We review recent work on the statistical mechanics of Von Neumann’s growth model and discuss its application to cellular metabolic networks. In this context, we present a detailed analysis of the physiological scenario underlying optimality à la Von Neumann in the metabolism of the bacterium E. coli, showing that optimal solutions are characterized by a considerable microscopic flexibility acco...

This Chapter extends some economic models that take advantage of a formalism inspired from statistical mechanics to account for social influence in individual decisions. Starting with a framework suggested by Durlauf, Blume and Brock, we introduce three classes of models shifting progressively from rational towards adaptive expectations. We discuss the risk and opportunity of transposing the to...

Relationships between State Medicaid program characteristics and program outputs are analyzed in this statistical report, using 1980 cross-sectional data from a variety of sources. The year 1980 furnishes a baseline against which program changes following the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 and the 1982 economic recession can be evaluated. Utilization and expenditures are modeled sepa...

The first decade of the present century has been characterized by several economic shocks such as the 2008 financial crisis. In this data article we present the annual percentage growth rates of the main tourism indicators in the world׳s top tourist destinations: the United States, China, France, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Mexico and Austria. We use data from the Compendium ...

Conducti ng monetary policy is a difficult business. It's easy enough to set a policy goal such as price stability or low and stable inflation , but because monetary policy affects the economy with a lag, achieving those goals requires an ability to peer into the future. A change in the money supply or interest rates today won't affect inflation for months, or even years, down the road. Consequ...

Being able to assess the impact of government-led investment onto socio-economic indicators in cities has long been an important target of urban planning. However, owing to the lack of large-scale data with a fine spatio-temporal resolution, there have been limitations in terms of how planners can track the impact and measure the effectiveness of cultural investment in small urban areas. Taking...

BACKGROUND Economic recession affects quality of life by increasing rates of mental disorders in particular. Social support can be an important protective factor. AIM To estimate the impact of being personally affected by an economic crisis on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), taking into account the possible buffering effect of perceived social support. DESIGN AND SETTING Data from t...

Recognizing that vehicle synthesis fulfills the role of integrator of the mutually interacting disciplines, difficulties persist in intelligently implementing disciplinary analysis into this synthesis process. This paper develops and describes analytical and statistical approximation techniques used to create design-oriented analyses which are implementable in the process. Specifically, techniq...

In this study, the possibility of producing coal with less than 11% ash from tailings of flotation process was investigated. The effect of six flotation parameters: collector type, collector consumption, frother type, frother consumption, pulp density and mixing rate were studied on a sample from a tailing dam. A software based experimental design approach (DX7) was applied to determine and mod...

Compliance to the Indiana Department of Transportation's (INDOT) highway design criteria is considered essential to ensure the roadway safety. However, for a variety of reasons, situations arise where exceptions to standard-design criteria are requested and accepted after review. This research explores the impact that design exceptions have on the accident severity and accident frequency in Ind...