Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the single largest cause of death in Australia. Lack of physical activity is a primary risk factor for CHD. The thesis aimed to quantify the efficacy of walking in reducing CHD risk. Meta-analyses were performed for the quantification with the application of random-effect meta-regression models. The thesis also aimed to quantify reductions in CHD-related direct healthcare costs, productivity loss and disease burden resulting from walking interventions in Australia, using the population attributable fraction model, the work and leisure models, and the consumer surplus model. Economic evaluations were also conducted to estimate CHD-related productivity loss using the human capital and the friction methods. The results indicated that 30 minutes of normal walking a day for 5-7 days a week compared to physical inactivity reduced CHD risk by 24%. There existed a dose-response relationship between walking and CHD risk reduction. An increment of approximately 30 minutes of normal walking a day for 5 days a week reduced CHD risk by 19%. The annual productivity loss resulting from CHD was estimated at AU$1.79 billion based on the human capital method and AU$25.05 million under the friction method. 30 minutes of normal walking a day for 5-7 days a week by the country???s ???sufficient??? walking population was shown to generate an estimated $126.73 million in net direct healthcare savings annually. The net economic savings could increase to AU$419.9 million if the whole inactive population engaged in ???sufficient??? walking. The study also found that 30 minutes of normal walking a day for 5-7 days a week reduced the burden of CHD by an estimated 25,065 DALYs and the productivity loss by AU$162.65 million annually under the leisure model. If the whole inactive population engaged in such walking, the total disease burden and productivity loss could be reduced by approximately one third. The findings present epidemiological and economic evidence in support of the national physical activity guidelines, which encourage the general public to engage in moderate physical activity including walking for a minimum of 30 minutes a day for 5-7 days a week.

The application of anaerobic digestion (AD) as a sustainable waste management technology is growing worldwide, due to high energy prices as well as increasingly strict environmental regulations. The growth of the AD industry necessitates exploring new substrates for their utilisation in AD processes. The present work investigates the AD of two recalcitrant biomass: lignocelluloses and keratin-rich residues. The complex nature of these waste streams limits their biological degradation; therefore, suitable pre-processing is required prior to the AD process.In the first part of the study, the effects of organic solvent pre-treatments on bioconversion of lignocelluloses (straw and forest residues) to biogas were evaluated. Pre-treatment with N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) resulted in minor changes in the composition of the substrates, while their digestibility significantly increased. Furthermore, due to the high cost of the NNMO, the effect of pre-treatment with the recycled solvent was also explored. Since it was found that the presence of small traces of NMMO in the system after the treatment has inhibitory effects on AD, pre-treatments of forest residues using other organic solvents, i.e. acetic acid, ethanol, and methanol, were investigated too. Although pre-treatments with acetic acid and ethanol led to the highest methane yields, the techno-economical evaluation of the process showed that pre-treatment with methanol was the most viable economically, primarily due to the lower cost of methanol, compared to that of the other solvents.In the second part of the work, wool textile wastes were subjected to biogas production. Wool is mainly composed of keratin, an extremely strong and resistible structural protein. Thermal, enzymatic and combined treatments were, therefore, performed to enhance the methane yield. The soluble protein content of the pre-treated samples showed that combined thermal and enzymatic treatments had significantly positive effects on wool degradation, resulting in the highest methane yields, i.e. 10–20-fold higher methane production, compared to that obtained from the untreated samples.In the last part of this thesis work, dry digestion of wheat straw and wool textile waste, as well as their co-digestion were studied. The total solid (TS) contents applied in the digesters were between 6–30% during the investigations. The volumetric methane productivity was significantly enhanced when the TS was increased from 6 to 13–21%. This can be a beneficial factor when considering the economic feasibility of large-scale dry AD processes.

Maternal nutrition is closely linked to child health and survival. In Bangladesh there is a high prevalence of undernutrition in the form of chronic energy deficiency [CED, Body Mass Index <18.5 (kg/m2)] in women and low birth weight. The aims of this thesis are to explore women’s perceptions of maternal undernutrition, to analyse the association between prenatal food supplementation and birth weight (BW), to analyse whether food- and multiple micronutrient interventions generate pro-disadvantaged equity in child survival, and to examine whether an early prenatal invitation to food supplementation and multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) represents value for money in infant survival compared to invitation to food supplementation at usual time combined with 60 mg iron and 400 µg folic acid (standard practice). The study on women’s perceptions (n=236) was nested into the MINIMat randomized trial where women (n=4436) were allocated to early (E), or usual (U) time of invitation to prenatal food supplementation and 30 mg iron with 400 µg folic acid, or 60 mg iron with 400 µg folic acid, or MMS. Live births (n=3625) were followed-up. The analyses of equity and cost-effectiveness were based on this trial. A cohort design (n=619) was employed for the analysis of food supplements and BW. Women perceived maternal undernutrition as a serious health problem and attached very low scores to CED in pregnancy. An average of four months of prenatal food supplementation increased BW by 118 g. An early invitation to prenatal food supplementation and MMS lowered mortality in children before the age of five years and reduced social disparity in child survival chances. An increment from standard practice to E-MMS averted one extra infant death at a cost of US$797 to US$907, and saved one extra life year at a cost of US$27 to US$30. High priority should be given to the nutritional status of pregnant women in societies where undernutrition and food insecurity occurs. Prenatal food supplementation has the potential to significantly increase BW, and an early initiation of prenatal food supplementation combined with MMS was considered cost-effective in lowering infant mortality and increase social equity in child survival chances.

[pt] Essa dissertação tem o objetivo de apresentar e aplicar uma metodologia de cálculo de indicadores de desempenho econômico e financeiro obtidos a partir das informações de reservas de empresas de exploração e produção de petróleo. Inicialmente é feita uma revisão bibliográfica de tópicos relevantes ao assunto. Em seguida, é apresentada a metodologia de cálculo dos indicadores de desempenho. Por fim, é desenvolvido um sistema de informações, Sistema de Avaliação Econômica e Financeira de Reservas (SAFER), capaz de auxiliar a Petrobras tanto na elaboração dos relatórios contábeis como na avaliação de desempenho econômico e financeiro das empresas do setor. / [en] This thesis intends to present and apply a computation methodology of economic and financial performance indicators derived from the financial disclosures presented by the petroleum exploration and production companies concerning their reserves. A bibliography review on the main topics about the subjects is done. Then, the computation methodology of economic and financial performance indicators is presented. Last, an information system (Economic and Financial Reserves Evaluation System - SAFER) is proposed for helping Petrobras to prepare the accounting reports and to perform an economic and financial evaluation of the E&P companies.

Orientador: Maria Inez Espagnoli Geraldo Martins / Banca: João Donato Scorvo Filho / Banca: Teresa Cristina Ribeiro Dias Koberstein / Resumo: Nos últimos anos, a demanda pelo pescado tem aumentado significativamente. Atualmente, a pesca, que contribui com a maior parte deste produto, vem apresentando estagnação, ou ligeira queda na oferta em alguns anos como foi o caso de 2006. Em contrapartida, a aquicultura moderna, que passa por grandes avanços científicos e tecnológicos, vem suprindo esta deficiência no mercado. O Brasil, detentor de 12% de toda água doce mundial, deverá se tornar brevemente um grande produtor no cenário mundial. Um dos grandes diferenciais do país, além de possuir clima favorável, é a disponibilidade de grandes reservatórios, que tem sido aproveitado para o cultivo de peixes em tanques-rede. O presente estudo, desenvolvido em piscicultura comercial, no Reservatório de Furnas, curso médio do rio Grande, município de São José da Barra MG teve como objetivo comparar os principais indicadores zootécnicos e econômicos da tilapicultura em sistema super-intensivo (tanques-rede) em duas diferentes dimensões 6 e 18 m3. Foram utilizados 12.960 juvenis machos revertidos da tilápia-do-nilo (Oreochromis niloticus). Durante todo o período experimental, os peixes receberam ração extrusada especial para tilápias em cultivos super-intensivo e a oferta variou de acordo com a biomassa e temperatura da água, iniciando com 8% e decrescendo até 1%. Foram avaliados os seguintes índices zootécnicos: sobrevivência (%), peso médio (g), biomassa (kg), ganho de biomassa (kg), ganho em peso diário (g), conversão alimentar aparente e densidade (kg/m3). A análise econômica foi elaborada a partir da determinação do custo total de produção e do lucro de cada tratamento. Os dados deste estudo permitem concluir que, embora não diferindo nos principais indicadores zootécnicos, a produção de tilápias em tanques-rede de maior dimensão proporcionou menor custo total médio e maior rentabilidade / Abstract: In the past few years, demand for fish has increased significantly. At present, fishing, which contributes with the largest part of this product, has shown stagnation or slight falling in the offer in some years, as in the case of 2006. On the other hand, modern aquiculture, with technological and scientific improvement, has been supplying this deficit on the market. Brazil, with 12% of the world's fresh water, will probably become one of the greatest consumers soon. Besides the favorable weather, there is also the availability of large reservoirs, which has been used for the growing of fish in net cage. The present study, developed at Furnas reservoir, medium course of Grande river, in São José da Barra/MG, had as its aim compare the economic and zootechnic indicators of tilapiculture in super intensive system net cages in two different dimensions 6 and 18 m3. 12,960 reversed male juvenils from Nile tilapia were used (Oreochromis niloticus). During the experiment the fish received (extrusada) special ration for tilapia in super intensive culture and the offer varied according to the biomass and water temperature, beginning with 8% and decreasing until 1%. The following zootechnic indexes were evaluated: survival (%), average weight (g), biomass (kg), gain of biomass (kg), gain of daily weight (g), apparent nutritional conversion and density (kg/m3). The economic analysis was made after the determination of the total cost of the production and the profit of each treatment. The data in this study allows the conclusion that the production of tilapia in (net cages) of bigger dimension offered bigger rentability / Mestre

This thesis aims to establish a greater understanding of the effects of the single-sided robotic tufting process on component manufacturing costs and weight, and subsequently determine whether potential economic benefits can be realised through its implementation. To complete this assessment, the study uses the novel composite rib post application of the Next Generation Composite Wing (NGCW) project as an example case, investigating the component’s manufacturing cost, performance and weight relative to those of a non-tufted rib post with the same initial fabric layup, and a prepreg rib post with the same fibre orientation and fibre volume fraction. Detailed analyses of the tufted composite rib post manufacturing process have established the relationships between its manufacturing activities and the consumed resources, facilitating the creation of a novel cost model incorporating algorithms defining the robotic tufting process, which may be adapted for different geometries and tuft parameters. In addition, novel permeability data for the considered tufted preform have been obtained experimentally allowing the simulation of the liquid composite manufacturing process. The insertion of tufting in the studied arrangement was shown to decrease the in-plane permeability of the preform, reducing the characteristic by a factor of 3.5 in the direction perpendicular to the tuft seams, and 1.8 in the direction parallel. Completing structural analyses and further cost modelling, the study considers the manufacturing costs and weight of each of the studied components when performance is normalised. Implementing weight penalties including lifetime fuel consumption and lifetime revenue, appreciation is given to the potential lifetime costs generated by each of the structural solutions. Comparing the amalgamated costs of each component, relative economy has been evaluated both when considering equipment amortisation and also the use of pre-amortised equipment. Considering lifetime fuel cost/kg as the weight penalty, the novel composite rib post has greater economy within the pure pull-off load case without tufting due to its lower manufacturing costs. However, with the consideration of a more significant weight penalty, such as potential increased lifetime revenue, the use of the novel composite rib post results in superior economy, its lifetime cost/part is estimated to be 14% less than the component without tufting and 61% less than the lifetime cost/part of the prepreg component. Critical evaluations of the project’s methodologies have highlighted the various assumptions made due to the limitations of available information and means to perform certain validations. Under these circumstances the assumptions are believed to be the best representations of what is experienced in reality. As far as possible, errors believed to be the result of assumptions have been accounted for in rigorous error analyses to establish their propagation through the various calculations performed. These analyses have provided confidence in the results of the study, ensuring the significance of the determined economical differences between the investigated components.

The degree work describes the biology and morphology of the weed plants, which are found in maize vegetation most frequently, as well as their spreading and possible regulation. Based on the findings acquired, the methods of chemical and mechanical regulation are described. The degree work describes briefly both the plant of maize itself and the process of its growing. The attempt took place on the school farm of the Agricultural School in Tábor; a small plot attempt was carried out at the same place. The frequency of the occurrence of weed species on the selected small plots was evaluated in the hybrids of maize (Zea mays). The degree work contains data on the extent of the occurrence of weeds on individual plots, on which the individual hybrids of maize were compared with one another. It also includes an economic evaluation and possible measures to eliminate the spreading of weeds.

O presente trabalho contextualiza a importância da determinação da viabilidade técnico-financeira em sistemas de produção de bovinos de corte, através da aplicação de uma análise técnica e econômica. O objetivo do presente estudo foi realizar uma análise produtiva e econômica de sistemas de produção de bovinos de corte na região do Pampa do Rio Grande do Sul. Foram analisadas quatro propriedades rurais pertencentes a uma empresa agropecuária, localizadas no município de Dom Pedrito, e denominadas como Sistema de Cria em Campo Nativo (SCN), Sistema de Cria com Agricultura (SCA), Sistema de Recria-Terminação (SRT) e o Sistema de Terminação (ST). Para avaliar o efeito da escala de produção sobre a eficiência da atividade, foi simulado um quinto sistema, denominado SIA (Sistema de Integração de Atividades), integrando todas as propriedades da empresa, por meio do somatório dos parâmetros físicos e econômicos dos quatro sistemas independentes. Posteriormente, foram gerados índices técnicos e financeiros para realizar a análise do SIA. A maior produtividade foi alcançada pela unidade SRT, seguida da unidade ST, com 296 e 98 kg.ha-1, respectivamente. Os sistemas SIA, SCN e SCA foram os menos produtivos dos cinco avaliados, com 88, 86 e 83 kg.ha-1, respectivamente. Entretanto, o SCN foi mais eficiente em termos econômicos que os demais sistemas. O custo de oportunidade e a mão de obra foram os itens que mais oneraram os sistemas de SCN, SCA e SIA, com 38,8 e 23,6%, 42,9 e 27,3% e 40,7 e 26,6%, respectivamente, enquanto que nos SRT e ST foi a aquisição de animais com 61,7 e 71,5%, respectivamente. Os resultados positivos de margem líquida dos sistemas SCN (0,96 R$.kg-1) e SRT (0,93 R$.kg-1) foram responsáveis pela viabilidade econômica do sistema simulado, que apresentou margem líquida de 0,04 R$.kg-1. O efeito na escala de produção demonstrou ser positivo entre os sistemas, pois houve diluição nos custos fixos de produção no sistema simulado. / This study contextualizes the importance of determining the technical and financial viability of beef cattle production systems through the application of technical and economic analysis. The aim of study was to evaluate the productive and economic analysis of a beef cattle production in the Pampa region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data were collected from four properties from the same farming company, located in Dom Pedrito, RS. Production systems were defined as Cow-Calf System in Nature Pasture (CCNP), Cow- Calf in System and Agriculture (CCA), Rearing-Fattening System (RFS) and Fattening System (FS). We also simulated an additional system to evaluate the effect of production scale in the activity efficiency defined as Integration Activities System (IAS) that integrates all company farms. The IAS comprises the physical and economic parameters from four independent properties. The RFS farm had the highest productivity, with 296 kg.ha-1, followed by FS, IAS, CCNP and CCA. The RFS farm had the highest productivity, with 296 kg.ha-1, followed by FS, IAS, CCNP and CSA, with 98, 88, 86 e 83 kg.ha-1, respectively. The RFS showed highest productive and the CCNP demonstrated the highest economic results. The costs of opportunity and labour were higher for CCNP, CSA and IAS compared to RFS and FS, which have the animal’s acquisition as their main costs of production. The positives economic results of CCNP (0.96 R$.kg) and RFS (0.93 R$.kg-1) farms showed where responsible to economic viability of simulated system, that presented positive net margin (0.04 R$.kg-1). The effect on production scale was positive between systems by the attenuated on production fixed costs in the simulated system.

The work deals with economic evaluation of pork production in agricultural cooperative Opařany (ACO) in the period 2007-2010. The research reviewed both economic indicators and indicators of production and reproduction. Nutrition and feeding of pigs was also assessed from the perspective: influence on production and reproduction and share of cost breeding pigs. Evaluation of indicators is not only in time but also in the space, where average values of Czech breeders were used. ACO in 2008 experience worsening of breeding indicators and also increasing costs of one feeding day. It led to a loss 10,11 CZK per 1kg of live weight of slaughter pig. Since 2008 the ACO has been gradually improving. In 2010, there were weaned 23 piglets per 1 sow per a year. In fattening reached 0,68 daily gain. In indicators of reproduction is ACO above Czech average. ACO was also successful in gradual reduction of total cost. In 2010, ACO produced 1 kg of live weight of slaughter pig per 33,25 CZK. Despite the mentioned improvement, the ACO -production of pork was loss during the whole follow-up period. In 2010, the loss on every sold kilo of slaughter pig was 5,36 CZK.

The development of countryside and agriculture is seen especially in competitive and multifunctional agriculture with an emphasis on improving environmental quality, which will underpin long-term economic growth and provide sufficient conditions for rural development in services and other activities. The main emphasis of multifunctional agriculture is therefore put on investment in agriculture, including support for young farmers and the processing of agricultural production. One of the urgent problems of contemporary agriculture is the effective exploitation of agricultural land resources, when on the one side the production (economic) function will be filled to the maximum extent as well as environmental and security features on the other hand. The thesis is focused on this issue, on this aspect has been designed and calculated variations of the use of land block naturally in the context of possible scenarios of related landscape.