Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Ict For Poverty Alleviation In Pacific Island Nations: Study Of Icts4d In Fiji, Deogratias Harorimana, Opeti Rokotuinivono, Emali Sewale, Fane Salaiwai, Marica Naulu, Evangelin Roy

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

ICT for Poverty Alleviation in Pacific Island Nations: Study of ICTs4D in Fiji There has been a vague and little knowledge on the role or potential of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in relation to addressing poverty in Fiji. This may be probably due to the newness of the technology in the South Pacific Region as a whole but also probably due to the fact that only 9.7% of the current Fiji 931,000 populations are internet users (ITC Figures 2011). This paper reports on finding how ICTs is contributing towards poverty alleviation in Fiji. On the basis of reviewed best …

Mechanism Design For Base Station Association And Resource Allocation In Downlink Ofdma Network, Mingyi Hong, Alfredo Garcia

Mingyi Hong

We consider a resource management problem in a multi-cell downlink OFDMA network whereby the goal is to find the optimal combination of (i) assignment of users to base stations and (ii) resource allocation strategies at each base station. Efficient resource management protocols must rely on users truthfully reporting privately held information such as downlink channel states. However, individual users can manipulate the resulting resource allocation (by misreporting their private information) if by doing so they can improve their payoff. Therefore, it is of interest to design efficient resource management protocols that are strategy-proof, i.e. it is in the users' best …

Cytoskeletal Strains In Modeled Optohydrodynamically Stressed Healthy And Diseased Biological Cells, Sean S. Kohles, Yu Liang, Asit K. Saha

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Controlled external chemomechanical stimuli have been shown to influence cellular and tissue regeneration/degeneration, especially with regards to distinct disease sequelae or health maintenance. Recently, a unique three-dimensional stress state was mathematically derived to describe the experimental stresses applied to isolated living cells suspended in an optohydrodynamic trap (optical tweezers combined with microfluidics). These formulae were previously developed in two and three dimensions from the fundamental equations describing creeping flows past a suspended sphere. The objective of the current study is to determine the full-field cellular strain response due to the applied three-dimensional stress environment through a multiphysics computational simulation. In …

Mle+: A Tool For Integrated Design And Deployment Of Energy Efficient Building Controls, Willy Bernal, Madhur Behl, Truong Nghiem, Rahul Mangharam

Madhur Behl

We present MLE+, a tool for energy-efficient building automation design, co-simulation and analysis. The tool leverages the high-fidelity building simulation capabilities of EnergyPlus and the scientific computation and design capabilities of Matlab for controller design. MLE+ facilitates integrated building simulation and controller formulation with integrated support for system identification, control design, optimization, simulation analysis and communication between software applications and building equipment. It provides streamlined workflows, a graphical front-end, and debugging support to help control engineers eliminate design and programming errors and take informed decisions early in the design stage, leading to fewer iterations in the building automation development cycle. …

How Can Pacific Island Economies Benefits From The Advent Of Ict’S – Review Of Best Practices In Education, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

This paper explored implementation and use of information and communication technologies in Fiji, in order to gain insight into recent government initiatives to introduce computers and other ICTs for the community of Fiji. The focus of this paper in that it provided the framework for an in-depth exploration of e-learning centers around the country and the benefits from the advent of ICT’s in e-learning community centers in Fiji. Areas concentrated on are outcome of ICT’s in formal education to students and community as a whole in areas of agriculture, health, environment and infrastructure etc. The research sought understanding from the …

Leveraging Carbon Financing To Enable Accountable Water Treatment Programs, Evan A. Thomas

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article outlines the technical premise and policy considerations surrounding the first program to generate carbon finance for drinking water treatment.

The Factors Behind A Successful Implementation Of Electronic Health Records Systems, Anjee Gorkhali

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research explores the role that budget for Information System (IS) and technical expertise of healthcare service provider staff play on the successful leap from a partial to exhaustive implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) Systems. Technical expertise in Information Systems might not be easily measurable directly, but there are a number of indicators that could be used as a proxy, such as: Information System (IS) Department Budget, number of IS staff and the extent of technical trainings provided by the IS department to the clinical staff. This research study hypothesizes that quality technical trainings conducted by an IS department …

Technical Assistance, Knowledge Gatekeeping And Indigenous Knowledge: Re-Thinking The International Development Practice, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

This paper presents results from a multi-disciplinary conceptual analysis of development theory and practice. It reviews issues raised and proposes a shift in the epistemology of possession towards an epistemology of practice which is guided by the following aspects (1) The consideration of the learning culture of parties involved, (2) the ability and willingness for decontextualisation of the knowledge by the source and (3) the ability to embedded it by recipients (embededness ), (4) the importance that is attached to knowledge of the host country as reflected through (5) Similarity in culture, values, understanding of context and knowledge bases; (6) …

Systems Engineering Applications For Small Business Innovative Research (Sbir) Projects, Phillip J. O'Connell

Theses and Dissertations

This research defined Systems Engineering applications for Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) projects and answered five research questions addressing the essential elements and application of SE processes within the SBIR community. The research identified that current DoD and Air Force SE Policy do not specifically address SBIR projects. This research identified the need to tailor a SE approach for SBIR projects as overarching policy is not applicable in all cases. The culmination of this effort defined the current SE tasks applicable for the SBIR community.

A Model For Optimizing The Allocation Of Ethanol Production In The U.S., Anali Huggins

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In the last five years, fuel prices have fluctuated from 2.86$/gallon to 3.87$/gallon which represents an increase of 35%. This situation has collocated the ethanol manufacturing in an advantageous situation. However, a major problem that is faced by the ethanol producers is the high cost of transportation. The objective of this thesis study is to determine the optimal allocation of ethanol production in the U.S. in 2009 that minimizes the transportation cost. This thesis is based on the application of a linear programing model. The thesis is focused on two questions. The first is the optimal allocation of ethanol between …

Measuring Sustainability, Evan A. Thomas

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The World Health Organization estimates that 884 million people do not have access to safe sources of drinking water. Meanwhile, about half of the world's population continues to use unsustainable, biomassbased energy sources for indoor fuel, leading to extensive deforestation, harmful indoor air emissions, and in many cases upper respiratory disease and high commodity costs for impoverished families. Exacerbating these problems are the international effects of climate change, expected to significantly impact developing countries by changing water and energy quality and availability. International development organizations work tirelessly to address these challenges. However, many efforts struggle with achieving long-term sustainability; many …

Design Thinking In Enterprise Supply Chains, Edward Sweeney

Other Resources

No abstract provided.

Development And Experimental Analysis Of Wireless High Accuracy Ultra-Wideband Localization Systems For Indoor Medical Applications, Michael Joseph Kuhn

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation addresses several interesting and relevant problems in the field of wireless technologies applied to medical applications and specifically problems related to ultra-wideband high accuracy localization for use in the operating room. This research is cross disciplinary in nature and fundamentally builds upon microwave engineering, software engineering, systems engineering, and biomedical engineering. A good portion of this work has been published in peer reviewed microwave engineering and biomedical engineering conferences and journals. Wireless technologies in medicine are discussed with focus on ultra-wideband positioning in orthopedic surgical navigation. Characterization of the operating room as a medium for ultra-wideband signal transmission …

Mis Mock Questions (Why Mis In Corporate Turbulant Times), Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

With corporate strategy becoming more and more dependent on speed,focus, innovation and strategy, what can MIS do? and what should be MIS role ? what is the relationship between Corporate Strategy KPI and MIS? These questions are answered in an MBA Management Information Systems at USP. This programme is delivered across the entire Pacific region through the Graduate School of Business. It is my privilege to post here few questions that students who attended one of the course in Nadi, at Tanoa International Hotel had to answer in one of the Quiz test.

Process Optimization Of Boatmate Trailers, Llc, Jamie M. Smotherman, Jasmine L. Kelley

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Economic Benefits Analysis Of Mining Industries In Png And Solomon Islands, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

This paper discusses mining and mineral operations in the two countries Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands with regards to its contribution to the overall Gross domestic Product and the economic development of each country.

Our finding shows that mining is an excellent contributor to economic growth and development as in the case of Papua New Guinea.Tax revenue from PNG Mining industries contributions to the PNG fiscal basket remains strong and growing steadily. The mining and minerals tax revenue remains an important contributor to the government fiscal budget over the last 10 years. This has been a strong contributor to …

Understanding Economics Of The Pacific Island Nations: Issues And Cases, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

No abstract provided.

Job Creation In The Tuna Industry Of The Solomon Islands- A Tentative Strategic Analysis, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

The principal objective of this paper is to review the current Tuna Fisheries Policies in the Solomon Islands with a view to proposing strategies that will maximize Job creation while at the same time address the issues that currently exist in this sector. Although the Tuna Industry’s contribution to GDP is quite significant, the Solomon Island Government (SIG) gets little or close to nothing out of it in the form of revenue and Job creation with the majority of vessels being foreign owned and fishing license fees amongst the lowest in the Pacific. SOLTAI which is partly owned by the …

An Alternative Characterization Of Robust Stability And Stability Radius For Linear Time Delay Systems, Bahram Shafai, Hanai Sadaka, Rifat Sipahi, Jie Chen

Bahram Shafai

No abstract provided.

Minimization Of Costs In Interconnected Supply Networks With Transportation And Decision-Making Delays, Ilker I. Delice, Rifat Sipahi, Tucker J. Marion

Tucker Marion

No abstract provided.

Review Of Solomon Islands’ Policies And Programs To Promote Private Sector Development And Small Business, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

Solomon Islands is a nation with vast resources with huge potential to excel economically if proper business atmosphere is provided for both private sector development and small and medium enterprises entrepreneurship. Conducive policies that, not only, a mere statement but is broken down to workable strategies with quantitative expected outcome with a strong mentoring mechanism is very important. Previous governments have continuously ignored the importance of having small business policies until lately when NCRA government came up with a set of policies that strategically addresses the significance of small and medium businesses. However, notwithstanding foreign investment is very important in …

A Unified Enterprise-Wide Cost Modeling Framework For Engineering Applications Based On Systems Engineering Principles, Yousuf S. Mohammed

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In the present research the problem of enterprise-wide cost modeling is approached from a systems engineering standpoint. What this does is to use each stage of product life cycle to obtain useful information that helps in estimating the cost of the system. Once a generic framework is developed for estimating the core cost, layers of other factors that affect the cost are applied to the core cost, such as risk and uncertainty, maintainability, supply-chain and socioeconomic conditions. The cost model is expanded to accommodate a product domain ranging from a simple object to a system in the following hierarchy: System, …

Evaluating Network Analysis And Agent Based Modeling For Investigating The Stability Of Commercial Air Carrier Schedules, Sheila Ruth Conway

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

For a number of years, the United States Federal Government has been formulating the Next Generation Air Transportation System plans for National Airspace System improvement. These improvements attempt to address air transportation holistically, but often address individual improvements in one arena such as ground or in-flight equipment.

In fact, air transportation system designers have had only limited success using traditional Operations Research and parametric modeling approaches in their analyses of innovative operations. They need a systemic methodology for modeling of safety-critical infrastructure that is comprehensive, objective, and sufficiently concrete, yet simple enough to be deployed with reasonable investment. The methodology …

Streamlining The Change-Over Protocol For The Rpa Mission Intelligence Coordinator By Way Of Situation Awareness Oriented Design And Discrete Event Simulation, John P. Machuca

Theses and Dissertations

Incredible loiter times coupled with the ability to make extremely detailed collections at significant stand-off distances with a relatively expendable platform has made demand for, and diversity of, Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) operations grow at voracious rates. Conversely, financial resources are becoming increasingly constrained. As such, innovators are looking to maximize the effectiveness of existing personnel and assets by considering concepts such as simultaneous Multiple Aircraft Control (MAC) by a single aircrew. Research has identified procedural inefficiencies in current operations as well as substantial impediments to MAC implementation, including dynamic task saturation and communication challenges. An identified inefficiency afflicting both …

Discrete Event Simulation Of Distributed Team Communication Architecture, Travis J. Pond

Theses and Dissertations

As the United States Department of Defense continues to increase the number of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) operations overseas, improved Human Systems Integration becomes increasingly important. RPA systems rely heavily on distributed team communications determined by systems architecture. Two studies examine the effects of systems architecture on operator workload of US Air Force MQ-1/9 operators. The first study ascertains the effects of communication modality changes on mental workload using the Improved Research Integration Pro (IMPRINT) software tool to estimate pilot workload. Allocation of communication between modalities minimizes workload. The second study uses IMPRINT to model Mission Intelligence Controllers (MICs) and …

Analysis Of The Impact Of Data Normalization On Cyber Event Correlation Query Performance, Smile T. Ludovice

Theses and Dissertations

A critical capability required in the operation of cyberspace is the ability to maintain situational awareness of the status of the infrastructure elements that constitute cyberspace. Event logs from cyber devices can yield significant information, and when properly utilized they can provide timely situational awareness about the state of the cyber infrastructure. In addition, proper Information Assurance requires the validation and verification of the integrity of results generated by a commercial log analysis tool. Event log analysis can be performed using relational databases. To enhance database query performance, previous literatures affirm denormalization of databases. Yet database normalization can also increase …

Leading Indicator Analysis For High Speed Sled Test Programs, Laurie C. Knorr

Theses and Dissertations

Leading Indicators (LI) were introduced to the Systems Engineering (SE) community in 2005. These measures are used to evaluate the effectiveness of how a specific work activity is applied on a project in a manner that provides information about impacts that are likely to affect the system performance. The LIs are designed to give a project manager/systems engineer insight into where their development project is heading and a chance to implement corrective actions early. This research strives to apply LIs to the testing community, specifically high speed sled testing, to improve the testing process and, in turn, improve the quality …

An Enhanced Fuselage Ultrasound Inspection Approach For Ishm Purposes, Francisco Ospina

Theses and Dissertations

This effort constitutes a systems engineering approach in which the materials science, ultrasound structural health monitoring, flight and maintenance operations, and relevant aeronautical policies and programs are involved to explore the evolution and characterization of structural cracks in aircraft fuselage structures in which the loads are varying. During flight, an aircraft fuselage skin and structure are subjected to varied cyclic loads, which can cause embedded cracks and other damage features to change their characteristics due to loading effects. The current research is based in the application of finite element modeling techniques using COMSOL and PZFLEX software to characterize the behavior …

Comparative Experiments With A New Adaptive Controller For Robot Arms, Louis L. Whitcomb, Daniel E. Koditschek, Alfred A. Rizzi

Daniel E Koditschek

This paper presents a new model-based adaptive controller and proof of its global asymptotic stability with respect to the standard rigid-body model of robot-arm dynamics. Experimental data from a study of one new and several established globally asymptotically stable adaptive controllers on two very different robot arms 1) demonstrate the superior tracking performance afforded by the model-based algorithms over conventional PD control, 2) demonstrate and compare the superior performance of adaptive model-based algorithms over their nonadaptive counterparts, 3) reconcile several previous contrasting empirical studies, and 4) examine contexts that compromise their advantage.

X-Rhex: A Highly Mobile Hexapedal Robot For Sensorimotor Tasks, Kevin C. Galloway, Galen Clark Haynes, B. Deniz Ilhan, Aaron M. Johnson, Ryan Knopf, Goran A. Lynch, Benjamin N. Plotnick, Mackenzie White, Daniel E. Koditschek

Daniel E Koditschek

We report on the design and development of X-RHex, a hexapedal robot with a single actuator per leg, intended for real-world mobile applications. X-RHex is an updated version of the RHex platform, designed to offer substantial improvements in power, run-time, payload size, durability, and terrain negotiation, with a smaller physical volume and a comparable footprint and weight. Furthermore, X-RHex is designed to be easier to build and maintain by using a variety of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for a majority of its internals. This document describes the X-RHex architecture and design, with a particular focus on the new ability of …