A aquisição de novas informações de sondagem é realizada por intermédio do infill de furos de sonda e esta é uma prática utilizada em diversas etapas da exploração mineral. Métodos de otimização são largamente utilizados em várias fases e processos na vida da mina, por exemplo na otimização de cavas, na otimização do sequenciamento de lavra, entre outros. Contudo a utilização de métodos de otimização aplicados à locação de furos de inifill não é usual. Neste trabalho propõem-se utilizar a otimização matemática para melhorar a distribuição espacial dos novos furos, bem como para definir a quantidade adequada de furos a serem realizados. Métodos de otimização meta-heurísticos foram testados com o objetivo de minimizar duas funções objetivo que tratam das incertezas associadas à simulação dos dados, que são a soma da variância e a soma dos coeficientes de variação dos blocos simulados. O método que apresentou melhores resultados na otimização da função objetivo no menor tempo e custo computacional foi o método simulated annealing com resfriamento rápido e memória. Com base neste método de otimização comparou-se as funções objetivo propostas. Para efetuar a comparação amostraram-se os 11 furos definidos pela otimização para ambas as funções objetivo. O infill amostral foi realizado no corpo sintético e as comparações realizadas foram: a estatística descritiva - dos dados de infill comparados à população - e o gráfico Q-Q entre o e-type das simulações realizadas na base com infill e a população. A estatística descritiva do infill permitiu interpretar que a amostragem atualizada (soma das amostragens inicial e a nova) apresentou-se mais representativa do que a amostragem incial. Baseado no resultado dos gráficos Q-Q, a simulação calculada com o infill otimizando a minimização da soma dos coeficientes de variação apresentou maior aderência à população. / The acquisition of new drillhole information can be accomplished by the drill hole infill, a practice used in several steps of the mineral exploration. Optimization methods are widely used in several stages and processes of the mine life cycle, for example, mine pit optimization, mine scheduling optimization among others. However the optimization of drill hole infill locations are unusual. This work proposes the use of mathematical optimization to improve the spatial distribution and the number of the new drill holes to be made. Metaheuristics optimization methods were tested to minimize two objective functions that deal with the uncertainty associated to simulated data, the sum of the simulated blocks variance and the sum of the simulated blocks coefficient of variation. The best processing cost, processing time and results were obtained by simulated annealing method with fast cooling and memory for both objective functions. Based on this optimization method both proposed objective functions were compared. In order to perform the comparison 11 optimized drill holes locations by both objective functions were sampled. Sampling infill were done in the synthetic ore body and the made comparisons were: statistics - comparison between the infill data and population - and the QQ plot of the e-type statistics computed for simulation based on infill and population. Statistics for infill allowed to interpret that updated sample (the addition of new sampling in the initial data) was more representative than the initial sampling. Based on Q-Q plot the simulation computed for optimized infill location by the sum of the coefficient of variation minimization has more adherence to population.

Spent oil based drilling fluid and cutting wastes are global liabilities due to their hazardous hydrocarbon content which impacts negatively on flora, fauna, and global carbon footprint. The formulation of two demulsifiers to ensure chemically enhanced phase separation of this waste into oil, water and solid components was successfully carried out in addition to recycling the solid phase into PA6 nanocomposite materials. Initial characterisation of the untreated waste was carried out by Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) for total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) analysis, Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICPOES) for quantitative elemental analysis and Energy dispersive xray analysis (EDXA) for qualitative elemental composition amongst other characterisation methods. The analysis showed that the sample had a high hydrocarbon load of 662,500mg/kg and a high heavy metal load for Pb of 122mg/kg. No As, Cd, Hg were detected. The demulsifier formulations were composed of isopropanol, sodium dodecyl sulphate, poloxamer, sodium chloride, chitosan in 0.2M acetic acid and deionised water for demulsifier S4 and addition of phosphoric acid for demulsifier S3. Hydrocarbon reduction on the extracted solid phase nanofiller S3 and nanofiller S4 was 98.6% and 98.5% respectively after demulsification. The demulsified spent oil based drilling fluid solid extracts were below OSPAR regulation of < 1% oil on cutting by weight. However, recycling of the recovered solid was carried out in order to achieve environmentally sustainable management of the waste in Polyamide 6 (PA6) nanocomposite manufacture/fabrication. The formulation of different blends of PA6 nanocomposite materials from untreated, demulsifier treated and thermally treated drilling fluid and cuttings was successfully achieved. Nanocomposite leaching test showed Pb immobilisation. The flexural and compressive - modulus and strength of the PA6 were markedly improved in the presence of the nanofillers and glass fibre. This was attributed to the reinforcement, exfoliating, stiffening, rigidity effect of the nanofillers. S6 (untreated drilling fluid) nanofillers significantly improved the mechanical properties of PA6. This was attributed to the increased interfacial bonding between the fillers and the polymer matrix as a result of the petroleum hydrocarbon present in the sample. The Thermogravemetric analysis (TGA) results showed that nanocomposites PA6/S3 and PA6/S3/GF30 had improved the thermal stability of PA6 by 13.6% and 38.8% respectively compared to PA6/S2 and PA6/S2/GF30 (simulated commercial nanocomposite materials) that improved PA6 by 9.7% and 35.8% respectively.

Even with the repeal of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' (DADT) policy, the U.S. Army has seen increased cases of sexual harassment; sexual assault; and discrimination of gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) service members by other service members. Despite this trend, few studies have explored the experiences of victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault of GLB recruits before, during, and after the repeal of the DADT policy. Using the bystander effect as the theoretical construct, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences and interactions with a sample of 11 drill sergeants (DSs) who witnessed GLB discrimination in order to gain insight on strategies to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination against GLB recruits. Interview data were inductively coded and subjected to a thematic analysis procedure. Key findings indicate that participants perceived a general support for GLB inclusion into the basic combat training environment, and participants were unaware of the high number of discharges of service members from the U.S. Army during the implementation of the DADT policy. Another important finding is that participants were supportive of GLB scenario-based training. Finally, the bystander effect was found to be the main reason participants failed to intervene when instances of discriminatory or abusive behavior was observed. Implications for positive social change can be realized in the U.S. Army through promoting awareness of GLB discrimination, its impact, and how DSs can lead the effort in preventing this sort of behavior against the GLB recruits. A key recommendation is for the U.S. Army to explore implementing scenario-based training for all recruits as part of this effort.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wyoming, 2006. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Dec. 17, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-197).

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2005. / The CD-ROM includes Appendix A. Bibliography: leaves 205-214. Also available online.

Of great benefit, but not limited to seafloor mineral exploration, is a technique that fairly rapidly determines the composition of a drilled vibracore (in a time comparable to the time involved in obtaining the core). The rapid assessment is desired to predict whether a given region warrants further exploration by coring. A proposed monitoring system, based on neutron capture gamma ray analysis, consists of a container tank filled with water and tubular extensions that house a Cf-252 neutron source and a detector positioned within the tank. The core sample is passed through the system in stop and count steps. The net count rates, due to "signature" capture gamma rays from neutron capture in elements in the core sample, are proportional to the amount of the element responsible for emitting the capture gamma ray. The proposed system was modeled and simulated by the Monte Carlo method to predict the relationship between the response of the detector and the elemental concentrations within the sample. Accurate and detailed treatment of neutron transport and gamma ray production and attenuation within the system were employed not only to predict the relationship of the photopeak responses with respect to elemental concentrations, but also to permit investigation of the design parameters and structural material changes in the system. The developed Monte Carlo code utilizes a variety of variance reduction techniques, such as implicit absorption with Russian Roulette and deterministic production of the gamma rays of interest, along with a form of correlated sampling to predict simultaneously the responses over a range of interest of the elemental concentrations. The predicted results were compared with predictions obtained from a well established general purpose Monte Carlo code (MCNP). / Graduation date: 1990

An evaluation of varied enrichment and feeding schedules were conducted on three spices, drill, Pallas’s cat and cheetah, at Parken Zoo in Sweden. Varied schedules of enrichment and feeding are used to prevent the animals from knowing when the administration of these events are going to happen since anticipation can lead to a number of negative changes in the behaviours of the animals. Scan sampling was used to gather behavioural data of the animals and the data was then used to answer a number of questions about the extent of success of the varied schedule: 1.Is the varied schedule experienced as unpredictable for the animals? 2. Are there any negative behaviours associated with the scheduled enrichments? 3. What are the reactions to the enrichment being withheld at certain days? The results showed that the animals did not perceive the scheduled events as predictable; pacing in cheetahs and aggressive behaviours in Pallas’s cats seemed to be directly associated with the events; active behaviours in the drills decreased and aggressiveness increased as an immediate result of withholding enrichment. Implications for the animals and the zoo in light of the results are discussed.

The "slot-drill" completion method, which utilizes a mechanically cut high-conductivity "slot" in the target formation created using a tensioned abrasive cable, has been proposed as an alternative stimulation technique for shale-gas and other low/ultra-low permeability formations. This thesis provides a comprehensive numerical simulation study on the "slot drill" completion technique. Using a Voronoi gridding scheme, I created representative grid systems for the slot-drill completion, as well as for the case of a vertical well with a single fracture, the case of a horizontal well with multiple hydraulic fractures, and various combinations of these completions. I also created a rectangular slot configuration, which is a simplified approximation of the actual "slot-drill" geometry, and investigated the ability of this rectangular approximation to model flow from the more complicated (actual) slot-drill configuration(s). To obtain the maximum possible diagnostic and analytical value, I simulated up to 3,000 years of production, allowing the assessment of production up to the point of depletion (or boundary-dominated flow). These scenarios provided insights into all the various flow regimes, as well as provided a quantitative evaluation of all completion schemes considered in the study. The results of my study illustrated that the "slot-drill" completion technique was not, in general, competitive in terms of reservoir performance and recovery compared to the more traditional completion techniques presently in use. Based on my modeling, it appears that the larger surface area to flow that multistage hydraulic fracturing provides is much more significant than the higher conductivity achieved using the slot-drill technique. This work provides quantitative results and diagnostic interpretations of productivity and flow behavior for low and ultra-low permeability formations completed using the slot-drill method. The results of this study can be used to (a) help evaluate the possible application of the "slot-drill" technique from the perspective of performance and recovery, and (b) to establish aggregated economic factors for comparing the slot-drill technique to more conventional completion and stimulation techniques applied to low and ultra-low permeability reservoirs.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 190-211).

This thesis recounts the study of contour blasting practices in the Appalachia coal region. Contour blasting practices vary widely and problems are often encountered. Several different sites were visited and contour blasting practices at each were studied. Based on the information gathered, a comprehensive plan was developed for blasting operations to follow and then was tested and compared to an example of blasting practices without use of the plan. The blasting practices were compared by examining monthly production rates as well as a time study to measure the efficiency a contour blast could be loaded and hauled away and a cost per cubic yard of material determined. The plan was found to be successful in keeping safety while increasing profitability. However, the plan will need to be backed and understood by management in order to achieve the same success.