Este trabalho tem seu foco no problema de sequenciamento e programação da lavra em mina a céu aberto, com alocação de equipamentos de carregamento. Neste estudo considera-se a existência de uma frota heterogênea de equipamentos de carga e dois tipos de material lavráveis, sendo minério ou estéril. Para a lavra de minério são considerados requisitos de qualidade a serem atingidos pela mistura de minério, um britador, uma capacidade de operação atribuída à usina de beneficiamento e uma pilha de estoque objetivando abastecer a usina quando faltar minério nas frentes de lavra, denominada pilha de ROM. Em uma mina o carregamento pode ser gerido por um plano de lavra que descreve a movimentação e a produção horária de cada equipamento de carga ao longo do tempo. Neste contexto, apresenta-se um modelo matemático apoiado por um algoritmo responsável por mover o horizonte de tempo a cada execução do modelo com intuito de gerar ordens de lavra resolvidas com otimalidade. Juntas, essas ordens descreverão o plano de lavra dos equipamentos de carga. Os experimentos computacionais, realizados utilizando dados de uma jazida de cobre, mostram a efetividade da proposta considerando um horizonte de médio prazo. / This paper focuses on the mining scheduling problem in open pit, considering the allocation of loading equipment. This study considers the existence of a heterogeneous fleet loading equipment and two types of mineable material, namely ore or waste. For the mining of ore are considered quality requirements to be met by the ore blending, a crusher, the capacity of operation of the processing plant and a stockpile which feed the plant when there is lack of ore in mining fronts, called ROM stockpile. In a mine, loading can be managed by a mining plan that describes the movement and the schedule of each load equipment over time. In this context, we present a mathematical model supported by an algorithm that is responsible for moving the time horizon for each model run, with the goal of generating mining orders till resolved to optimality. Together, these orders describe the mining plan of the loading equipment. The computational experiments, conducted using data from a copper deposit, show the effectiveness of the proposal considering a medium-term horizon.

This work considers the impact of fast reactor fuel cycles on the UK's nuclear waste inventory, focusing on the disposition of the UK's plutonium stockpile and spent fuel from new build nuclear reactors. Reprocessing spent fuel from nuclear reactors has led to a large stockpile of civil plutonium in the UK. At the end of reprocessing the stockpile was estimated to be 112 tonnes. This large stockpile of separated plutonium poses a proliferation concern and there is no strategy at present for UK plutonium disposition. The NDA's position paper in 2014 stated the re-use of plutonium in a reactor as a preferred option. These options included Mixed OXide (MOX) fuelled Pressurised Water Reactors (PWR) and the use of plutonium in a Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR), PRISM, operated as a once-through plutonium burning fast reactor. As yet a preferred option has not been selected by the government. Nuclear power is the UK's largest source of low-carbon electricity. Current plans aim to build 16 GWe of new reactors by 2050 to replace the UK's current fleet. This work considered PWR MOX and once-through SFRs for UK plutonium disposition, comparing their relative merits to the direct disposal of the plutonium stockpile in a geological repository. The waste performance of disposition options were compared using assessment criteria based on: Technology Readiness Level (TRL), final stockpile mass, repository size and radiotoxicity. To maximise the reduction of the UK's plutonium stockpile, closed SFR fuel cycles were also considered with scenarios aimed at improving waste performance. Once-through and closed SFR fuel cycles were also considered for the disposition of spent fuel from new build reactors. Research presented in this thesis shows that UK waste disposition options are highly dependent on fuel cycle operating parameters. In once-through plutonium disposition options all scenarios increased repository size compared to direct disposal. Once-though SFRs increased repository size the least, where as PWR MOX reduced the stockpile mass most significantly. The most significant improvement in waste performance, using a closed fuel cycle up to 2150, required short reprocessing times and americium reprocessing. There were no additional improvements of significance with curium reprocessing and the choice of metallic or MOX fuelled SFRs had little impact on waste performance. Preferred fuel cycle scenarios are dependent on the priority given to different assessment criteria. To compare fuel cycle scenarios on an even basis, decision analysis methods were presented using assessment criteria results from the fuel cycles modelled in this work. Decision analysis methods were designed so that the reader can apply their own priorities, through the use of weightings, to the assessment criteria to determine preferable fuel cycle scenarios.

Title: Emergency Supply Chains during a pandemic - Stockpiles and Last-Mile distribution Rationale: Disasters come in many shapes and sizes in terms of its nature and its destructiveness. A commonality amongst disasters is that they all cause widespread damage and extensive human suffering. A recent event that has brought attention to pandemics is the outbreak of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. With pandemic outbreaks being a statistical certainty according to WHO officials and historical references point to extensive damage caused by previous pandemics, proper emergency supply chain protocols are called for in order to secure the supply of vital resources. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore how stockpiles and last-mile distribution has been applied within emergency supply chains in previous disasters. This in order to collect and process knowledge as to how emergency supply chains can be used within a pandemic outbreak. Objective: The objective of this study is to answer the following question:  “How can stockpiles and last-mile distribution within an emergency supply chain be used to order to increase the availability of vital resources during a pandemic outbreak?” Method: This study takes a qualitative approach with a hermeneutic standpoint. Combined with an inductive reasoning the study aims to serve the above stated purpose and objective. Scientific literature will be sampled and thoroughly examined to provide a theoretical basis for the empirical data that will be collected in latter stages of the study. The empirical data that will be collected is exclusively qualitative in nature and consists of field reports, new articles, statements and other form of publications. The theoretical and empirical data will then be analyzed in order to serve the purpose and achieve the study objective. Measures such as authenticity and good ethical practices have been taken in order to ensure study quality.  Conclusions: Valuable knowledge can be extrapolated from previous disasters that have practiced the use of emergency supply chains and preparedness based stockpiling. This knowledge can be applied to disasters of pandemic nature such as the novel coronavirus.  Keywords: Emergency supply chain (ESC), Preparedness, Response, Stockpile, Vital resources, Social important activities, Collaboration, Last-mile distribution (LMD).

Since the end of World War II the United States has grown and maintained a stockpile of nuclear weapons in the interest of preserving world peace, and with the specific intent to provide unparalleled national security to its citizens. It was a commonly held view during this time that a large diverse stockpile was a fundamental key to national security. However, in today’s ever-changing environment, Los Alamos National Laboratory finds itself with an infrastructure unable to quickly adapt to new national security needs and threats. Burdened by the management of a Cold-War-era stockpile, nuclear operations at Los Alamos will benefit from a reduced stockpile initiative. Contrary to previously held beliefs, Los Alamos can be the prime beneficiary to such an approach, and use such a monumental shift in strategy to modernize infrastructure, revitalize critical staff, and effectively manage critical materials and facilities while simultaneously reducing waste and environmental impacts to better support national security needs. / text

The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) is a program that provides medical countermeasures during a public health emergency. A public health emergency can be a natural or man-made disaster, an act of terrorism, or a pandemic. The Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) was created to help the nation’s largest metropolitan regions develop the ability to provide SNS life-saving medications in the event of a large-scale bioterrorist attack or naturally occurring disease outbreak. To address the risks associated with a public health emergency the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires a comprehensive emergency response plan for distributing SNS/CRI materials quickly and efficiently. The Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness (FCDHW) is tasked with responsibility for distributing and dispensing of SNS/CRI medical assets delivered during a public health emergency. FCDHW is also tasked with the development of a comprehensive response plan. Past TAR scores revealed that passing SNS/CRI audits has been a challenge for FCDHW. A case study was conducted to note if the development of an information management system could facilitate successful future SNS/CRI audits. A needs assessment revealed that an information management system for emergency preparedness and response compliance was needed. Microsoft SharePoint 2007 was used to develop the information management system. SharePoint contains a secure document repository that linked the work products of all relevant internal and external stakeholders and revealed compliance deficiencies early enough to allow for corrective actions. The result was a passing TAR score that was a 59 point increase from the last published score.

In this thesis project, the main objective is to compare and evaluate different surveying methodsfor volume determination; Photogrammetry, Terrestrial Laser Scanning(TLS) and Aerial LaserScanning (ALS) based on time consumption, efficiency and safety in the mining industry. In addition,a volumetric computational method based on coordinates would be formulated to estimatethe volume of stockpiles using lidar data captured with a laser scanner. The use of GNSS receiver, UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) equipped with a LiDAR sensor as wellas a camera, and terrestrial laser scanner were adopted for making measurements on stockpiles. Trimble Business Center and Trimble RealWorks were used in processing LiDAR data from TLSand ALS. Two volume computational approaches were also explored using both TLS and ALSLiDAR data. Agisoft Photoscan was used in processing the images captured adopting the structurefrom motion principle. These softwares were used to estimate the volume of the stockpile. Matlabwas used to estimate the volume of stockpile using LiDAR data. A volume computational methodbased on coordinates of point cloud was implemented. Analysis based on time taken to captureand process all data types till the fi nal product was done. The results obtained from each datacapturing methods were evaluated. Simulated data technology is also adopted in this project asit can be modeled in different ways to study the effect of surface roughness (point density) onvolume estimated. A part of this project explores the use of MATLAB to  filter out unwantedpoint clouds coming from the weeds that grow on the surface of an abandoned stockpile and alsosurface areas that were to be excluded from the volume computation, as in this case. From the results obtained, TLS and ALS do not differ much in the  final volume estimated. Photogrammetry on the other-hand estimated a higher volume as compared to the other surveymethods. MATLAB in estimating the volume of stockpile achieves approximately an equal estimate as that of the TLS and ALS within a short period of time. The point density and fi ltering algorithm playsa critical role in volume computation which helps in providing a good estimate of the stockpile. Findings from this project show that is it time consuming to estimate the volume of stockpileusing TLS and Photogrammetric approach. In terms of safety on an active mining site, these twosurvey method have high risk probability as compared to the ALS approach. The accuracy forthe data captured and processed can be said to be satisfactory for each survey method. / I detta avhandlingsprojekt var huvudmålet att jämföra och utvärdera tre kartläggningsmetoder för volymbestämning: Fotogrammetri, Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) och Aerial Laser Scan-ning (ALS) baserat på tidsförbrukning, effektivitet och säkerhet i gruvindustrin. Dessutom formulerades en volymetrisk beräkningsmetod baserad på koordinater för att uppskatta volymen av lager med hjälp av lidardata som fångats med en laserskanner. Användningen av GNSS-mottagare, UAV (obemannad flygbil) utrustad med en LiDAR-sensor samt en kamera och markbunden laserscanner antogs för att göra mätningar på lager. Trimble Business Center och Trimble RealWorks användes vid bearbetning av LiDAR-data från TLS och ALS. Två volymberäkningsmetoder undersöktes också med både TLS- och ALS LiDAR-data. Agisoft Photoscan användes vid bearbetning av de bilder som tagits och antagit strukturen från rörelseprincipen. Denna programvara användes för att uppskatta volymen på lagret. Matlab användes för att uppskatta volymen av lager med LiDAR-data. En volymberäkningsmetod baserad på koordinater för punktmoln implementerades i Matlab. Analys baserad på den tid det tar att fånga och bearbeta alla datatyper tills den slutliga produkten var klar. Resultaten från varje datafångstmetod utvärderades. Simulerad datateknik antas också i detta projekt eftersom den kan modelleras på olika sätt för att studera effekten av ytjämnhet (punkttäthet) på den uppskattade volymen. En del av detta projekt utforskar användningen av MATLAB för att filtrera bort oönskade punktmoln som kommer från ogräset som växer på ytan av ett övergivet lager och även ytarealer som skulle uteslutas från volymberäkningen, som i detta fall. Från de erhållna resultaten skiljer sig TLS och ALS inte mycket i de slutliga volymuppskattningarna. Fotogrammetri å andra sidan uppskattade en högre volym jämfört med de andra undersöknings-metoderna. MATLAB vid uppskattning av lagervolymen uppnår ungefär lika stor uppskattning som TLS och ALS inom en kort tidsperiod. Punkttätheten och filtreringsalgoritmen spelar en viktig roll i volymberäkning som hjälper till att ge en bra uppskattning av lagret. Resultat från detta projekt visar att det är tidskrävande att uppskatta lagervolymen med TLS och fotogram-metrisk metod. När det gäller säkerhet på en aktiv gruvplats har dessa två undersökningsmetoder hög risk sannolikhet jämfört med ALS-metoden. Noggrannheten för de insamlade och bearbetade uppgifterna kan sägas vara tillfredsställande för varje undersökningsmetod.

Two international treaty frameworks - Amended Protocol II (APII) to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) - have been developed to prohibit or restrict the use of landmines. However, reflecting a gap in current academic research, there is a lack of knowledge of their effectiveness in supporting the humanitarian goals that underpin both treaties. In order to address gaps in the existing literature, this thesis applies an analytical framework grounded in regime theory to develop new insights into the design, implementation and effectiveness of APII and the APMBC within the broader framework of international humanitarian law (IHL). Two main hypotheses are explored. The first considers the importance for regime effectiveness of the relationship between design and implementation processes. The second analyses the significance for the landmine regimes of regime interplay and nesting within wider IHL and mine action discourses. In addressing these hypotheses, design/implementation interplay, agency dynamics and normative considerations represent key themes that enable us to develop new insights to a specific issue area that also demonstrates important linkages to wider humanitarian, security and developmental agendas.

Two international treaty frameworks ¿ Amended Protocol II (APII) to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) ¿ have been developed to prohibit or restrict the use of landmines. However, reflecting a gap in current academic research, there is a lack of knowledge of their effectiveness in supporting the humanitarian goals that underpin both treaties. In order to address gaps in the existing literature, this thesis applies an analytical framework grounded in regime theory to develop new insights into the design, implementation and effectiveness of APII and the APMBC within the broader framework of international humanitarian law (IHL). Two main hypotheses are explored. The first considers the importance for regime effectiveness of the relationship between design and implementation processes. The second analyses the significance for the landmine regimes of regime interplay and nesting within wider IHL and mine action discourses. In addressing these hypotheses, design/implementation interplay, agency dynamics and normative considerations represent key themes that enable us to develop new insights to a specific issue area that also demonstrates important linkages to wider humanitarian, security and developmental agendas.

<p dir="ltr">Several industrial and commercial bulk material management applications rely on accurate, current stockpile volume estimation. Proximal imaging and LiDAR sensing modalities can be used to derive stockpile volume estimates in outdoor and indoor storage facilities. Among available imaging and LiDAR sensing modalities, the latter is more advantageous for indoor storage facilities due to its ability to capture scans under poor lighting conditions. Evaluating volumes from such sensing modalities requires the pose (i.e., position and orientation) parameters of the used sensors relative to a common reference frame. For outdoor facilities, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) combined with an Inertial Navigation System (INS) can be used to derive the sensors’ pose relative to a global reference frame. For indoor facilities, GNSS signal outages will not allow for such capability. Prior research has developed strategies for establishing the sensor position and orientation for stockpile volume estimation while relying on multi-beam spinning LiDAR units. These approaches are feasible due to the large range and Field of View (FOV) of such systems that can capture the internal surfaces of barn and dome storage facilities.</p><p dir="ltr">The mechanical movement of multi-beam spinning LiDAR units together with the harsh conditions within indoor facilities (e.g., excessive humidity, dust, and corrosive environment in deicing salt storage facilities) limit the use of such systems. With the increasing availability of solid-state LiDAR units, there is an interest in exploring their potential for stockpile volume estimation. In spite of their higher robustness to harsh conditions, solid-state LiDAR units have shorter distance measurement range and limited FOV when compared with multi-beam spinning LiDAR. This research presents a strategy for the extrinsic calibration (i.e., estimating the relative pose parameters) of installed solid-state LiDAR units inside stockpile storage facilities. The extrinsic calibration is made possible using deployed spherical targets and a complete, reference scan of the facility from another LiDAR sensing modality. The proposed research introduces strategies for: 1) automated extraction of the spherical targets; 2) automated matching of these targets in the solid-state LiDAR and reference scans using invariant relationships among them; and 3) coarse-to-fine estimation of the calibration parameters. Experimental results in several facilities have shown the feasibility of using the proposed methodology to conduct the extrinsic calibration and volume evaluation with an error percentage less than 3.5% even with occlusion percentages reaching up to 50%.</p>

yes / Efforts to combat and prevent illicit trafficking in, and proliferation and misuse of, small arms and light weapons (SALW) are hampered by lack of relevant information-exchange and transparency. International information exchange and transparency arrangements are key elements of each of the main elements of the international action programme on SALW to be launched at the UN 2001 Conference. There is great scope to develop information management and distribution arrangements to disseminate and exchange of relevant information on SALW without seriously compromising national security, necessary commercial secrecy, or law enforcement. Indeed, national security, commerce, crime prevention and law enforcement are generally enhanced by appropriate transparency and information exchange