Public Law 95-87, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), mandates that mined land be reclaimed in a fashion that renders the land at least as productive after mining as it was before mining. In the central Appalachian region, where prime farmland and economic development opportunities for mined land are scarce, the most practical land use choices are hayland/pasture, wildlife habitat, or forest land. Since 1977, the majority of mined land has been reclaimed as hayland/pasture or wildlife habitat, which is less expensive to reclaim than forest land, since there are no tree planting costs. As a result, there are now hundreds of thousands of hectares of grasslands and scrublands in various stages of natural succession located throughout otherwise forested mountains in the U.S. The purpose of this study is to develop a framework for understanding/calculating the economic implications of converting these reclaimed mined lands to forests under various silvicultural regimes, and to demonstrate the economic/decision-making implications of an incentive scheme on such a land use conversion. The economic feasibility of a range of land-use conversion scenarios was analyzed for both mixed hardwoods and white pine, under a set of low product prices and under a set of high product prices. Economic feasibility was based on land expectation values. Further, three types of incentive schemes were investigated: 1) lump sum payment at planting (and equivalent series of annual payments), 2) revenue incentive at harvest and 3) payment based on carbon volume. Mixed hardwood LEVs ranged from -$2416.71/ha (low prices) to $3955.72/ha (high prices). White pine LEVs ranged from -$2330.43/ha (low prices) to $3746.65/ha (high prices). A greater percentage of white pine scenarios yielded economically feasible land-use conversions than did the mixed hardwood scenarios, and it seems that a conversion to white pine forests would, for the most part, be the more appealing option. It seems that, for both mixed hardwoods and white pine, it would be in the best interests of the landowner to invest in the highest quality sites first. For a conversion to mixed hardwood forests, a low intensity level of site preparation seems economically optimal for most scenarios. For a conversion to white pine forests, a medium intensity level of site preparation seems economically optimal for most scenarios. Mixed hardwoods lump sum payments, made at the time of planting, ranged from $0/ha to $2416.71/ha (low prices). White pine lump sum payments, made at the time of planting, ranged from $0/ha to $2330.53/ha (low prices). Mixed hardwoods benefits based on an increase in revenue at harvest, ranged from $0/ha to $784449.52/ha (low prices). White pine benefits based on an increase in revenue at harvest ranged from $0/ha to $7011.48/ha (high prices). Annual mixed hardwood benefits, based on total stand carbon volume present at the end of a given year, ranged from $0/ton of carbon to $5.26/ton carbon (low prices). White pine benefits based on carbon volume ranged from $0/ton of carbon to $18.61/ton of carbon (high prices). It appears that, for white pine scenarios, there is not much difference between incentive values for lump sum payments at planting, revenue incentives at harvest, and total carbon payments over a rotation. For mixed hardwoods, however, it appears that the carbon payment incentive is by far the cheapest option of encouraging landowners to convert land. / Master of Science

En la empresa de café Picorana se identificaron los principales problemas y se analizaron los indicadores mediante los cuales se pudo realizar un diagnóstico del área de producción de la empresa, con ello se tuvo que su nivel de servicio había representado únicamente un 78%, eso se debía a que la empresa tenía rotura de stock ya que no podía atender todos los pedidos; sumado a ello había un 17% de actividades improductivas, sus ingresos no percibidos eran de S/ 811 755, la eficiencia del proceso de 50% y por ende su colchón de capacidad de 50%, así como una eficiencia económica de 1,28 y una eficiencia física de 88%; por ello para dar solución al problema principal se propusieron las herramientas de Teoría de Restricciones, dentro de lo que también se incluyó la estandarización de tiempos, balance de línea y además igualar las ventas, concluyéndose finalmente que con las mejoras planteadas se aumentó el nivel de servicio, se redujeron las actividades improductivas, se aumentó la eficiencia física hasta un 100% con el aumento de la productividad a 10 bolsas por operario y además un aumento de la eficiencia económica hasta un 1,8; se redujo el colchón de capacidad y la eficiencia del proceso aumentó hasta el 100% representada por la producción máxima de 320 bolsas de café. Con ello finalmente se desarrolló el análisis de viabilidad económica donde se obtuvo que la propuesta era viable pues por cada sol que se invertiría en la propuesta se obtendría una ganancia de S/ 4,70. De esta forma se logró realizar la mejora del proceso productivo. / In the Picorana coffee company, the main problems were identified and the indicators were analyzed through which a diagnosis of the company's production area could be made, with this it was found that its service level had represented only 78%, that was It was due to the fact that the company was out of stock since it could not fulfill all the orders; In addition to this, there was 17% of unproductive activities, their income not received was S / 811 755, the efficiency of the process of 50% and therefore its capacity buffer of 50%, as well as an economic efficiency of 1,28 and a physical efficiency of 88%; For this reason, to solve the main problem, the Theory of Constraints tools were proposed, within which the standardization of times, line balance and also equalizing sales were also included, finally concluding that with the proposed improvements the level of service, unproductive activities were reduced, physical efficiency was increased up to 100% with an increase in productivity to 10 bags per operator and also an increase in economic efficiency up to 1,8; The capacity cushion was reduced and the efficiency of the process increased to 100% represented by the maximum production of 320 bags of coffee. With this, the economic feasibility analysis was finally developed, where it was obtained that the proposal was viable because for each sol that would be invested in the proposal, a profit of S / 4,70 would be obtained. In this way, the improvement of the production process was achieved.

El Perú se destaca por ser un país que cuenta con una amplia variedad de frutas altamente consumidas tanto a nivel nacional como internacional, siendo las mermeladas de frutas en los últimos años los productos alimenticios que han experimentado un aumento significativo en su consumo y demanda en el mercado internacional. También se ha observado un incremento en las exportaciones de estos productos. Tal es el caso de las frutas como los arándanos, ciruelas y papayas consideradas como las frutas con mayor contenido en vitamina C, agregando que son beneficiosas para la salud las cuales previenen enfermedades. Esa investigación tiene como objetivo general determinar la factibilidad para la instalación de una planta procesadora de mermelada de frutas de estación de la región norte del Perú para su exportación. Dicha planta deberá situarse en el departamento de La libertad, en el distrito de Ascope aprovechando estos frutos como una oportunidad para generar ingresos adicionales. La participación del producto en el mercado además se ser frutos exóticos se debe a su alto contenido vitamina C y antioxidantes en la pulpa comestible por ello se ha considerado cubrir el 10% de la demanda que exporta Chile al país de Estados Unidos, donde el pronóstico del proyecto será de 5 años. El análisis económico-financiero del proyecto arrojó un resultado favorable, ya que se determinó que es rentable. Esto se debe a que se obtuvo una TIR (Tasa Interna de Retorno) de 27% el cual es superior a la tasa de evaluación (TMAR) de 11.35%; lo cual indica que el proyecto es rentable. / Peru stands out for being a country that has a wide variety of highly consumed fruits both nationally and internationally, being fruit jams in recent years the food products that have experienced a significant increase in consumption and demand in the world. international market. There has also been an increase in exports of these products. Such is the case of fruits such as blueberries, plums and papayas considered to be the fruits with the highest vitamin C content, adding that they are beneficial for health and prevent diseases. The general objective of this investigation is to determine the feasibility of installing a processing plant for seasonal fruit jam from the northern region of Peru for export. Said plant must be located in the department of La Libertad, in the Ascope district, taking advantage of these fruits as an opportunity to generate additional income. The participation of the product in the market, in addition to being exotic fruits, is due to its high content of vitamin C and antioxidants in the edible pulp, for which reason it has been considered to cover 10% of the demand that Chile exports to the United States, where the Forecast the project will be 5 years. The economic-financial analysis of the project yielded a favorable result, since it will continue to be profitable. This is because an IRR (Internal Rate of Return) of 27% was obtained, which is higher than the evaluation rate (TMAR) of 11.35%; which indicates that the project is profitable.

El presente proyecto tuvo como objetivo general realizar un estudio de prefactibilidad para la instalación de una planta de producción de harina a partir de bagazo de la industria cervecera. Para ello, se desarrolló una investigación proyectiva, exponiendo el estudio de mercado, disponibilidad de materia prima, localización, determinación del área por medio del método de Guerchet, así como la evaluación económica financiera. Como resultado, el producto se enfocó en el mercado nacional, con una demanda proyectada de 4 251 798 kg de harina para el 2029, y una demanda del proyecto del 10% de 425 180 kg de harina, un requerimiento de 1 789 580 kg/año de bagazo. Delimitando la ubicación en el sector de Huachipa en el distrito de Lurigancho-Chosica, departamento de Lima con un área total, a través del método de Güerchet, de valor 1 885,04 m2. El proyecto requirió una inversión total de S/ 3 938 005,52. Se obtuvo un VAN de S/. 577 203,39 y un TIR de 23,5%, el cual resultó ser mayor que el TMAR, 10,6%, concluyendo que el proyecto es viable económicamente. / The general objective of this project was to carry out a pre-feasibility study for the installation of a flour production plant from bagasse from the brewing industry. For this, a projective investigation was developed, strengthening the market study, availability of raw materials, location, determination of the area through the Guerchet method, as well as the financial economic evaluation. As a result, the product was focused on the domestic market, with a projected demand of 4 251 798 kg of flour by 2029, and a 10% project demand of 425 180 kg of flour, a requirement of 1 789 580 kg/ year of bagasse. Determining the location in the Huachipa sector in the Lurigancho-Chosica district, department of Lima. The total area was determined through the Guerchet method with a value of 1 885,04 m2. The project required a total investment of S/ 3 938 005,52. An NPV of S/. 577 203,39 was obtained. And an IRR of 23,5%, which turned out to be higher than the TMAR, 10,6%, concluding that the project is economically viable.

This thesis addresses the Vehicle Routing Problem with Interdiction (VRPI), an extension of the classic Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) that incorporates the risk of route interdiction due to events such as natural disasters, armed conflicts, and infrastructural failures, among others. These interdictions introduce uncertainty and complexity into logistics planning, requiring innovative approaches to the routing process. This research employs both exact methods, using the CPLEX solver, and heuristic methods, particularly using the Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure (GRASP), to solve VRPI with different instance sizes. This research’s key contributions include successfully implementing the GRASP algorithm on large-scale benchmark instances, representing a significant advancement over prior implementations that focused on smaller, randomly generated instances. A flexible framework was also developed to adapt the GRASP methodology for different VRP variants, including the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (CVRP) and Split Delivery Vehicle Routing Problem (SDVRP), with and without interdiction. A feasibility analysis for small instances was developed using CPLEX, highlighting the sensitivity of VRPI solutions to interdiction probabilities, particularly in scenarios with tight capacity constraints. The findings of this analysis are extended to large instances. Additionally, a 3-fold logic was incorporated in the GRASP implementation—focused on minimizing cost, minimizing interdiction, and minimizing demand—proved crit- ical in facing the VRPI challenges, and provided high-quality solutions with reduced computational effort. Including the minimum demand logic in GRASP was instrumen- tal during the implementation and numerical experimentation for large benchmark in- stances. The implications of this thesis are significant for operational research (OR), particularly in high-risk environments where route interdictions can occur. Future research directions include generating more diverse benchmark instances for VRPI, exploring the impact of variability in interdiction probabilities on solution quality and computational time, and applying exact methods like dynamic programming to solve large VRP instances. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

No / Person-centred care (PCC) is recommended when working with patients with neurological difficulties. Despite this, to date there has been no appropriate methodology for assessing or developing PCC in neurorehabilitation settings. Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) is a well-established tool for assessing and developing PCC in dementia settings and the current study investigated the feasibility of applying DCM on an acute neurorehabilitation ward. DCM procedure and coding required minor adaptations for use in this setting and further recommended adaptations were subsequently identified. It was found that the DCM coding system was generally suitable and could identify strengths, weaknesses and areas for development in ward care. Q-methodology identified that staff views endorsed the feasibility of using DCM in neurorehabilitation, with staff reporting that they found DCM useful and relevant to their work. DCM could be further developed for this setting by amendments to the behaviour coding system, concept and coding of person-centred care, and a population-specific manual. DCM is a promising methodology to develop and promote PCC in neurorehabilitation.

Yes / Promoting the health and well-being of couples where one partner has dementia is an overlooked area of care practice. Most postdiagnostic services currently lack a couple-centered approach and have a limited focus on the couple relationship. To help address this situation, we developed a tablet-based self-management guide (DemPower) focused on helping couples enhance their well-being and relationship quality. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of the DemPower app. A nonrandomized feasibility design was used to evaluate the DemPower intervention over 3 months among couples where a partner had a diagnosis of dementia. The study recruited 25 couples in the United Kingdom and 19 couples in Sweden. Outcome measures were obtained at baseline and postintervention. The study process and interventions were evaluated at various stages. The study was completed by 48% (21/44) of couples where one partner had dementia, of whom 86% (18/21) of couples accessed all parts of the DemPower app. Each couple spent an average of 8 hours (SD 3.35 hours) using the app during the study period. In total, 90% (19/21) of couples reported that all sections of DemPower were useful in addressing various aspects of daily life and helped to focus on how they interacted in their relationship. Of the 4 core subjects on which the DemPower app was structured, home and neighborhood received the highest number of visits. Couples used activity sections more often than the core subject pages. The perception of DemPower's utility varied with each couple's lived experience of dementia, geographic location, relationship dynamics, and opportunities for social interaction. A 5.2-point increase in the dementia quality of life score for people with dementia and a marginal increase in the Mutuality scale (+1.23 points) for caregiver spouses were found. Design and navigational challenges were reported in the DemPower app. The findings suggest that the DemPower app is a useful resource for couples where one partner has dementia and that the implementation of the app requires the support of memory clinics to reach couples at early diagnosis. ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN10122979; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN10122979. / Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). This research is part of Work Programme 6 of the ESRC/NIHR Neighborhoods and Dementia mixed methods study (reference ES/L001772/1)

The purpose of the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994 is to provide for the restitution of rights in land to persons or communities dispossessed of such rights after 19 June 1913 as a result of past racially discriminatory laws or practices. The restitution of a right in land can include the restoration of a right in land. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the requirement of feasibility in restoring land rights and in particular the role of feasibility studies and the courts’ interpretation of the feasibility requirement in restoring such rights. The methodology used includes a review of literature, legislation and policies on land restitution and an analysis of case law. The outcome of the research indicates that while actual restoration ought to take preference in all instances, it may only be granted once all the relevant circumstances and factors have been considered. In certain circumstances it may not be feasible to restore land rights. / Private Law / LL. M. (Property Law)

The thesis outlined in this report is a pre-feasibility study of the potential to use waste-to-energy technology in the region Kutai Kartanegara, Borneo, Indonesia. The project is a collaboration between the Kutai Kartanegara government, Uppsala University, the Swedish University of Agricultural sciences and the technology consulttancy Sweco. The current waste management system in Kutai Kartanegara consists of landfills in the cities and open burnings and dumping in the lesser developed sub-districts. This is a growing problem both environmentally and logistically. The electrification in the sub-districts is sometimes as low as 17 % and access to electricity is often limited to a couple of hours per day. The current electricity production in the region is mainly from fossil fuels. Data was collected during a two month long field study in Tenggarong, the capital of Kutai Kartanegara. From the collected data, various waste-to-energy systems and collection areas were simulated in Matlab. Results from the simulations show that a system using both a waste incineration and biogas plant would be the best solution for the region. The chosen system is designed to handle a total of 250,000 tons of waste annually, collected from Tenggarong and neighbouring districts. The system will provide between 155 and 200 GWh electricity and between 207 and 314 GWh of excess heat energy annually. Some of this is used in a district heating system with an absorption-cooling machine. The system investment cost is around 42.5 MUSD and it is expected to generate an annual profit of 16 MUSD. The recommended solution will decrease the emissions of CO2-equivalents compared to the current waste system and fossil electricity production with 50%. The results in the study clearly show that there are both economic and environmental potential for waste-to-energy technologies in the region. But the waste management and infrastructure has to be improved to be able to utilize these technologies. By implementing waste-to-energy technologies, the supplied waste can be seen as a resource instead of a problem. This would give incentives for further actions and investments regarding waste management.

Due to the vast fossil fuel wealth, the country of Saudi Arabia is experiencing a dramatic growth in both population and GDP. Therefore there is a growing demand for water and energy to meet these needs. All of the electricity that is generated is sourced from crude oil and natural gas. All natural gas production is used domestically and there are no net imports or exports. Due to many constrains on the natural gas supply, there is a slow shift in the generation mix going towards crude oil based power generation. This study assessed the viability of utility scale solar integration into the Saudi Arabian electric mix to potentially relieve some demand pressure for natural gas consumption as well as reduce green house gas emissions. Parabolic trough concentrated solar power technology was chosen as the primary technology for utility scale integration. A total of five scenarios were calculated. The scenarios include the following, base case, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% solar integration in terms of installed capacity. Two sets of net present values were calculated. The net present values of each scenario were calculated. A second set of net present values was calculated with a projected increase in electricity prices. The natural gas and crude oil offset from the four solar integration scenarios were calculated using the base case forecasted natural gas and crude oil consumption from power generation. As expected, natural gas and crude oil consumption decreased when there was an increase in solar integration. The expected carbon dioxide offsets were calculated for each scenario. There was a decrease in carbon dioxide emission as solar integration was increased. Finally, all of these analyses were used as criteria for a decision analysis using the analytical hierarchy process. Depending on the decision maker’s importance on the determined criteria, solar integration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is achievable. / text