Engineering Commons^™

Two Essays On Dynamic Programming And Reinforcement Learning, Shuva Ghosh

Doctoral Dissertations

"The semi-Markov decision process (SMDP) is a variant of the Markov decision process (MOP). This dissertation work focuses on the application of SMDPs to disaster response management and to maintenance management. Average and discounted reward are two popular performance metrics for MDPs/SMDPs. While both dynamic programming (DP) methods, i.e., value iteration and policy iteration, are commonly used to solve MDPs/SMDPs, value iteration is easier to apply than policy iteration. The existing value iteration algorithms for average reward SMDPs have some noteworthy limitations, which are sought to be overcome in this work. Reinforcement learning (RL) techniques, which are also studied in …

A Comparison Of American And Asian Automakers' Vehicles In Quality, Reliability, And Safety, Ozge Senoz

Doctoral Dissertations

"Consumer Reports (CR) and J.D. Power and Associates (JDP) are two widely-known agencies that gather data on automobile quality and prepare reports on the data gathered that are related to various aspects of automobiles for different models for each manufacturer. This research has two overarching goals: The first is to determine if there are any clear differences in reliability, between the Japanese and U.S. auto-makers. The second is to determine if there is consistency between JDP and CR in the reliability ratings of vehicles. In order to attain these goals, this dissertation starts with the evaluation of these two major …

Development Of An Integrative Commissioning Methodology For New-Building Construction, William L. Gillis Iii

Doctoral Dissertations

"Commissioning (Cx) is a quality process for building construction used to verify that the owner's project requirements (OPR) are being met by the final design, construction, and operations and maintenance. The goal is to confirm that each phase of the project is linked back to the OPR through quality assurance methods. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is an OPR which contributes to difficulties within the design and construction (D&C) process. Though LEED certification is only part of the OPR, too often the design drifts from the OPR and simply focuses on meeting the LEED certification.

Quality function …

Risk Analysis: Comparative Study Of Various Techniques, Hanan Mohammad Altabbakh

Doctoral Dissertations

"Researchers in the safety field are facing more challenges everyday with the expanding modern socio-technical systems. Safety analysis such as hazard analysis, accident causation analysis, and risk assessment are being revisited to overcome the shortcoming of the conventional safety analysis. With increasingly complex human system interaction in today's modern systems, new safety challenges are being faced that needed to be assessed and addressed. Managers and engineers face the challenge to choose from the vast amount of techniques available and utilize the correct one. Indeed, new or improved risk assessment tools that can address these complexities are needed. One of the …

Real Options Modeling And Valuation Of Price Adjustment Flexibility With An Application To The Leasing Industry, Ahmed A. A. Al Sharif

Doctoral Dissertations

"Uncertainty poses not only threats but also opportunities. This study sought to build the scientific foundation for introducing a real options (ROs) methodology for price risk management to the leasing industry. A price risk management that allows for both coping with threats and taking advantage of opportunities. In the leasing industry, fixed rate long-term lease contracts help contract parties stabilize cash flows within volatile markets. The contract's term, however, may be extended long enough that prevent capturing the opportunities of gaining greater profits or reducing expenses. Therefore, the flexibility that enables participants to take advantage of favorable market price is …

The Role Of Face-To-Face Interactions In The Success Of Virtual Project Teams, Lawrence Raymond Blenke

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation examines the importance of in-person Face-To-Face (FTF) interactions in virtual engineering development projects. The basis for this investigation will be the hypothesis that FTF interactions increase the effectiveness, quality of communication, and the trust between participants beyond that achieved with purely computer mediated communication. Through a combination of a literature review and empirical research, this dissertation addresses the following questions: * How important is FTF interaction in virtual development work? * Do various functional areas and age groups rate the importance of FTF interactions differently? * How does FTF interaction affect the levels of trust and communication within …