A service oriented architecture for engineering design

Decision making in engineering design can be effectively addressed by using genetic algorithms to solve multi-objective problems. These multi-objective genetic algorithms (MOGAs) are well suited to implementation in a Service Oriented Architecture. Often the evaluation process of the MOGA is compute-intensive due to the use of a complex computer model to represent the real-world system. The emerging paradigm of Grid Computing offers a potential solution to the compute-intensive nature of this objective function evaluation, by allowing access to large amounts of compute resources in a distributed manner. This paper presents a grid-enabled framework for multi-objective optimisation using genetic algorithms (MOGA-G) to aid decision making in engineering design

THE ROLE OF SOIL TEST INFORMATION IN REDUCING GROUNDWATER POLLUTION

Will nitrogen soil testing improve groundwater quality enough to decrease the demand for direct regulation? This question is addressed using a dynamic simulation model of irrigated agriculture in eastern Oregon. Results indicate that soil testing reduces applied nitrogen, increases farm profits and improves groundwater quality, but not enough to avoid regulation.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Evidence of Scope Economies in the Australian Wheat-Sheep Zone

Scope economies can be used in studies of farming systems to provide a measure of synergies between different farm enterprises and between activities within farm enterprises. In this paper, they are reported for farms in a benchmarking group in the Wheat-Sheep Zone in New South Wales, Australia, by estimating a stochastic input distance function and calculating an ‘economies of scope parameter’. Evidence is presented of scope economies between sheep and beef enterprises, sheep and crop enterprises, and beef and crop enterprises.Australia, crops, livestock, scope economies,

Evidence of Scope Economies in Australian Agriculture

Scope economies can be used in studies of farming systems to provide a measure of synergies between different farm enterprises and between activities within farm enterprises. In this paper, they are reported for farms in three benchmarking groups in Australia by estimating stochastic input distance functions and calculating an 'economies of scope parameter'. Evidence of significant scope economies between sheep and crop enterprises, and between beef and crop enterprises, is presented and discussed. Similar evidence is reported between wool and lamb activities and wool and mature sheep trading activities within the sheep enterprise.Australia, Crops, Livestock, Sheep, Scope Economics, Crop Production/Industries, Livestock Production/Industries, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Industrial Organization,

What Should Farmers Pay for Cash Rents

Determining what to pay for cash rental rates is a big problem for most farmers. Typically, crop budgets are used for this decision. However, problems arise from this approach because the average revenue contained in the budget is often not the true marginal revenue. Farm size differences certainly affect the average and thus the marginal revenue. This paper calculates the true marginal revenue per acre so that a better estimate can be made of the cash rental rate. Farm analysis data is used to calculate the total revenue per acre. The first derivative then gives the marginal revenue.Land Economics/Use,

The Yale Lar TPC

In this paper we give a concise description of a liquid argon time projection chamber (LAr TPC) developed at Yale, and present results from its first calibration run with cosmic rays.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, NuInt07 Conference Proceeding

COMPETITIVENESS AND COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE OF TREE CROP SMALLHOLDINGS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The contribution by tree crop industries to economic development in Papua New Guinea (PNG) depends to a considerable extent on their economic efficiency in terms of competitiveness and comparative advantage of domestic production and export marketing. These advantages for the four major tree crop products - coffee, coconut, cocoa, and palm oil - are analysed in this study. The aim is to ascertain whether PNG is an efficient producer of these tree crop exports in terms of international competitiveness and comparative advantage, and whether these industries deserve continuing government support.comparative advantage, competitiveness, devaluation, traded goods, tree crops, Crop Production/Industries, International Relations/Trade,