Academic literature on the topic 'Convex Service Costs'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the lists of relevant articles, books, theses, conference reports, and other scholarly sources on the topic 'Convex Service Costs.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Journal articles on the topic "Convex Service Costs"
1
Baligo, Anil Kumar. "Minimizing User Costs in Multi-Broker Mobile Cloud Computing Networks." Mathematical Statistician and Engineering Applications 70, no. 1 (January 31, 2021): 216–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.17762/msea.v70i1.2302.
Full textAbstract:
The success and disruption of cloud computing over the past few years is unparalleled.In order to quickly allocate or reallocate virtual computing as well as storage resources, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) providers offer commercially accessible services that enable scaling out or in computing capabilities in response to changing needs.Users can provide new apps using IaaS services without having to manage the supporting infrastructure. In this study, the system takes into account an MCC model in which several brokers allot cloud resources to mobile consumers. The approach is distinguished by a heterogeneous cloud architecture and by the many cloud service providers' pricing models. Both a public cloud and a cloudlet are part of it. A competitive strategy and a compete-then-cooperate approach are investigated by the system as a performance bound. The computer creates a cooperative issue with the restriction that none broker should be required to shell out beyond the dispute price, with the objective of lowering the overall average broker price. The system uses a mix of the branch and bound paradigm with sophisticated convex relaxation techniques to develop a novel globally optimum solution algorithm to handle the ensuing non-convex cooperative issue.
2
Gurvich, Itay, and Ward Whitt. "Scheduling Flexible Servers with Convex Delay Costs in Many-Server Service Systems." Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 11, no. 2 (April 2009): 237–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/msom.1070.0211.
Full text
3
Glazebrook, K. D., R. R. Lumley, and P. S. Ansell. "Index Heuristics for Multiclass M/G/1 Systems with Nonpreemptive Service and Convex Holding Costs." Queueing Systems 45, no. 2 (October 2003): 81–111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/a:1026060405346.
Full text
4
Weber, Richard R., and Shaler Stidham. "Optimal control of service rates in networks of queues." Advances in Applied Probability 19, no. 1 (March 1987): 202–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1427380.
Full textAbstract:
We prove a monotonicity result for the problem of optimal service rate control in certain queueing networks. Consider, as an illustrative example, a number of ·/M/1 queues which are arranged in a cycle with some number of customers moving around the cycle. A holding cost hi(xi) is charged for each unit of time that queue i contains xi customers, with hi being convex. As a function of the queue lengths the service rate at each queue i is to be chosen in the interval , where cost ci(μ) is charged for each unit of time that the service rate μis in effect at queue i. It is shown that the policy which minimizes the expected total discounted cost has a monotone structure: namely, that by moving one customer from queue i to the following queue, the optimal service rate in queue i is not increased and the optimal service rates elsewhere are not decreased. We prove a similar result for problems of optimal arrival rate and service rate control in general queueing networks. The results are extended to an average-cost measure, and an example is included to show that in general the assumption of convex holding costs may not be relaxed. A further example shows that the optimal policy may not be monotone unless the choice of possible service rates at each queue includes 0.
5
Weber, Richard R., and Shaler Stidham. "Optimal control of service rates in networks of queues." Advances in Applied Probability 19, no. 01 (March 1987): 202–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0001867800016451.
Full textAbstract:
We prove a monotonicity result for the problem of optimal service rate control in certain queueing networks. Consider, as an illustrative example, a number of ·/M/1 queues which are arranged in a cycle with some number of customers moving around the cycle. A holding cost hi (xi ) is charged for each unit of time that queue i contains xi customers, with hi being convex. As a function of the queue lengths the service rate at each queue i is to be chosen in the interval , where cost ci (μ) is charged for each unit of time that the service rate μis in effect at queue i. It is shown that the policy which minimizes the expected total discounted cost has a monotone structure: namely, that by moving one customer from queue i to the following queue, the optimal service rate in queue i is not increased and the optimal service rates elsewhere are not decreased. We prove a similar result for problems of optimal arrival rate and service rate control in general queueing networks. The results are extended to an average-cost measure, and an example is included to show that in general the assumption of convex holding costs may not be relaxed. A further example shows that the optimal policy may not be monotone unless the choice of possible service rates at each queue includes 0.
6
Liu, Chunyu, Heli Zhang, Xi Li, and Hong Ji. "Dynamic Rendering-Aware VR Service Module Placement Strategy in MEC Networks." Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing 2022 (August 18, 2022): 1–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/1237619.
Full textAbstract:
Combining multiaccess edge computing (MEC) technology and wireless virtual reality (VR) game is a promising computing paradigm. Offloading the rendering tasks to the edge node can make up for the lack of computing resources of mobile devices. However, the current offloading works ignored that when rendering is enabled at the MEC server, the rendering operation depends heavily on the environment deployed on this MEC serve. In this paper, we propose a dynamically rendering-aware service module placement scheme for wireless VR games over the MEC networks. In this scheme, the rendering tasks of VR games are offloaded to the MEC server and closely coupled with service module placement. At the same time, to further optimize the end-to-end latency of VR video delivery, the routing delay of the rendered VR video stream and the costs of the service module migration are jointly considered with the proposed placement scheme. The goal of this scheme is to minimize the sum of the network costs over a long time under satisfying the delay constraint of each player. We model our strategy as a high-order, nonconvex, and time-varying function. To solve this problem, we transform the placement problem into the min-cut problem by constructing a series of auxiliary graphs. Then, we propose a two-stage iterative algorithm based on convex optimization and graphs theory to solve our object function. Finally, extensive simulation results show that our proposed algorithm can ensure low end-to-end latency for players and low network costs over the other baseline algorithms.
7
Long, Zhenghua, Nahum Shimkin, Hailun Zhang, and Jiheng Zhang. "Dynamic Scheduling of Multiclass Many-Server Queues with Abandonment: The Generalized cμ/h Rule." Operations Research 68, no. 4 (July 2020): 1218–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/opre.2019.1908.
Full textAbstract:
In “Dynamic Scheduling of Multiclass Many-Server Queues with Abandonment: The Generalized cμ/h Rule,” Long, Shimkin, Zhang, and Zhang propose three scheduling policies to cope with any general cost functions and general patience-time distributions. Their first contribution is to introduce the target-allocation policy, which assigns higher priority to customer classes with larger deviation from the desired allocation of the service capacity and prove its optimality for any general queue-length cost functions and patience-time distributions. The Gcμ/h rule, which extends the well-known Gcμ rule by taking abandonment into account, is shown to be optimal for the case of convex queue-length costs and nonincreasing hazard rates of patience. For the case of concave queue-length costs but nondecreasing hazard rates of patience, it is optimal to apply a fixed-priority policy, and a knapsack-like problem is developed to determine the optimal priority order efficiently.
8
Han, Dongsheng, Tao Liu, and Yincheng Qi. "Optimization of Mixed Energy Supply of IoT Network Based on Matching Game and Convex Optimization." Sensors 20, no. 19 (September 23, 2020): 5458. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s20195458.
Full textAbstract:
The interaction capability provided by the Internet of Things (IoT) significantly increases communication between human and machine, changing our lives gradually. However, the abundant constructions of 5G small base stations (SBSs) and large-scaled access of IoT terminal equipment (TE) will surely cause a dramatic increase in energy expense costs of a wireless communication system. In this study, we designed a bilateral random model of TE allocation and energy decisions in IoT, and proposed a mixed energy supply algorithm based on a matching game and convex optimization to minimize the energy expense cost of the wireless communication system in IoT. This study divided the problem of minimizing energy expense cost of the system into two steps. First, the random allocation problem of TEs in IoT was modeled to a matching game problem. This step is to obtain the TE matching scheme that minimizes the energy consumption of the whole system on the basis of guaranteeing the quality of service of TEs. Second, the energy decision problem of SBS was modeled into a convex optimization problem. The energy purchase scheme of SBSs with the minimum energy expense cost of the system was obtained by solving the optimal solution of the convex optimization. According to the simulation results, the proposed mixed energy supply scheme can decrease the energy expense cost of the system effectively.
9
Argon, Nilay Tanik, Li Ding, Kevin D. Glazebrook, and Serhan Ziya. "DYNAMIC ROUTING OF CUSTOMERS WITH GENERAL DELAY COSTS IN A MULTISERVER QUEUING SYSTEM." Probability in the Engineering and Informational Sciences 23, no. 2 (February 16, 2009): 175–203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0269964809000138.
Full textAbstract:
We consider a network of parallel service stations each modeled as a single-server queue. Each station serves its own dedicated customers as well as generic customers who are routed from a central controller. We suppose that the cost incurred by a customer is an increasing function of her time spent in the system. In a significant advance on most previous work, we do not require waiting costs to be convex, still less linear. With the objective of minimizing the long-run average waiting cost, we develop two heuristic routing policies, one of which is based on dynamic programming policy improvement and the other on Lagrangian relaxation. In developing the latter policy, we show that each station is “indexable” under mild conditions for customers’ waiting costs and also prove some structural results on the admission control problem that naturally arises as a result of the Lagrangian relaxation. We then test the performance of our heuristics in an extensive numerical study and show that the Lagrangian heuristic demonstrates a strong level of performance in a range of traffic conditions. In particular, it clearly outperforms both a greedy heuristic, which is a standard proposal in complex routing problems, and a recent proposal from the heavy traffic literature.
10
Rotkegel, Marek, Łukasz Szot, Michał Kapała, and Marek Dras. "New construction of rail for underground suspended monorails as an example of typification for deep mining transport in the mines of JSW SA." Transportation Overview - Przeglad Komunikacyjny 2017, no. 5 (May 1, 2017): 29–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.35117/a_eng_17_05_04.
Full textAbstract:
The article describes the course of design work, leading to the implementation of a new construction of suspended rails rails for the needs of mines belonging to the Jastrzębska Coal Company. The aim of the works, which was one of the stages of the typification of mining excavation equipment within JSW SA, was to improve the material management within the Company, reduce the production costs of rails, improve their anti-corrosion properties and extend the service life of the track. The design of the new construction was also characterized by easy construction, high straightness of the rail and also the possibility of easy adaptation to the increased speed of transport by suspended rail. The overriding objective of all activities is to reduce the cost of extraction. The design work was carried out using a feedback loop, taking into account the necessary corrections in the subsequent stages, resulting from the results of the strength calculations, laboratory tests and comments of the representatives of JSW SA. The final part of the work was the production of a prototype batch of rails, with the load capacity in accordance with the provisions of the applicable regulations, as well as the usable properties corresponding to the needs of mines JSW SA. JSW SA rails, according to the GIG documentation, are available in several variants: straight rails, curved rails, concave or convex rails and transition rails. The JSW rail system is a complement to the JSW rail system, including suspension, pull-outs, turnouts, locks, and track stops from third-party systems that comply with the JSW system's compatibility and compatibility criteria.
Books on the topic "Convex Service Costs"
1
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Resources. To convey for public purposes certain federal lands in Riverside County, California, that have been identified for disposal: Report (to accompany H.R. 3874) (including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office). [Washington, D.C: U.S. G.P.O., 2004.
Find full text
2
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. Directing the Secretary of Agriculture to convey, without consideration, to the town of Payson, Arizona, approximately 30.96 acres of Forest Service lands: Report (to accompany S. 565) (including the cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office). [Washington, D.C.?: U.S. G.P.O., 1986.
Find full text
3
To authorize the Administrator of General Services to convey a parcel of real property in Galveston, Texas, to the Galveston Historical Foundation: Report (to accompany H.R. 2121) (including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office). Washington, D.C: U.S. G.P.O., 2009.
Find full text
4
To authorize the Administrator of General Services to convey a parcel of real property in Tracy, California, to the city of Tracy: Report (to accompany S. 1302) (including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office). Washington, D.C: U.S. G.P.O., 2011.
Find full text
5
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain land in the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Nevada, to the Secretary of the Interior, in trust for the Washoe Indian Tribe of Nevada and California: Report (to accompany S. 691) (including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office). [Washington, D.C: U.S. G.P.O., 2002.
Find full text
6
Hack, Thomas F., Kinta Beaver, and Penelope Schofield. Audio-recording cancer consultations for patients and their families—putting evidence into practice. Oxford University Press, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/med/9780198736134.003.0010.
Full textAbstract:
This chapter aims to briefly review the empirical literature on the value of consultation audio-recordings for patients and families; conduct a theory-driven examination of the factors that limit practice uptake of this intervention; and provide practical suggestions for how these factors might best be addressed to enhance clinical uptake of consultation audio-recording use. The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) Framework is used to examine the impact of scientific evidence, context-specific factors, and facilitation principles, as these pertain to the uptake of consultation audio-recording in practice. Important considerations in efforts to implement a consultation audio-recording service are provided, including leadership, perceived value and benefit, resource costs, technological practicalities, litigation concerns, and staff training and support. Both top-down and bottom-up approaches to implementation are recommended to enhance the likelihood of successful uptake into practice.
7
Kazdin, Alan E. Innovations in Psychosocial Interventions and Their Delivery. Oxford University Press, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/med-psych/9780190463281.001.0001.
Full textAbstract:
Mental illness is an enormous burden worldwide, as reflected in the number of individuals who suffer from a mental disorder, the personal pain and suffering they and their families experience, the exorbitant costs of providing but also of failing to provide services, and the spillover of mental health problems into physical health (e.g., many physical maladies and earlier-than-expected deaths associated with mental illness) and functioning in everyday life (e.g., in social relations, employment, happiness, and quality of life). We have many interventions that can help, but they are not brought to the many people in need of psychological services. There are many novel models of delivering these interventions that could be scaled to reach people in need and surmount the many barriers to providing and receiving services. Promising models of delivery are drawn from physical health care, public health, business, social policy, and other disciplines and can serve to illustrate what can be done now. This book conveys new ways of delivering treatment as well as new ways of developing and investigating treatments so that they are much more likely to reach people in need. The overall goal is, or ought to be, reducing the burdens of mental illness. This book conveys novel ways of providing treatment if we adopt that goal more explicitly and draw on the best science available to achieve that.
8
Madrigal Barquero, Diana, and Sergio Pérez Monforte. SFD Promotion Initative: Canton of Alajuela, Costa Rica. Edited by Lars Schöbitz. Inter-American Development Bank, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0003217.
Full textAbstract:
The Shit Flow Diagram (SFD) graphic is an advocacy tool that aims to assist technical and non-technical stakeholders to implement plans and programs related to urban sanitation. The SFD methodology is increasingly being used to analyze the extent of safely managed sanitation in urban areas, providing users and stakeholders with a valuable picture of the prevailing sanitation condition, from containment to disposal. As such, it is a widely recognized advocacy and decision support tool that aims to understand, communicate, and visualize how wastewater and fecal sludge move within a city or town. As stated on the SuSanA website, the SFD methodology offers “a new and innovative way to engage sanitation experts, political leaders, and civil society in coordinated discussions about excreta management in their city.” The production and publication of an SFD report for Alajuela (Costa Rica) would help to visualize the current sanitation situation in the city, resulting in a potential to shift current activities and efforts towards more efficient investments in the places of the sanitation chain that need more attention, thereby improving the urban sanitation situation and the surrounding environment of the city. The structure of this SFD report consists of an executive summary and the SFD report. The latter includes: i) general city information describing its main characteristics; ii) sanitation service outcomes, with a thorough explanation of the SFD graphic outcome and the assumptions made; iii) the service delivery context analysis, which contains information on the regulatory framework of water and sanitation at country and city levels, also describing the city plans, budget and future projects to improve the sanitation situation; and iv) a detailed description of the surveys, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) conducted, as well as the key stakeholders involved, field visits carried out and references used to develop this SFD report.
9
Sime, Stuart. A Practical Approach to Civil Procedure. 25th ed. Oxford University Press, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/he/9780192859365.001.0001.
Full textAbstract:
A Practical Approach to Civil Procedure guides the reader through the procedural requirements employed in the civil courts. The volume provides an overview of the key statutory provisions, rules, practice directions, and case law which govern the various stages of a civil litigation claim. Providing practical guidance, the text charts the progress of a typical civil litigation claim, from funding litigation, the importance of alternative dispute resolution processes, issuing and serving proceedings, case management, and through to trial, enforcement, and appeal. Relevant sample documentation is featured throughout and introduces the forms and documents which will be encountered in practice, while key points summaries featured at the end of chapters highlight the essential points covered. This edition has been revised to incorporate rule changes up to the Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2022 and the 144th Update. Changes incorporated into the new edition include: • Replacement rules on acknowledging service • Replacement rules on default judgment • New track allocation rules for road traffic accident claims • Case law developments on Qualified One-Way Costs Shifting • New Supreme Court decision on limitation • Revised PD 51U on disclosure of documents in the Business and Property Courts • Case law developments on privilege • Recent developments on seeking permission to appeal • Measures to assist vulnerable parties and witnesses • Developments on search orders and case law on imaging orders • End of the Siskina rule in relation to interim injunctions and freezing orders • Broad Idea v Convoy Collatera and its impact on freezing injunctions
10
International Conference on Gears 2017. VDI Verlag, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.51202/9783181022948.
Full textAbstract:
Talking about the design of modern high-performance power train applications, one of the essential components to focus on are the gears. Gears convert torque and speed in a very wide power range, at low cost and with minimal losses and noise emission. However, the demands regarding cost, power density, NVH-behavior and efficiency are steadily increasing. Demands, which can only be met using modern gearing technologies that allow combining individual materials, heat treatment and manufacturing processes. Particularly in the industrial sector, the requirements for the reliability and service life of the gear units have increased. Therefore, more and more accurate calculation methods are required for the load bearing capacity, life expectancy and failure probability as well as better test methods. This aspect is also becoming more important with regard to Industry 4.0 and Predictive Maintenance. In addition, the potentials of innovative production methods like powder metal sintering, plas...
Book chapters on the topic "Convex Service Costs"
1
Mayor, Beatriz, Elena López Gunn, Pedro Zorrilla-Miras, Kieran Dartée, Thomas Biffin, and Karina Peña. "NAS Canvas: Identifying Business Models to Support Implementation of Natural Assurance Schemes." In Water Security in a New World, 135–48. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25308-9_8.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractThe Natural Assurance Schemes (NAS) canvas framework and tool have been developed to analyse the process of value generation linked to NBS aimed at reducing risks from the assurance value of ecosystems and co-benefits, when providing climate adaptation services. The NAS canvas identifies the elements, agents and roles involved along the NASs’ services and values delivery process, as well as the associated economic streams. Therefore, it allows identifying and structuring, in a logical and visual way, the components of a business model to deliver a natural assurance service into concrete schemes, compiling the required information on actors, costs, impacts and possible funding models needed to attract investors. The process of business model identification using the NAS canvas has been applied in all NAS strategies in NAIAD case studies, providing useful individual and comparative insights. This process – often supported by a co-design stakeholder engagement approach (see Chap. 3 and 19) – can be applied to any NAS regardless of the context and the project stage, and replicated by adjusting the depth and detail of the information. Although a quantitative description is preferred to build the business case to attract investors, a qualitative description can also provide very valuable insights on information needs, specific elements or context difficulties (e.g. regulatory). Graphical Abstract
2
Hall, Peter S., Katharina Diernberger, and Liz Grant. "Health economics for palliative care." In Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine, edited by Nathan I. Cherny, Marie T. Fallon, Stein Kaasa, Russell K. Portenoy, and David C. Currow, 93–100. Oxford University Press, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/med/9780198821328.003.0010.
Full textAbstract:
Healthcare costs are escalating due to public demand for, and the increasing availability of, treatment. National frameworks that use economic evaluation as a basis for health technology assessment have been successful at constraining expenditure on low-value treatments primarily by explicitly considering the opportunity cost of new technology adoption or service redesign. At the end of life and in palliative contexts, such methods have not been widely applied and are underdeveloped despite evidence that healthcare costs typically increase with proximity to death. There may be a requirement for the adaptation of standard methods for healthcare resource allocation in this setting, where the goals of care may differ from a curative or preventative context. Health service and financing models may be complex and specific to this setting, with a greater consideration for third-sector provision and informal care. This chapter outlines the core concepts in health economics that are relevant in the planning of palliative services, with specific considerations in the developed and developing world contexts.
3
Zeshan, Furkh, Radziah Mohamad, and Mohammad Nazir Ahmad. "Service Discovery Framework for Distributed Embedded Real-Time Systems." In Advances in Systems Analysis, Software Engineering, and High Performance Computing, 126–47. IGI Global, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-6026-7.ch007.
Full textAbstract:
Embedded systems are supporting the trend of moving away from centralised, high-cost products towards low-cost and high-volume products; yet, the non-functional constraints and the device heterogeneity can lead to system complexity. In this regard, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is the best methodology for developing a loosely coupled, dynamic, flexible, distributed, and cost-effective application. SOA relies heavily on services, and the Semantic Web, as the advanced form of the Web, handles the application complexity and heterogeneity with the help of ontology. With an ever-increasing number of similar Web services in UDDI, a functional description of Web services is not sufficient for the discovery process. It is also difficult to rank the similar services based on their functionality. Therefore, the Quality of Service (QoS) description of Web services plays an important role in ranking services within many similar functional services. Context-awareness has been widely studied in embedded and real-time systems and can also play an important role in service ranking as an additional set of criteria. In addition, it can enhance human-computer interaction with the help of ontologies in distributed and heterogeneous environments. In order to address the issues involved in ranking similar services based on the QoS and context-awareness, the authors propose a service discovery framework for distributed embedded real-time systems in this chapter. The proposed framework considers user priorities, QoS, and the context-awareness to enable the user to select the best service among many functional similar services.
4
Zeshan, Furkh, Radziah Mohamad, and Mohammad Nazir Ahmad. "Service Discovery Framework for Distributed Embedded Real-Time Systems." In Information Retrieval and Management, 722–45. IGI Global, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-5191-1.ch031.
Full textAbstract:
Embedded systems are supporting the trend of moving away from centralised, high-cost products towards low-cost and high-volume products; yet, the non-functional constraints and the device heterogeneity can lead to system complexity. In this regard, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is the best methodology for developing a loosely coupled, dynamic, flexible, distributed, and cost-effective application. SOA relies heavily on services, and the Semantic Web, as the advanced form of the Web, handles the application complexity and heterogeneity with the help of ontology. With an ever-increasing number of similar Web services in UDDI, a functional description of Web services is not sufficient for the discovery process. It is also difficult to rank the similar services based on their functionality. Therefore, the Quality of Service (QoS) description of Web services plays an important role in ranking services within many similar functional services. Context-awareness has been widely studied in embedded and real-time systems and can also play an important role in service ranking as an additional set of criteria. In addition, it can enhance human-computer interaction with the help of ontologies in distributed and heterogeneous environments. In order to address the issues involved in ranking similar services based on the QoS and context-awareness, the authors propose a service discovery framework for distributed embedded real-time systems in this chapter. The proposed framework considers user priorities, QoS, and the context-awareness to enable the user to select the best service among many functional similar services.
5
Stephens, R. Todd. "A Requirements Approach for Building an Enterprise Cloud Service Catalog." In Global Virtual Enterprises in Cloud Computing Environments, 86–111. IGI Global, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-3182-1.ch004.
Full textAbstract:
In the context of cloud computing, the service catalog is a critical component of the cloud computing architecture. Most cloud computing projects will invariably begin with a discussion of what IT services an enterprise needs. Even when end users have a cloud environment, the business still wants to know which cloud services we need and how much does it costs. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) service design defines a service catalog as a list of technology-enabled services that an organization provides, often to its employees or customers. More specifically, the service catalog is an expression of the operational capability of a service provider or enterprise within the context of an end customer, a market space, or an internal business unit stakeholder. Unfortunately, most service catalogs are built by technologists for technologists. This design methodology is fine assuming the user of the catalog is an information technology professional.
6
Afonso, Paulo, and Victor J. Jiménez. "Costing Systems for Decision Making under Uncertainty Using Probabilistic Models." In Analyzing Risk through Probabilistic Modeling in Operations Research, 221–45. IGI Global, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-9458-3.ch010.
Full textAbstract:
One measure of organizations' performance is the cost of products, as this may indicate the level of efficiency and contribute to define the business strategy of the firm. Nevertheless, companies face an increasingly fast-changing environment where the variability in processes, products, technology, prices, among other variables affect the performance of the organization. Particularly, given such changing environment, product and service costs may be changing over time. In this context, deterministic models for costing systems might be inappropriate. Thus, this chapter proposes a model for calculating costs which considers the variability of endogenous and exogenous cost variables. It uses the logic of a Two-Stage costing model and Monte Carlo Simulation. The proposed model may allow to some extent to predict the risk associated with the variability in costs and support the necessary steps which should be taken to better manage such risk, whether from the point of view of processes rationalization and of cost management.
7
López, Victoria, Diego Urgelés, Óscar Sánchez, and Gabriel Valverde. "Big Data in Healthcare and Social Sciences." In Web Services, 842–58. IGI Global, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7501-6.ch046.
Full textAbstract:
Healthcare providers and payers are increasingly turning to Big Data and analytics, to help them understand their patients and the context of their illnesses in more detail. Industry leaders are exploring/using Big Data to reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve patient care. The next future is an innovative approach to improving patient access using lean methods and predictive analytics. Social sciences are very much related to healthcare and both areas develop in a parallel way. In this article, we introduce one example of application: Bip4cast (a bipolar disorder CAD system). This paper shows how Bip4cast deals with different data sources to enrich the knowledge and improve predictive analysis.
8
Hwang, Yuan-Chu, and Soe-Tsyr Yuan. "A Roadmap for Ambient E-Service." In Electronic Business, 2337–59. IGI Global, 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60566-056-1.ch144.
Full textAbstract:
Most of the existing mobile services were designed based on the client/server architecture. Those mobile services neither paid much attention to mobile users’ interactions with their environments nor considered the collective efforts between the mobile users in a dynamic peer group. In this article, the notion of ambient e-service is so defined as to identify a new scope of mobile e-service, which address dynamic collective efforts between mobile users (enabled by mobile peer-to-peer technology), dynamic interactions with ambient environments (envisioned by location-based service), the moment of value (empowered by wireless technologies), and low cost service provision. The notable features of ambient e-services are the exhilarated linkage based on social context and significantly rapid growth of connections. We also present an ambient e-service framework that characterizes ambient e-services with three dimensions (value stack, environment stack, and technology stack), followed by several exemplars of ambient e-service applications. Moreover, we present the ambient e-service embracing model (ASEM) that addresses the integrated consideration of trust, reputation, and privacy required for fostering the growth of ambient e-services and steers the directions of future fruitful relevant research.
9
Rolik, Oleksandr, Sergii Telenyk, and Eduard Zharikov. "IoT and Cloud Computing." In Securing the Internet of Things, 1157–85. IGI Global, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-9866-4.ch052.
Full textAbstract:
The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technology that offers great opportunities that is designed to improve the quality of consumers' lives, and also to improve economic indicators and productivity of enterprises, and more efficient use of resources. IoT system refers to the use of interconnected devices and distributed subsystems to leverage data gathered by sensors and actuators in some sort of environment and to take a proper decision on a high level. In this chapter, the authors propose an approach to Microcloud-based IoT infrastructure management to provide the desired quality of IT services with rational use of IT resources. Efficiency of IT infrastructure management can be estimated by the quality of services and the management costs. The task of operational service quality management is to maintain a given level of service quality with the use of minimum IT resources amount in IoT environment. Then, the maximum efficiency can be achieved by selecting such control when actual level of service corresponds to the coordinated with business unit and can be achieved by minimal costs. The proposed approach allows the efficient use of resources for IT services provision in IoT ecosystem through the implementation of service level coordination, resource planning and service level management processes in an integrated IT infrastructure management system based on hyperconvergence and software-defined principles. The main goals of this chapter are to investigate the state of art of the IoT applications resource demands in the context of datacenter architecture deployment and to propose Microcloud-based IoT infrastructure resource control method.
10
Rolik, Oleksandr, Sergii Telenyk, and Eduard Zharikov. "IoT and Cloud Computing." In Emerging Trends and Applications of the Internet of Things, 198–234. IGI Global, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-2437-3.ch008.
Full textAbstract:
The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technology that offers great opportunities that is designed to improve the quality of consumers' lives, and also to improve economic indicators and productivity of enterprises, and more efficient use of resources. IoT system refers to the use of interconnected devices and distributed subsystems to leverage data gathered by sensors and actuators in some sort of environment and to take a proper decision on a high level. In this chapter, the authors propose an approach to Microcloud-based IoT infrastructure management to provide the desired quality of IT services with rational use of IT resources. Efficiency of IT infrastructure management can be estimated by the quality of services and the management costs. The task of operational service quality management is to maintain a given level of service quality with the use of minimum IT resources amount in IoT environment. Then, the maximum efficiency can be achieved by selecting such control when actual level of service corresponds to the coordinated with business unit and can be achieved by minimal costs. The proposed approach allows the efficient use of resources for IT services provision in IoT ecosystem through the implementation of service level coordination, resource planning and service level management processes in an integrated IT infrastructure management system based on hyperconvergence and software-defined principles. The main goals of this chapter are to investigate the state of art of the IoT applications resource demands in the context of datacenter architecture deployment and to propose Microcloud-based IoT infrastructure resource control method.
Conference papers on the topic "Convex Service Costs"
1
Kurşunel, Fahri, and Salman Ebdülrzazade. "Quality Costs in Health Enterprises and Sample Application." In International Conference on Eurasian Economies. Eurasian Economists Association, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.36880/c10.02165.
Full textAbstract:
Changing the expectations and needs of customers over time has strengthened the quality prospects for the client. The goal of the company's assets is to satisfy the customer, keep the client and protect customer loyalty. At present, it is considered that the qualification in the health sector, in particular, has a strategic priority in the success of the business and that quality management is a sustainable competitive advantage.
Medical services are at the forefront of the services that people receive the most. For healthcare companies that perform these services, quality is expressed as a strategic tool used to create activities that will meet the client's needs, both current and future, and reduce costs with an effective cost control process. In this context, healthcare companies need to pay sufficient attention to the quality of their services to customers. Quality service offered to people has a significant cost that businesses have to endure. Healthcare enterprises want to know the cost of the services they want to achieve as a result of their activities. This cost is the result of activities carried out at the enterprise.
This study explains the concept of quality and the importance of quality and includes the cost of quality. Then the costs for quality, included in the total cost in the hospital, are processed separately in Baku (Azerbaijan).
2
Chaturvedi, Animesh. "Reducing cost in regression testing of web service." In 2012 CSI Sixth International Conference on Software Engineering (CONSEG). IEEE, 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/conseg.2012.6349498.
Full text
3
Luizelli, Marcelo, Luciana Buriol, and Luciano Gaspary. "Scalable Cost-Efficient Placement and Chaining of Virtual Network Functions." In XXXVI Simpósio Brasileiro de Redes de Computadores e Sistemas Distribuídos. Sociedade Brasileira de Computação - SBC, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.5753/sbrc_estendido.2018.14184.
Full textAbstract:
While Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is increasingly gaining momentum, with promising benefits of flexible service function deployment and reduced operations and management costs, there are several challenges that remain to be properly tackled, so that it can realize its full potential. One of these challenges, which has a significant impact on the NFV production chain, is effectively and (cost) efficiently deploying service functions, while ensuring that service level agreements are satisfied and making wise allocations of network resources. Despite recent research activity in the field, little has been done towards scalable and cost-efficient placement & chaining of virtual network functions (VNFs) – a key feature for the effective success of NFV. In this thesis, we approach VNF placement and chaining as an optimization problem in the context of Interand Intra-datacenter. We formalize the Virtual Network Function Placement and Chaining (VNFPC) problem and propose a mathematical model to solve it. Our model has established one of the first baseline comparison in the field of resource management in NFV and has been widely used in the recent literature. We also address scalability of VNFPC problem to solve large instances by proposing a novel fix-and-optimize-based heuristic algorithm for tackling it. Further, we extensively measure the performance limitations of realistic NFV deployments. Based on that, we propose an analytical model that accurately predict incurred operational costs. Then, we develop an optimal Intra-datacenter service chain deployment mechanism based on our cost model. Finally, we tackle the problem of monitoring service chains in NFV-based environments efficiently.
4
Röhl, Peter J., Raymond M. Kolonay, Michael J. Paradis, and Michael W. Bailey. "Intelligent Compressor Design in a Network-Centric Environment." In ASME 2001 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/detc2001/cie-21667.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract The concept of a federation of distributed devices on a network which enter the federation through a process of “discover and join”, by which they register with a service request broker and publish the services which they perform is applied to engineering software tools. A highly flexible computer architecture is developed, leveraging emerging web technologies like Sun Microsystems’ Jini™, RMI, JavaSpaces, in which engineering software tools like CAD, CAE, PDM, optimization, cost modeling, etc. act as distributed service providers and service requestors. The individual services communicate via so-called context models, which are abstractions of the master model data of a particular product. A human user interacts with the framework through a thin client like a web browser from anywhere in the world, where proper security measures to prevent unauthorized access to proprietary data is maintained. The paradigm of the CAD Master Model is extended with the introduction of the Intelligent Master Model (IMM), which, in addition to the what, captures the why and how of a design through the use of knowledge-based engineering tools. The framework is applied to the intelligent scaling and detailed finite element analysis of a compressor rotor and compressor blades. A KBE system scales the compressor rotor based on high-level information like mass flow and resulting flowpath geometry. The scaled geometry is validated through detailed high-fidelity stress analysis of critical features, which is associatively linked to the scaled master geometry.
5
Gomes, Luciana de Q. Leal, Reinaldo C. M. Gomes, Cristine M. Gomes de Gusmão, and Hermano Perrelli de Moura. "Evaluating CPI and SPI Indicators in Project Management Maturity Evolution." In Simpósio Brasileiro de Sistemas de Informação. Sociedade Brasileira de Computação, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.5753/sbsi.2013.5744.
Full textAbstract:
Project management has become a common subject in Software Engineering and an everyday task in software organizations. In this task, the effective use of technologies can determine the success of any business; affect quality and ability to provide products and services on time. According to some authors, success in project execution can be associated with organization maturity. Organizations search for project management maturity in order to improve their management process and increase client satisfaction. Maturity is related to cost, time and quality, and can determine the success of projects. In the context of project management, we have two important indicators: Schedule Performance Indicator (SPI) and Cost Performance Indicator (CPI). SPI indicates whether the budgeted costs for work scheduled to date exceed the budgeted costs for the work performed to date. CPI indicates whether the actual costs for the work performed to date exceed the budgeted costs for the work performed to date. These indicators give information about whether or not the project is on track, so they are important factors which represent success in project management. This paper discusses how Cost/Schedule Performance Indicators are related to project management maturity and presents the results based on IT professionals’ opinion analysis.
6
Barbosa, Fábio C. "Competition Into Brazilian and North American Freight Rail Systems: A Comparative Regulatory Assessment." In 2018 Joint Rail Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/jrc2018-6138.
Full textAbstract:
Competition is the driving force of any economic system, as it creates a challenging environment for service suppliers to provide affordable and reliable services to customers. Rail systems are an important element of the logistic chain, as they provide a unique service category (generally transporting large volumes at low unit costs) to shippers that otherwise would not be serviced by other modes — the so called captive shippers. In this scenario, competition is essential to guarantee the required service levels (availability and reliability), followed by competitive rates, which ultimately may influence shippers’ business competitiveness, both regionally and globally. Brazil and some North American countries (Canada, Mexico and United States), have a common feature, i.e. continental territories allied with the economic exploitation of bulky activities (industrial, mineral and agricultural), and, hence, depend strongly on heavy haul rail systems. These countries have been performing a continuous effort on improving competition practices into their rail systems, which are translated into important, and sometimes controversial, regulatory measures. These initiatives require a tenuous equilibrium, as they are supposed to provide the required competitive service at affordable rates for shippers, as well as a sustainable (financial and operational) environment to rail carriers, to guarantee the required return on long term investments and avoid compromising medium and long term rail network efficiency. This challenging task for rail market stakeholders (rail carriers, shippers and regulators) is far from a consensus. Rail companies claim that, as a capital intensive sector, governmental regulatory intervention into the rail system may inhibit their ability to invest the required funds to provide and expand rail capacity, as well as the maintenance of the required safety levels. Shippers, on the other hand, state that rail systems operate within a strong market concentration (originally formatted or due to subsequent merges and acquisitions) that give some rail carriers a disproportionate market power, that resembles a monopoly, which ultimately leaves a significant contingent of the so called captive shippers with just one freight rail carrier option, sometimes subjected to excessive rates, and, in some special instances (into offer restricted rail markets, for example), are responsible for the unavailability of rail services into the required volumes. In this context, there is currently a controversial debate regarding the effectiveness of competitive regulatory remedies into freight rail systems. This debate includes both market oriented rail systems (Canadian and U.S.), as well as rail contractual granted ones (Brazilian and Mexican). In the formers, the systems are mostly owned and operated by the private sector, and inter and intra modal options may theoretically provide the required competition level, while in the latter, rail systems have been broken into separate pieces and granted to the private sector under a concession arrangement, followed by an exclusive right to serve their territories, with trackage rights provisions, to be exerted by third parties, under previously defined circumstances and subjected to contractual agreements among rail operators. In both systems, competitive regulatory actions may be desirable and effective, as far as they may address the technical-operational-economic boundary conditions of each particular rail system. This work is supposed to present, into a review format, sourced from an extensive research into available international technical literature, and gathered as a unique document, an overview of the Brazilian and North American freight rail competition scenario, followed by a technical and unbiased effectiveness’ assessment of current (existing) and proposed competitive regulatory freight rail initiatives into Brazil, Canada, Mexico and United States, highlighting their strengths and eventually their weaknesses.
7
Barbosa, Fábio C. "Hyperloop Concept Technological and Operational Review: The Potential to Fill Rail Niche Markets." In 2020 Joint Rail Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/jrc2020-8033.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract The modern society’s continuous increasing mobility requirements have encouraged new transportation technological platforms. The so called Hyperloop concept, also described as the fifth mode of transport (rather than road, rail, water and air) for both passenger and/or freight) is supported on the idea of a pod like vehicle, running in a near vacuum environment (inside tubes) at near sonic speeds, higher than current air transport ones. This technological approach has played a prominent role in the modern transport scenario, with a potential to offer high service levels, associated with high speed, reliability and weather operational flexibility, as well as reduced environmental footprint and costs. This groundbreaking technological concept, albeit revolutionary, can not be seen as a novelty, with previous precursors being proposed in the last century. However, the concept has been reintroduced in 2012 with updated technologies, in an open sourced format, by the acknowledged entrepreneur Elon Musk, to instigate further improvement/development among interested companies worldwide, focused on its exploration on a commercial scale in the near future. The Hyperloop concept is envisioned to compete with both the High Speed Rail (HSR) and Maglev services, in the 160–640 km (100–400 mi) range, as well as air transport, for up to 1,000 km (625 mi) range, with alleged both environmental and cost advantages over their competitors. However, despite the technology’s high performance potential, given its multidisciplinary feature (sonic/high speed, near vacuum, linear motor propulsion, electric power storage, pod environment maintenance/cooling, air quality control, transport capacity, among others) and its inherent current low maturity from both the engineering, operational and cost perspectives, there are several major technological, regulatory, planning, financial and environmental challenges to be addressed, prior to reach the commercial service status. In this context, it is currently required a huge research effort to figure out technological barriers, followed by prototype tests, to set up the safety and operational requirements. Work is current under way, with a huge research effort (from both the academy and the industry) focused on basic technological concepts, as well as some prototype tests (currently unmanned) driven to test the specific main technological approaches in a real world condition. Given its revolutionary feature, Hyperloop technology is seemed as both ambitious and controversial by the general public and transport experts, with some optimistic bets in its medium term revolutionary role in the passenger transport market, focused on some niche segments currently serviced by the rail mode, as well as other skeptical bets in its restricted role to the freight market, given some inherent safety issues. This work is supposed to present a review (supported on the current available technical literature) of the groundbreaking Hyperloop technology concept and its potential to fill some specific rail niche markets, in both passenger and/or freight segments, with an assessment of the main technology’s hurdles/bottlenecks status and their perspectives, from a technological, environmental and cost focus, followed by a snapshot of some potential Hyperloop project candidates.
8
Reich, Thomas C. "Reason minus zero/no limit: Trying to bring it back home." In Charleston Library Conference. Purdue Univeristy, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284317174.
Full textAbstract:
Negotiations connected with database renewals are sharply critical and ultimately impact renewal decisions. Today, academic libraries face an ever-consolidating marketplace, often accompanied by disruptive cost increases that toss sound reasoning aside. Instances of super-exponential cost increases transfigure once reasonable practices based on sound criteria to unsustainable subscriptions and inappropriate access models. Most troubling is that libraries have seldom been asked to participate in stakeholder discussions before these models and decisions were made. The paper reviews University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Libraries struggle with these changing metrics. In context, the paper looks at how recent political upheaval in Wisconsin has overturned Wisconsin’s progressive heritage and contributed to a rapid dismantling of state funding for public higher education and its’ associated services. Wisconsin has been known as a ‘laboratory for democracy’ with its’ Wisconsin Idea, publicly championing higher education’s mission and expertise in service of the common good. Times are changing. Today, not only does Wisconsin’s public higher education confront losses of state funding, it faces changing demographics, reduced FTE’s, all equating to even less budget dollars. In turn, budget shortfalls have made it nearly impossible to address declining infrastructures, needs for academic program reorganization and institutional restructuring, much less maintain and enhance existing services.
9
Favi, Claudio, Roberto Raffaeli, Michele Germani, Fabio Gregori, Steve Manieri, and Alessio Vita. "A Life Cycle Model to Assess Costs and Environmental Impacts of Different Maritime Vessel Typologies." In ASME 2017 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/detc2017-68052.
Full textAbstract:
Maritime vessels have long service life and great costs of building, manning, operating, maintaining and repairing. Making a consistent lifecycle model among the different vessel typologies, repeatable with the same level of detail and comparable for the implementation of decision-making strategies, remains an open question. This paper aims to define a suitable lifecycle model in the context of maritime vessels to cope with the current limitations of ad-hoc and fragmented methods. The model considers the main aspects involved in the vessel lifecycle such as building materials, manufacturing and assembly, maintenance/service, operational activities, use, etc. The model provides a common structure for the lifecycle assessment (LCA) and lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA) including the way to retrieve and to collect the data necessary for the analysis starting from the available project documentation and the design models. The method is flexible and it is able to cover a large variety of maritime vessel typologies. As example, a luxury yacht has been analysed using the developed method, demonstrating the applicability of the proposed model in one of the most critical vessel typology.
10
Kazmer, David, John Duffy, Linda Barrington, and Beverly Perna. "Introduction to Engineering Through Service-Learning." In ASME 2007 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. ASMEDC, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/detc2007-34491.
Full textAbstract:
Service-learning (S-L) is the integration of academic subject matter with service to the community in credit-bearing courses. In an engineering context, service-learning provides a project-based experience in which students are presented with real clients and their problems, often of immediate need. This paper reflects on three years of service-learning integrated into a first engineering course with approximately three hundred students per year. The costs and benefits of service-learning to students, faculty, and clients are analyzed through several means including traditional teaching evaluations, blind pre- and post-assessments by students and clients, multi-year institutional data regarding student performance, and others. The results indicate that a majority of students personally believe that the described service-learning project is a valuable experience and should be integrated throughout the engineering curriculum. However, the service-learning experience varied significantly across teams, students, and course offerings.
Reports on the topic "Convex Service Costs"
1
Signore, Stephen R., Boualem Hadjerioua, Brennan T. Smith, and Patrick O'connor. Context, Capabilities, Constraints, and Costs for the Provision of Ancillary Services by Hydropower Assets. Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), November 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.2172/1609051.
Full text
2
Beach, Rachel, and Vanessa van den Boogaard. Tax and Governance in the Context of Scarce Revenues: Inefficient Tax Collection and its Implications in Rural West Africa. Institute of Development Studies (IDS), February 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.19088/ictd.2022.005.
Full textAbstract:
In recent years, domestic and international policy attention has often focused on broadening the tax base in order to include a greater share of the population in the ‘tax net’. This is based, in part, on the hope that the expansion of taxation will result in positive ‘governance dividends’ for taxpayers. However, the implications of extending the tax base in rural areas in low-income countries has been insufficiently considered. Through the case studies of Togo, Benin, and Sierra Leone, we demonstrate that extending taxation to rural areas is often highly inefficient, leading to few, if any, revenue gains when factoring in the costs of collection. Where revenues exceed the costs of collection, they often only cover local government salaries with little remaining for the provision of public goods and services. The implications of rural tax collection inefficiency are thus significant for revenue mobilisation, governance and public service delivery, accountability relationships with citizens, and taxpayer expectations of the state. Accordingly, we question the rationale for extending taxation to rural citizens in low-income countries. Instead, we argue for a reconceptualisation of the nature of the fiscal social contract, disentangling the concept of the social contract from the individual. Rather, a collective social contract places greater emphasis on the taxation of wealth and redistribution and recognises that basic rights of citizenship are not, or should not, be contingent on paying direct taxes to the government. Rather than expanding taxation, we argue for the expansion of political voice and rights to rural citizens, through a ‘services-first’ approach.
3
Santoro, Fabrizio, Laura Munoz, Wilson Prichard, and Giulia Mascagi. Digital Financial Services and Digital IDs: What Potential do They Have for Better Taxation in Africa? Institute of Development Studies (IDS), February 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.19088/ictd.2022.003.
Full textAbstract:
New digital technologies are now being widely used in Africa and lower-income countries (LICs). This has had an impact on tax administration, which has been increasingly digitised. Specifically Digital Financial Services (DFS) and digital IDs can improve tax administration. They have the potential to identify taxpayers more easily, communicate with them better, enforce and monitor compliance, and reduce compliance costs. While the potential is clear, existing literature indicates some of the barriers. Take-up of digital technology is still low due to barriers. Also, when taking up the technology, taxpayers often tend to adopt various measures to minimise tax payments. Within tax administrations there are challenges to accessibility and use of quality data. Mistakes can be made when launching digitisation, and there are regulatory and political barriers for effective use of digital technology. Given this context, this paper summarises key questions that are relevant for research and policy development to make more effective use of digital technology in tax administration in Africa and LICs.
4
Oeur, Il, Sochanny Hak, Soeun Cham, Damnang Nil, and Marina Apgar. Exploring the Nexus of Covid-19, Precarious Migration and Child Labour on the Cambodian-Thai Border. Institute of Development Studies, June 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.19088/ids.2022.035.
Full textAbstract:
This report shares findings from qualitative research on the impacts of Covid-19 on Cambodian migrant workers in four sites along the Cambodia-Thai border. Government restrictions in Thailand and the border closure in February 2020 led to job losses and reduced working hours, and ultimately to an increase in the rate of return migration. Return migrants were forced to use informal points of entry with the facilitation of informal brokers, facing increased costs and risks and, in the process, becoming undocumented. This report shows an unequal access to health services between documented and undocumented migrants. Even in the context of Covid-19, some migrants continue to travel with young children who support the family, mostly through light agricultural work. URI
5
Townsend, John. Technical assistance for expanding contraceptive choice in India. Population Council, 1995. http://dx.doi.org/10.31899/rh1995.1017.
Full textAbstract:
One of the roles of the ANE OR/TA Project in India was to participate in policy dialogues with national counterparts, in the public sector and among NGOs, about expanding contraceptive choices, and to provide technical assistance for facilitating changes in service-delivery procedures. The public sector provides five contraceptive methods through its 11,500 hospitals and primary health care facilities. NGOs, private physicians, and pharmacies have access to a broader range of brands. While India is one of the world's leaders in contraceptive research, in recent years products have come to market slowly. New technology is often embraced, however the cost of contraceptive options is not trivial in the Indian context. As stated in this report, the OR Project became formally involved in the effort to expand contraceptive choices in 1993 at the request of the USAID Mission in India. The Secretary of Family Welfare supported concerns for quality and choice as part of the preparation for the International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo, September 1994. Similar recommendations were made during development of a draft national population policy.
6
Toloo, Sam, Ruvini Hettiarachchi, David Lim, and Katie Wilson. Reducing Emergency Department demand through expanded primary healthcare practice: Full report of the research and findings. Queensland University of Technology, January 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.5204/rep.eprints.227473.
Full textAbstract:
Demand for public hospital emergency departments’ services and care is increasing, placing considerable restraint on their performance and threatens patient safety. Many factors influence such demand including individual characteristics (e.g. perceptions, knowledge, values and norms), healthcare availability, affordability and accessibility, population aging, and internal health system factors (e.g patient flow, discharge process). To alleviate demand, many initiatives have been trialled or suggested, including early identification of at-risk patients, better management of chronic disease to reduce avoidable ED presentation, expanded capacity of front-line clinician to manage sub-acute and non-urgent care, improved hospital flow to reduce access block, and diversion to alternate site for care. However, none have had any major or sustained impact on the growth in ED demand. A major focus of the public discourse on ED demand has been the use and integration of primary healthcare and ED, based on the assumption that between 10%–25% of ED presentations are potentially avoidable if patients’ access to appropriate primary healthcare (PHC) services were enhanced. However, this requires not only improved access but also appropriateness in terms of the patients’ preference and PHC providers’ capacity to address the needs. What is not known at the moment is the extent of the potential for diversion of non-urgent ED patients to PHC and the cost-benefits of such policy and funding changes required, particularly in the Australian context. There is a need to better understand ED patients’ needs and capacity constraint so as to effect delivery of accessible, affordable, efficient and responsive services. Jennie Money Doug Morel
7
Martin, Noémie, and Pierre-Olivier Pineau. Choosing to Pay More for Electricity: an experiment on the level of residential consumer cooperation. CIRANO, June 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.54932/xdvi6385.
Full textAbstract:
Reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions are two cornerstones of the fight against climate change. Signaling negative externalities of individual consumption on the environment is at the heart of public policies, and usually materializes through an increase in the price of polluting good and services. However, social resistance typically arises when such policies are implemented. In this experiment, we are interested in testing the context in which individuals would be willing to pay more for electricity. We use the situation of Québec (Canada), where low-cost hydropower sold below market value, akin to a consumption subsidy, leads to high residential consumption. Increasing regulated prices closer to their market value would result in a direct welfare gain and free some green energy, reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) in other sectors. The choice to pay more is a prisoner’s dilemma, and we find in this framework that giving clear and transparent information on the consequences of the price increase induces a majority of people to choose to pay more. In addition to the economic benefit of the public good, the presence of the environmental benefit increases contributions. Participants with a more severe budget constraint tend to contribute less. These results are encouraging for the development of efficient energy policies reducing GHG emissions.
8
Christensen, Lance. PR-459-133750-R03 Fast Accurate Automated System To Find And Quantify Natural Gas Leaks. Chantilly, Virginia: Pipeline Research Council International, Inc. (PRCI), November 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.55274/r0011633.
Full textAbstract:
Miniature natural gas sensors weighing a few hundred grams with 10 ppb s-1 sensitivity towards methane and ppb s-1 sensitivity towards methane and ethane present the energy industry with cost effective ways to improve safety, comply with State and Federal regulations, decrease natural gas emissions, and attribute natural gas indications to thermogenic or biogenic sources. One particularly promising implementation is on small unmanned aerial systems (sUASs) flown by service providers or in-house personnel or even more ambitiously as part of larger network conducting autonomous, continual monitoring. This report describes refinement of the OPLS measurement system to include all ancillary instruments needed to put OPLS methane and ethane measurements into context for leak surveillance, localization, and quantification. Flights were conducted on a variety of VTOLs and fixed wing drones as described below to ensure that the overall system development resulted in a system that was platform agnostic. This report describes: - The complete agnostic OPLS measurement system.The individual components are described and their performance investigated.Technical issues that arose during testing and field deployment are described. - Field experiments of the refined OPLS measurement system at a real-world oil and gas production site.These experiments exercise the OPLS system's ability to do leak surveillance, localization, and quantification. - Laboratory development of the OPLS instrument to improve its performance in terms of signal-to-noise and accuracy. - Field experiments demonstrating the successful application of OPLS on a fixed-wing hybrid flown at altitudes higher than 50 m. - Field experiments demonstrating the utility of source attribution using the ethane measurement capability. There is a related webinar.
9
Lovell, Alexis, Garrett Hoch, Christopher Donnelly, Jordan Hodge, Robert Haehnel, and Emily Asenath-Smith. Shear and tensile delamination of ice from surfaces : The Ice Adhesion Peel Test (IAPT). Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.), September 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.21079/11681/41781.
Full textAbstract:
For decades, researchers have sought to understand the adhesion of ice to surfaces so that low-cost ice mitigation strategies can be developed. Presently, the field of ice adhesion is still without formal standards for performing ice adhesion tests. The U.S. Army Corps Engineers’ Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (ERDC-CRREL) has a longstanding history as an independent third party for ice adhesion testing services. Most notably, CRREL’s Zero-Degree Cone Test (ZDCT) has been an industry favorite for more than 30 years. Despite its wide acceptance, the ZDCT contains some shortcomings, namely that freshwater ice is formed on the surface of interest within the confines of an annular gap. To address this limitation, CRREL developed and uses the Ice Adhesion Peel Test (IAPT) for testing ice adhesion. This test employs an open planar substrate from which the ice can be removed under either tensile or shear loading, thereby allowing ice to be grown directly on the target substrate without the use of molds. The IAPT configuration is therefore amenable to different ice types and geometries and will provide utility to research studies that aim to develop surface treatments to mitigate ice in a wide range of environments. This report describes the IAPT and its use for characterizing the ice adhesion properties of materials.
10
Haslam, Divna, Ben Mathews, Rosana Pacella, James Graham Scott, David Finkelhor, Daryl Higgins, Franziska Meinck, et al. The prevalence and impact of child maltreatment in Australia: Findings from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study: Brief Report. Queensland University of Technology, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.5204/rep.eprints.239397.
Full textAbstract:
The Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) is a landmark study for our nation. The ACMS research team has generated the first nationally representative data on the prevalence of each of the five types of child maltreatment in Australia, and their associated health impacts through life. We also identified information about the context of maltreatment experiences, including how old children are when it occurs, and who inflicts it. This knowledge about which children are most at risk of which types of abuse and neglect, at which ages, and by whom, is needed to develop evidencebased population approaches required to reduce child maltreatment in Australia. The concerning prevalence of maltreatment and its devastating associated outcomes present an urgent imperative for nation-building reform to better protect Australian children and reduce associated costs to individuals, families, communities and broader society. The ACMS collected data from 8500 randomly selected Australians aged 16-65 years and older. We included an oversample of 3500 young people 16-24 years of aged to generate particularly strong data about child maltreatment in contemporary Australian society, to assess its associated impacts in adolescence and early adulthood, and to allow future prevalence studies to detect reductions in prevalence rates over time. Our participants aged 25 and over enabled us to understand prevalence trends at different times in Australian history, and to measure associated health outcomes through life. Participants provided information on childhood experiences of each of the five types of child abuse and neglect, and other childhood adversities, mental health disorders, health risk behaviours, health services utilisation, and more. Our findings provide the first nationally representative data on the prevalence of child maltreatment in Australia. Moreover, the ACMS is the first national study globally to examine maltreatment experiences and associated health and social outcomes of all five forms of child maltreatment. Taken together, our findings provide a deep understanding of the prevalence, context and impact of child abuse and neglect in Australia and make an important contribution to the international field. This brief report presents the main findings from the ACMS for a general public audience. These main findings are further detailed in seven peer-reviewed scholarly articles, published in a special edition of the Medical Journal of Australia, Australia’s leading medical journal. Forthcoming work will examine other important questions about the impacts of specific maltreatment experiences to generate additional evidence to inform governments and stakeholders about optimal prevention policy and practice. There is cause for hope. In recent years, there have been reductions in physical abuse, and in some types of sexual abuse. These reductions are extremely important. They mean that fewer children are suffering, and they indicate that change is possible. Policies and programs to reduce these types of maltreatment are having an effect. Yet, there are other concerning trends, with some types of maltreatment becoming even more common, including emotional abuse, some types of sexual abuse, and exposure to domestic violence. And new types of sexual victimisation are also emerging. As a society, we have much work to do. We know that child maltreatment can be reduced if we work together as governments, service sectors, and communities. We need to invest more, and invest better. It is a moral, social and economic imperative for Australian governments to develop a coordinated long-term plan for generational reform. We have found that: 1. Child maltreatment is widespread. 2. Girls experience particularly high rates of sexual abuse and emotional abuse. 3. Child maltreatment is a major problem affecting today’s Australian children and youth – it is not just something that happened in the past. 4. Child maltreatment is associated with severe mental health problems and behavioural harms, both in childhood and adulthood. 5. Child maltreatment is associated with severe health risk behaviours, both in childhood and adulthood. 6. Emotional abuse is particularly harmful, and is much more damaging than society has understood.