the cable, the ITER CDA TF magnet design was found to be marginally acceptable, although much room for both performance improvement and cost reduction exists. A cost reduction of 10-15% of the capital cost of the reactor can be achieved by adopting a suitable superconductor annealing schedule. In both of these reactor analyses, the performance predictive capability of MagRad and its associated costing techniques have been demonstrated

Margin improvement initiatives: realistic approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chan, P.K.; Paquette, S. [Royal Military College of Canada, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Dept., Kingston, ON (Canada); Cunning, T.A. [Department of National Defence, Ottawa, ON (Canada); French, C.; Bonin, H.W. [Royal Military College of Canada, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Dept., Kingston, ON (Canada); Pandey, M. [Univ. of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON (Canada); Murchie, M. [Cameco Fuel Manufacturing, Port Hope, ON (Canada)

2014-07-01

With reactor core aging, safety margins are particularly tight. Two realistic and practical approaches are proposed here to recover margins. The first project is related to the use of a small amount of neutron absorbers in CANDU Natural Uranium (NU) fuel bundles. Preliminary results indicate that the fuelling transient and subsequent reactivity peak can be lowered to improve the reactor's operating margins, with minimal impact on burnup when less than 1000 mg of absorbers is added to a fuel bundle. The second project involves the statistical analysis of fuel manufacturing data to demonstrate safety margins. Probability distributions are fitted to actual fuel manufacturing datasets provided by Cameco Fuel Manufacturing, Inc. They are used to generate input for ELESTRES and ELOCA. It is found that the fuel response distributions are far below industrial failure limits, implying that margin exists in the current fuel design. (author)

Uncovering the Hidden Transaction Costs of Market Power

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Foss, Kirsten; Foss, Nicolai J.; Klein, Peter G.

2018-01-01

A central construct in competitive strategy research is market power, the ability to raise price above marginal cost. Positioning research focuses on attempts to build, protect, and exercise market power. However, this approach contains hidden assumptions about transaction costs. Parties made worse...... off by the exercise of market power can negotiate, bargain, form coalitions, and otherwise contract around the focal firm's attempts to appropriate monopoly profits—depending on transaction costs. We build on property rights economics to explain how transaction costs affect positioning and offer...

Probabilistic costing of transmission services

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wijayatunga, P.D.C.

1992-01-01

Costing of transmission services of electrical utilities is required for transactions involving the transport of energy over a power network. The calculation of these costs based on Short Run Marginal Costing (SRMC) is preferred over other methods proposed in the literature due to its economic efficiency. In the research work discussed here, the concept of probabilistic costing of use-of-system based on SRMC which emerges as a consequence of the uncertainties in a power system is introduced using two different approaches. The first approach, based on the Monte Carlo method, generates a large number of possible system states by simulating random variables in the system using pseudo random number generators. A second approach to probabilistic use-of-system costing is proposed based on numerical convolution and multi-area representation of the transmission network. (UK)

MARGINAL EXPENSE OIL WELL WIRELESS SURVEILLANCE MEOWS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mason M. Medizade; John R. Ridgely; Donald G. Nelson

2004-11-01

A marginal expense oil well wireless surveillance system to monitor system performance and production from rod-pumped wells in real time from wells operated by Vaquero Energy in the Edison Field, Main Area of Kern County in California has been successfully designed and field tested. The surveillance system includes a proprietary flow sensor, a programmable transmitting unit, a base receiver and receiving antenna, and a base station computer equipped with software to interpret the data. First, the system design is presented. Second, field data obtained from three wells is shown. Results of the study show that an effective, cost competitive, real-time wireless surveillance system can be introduced to oil fields across the United States and the world.

Marginal eyespots on butterfly wings deflect bird attacks under low light intensities with UV wavelengths.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Olofsson

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Predators preferentially attack vital body parts to avoid prey escape. Consequently, prey adaptations that make predators attack less crucial body parts are expected to evolve. Marginal eyespots on butterfly wings have long been thought to have this deflective, but hitherto undemonstrated function.Here we report that a butterfly, Lopinga achine, with broad-spectrum reflective white scales in its marginal eyespot pupils deceives a generalist avian predator, the blue tit, to attack the marginal eyespots, but only under particular conditions-in our experiments, low light intensities with a prominent UV component. Under high light intensity conditions with a similar UV component, and at low light intensities without UV, blue tits directed attacks towards the butterfly head.In nature, birds typically forage intensively at early dawn, when the light environment shifts to shorter wavelengths, and the contrast between the eyespot pupils and the background increases. Among butterflies, deflecting attacks is likely to be particularly important at dawn when low ambient temperatures make escape by flight impossible, and when insectivorous birds typically initiate another day's search for food. Our finding that the deflective function of eyespots is highly dependent on the ambient light environment helps explain why previous attempts have provided little support for the deflective role of marginal eyespots, and we hypothesize that the mechanism that we have discovered in our experiments in a laboratory setting may function also in nature when birds forage on resting butterflies under low light intensities.

Marginal eyespots on butterfly wings deflect bird attacks under low light intensities with UV wavelengths.

Science.gov (United States)

Olofsson, Martin; Vallin, Adrian; Jakobsson, Sven; Wiklund, Christer

2010-05-24

Predators preferentially attack vital body parts to avoid prey escape. Consequently, prey adaptations that make predators attack less crucial body parts are expected to evolve. Marginal eyespots on butterfly wings have long been thought to have this deflective, but hitherto undemonstrated function. Here we report that a butterfly, Lopinga achine, with broad-spectrum reflective white scales in its marginal eyespot pupils deceives a generalist avian predator, the blue tit, to attack the marginal eyespots, but only under particular conditions-in our experiments, low light intensities with a prominent UV component. Under high light intensity conditions with a similar UV component, and at low light intensities without UV, blue tits directed attacks towards the butterfly head. In nature, birds typically forage intensively at early dawn, when the light environment shifts to shorter wavelengths, and the contrast between the eyespot pupils and the background increases. Among butterflies, deflecting attacks is likely to be particularly important at dawn when low ambient temperatures make escape by flight impossible, and when insectivorous birds typically initiate another day's search for food. Our finding that the deflective function of eyespots is highly dependent on the ambient light environment helps explain why previous attempts have provided little support for the deflective role of marginal eyespots, and we hypothesize that the mechanism that we have discovered in our experiments in a laboratory setting may function also in nature when birds forage on resting butterflies under low light intensities.

A decision-making framework for effective maintenance management using life cycle costing (LCC in a rolling stock environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fourie, Cornelius Jacobus

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a life cycle costing (LCC framework for effective maintenance management is investigated and developed for use in a railway rolling stock environment. The framework consists of combining typical mission-critical components together with their failure and maintenance history. All costs related to the operation and maintenance of these components throughout their life cycle are also determined. The next step involves considering different scenarios under which the components can be used in relation to operations, maintenance, and replacements. The decision about which scenario to take is based on the one with the most favourable net present value after life cycle costing is performed over a specified period of time. A typical railway rolling-stock maintenance organisation in South Africa was used to highlight the practical implications of such a framework and how the company could make informed and appropriate decisions. The conclusion of this study is that such a framework is useful, and that it can be used as a basis for estimating LCC across a spectrum of critical assets found in the rolling stock environment.

Seismic analysis response factors and design margins of piping systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shieh, L.C.; Tsai, N.C.; Yang, M.S.; Wong, W.L.

1985-01-01

The objective of the simplified methods project of the Seismic Safety Margins Research Program is to develop a simplified seismic risk methodology for general use. The goal is to reduce seismic PRA costs to roughly 60 man-months over a 6 to 8 month period, without compromising the quality of the product. To achieve the goal, it is necessary to simplify the calculational procedure of the seismic response. The response factor approach serves this purpose. The response factor relates the median level response to the design data. Through a literature survey, we identified the various seismic analysis methods adopted in the U.S. nuclear industry for the piping system. A series of seismic response calculations was performed. The response factors and their variabilities for each method of analysis were computed. A sensitivity study of the effect of piping damping, in-structure response spectra envelop method, and analysis method was conducted. In addition, design margins, which relate the best-estimate response to the design data, are also presented

Representing the Marginal Stability of Peptides in Coarse Grained Models

Science.gov (United States)

Sayar, Mehmet; Dalgicdir, Cahit; Ramezanghorbani, Farhad

Tertiary structure of proteins is only marginally stable; such that the folded structure is separated from local minima by as little as 10 kcal/mol. In particular for intrinsically disordered peptides, this marginal stability is key to understanding their complex behavior. Bottom-up coarse grained (CG) models for proteins/peptides which rely on structural and/or thermodynamic reference data from experiments or all atom simulations inherently focus on the equilibrium structure and fail to capture the conformational dynamics of the molecule. In this study, we present a CG model for a synthetic peptide, LK, which successfully captures the conformational flexibility of the molecule in different environments. LK peptide is composed of leucine and lysine residues and displays a stark conformational transition from a degenerate conformation in dilute solution to a fully stable alpha-helix at macroscopic and molecular interfaces. In this study we demonstrate that by carefully combining atomistic references from both the unfolded and folded states, one can create a CG model that can represent not only the folded state, but also the conformational transitions that the peptide exhibits in response to changes in the environment. M. Sayar thanks TÜBİTAK (Grant No. 212T184) and TÜBA Distinguished Young Scientist Award (2012 awardee) for financial support.

Application of the WFD cost proportionality principle to diffuse pollution mitigation: a case study for Scottish Lochs.

Science.gov (United States)

Vinten, A J A; Martin-Ortega, J; Glenk, K; Booth, P; Balana, B B; MacLeod, M; Lago, M; Moran, D; Jones, M

2012-04-30

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to deliver good ecological status (GES) for Europe's waters. It prescribes the use of economic principles, such as derogation from GES on grounds of disproportionate costs of mitigation. This paper proposes an application of the proportionality principle to mitigation of phosphorus (P) pollution of 544 Scottish lochs at national and local water body scales. P loading estimates were derived from a national diffuse pollution screening tool. For 293 of these lochs (31% of the loch area), GES already occurred. Mitigation cost-effectiveness was assessed using combined mitigation cost curves for managed grassland, rough grazing, arable land, sewage and septic tank sources. These provided sufficient mitigation (92% of national P load) for GES to be achieved on another 31% of loch area at annualised cost of £2.09 m/y. Mitigation of the residual P loading preventing other lochs achieving GES was considered by using a "mop-up" cost of £200/kg P (assumed cost effectiveness of removal of P directly from lochs), leading to a total cost of £189 m/y. Lochs were ranked by mitigation costs per loch area to give a national scale marginal mitigation cost curve. A published choice experiment valuation of WFD targets for Scottish lochs was used to estimate marginal benefits at national scale and combined with the marginal cost curve. This gave proportionate costs of £5.7 m/y leading to GES in 72% of loch area. Using national mean marginal benefits with a scheme to estimate changes in individual loch value with P loading gave proportionate costs of £25.6 m/y leading to GES in 77% of loch area (491 lochs). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ecological and evolutionary processes at expanding range margins.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, C D; Bodsworth, E J; Wilson, R J; Simmons, A D; Davies, Z G; Musche, M; Conradt, L

2001-05-31

Many animals are regarded as relatively sedentary and specialized in marginal parts of their geographical distributions. They are expected to be slow at colonizing new habitats. Despite this, the cool margins of many species' distributions have expanded rapidly in association with recent climate warming. We examined four insect species that have expanded their geographical ranges in Britain over the past 20 years. Here we report that two butterfly species have increased the variety of habitat types that they can colonize, and that two bush cricket species show increased fractions of longer-winged (dispersive) individuals in recently founded populations. Both ecological and evolutionary processes are probably responsible for these changes. Increased habitat breadth and dispersal tendencies have resulted in about 3- to 15-fold increases in expansion rates, allowing these insects to cross habitat disjunctions that would have represented major or complete barriers to dispersal before the expansions started. The emergence of dispersive phenotypes will increase the speed at which species invade new environments, and probably underlies the responses of many species to both past and future climate change.

Margin Requirements and Equity Option Returns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hitzemann, Steffen; Hofmann, Michael; Uhrig-Homburg, Marliese

In equity option markets, traders face margin requirements both for the options themselves and for hedging-related positions in the underlying stock market. We show that these requirements carry a significant margin premium in the cross-section of equity option returns. The sign of the margin...... premium depends on demand pressure: If end-users are on the long side of the market, option returns decrease with margins, while they increase otherwise. Our results are statistically and economically significant and robust to different margin specifications and various control variables. We explain our...... findings by a model of funding-constrained derivatives dealers that require compensation for satisfying end-users’ option demand....

Margin Requirements and Equity Option Returns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hitzemann, Steffen; Hofmann, Michael; Uhrig-Homburg, Marliese

In equity option markets, traders face margin requirements both for the options themselves and for hedging-related positions in the underlying stock market. We show that these requirements carry a significant "margin premium" in the cross-section of equity option returns. The sign of the margin...... premium depends on demand pressure: If end-users are on the long side of the market, option returns decrease with margins, while they increase otherwise. Our results are statistically and economically significant and robust to different margin specifications and various control variables. We explain our...... findings by a model of funding-constrained derivatives dealers that require compensation for satisfying end-users’ option demand....

The ranking of negative-cost emissions reduction measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, Simon

2012-01-01

A flaw has been identified in the calculation of the cost-effectiveness in marginal abatement cost curves (MACCs). The problem affects “negative-cost” emissions reduction measures—those that produce a return on investment. The resulting ranking sometimes favours measures that produce low emissions savings and is therefore unreliable. The issue is important because incorrect ranking means a potential failure to achieve the best-value outcome. A simple mathematical analysis shows that not only is the standard cost-effectiveness calculation inadequate for ranking negative-cost measures, but there is no possible replacement that satisfies reasonable requirements. Furthermore, the concept of negative cost-effectiveness is found to be unsound and its use should be avoided. Among other things, this means that MACCs are unsuitable for ranking negative-cost measures. As a result, MACCs produced by a range of organizations including UK government departments may need to be revised. An alternative partial ranking method has been devised by making use of Pareto optimization. The outcome can be presented as a stacked bar chart that indicates both the preferred ordering and the total emissions saving available for each measure without specifying a cost-effectiveness. - Highlights: ► Marginal abatement cost curves (MACCs) are used to rank emission reduction measures. ► There is a flaw in the standard ranking method for negative-cost measures. ► Negative values of cost-effectiveness (in £/tC or equivalent) are invalid. ► There may be errors in published MACCs. ► A method based on Pareto principles provides an alternative ranking method.

Decoding the Margins: What Can the Fractal Geometry of Basaltic Flow Margins Tell Us?

Science.gov (United States)

Schaefer, E. I.; Hamilton, C.; Neish, C.; Beard, S. P.; Bramson, A. M.; Sori, M.; Rader, E. L.

2016-12-01

Studying lava flows on other planetary bodies is essential to characterizing eruption styles and constraining the bodies' thermal evolution. Although planetary basaltic flows are common, many key features are not resolvable in orbital imagery. We are thus developing a technique to characterize basaltic flow type, sub-meter roughness, and sediment mantling from these data. We will present the results from upcoming fieldwork at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve with FINESSE (August) and at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (September). We build on earlier work that showed that basaltic flow margins are approximately fractal [Bruno et al., 1992; Gaonac'h et al., 1992] and that their fractal dimensions (D) have distinct `a`ā and pāhoehoe ranges under simple conditions [Bruno et al., 1994]. Using a differential GPS rover, we have recently shown that the margin of Iceland's 2014 Holuhraun flow exhibits near-perfect (R2=0.9998) fractality for ≥24 km across dm to km scales [Schaefer et al., 2016]. This finding suggests that a fractal-based technique has significant potential to characterize flows at sub-resolution scales. We are simultaneously seeking to understand how margin fractality can be modified. A preliminary result for an `a'ā flow in Hawaii's Ka'ū Desert suggests that although aeolian mantling obscures the original flow margin, the apparent margin (i.e., sediment-lava interface) remains fractal [Schaefer et al., 2015]. Further, the apparent margin's D is likely significantly modified from that of the original margin. Other factors that we are exploring include erosion, transitional flow types, and topographic confinement. We will also rigorously test the intriguing possibility that margin D correlates with the sub-meter Hurst exponent H of the flow surface, a common metric of roughness scaling [e.g., Shepard et al., 2001]. This hypothesis is based on geometric arguments [Turcotte, 1997] and is qualitatively consistent with all results so far.

Cost Sensitivity Analysis for Consolidated Interim Storage of Spent Fuel: Evaluating the Effect of Economic Environment Parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cumberland, Riley M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Williams, Kent Alan [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Jarrell, Joshua J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Joseph, III, Robert Anthony [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2016-12-01

This report evaluates how the economic environment (i.e., discount rate, inflation rate, escalation rate) can impact previously estimated differences in lifecycle costs between an integrated waste management system with an interim storage facility (ISF) and a similar system without an ISF.

Wastewater Treatment Costs and Outlays in Organic Petrochemicals: Standards Versus Taxes With Methodology Suggestions for Marginal Cost Pricing and Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Russell G.; Singleton, F. D., Jr.

1986-04-01

With the methodology recommended by Baumol and Oates, comparable estimates of wastewater treatment costs and industry outlays are developed for effluent standard and effluent tax instruments for pollution abatement in five hypothetical organic petrochemicals (olefins) plants. The computational method uses a nonlinear simulation model for wastewater treatment to estimate the system state inputs for linear programming cost estimation, following a practice developed in a National Science Foundation (Research Applied to National Needs) study at the University of Houston and used to estimate Houston Ship Channel pollution abatement costs for the National Commission on Water Quality. Focusing on best practical and best available technology standards, with effluent taxes adjusted to give nearly equal pollution discharges, shows that average daily treatment costs (and the confidence intervals for treatment cost) would always be less for the effluent tax than for the effluent standard approach. However, industry's total outlay for these treatment costs, plus effluent taxes, would always be greater for the effluent tax approach than the total treatment costs would be for the effluent standard approach. Thus the practical necessity of showing smaller outlays as a prerequisite for a policy change toward efficiency dictates the need to link the economics at the microlevel with that at the macrolevel. Aggregation of the plants into a programming modeling basis for individual sectors and for the economy would provide a sound basis for effective policy reform, because the opportunity costs of the salient regulatory policies would be captured. Then, the government's policymakers would have the informational insights necessary to legislate more efficient environmental policies in light of the wealth distribution effects.

Bayesian models for cost-effectiveness analysis in the presence of structural zero costs.

Science.gov (United States)

Baio, Gianluca

2014-05-20

Bayesian modelling for cost-effectiveness data has received much attention in both the health economics and the statistical literature, in recent years. Cost-effectiveness data are characterised by a relatively complex structure of relationships linking a suitable measure of clinical benefit (e.g. quality-adjusted life years) and the associated costs. Simplifying assumptions, such as (bivariate) normality of the underlying distributions, are usually not granted, particularly for the cost variable, which is characterised by markedly skewed distributions. In addition, individual-level data sets are often characterised by the presence of structural zeros in the cost variable. Hurdle models can be used to account for the presence of excess zeros in a distribution and have been applied in the context of cost data. We extend their application to cost-effectiveness data, defining a full Bayesian specification, which consists of a model for the individual probability of null costs, a marginal model for the costs and a conditional model for the measure of effectiveness (given the observed costs). We presented the model using a working example to describe its main features. © 2013 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Adaptive Cost-Based Task Scheduling in Cloud Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed A. S. Mosleh

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Task execution in cloud computing requires obtaining stored data from remote data centers. Though this storage process reduces the memory constraints of the user’s computer, the time deadline is a serious concern. In this paper, Adaptive Cost-based Task Scheduling (ACTS is proposed to provide data access to the virtual machines (VMs within the deadline without increasing the cost. ACTS considers the data access completion time for selecting the cost effective path to access the data. To allocate data access paths, the data access completion time is computed by considering the mean and variance of the network service time and the arrival rate of network input/output requests. Then the task priority is assigned to the removed tasks based data access time. Finally, the cost of data paths are analyzed and allocated based on the task priority. Minimum cost path is allocated to the low priority tasks and fast access path are allocated to high priority tasks as to meet the time deadline. Thus efficient task scheduling can be achieved by using ACTS. The experimental results conducted in terms of execution time, computation cost, communication cost, bandwidth, and CPU utilization prove that the proposed algorithm provides better performance than the state-of-the-art methods.

Comparison of the Availability and Cost of Foods Compatible With a Renal Diet Versus an Unrestricted Diet Using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Sullivan, Catherine M; Pencak, Julie A; Freedman, Darcy A; Huml, Anne M; León, Janeen B; Nemcek, Jeanette; Theurer, Jacqueline; Sehgal, Ashwini R

2017-05-01

Hemodialysis patients' ability to access food that is both compatible with a renal diet and affordable is affected by the local food environment. Comparisons of the availability and cost of food items suitable for the renal diet versus a typical unrestricted diet were completed using the standard Nutrition Environment Measures Survey and a renal diet-modified Nutrition Environment Measures Survey. Cross-sectional study. Twelve grocery stores in Northeast Ohio. Availability and cost of food items in 12 categories. The mean total number of food items available differed significantly (P ≤ .001) between the unrestricted diet (38.9 ± 4.5) and renal diet (32.2 ± 4.7). The mean total cost per serving did not differ significantly (P = 0.48) between the unrestricted diet ($5.67 ± 2.50) and renal diet ($5.76 ± 2.74). The availability of renal diet food items is significantly less than that of unrestricted diet food items, but there is no difference in the cost of items that are available in grocery stores. Further work is needed to determine how to improve the food environment for patients with chronic diseases. Copyright © 2017 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The marginal utility of money: A modern Marshallian approach to consumer choice

OpenAIRE

Friedman, Daniel; Sákovics, József

2011-01-01

We reformulate neoclassical consumer choice by focusing on [lambda], the marginal utility of money. As the opportunity cost of current expenditure, [lambda] is approximated by the slope of the indirect utility function of the continuation. We argue that [lambda] can largely supplant the role of an arbitrary budget constraint in partial equilibrium analysis. The result is a better grounded, more exible and more intuitive approach to consumer choice.

Transmission avoided cost: a new parameter to evaluate the economic competitiveness of generations plants projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramos, D S [Companhia Energetica de Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Albuquerque, J C.R.; Rosenblat, J [ELETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

1994-12-31

The paper presents a new formulation that makes feasible a composition of long run production marginal costs with the long run transmission marginal costs, including the costs related to the interconnection EHV networks and that related to the voltage levels below. The goal top be attained is to have available a more adequate parameter in order to compare production cost related to a plant, that will be connected to a certain voltage level network, to the cost related supplying the sam,e amount of energy from the bulk power system which will be represented by the marginal costs up to the voltage level under consideration. This procedure brings to light the Transmission Avoided Costs concepts, that are stressed throughout the text. The proposed methodology is now being used, in the brazilian Power Sector, as a rule of thumb in order to guide planning decisions about the schedule of new plants that have installed capacity below 30 MW. For plants with higher capacity, the transmission avoided costs are evaluated for each specific case, simulating the system behavior without the quoted hydroelectric plant. This paper focuses, an an application example, the case of the Canoas Hydroelectric Project, recently included in the Generation Expansion Reference Plan after a detailed analysis supported by the methodology described here. (author) 7 refs., 3 tabs.

Abatement costs of soil conservation in China's Loess Plateau: balancing income with conservation in an agricultural system.

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Lingling; Hoag, Dana L K; Keske, Catherine M H

2015-02-01

This study proposes the use of marginal abatement cost curves to calculate environmental damages of agricultural systems in China's Loess Plateau. Total system costs and revenues, management characteristics and pollution attributes are imputed into a directional output distance function, which is then used to determine shadow prices and abatement cost curves for soil and nitrogen loss. Marginal abatement costs curves are an effective way to compare economic and conservation tradeoffs when field-specific data are scarce. The results show that sustainable agricultural practices can balance soil conservation and agricultural production; land need not be retired, as is current policy. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Piris, Miguel A; Onaindía, Arantza; Mollejo, Manuela

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) is an indolent small B-cell lymphoma involving the spleen and bone marrow characterized by a micronodular tumoral infiltration that replaces the preexisting lymphoid follicles and shows marginal zone differentiation as a distinctive finding. SMZL cases are characterized by prominent splenomegaly and bone marrow and peripheral blood infiltration. Cells in peripheral blood show a villous cytology. Bone marrow and peripheral blood characteristic features usually allow a diagnosis of SMZL to be performed. Mutational spectrum of SMZL identifies specific findings, such as 7q loss and NOTCH2 and KLF2 mutations, both genes related with marginal zone differentiation. There is a striking clinical variability in SMZL cases, dependent of the tumoral load and performance status. Specific molecular markers such as 7q loss, p53 loss/mutation, NOTCH2 and KLF2 mutations have been found to be associated with the clinical variability. Distinction from Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis with marginal zone phenotype is still an open issue that requires identification of precise and specific thresholds with clinical meaning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Categorical marginal models: quite extensive package for the estimation of marginal models for categorical data

OpenAIRE

Wicher Bergsma; Andries van der Ark

2015-01-01

A package accompanying the book Marginal Models for Dependent, Clustered, and Longitudinal Categorical Data by Bergsma, Croon, & Hagenaars, 2009. It’s purpose is fitting and testing of marginal models.

Characterizing Convexity of Games using Marginal Vectors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Velzen, S.; Hamers, H.J.M.; Norde, H.W.

2003-01-01

In this paper we study the relation between convexity of TU games and marginal vectors.We show that if specfic marginal vectors are core elements, then the game is convex.We characterize sets of marginal vectors satisfying this property, and we derive the formula for the minimum number of marginal

Natural gas cost for evaluating energy resource opportunities at Fort Stewart

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stucky, D.J.; Shankle, S.A.

1993-01-01

Ft. Stewart, a United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) installation located near Hinesville, Georgia, is currently undergoing an evaluation of its energy usage, which is being performed by Pacific Northwest Laboratory. In order to examine the energy resource opportunities (EROs) at Ft. Stewart, marginal fuel costs must be calculated. The marginal, or avoided, cost of gas service is used in conjunction with the estimated energy savings of an ERO to calculate the dollar value of those savings. In the case of natural gas, the costing becomes more complicated due to the installation of a propane-air mixing station. The propane-air station is being built under a shared energy savings (SES) contract. The building of a propane-air station allows Ft. Stewart to purchase natural gas from their local utility at an interruptible rate, which is lower than the rate for contracting natural gas on a firm basis. The propane-air station will also provide Ft. Stewart with fuel in the event that the natural gas supply is curtailed. While the propane-air station does not affect the actual cost of natural gas, it does affect the cost of services provided by gas. Because the propane-air station and the SES contract affect the cost of gas service, they must be included in the analysis. Our analysis indicates a marginal cost of gas service of 30.0 cents per therm, assuming a total propane usage by the mixing station of 42,278 gallons (38,600 therms) annually. Because the amount of propane that may be required in the event of a curtailment is small relative to the total service requirement, variations in the actual amount should not significantly affect the cost per therm.

Natural gas cost for evaluating energy resource opportunities at Fort Stewart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stucky, D.J.; Shankle, S.A.

1993-01-01

Ft. Stewart, a United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) installation located near Hinesville, Georgia, is currently undergoing an evaluation of its energy usage, which is being performed by Pacific Northwest Laboratory. In order to examine the energy resource opportunities (EROs) at Ft. Stewart, marginal fuel costs must be calculated. The marginal, or avoided, cost of gas service is used in conjunction with the estimated energy savings of an ERO to calculate the dollar value of those savings. In the case of natural gas, the costing becomes more complicated due to the installation of a propane-air mixing station. The propane-air station is being built under a shared energy savings (SES) contract. The building of a propane-air station allows Ft. Stewart to purchase natural gas from their local utility at an interruptible rate, which is lower than the rate for contracting natural gas on a firm basis. The propane-air station will also provide Ft. Stewart with fuel in the event that the natural gas supply is curtailed. While the propane-air station does not affect the actual cost of natural gas, it does affect the cost of services provided by gas. Because the propane-air station and the SES contract affect the cost of gas service, they must be included in the analysis. Our analysis indicates a marginal cost of gas service of 30.0 cents per therm, assuming a total propane usage by the mixing station of 42,278 gallons (38,600 therms) annually. Because the amount of propane that may be required in the event of a curtailment is small relative to the total service requirement, variations in the actual amount should not significantly affect the cost per therm

WSEAT Shock Testing Margin Assessment Using Energy Spectra Final Report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sisemore, Carl; Babuska, Vit; Booher, Jason

2018-02-01

Several programs at Sandia National Laboratories have adopted energy spectra as a metric to relate the severity of mechanical insults to structural capacity. The purpose being to gain insight into the system's capability, reliability, and to quantify the ultimate margin between the normal operating envelope and the likely system failure point -- a system margin assessment. The fundamental concern with the use of energy metrics was that the applicability domain and implementation details were not completely defined for many problems of interest. The goal of this WSEAT project was to examine that domain of applicability and work out the necessary implementation details. The goal of this project was to provide experimental validation for the energy spectra based methods in the context of margin assessment as they relate to shock environments. The extensive test results concluded that failure predictions using energy methods did not agree with failure predictions using S-N data. As a result, a modification to the energy methods was developed following the form of Basquin's equation to incorporate the power law exponent for fatigue damage. This update to the energy-based framework brings the energy based metrics into agreement with experimental data and historical S-N data.

[Radiology in managed care environment: opportunities for cost savings in an HMO].

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, C; Mohr, A; Möller, J; Levin-Scherz, J; Heller, M

2003-09-01

A large regional health plan in the Northeastern United States noted that its radiology costs were increasing more than it anticipated in its pricing, and noted further that other similar health plans in markets with high managed care penetration had significantly lower expenses for radiology services. This study describes the potential areas of improvement and managed care techniques that were implemented to reduce costs and reform processes. We performed an in-depth analysis of financial data, claims logic, contracting with provider units and conducted interviews with employees, to identify potential areas of improvement and cost reduction. A detailed market analysis of the environment, competitors and vendors was accompanied by extensive literature, Internet and Medline search for comparable projects. All data were docu-mented in Microsoft Excel(R) and analyzed by non-parametric tests using SPSS(R) 8.0 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) for Windows(R). The main factors driving the cost increases in radiology were divided into those internal or external to the HMO. Among the internal factors, the claims logic was allowing overpayment due to limitations of the IT system. Risk arrangements between insurer and provider units (PU) as well as the extent of provider unit management and administration showed a significant correlation with financial performance in terms of variance from budget. Among the external factors, shared risk arrangements between HMO and provider unit were associated with more efficient radiology utilization and overall improvement in financial performance. PU with full-time management had significantly less variance from their budget than those without. Finally, physicians with imaging equipment in their offices ordered up to 4 to 5 times more imaging procedures than physicians who did not perform imaging studies themselves. We identified initiatives with estimated potential savings of approximately $ 5.5 million. Some of these

12 CFR 220.4 - Margin account.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM CREDIT BY... securities. The required margin on a net long or net short commitment in a when-issued security is the margin...) Interest charged on credit maintained in the margin account; (ii) Premiums on securities borrowed in...

Anthropogenic impacts on continental margins: New frontiers and engagement arena for global sustainability research and action

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, K. K.; Glavovic, B.; Limburg, K.; Emeis, K. C.; Thomas, H.; Kremer, H.; Avril, B.; Zhang, J.; Mulholland, M. R.; Glaser, M.; Swaney, D. P.

2014-12-01

and use of resources; (3) to design governance regimes to stem unsustainable practices; (4) to investigate how to enable equitable sharing of costs and benefits from sustainable use of resources; and (5) to evaluate alternative research approaches and partnerships that address the challenges faced on the Margin.

Conference Report: The New Discovery of Margins: Theory-Based Excursions in Marginal Social Fields

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Babette Kirchner

2014-05-01

Full Text Available At this year's spring conference of the Sociology of Knowledge Section of the German Sociological Association, a diverse range of theoretical concepts and multiple empirical insights into different marginal social fields were presented. As in everyday life, drawing a line between center and margin can be seen as an important challenge that must equally be faced in sociology. The socially constructed borderline appears to be highly variable. Therefore it has to be delineated or fixed somehow. The construction of margins is necessary for society in general and smaller social groupings alike to confirm one's own "normal" identity, or one's own membership on the fringes. The different contributions exemplify what was established at the beginning of the conference: Namely that society and its margins are defined differently according to the empirical as well as conceptual focus. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1402148

An application of cost-effectiveness analysis to restrict the damage caused by an accidental release of radioactive material to the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frittelli, L.; Tamburrano, A.

1980-01-01

When an accidental release of radioactive material occurs health effects in the exposed population can be mitigated by remedial actions applied to individuals or their environment. A cost-effectiveness analysis is performed by comparing the cost of remedial action with the monetary value of the collective dose avoided. (H.K.)

Stringent cost management and preservation of safety culture, a contradiction?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petersen, Klaus; Pamme, H.

2002-01-01

Full text: Competition in the deregulated electricity market does not leave nuclear power plants unaffected. Hence the question is to answer, whether the safety is going to suffer under the cost pressure on the market. Therefore the target of NPP operator's cost management is to run plants at maximum availability and with optimized cost structures that lead to minimized specific generating costs. The c osts of safety , with their fixed-cost character, are elements of this cost structure. The process of economic optimization of the cost structure does not permit cost minimization on its own sake in the area of operation cost and fuel cost (front and back end). The basis of economical assessment rather must be the minimization of potential risks which could entail losses of availability. However, many investments like plant modifications or preventive maintenance efforts made in order to avoid losses of availability to a large extent also imply at least a preservation or even higher levels of safety. Thus, economic efficiency and safety are closely correlated. Public opinion is very sensible as soon as the high level of plant safety seems to be touched by economic pressure. But realizing that German NPP are endowed with mature design and safety features, improvements of safety standards can only marginally be increased by further technical optimizations. Therefore plant management, man-machine-interface and the individual behaviour of the employees are targets for improvement of nuclear safety and economic efficiency by increasing the efficiency of processes. An even more efficient use of scarce funds and a tolerable political environment should allow the safety level of NPP to be upheld, and safety culture could be maintained and even be improved. (author)

Rapid and sustained cost management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanson, D.

2009-01-01

Accenture helps clients develop comprehensive, process-driven strategies for rapid and sustained cost management that leverage deep insights and analytics. This approach enables companies to gain operating cost advantages by rationalizing, simplifying and automating current operating capabilities. It drives structural cost advantages by optimizing business mix, capital structure, organizational structure and geographic presence. This paper discussed how successful companies achieve high performance during times of economic turmoil. It also discussed the value of the winner's strategy in terms of rapid and sustained cost management (RSCM). It discussed how Accenture operates and its leveraged capabilities, improved efficiency, margins and cash flow while maintaining customer service levels. Building structural advantage and the Accenture difference were also discussed. It was concluded that RSCM is one vital way that Accenture can help companies achieve success. 4 figs

Radiology in managed care environment: Opportunities for cost savings in an HMO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, C.; Heller, M.

2003-01-01

Purpose: A large regional health plan in the Northeastern United States noted that its radiology costs were increasing more than it anticipated in its pricing, and noted further that other similar health plans in markets with high managed care penetration had significantly lower expenses for radiology services. This study describes the potential areas of improvement and managed care techniques that were implemented to reduce costs and reform processes. Materials and methods: We performed an in-depth analysis of financial data, claims logic, contracting with provider units and conducted interviews with employees, to identify potential areas of improvement and cost reduction. A detailed market analysis of the environment, competitors and vendors was accompanied by extensive literature, Internet and Medline search for comparable projects. All data were documented in Microsoft Excel trademark and analyzed by non-parametric tests using SPSS trademark 8.0 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) for Windows trademark . Results: The main factors driving the cost increases in radiology were divided into those internal or external to the HMO. Among the internal factors, the claims logic was allowing overpayment due to limitations of the IT system. Risk arrangements between insurer and provider units (PU) as well as the extent of provider unit management and administration showed a significant correlation with financial performance in terms of variance from budget. Among the external factors, shared risk arrangements between HMO and provider unit were associated with more efficient radiology utilization and overall improvement in financial performance. PU with full-time management had significantly less variance from their budget than those without. Finally, physicians with imaging equipment in their offices ordered up to 4 to 5 times more imaging procedures than physicians who did not perform imaging studies themselves. (orig.) [de

NRC Seismic Design Margins Program Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cummings, G.E.; Johnson, J.J.; Budnitz, R.J.

1985-08-01

Recent studies estimate that seismically induced core melt comes mainly from earthquakes in the peak ground acceleration range from 2 to 4 times the safe shutdown earthquake (SSE) acceleration used in plant design. However, from the licensing perspective of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, there is a continuing need for consideration of the inherent quantitative seismic margins because of, among other things, the changing perceptions of the seismic hazard. This paper discusses a Seismic Design Margins Program Plan, developed under the auspices of the US NRC, that provides the technical basis for assessing the significance of design margins in terms of overall plant safety. The Plan will also identify potential weaknesses that might have to be addressed, and will recommend technical methods for assessing margins at existing plants. For the purposes of this program, a general definition of seismic design margin is expressed in terms of how much larger that the design basis earthquake an earthquake must be to compromise plant safety. In this context, margin needs to be determined at the plant, system/function, structure, and component levels. 14 refs., 1 fig

The marginal band system in nymphalid butterfly wings.

Science.gov (United States)

Taira, Wataru; Kinjo, Seira; Otaki, Joji M

2015-01-01

Butterfly wing color patterns are highly complex and diverse, but they are believed to be derived from the nymphalid groundplan, which is composed of several color pattern systems. Among these pattern systems, the marginal band system, including marginal and submarginal bands, has rarely been studied. Here, we examined the color pattern diversity of the marginal band system among nymphalid butterflies. Marginal and submarginal bands are usually expressed as a pair of linear bands aligned with the wing margin. However, a submarginal band can be expressed as a broken band, an elongated oval, or a single dot. The marginal focus, usually a white dot at the middle of a wing compartment along the wing edge, corresponds to the pupal edge spot, one of the pupal cuticle spots that signify the locations of color pattern organizing centers. A marginal band can be expressed as a semicircle, an elongated oval, or a pair of eyespot-like structures, which suggest the organizing activity of the marginal focus. Physical damage at the pupal edge spot leads to distal dislocation of the submarginal band in Junonia almana and in Vanessa indica, suggesting that the marginal focus functions as an organizing center for the marginal band system. Taken together, we conclude that the marginal band system is developmentally equivalent to other symmetry systems. Additionally, the marginal band is likely a core element and the submarginal band a paracore element of the marginal band system, and both bands are primarily specified by the marginal focus organizing center.

Is the uncertainty about climate change too large for expected cost-benefit analysis?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tol, R.S.J.

2003-01-01

Cost-benefit analysis is only applicable if the variances of both costs and benefits are finite. In the case of climate change, the variances of the net present marginal costs and benefits of greenhouse gas emission reduction need to be finite. Finiteness is hard, if not impossible to prove. The

Assessment of seismic margin calculation methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, R.P.; Murray, R.C.; Ravindra, M.K.; Reed, J.W.; Stevenson, J.D.

1989-03-01

Seismic margin review of nuclear power plants requires that the High Confidence of Low Probability of Failure (HCLPF) capacity be calculated for certain components. The candidate methods for calculating the HCLPF capacity as recommended by the Expert Panel on Quantification of Seismic Margins are the Conservative Deterministic Failure Margin (CDFM) method and the Fragility Analysis (FA) method. The present study evaluated these two methods using some representative components in order to provide further guidance in conducting seismic margin reviews. It is concluded that either of the two methods could be used for calculating HCLPF capacities. 21 refs., 9 figs., 6 tabs

Multidecadal fCO2 Increase Along the United States Southeast Coastal Margin

Science.gov (United States)

Reimer, Janet J.; Wang, Hongjie; Vargas, Rodrigo; Cai, Wei-Jun

2017-12-01

Coastal margins could be hotspots for acidification due to terrestrial-influenced CO2 sources. Currently there are no long-term (>20 years) records from biologically important coastal environments that could demonstrate sea surface CO2 fugacity (fCO2) and pH trends. Here, multidecadal fCO2 trends are calculated from underway and moored time series observations along the United States southeast coastal margin, also referred to as the South Atlantic Bight (SAB). fCO2 trends across the SAB, derived from ˜26 years of cruises and ˜9.5 years from a moored time series, range from 3.0 to 4.5 µatm yr-1, and are greater than the open ocean increases. The pH decline related to the fCO2 increases could be as much as -0.004 yr-1; a rate greater than that expected from atmospheric-influenced pH alone. We provide evidence that fCO2 increases and pH decreases on an ocean margin can be faster than those predicted for the open ocean from atmospheric influence alone. We conclude that a substantial fCO2 increase across the marginal SAB is due to both increasing temperature on the middle and outer shelves, but to lateral land-ocean interactions in the coastal zone and on inner shelf.

Relative cost of capital for marginal firms over the business cycle

OpenAIRE

Gikas A. Hardouvelis; Thierry A. Wizman

1992-01-01

The authors compare the effects of the business cycle on the cost of capital faced by small, distressed firms and their larger, more financially secure counterparts. The analysis draws on stock market returns data for a broad range of traded companies during the 1963-91 period.

MARGINS: Toward a novel science plan

Science.gov (United States)

Mutter, John C.

A science plan to study continental margins has been in the works for the past 3 years, with almost 200 Earth scientists from a wide variety of disciplines gathering at meetings and workshops. Most geological hazards and resources are found at continental margins, yet our understanding of the processes that shape the margins is meager.In formulating this MARGINS research initiative, fundamental issues concerning our understanding of basic Earth-forming processes have arisen. It is clear that a business-as-usual approach will not solve the class of problems defined by the MARGINS program; the solutions demand approaches different from those used in the past. In many cases, a different class of experiment will be required, one that is well beyond the capability of individual principle investigators to undertake on their own. In most cases, broadly based interdisciplinary studies will be needed.

Costing in Radiology and Health Care: Rationale, Relativity, Rudiments, and Realities.

Science.gov (United States)

Rubin, Geoffrey D

2017-02-01

Costs direct decisions that influence the effectiveness of radiology in the care of patients on a daily basis. Yet many radiologists struggle to harness the power of cost measurement and cost management as a critical path toward establishing their value in patient care. When radiologists cannot articulate their value, they risk losing control over how imaging is delivered and supported. In the United States, recent payment trends directing value-based payments for bundles of care advance the imperative for radiology providers to articulate their value. This begins with the development of an understanding of the providers' own costs, as well as the complex interrelationships and imaging-associated costs of other participants across the imaging value chain. Controlling the costs of imaging necessitates understanding them at a procedural level and quantifying the costs of delivering specific imaging services. Effective product-level costing is dependent on a bottom-up approach, which is supported through recent innovations in time-dependent activity-based costing. Once the costs are understood, they can be managed. Within the high fixed cost and high overhead cost environment of health care provider organizations, stakeholders must understand the implications of misaligned top-down cost management approaches that can both paradoxically shift effort from low-cost workers to much costlier professionals and allocate overhead costs counterproductively. Radiology's engagement across a broad spectrum of care provides an excellent opportunity for radiology providers to take a leading role within the health care organizations to enhance value and margin through principled and effective cost management. Following a discussion of the rationale for measuring costs, this review contextualizes costs from the perspectives of a variety of stakeholders (relativity), discusses core concepts in how costs are classified (rudiments), presents common and improved methods for measuring

Reliabilityy and operating margins of LWR fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strasser, A.A.; Lindquist, K.O.

1977-01-01

The margins to fuel thermal operating limits under normal and accident conditions are key to plant operating flexibility and impact on availability and capacity factor. Fuel performance problems that do not result in clad breach, can reduce these margins. However, most have or can be solved with design changes. Regulatory changes have been major factors in eroding these margins. Various methods for regaining the margins are discussed

The availability and economic analyses of using marginal land for bioenergy production in China

Science.gov (United States)

Yuqi, Chen; Xudong, Guo; Chunyan, Lv

2017-04-01

' perspective, low income led to none incentive of energy plants' cultivation. From the bioenergy plants' perspective, unstable supply and high cost of feedstock constrained the normal operation. In China, both energy crop' s cultivation and bioenergy production depend too much on government subsidies. It was impossible to develop bioenergy based on marginal land if only rely on the market at present.

Cost benefit analysis vs. referenda

OpenAIRE

Martin J. Osborne; Matthew A. Turner

2007-01-01

We consider a planner who chooses between two possible public policies and ask whether a referendum or a cost benefit analysis leads to higher welfare. We find that a referendum leads to higher welfare than a cost benefit analyses in "common value" environments. Cost benefit analysis is better in "private value" environments.

[Incremental cost effectiveness of multifocal cataract surgery].

Science.gov (United States)

Pagel, N; Dick, H B; Krummenauer, F

2007-02-01

Supplementation of cataract patients with multifocal intraocular lenses involves an additional financial investment when compared to the corresponding monofocal supplementation, which usually is not funded by German health care insurers. In the context of recent resource allocation discussions, however, the cost effectiveness of multifocal cataract surgery could become an important rationale. Therefore an evidence-based estimation of its cost effectiveness was carried out. Three independent meta-analyses were implemented to estimate the gain in uncorrected near visual acuity and best corrected visual acuity (vision lines) as well as the predictability (fraction of patients without need for reading aids) of multifocal supplementation. Study reports published between 1995 and 2004 (English or German language) were screened for appropriate key words. Meta effects in visual gain and predictability were estimated by means and standard deviations of the reported effect measures. Cost data were estimated by German DRG rates and individual lens costs; the cost effectiveness of multifocal cataract surgery was then computed in terms of its marginal cost effectiveness ratio (MCER) for each clinical benefit endpoint; the incremental costs of multifocal versus monofocal cataract surgery were further estimated by means of their respective incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER). An independent meta-analysis estimated the complication profiles to be expected after monofocal and multifocal cataract surgery in order to evaluate expectable complication-associated additional costs of both procedures; the marginal and incremental cost effectiveness estimates were adjusted accordingly. A sensitivity analysis comprised cost variations of +/- 10 % and utility variations alongside the meta effect estimate's 95 % confidence intervals. Total direct costs from the health care insurer's perspective were estimated 3363 euro, associated with a visual meta benefit in best corrected visual

Estimating costs in the economic evaluation of medical technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Luce, B R; Elixhauser, A

1990-01-01

The complexities and nuances of evaluating the costs associated with providing medical technologies are often underestimated by analysts engaged in economic evaluations. This article describes the theoretical underpinnings of cost estimation, emphasizing the importance of accounting for opportunity costs and marginal costs. The various types of costs that should be considered in an analysis are described; a listing of specific cost elements may provide a helpful guide to analysis. The process of identifying and estimating costs is detailed, and practical recommendations for handling the challenges of cost estimation are provided. The roles of sensitivity analysis and discounting are characterized, as are determinants of the types of costs to include in an analysis. Finally, common problems facing the analyst are enumerated with suggestions for managing these problems.

Drawing The Red Line: Cost Benefit Analysis on Large Life Rafts

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-13

personnel pursue cost-cutting measures. He ordered a study to analyze the cost savings of removing olives in the salads that they provided. The study...of olives from salads shows the detail in which airlines have looked at increasing their margins but hardly relates to the safety of the aircraft

Origin, Composition and Relative Timing of Seaward Dipping Reflectors on the Pelotas Rifted Margin, South Atlantic

Science.gov (United States)

Harkin, C. J.; Kusznir, N.; Roberts, A.; Manatschal, G.; McDermott, K.

2017-12-01

Deep-seismic reflection data from the Pelotas Basin, offshore Brazil displays a large package of seaward dipping reflectors (SDRs) with an approximate width of 200 km and a varying thickness of 10km to 17km. These have previously been interpreted as volcanic SDRs, a common feature of magma-rich rifted margins. Detailed observations show a change in seismic character within the SDR package possibly indicating a change depositional environments as the package evolved. Using gravity anomaly inversion, we examine the SDRs to investigate whether they are likely to be composed predominantly of massive basaltic flows or sedimentary-volcaniclastic material through the use of gravity inversion. By matching the Moho in depth and two-way travel time from gravity and seismic data, we test the likely proportion of sediments to basalt (the basalt fraction). The results are used to determine the lateral variation in basalt fraction within the SDRs. In addition, we use 2D flexural-backstripping and reverse thermal-subsidence modelling for palaeobathymetric analysis, investigating whether each sub-package was deposited in a sub-aerial or marine environment. Our analysis suggests that the overall SDR basalt fraction and bulk density decrease oceanwards, possibly due to increasing sediment content or perhaps resulting from a change in basalt flows to hyaloclastites as water depth increases. Additionally, we find that the SDRs can be split into two major sub-packages. The inner SDR package consists of lava flows from syn-tectonic eruptions in a sub-aerial environment, associated with the onshore Paraná Large Igneous Province, flowing eastwards into an extensional basin. The outer SDR package has reflectors that appear to progressively offlap oceanwards in a similar fashion to those described previously, inferring extrusion within a marine environment sourced from an eastwards migrating ocean ridge. We are able to determine that two separate and independently-sourced SDR packages

Developing tools to identify marginal lands and assess their potential for bioenergy production

Science.gov (United States)

Galatsidas, Spyridon; Gounaris, Nikolaos; Dimitriadis, Elias; Rettenmaier, Nils; Schmidt, Tobias; Vlachaki, Despoina

2017-04-01

The term "marginal land" is currently intertwined in discussions about bioenergy although its definition is neither specific nor firm. The uncertainty arising from marginal land classification and quantification is one of the major constraining factors for its potential use. The clarification of political aims, i.e. "what should be supported?" is also an important constraining factor. Many approaches have been developed to identify marginal lands, based on various definitions according to the management goals. Concerns have been frequently raised regarding the impacts of marginal land use on environment, ecosystem services and sustainability. Current tools of soil quality and land potentials assessment fail to meet the needs of marginal land identification and exploitation for biomass production, due to the lack of comprehensive analysis of interrelated land functions and their quantitative evaluation. Land marginality is determined by dynamic characteristics in many cases and may therefore constitute a transitional state, which requires reassessment in due time. Also, marginal land should not be considered simply a dormant natural resource waiting to be used, since it may already provide multiple benefits and services to society relating to wildlife, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, etc. The consequences of cultivating such lands need to be fully addressed to present a balanced view of their sustainable potential for bioenergy. This framework is the basis for the development of the SEEMLA tools, which aim at supporting the identification, assessment, management of marginal lands in Europe and the decision-making for sustainable biomass production of them using appropriate bioenergy crops. The tools comprise two applications, a web-based one (independent of spatial data) and a GIS-based application (land regionalization on the basis of spatial data), which both incorporate: - Land resource characteristics, restricting the cultivation of agricultural crops but

The full costs of thermal power production in Eastern Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venema, H.D.; Barg, S.

2003-07-01

This study examines the public health and global warming costs associated with generating electricity with fossil fuels such as coal, oil or natural gas. A Full Cost Accounting approach was used to determine the costs for Eastern Canada. The electricity sector is chosen because it is a large emitter of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. The sector it will undergo potentially significant structural changes as Canada complies with the Kyoto Protocol. Alternative investments in nonpolluting sources of electricity should include analysis of full costs. Two types of factors are evaluated in this study: the public health costs caused by emissions of sulphur and nitrogen oxides and volatile organic carbon (VOC) in Eastern Canada, and the marginal climate change damages caused by the emissions of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) in Eastern Canada. The major contribution of this study is the application of the impact-pathway approach to power sector emissions. Recent Canadian studies have reported either the pollutant emission rates for different power generation technologies and fuels, or the health costs of ambient air pollution not specifically attributable to the power sector. This study isolates the component of air pollution attributable to the power sector and analyses its geographic distribution. It was concluded that coal-fired generation should be closely monitored because the externalities burden is the same magnitude as the marginal production cost. 77 refs., 20 tabs., 21 figs

The availability and marginal costs of dependent employer-sponsored health insurance.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, G Edward; Vistnes, Jessica; Buettgens, Matthew; Dubay, Lisa

2017-01-21

In this study, we examine differences by firm size in the availability of dependent coverage and the incremental cost of such coverage. We use data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component (MEPS-IC) to show that among employees eligible for single coverage, dependent coverage was almost always available for employees in large firms (100 or more employees) but not in smaller firms, particularly those with fewer than 10 employees. In addition, when dependent coverage was available, eligible employees in smaller firms were more likely than employees in large firms to face two situations that represented the extremes of the incremental cost distribution: (1) they paid nothing for single or family coverage or (2) they paid nothing for single coverage but faced a high contribution for family coverage. These results suggest that firm size may be an important factor in policy assessments, such as analyses of the financial implications for families excluded from subsidized Marketplace coverage due to affordable offers of single coverage or of potential rollbacks to public coverage for children.

Biomass production on marginal lands - catalogue of bioenergy crops

Science.gov (United States)

Baumgarten, Wibke; Ivanina, Vadym; Hanzhenko, Oleksandr

2017-04-01

Marginal lands are the poorest type of land, with various limitations for traditional agriculture. However, they can be used for biomass production for bioenergy based on perennial plants or trees. The main advantage of biomass as an energy source compared to fossil fuels is the positive influence on the global carbon dioxide balance in the atmosphere. During combustion of biofuels, less carbon dioxide is emitted than is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis. Besides, 20 to 30 times less sulphur oxide and 3 to 4 times less ash is formed as compared with coal. Growing bioenergy crops creates additional workplaces in rural areas. Soil and climatic conditions of most European regions are suitable for growing perennial energy crops that are capable of rapid transforming solar energy into energy-intensive biomass. Selcted plants are not demanding for soil fertility, do not require a significant amount of fertilizers and pesticides and can be cultivated, therefore, also on unproductive lands of Europe. They prevent soil erosion, contribute to the preservation and improvement of agroecosystems and provide low-cost biomass. A catalogue of potential bioenergy plants was developed within the EU H2020 project SEEMLA including woody and perennial crops that are allowed to be grown in the territory of the EU and Ukraine. The catalogue lists high-productive woody and perennial crops that are not demanding to the conditions of growing and can guarantee stable high yields of high-energy-capacity biomass on marginal lands of various categories of marginality. Biomass of perennials plants and trees is composed of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which are directly used to produce solid biofuels. Thanks to the well-developed root system of trees and perennial plants, they are better adapted to poor soils and do not require careful maintenance. Therefore, they can be grown on marginal lands. Particular C4 bioenergy crops are well adapted to a lack of moisture and high

Environmental innovation and the cost of pollution abatement revisited

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brechet, Thierry [Center for Operations Research and Econometrics, Chair Lhoist Berghmans in Environmental Economics and Management, Louvain School of Management, Universite catholique de Louvain, Voie du Roman Pays 34, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium); Jouvet, Pierre-Andre [EconomiX, Universite de Nanterre (France); Center for Operations Research and Econometrics, Universite catholique de Louvain (Belgium)

2008-04-01

It is widely assumed in the literature that environmental innovation reduces the marginal cost of pollution abatement. In this paper we show that this is not necessarily the case and we provide some unexpected outcomes. (author)

Yalın Üretim Ortamına Uygun Maliyet Sistemi Seçimi(Selection of Costing System Appropriate for Lean Manufacturing Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Funda ÖZÇELİK

2013-01-01

Full Text Available To be successful in global competition, the number of firms adopted lean manufacturing systems are increasing every day. Traditional cost management systems is insufficient to produce the information needed for businesses adopting lean manufacturing system. Value stream costing system, appropriate for lean manufacturing enterprises’s value stream organization, better serves the purpose of lean enterprises. In this study value stream costing introduced and selection of costing system for lean manufacturing environments will be done.

Pathology of nodal marginal zone lymphomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Pileri, Stefano; Ponzoni, Maurilio

Nodal marginal zone B cell lymphomas (NMZLs) are a rare group of lymphoid disorders part of the spectrum of marginal zone B-cell lymphomas, which encompass splenic marginal one B-cell lymphoma (SMZL) and extra nodal marginal zone of B-cell lymphoma (EMZL), often of MALT-type. Two clinicopathological forms of NMZL are recognized: adult-type and pediatric-type, respectively. NMZLs show overlapping features with other types of MZ, but distinctive features as well. In this review, we will focus on the salient distinguishing features of NMZL mostly under morphological/immunophenotypical/molecular perspectives in views of the recent acquisitions and forthcoming updated 2016 WHO classification of lymphoid malignancies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A review and analysis of the investment in, and cost structure of, intermodal rail terminals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wiegmans, Bart; Behdani, Behzad

2018-01-01

The results presented in this article identify the role of costs in the scientific and grey freight terminal handling literature and analyses the handling costs of different terminal sizes. The literature review shows that handling costs only play a marginal role in the scientific research in

Electricity transmission pricing. How contracts must reflect costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shuttleworth, G.

1996-01-01

Two basic structures of transmission systems are distinguished: transmission channels offered through an integrated electric utility and open access offered over an independent network. The first structure allows the application of 'top-down pricing', where transmission prices are derived from customer tariffs less avoidable generation costs. Transmission prices in the second structure must be derived from a 'bottom-up' analysis of transmission costs, including building capacity, marginal losses, and congestion. 5 refs

Nuclear power costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1963-01-01

A report prepared by the IAEA Secretariat and presented to the seventh session of the Agency's General Conference says that information on nuclear power costs is now rapidly moving from the domain of uncertain estimates to that of tested factual data. As more and more nuclear power stations are being built and put into operation, more information on the actual costs incurred is becoming available. This is the fourth report on nuclear power costs to be submitted to the IAEA General Conference. The report last year gave cost information on 38 nuclear power projects, 17 of which have already gone into operation. Certain significant changes in the data given last year are included-in the present report; besides, information is given on seven new plants. The report is divided into two parts, the first on recent developments and current trends in nuclear power costs and the second on the use of the cost data for economic comparisons. Both stress the fact that the margin of uncertainty in the basic data has lately been drastically reduced. At the same time, it is pointed out, some degree of uncertainty is inherent in the assumptions made in arriving at over-all generating cost figures, especially when - as is usually the case - a nuclear plant is part of an integrated power system

Discounting and the social cost of carbon: A closer look at uncertainty

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Guo, J.K.; Hepburn, C.; Tol, R.S.J.; Anthoff, D.

2006-01-01

Recently, in the economics literature, several papers have put forward arguments for using a declining discount rate in social-cost benefit analysis. This paper examines the impact of employing a declining discount rate on the social cost of carbon-the marginal social damage from a ton of emitted

The Thrift Industry and the Community Reinvestment Act: Assessing the Cost of Social Responsibility

OpenAIRE

Donald F. Vitaliano; Gregory Stella

2003-01-01

A stochastic frontier cost function indicates that the annual cost of complying with the anti-redlining Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) is $171,000 per thrift institution, roughly 2.3 percent of variable costs. But compliance cost is significantly less than the estimated 21 percent cost inefficiency. Based on published estimates of the incremental number of mortgage loans induced by CRA, the marginal cost is $38,000 per loan. The regulations whose compliance cost is estimated apply to about ...

Allocation of Federal Airport and Airway Costs for FY 1985.

Science.gov (United States)

1986-12-01

functions in order to provide complete estimates of long-run marginal costs: o Depreciation , o The cost of capital, o The cost of non-labor inputs used to...accepted accounting principles ( GAAP )1 0 and normal business practice. While many R&D projects appear to be related to actual hardware development... depreciation are not. 3 An estimate was developed of the expected number of units of service consumed by each user group per flight. The estimated

Safety margins of operating reactors. Analysis of uncertainties and implications for decision making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

Maintaining safety in the design and operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs) is a very important task under the conditions of a challenging environment, affected by the deregulated electricity market and implementation of risk informed regulations. In Member States, advanced computer codes are widely used as safety analysis tools in the framework of licensing of new NPP projects, safety upgrading programmes of existing NPPs, periodic safety reviews, renewal of operating licences, use of the safety margins for reactor power uprating, better utilization of nuclear fuel and higher operational flexibility, for justification of lifetime extensions, development of new emergency operating procedures, analysis of operational events, and development of accident management programmes. The issue of inadequate quality of safety analysis is becoming important due to a general tendency to use advanced tools for better establishment and utilization of safety margins, while the existence of such margins assure that NPPs operate safely in all modes of operation and at all times. The most important safety margins relate to physical barriers against release of radioactive material, such as fuel matrix and fuel cladding, reactor coolant system boundary, and the containment. Typically, safety margins are determined with use of computational tools for safety analysis. Advanced best estimate computer codes are suggested e.g. in the IAEA Safety Guide on Safety Assessment and Verification for Nuclear Power Plants to be used for current safety analysis. Such computer codes require their careful application to avoid unjustified reduction in robustness of the reactor safety. The issue of uncertainties in safety analyses and their impact on evaluation of safety margins is addressed in a number of IAEA guidance documents, in particular in the Safety Report on Accident Analysis for Nuclear Power Plants. It is also discussed in various technical meetings and workshops devoted to this area. The

Power systems locational marginal pricing in deregulated markets

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hui-Fung Francis

Since the beginning of the 1990s, the electricity business is transforming from a vertical integrating business to a competitive market operations. The generation, transmission, distribution subsystem of an electricity utility are operated independently as Genco (generation subsystem), Transco (transmission subsystem), and Distco (distribution subsystem). This trend promotes more economical inter- and intra regional transactions to be made by the participating companies and the users of electricity to achieve the intended objectives of deregulation. There are various types of electricity markets that are implemented in the North America in the past few years. However, transmission congestion management becomes a key issue in the electricity market design as more bilateral transactions are traded across long distances competing for scarce transmission resources. It directly alters the traditional concept of energy pricing and impacts the bottom line, revenue and cost of electricity, of both suppliers and buyers. In this research, transmission congestion problem in a deregulated market environment is elucidated by implementing by the Locational Marginal Pricing (LMP) method. With a comprehensive understanding of the LMP method, new mathematical tools will aid electric utilities in exploring new business opportunities are developed and presented in this dissertation. The dissertation focuses on the development of concept of (LMP) forecasting and its implication to the market participants in deregulated market. Specifically, we explore methods of developing fast LMP calculation techniques that are differ from existing LMPs. We also explore and document the usefulness of the proposed LMP in determining electricity pricing of a large scale power system. The developed mathematical tools use of well-known optimization techniques such as linear programming that are support by several flow charts. The fast and practical security constrained unit commitment methods are the

Risk insights from seismic margin reviews

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budnitz, R.J.

1990-01-01

This paper discusses the information that has been derived from the three seismic-margin reviews conducted so far, and the information that is potentially available from using the seismic-margin method more generally. There are two different methodologies for conducting seismic margin reviews of nuclear power plants, one developed under NRC sponsorship and one developed under sponsorship of the Electric Power Research Institute. Both methodologies will be covered in this paper. The paper begins with a summary of the steps necessary to complete a margin review, and will then outline the key technical difficulties that need to be addressed. After this introduction, the paper covers the safety and operational insights derived from the three seismic-margin reviews already completed: the NRC-sponsored review at Maine Yankee; the EPRI-sponsored review at Catawba; and the joint EPRI/NRC/utility effort at Hatch. The emphasis is on engineering insights, with attention to the aspects of the reviews that are easiest to perform and that provide the most readily available insights

Low cost energy in Canada: The view from downstream

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irving, K.

1993-01-01

The key cost determinants of energy in Canada are analyzed and recommendations are made to ensure the competitiveness of Canadian energy costs and energy-consuming industries in the North American and world markets. Oil supplies 45% of world energy and has a key role in determining prices of all other energy forms since it serves as an incremental source of energy: its consumption changes according to economic growth, changes in weather patterns, and other factors. North America currently accounts for about a third of world oil consumption. North American oil demand is expected to remain flat over the next few decades. As Canada only produces ca 3% of world oil supply, it cannot determine oil prices. However, with an efficient downstream industry, Canada can influence the end-user price of energy. The cost structure of refined products in Canada is analyzed. The cost of raw materials is the single biggest determinant of the final product cost, followed by taxes, operating costs, and profit margin. For gasoline in Ontario, taxes account for half the retail cost, crude oil prices ca 30%, and refining costs ca 4%. Refining costs comprise about two thirds labor costs and one third energy costs. Refiner margins have not exceeded 2 cents/l since 1981, creating reluctance to invest in the refining sector. By 1994, some 200,000 bbl/d of refining capacity is expected to be shut down in Canada. Compared to refineries in the USA, Canadian refineries are smaller and have a much lower capacity to upgrade residual fuel oil to light products. Future challenges to the industry include a projected need for $5 billion in investment, largely to fund new environmental initiatives. Such an investment cannot be met through current industry profits. 12 figs., 3 tabs

Exactly marginal deformations from exceptional generalised geometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ashmore, Anthony [Merton College, University of Oxford,Merton Street, Oxford, OX1 4JD (United Kingdom); Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford,Andrew Wiles Building, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG (United Kingdom); Gabella, Maxime [Institute for Advanced Study,Einstein Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 (United States); Graña, Mariana [Institut de Physique Théorique, CEA/Saclay,91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Petrini, Michela [Sorbonne Université, UPMC Paris 05, UMR 7589, LPTHE,75005 Paris (France); Waldram, Daniel [Department of Physics, Imperial College London,Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom)

2017-01-27

We apply exceptional generalised geometry to the study of exactly marginal deformations of N=1 SCFTs that are dual to generic AdS{sub 5} flux backgrounds in type IIB or eleven-dimensional supergravity. In the gauge theory, marginal deformations are parametrised by the space of chiral primary operators of conformal dimension three, while exactly marginal deformations correspond to quotienting this space by the complexified global symmetry group. We show how the supergravity analysis gives a geometric interpretation of the gauge theory results. The marginal deformations arise from deformations of generalised structures that solve moment maps for the generalised diffeomorphism group and have the correct charge under the generalised Reeb vector, generating the R-symmetry. If this is the only symmetry of the background, all marginal deformations are exactly marginal. If the background possesses extra isometries, there are obstructions that come from fixed points of the moment maps. The exactly marginal deformations are then given by a further quotient by these extra isometries. Our analysis holds for any N=2 AdS{sub 5} flux background. Focussing on the particular case of type IIB Sasaki-Einstein backgrounds we recover the result that marginal deformations correspond to perturbing the solution by three-form flux at first order. In various explicit examples, we show that our expression for the three-form flux matches those in the literature and the obstruction conditions match the one-loop beta functions of the dual SCFT.

International perspectives on the importance of electric tariff transitioning to cost-based levels in Bulgaria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpson, T.; Davis, F.; Dilovska, I.

1996-01-01

The traditional cost-of-service approach to power pricing has been replaced in many countries by market pricing mechanisms that compensate power producers at the marginal cost of production established collectively in the marketplace. The paper stresses the importance of cost-based tariff setting pointing out two main pricing principles of utility services: 1) Revenues must meet or exceed the utility average cost of production; 2) Marginal cost pricing for incremental consumption must ensure efficient allocation of resources. Examples describing the factors encouraging transition to economically efficient tariffs at a small utility are given for: Northwest U.S., MINENERGO in Belarus, Pacific Gas and Electric Co in California and the National Electric Co (NEK) in Bulgaria.The analysis of the Bulgarian electric sector is based on ongoing work being funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Each of the four utilities described faces a different challenge for transitioning tariffs to cost- based levels. However, one and the same broad conclusion applies in all cases: utility pricing must take into account the underlying average and marginal cost structures of the regional power industry. Bulgaria needs transition to cost-based tariffs to recover the electricity cost-of-service and to ensure that the electric sector operates efficiently and consumers are treated fairly. Measures that facilitate the process of tariff transitioning include: 1) Developing a transparent process of tariff setting with clear objectives, a plan and timetable, and roles of organizations; 2) Establishing of independent regulation to ensure that tariff setting objectives are achieved; 3) Instituting mechanisms to reward organizations for performance that achieves electric sector objectives. 3 figs

Economic analysis of two-stage septic revision after total hip arthroplasty: What are the relevant costs for the hospital's orthopedic department?

Science.gov (United States)

Kasch, R; Assmann, G; Merk, S; Barz, T; Melloh, M; Hofer, A; Merk, H; Flessa, S

2016-03-01

The number of septic total hip arthroplasty (THA) revisions is increasing continuously, placing a growing financial burden on hospitals. Orthopedic departments performing septic THA revisions have no basis for decision making regarding resource allocation as the costs of this procedure for the departments are unknown. It is widely assumed that septic THA procedures can only be performed at a loss for the department. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether this assumption is true by performing a detailed analysis of the costs and revenues for two-stage septic THA revision. Patients who underwent revision THA for septic loosening in two sessions from January 2009 through March 2012 were included in this retrospective, consecutive cost study from the orthopedic department's point of view. We analyzed variable and case-fixed costs for septic revision THA with special regard to implantation and explantation stay. By using marginal costing approach we neglected hospital-fixed costs. Outcome measures include reimbursement and daily contribution margins. The average direct costs (reimbursement) incurred for septic two-stage revision THA was €10,828 (€24,201). The difference in cost and contribution margins per day was significant (p cost for septic revision THA performed in two sessions. Disregarding hospital-fixed costs the included variable and case fixed-costs were covered by revenues. This study provides cost data, which will be guidance for health care decision makers.

Low cost drip irrigation in Burkina Faso : unravelling actors, networks and practices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wanvoeke, M.J.V.

2015-01-01

margin-left: 31.5pt;">Title: Low cost drip irrigation in Burkina Faso: Unravelling Actors, Networks and Practices

In Burkina Faso, there is a lot of enthusiasm about Low Cost Drip Irrigation (LCDI) as a tool to irrigate vegetables, and thus improve food security,

Calculating cost savings in utilization management.

Science.gov (United States)

MacMillan, Donna

2014-01-01

A major motivation for managing the utilization of laboratory testing is to reduce the cost of medical care. For this reason it is important to understand the basic principles of cost accounting in the clinical laboratory. The process of laboratory testing includes three distinct components termed the pre-analytic, analytic and post-analytic phases. Utilization management efforts may impact the cost structure of these three phases in different ways depending on the specific details of the initiative. Estimates of cost savings resulting from utilization management programs reported in the literature have often been fundamentally flawed due to a failure to understand basic concepts such as the difference between laboratory costs versus charges and the impact of reducing laboratory test volumes on the average versus marginal cost structure in the laboratory. This article will provide an overview of basic cost accounting principles in the clinical laboratory including both job order and process cost accounting. Specific examples will be presented to illustrate these concepts in various different scenarios. © 2013.

RISK-INFORMED SAFETY MARGIN CHARACTERIZATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dinh, Nam; Szilard, Ronaldo

2009-01-01

The concept of safety margins has served as a fundamental principle in the design and operation of commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs). Defined as the minimum distance between a system's 'loading' and its 'capacity', plant design and operation is predicated on ensuring an adequate safety margin for safety-significant parameters (e.g., fuel cladding temperature, containment pressure, etc.) is provided over the spectrum of anticipated plant operating, transient and accident conditions. To meet the anticipated challenges associated with extending the operational lifetimes of the current fleet of operating NPPs, the United States Department of Energy (USDOE), the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) have developed a collaboration to conduct coordinated research to identify and address the technological challenges and opportunities that likely would affect the safe and economic operation of the existing NPP fleet over the postulated long-term time horizons. In this paper we describe a framework for developing and implementing a Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization (RISMC) approach to evaluate and manage changes in plant safety margins over long time horizons

Energy balance and cost analysis for raisin production in Aegean Region in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uysal Hülya

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to determine energy consumption of input and output used in raisin production and making a cost analysis in Aegean Region. Energy output-input analysis is generally done to determine the scope of environment and energy efficiency of agricultural production. In this study the cost of raisin production was calculated by Manisa Viticulture Research Institute's records in 2015. Costs of inputs and prices of raisin were obtained from various sources such as Turkish Statistical Institute, Aegean Exporters' Association and Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock. The total energy input necessity for raisin production was 39,066.91 MJ/ha. The research results indicated that the total energy input used for raisin was mainly dependent on non-renewable energy forms (%97. The high ratio of non-renewable energy in the total used energy inputs causes negative effects on the sustainability in agricultural production. Among input energy sources, diesel oil, chemical fertilizers and electricity contained highest energy shares with 34.30%, 26.96%, and 22.50% respectively. The energy ratio and energy productivity were found to be 6.04 and 0.51 kg/MJ. Gross production value and total variable costs for raisin were $ 8,600 and $ 4,528.25, respectively. As a result of cost analysis, gross margin was calculated as $ 4,071.75.

A Cost Effective Solution for Development Environment for Data Acquisition, Monitoring and Simulation of PLC Controlled Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Bjelica

2014-06-01

Full Text Available It is very important to test and monitor the operation of Programmable Logic Controller (PLC in real time (online. Nowadays, conventional, but expensive monitoring systems for PLCs, such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA systems, software and hardware simulators (or debuggers, are widely used. This paper proposes a user friendly and cost-effective development environment for monitoring, data acquisition and online simulation of applications with PLC. The purpose of this solution is to simulate the process which is controlled by the PLC. The performances of the proposed development environment are presented on the examples of washing machine and dishwasher simulators.

Classification of nuclear plant cost to energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long, G.A.

1983-01-01

In order to understand why the fixed-cost/variable-cost method of classifying nuclear plant costs can lead to rate discontinuities, the author must examine the factors which lead to the decision to build a nuclear power plant and the interrelationship between demand (KW) and energy (KWH). The problems and inequities associated with the nuclear plants can be avoided by recognizing that fixed costs are related to both demand and energy and by using a costing methodology which closely relates to the functional purpose of the plant. Generally, this leads to classifying fixed costs of nuclear plants primarily to the energy function in an embedded cost-of-service study and through either implicit or explicit recognition of fuel savings in a marginal cost study. The large rate discontinuities which occurred in the scenario can be resolved. Costs associated with demand or energy charges remain relatively stable compared to actual capacity costs and customers would not experience large changes in their bills due solely to a particular costing convention

Cost-Effectiveness of Old and New Technologies for Aneuploidy Screening.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinkey, Rachel G; Odibo, Anthony O

2016-06-01

Cost-effectiveness analyses allow assessment of whether marginal gains from new technology are worth increased costs. Several studies have examined cost-effectiveness of Down syndrome (DS) screening and found it to be cost-effective. Noninvasive prenatal screening also appears to be cost-effective among high-risk women with respect to DS screening, but not for the general population. Chromosomal microarray (CMA) is a genetic sequencing method superior to but more expensive than karyotype. In light of CMAs greater ability to detect genetic abnormalities, it is cost-effective when used for prenatal diagnosis of an anomalous fetus. This article covers methodology and salient issues of cost-effectiveness. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A cost-benefit/cost-effectiveness analysis of an unsanctioned supervised smoking facility in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Jozaghi, Ehsan

2014-11-13

Smoking crack involves the risk of transmitting diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C (HCV). The current study determines whether the formerly unsanctioned supervised smoking facility (SSF)-operated by the grassroot organization, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) for the last few years-costs less than the costs incurred for health-care services as a direct consequence of not having such a program in Vancouver, Canada. The data pertaining to the attendance at the SSF was gathered in 2012-2013 by VANDU. By relying on this data, a mathematical model was employed to estimate the number of HCV infections prevented by the former facility in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES). The DTES SSF's benefit-cost ratio was conservatively estimated at 12.1:1 due to its low operating cost. The study used 70% and 90% initial pipe-sharing rates for sensitivity analysis. At 80% sharing rate, the marginal HCV cases prevented were determined to be 55 cases. Moreover, at 80% sharing rate, the marginal cost-effectiveness ratio ranges from $1,705 to $97,203. The results from both the baseline and sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the establishment of the SSF by VANDU on average had annually saved CAD$1.8 million dollars in taxpayer's money. Funding SSFs in Vancouver is an efficient and effective use of financial resources in the public health domain; therefore, Vancouver Coastal Health should actively participate in their establishment in order to reduce HCV and other blood-borne infections such as HIV within the non-injecting drug users.

A cost-benefit analysis of alternatively fueled buses with special considerations for V2G technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirazi, Yosef; Carr, Edward; Knapp, Lauren

2015-01-01

Motivated by climate, health and economic considerations, alternatively-fueled bus fleets have emerged worldwide. Two popular alternatives are compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric vehicles. The latter provides the opportunity to generate revenue through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services if properly equipped. This analysis conducts a robust accounting of the costs of diesel, CNG and battery-electric powertrains for school buses. Both marginal and fleet-wide scenarios are explored. Results indicate that the marginal addition of neither a small CNG nor a small V2G-enabled electric bus is cost effective at current prices. Contrary to previous findings, a small V2G-enabled electric bus increases net present costs by $7,200/seat relative to diesel for a Philadelphia, PA school district. A small CNG bus increases costs by $1,200/seat relative to diesel. This analysis is the first to quantify and include the economic implications of cold temperature extremes on electric vehicle battery operations, and the lower V2G revenues that result. Additional costs and limitations imposed by electric vehicles performing V2G are frequently overlooked in the literature and are explored here. If a variety of technical, legal, and economic challenges are overcome, a future eBus may be economical. - Highlights: • We present a robust cost-benefit analysis of various bus technologies. • Diesel is a low-cost technology at current prices. • CNG represents slightly higher costs on a marginal bus basis. • V2G-enabled electric buses are not cost-effective at current prices. • We identify frequently overlooked costs and challenges to V2G implementation.

Professional Commitment and Professional Marginalism in Teachers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kalashnikov A.I.

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The article reviews teachers' attitudes towards the teaching profession which can be expressed both in professional commitment and in professional marginalism. The dominance of professional marginalism could affect destructively the students as well as the teacher’s personality, hence the issues related to the content of personal position of a marginal and the rate of marginalism among teachers. It was suggested that marginalism could be revealed in the study of professional commitment. The study involved 81 teachers of Sverdlovsk secondary schools aged 21—60 years with work experience ranging from 1 month to 39 years. The Professional Commitment Questionnaire was used as the study technique. The results showed that negative emotional attitude towards the profession and reluctance to leave the profession were grouped as a separate factor. The dispersion factor was 12,5%. The factor loadings ranged from 0.42 to 0.84. The study proved that professional marginalism in teachers includes dissatisfaction with work, feelings of resentment against profession and an unwillingness to leave the profession.

A quantitative analysis of transtensional margin width

Science.gov (United States)

Jeanniot, Ludovic; Buiter, Susanne J. H.

2018-06-01

Continental rifted margins show variations between a few hundred to almost a thousand kilometres in their conjugated widths from the relatively undisturbed continent to the oceanic crust. Analogue and numerical modelling results suggest that the conjugated width of rifted margins may have a relationship to their obliquity of divergence, with narrower margins occurring for higher obliquity. We here test this prediction by analysing the obliquity and rift width for 26 segments of transtensional conjugate rifted margins in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. We use the plate reconstruction software GPlates (http://www.gplates.org) for different plate rotation models to estimate the direction and magnitude of rifting from the initial phases of continental rifting until breakup. Our rift width corresponds to the distance between the onshore maximum topography and the last identified continental crust. We find a weak positive correlation between the obliquity of rifting and rift width. Highly oblique margins are narrower than orthogonal margins, as expected from analogue and numerical models. We find no relationships between rift obliquities and rift duration nor the presence or absence of Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs).

A model for the development of marginal water sources in arid zones: The case of the Negev Desert, Israel

Science.gov (United States)

Brimberg, Jack; Oron, Gideon; Mehrez, Abraham

1993-09-01

A management model is presented for the optimal development of marginal water sources in arid zones in conjunction with minimizing the dependence on high-quality water. These marginal sources, which may include among others saline groundwater, treated wastewater, and runoff water, are required to augment a limited supply from regional sources. The objective is to minimize operational and capital costs while simultaneously allocating a conventional regional supply in a best way among a set of local sites. A novel aspect is the consideration of water quality as an additional constraint in the decision model. In this way an optimal investment strategy for marginal water source development and use is obtained while satisfying quality requirements at the individual sites. The model formulated takes the form of a mixed binary integer linear problem. The main purpose of the presented model is to delineate a methodology for marginal water considerations and development in arid zones. Water qualities, supply and demand for diverse uses, and related costs are of primary importance. Several simplifying assumptions are made, such as aggregation on an annual basis, in order to cope with the essential features of the problem at a reasonable level of complexity. These assumptions may be relaxed at a later, more detailed stage of analysis. A case study of the Negev Desert in southern Israel is shown. An important conclusion is that saline groundwater production at local demand sites should be increased dramatically. The usefulness of sensitivity analysis in the decision process is also demonstrated.

The marginal cost of carbon abatement from planting street trees in New York City

Science.gov (United States)

Kent F. Kovacs; Robert G. Haight; Suhyun Jung; Dexter H. Locke; Jarlath. O' Neil-Dunne

2013-01-01

Urban trees can store carbon through the growth process and reduce fossil fuel use by lowering cooling and heating energy consumption of buildings through the process of transpiration, shading, and the blocking of wind. However, the planting and maintenance of urban trees come at a cost. We estimate the discounted cost of net carbon reductions associated with planting...

The Marginal Damage Costs of Different Greenhouse Gases: An Application of FUND

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Waldhoff, S.; Anthoff, D.; Rose, S.; Tol, R.S.J.

2014-01-01

The authors use FUND 3.9 to estimate the social cost of four greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and sulphur hexafluoride—with sensitivity tests for carbon dioxide fertilization, terrestrial feedbacks, climate sensitivity, discounting, equity weighting, and socioeconomic and

Postural Stability Margins as a Function of Support Surface Slopes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dutt-Mazumder, Aviroop; Slobounov, Seymon M; Challis, John Henry; Newell, Karl Maxim

2016-01-01

This investigation examined the effects of slope of the surface of support (35°, 30°, 20°, 10° Facing(Toe) Down, 0° Flat and 10°, 20°, 25° Facing (Toe) Up) and postural orientation on the margins of postural stability in quiet standing of young adults. The findings showed that the center of pressure-CoP (displacement, area and length) had least motion at the baseline (0° Flat) platform condition that progressively increased as a function of platform angle in both facing up and down directions. The virtual time to collision (VTC) dynamics revealed that the spatio-temporal margins to the functional stability boundary were progressively smaller and the VTC time series also more regular (SampEn-Sample Entropy) as slope angle increased. Surface slope induces a restricted stability region with lower dimension VTC dynamics that is more constrained when postural orientation is facing down the slope. These findings provide further evidence that VTC acts as a control variable in standing posture that is influenced by the emergent dynamics of the individual-environment-task interaction.

Organic carbon production, mineralisation and preservation on the Peruvian margin

Science.gov (United States)

Dale, A. W.; Sommer, S.; Lomnitz, U.; Montes, I.; Treude, T.; Liebetrau, V.; Gier, J.; Hensen, C.; Dengler, M.; Stolpovsky, K.; Bryant, L. D.; Wallmann, K.

2015-03-01

Carbon cycling in Peruvian margin sediments (11 and 12° S) was examined at 16 stations, from 74 m water depth on the middle shelf down to 1024 m, using a combination of in situ flux measurements, sedimentary geochemistry and modelling. Bottom water oxygen was below detection limit down to ca. 400 m and increased to 53 μM at the deepest station. Sediment accumulation rates decreased sharply seaward of the middle shelf and subsequently increased at the deep stations. The organic carbon burial efficiency (CBE) was unusually low on the middle shelf (60%) at the deep oxygenated sites. In line with other studies, CBE was elevated under oxygen-deficient waters in the mid-water oxygen minimum zone. Organic carbon rain rates calculated from the benthic fluxes alluded to efficient mineralisation of organic matter in the water column compared to other oxygen-deficient environments. The observations at the Peruvian margin suggest that a lack of oxygen does not greatly affect the degradation of organic matter in the water column but promotes the preservation of organic matter in sediments.

On the evaluation of marginal expected shortfall

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Caporin, Massimiliano; Santucci de Magistris, Paolo

2012-01-01

In the analysis of systemic risk, Marginal Expected Shortfall may be considered to evaluate the marginal impact of a single stock on the market Expected Shortfall. These quantities are generally computed using log-returns, in particular when there is also a focus on returns conditional distribution....... In this case, the market log-return is only approximately equal to the weighed sum of equities log-returns. We show that the approximation error is large during turbulent market phases, with a subsequent impact on Marginal Expected Shortfall. We then suggest how to improve the evaluation of Marginal Expected...

[Resection margins in conservative breast cancer surgery].

Science.gov (United States)

Medina Fernández, Francisco Javier; Ayllón Terán, María Dolores; Lombardo Galera, María Sagrario; Rioja Torres, Pilar; Bascuñana Estudillo, Guillermo; Rufián Peña, Sebastián

2013-01-01

Conservative breast cancer surgery is facing a new problem: the potential tumour involvement of resection margins. This eventuality has been closely and negatively associated with disease-free survival. Various factors may influence the likelihood of margins being affected, mostly related to the characteristics of the tumour, patient or surgical technique. In the last decade, many studies have attempted to find predictive factors for margin involvement. However, it is currently the new techniques used in the study of margins and tumour localisation that are significantly reducing reoperations in conservative breast cancer surgery. Copyright © 2012 AEC. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

ESTIMATION OF FLEXIBILITY OF AN ORGANIZATION ON THE GROUND OF THE CALCULATION OF PROFIT MARGIN RATE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga Gennadevna Rybakova

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the problem of the flexibility of an organization as the ability to adapt effectively to the external environment. The authors have identified and investigated different approaches to estimating the flexibility of an organization on the ground of flexibility grading, calculation of the general index of flexibility as well as the calculation of flexibility’s ranking score. We have identified the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches. A new method of the estimation of an organization’s flexibility on the ground of the calculation of relative profit margin has been developed. This method is the multifunctional assessment tool of enterprise’s functionability in the current context of difficult and volatile economic environment. It allows in the early stage to identify negative trends in the production and financial figures and thus, it enables the organizational leadership to take steps in advance in order to avert a crisis in its activity. Keeping the profit margin at the same rate at the forced contraction of output, because of the negative impact of external factors, will confirm that the organization has adapted to the external environment and, therefore, it is flexible. The organization can be considered with margin rate beginning to low up to zero value as an organization with an insufficient level of flexibility that is at the “zone of crisis” and it is characterized by the depletion of reserved funds and reduction of current assets. Loss-maker is nonflexible and the presence of loss means that the organization has an evident sign of crisis and it can be bankrupt.

Electricity costs in liberalized market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barkans, J.; Junghans, G.

2006-01-01

In the liberalized electricity market the flexible demand determines the operation of power plants. Under market conditions the producers are forced to compete, and their power plants are normally loaded in order of increasing prices. The electricity costs consist of fixed and variable components, and the competition among producers simulates minimization of both the components. Considering the fixed costs (including maintenance, depreciation, capital costs and other permanent costs not depending on production) to be known, the total electricity costs in different operating conditions are based on the economic characteristics and the equipment load of a power plant. The paper describes the method for determination of electricity costs for condensing thermal power plants with permanent steam take-off for regeneration purposes and adjustable steam take-off for the needs of local heat energy consumers. The marginal costs for CHP plants are determined considering a number of different steam take-off from a turbine. At the electricity cost determination, auxiliary services also are taken into account. These can be reduced by adjusting the rotational speed of electric motors. The paper also shows how to determine the electricity costs for gas turbines, combined cycle gas turbines, and nuclear power plants. The position of hydro power plants among other PPs in the free market is also analysed. (authors)

Ferritin associates with marginal band microtubules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Infante, Anthony A.; Infante, Dzintra; Chan, M.-C.; How, P.-C.; Kutschera, Waltraud; Linhartova, Irena; Muellner, Ernst W.; Wiche, Gerhard; Propst, Friedrich

2007-01-01

We characterized chicken erythrocyte and human platelet ferritin by biochemical studies and immunofluorescence. Erythrocyte ferritin was found to be a homopolymer of H-ferritin subunits, resistant to proteinase K digestion, heat stable, and contained iron. In mature chicken erythrocytes and human platelets, ferritin was localized at the marginal band, a ring-shaped peripheral microtubule bundle, and displayed properties of bona fide microtubule-associated proteins such as tau. Red blood cell ferritin association with the marginal band was confirmed by temperature-induced disassembly-reassembly of microtubules. During erythrocyte differentiation, ferritin co-localized with coalescing microtubules during marginal band formation. In addition, ferritin was found in the nuclei of mature erythrocytes, but was not detectable in those of bone marrow erythrocyte precursors. These results suggest that ferritin has a function in marginal band formation and possibly in protection of the marginal band from damaging effects of reactive oxygen species by sequestering iron in the mature erythrocyte. Moreover, our data suggest that ferritin and syncolin, a previously identified erythrocyte microtubule-associated protein, are identical. Nuclear ferritin might contribute to transcriptional silencing or, alternatively, constitute a ferritin reservoir

Methylation patterns in marginal zone lymphoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Arribas, Alberto J; Bertoni, Francesco

Promoter DNA methylation is a major regulator of gene expression and transcription. The identification of methylation changes is important for understanding disease pathogenesis, for identifying prognostic markers and can drive novel therapeutic approaches. In this review we summarize the current knowledge regarding DNA methylation in MALT lymphoma, splenic marginal zone lymphoma, nodal marginal zone lymphoma. Despite important differences in the study design for different publications and the existence of a sole large and genome-wide methylation study for splenic marginal zone lymphoma, it is clear that DNA methylation plays an important role in marginal zone lymphomas, in which it contributes to the inactivation of tumor suppressors but also to the expression of genes sustaining tumor cell survival and proliferation. Existing preclinical data provide the rationale to target the methylation machinery in these disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Limitations of ''margin'' in qualification tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clough, R.L.; Gillen, K.T.

1984-01-01

We have carried out investigations of polymer radiation degradation behaviors which have brought to light a number of reasons why this concept of margin can break down. First of all, we have found that dose-rate effects vary greatly in magnitude. Thus, based on high dose-rate testing, poor materials with large dose-rate effects may be selected over better materials with small effects. Also, in certain cases, material properties have been found to level out (as with PVC) or reverse trend (as with buna-n) at high doses, so that ''margin'' may be ineffective, misleading, or counterproductive. For Viton, the material properties were found to change in opposite directions at high and low dose rates, making ''margin'' inappropriate. The underlying problem with the concept of ''margin'' is that differences in aging conditions can lead to fundamental differences in degradation mechanisms

Special Testing for Modules Deployed in Hot Use Environments - Are We Doing This in a Low-Cost Way?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Repins, Ingrid; Jordan, Dirk; Bosco, Nick; Flueckiger, Chris

2016-09-12

The proposed new IEC standard will address the test temperature requirements in IEC 61215 (module design), IEC 61730 (module safety), IEC 62790 (junction box safety) and IEC 62852 (connectors), and will provide guidelines to modify temperature limits in four existing standards to better describe module performance in hotter climates. This workshop includes four presentations: Special Testing for Modules Deployed in Hot Use Environments - Are We Doing This in a Low-Cost Way?, Experimental Evidence, Why the highest temperatures are the most stressful to PV modules during thermal cycling, and Safety Aspects for Modules Deployed in Hot Use Environments.

Silenced, Silence, Silent: Motherhood in the Margins

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Lorelei; Austin, Helena

2007-01-01

This project explores the experiences of women who mother children with ADHD. The authors use the metaphor of the text and the margin. The text is the "motherhood myth" that describes a particular sort of "good" mothering. The margin is the space beyond that text. This marginal space is inhabited by some or all of the mothers they spoke with, some…