The Effect of Price Discount on Time-Cost Trade-off Problem Using Genetic Algorithm

Time-cost trade off problem (TCTP), known in the literature as project crashing problem (PCP) and project speeding up problem (PSP) is a part of project management in planning phase. In this problem, determining the optimal levels of activity durations and activity costs which satisfy the project goal(s), leads to a balance between the project completion time and the project total cost. A large amount of literature has studied this problem under various behavior of cost function. But, in all of them, influence of discount has not been in-vestigated. Hence, in this paper, TCTP would be studied considering the influence of discount on the re-source price, using genetic algorithm (GA). The performance of proposed idea has been tested on a medium scale test problem and several computational experiments have been conducted to investigate the appropriate levels of proposed GA considering accuracy and computational time.

Cyberattack Ramifications, The Hidden Cost of a Security Breach

In this in-depth exploration, I delve into the complex implications and costs of cybersecurity breaches. Venturing beyond just the immediate repercussions, the research unearths both the overt and concealed long-term consequences that businesses encounter. This study integrates findings from various research, including quantitative reports, drawing upon real-world incidents faced by both small and large enterprises. This investigation emphasizes the profound intangible costs, such as trade name devaluation and potential damage to brand reputation, which can persist long after the breach. By collating insights from industry experts and a myriad of research, the study provides a comprehensive perspective on the profound, multi-dimensional impacts of cybersecurity incidents. The overarching aim is to underscore the often-underestimated scope and depth of these breaches, emphasizing the entire timeline post-incident and the urgent need for fortified preventative and reactive measures in the digital domain.

多项目环境下time-cost置换问题建模与求解

针对多项目环境下的time-cost置换问题,以活动资源为决策变量,建立了以各项目总延迟最小与总成本最小的双目标time-cost置换模型。在总结前人对于多目标优化求解方法的基础上,针对多项目的特点,提出了基于NSGA-II非劣排序的局部直接搜索改进遗传算法,并考虑资源为连续与离散两种情况进行求解。与NSGA-II相比,算法可以较快地收敛到最优解,并且具有较好的离散变量搜索能力,与ZDT系列测试函数的比较也体现了算法的优越性。

Time consumption,productivity,and cost analysis of skidding in the Hyrcanian forest in Iran

The performance of the skidder Timber jack 450 C was presented in timber skidding of non-coniferous trees in hilly and mountainous conditions. An empirical time study was conducted to evaluate the current skidding system in Hyrcanian forest in northern Irma for improving production rate of skidding and finding out the production cost for planning. Based on the identified elements of skidding work phase and 130 recorded cycles, we calculated the models for effective time consumption, total productivity, and unit cost. The validity of the model was tested at 95% confidence interval. The average load volume per cycle was 2.82 m3, average one way skidding distance was 450 m, and the average slope was 18%. The average travel speed of unloaded skidder was 5.8 km.h-1, and the average speed of loaded skidder was 0.1 km.h＂~ higher than the speed of the unloaded ones. The travel speed was pre- dominantly affected by longitudinal slopes and types of strip roads. The average speed of pulling the cable was 1.16 km.h-1, and that of load winching was 0.74 km.hl. The average outputs in skidding was 10.6 m^-3.h^-1 and the unit cost was 12.1 USS per hour. The time consumption and productivity of skidding depends on distances and slope, number of logs per cycle, volume, log length, etc. However, the influence of variables is not the same.

Probabilistic prediction of expected ground condition and construction time and costs in road tunnels

Ground condition and construction （excavation and support） time and costs are the key factors in decision-making during planning and design phases of a tunnel project. An innovative methodology for probabilistic estimation of ground condition and construction time and costs is proposed, which is an integration of the ground prediction approach based on Markov process, and the time and cost variance analysis based on Monte-Carlo （MC） simulation. The former provides the probabilistic description of ground classification along tunnel alignment according to the geological information revealed from geological profile and boreholes. The latter provides the probabilistic description of the expected construction time and costs for each operation according to the survey feedbacks from experts. Then an engineering application to Hamro tunnel is presented to demonstrate how the ground condition and the construction time and costs are estimated in a probabilistic way. In most items, in order to estimate the data needed for this methodology, a number of questionnaires are distributed among the tunneling experts and finally the mean values of the respondents are applied. These facilitate both the owners and the contractors to be aware of the risk that they should carry before construction, and are useful for both tendering and bidding.

An Inventory Model for Deteriorating Items with Exponential Declining Demand and Time-Varying Holding Cost

In the present paper, a total optimal cost of an inventory model with exponential declining demand and constant deterioration is considered. The time-varying holding cost is a linear function of time. Shortages are not allowed. The items (like food grains, fashion apparels and electronic equipments) have fixed shelf-life which decreases with time during the end of the season. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the model and the sensitivity analysis of various parameters is carried out.

Vehicle Operating, Accident and User Time Costs in Pavement Management Systems： Approach for Portuguese Conditions

This paper presents a description and analysis of the most important models to predict each of the Road User Costs components （Vehicle Operating Costs, Accident Costs and Value of Time） and proposes a model for estimating RUC components suitable for the Portuguese road network. These results are part of a research which aimed to obtain a Road User Cost Model to be used as a tool in road management systems. This model is different from other models by the fact that it includes a simple formulation that allows calibration and calculation of cost parameters, for any year, in a simple and fast way, providing trustworthy results. The required data is already available in Portuguese institutions, allowing periodic revision of cost parameters to insure accuracy.

Guaranteed Cost Consensus for High-dimensional Multi-agent Systems With Time-varying Delays

Guaranteed cost consensus analysis and design problems for high-dimensional multi-agent systems with time varying delays are investigated. The idea of guaranteed cost con trol is introduced into consensus problems for high-dimensiona multi-agent systems with time-varying delays, where a cos function is defined based on state errors among neighboring agents and control inputs of all the agents. By the state space decomposition approach and the linear matrix inequality(LMI)sufficient conditions for guaranteed cost consensus and consensu alization are given. Moreover, a guaranteed cost upper bound o the cost function is determined. It should be mentioned that these LMI criteria are dependent on the change rate of time delays and the maximum time delay, the guaranteed cost upper bound is only dependent on the maximum time delay but independen of the Laplacian matrix. Finally, numerical simulations are given to demonstrate theoretical results.

Decentralized robust guaranteed cost control for a class of interconnected singular large-scale systems with time-delay and parameter uncertainty

The decentralized robust guaranteed cost control problem is studied for a class of interconnected singular large-scale systems with time-delay and norm-bounded time-invariant parameter uncertainty under a given quadratic cost performance function. The problem that is addressed in this study is to design a decentralized robust guaranteed cost state feedback controller such that the closed-loop system is not only regular, impulse-free and stable, but also guarantees an adequate level of performance for all admissible uncertainties. A sufficient condition for the existence of the decentralized robust guaranteed cost state feedback controllers is proposed in terms of a linear matrix inequality （LMI） via LMI approach. When this condition is feasible, the desired state feedback decentralized robust guaranteed cost controller gain matrices can be obtained. Finally, an illustrative example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Time consumption, productivity, and cost analysis of the motor manual tree felling and processing in the Hyrcanian Forest in Iran

An empirical time study was cohducted to evaluate the performance of the current felling and tree processing methods used in Northern Iran＇s Hyrcanian forest. Motor-manual felling is done mostly in winter, while tree processing starts when the felling season ends. We identified the elements of felling and processing work phases, and 142 cycles and 110 cycles were respectively recorded for felling and processing. On the basis of data analysis （time study）, we developed statistical models of effective time consumption in the respective work phase and for its total productivity. The production rate of felling with and without delay time was 9.7 and 11.65 trees per hour （0.17 USD.m^-3 and 0.21 USD-m^-3）, and the average production cost with and without delay was 1.21 USD and 1.45 USD per tree, respectively. The average productivity of processing was 35 m^3 per effective hour and the average unit cost of processing was 0.92 USD.m^-3.

Robust reliable guaranteed cost control for uncertain singular systems with time-delay

The robust reliable guaranteed cost control for uncertain singular delay systems with actuator failures and a given quadratic cost function is studied. The system under consideration involves constant time-delay and norm-bounded parameter uncertainties. The purpose is to design state feedback controllers which can tolerate actuator failure, such that the closed-loop system is stable, and the specified cost function has an upper bound for all admissible uncertainties. The sufficient conditions for the solvability of this problem are obtained by a linear matrix inequality （LMI） method. Furthermore, a numerical example is given to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach.

Nonfragile guaranteed cost control for Delta operator-formulated uncertain time-delay systems

With consideration that the controller parameters may vary from the designed value when the controller is realized, based on Lyapunov stability theory, a design method of nonfragile guaranteed cost control for a class of Delta operator-formulated uncertain time-delay systems is studied. A sufficient condition for the existence of the nonfragile guaranteed cost controller is given. A numeric example is then given to illustrate the effectiveness and the feasibility of the designed method. The results show that even if the parameters of the designed controller are of variations, the closed-loop system is still asymptotically stable and the super value of the cost function can also be obtained, while the closed-loop system will be unstable if the variations of the controller parameters are not considered when the controller is designed. The nonfragile guaranteed cost controller derived from the traditional shift operator method may cause the closed-loop system to be unstable, while the nonfragile guaranteed cost controller based on Delta operator method can avoid the unstable problem of the closed-loop system.

Optimal guaranteed cost control for an uncertain discrete T-S fuzzy system with time-delay

This paper considers the guaranteed cost control problem for a class of uncertain discrete T-S fuzzy systems with time delay and a given quadratic cost function. Sufficient conditions for the existence of such controllers are derived based on the linear matrix inequalities （LMI） approach by constructing a specific nonquadratic Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and a nonlinear PDC-like control law. A convex optimization problem is also formulated to select the optimal guaranteed cost controller that minimizes the upper bound of the closed-loop cost function. Finally, numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.

Non-fragile guaranteed cost control of discrete-time fuzzy bilinear system

This paper focuses on the problem of non-fragile guaranteed cost control for a class of T-S discrete-time fuzzy bilinear systems（DFBS）.Based on the parallel distributed compensation（PDC） approach,the sufficient conditions are derived such that the closed-loop system is asymptotically stable and the cost function value is no more than a certain upper bound in the presence of the additive controller gain perturbations.The non-fragile guaranteed cost controller can be obtained by solving a set of bilinear matrix inequalities（BMIs）.The Van de Vusse model is utilized to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Measuring the effect of opportunity cost of time on participation in sports and exercise

Background: There is limited research on the association between opportunity cost of time and sports and exercise due to lack of data on opportunity cost of time. Using a sample of 14142 adults from Health Survey for England (2006), we develop and test a composite index of opportunity cost of time (to address the current issues with data constraint on opportunity cost of time) in order to explore the relationship between opportunity cost of time and sports participation. Methods: Probit regression models are fitted adjusting for a range of covariates. Opportunity cost of time is measured with two proxy measures: a) composite index (consisting of various indicators of wage earnings) constructed using principal component analysis;and b) education and employment, approach in the literature. We estimate the relative impact of the composite index compared with current proxy measures, on prediction of sports participation. Findings: Findings suggest that higher opportunity cost of time is associated with increased likelihood of sports participation, regardless of the time intensity of activity or the measure of opportunity cost of time used. The relative impacts of the two proxy measures are comparable. Sports and exercise was found to be positively correlated with income. Another important positive correlate of sports and exercise is participation in voluntary activity. The research and policy implications of our findings are discussed.

Area-time associated test cost model for SoC and lower bound of test time

A novel test access mechanism （TAM） architecture with multi test-channel （TC） based on IEEE Standard 1500 is proposed instead of the traditional sub-TAM structure. The cost model of an area-time associated test and the corresponding lower bound of system-on-chip （SoC） test time are established based on this TAM architecture. The model provides a more reliable method to control the SoC scheduling and reduces the complexity in related algorithm research. The result based on the area time associated test cost model has been validated using the ITC02 test benchmark.

Study of Factors Causing Time and Cost Overrun in Pre-Construction Project (A Case Study of Malaysia)

Cost and time overrun are the key troubles of any improvement ventures. These troubles are inflicting the terrible end result in the development of kingdom monetary improvement and thriving. To overcome these problems, the?paper examines predominant impact on elements causing the mission postponement and cost. A poll review was led for the situation study embracing various information-gathering procedures. The discoveries from the contextual investigation uncovered that the most persuasive factors in Malaysia:?1) contractor’s inappropriate arranging, 2) poor site the board, 3) deficient contractual worker experience,?are the most powerful factors. This paper has likewise broken down the normal and least effective of the postpone variables causing task deferral and cost overrun in Malaysia. It likewise infers that there are various measures as per the idea of deferring components to decrease the effect on task postponement and cost overruns in the development industry.?There are significant factors in the control of time overrun that would be actual thought related to know and tackle in great impact to improvement rate which may additionally no capacity that be recovered. Thirty (30) massive development extensions in Malaysia were exceptional coping with time overrun at some stage in development. Out of 30 undertakings, 17 (56.67%) ventures had been introduced by using 1100 days’ time overrun, 5 (16.67%) extensions in the middle of a hundred and one to 200 days, 5 (16.67%) ventures?201 to 300 days while three (10%) ventures have been deferred for timeframe over 300 days.

Optimal guaranteed cost control for fuzzy descriptor systems with time-varying delay

Based on the delay-independent rule, the problem of optimal guaranteed cost control for a class of Takagi-Sugeno （T-S） fuzzy descriptor systems with time-varying delay is studied. A linear quadratic cost function is considered as the performance index of the closed-loop system. Sufficient conditions for the existence of guaranteed cost controllers via state feedback are given in terms of linear matrix inequalities （LMIs）, and the design of an optimal guaranteed cost controller can be reduced to a convex optimization problem. It is shown that the designed controller not only guarantees the asymptotic stability of the closed-loop fuzzy descriptor delay system, but also provides an optimized upper bound of the guaranteed cost. At last, a numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and the perfect performance of the optimal guaranteed cost controller.

Design of cost allocation rule for joint replenishment with controllable lead time

To encourage retailers to form cooperative alliances to jointly replenish inventory,considering that the supplier provides a flexible lead time and quantity discount to retailers,a model of average total cost per unit time of periodic joint replenishment is constructed,and an approximate algorithm,which can satisfy the requirement of any given precision,is given.The cost allocation rule in the core of the joint replenishment game is designed based on the cooperative game theory.The numerical experiment results show that the proposed algorithm can quickly solve the joint replenishment problem when the item number is not greater than 640.The retailer's cost saving rate is always greater than 0,and it increases with the increase in quantity discount and fixed cost after adopting the given cost allocation rule.With the increase in the safety stock level,the retailer's cost saving rate increases first and then decreases;and the retailer's cost saving rate increases with the increase in the size of the alliance,but it decreases as the number of product category increases.The proposed cost allocation rule can reduce the retailer's cost up to 20%,which is conducive to forming a cooperative coalition.

Comparing the Efficiency of Manual and Electronic Tender Document Preparation: Cost and Time Context

In Bangladesh, both manual and e-GP system is used to perform public procurement. Before tender publication, tender documents have to be prepared by the Procurement Entities (PEs). The problem is that the manual tendering system involves more cost and time in preparing tender documents. The study’s purpose is to compare now the efficiency of tender document preparation in the manual system with the e-GP system. This study tests the cost and time involved in tender document preparation, both manual and e-procurement tenders. Sample data was collected from the 11 RHD zones. Structured survey questionnaires were used to collect primary data from the PE officers of RHD. A hypothesis test was performed using the model of independent samples t-test. The test results indicated that e-Procurement tender document preparation costs and time were less than manual tendering. Academicians, researchers, PE officers, and policymakers will benefit from the study’s conclusions.