Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Use Of Crystal Ball® To Predict Profitability Of A Reverse Supply Chain, Kishore K. Pochampally, Surendra M. Gupta, Tej S. Dhakar

Surendra M. Gupta

Traditionally, firms have been spending significant time and money in improving their forward supply chains while ignoring their potential reverse supply chains. However, in today’s competitive business environment, it is important that firms study the profitability and benefits of implementing a reverse supply chain while considering the uncertainties associated with the supply and composition of used products, disassembly time, recycling/remanufacturing time, and demand for recycled/remanufactured goods. In this paper, we demonstrate how a simulation software package, Crystal Ball®, can be used to help a firm predict whether investment in a reverse supply chain is profitable with respect to a given …

A Genetic Algorithm Approach To End-Of-Life Disassembly Sequencing For Robotic Disassembly, Ahmed Elsayed, Elif Kongar, Surendra M. Gupta

Surendra M. Gupta

End-of-life (EOL) processing options include reuse, remanufacturing, recycling and proper disposal. In almost all cases, a certain level of disassembly may be required due to possible changes in the original product structure. Thus, finding an optimal or near optimal disassembly sequence is crucial to increasing the efficiency of the process. Disassembly operations are labor intensive, can be costly, have unique characteristics and cannot be considered as reverse of assembly operations. Since the complexity of determining the best disassembly sequence increases as the number of parts of the product grow, an efficient methodology is reuired for disassembly sequencing. In this paper, …

Improving Clinical Access And Continuity Through Physician Panel Redesign, Hari Balasubramanian, Ritesh Banerjee, Brian Denton, James Naessens, James Stahl

Hari Balasubramanian

BACKGROUND: Population growth, an aging population and the increasing prevalence of chronic disease are projected to increase demand for primary care services in the United States. OBJECTIVE: Using systems engineering methods, to re-design physician patient panels targeting optimal access and continuity of care. DESIGN: We use computer simulation methods to design physician panels and model a practice’s appointment system and capacity to provide clinical service. Baseline data were derived from a primary care group practice of 39 physicians with over 20,000 patients at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, for the years 2004–2006. Panel design specifically took into account panel …

Antimicrobial And Antioxidant Activities Of Essential Oil And Methanol Extract Of Jasminum Sambac From Djibouti, Fatou Abdoul-Latif, Prosper Edou, François Eba, Nabil Mohamed, Adwa Ali, Samatar Djama, Louis-Clément Obame, Mamoudou Hama Dicko

Pr. Mamoudou H. DICKO, PhD

The essential oil of jasminum sambac from Djibouti was subjected to screening for their possible antioxidant activity by two complementary test systems, namely DPPH free radical scavenging and beta-carotene-linoleic acid assays. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) was used as positive control in both test systems. In the DPPH test system, the IC50 value of essential oil and methanol extract were respectively 7.43 and 2.30 μg/ml. In the beta-carotene-linoleic acid system, oxidation was effectively inhibited by Jasminum sambac, the RAA value of essential oil and methanol extract were respectively 96.6 and 93.9%. When compared to BHT, the essential oil and methanol extract had …

Writing Research Proposal: Literature Review And Database Search, Mamoudou H. Dicko Prof.

Pr. Mamoudou H. DICKO, PhD

Food Based Approaches For A Healthy Nutrition In Africa, Mamoudou Hama Dicko

Pr. Mamoudou H. DICKO, PhD

The latest estimates of the FAO demonstrate the problems of the fight against hunger. These problems are manifested by the ever-increasing number of chronically undernourished people worldwide. Their numbers during the 1999-2001 period were estimated at about 840 million of which 798 million live in developing countries. Sub-Saharan Africa alone represented 198 million of those. In this part of Africa the prevalence of undernourishment ranges from 5-34%, causing growth retardation and insufficient weight gain among one third of the children under five years of age and resulting in a mortality of 5-15% among these children. Malnutrition resulting from undernourishment is …

Phd Thesis (Doctorat De Spécialité): Université De Ouagadougou, 1999. Dr. Mamoudou H. Dicko. Purification Et Propriétés Physico-Chimiques Des Enzymes De Curculigo Pilosa, Gladiolus Klattianus Et Boscia Senegalensis Catalysant L'Hydrolyse Des Polysaccharides (Amidon Et Béta-Glucanes), Mamoudou H. Dicko Prof.

Pr. Mamoudou H. DICKO, PhD

The objective of this study was the research of novel and inexpensive sources of polysaccharides degrading enzymes such as amylases and glucanases from local plants in order to justify their biotechnological applications. The isolation of two l3-amylases and an endo-1,3-ß-D-glucanase was reached using common protein purification methods such as buffer extraction, ammonium sulfate fractionation, ionexchange and gel filtration chromatographies. The methods used were simple and easily reproducible, suggesting the possibilfty of large-scale production. ln the crude extract of Curculigo pilosa tuber, only ß-amylase was detected as starch degrading enzyme and its activity was approximately 282 Uig of fresh material. The …