Eastern gamagrass [Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.] is a warm-season, perennial grass which is native to large areas across North America. Cultivars, selections and ecotypes suitable for erosion control, wildlife planting, ornamental, forage and biofuel applications are commercially available. Plantings are commonly established from seed; however, seed quality and dormancy are barriers to establishment. The objective here was to investigate parameters that contribute to inconsistent performance of this seed kind to subsequently improve seed lot quality. Forty-two seed lots were used, with seed fill and germination potential ranging from 78- 100% and 11-91%, respectively. Actual germination and dormant seed ranged from 0-40% and 1-85%, respectively. Seed count per pound ranged from 3195 to 8344 and was influenced by genotype. Alternating laboratory temperature regimes were generally more effective in promoting germination than constant temperatures. Optimal germination occurred at 15/25, 20/30 or 20/35 ºC (16/8 hours), but was not consistent across cultivars or seed lots. These data suggest that germination temperature contributes to inconsistent laboratory germination and poor stands observed for untreated and pretreated seeds sown under field conditions. Eleven primary dormancy breaking treatments were tested and most improved germination. Although not commercially feasible, cupule removal plus caryopsis scarification hastened germination and completely eliminated seed dormancy. Soaking in H2O2 (18 hr) improved germination, but the effect was not consistent. Moist chilling (5 or 10 °C) was generally superior to other treatments and remains the most simple, effective and consistent dormancy-breaking treatment, although duration varies by seed lot. Benefits of moist chilling and H2O2 treatment were retained for short periods in seeds dried from approximately 55% to 13% moisture content. Removal of empty and light-weight cupules improved seed lot purity and germination, although removal of as much as 40% of the volume was necessary. The priming treatments tested were less than satisfactory in improving germination or the range of germination temperatures compared to moist chilling treatment alone. Eastern gamagrass seed lot quality is highly variable, but can be improved. Multiple physical and physiological targets of opportunity have been identified to improve seed lot quality in eastern gamagrass.

Efterfrågan på trävaror har ökat i Sverige under 2017 och Braviken sågverk, Holmen AB, expanderade våren 2018 sin verksamhet genom en ny tryckimpregneringsanläggning. I dagsläget saknar denna del av sågverket lagerstyrning vilket kan resultera i problem att möta efterfrågan. Sågverket står för utmaningen att planera när order från tryckimpregneringens färdigvarulager ska ske till tryckimpregneringsanläggningen och till vilken kvantitet. Fördelen med lagerstyrning är att det ger en överblick av när produktion ska ske och till vilken kvantitet. Vidare uppstår svårigheter vid lagerstyrning till följd av efterfrågans säsongsvariation. Syftet med detta arbete är att uppnå en styrbarhet av tryckimpregneringens färdigvarulager genom att föreslå underlag för lagerstyrning som sågverket kan använda som grund för framtida lagerstyrning. Utifrån litteraturstudie, sekundärdata och datainsamling i form av intervju och observation analyserades vilka lagerstyrningsmetoder som var aktuella för de studerade problemet. Utifrån de valda lagerstyrningsmetoderna genomfördes beräkning för att sedan resultera i när order ska ske från tryckimpregneringens färdigvarulager och vilken kvantitet ordern skulle omfatta. Säsongen delades upp i tre olika faser för att underlätta lagerstyrningen. Fas 1, januari till mars, genomfördes med en lagerstyrning som syftade till att maximera lagervolymerna inför högsäsongen i Fas 2. Utifrån den kapacitetsanalys som genomförts i Fas 1 överskrids lager- och produktionskapaciteten. Därmed flyttas produktion i mars under Fas 1 till januari och februari i Fas 1 samt till april i Fas 2. I Fas 2, april till augusti, genomfördes lagerstyrningen med beställningspunktsystem som metod och ekonomisk orderkvantitet som partiformning. Kapacitetsanalysen resulterade i att del av produktion i juni flyttas till maj och del av produktion i augusti flyttas till juli och maj för att inte överskrida kapaciteten i tryckimpregneringstuben. Slutet av säsongen, Fas 3, augusti till november, planerades utifrån målet att ha tomt lager när säsongen är över för att minska risken att produkter blir inkuranta. MRP och Lot for Lot har därmed valts som lagerstyrning i Fas 3, där ingåendelager i Fas 3 utgörs av utgående lager i Fas 2. Lagerstyrning och genomförd justering för att kunna möta lager- och produktionskapaciteten medför en ojämn produktion med främst låga produktionsvolymer under april. För att jämna ut produktionen mellan månaderna och faserna har beställningskvantiteterna under januari till april summerats och fördelats lika mellan dessa månader. Utjämningen bidrar till ett mer balanserat produktionsflöde under januari till mars. Vidare leder utjämningen också till lägre lagervolymer i slutet av Fas 1 och utrymme att öka produktionen under dessa månader. Sågverket saknar i nuläget uppföljning av verksamheten vilket påverkat beräkningarna i detta examensarbete. Sågverket rekommenderas därmed att påbörja uppföljning för att möjliggöra hänsynstagande av prognosfel och faktiska servicenivåer. Vidare bör sågverket undersöka lagerränta och ordersärkostnaden när ytterligare kunskap om processerna har erhållits. Avslutningsvis rekommenderas sågverket att överväga implementering av produktionssystem för att underlätta produktionsplanering och orderläggning.

En France, l’expression de "deuxième génération" de Harkis renvoie à une réalité sociologique et historique pour le moins surprenante, car un statut administratif serait devenu une caractéristique héréditaire. Le fil d’Ariane de cette étude est la transmission d'une identité. Cette transmission se traduit publiquement par les associations dont les membres s’engagent dans un conflit latent avec les pouvoirs publics. Ainsi, la relation entre les pouvoirs publics français et la population harkie de 1962 à nos jours constitue l'épine dorsale de notre recherche. Après une présentation des débats historiographiques, la gestion étatique de cette population, ses effets matériels et symboliques sont examinés à l’échelle départementale. Le terrain d’investigation choisi est le Lot-et-Garonne, où se situent le Centre d'Accueil des Rapatriés d'Algérie à Bias, et le Centre d’Accueil des Français d’Indochine sur la commune voisine de Sainte-Livrade. Leur approche comparative aide à l’analyse du traitement par l'Etat de cette question sociopolitique dans une France fraîchement décolonisée. L’administration des familles harkies lot-et-garonnaises s’articule autour de trois phases : 1- de 1962 jusqu’au milieu des années 1970, celle-ci se caractérise par une certaine improvisation et une gestion de l’urgence ; 2 - la première révolte de 1975 ouvre la seconde période marquée par le passage d’une question coloniale à une question d’immigration avec une réelle recherche de solutions ; 3 - la rébellion de 1991 inaugure la troisième phase durant laquelle les dirigeants instaurent une politique basée sur un accompagnement social renforcé et une réparation historique. Ce dispositif entérine la double étiquette de la population harkie qui forme une communauté socio-historique singulière. / In France, the expression “second generation” of Harkis is a surprising sociological and historical reality, because an administrative status would become a hereditary characteristic. The main theme of this study is the transmission of an identity. This transmission is publicly conveyed by the associations whose members are in conflict with the authorities. Thus, the relation between the French authorities and the Harki population from1962 to nowadays composes the backbone of our research. After a presentation of the historiographical debates, the management by the French State of this population, its material and symbolic effects are examined on a departmental scale. The chosen place of investigation is Lot-et-Garonne, where the Reception Center for the Repatriated Settlers from Algeria in Bias (or CARA) and the Reception Center for the French people of Indochina on the nearby municipality of Sainte-Livrade (or CAFI) are located. Their comparative approach helps in the analysis of the treatment by the State of this sociopolitical question in newly decolonized France. The management of Harki families in Lot-et-Garonne can be studied according to three periods: 1 - from 1962 until the middle of the 1970’ this management is characterized by a certain improvisation and a sense of urgency; 2 - the first revolt of 1975 opens the second period which is marked by the passage from a colonial question to a question of immigration with a real research of solutions; 3 - the rebellion of 1991 inaugurates the third phase in the course of which the leaders establish a policy based on an intensified social accompaniment and a historic repair. This plan confirms the double label of the Harki population which forms a singular socio-historical community.

Le principal objet de cet thèse réside dans la modélisation et l’optimisation de services de transport à la demande aussi différents soient-ils (ou seront-ils). Les techniques de supervision doivent alors pouvoir supporter différents objectifs et différentes contraintes pour s’adapter aux services actuels et futurs. Ainsi, ce rapport de thèse développe différentes variantes du DARP - ang. Dial-a-Ride Problem -, le problème de Recherche Opérationnelle modélisant et optimisant un service classique de transport à la demande. Le DARP standard a été étendu de façon à prendre en compte des hypothèses de fonctionnement prometteuses, comme le fait de séparer les composants d’une même requête pour les dispatcher sur des véhicules différents ou encore la présence de mécanismes d’intermodalité. Cette thèse permet également d’inscrire les véhicules autonomes tels que les VIPA dans de nouvelles problématiques de la Recherche Opérationnelle tout en restant dans le domaine du transport à la demande. La modélisation puis l’optimisation de ces systèmes permet de créer les plannings de ces nouveaux véhicules. A long terme, l’évolution technologique devrait permettre de ne plus se soucier du fait qu’ils sont automatiques. Ces travaux tentent de fournir un cadre suffisamment générique permettant à la fois de fournir une solution exploitable aujourd’hui et qui soit adaptable demain. / The main objective of the thesis is modeling and optimization of several on-demand transportation services. Supervision techniques must be able to handle numerous criteria and numerous constraints to adapt to the current and future services. Thus, this research develops several types of DARP - Dial-a-Ride Problem -, the operation research problem modeling and optimizing an on-demand transportation system. The standard DARP has been adapted to promising systems, such as those allowing to split the components of the same request and the possibility to dispatch them on different vehicles or the presence of intermodal mechanisms. This thesis also formulates new Operations Research problems in order to integrate autonomous vehicles such as the VIPA in an optimized on-demand transportation system. Modeling and optimizing these systems create schedules of these new vehicles. In the future, technological evolutions are expected and the automatic feature of the vehicles will not be taken into account anymore. These studies attempt to provide a generic framework in order to provide a usable tool for today and an adaptable tool for tomorrow.

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The research work presented in this dissertation relates to lot sizing and its applications in the areas of operational planning and shop floor scheduling and control. Lot sizing enables a proper loading of requisite number of jobs on the machines in order to optimize the performance of an underlying production system. We address lot sizing problems that are encountered at the order entry level as well as those that are faced at the time of distributing the jobs from one machine to another and those that arise before shipping the jobs (orders) to customers. There are different issues and performance measures involved during each of these scenarios, which make the lot sizing problems encountered in these scenarios different from one another. We present algorithms and relevant theoretical analyses for each of the lot sizing problems considered, and also, present results of numerical experimentation to depict their effectiveness We first study the lot sizing problem encountered while transferring jobs from one machine to another. A lot of the jobs is to be split into smaller lots (called sublots) such that the lot is processed on multiple machines in an overlapping manner, a process which is known in the literature as lot streaming. Two lot streaming problems, FL2/n/C and FLm/1/C, are investigated in Chapter 2. FL2/n/C involves a two-machine flow shop in which multiple lots are to be processed. The objective is to minimize the combined cost of makespan and material handling (the latter is proportional to the number of sublots). A dynamic programming-based methodology is developed to determine the optimal sublot sizes and the number of sublots for each lot while assuming a known sequence in which to process the lots. We designate this problem as LSP-DP. This methodology is, then, extended to determine an optimal sequence in which to process the lots in conjunction with the number of sublots and sublot sizes for each lot. We designate this problem as LSSP-DP. Three multidimensional heuristic search procedures (denoted as LSSP-Greedy, LSSP-Cyclic and LSSP-ZP) are proposed for this problem in order to obtain good-quality solutions in a reasonable amount of computational time. Our experimentation reveals that both lot streaming and lot sequencing generate significant benefits, if used alone. However, for the objective of minimizing total handling and makespan cost, lot streaming is more beneficial than lot sequencing. The combined use of lot streaming and sequencing, expectedly, results in the largest improvement over an initial random solution. LSP-DP is found to be very efficient, and so are the three LSSP heuristics, all of which are able to generate near-optimal solutions. On the average, LSSP-Greedy generates the best solutions among the three, and LSSP-Cyclic requires the least time. FLm/1/C deals with the streaming of a single lot over multiple machines in a flow shop. The objective is a unified cost function that comprises of contributions due to makespan, mean flow time, work-in-process, transfer time and setup time. The distinctive features of our problem pertain to the inclusion of sublot-attached setup time and the fact that idling among the sublots of a lot is permitted. A solution procedure that relies on an approximation equation to determine sublot size is developed for this problem for equal-size sublots. The approximation avoids the need for numerical computations, and enables the procedure to run in polynomial time. Our experimentation shows that this solution procedure performs quite well and frequently generates the optimal solution. Since the objective function involves multiple criteria, we further study the marginal cost ratios of various pairs of the criteria, and propose cost sensitivity indices to help in estimating the impact of marginal cost values on the number of sublots obtained. The lot sizing problem addressed in Chapter 3 is motivated by a real-life setting associated with semiconductor manufacturing. We first investigate the integration of lot sizing (at the operational planning level) and dispatching (at the scheduling and control level) in this environment. Such an integration is achieved by forming a closed-loop control system between lot sizing and dispatching. It works as follows: lot sizing module determines lot sizes (loading quota) for each processing buffer based on the current buffer status via a detailed linear programming model. The loading quotas are then used by the dispatching module as a general guideline for dispatching lots on the shop floor. A dispatching rule called "largest-remaining-quota-first" (LRQ) is designed to drive the buffer status to its desired level as prescribed by the lot sizing module. Once the buffer status is changed or a certain amount of time has passed, loading quotas are updated by the lot sizing module. Our experimentation, using the simulation of a real-life wafer fab, reveals that the proposed approach outperforms the existing practice (which is based on "first-in-first-out" (FIFO) model and an ad-hoc lot sizing method). Significant improvements are obtained in both mean values and standard deviations of the performance metrics, which include finished-goods inventory, backlog, throughput and work-in-process. The integration of lot sizing and dispatching focuses on the design of an overall production system architecture. Another lot sizing problem that we present in Chapter 3 deals with input control (or workload control) that complements this architecture. Input control policies are responsible for feeding the production system with the right amount of work and at the right time, and are usually divided into "push" or "pull" categories. We develop a two-phase input control methodology to improve system throughput and the average cycle time of the lots. In phase 1, appropriate operational lot sizes are determined with regard to weekly demand, so as to keep the lot start rate at the desired level. In phase 2, a "pull" policy, termed CONLOAD, is applied to keep the bottleneck's workload at a target level by releasing new lots into the system whenever the workload level is below the desired level. Since the operators are found to be the bottleneck of the system in our preliminary investigation, the "operator workload" is used as system workload in this study. Using throughput and cycle time as the performance metrics, it is shown that this two-phase CONLOAD methodology achieves significant improvement over the existing CONWIP-like policy. Furthermore, a reference table for the target operator workload is established with varying weekly demand and lot start rate. The last lot sizing problem that we address has to do with the integration of production and shipping operations of a make-to-order manufacturer. The objective is to minimize the total cost of shipping and inventory (from manufacturer's perspective) as well as the cost of earliness and tardiness of an order (from customer's perspective). An integer programming (IP) model is developed that captures the key features of this problem, including production and delivery lead times, multiple distinct capacitated machines and arbitrary processing route, among others. By utilizing the generalized upper bound (GUB) structure of this IP model, we are able to generate a simplified first-level RLT (Reformulation Linearization Technique) relaxation that guarantees the integrity of one set of GUB variables when it is solved as a linear programming (LP) problem. This allows us to obtain a tighter lower bound at a node of a branch-and-bound procedure. The GUB-based RLT relaxation is complemented by a GUB identification procedure to identify the set of GUB variables that, once restricted to integer values, would result in the largest increment in the objective value. The tightening procedure described above leads to the development of a RLT-based branch-and-bound algorithm. Our experimentation shows that this algorithm is able to search the branch-and-bound tree more efficiently, and hence, generates better solutions in a given amount of time. / Ph. D.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2017-06-16T12:13:46Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Leandro Mengue da Silva_.pdf: 1918963 bytes, checksum: 8d329d578b6f3672b670f65fd2f7ea08 (MD5) Leandro Mengue da Silva_.pdf: 1918963 bytes, checksum: 8d329d578b6f3672b670f65fd2f7ea08 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-16T12:13:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Leandro Mengue da Silva_.pdf: 1918963 bytes, checksum: 8d329d578b6f3672b670f65fd2f7ea08 (MD5) Leandro Mengue da Silva_.pdf: 1918963 bytes, checksum: 8d329d578b6f3672b670f65fd2f7ea08 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-23 / CNPQ – Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / A contribuição de metaheurísticas, em especial a dos algoritmos evolutivos, na área de otimização combinatória é de extrema relevância, pois auxiliam na busca de soluções próximas ao ótimo para problemas complexos da vida real cuja resolução em tempo aceitável é inviável devido a sua complexidade computacional, oferecendo uma flexibilidade importante na modelagem do problema. Este trabalho se propõe a apresentar e implementar um modelo computacional a ser utilizado na otimização do escalonamento de ordens de produção utilizando um Algoritmo Memético (AM), que permite a busca tanto da melhor sequência das ordens de produção quanto dos lotes de tamanho variável em que a quantidade de cada operação pode ser subdividida. A possibilidade de utilização de máquinas alternativas, de recursos secundários, de intervalos de indisponibilidade e de lotes de transferência, é apresentada no modelo, o que lhe proporciona grande robustez e aplicabilidade em ambientes de manufatura flexível, permitindo uma modelagem do Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem (FJSSP) que reflete com maior fidedignidade a realidade do ambiente fabril, gerando como resultado um escalonamento otimizado e aderente às necessidades da fábrica. Várias instâncias do FJSSP são utilizadas nos testes e os resultados obtidos comprovam que o algoritmo proposto consegue otimizar o escalonamento das ordens de produção de cada instância de maneira eficiente. / The contribution of meta-heuristics, especially evolutionary algorithms, in combinatorial optimization area is extremely important, as they help in finding near optimal solutions to complex real-life problems whose resolution is infeasible in acceptable time due to its computational complexity, offering an important flexibility in the modeling of problem. This study propose to present and implement a computational model to be used in optimizing the production scheduling of manufacturing orders using a Memetic Algorithm that allows to search both the best sequence of jobs as of variable size batches that the quantity of each operation can be subdivided. The possibility of using alternative resources, operations with secondary resources, unavailability intervals and batch transfer lots are features presented in the model, which lends it great robustness and applicability to flexible manufacturing environments, allowing the modeling of Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem (FJSSP) that reflects with higher accuracy the real manufacturing environment, generating optimized scheduling results that are adhering to the plant needs. Multiple instances of FJSSP are used in the tests and the results show that the proposed algorithm succeeds in optimizing the scheduling of production orders for each instance so efficient.

This study examines the marketing strategies employed by vendors at the Westwego shrimp lot in Westwego, Louisiana. Given the fluctuating market conditions and rising costs of seafood production, seafood vendors in the Gulf Coast region must look continuously for new ways to market their product as a cultural commodity. This thesis argues that shrimp becomes a cultural commodity at the Westwego shrimp lot, and that through marketing strategies, vendors at the Westwego shrimp lot both resist and accept certain aspects of globalization. The presence of imports, a presence that emerges in the context of globalization, poses a large threat to the industry‟s survival. Vendors both consciously and unconsciously market shrimp as food and symbol. An analysis of their efforts may contribute to understanding the process of cultural commodification.

Segundo uma pesquisa recente realizada junto ao setor de fundições, uma importante preocupação do setor é melhorar seu planejamento de produção. Um plano de produção em uma fundição envolve duas etapas interdependentes: a determinação das ligas a serem fundidas e dos lotes que serão produzidos. Neste trabalho, estudamos o problema de dimensionamento de lotes para fundições de pequeno porte, cujo objetivo é determinar um plano de produção de mínimo custo. Como sugerido na literatura, a heurística proposta trata as etapas do problema de forma hierárquica: inicialmente são definidas as ligas e, posteriormente, os lotes que são produzidos a partir delas. Para a solução do problema, propomos um algoritmo genético que explora um conjunto de possibilidades para a determinação das ligas e utiliza uma heurística baseada em relaxação lagrangiana para determinação dos itens a serem produzidos. Além disso, uma abordagem para o mesmo problema é proposta utilizando o problema da mochila para determinar os itens a serem produzidos. Bons resultados foram obtidos pelos métodos propostos / According to a recent research made by the foundry sector, one of the most concern of the industry is to improve its production planning. A foundry production plan involves two independent stages: the determination of alloys to be merged and the lots that will be produced. In this work, we studied the lot-sizing problem for small foundries, whose purpose is to determine a plan of minimum production cost. As suggested in the literature, the heuristic proposed addresses the problem stages in a hierarchical way: rst we dene the alloys and, subsequently, the lots that are produced from them. We propose a genetic algorithm that explores some possible sets of alloys produced and uses a Lagrangian heuristic to determine the items to be produced. Also, we propose one approach to the same problem that uses the knapsack problem to determine the items to be produced. Good results were obtained by the methods proposed

by Ha Yiu Cheung, Albert. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1988. / Bibliography: leaves 90-94.