ON DECISION-MAKING FOR MAXIMUM PROFIT PER UNIT OF TIME FROM BATCH PRODUCTION

Finding ration sequences which result in maximum profit per day from fattening batches of livestock over successive weight intervals has posed difficulties in earlier studies. Fractional and dynamic programming are considered as solution methods and illustrated for a problem previously solved by total enumeration. Other problems are discussed which would be best solved by a combination of the two methods. A novel proposal is made for using the two methods to maximise the present value of returns from sequencing weight gains over infinite production cycles.     

The association between osteoporosis and patient outcomes in Japan

Objective To quantify the burden of osteoporosis and examine the interplay between osteoporosis and various comorbidities as it relates to patient outcomes.

Methods Data from the 2011 Japan National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS; n?=?30 000), an internet health survey fielded to a nationally representative sample of the Japanese population were used. Only women between the ages of 50–90 years were included in the analyses (n?=?6950).

Results Compared with matched controls (n?=?404), patients with osteoporosis (n?=?404) had lower MCS scores (48.94 vs 51.63), PCS scores (45.57 vs 49.12) (all p?<?0.05). The presence of osteoporosis was associated with worse patient outcomes among those with hypertension, high cholesterol, and insomnia, among other conditions.

Conclusions The results suggest a significant quality-of-life and economic burden for patients with osteoporosis in Japan. Moreover, in a complex co-morbid environment, the presence of osteoporosis contributes more to patient outcomes than other chronic conditions.     

Wage distribution in Japan, 1989–2003

Abstract. This study examines the recent trend of the Japanese wage distribution based on a micro‐level data set from the Basic Survey on Wage Structure (1989–2003). We perform several decomposition analyses of changes in the distribution of the hourly wage. We observe that lower returns to education and years of tenure contribute to a diminishing income disparity between groups for both sexes. A larger variance within a group contributes to the wage disparity for males, while an increased heterogeneity of workers' attributes contributes to the wage disparity for females. The Dinardo, Fortin, and Lemieux decomposition confirms the basic findings with a parametric variance decomposition.     

Cordon Pricing and Land‐Use Regulation

This study explores the simultaneous imposition of cordon pricing and land‐use regulations in a continuous and closed monocentric city with homogeneous households. Results reveal the optimal level of a single cordon toll and its location and the optimal floor area ratio (FAR) regulation, clarifying what distortions remain in the existence of cordon pricing and FAR regulation. Among other results, this paper shows that, with an optimal cordon toll, FAR regulation should alternate between a minimum and a maximum regulation, both inside and outside the cordon line.     

Optimal Control of Pollution Accumulation with Long-Run Average Welfare

This paper considers the problem of pollution accumulation in order to maximize the long-run average welfare functional in environmental economics. We approach the problem by solving the associated Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation in the classical sense, via the viscosity solution method. The optimal policy is shown to exist in a feedback from, and the maximum value is also obtained independently of the initial level of pollution. An equilibrium of the optimal stock of pollution is discussed.     

生态补偿的理论标准与测算方法探讨

生态补偿的理论标准是测算生态补偿的实际标准和选择生态补偿标准的测算方法的重要依据。本文探讨了生态补偿的理论标准,界定了我国生态补偿的概念,从正负外部性内部化的两个层面梳理了现有生态补偿标准的测算依据和测算方法,初步讨论了基于理论标准的生态补偿的测算方法。     

IS MINIMUM WAGE AN EFFECTIVE ANTI‐POVERTY POLICY IN JAPAN?

This paper considers whether the minimum wage is a well‐targeted antipoverty policy by examining the backgrounds of minimum‐wage workers. Whether raising the minimum wage reduces employment for unskilled workers is also investigated. An examination of micro data from a large‐scale government household survey, the Employment Structure Survey (Shugyo Kozo Kihon Chosa), reveals that approximately half of minimum‐wage workers belong to households with annual incomes of more than 5 million yen as a non‐head of household. A regression analysis indicates that an increase in the minimum wage moderately reduces the employment of male teenagers and middle‐aged married women, while it encourages the employment of high‐school age youth.     

Actual age at school entry, educational outcomes, and earnings

This paper reports on the effect of actual age measured by month at school entry on test scores, eventual educational attainment, and labor market outcomes, using school test score data and a labor force survey of Japan. Japan is an ideal country for examining the pure effect of actual age at school entry on eventual years of education because the length of compulsory education does not vary by birth month and legal administrations assure that almost all children follow a fixed schedule of grade progress. Older children of both sexes in a school cohort obtain higher test scores and more education years than their younger counterparts. This better academic performance translates into higher annual earnings among males.