(Note, since kVMI is an integer,
previous work [23] offers a method for computing
its value associated with minimum total costs.
The method treats kVMI as a continuous variable and
finds the value for kVMI that minimizes total cost. Two
values for total cost are then computed using the two
integers that surround the optimal value for kVMI. The
integer that yields the lower total cost is the boptimalQ
integer. In our case, as we do not intend to compute
the actual value of the optimal kVMI, but instead its
relationship with other parameters, we treat kVMI as a
continuous variable.