This thesis examines the suitability of airdrop as a means of resupply for the Canadian Forces (CF) in an attempt to reduce forward supply inventories and promote “zero-footprint” logistics. Research methods involved both quantitative and qualitative techniques, consulting CF manuals and subject matter experts. Based on performance, airdrop staged from rear locations or outside the theatre of operations can meet resupply requirements. Although airdrop has longer assembly and loading times than ground based delivery, flight speed and direct routes can make up the difference. However based on interviews with CF personnel, it appears that due to limited availability of aircraft, drop zone requirements, delivery vehicle vulnerability, and the need for backhaul logistics, airdrop could not be used as a sole means of resupply.

This thesis examines the suitability of airdrop as a means of resupply for the Canadian Forces (CF) in an attempt to reduce forward supply inventories and promote “zero-footprint” logistics. Research methods involved both quantitative and qualitative techniques, consulting CF manuals and subject matter experts. Based on performance, airdrop staged from rear locations or outside the theatre of operations can meet resupply requirements. Although airdrop has longer assembly and loading times than ground based delivery, flight speed and direct routes can make up the difference. However based on interviews with CF personnel, it appears that due to limited availability of aircraft, drop zone requirements, delivery vehicle vulnerability, and the need for backhaul logistics, airdrop could not be used as a sole means of resupply.

<p>How the world eats is changing dramatically. Nowadays, food delivery, where freshly prepared food is delivered from restaurants to customers' residences or workplaces, has become a huge and rapidly growing market. Yet, the escalating expense of food delivery personnel and the guarantee of fast and punctual delivery are big challenges faced by food delivery platforms. To address this issue, our research proposes drone resupply delivery in food delivery, where drones and human couriers collaborate to facilitate the delivery process. Specifically, drones are responsible for resupplying orders from restaurants to couriers, who then complete the final leg of the delivery to customers. The drone resupply delivery model is particularly well-suited for the food delivery industry, as it overcomes the limitations of drone accessibility to customer locations and adheres to the existing ground-based operational system as much as possible. We have developed a mathematical model and a large neighborhood search heuristic to support this approach. Our numerical experiment, based on real-world order data, has demonstrated that the delivery delay and overall efficiency of food delivery are significantly improved through the utilization of drone resupply, compared to traditional ground-only delivery. Moreover, this improvement is achieved with only a small number of drones integrated into the system. </p>

<p>How the world eats is changing dramatically. Nowadays, food delivery, where freshly  prepared food is delivered from restaurants to customers' residences or workplaces, has become a  huge and rapidly growing market. Yet, the escalating expense of food delivery personnel and the  guarantee of fast and punctual delivery are big challenges faced by food delivery platforms. To  address this issue, our research proposes drone resupply delivery in food delivery, where drones  and human couriers collaborate to facilitate the delivery process. Specifically, drones are  responsible for resupplying orders from restaurants to couriers, who then complete the final leg of  the delivery to customers. The drone resupply delivery model is particularly well-suited for the  food delivery industry, as it overcomes the limitations of drone accessibility to customer locations  and adheres to the existing ground-based operational system as much as possible. We have  developed a mathematical model and a large neighborhood search heuristic to support this  approach. Our numerical experiment, based on real-world order data, has demonstrated that the  delivery delay and overall efficiency of food delivery are significantly improved through the  utilization of drone resupply, compared to traditional ground-only delivery. Moreover, this  improvement is achieved with only a small number of drones integrated into the system.</p>

O uso excessivo de fertilizantes nitrogenados com o intuito de aumentar a produtividade de culturas de tomateiro (Solanum lycopersicum) é decorrente da expansão da demanda mundial. No entanto, o acúmulo/excesso de formas orgânicas ou inorgânicas de nitrogênio no solo está associado a diversos problemas ambientais. Uma alternativa para contornar esses problemas é a identificação de variabilidade genética para aquisição de N, garantindo uma alta produtividade e uma possível melhoria na eficiência do uso de N (NUE). Para tanto, os genótipos S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\', S. pimpinellifolium e S. habrochaites, previamente identificadas com capacidade de contrastante de absorção de N, foram utilizados em ensaios de cinética de absorção e provisão utilizando traçadores com 15N. Além disso, foi realizada a quantificação da expressão gênica relativa via amplificação de transcritos reversos (RT-qPCR) de genes relacionados ao transporte de amônio (AMTs - AMMONIUM TRANSPORTER - AMT1.1, AMT1.2 e AMT2.1) e nitrato (NRTs - NITRATE TRANSPORTERS - NRT1.1, NRT2.1, NRT2.2 e NAR2) para correlacionar a capacidade de absorção de N com expressão desses genes.. Solanum pimpinellifolium possui maior capacidade de absorção de amônio por suas raízes quando comparado aos genótipos S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' e S. habrochaites sob condições contrastantes de disponibilidade de N. Esse fenótipo está relacionado à maior indução da expressão do gene SlAMT1.1 em raízes S. pimpinellifolium. Durante a provisão de amônio, o genótipo S. habrochaites apresentou menor inibição do processo de aquisição de 15N-amônio quando comparado a S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' e S. pimpinellifolium. A correlação com os níveis de expressão dos principais transportadores de amônio sugere uma regulação alostérica diferenciada da proteína SlAMT1.1 nesse genótipo. A clonagem e sequenciamento da região codificadora do gene SlAMT1.1 entre os genótipos indicou a existência de diferença na sequência de aminoácidos, principalmente de S. habrochaites. Em particular o resíduo Ser240Gly na alça citosólica, a qual é fundamental durante a regulação alostérica, o que pode estar relacionado à menor inibição do influxo de amônio sob provisão de N. A clonagem e sequenciamento da região promotora do gene SlAMT1.1 dos três genótipos indicaram a presença de motivos regulatórios distintos na região promotora de SlAMT1.1 de S. pimpinellifolium quando comparado a mesma região do genótipos S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' e S. habrochaites, o que implicar numa correlação com a maior capacidade de aquisição de amônio em raízes de S. pimpinellifolium. Os resultados de cinética de aquisição de nitrato sugerem que S. pimpinellifolium apresenta maior capacidade quando comparado a S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' e S. habrochaites, devido a maior indução dos principais genes de transportadores SlNRT2.1 e SlNRT2.2. A correlação dos estudos de influxo de nitrato e expressão de genes relacionados ao transporte dessa forma de N identificaram que SlNRT2.1 é o principal transportador a ser regulado em raízes dos três genótipos avaliados quando submetidos a condições de provisão de nitrato. Contudo, o genótipo S. habrochaites apresentou maior capacidade de induzir SlNRT2.1 quando comparado a S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' e S. pimpinellifolium sob provisão de nitrato / High nitrogen fertilizer input is required to increase the yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) to attend to the rising world demand. N fertilization might result in a detrimental impact on the environment, such as contributing to greenhouse gases and groundwater pollution. One approach to reducing the excessive use of N fertilizers is the evaluation of natural genetic variability for N use efficiency (NUE) of crop plants. Therefore, the genotypes S. pimpinellifolium, S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\', and S. habrochaites, previously identified with contrasting capacity of N absorption, were used in kinetic and provision assays using short-term 15N-labeled. Furthermore, the relative quantification of gene expression via quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) of genes related to the ammonium transport (AMTs - AMMONIUM TRANSPORTER - AMT1.1, AMT1.2 and AMT2.1) and nitrate (NRTs - NITRATE TRANSPORTERS - NRT1.1, NRT2.1, NRT2.2 and NAR2) was performed to correlate the N absorption capacity with the expression of these genes. Solanum pimpinellifolium has greater ammonium absorption in its roots when compared to genotypes S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' and S. habrochaites under contrasting conditions of N availability. This phenotype is associated with the greater induction of SlAMT1.1 expression in S. pimpinellifolium roots. During ammonium provision, genotype S. habrochaites showed lower inhibition of the 15N-ammonium acquisition compared to S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' and S. pimpinellifolium. The correlation with the expression levels of the main ammonium transporter suggests a different allosteric regulation of SlAMT1.1 protein in S. habrochaites. The comparison of the SlAMT1.1 coding region in the three genotypes indicated the existence of differences in amino acid sequence, particularly in S. habrochaites. The change of Ser240Gly in the cytosolic loop of S. habrochaites, which is critical during the allosteric regulation, may be related to the inhibition of ammonium influx. The cloning and sequencing of the promoter region of the gene SlAMT1.1 indicates the presence of different regulatory motifs in the promoter of SlAMT1.1 in S. pimpinellifolium when compared to S. lycopersicum cv Santa Clara and S. habrochaites. This can be correlated with the highest ammonium acquisition capacity of S pimpinellifolium roots. Therefore, nitrate kinetic studies showed that S. pimpinellifolium has greater acquisition of nitrate in their roots when compared to S. lycopersicum cv Santa Clara and S. habrochaites, due to increased induction of SlNRT2.1 and SlNRT2.2 genes. The correlation among nitrate influx studies and expression of genes related to the transport of this N form suggest that SlNRT2.1 is the main transporter regulated in roots of the three genotypes under nitrate supply. In addition, the genotype S. habrochaites showed greater ability to induce SlNRT2.1 when compared to S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' and S. pimpinellifolium in nitrate supply

O uso excessivo de fertilizantes nitrogenados com o intuito de aumentar a produtividade de culturas de tomateiro (Solanum lycopersicum) é decorrente da expansão da demanda mundial. No entanto, o acúmulo/excesso de formas orgânicas ou inorgânicas de nitrogênio no solo está associado a diversos problemas ambientais. Uma alternativa para contornar esses problemas é a identificação de variabilidade genética para aquisição de N, garantindo uma alta produtividade e uma possível melhoria na eficiência do uso de N (NUE). Para tanto, os genótipos S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\', S. pimpinellifolium e S. habrochaites, previamente identificadas com capacidade de contrastante de absorção de N, foram utilizados em ensaios de cinética de absorção e provisão utilizando traçadores com 15N. Além disso, foi realizada a quantificação da expressão gênica relativa via amplificação de transcritos reversos (RT-qPCR) de genes relacionados ao transporte de amônio (AMTs - AMMONIUM TRANSPORTER - AMT1.1, AMT1.2 e AMT2.1) e nitrato (NRTs - NITRATE TRANSPORTERS - NRT1.1, NRT2.1, NRT2.2 e NAR2) para correlacionar a capacidade de absorção de N com expressão desses genes.. Solanum pimpinellifolium possui maior capacidade de absorção de amônio por suas raízes quando comparado aos genótipos S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' e S. habrochaites sob condições contrastantes de disponibilidade de N. Esse fenótipo está relacionado à maior indução da expressão do gene SlAMT1.1 em raízes S. pimpinellifolium. Durante a provisão de amônio, o genótipo S. habrochaites apresentou menor inibição do processo de aquisição de 15N-amônio quando comparado a S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' e S. pimpinellifolium. A correlação com os níveis de expressão dos principais transportadores de amônio sugere uma regulação alostérica diferenciada da proteína SlAMT1.1 nesse genótipo. A clonagem e sequenciamento da região codificadora do gene SlAMT1.1 entre os genótipos indicou a existência de diferença na sequência de aminoácidos, principalmente de S. habrochaites. Em particular o resíduo Ser240Gly na alça citosólica, a qual é fundamental durante a regulação alostérica, o que pode estar relacionado à menor inibição do influxo de amônio sob provisão de N. A clonagem e sequenciamento da região promotora do gene SlAMT1.1 dos três genótipos indicaram a presença de motivos regulatórios distintos na região promotora de SlAMT1.1 de S. pimpinellifolium quando comparado a mesma região do genótipos S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' e S. habrochaites, o que implicar numa correlação com a maior capacidade de aquisição de amônio em raízes de S. pimpinellifolium. Os resultados de cinética de aquisição de nitrato sugerem que S. pimpinellifolium apresenta maior capacidade quando comparado a S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' e S. habrochaites, devido a maior indução dos principais genes de transportadores SlNRT2.1 e SlNRT2.2. A correlação dos estudos de influxo de nitrato e expressão de genes relacionados ao transporte dessa forma de N identificaram que SlNRT2.1 é o principal transportador a ser regulado em raízes dos três genótipos avaliados quando submetidos a condições de provisão de nitrato. Contudo, o genótipo S. habrochaites apresentou maior capacidade de induzir SlNRT2.1 quando comparado a S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' e S. pimpinellifolium sob provisão de nitrato / High nitrogen fertilizer input is required to increase the yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) to attend to the rising world demand. N fertilization might result in a detrimental impact on the environment, such as contributing to greenhouse gases and groundwater pollution. One approach to reducing the excessive use of N fertilizers is the evaluation of natural genetic variability for N use efficiency (NUE) of crop plants. Therefore, the genotypes S. pimpinellifolium, S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\', and S. habrochaites, previously identified with contrasting capacity of N absorption, were used in kinetic and provision assays using short-term 15N-labeled. Furthermore, the relative quantification of gene expression via quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) of genes related to the ammonium transport (AMTs - AMMONIUM TRANSPORTER - AMT1.1, AMT1.2 and AMT2.1) and nitrate (NRTs - NITRATE TRANSPORTERS - NRT1.1, NRT2.1, NRT2.2 and NAR2) was performed to correlate the N absorption capacity with the expression of these genes. Solanum pimpinellifolium has greater ammonium absorption in its roots when compared to genotypes S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' and S. habrochaites under contrasting conditions of N availability. This phenotype is associated with the greater induction of SlAMT1.1 expression in S. pimpinellifolium roots. During ammonium provision, genotype S. habrochaites showed lower inhibition of the 15N-ammonium acquisition compared to S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' and S. pimpinellifolium. The correlation with the expression levels of the main ammonium transporter suggests a different allosteric regulation of SlAMT1.1 protein in S. habrochaites. The comparison of the SlAMT1.1 coding region in the three genotypes indicated the existence of differences in amino acid sequence, particularly in S. habrochaites. The change of Ser240Gly in the cytosolic loop of S. habrochaites, which is critical during the allosteric regulation, may be related to the inhibition of ammonium influx. The cloning and sequencing of the promoter region of the gene SlAMT1.1 indicates the presence of different regulatory motifs in the promoter of SlAMT1.1 in S. pimpinellifolium when compared to S. lycopersicum cv Santa Clara and S. habrochaites. This can be correlated with the highest ammonium acquisition capacity of S pimpinellifolium roots. Therefore, nitrate kinetic studies showed that S. pimpinellifolium has greater acquisition of nitrate in their roots when compared to S. lycopersicum cv Santa Clara and S. habrochaites, due to increased induction of SlNRT2.1 and SlNRT2.2 genes. The correlation among nitrate influx studies and expression of genes related to the transport of this N form suggest that SlNRT2.1 is the main transporter regulated in roots of the three genotypes under nitrate supply. In addition, the genotype S. habrochaites showed greater ability to induce SlNRT2.1 when compared to S. lycopersicum cv \'Santa Clara\' and S. pimpinellifolium in nitrate supply

The space vehicle system concept (i.e. resupply vehicle) described is based on the new direction that President George W. Bush announced on January 14, 2004 for NASA’s Human Exploration, which has the space shuttle retiring in 2011 following the completion of the International Space Station (ISS). This leads to a problem for the ISS community regarding the capability of meeting a sixty metric-ton cargo shortfall in resupply and the ability of returning large payloads, experiment racks and any other items too large to fit into a crew only type spacecraft like the Orion or Soyuz. NASA and the ISS partners have realized these future problems and started developing various systems for resupply to ISS, but none offer the capability for large up or down mass close to that of the shuttle. Without this capability, the primary purpose behind the ISS science mission is defeated and the ability to keep the station functioning properly is at risk with limited payload delivery (i.e. replacement hardware size and mass). There is a solution to this problem and a majority of the solution has already been designed, built, and flight tested. Another portion has been studied heavily by a team at NASA for use in a slightly different mission. Following the retirement of the space shuttle fleet and the loss of heavy up and down mass capability, the only solution to the problem is to design a new spacecraft. However, the budget and new direction for NASA will not allow for a costly new payload carrying spacecraft. The solution is to use existing commercial off the shelf (COTS) hardware to minimize the costs of developing a totally new system. This paper will discuss the technical feasibility of this conceptual configuration.

Les changements climatiques amènent des transformations profondes de l’environnement arctique. La diminution de l’étendue de la couverture de glace permet un accès facilité aux ressources naturelles et aux communautés nordiques. Au Canada, la région arctique est caractérisée par une géographie archipélagique et un réseau de transport rudimentaire. Le transport maritime est le mode privilégié pour l’acheminement du fret aux communautés et aux sites industriels de l’Arctique. La littérature scientifique présente des lacunes importantes au sujet de la navigation commerciale dans l’Arctique canadien. Peu d’études portent sur le trafic de ravitaillement en raison de son volume peu élevé et de la faible diversité des types de produits transportés, bien qu’il s’agisse d’une activité grandement significative pour les populations et l’économie du Nord. Cette recherche vise à combler cette lacune en dressant un portrait du transport maritime et de la performance des opérations portuaires dans l’Arctique canadien. L’étude est structurée en quatre parties. Une analyse du trafic et des échanges maritimes est d’abord réalisée sous trois échelles : internationale, nationale et intra-arctique. Ensuite, l’étude de la flotte et des routes fait ressortir la distribution géographique des transporteurs. Puis, la performance des ports est mesurée grâce à des indicateurs et un système de cotation. Finalement, une évaluation des opérations maritimes arctiques est menée par l’entremise d’informations récoltées lors d’entrevues avec les membres de l’industrie maritime, de conférences et de travail de terrain. Les sujets abordés concernent l’évolution de la desserte, les défis posés par la navigation en milieu arctique et le développement des ports du Nord canadien. Les résultats de l’étude mènent à la conclusion que le transport maritime dans l’Arctique est caractérisé par une croissance positive du volume acheminé et une implication profonde des transporteurs dédiés à la desserte nordique, mais des infrastructures portuaires et maritimes sous-développées. / Climate change brings deep transformations in the Arctic environment. The reduction of the ice cover allows better access to northern communities and natural resources. In Canada, the Arctic region is characterized by an archipelagic geography and undeveloped transportation network. Marine transport is the favoured mode for supplying freight to local communities and industrial sites. The scientific literature shows important gaps on commercial navigation in the Canadian Arctic. Few studies have been conducted on marine traffic in the Arctic due to small tonnage and low product diversity, even though it is a significant activity for the northern people and the regional economy. This research aims to fill this gap by assessing maritime transportation and port operation efficiency in the Canadian Arctic. The structure of this study is four fold. First, a traffic and trade analysis is conducted under three scales: international, national and intra-arctic. Second, a fleet and routing assessment is done by means of carriers’ geographic distribution. Third, port performance is measured through specific indicators. Fourth, an evaluation is held on arctic marine operations through information collected during interviews with members of the maritime industry, workshops and field work. Problems addressed regard evolution of the sealift, challenges brought by Arctic navigation and development of northern Canadian ports. Results of this research lead to the conclusion that Arctic marine transportation displays positive traffic growth and serious involvement by carriers dedicated to Arctic sealift, but under-developed port and maritime infrastructures.

Les changements climatiques amènent des transformations profondes de l’environnement arctique. La diminution de l’étendue de la couverture de glace permet un accès facilité aux ressources naturelles et aux communautés nordiques. Au Canada, la région arctique est caractérisée par une géographie archipélagique et un réseau de transport rudimentaire. Le transport maritime est le mode privilégié pour l’acheminement du fret aux communautés et aux sites industriels de l’Arctique. La littérature scientifique présente des lacunes importantes au sujet de la navigation commerciale dans l’Arctique canadien. Peu d’études portent sur le trafic de ravitaillement en raison de son volume peu élevé et de la faible diversité des types de produits transportés, bien qu’il s’agisse d’une activité grandement significative pour les populations et l’économie du Nord. Cette recherche vise à combler cette lacune en dressant un portrait du transport maritime et de la performance des opérations portuaires dans l’Arctique canadien. L’étude est structurée en quatre parties. Une analyse du trafic et des échanges maritimes est d’abord réalisée sous trois échelles : internationale, nationale et intra-arctique. Ensuite, l’étude de la flotte et des routes fait ressortir la distribution géographique des transporteurs. Puis, la performance des ports est mesurée grâce à des indicateurs et un système de cotation. Finalement, une évaluation des opérations maritimes arctiques est menée par l’entremise d’informations récoltées lors d’entrevues avec les membres de l’industrie maritime, de conférences et de travail de terrain. Les sujets abordés concernent l’évolution de la desserte, les défis posés par la navigation en milieu arctique et le développement des ports du Nord canadien. Les résultats de l’étude mènent à la conclusion que le transport maritime dans l’Arctique est caractérisé par une croissance positive du volume acheminé et une implication profonde des transporteurs dédiés à la desserte nordique, mais des infrastructures portuaires et maritimes sous-développées. / Climate change brings deep transformations in the Arctic environment. The reduction of the ice cover allows better access to northern communities and natural resources. In Canada, the Arctic region is characterized by an archipelagic geography and undeveloped transportation network. Marine transport is the favoured mode for supplying freight to local communities and industrial sites. The scientific literature shows important gaps on commercial navigation in the Canadian Arctic. Few studies have been conducted on marine traffic in the Arctic due to small tonnage and low product diversity, even though it is a significant activity for the northern people and the regional economy. This research aims to fill this gap by assessing maritime transportation and port operation efficiency in the Canadian Arctic. The structure of this study is four fold. First, a traffic and trade analysis is conducted under three scales: international, national and intra-arctic. Second, a fleet and routing assessment is done by means of carriers’ geographic distribution. Third, port performance is measured through specific indicators. Fourth, an evaluation is held on arctic marine operations through information collected during interviews with members of the maritime industry, workshops and field work. Problems addressed regard evolution of the sealift, challenges brought by Arctic navigation and development of northern Canadian ports. Results of this research lead to the conclusion that Arctic marine transportation displays positive traffic growth and serious involvement by carriers dedicated to Arctic sealift, but under-developed port and maritime infrastructures.

The elimination of distribution inefficiencies, occurring due to the timing of customers' orders is an important reason for companies to introduce vendor managed inventory programs. By managing their customers' inventories, suppliers may be able to reduce demand variability and therefore distribution costs. We develop technology to measure the effectiveness of distribution strategies. We develop a methodology that allows the computation of tight lower bounds on the total mileage required to satisfy customer demand over a period of time. As a result, companies will be able to gain insight into the effectiveness of their distribution strategy. This technology can also be used to suggest desirable delivery patterns and to analyze tactical and strategic decisions. Secondly, we study the inventory routing problem with continuous moves (IRP-CM). The typical inventory routing problem deals with the repeated distribution of a single product, from a single facility, with an unlimited supply, to a set of customers that can all be reached with out-and-back trips. Unfortunately, this is not always the reality. We introduce the IRP-CM to study two important real-life complexities: limited product availabilities at facilities and customers that cannot be served using out-and-back tours. We need to design delivery tours spanning several days, covering huge geographic areas, and involving product pickups at different facilities. We develop a heuristic and an optimization algorithm to construct distribution plans. The heuristic is an innovative randomized greedy algorithm, which includes linear programming based postprocessing technology. To solve the IRP-CM to optimality, we give a time-discretized integer programming model and develop a branch-and-cut algorithm. As instances of time-discretized models tend to be large we discuss several possibilities for reducing the problem size. We introduce a set of valid inequalities, called delivery cover inequalities, in order to tighten the bounds given by the LP relaxation of the time-discretized model. We also introduce branching schemes exploiting the underlying structure of the IRP-CM. An extensive computational study demonstrates the effectiveness of the optimization algorithm. Finally, we present an integrated approach using heuristics and optimization algorithms providing effective and efficient technology for solving inventory problems with continuous moves.