Search results for "Production cost"

Aptamer-based assay of biomolecules: Recent advances in electro-analytical approach

2017

Electrochemical aptasensors, which are based on the specificity of aptamer-target recognition, with electrochemical transduction for analytical purposes have received particular attention due to their high sensitivity and selectivity, simple instrumentation, as well as low production cost. This review summarizes advances from 2009 to January 2017 in the development of electrochemical aptasensors for biological molecules, including small molecules, nucleic acids, and proteins. Various aptasensing strategies are assessed according to their potential for reaching relevant limits of sensitivity, specificity, and degrees of multiplexing. Furthermore, we address the remaining challenges and oppor…

The use of hydrogen in residential sector: Economic aspects and environmental benefits

2005

Economic evaluation of PDO introduction in Sicilian orange farms

2014

The south-western part of Sicily is the largest Italian production area of Navel oranges where in 2008 it was established the Arancia di Ribera Prot ected Designation of Origin (PDO). The aim of the paper was to ana lyze the effect that the PDO introduction determined on farm profitability and sustainability. To this end, it was carried out an economic analysis on some representative orange farms of PDO area.

PROFITABILITY OF SMALL LOQUAT FARMS IN SICILY

2015

The northern Sicilian coastline, known for its favorable soil and climatic conditions, represents the main production area in Italy for loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.). Over the years, the absence of process innovation and appropriate marketing strategies caused a gradual decline of loquat cultivation. This study estimates the profitability of some representative Sicilian farms that grow loquat in the area of Trabia (Palermo Province), where this crop is important for the local economy. The results highlighted a productive scenario characterized by high production costs, where only a family farm that supplies much of its own labor can survive.

Economic Sustainability of Italian Greenhouse Cherry Tomato

2014

Greenhouse tomato cultivation plays an important role in Sicily, being the primary production area in Italy, due to its favorable pedo-climatic conditions that permit extra-seasonal productions. In Sicily, more than half of greenhouse tomato production is derived from the Province of Ragusa on the southeastern coast, where especially cherry tomato typologies are cultivated. Over the last decade, the Ragusa Province has registered a decrease both in terms of greenhouse tomato area and harvested production due to several structural problems that would require restructuring of the tomato supply chain. Thus, since recognition of real costs and profitability of tomato growing is a vital issue, b…

Assessment of the production costs curve in micro-grids: a comparative analysis

2012

In micro-grids, due to their small scale, there is commonly only one power supplier. A competitive wholesale market hardly exists so the question about how to consider market issues for small producers within micro-grids arises. On the other hand, the specific features of micro-grids where load and generated power hardly find a balance, require that customers take part to regulation issues, maybe using demand response programs. In this paper, price responsive policies and its programs are discussed to answer this question. A case study of a micro-grid with one microturbine and two photovoltaic generators in Italy is analyzed to assess the overall production cost in order to build a price re…

A study on the assessment of the production costs curves in micro-grids

2013

In micro-grids, due to their small scale, there is commonly only one power supplier. A competitive wholesale market hardly exists, so the question about how to consider market issues for small producers within micro-grids arises. On the other hand, the specific features of micro-grids where load and generated power hardly find a balance, require that customers take part to regulation issues, also using demand-response (DR) programs. In this paper, price responsive (PR) policies and their programs are discussed to answer this question. A case study of a micro-grid with one micro-turbine and two photovoltaic (PV) generators is analyzed to assess the overall production cost in order to build a…

Forward Trading and Entry under Incomplete Information

2017

This paper examines the strategic use of forward trading by an incumbent producer who faces potential entry under incomplete information. We show the existence of Bayesian-Nash equilibria in which the incumbent uses forward transactions to deter entry that would have occurred under complete information. Additionally, we find that increasing the frequency of forward trading can raise the volume of pre-entry forward trading and affect the likelihood of entry. Our analysis shows that the incumbent can deter entry with a short position if production cost correlation is low and with a long position if that correlation is high. In the limiting case of continuous trading, these two configurations …

Sustainability evaluation of Sicily's lemon and orange production: An energy, economic and environmental analysis

2013

The island of Sicily has a long standing tradition in citrus growing. We evaluated the sustainability of orange and lemon orchards, under organic and conventional farming, using an energy, environmental and economic analysis of the whole production cycle by using a life cycle assessment approach. These orchard systems differ only in terms of a few of the inputs used and the duration of the various agricultural operations. The quantity of energy consumption in the production cycle was calculated by multiplying the quantity of inputs used by the energy conversion factors drawn from the literature. The production costs were calculated considering all internal costs, including equipment, materi…