Supporting Decisions: Understanding natural resource management assessment techniques

Report to the Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation. This document presents a review of NRM decision support techniques. It draws upon previous studies in the fields of management science, operations research, environmental economics and natural resource management. The objectives of the document are to: Explain the workings of the more significant (representative) methods of NRM decision support (including the latest developments); Discuss how these decision support methods may influence the outcome of NRM decisions; and Provide practicing NRM decision makers with guidance for choosing which methods to apply.Australia;natural resource management;assessment;decision support;

Towards Environmentally Sustainable and Cost-Effective Food Distribution in the U.S.

Distribution centers (DCs) and supermarkets have an important role in food sustainability, but no previous research has accounted for their environmental impact. The purpose of this research was to assess environmental sustainability of grocery, perishables, and general merchandise DCs; to estimate food storing and retailing impact; and to provide cost-effective strategies to reduce DCs’ environmental impacts. The importance and relevance of the research is threefold: improving sustainability of DCs, food storing, and food retailing. The main method used in this research was the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. An initial study calculated environmental impacts of the Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. DCs, which combined a building energy consumption simulation, a process modeling tool for conveyors, regional water consumption and scarcity, and an LCA model of DCs’ material and construction environmental impacts. Further research provided an in-depth analysis of refrigerated zones within DCs and supermarkets in the United States. The study represents an initial attempt at assessing the environmental impact of food storage and retailing. We developed a model for calculating environmental impact of food storing and retailing in different states. Drawing on the data about DCs’ energy consumption and the impact of climate change, a multi-objective optimization model including cost, non-renewable fossil energy use, and climate change was developed. The optimization model used on-site solar panels and off-site wind technologies to find cost-effective energy mixes, which will reduce environmental impacts and shift DCs from energy consumers to energy producers and net zero DCs. We found solutions to the Pareto-optimal zero energy DCs, which were achieved by installing roof solar panels and/or erecting wind turbines at nearby locations. A pairwise Monte Carlo analysis showed when the switch to renewable energy became superior in terms of reducing fossil energy use and environmental impact. The research has shown variation of environmental impacts by building type, size, state, and climate zone; has identified which food has the highest and lowest storage and retailing impacts; and has found a feasible option to increase solar and wind energy use in DCs. Supporting datasets for chapters 2, 3, and 4 are included in Appendices 1, 2, and 3, respectively

COMMERCIAL VIABILITY ANALYSIS OF LIGNIN BASED CARBON FIBRE

Lignin is a rich renewable source of aromatic compounds. As a potentialpetroleum feedstock replacement, lignin can reduce environmental impacts such ascarbon emission. Due to its complex chemical structure, lignin is currently underutilized.Exploiting lignin as a precursor for carbon fibre adds high economic value to lignin andencourages further development in lignin extraction technology. This report includes apreliminary cost analysis and identifies the key aspects of lignin-based carbon fibrecommercialization based on the TCOS framework. Technologically, melt spinning andshorter oxidation time give lignin carbon fibre a cost advantage and environmentalbenefit. Organizationally, lignin-based carbon fibre is patentable. The challenges areseeking financial gains and demonstrating the societal benefits. Commercially, lignincarbon fibre has a cost advantage and positive consumer perception. Successfullyaddressing TCOS uncertainties can potentially open the door for lignin as a carbon fibreprecursor, a $2.25 billion market in 2020

Multi-Objective and Multi-Attribute Optimisation for Sustainable Development Decision Aiding

Optimization is considered as a decision-making process for getting the most out of available resources for the best attainable results. Many real-world problems are multi-objective or multi-attribute problems that naturally involve several competing objectives that need to be optimized simultaneously, while respecting some constraints or involving selection among feasible discrete alternatives. In this Reprint of the Special Issue, 19 research papers co-authored by 88 researchers from 14 different countries explore aspects of multi-objective or multi-attribute modeling and optimization in crisp or uncertain environments by suggesting multiple-attribute decision-making (MADM) and multi-objective decision-making (MODM) approaches. The papers elaborate upon the approaches of state-of-the-art case studies in selected areas of applications related to sustainable development decision aiding in engineering and management, including construction, transportation, infrastructure development, production, and organization management

The distinct evaluation of information in a new managerial function of information – decision

The function defined as information-decision can be considered today the central function of management; we believe that the option for a compromise of the type: prognosis of product or service, organization, information - decision, stimulation and control better responds to the new managerial conditions. Any decision primarily means correct information, in order to be able to choose. Surprisingly, from the old Greek term entropis to the actual managerial information it is not such a long way and stages of the new function of information-decision emphasise the continuous interdependences between information and decision, as well as a large number of characteristic features as a result of a necessary compromise in contemporary management.information-decision, entropy, redundancy, managerial information and decision

ECOS 2012

The 8-volume set contains the Proceedings of the 25th ECOS 2012 International Conference, Perugia, Italy, June 26th to June 29th, 2012. ECOS is an acronym for Efficiency, Cost, Optimization and Simulation (of energy conversion systems and processes), summarizing the topics covered in ECOS: Thermodynamics, Heat and Mass Transfer, Exergy and Second Law Analysis, Process Integration and Heat Exchanger Networks, Fluid Dynamics and Power Plant Components, Fuel Cells, Simulation of Energy Conversion Systems, Renewable Energies, Thermo-Economic Analysis and Optimisation, Combustion, Chemical Reactors, Carbon Capture and Sequestration, Building/Urban/Complex Energy Systems, Water Desalination and Use of Water Resources, Energy Systems- Environmental and Sustainability Issues, System Operation/ Control/Diagnosis and Prognosis, Industrial Ecology

Markov and Semi-markov Chains, Processes, Systems and Emerging Related Fields

This book covers a broad range of research results in the field of Markov and Semi-Markov chains, processes, systems and related emerging fields. The authors of the included research papers are well-known researchers in their field. The book presents the state-of-the-art and ideas for further research for theorists in the fields. Nonetheless, it also provides straightforwardly applicable results for diverse areas of practitioners

The distinct evaluation of information in a new managerial function of information – decision

The function defined as information-decision can be considered today the central function of management; we believe that the option for a compromise of the type: prognosis of product or service, organization, information - decision, stimulation and control better responds to the new managerial conditions. Any decision primarily means correct information, in order to be able to choose. Surprisingly, from the old Greek term entropis to the actual managerial information it is not such a long way and stages of the new function of information-decision emphasise the continuous interdependences between information and decision, as well as a large number of characteristic features as a result of a necessary compromise in contemporary management