Search results for "RICE"
showing 10 items of 2331 documents
Evaluation of the Use of a City Center through the Use of Bluetooth Sensors Network
2019
In order to achieve the objectives of Smart Cities, public administrations need to take measures to regulate mobility, which undoubtedly requires a high level of information and sensorization. Until the implementation of the connected vehicle takes place, it is still necessary to install sensors to obtain information about mobility. Bluetooth sensors are becoming a useful tool due to the low cost of equipment and installation. The use of Bluetooth sensors in cities, with short distances between sensors, makes it necessary to propose new classification algorithms that allow the trips of pedestrians and vehicles to be differentiated. This article presents the study carried out in the city of …
A statistical monitoring approach for automotive on-board diagnostic systems
2007
The current generation of vehicle models are increasingly being equipped with on-board diagnostic (OBD) systems aimed at assessing the ‘state of health’ of important anti-pollution subsystems and components. In order to promptly diagnose and fix quality and reliability problems that may potentially affect such complex diagnostic systems, even during advanced development prior to mass production, some vehicle prototypes undergo a testing phase under realistic conditions of use (a mileage accumulation campaign). The aim of this work is to set up a statistical tool for improving the reliability of the OBD system by monitoring its operation during the mileage accumulation campaign of a new vehi…
Nutraceuticals and functional foods for the control of plasma cholesterol levels. An intersociety position paper
2018
Current evidence shows that cholesterol management either reduces the likelihood of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or slows down its progression. Hence, it is important that all health professionals make appropriate use of all the available intervention strategies to control risk factors: from dietary improvement and positive lifestyle changes to the use of functional foods, food supplements, and drugs. This review examines the effect of the most frequently occurring cholesterol-lowering substances in functional foods or in supplements across Europe, namely plant sterols and stanols, monacolin K found in red yeast rice, berberine and beta-glucans. We conclude that currently available suppleme…
Cost–benefit analysis of water-reuse projects for environmental purposes: A case study for Spanish wastewater treatment plants
2011
Water reuse is an emerging and promising non-conventional water resource. Feasibility studies are essential tools in the decision making process for the implementation of water-reuse projects. However, the methods used to assess economic feasibility tend to focus on internal costs, while external impacts are relegated to unsubstantiated statements about the advantages of water reuse. Using the concept of shadow prices for undesirable outputs of water reclamation, the current study developed a theoretical methodology to assess internal and external economic impacts. The proposed methodological approach is applied to 13 wastewater treatment plants in the Valencia region of Spain that reuse ef…
Economic valuation of environmental benefits from wastewater treatment processes: An empirical approach for Spain
2009
Economic research into the design and implementation of policies for the efficient management of water resources has been emphasized by the European Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC). The efficient implementation of policies to prevent the degradation and depletion of water resources requires determining their value in social and economic terms and incorporating this information into the decision-making process. A process of wastewater treatment has many associated environmental benefits. However, these benefits are often not calculated because they are not set by the market, due to inadequate property rights, the presence of externalities, and the lack of perfect information…
An Operator Splitting Method for Pricing American Options
2008
Pricing American options using partial (integro-)differential equation based methods leads to linear complementarity problems (LCPs). The numerical solution of these problems resulting from the Black-Scholes model, Kou’s jump-diffusion model, and Heston’s stochastic volatility model are considered. The finite difference discretization is described. The solutions of the discrete LCPs are approximated using an operator splitting method which separates the linear problem and the early exercise constraint to two fractional steps. The numerical experiments demonstrate that the prices of options can be computed in a few milliseconds on a PC.
Optimal switches in multi-inventory systems
2007
Given a switched multi-inventory system we wish to find the optimal schedule of the resets to maintain the system in a safe operating interval, while minimizing a function related to the cost of the resets. We discuss a family of instances that can be solved in polynomial time by linear programming. We do this by introducing a set-covering formulation with a totally unimodular constraint matrix.
Determination of disproportionate tenders in public procurement
2013
[EN] Public procurement is one of the fundamental pillars of the construction sector and the understanding of its statutory regulation is one of the keys to success. The government regulates the concept of disproportionate tenders to avoid deals that are too low, something which could jeopardise the execution of the work or cause problems during implementation such as conflicting prices, project modifications and delays. The criteria for determining the disproportionality of the offers are numerous and each contracting authority determines which to use in each process by carrying out a comparative analysis. The results show that the formulas of disproportionality based on a percentage of th…
Availability and consumption of alcoholic beverages: evidence from Finland
2009
The study examines the consumption of alcoholic beverages in Finland over the period 1960 to 2004. Consumption is explained by its own real price, relative prices, expenditure and variables measuring the availability of alcohol. The empirical analysis utilizes information on linkages across different beverages and uses co-integration techniques. The study finds that changes in the availability of alcohol, typically related to institutional changes, have played an important role in determining consumption, especially of beer.