Search results for "costs"

A multi-objective approach to solid waste management

2010

The issue addressed in this paper consists in the localization and dimensioning of transfer stations, which constitute a necessary intermediate level in the logistic chain of the solid waste stream, from municipalities to the incinerator. Contextually, the determination of the number and type of vehicles involved is carried out in an integrated optimization approach. The model considers both initial investment and operative costs related to transportation and transfer stations. Two conflicting objectives are evaluated, the minimization of total cost and the minimization of environmental impact, measured by pollution. The design of the integrated waste management system is hence approached i…

The Impact of CSR/ESG Reporting on the Cost of Capital: An Example of US Healthcare Entities

2021

PURPOSE: Identifying the direction and strength of the relationship between individual elements of ESG and ESG as a whole and the cost of capital (weighted average, equity, and debt) in the healthcare industry.

Review of factors influencing the success or failure of biocontrol: technical, industrial and socio-economic perspectives

2010

Communication orale au 11. IOBC-WPRS Meeting of the working group "Biological control of fungal and bacterial plant pathogens". Climate change: challenge or threat to biocontrol?, 2010/06/07-11 ; Graz (AUT).; International audience; Although their role in plant health management is still quite modest, ever increasing expectations are placed on biocontrol agents for the complementation or replacement of pesticide use. Despite decades of research and more than 12,000 scientific papers on biological control of plant diseases, little more than 14 microbe-based commercial products are presently registered for use against diseases in the European Union. Through a review of published scientific li…

Etude des interactions plantes-microbes et microbes-microbes au sein de la rhizosphère, sous un aspect coûts-bénéfices, dans un contexte de variation…

2013

Understanding the interactions that bind plants and soil microorganisms is an essential step for the sustainable management of ecosystems, especially in agriculture. The ecosystem services resulting from such interactions include plant productivity which responds, in part, to the food requirements of the world's population and the regulation of biogeochemical cycles. These ecosystem services depend on trophic links between the two partners in the interaction and can be represented by a tradeoff between the costs and benefits for each partner. Plants, being autotrophic organisms or primary producers, are key organisms which introduce carbon into the ecosystem, through photosynthesis. Part of…

Economic Value Added (EVA), Agency Costs and Firm Performance : Theoretical Insights through the Value Based Management (VBM) Framework

2015

The Individual-level Productivity Costs of Physical Inactivity

2023

Abstract Purpose: This study estimated the long-term individual-level productivity costs of physical inactivity. Methods: The data were drawn from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, to which the productivity cost variables (sick leaves and disability pensions) from Finnish registries were linked. Individuals (N = 6261) were categorized into physical activity groups based on their level of physical activity, which was measured in three ways: 1) self-reported leisure-time moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) at 46 yr old, 2) longitudinal self-reported leisure-time MVPA at 31–46 yr old, and 3) accelerometer-measured overall MVPA at 46 yr old. The human capital approach…

Practitioners’ Perceptions of Co-Product Allocation Methods in Biorefinery Development—A Case Study of the Austrian Pulp and Paper Indust…

2022

The utilization of coproducts is a strategy that can be applied to increase the economic and environmental performance of industrial processes and thus reach an objective targeted in several environmental policies. In multi-output production processes, allocation needs to be performed to assess the products’ environmental and economic performance. It is crucial to choose an adequate allocation method, because this choice has been shown to strongly influence overall outcomes. Consequently, rash choices can lead to poor decision-making. Various ways to apply and combine allocation methods can be found in the academic literature, but it is often difficult to find sufficient guidance on how to …

THE PRODUCTION COSTS OF CONVENTIONAL AND ORGANIC APPLE ORCHARDS IN THE VENETO REGION (ITALY)

2012

In times of crisis people are thinking how to make the best choice to be more profitable. Both the manufacturers and the consumers must choose the best solutions for them and their businesses. Making a choice between organic and conventional methods in times of crisis is even more difficult considering production costs and consumption patterns. What is the composition of production costs for an apple orchard, how they can be divided into homogeneous categories and why to choose green are the questions we have tried to answer in this paper.

Lateral flow assays towards point-of-care cancer detection: A review of current progress and future trends

2020

Abstract Cancer is one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. However, its early non-invasive detection via quantification of appropriate biomarkers can significantly reduce mortality, enhance survival, and save treatment costs. Lateral flow test strips (LFTS) are nowadays considered as the most attractive point-of-care devices for healthcare applications. However, the quantification of cancer biomarkers in body fluids suffers from some challenges including i) the necessity for multiplex analysis, ii) the development of sensitive detection systems, iii) to overcome the analysis of complex samples, at the same time, it should keep the quality assurance criteria for an accur…

Current characterisation for ultra low power wireless body area networks

2010

The emerging area of body area networks (BAN) imposes challenging requirements on hardware and software to achieve the desired lifetimes for certain devices such as long term medical implants. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to the measurement and characterisation of the energy consumption of BAN devices. The approach uses a low cost energy auditing circuit and addresses the problem of accurately measuring low-level current consumption. This new technique will allow precise and analytical measurements of systems and components in terms of energy. This will help circuit designers minimise power consumption in BAN devices. Software engineers might use this approach to validate and …