The Maximum of Independent Geometric Random Variables as the Time for Genomic Evolution

□ We calculate the asymptotics of the moments as well as the limiting distribution (after the appropriate normalization) of the maximum of independent, not identically distributed, geometric random variables. In many cases, the limit distribution turns out to be the standard Gumbel. The motivation comes from a variant of the genomic evolutionary model proposed by Wilf and Ewens^{[ 15} Wilf , H.S. , Ewens , W.J . There's plenty of time for evolution . Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 2010 , 107 ( 52 ), 22454 – 22456 , doi: 10.1073/pnas.1016207107. [Crossref], [PubMed] , [Google Scholar] ^] as an answer to the criticism of the Darwinian theory of evolution stating that the time required for the appropriate mutations is huge.

A byproduct of our analysis is the asymptotics of the moments as well as the limiting distribution (after the appropriate normalization) of the maximum of independent, not identically distributed, exponential random variables.     

Local Resources and Procurement Practices in Humanitarian Supply Chains: An Empirical Examination of Large‐Scale House Reconstruction Projects

Different procurement decisions taken by relief organizations can result in considerably different implications in regards to transport, storage, and distribution of humanitarian aid and ultimately can influence the performance of the humanitarian supply chain and the delivery of the humanitarian aid. In this article, we look into what resources are needed and how these resources evolve in the delivery of humanitarian aid. Drawing on the resource‐based view of the firm, we develop a framework to categorize the impact of local resources on the configuration of humanitarian supply chains. In contrast to other papers, the importance of localizing the configuration of the humanitarian supply chain is not only conceptually recognized, but empirical investigations are also provided. In terms of methodology, this article is based on the analysis of secondary data from two housing reconstruction projects. Findings indicate that the use of local resources in humanitarian aid has positive effects on programs’ overall supply chain performance and these effects are not only related to the macroeconomic perspective, but benefits expand to improvements related to the use of knowledge. At the same time, it was found that local sourcing often comes with a number of problems. For example, in one of the cases, significant problems existed, which were related to the scarcity of local supplies. Both housing reconstruction projects have indicated the continuous need for changes throughout the programs as a dynamic supply chain configuration is important for the long‐term sustainability of reconstruction aid.