This paper considers a real world waste collection problem in which glass, metal, plastics, or paper is brought to certain waste collection points by the citizens of a certain region. The collection of this waste from the collection points is therefore a node routing problem. The waste is delivered to special sites, so called intermediate facilities (IF), that are typically not identical with the vehicle depot. Since most waste collection points need not be visited every day, a planning period of several days has to be considered. In this context three related planning problems are considered. First, the periodic vehicle routing problem with intermediate facilities (PVRP-IF) is considered and an exact problem formulation is proposed. A set of benchmark instances is developed and an efficient hybrid solution method based on variable neighborhood search and dynamic programming is presented. Second, in a real world application the PVRP-IF is modified by permitting the return of partly loaded vehicles to the depots and by considering capacity limits at the IF. An average improvement of 25% in the routing cost is obtained compared to the current solution. Finally, a different but related problem, the so called multi-depot vehicle routing problem with inter-depot routes (MDVRPI) is considered. In this problem class just a single day is considered and the depots can act as an intermediate facility only at the end of a tour. For this problem several instances and benchmark solutions are available. It is shown that the algorithm outperforms all previously published metaheuristics for this problem class and finds the best solutions for all available benchmark instances.

During 2015 South Africa, a single country with far fewer resources than the EU, had to provide refuge for approximately 72,000 asylum seekers. This global infl ux of people has been classifi ed as a crisis, placing extreme pressure on the economical, social and urban systems of many cities. Threatened by xenophobia and a bureaucratic legal process, many of these international visitors are treated to a reluctant welcome upon entering South Africa. In a context such as Marabastad, characterised by urban sprawl, singleuse territories and reduced density, exceedingly migratory populations are forced to contend for informal opportunities and sources of survival, often to the detriment of the existing urban fabric. In spite of this, mobile individuals have found a way to situate themselves and organise their surroundings without fi gurative representation within an urban context scattered with 'ruins' of past utopian ideologies. Through a recombination of the contradictory facets of architecture, namely fetish and fossil, utopia and ruin, the Vulnerable Asylum investigates the ability of heritage architecture to accommodate new migrant citizens. The resultant architecture off ers possibilities in providing an architectural platform for the economies, communities and potentials brought into South Africa by international visitors, incorporating rather than excluding them. / Mini Dissertation (MArch (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Architecture / MArch (Prof) / Unrestricted

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Since the end of the Cold War, the Department of Defense (DoD) has been challenged to formulate and make strategic decisions, especially in areas related to the Department's "business operations." Strategic decisions are those that focus on setting long-term organizational direction. This has proven difficult because a rather simplistic (and somewhat comforting) DoD organizational orientation toward an "either/or" or "us versus them" decision-making mindset that was once ubiquitous and appropriate, given the nature of political and military threats, has been hard to shake. This study reviews a particular manifestation of this dilemma: the decision-making arrangements associated with the provision of military depot maintenance services. An historical review of this topic shows a mixture of problems, progress, and promise. A strategic decision-making approach that draws upon Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith's Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) is proposed to improve the situation. It addresses key problems identified in the analysis and rests upon an approach to strategic decision making that is politically rational in nature. This approach, called a Strategic Improvement Agenda, is offered as a potential foil to the "us versus them" orientation. / Ph. D.

In this report the problem of constructing a bus depot with electrical buses despite the lack of grid capacity, was analyzed. A potential solution is investigated, namely smart control of heat pumps in industries. The possibility of allocating grid capacity to the bus depot by reducing power consumption in heat pumps during peak hours, is taken into consideration. The maximum amount of released capacity in an industrial area is calculated through the controlling of heat pumps. This investigation was made through simulations with a simplified building energy model (lumped capacity model) which was applied to a reference building. After mapping the area Boländerna and the geothermal wells located there, IKEA Uppsala was chosen as the reference building, since a third of the total number of wells were found in that area. To take the whole capacity of Boländerna into account, the model was scaled up to estimate the total, possible reduction of power. The bus depot requires 6 MW nighttime and 4 MW daytime, the total amount of electrical power that could be withdrawn, if all heat pumps were on maximum heat, in the chosen area were 0.75 MW and by controlling the heat pumps during an optimized level, the amount of 142 kW could be made available to the electric grid. 142 kW is not enough cover the need for the bus depot but it could supply the need for a slow charger to one of the buses and is therefore a possible sub-solution to the larger problem.

Le procédé de refroidissement par flash détente se développe dans divers domaines de l'agroalimentaire. La mise sous vide permet d'abaisser la température de saturation et d'évaporer une partie d'un solvant contenu dans un mélange. L'évaporation va se faire en prenant de l'énergie au mélange et ainsi de refroidir. Les vapeurs sont ensuite recondensées et éventuellement les condensats sont réintroduits dans le fluide. Les systèmes de flash détente qui sont actuellement conçus utilisent des composants souvent surdimensionnés. Le procédé reste complexe à appréhender du fait des phénomènes physiques liés au vide et au couplage entre les composants du système. Une pré-étude technologique a conduit à un nouveau concept de refroidissement en cascade permettant de réduire l'encombrement des différentes entités. Il s'agit de partager la cuve de détente en deux parties à pressions différentes, permettant quand même le refroisissement en continu. Ces deux parties communiquent par un clapet à flotteur et sont reliées à deux condenseurs placés en parallèle (ou en série) sur la pompe à vide. Ce système a conduit à un brevet international. Un prototype expérimental permettant de traiter 3 tonnes/heure de mélange a été développé durant la thèse et a permis d'observer des différentes pressions et températures, des condensats ainsi quele débit de la pompe à vide. La modélisation fine de tels phénomènes a été peu abordée. A cette fin, nous simulons l'évolution de la vapeur dans les deux parties de la cuve, sa condensation dans les condenseurs (tube et calandre) et sa liaison au fonctionnement de la pompe à vide. Successivement sont étudiés théoriquement et expérimentalement, l'éjecteur, le dévesiculeur, les condenseurs et leur couplage avec la cuve de détente. Les modèles sont qualifiés en terme de parcimonie, exactitude, précision et spécialisation. Ces étude ont conduit à l'expression d'une base de connaissances formulées par contraintes numériques cohérente avec son traitement par un solveur de problèmes par satisfaction de contraintes (CSP). La base de connaissances et le solveur constituent un système d'aide à la décision pour la définition d'évaporateurs flash.

The energy of the tides represents one globally existent source of renewable energy, and has the potential to play a major role in a sustainable future. An assessment of the potential for tidal energy extraction using marine current turbines at a particular location in the Beaufort River near Parris Island, South Carolina is presented. The Marine Corps Recruit Depot located on Parris Island is situated between the confluence of the Broad and Beaufort Rivers. These rivers are tidally dominated, and experience some of the largest tidal ranges in the southeastern United States, between 2.5 and 3 meters during spring tide periods. Because Parris Island already has much of the necessary land-based infrastructure in place, there is logical potential for the extraction of kinetic energy from the nearby tidal streams using underwater turbines for power production. In order to evaluate the potential of a particular location to produce significant amounts of energy using these types of devices, extensive investigations must be conducted to determine important site characteristics such as water depth, current velocity, and water level fluctuations over time. This potential was investigated using in-situ measurements in the vicinity of the pump station on Parris Island, and by developing a numerical model of the region using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). This model was calibrated using the results from the in-situ measurements, and was then used to determine the impacts of tidal energy extraction on the local flow field. Results from in-situ measurements indicate that tidal currents along the portion of the Beaufort River analyzed in this study are driven primarily by the semi-diurnal M2 tidal constituent. The tidal range at the study site is approximately 2 meters on average, with a mean depth-averaged current velocity magnitude of 0.57 m/s predicted for a period of one year. A mean depth-averaged current velocity magnitude of 0.59 m/s was observed over the course of the longer-term ADCP deployment from November 12 to December 17, 2009. The maximum current speed at the site is approximately 1.2 m/s at the water surface. The ROMS model applied to the coastal areas surrounding Parris Island, SC produces results that closely resemble in-situ measurements collected previously during both the boat-based survey and the longer-term ADCP deployment. In the analysis of the effects of energy extraction from the system, four separate cases were considered in which 10, 20, 30, and 60% of the total kinetic energy contained in the flow was dissipated near the location of the longer-term ADCP deployment. Minimal impacts on the local hydrodynamics were observed across the four cases considered.

Orientador: Sarah Monte Alegre / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T08:26:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Batista_GiseleAlmeida_M.pdf: 1859346 bytes, checksum: 3cb1bc28cbd20d9ddb7e8e3a58874a1e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Introdução: O acetato de medroxiprogesterona de depósito (AMPD, Depoprovera®) é um método contraceptivo de alta eficácia e segurança; seu uso tem se difundido amplamente e vem sendo utilizado por milhões de mulheres. Existem poucos estudos na literatura sobre o gasto energético em repouso nas usuárias de Depoprovera®, e é possível que existam variações especialmente naquelas que ganham peso em uso do método. Objetivo: Avaliar as alterações no peso, composição corporal e gasto energético em repouso de mulheres em uso de acetato de medroxiprogesterona de depósito e DIU TCu 380 no período de 12 meses. Métodos: Estudo prospectivo com 20 usuárias de Depoprovera® e 17 usuárias de DIU TCu380, como controle, no período de um ano. Mulheres atendidas no ambulatório de Planejamento Familiar do CAISM/UNICAMP em idade fértil, que optaram como método contraceptivo o injetável Depoprovera®, sem uso prévio deste método, e que apresentavam Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC) < 30 kg/m², além de mulheres que utilizavam o método contraceptivo não hormonal DIU TCu 380A foram convidadas a participar do estudo. Resultados: Os grupos foram pareados no período basal, tornando-se um grupo homogêneo em relação a peso, idade e IMC. Após 12 meses de avaliação, pode-se observar aumento de peso, IMC e superfície corporal de forma significativa no grupo Depo. Em relação ao gasto energético em repouso e quociente respiratório, houve aumento significativo da taxa metabólica basal nos dois grupos. O quociente respiratório reduziu de forma significante nos dois grupos. Quando o grupo Depo foi subdividido por ganho de peso, o subgrupo que ganhou < 3 kg após 12 meses teve aumento significativo de peso, IMC, superfície corporal e quociente respiratório, já o subgrupo que ganhou > 3 kg aumentou significativamente peso, IMC, superfície corporal, peso de massa magra, peso de massa gorda, taxa metabólica basal, Leptina, HOMA-IR e circunferência da cintura e reduziu quociente respiratório após os 12 meses de acompanhamento. Conclusão: Nosso estudo encontrou alterações relevantes no peso, composição corporal e perfil metabólico da população estudada nos primeiros 12 meses de uso do contraceptivo. Essas alterações principalmente o aumento de peso corporal, aumento dos níveis de leptina e HOMA-IR, podem contribuir para o desenvolvimento de algumas complicações crônicas, entre elas a obesidade, resistência à insulina e diabetes mellitus / Abstract: Introduction: Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA, Depoprovera®) is an high contraceptive efficacy and safety; its use has spread broadly and has been used by millions of women. There are few studies on the resting energy expenditure in Depoprovera® users, and it is possible that there are variations especially those who gain weight using the method. Objective: To evaluate the changes in weight, body composition and resting energy expenditure in women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate and IUD TCu 380 in 12 months. Methods: This was a prospective study with 20 Depoprovera® users and 17 IUD users TCu380 as a control within one year. Women attending the outpatient clinic of CAISM / UNICAMP of childbearing age who chose the injectable contraceptive Depoprovera ® without previous use of this method, Body Mass Index (BMI) < 30kg / m², and women using non-hormonal contraception IUD TCu 380, were invited to participate in the study. Results: The groups were paired at baseline, becoming a homogeneous group in relation to age (± 1 year), and BMI (+1 kg/m²). After 12 months of evaluation, we could observe a significant increase in the DMPA group in weight, BMI and body surface. Relative to resting energy expenditure and respiratory quotient, there was an increase of baseline metabolic rate in both groups after one year. The respiratory quotient was significantly reduced after 12 months in groups DMPA and IUD. The sub-group DMPA that gained < 3kg had increased significant weight, BMI and body surface with respiratory quotient reduction, while the sub-group that gained > 3kg had a significant increase in weight, BMI, body surface, free fat mass, fat mass, baseline metabolic rate, Leptin, HOMA-IR and waist circumference, with respiratory quotient significantly reduced. Conclusion: Our study found significant changes in weight, body composition and metabolic profile of the population studied in the first 12 months of contraceptive use. These changes mainly increased body weight, leptin levels and HOMA-IR which can contribute to the development of some chronic complications, including obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus / Mestrado / Clinica Medica / Mestra em Clínica Médica