Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Acuta Enews May 2013 Vol. 42, No. 5

ACUTA Newsletters

In this Issue...

1 ACUTA Honors 4 Schools, 3 Individuals

2 Convergence (or when the Stars Are Aligned)

2 View 8 Conference Session

Three Predictions for Higher Ed Residential Networking

3 Get Full Access to eSchool News Online

4 Info Links

5 Mobile Voice Policies Are MIA!

6 Board Report

6 Annual Dues Invoices Mailed May 1

7 Welcome New Members

7 Check It Out

8 Annual Conference Photo Section

The Evaluation Of Software Quality, Dhananjay Gade

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

Software Quality comprises all characteristics and significant features of a product or an activity which relate to the satisfaction of given requirements. The totality of characteristics of a software product depends upon its ability to satisfy given needs: for example (a) the degree to which software possesses a desired attribute or combination of attributes. (b) The degree to which a customer or user perceives that software meets their expectations, (c) the characteristics of software that determine the degree to which the software in use will meet the customer expectation. This study has three objectives. The first objective is to identify …

Acuta Enews April 2013 Vol. 42, No. 4

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue,,,

1 ACUTA Face-to-Face Events

2 ACUTA Alert: FCC Accessibility Rule Certification Requirements

3 News You Can Use- on the Website

4 Sunday Workshops at the Conference

5 Info Links

6 Ten SIP Trunk Equipment License Issues that Can Ruin Your Day (or Month)

8 Board Report

9 Welcome New Members

9 Check It Out

Acuta Enews March 2013 Vol. 42, No. 3

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue...

1 Meet the 2014 Board

2 Connexity

3 What's on Your Desk?

3 New State/Province Coordinators

4 Second Annuall ResNet Report The App Is Back-Better than Ever!

5 Info Links

6 Members Celebrate Anniversaries

8 FCC 6 the Enterprise

9 Congratulation to Brian Yamaguchi

10 Board Report

10 Compliance Alliance: First Anniversary

11 Welcome New Members

11 Check It Out

Acuta Enews February 2013 Vol. 42, No. 2

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue...

1 Meeting Member Needs with Excellence

2 Remembering Luther Robb

2 New Phone System for ACUTA Office

3 Info Links

3 Look, Everybody: Lori's Back!

4 What's on Your Desk Today?

5 Why Fax over IP Fails

6 Networks and a Single Point of Failure

7 Turning Big Data into Big ldeas

7 Thanks to Journal Advertisers for 2012

8 Board Report

8 Bring 8 Winter Seminar Sessions to Your Desktop or Tablet

8 Thanks to Winter 2013 Seminar Exhibitors and Sponsors

9 Welcome New Members

9 Check It Out

Acuta Enews January 2013 Vol. 42, No. 1

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue...

1 The ACUTA Conference it Forum: What's in it for You?

2 Ruth A. Michalecki Leadership Award j Developing Funding Model

4 Wi-Fi goes Gigabit-802.1 1AC

5 Add Names from Your Campus to Your ACUTA Roster

5 Revised Webcasting Royalty Rates for 2010-15

6 Why 2013 Career Plans Must Go High-Tech

7 Info Links

7 Windstream Provides Calling Service to ACUTA /

8 Board Report ' Thanks to Event Sponsors for 2012

9 Welcome New Members

9 Check It Out

Testing The Fuel Efficiency Of Tractors With Continuously Variable And Standard Geared Transmissions, Christopher N. Howard, Michael F. Kocher, Roger M. Hoy, Erin E. Blankenship

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

A John Deere 8295R IVT tractor with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and a John Deere 8295R PowerShift (PST) tractor with a standard geared transmission (GT) were tested for fuel consumption at three different travel speeds with six different load levels applied per speed. The JD 8295R PST tractor was tested both at full throttle (FT) and shifted up two gears and throttled back (SUTB) to achieve the same travel speed as at full throttle. For each travel speed with each transmission mode, fuel consumption was determined to be linearly related to drawbar power. Linear regression analyses were performed, and …

Acuta Enews December 2012 Vol. 41, No. 12

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue...

Strategic Planning & Tampa in January

ACUTA Is Looking for a Few Good Coordinators

Wi-Fi Goes Gigabit-802.11 ac

Info Links

Preparing the Workplace for "Deep Diversity"

Get Your Logos Here!

Webinar: Universal Service & Royalty Payments Due

Using Social Media to Connect

Thanks to Our 2012 Exhibitors

Number 10 on a List of 10 Hard Things IT Must Learn to Accepts

Welcome New Members

Check It Out

Applications Of Cobb-Douglas Production Function In Construction Time-Cost Analysis, Ashkan Hassani

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Cobb-Douglas Production Function was widely used in economics and productivity studies across many sectors. The function’s quantitative modeling of resource inputs and production outputs is appealing to the research domain of construction management. In this thesis we explored this function’s application in construction schedule crashing and project risk analysis related to duration of construction projects. Existing research on construction time-cost tradeoff issues rarely explore the origin of the crashing cost which is defined as the cost needed to shorten the project to the desired duration. In the existing literature crashing cost function was either assumed without much justification, or came …

Machining Stability Of Wire Edm Of Titanium, Farnaz Nourbakhsh

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

This work presents an experimental investigation of wire electro-discharge machining (WEDM) of titanium alloy. The outstanding characteristics of titanium alloys such as their compatibility and noticeable physical, mechanical and biological performances has led to increased application of them in various industries especially in biomedical industries over the last 50 years. However, due to low thermal conductivity of titanium and its alloys and their reactivity with cobalt in most tool materials, there are some difficulties in machining titanium and its alloys by conventional machining. On the other hand, unconventional machining processes especially Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM) are more appropriate techniques …

Three-Dimensional Indoor Rfid Localization System, Jiaqing Wu

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

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an information exchange technology based on radio waves communication. It is also a possible solution to indoor localization. Due to multipath propagation and anisotropic interference in the indoor environment, theoretical propagation models are generally not sufficient for RFID-based localization. In fact, the radio frequency (RF) signal distribution may not even be monotonic and this makes range-based localization algorithms less accurate. On the other hand, range free localization algorithms, such as k Nearest-Neighbor (kNN), require reference tags to be spread throughout the whole three-dimensional (3D) space which is simply not practical. In this work, a hybrid …

Sustainability For Die Manufacturing: Comparative Study Of Wedm And Milling, Matthew S. Kalus

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sustainability is more important in today's culture due to the increasing demand for a more eco-friendly society. Concentrations in minimizing and reducing environmental impacts, energy and natural resources have been forthcoming in industry. The tool, mold and die industries are the most well known industries that machine harder materials using mills and WEDM. The objective of this thesis was to compare the sustainability differences in both of these machines utilizing the accepted standards for evaluating the manufacturing process performance for sustainability. These standards include the evaluation of the process parameters, raw materials, power, tools and fluids which all contribute to …

Acuta Enews November 2012 Vol. 41, No. 11

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue...

Hurricane Sandy Arrives on Campus

Hurricanes, Seminar & Toy Phones

Webinar: The Future of Emergency Communication in Higher Ed

Getting Ready for HD Voice

ACUTA Member Benefit: Free Corporate Webinar Webpage

Every Desk a Drafting Table: The Power of a Design Mindset

Info Links

Fall 2012 Seminar Exhibitors and Sponsors

Board Report

Bring 8 Fall Seminar Exhibitors and Sponsors

Welcome New Members

Check It Out

Acuta Enews October 2012 Vol. 41, No. 10

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue...

A New Mission, A New Vision & a New Seminar

ACUTA Staff Changes

Institutional Excellence Award Deadline Nears

How to Be a Hero When You Roll Out UC

What's on Your Desk?

ACUTA Member Benefit: Website Press Room

New Media Literacy Brings Life to Digital Age 2.0

Info Links

Board Report

Welcome New Members

Check It Out

Acuta Enews September 2012 Vol. 41, No. 9

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue....

NY City, the New WTC, and ACUTA

Overheard via eMail: Legacy Systems

UC Cloud Security: Avoiding an Identity Crisis

Board Report

Annual Dues Reminders Mailed July 3

Sense- Making: Why People Won't Be Replaced by Computers Anytime Soon

Young Professionals-- What's in It for You?

Webinar FREE to Members

Info Links

PCI Compliance of Increasing Importance to Higher Ed

ACUTA Member Benefit: Post and Access RFPs Welcome New Members

Check It Out

Acuta Enews August 2012 Vol. 41, No. 8

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue....

ACUTA Strategic Planning Retreat

What's on Your Desk?

Windstream Provides Calling Service to ACUTA

Are We stuck with "Islands" of UC Interoperability?

Operator Services

Novel & Adaptive Thinking: Working without FAQs

Member Benefit of the Month: Discounted Registration Fees

Info Link

Mentors Make a Difference

Consider Speaking Opportunities

LEED- Certified Building Stock Swells to 2 Billion Square Feet Worldwide

Welcome New Members

Check It Out

Healthcare Quality: Waiting Room Issues, Vineeth R. Yeddula

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

In today’s hyper-competitive market, customers are faced with many different options when deciding on a specific healthcare provider. Due to the varying options, quality and service stand out as two essential elements that influence the selection process. If the quality is not met, the healthcare organizations have to face several issues such as customer retention, value, safety, litigation, and reputation. Patient satisfaction has emerged as an increasingly important parameter in the assessment of health care quality. Waiting time is considered to be an important determinant of patient satisfaction. As patients experience a greater squeeze on their time, short waits seem …

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 …

Simulation Of Tax Revenues From Individuals Receiving Advanced College Degrees, Dejing Kong

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

State governments always want graduates who received higher education in universities and colleges to stimulate the economic growth of the state. Many state universities want to contribute more to the state’s economy as well, and state universities frequently have relevant economic development activities and offices. The state universities normally receive annual budgeted financial support and occasional special funding from the state government while the state expects contributions to the economic growth and an educated citizen in return. In this research, the economic impact of a graduate degree funded by the state government was considered in the state of Nebraska.

Simulation …

An Investigation Of Medical Device Design And Physical Ergonomics In Healthcare, Adam E. De Laveaga

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

Human factors and process engineering are becoming a prominent area of research and application for industrial engineering principles as healthcare providers seek to improve patient safety, quality the optimization of resources. Human factors engineering and ergonomics play a crucial role in the pursuit of operational excellence and patient safety in healthcare. These disciplines contain the tools required to develop instrumentation, technology and training that can improve the usability of medical technology and the quality of care that patients receive. Designing tasks, tools and processes for optimal human use can enhance performance, reduce errors and improve safety. This thesis encompasses three …

Experimental Investigation Of Hard And Brittle Materials Machining Using Micro Rotary Ultrasonic Machining, Amey V. Patwardhan

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

The demand for miniaturized device and components is rapidly increasing in fields of aerospace, energy, optics, electronics and communication, automation and medical. Rotary Ultrasonic Machining (RUM) is capable of machining hard and brittle materials such as advanced ceramics, glass and silicon used in many industries. Rotary Ultrasonic Machining (RUM) is a hybrid machining process in which material is removed by conventional grinding and ultrasonic machining. Micro RUM is a downscaled version of a macro RUM and is similar to micro Ultrasonic Machining (micro USM), where the vibration takes place in work piece instead of tool.

The goal of this thesis …

Quantity And Capacity Expansion Decisions For Ethanol In Nebraska And A Medium Sized Plant, Mahsa Khoshnoud

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

Corn-based ethanol is the leader of sustainable sources of energy in the United States due to the abundance of corn and the popularity of ethanol-gasoline mixes. Over the past decade, ethanol production has risen from 1.5 million gallons in 1999 to 13 million gallons in 2011. This increase in production requires expansion of ethanol plants. Since Nebraska is the second highest producer of ethanol, we focus our research on the expansion of ethanol plants in Nebraska.

The aim of this study is to develop an optimization model for capital investments in ethanol in Nebraska and a medium sized ethanol plant …

Acuta Enews July 2012 Vol. 41, No. 7

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue....

1 What Matters to You

2 Overheard via eMail: Legacy Systems

3 UC Cloud Security: Avoiding an Identity Crisis

4 Board Report

4 Annual Dues Reminders Mailed July 3

5 Sense- Making: Why People Won't Be Replaced by Computers Anytime Soon

6 Young Professionals-- What's in It for You?

6 Webinar FREE to members

7 Info Links

8 PCI Compliance of Increasing Importance to Higher Ed

8 ACUTA Member Benefit: Post and Access RFPs

9 Welcome New Members

9 Check It Out

Economic Impact On Annual Profit Of A Retail Inventory Management System When Using Rfid And Considering Discrepancy Ratio, Inaccuracy Ratio, Backorders, And Federal Income Tax, Liyuan Zhang

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

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) emerged as an important technology with the ability to improve the efficiency and accuracy of object tracking. It has brought cost savings and added value to a wide variety of fields. Retail inventory management system is one of the beneficial fields. In order to better satisfy customers and to improve profit, retailers demand high accuracy in inventory management to service customers without redundant on-hand inventories. The RFID technology, which provides more accurate tracking, can improve retailers’ profit.

Two accuracy factors were proposed to determine the difference in the profit of a retailer inventory management system caused …

Acuta Enews June 2012 Vol. 41, No. 6

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue...

1 Meeting Member Needs with Excellence

2 What's on Your Desk?

3 IPv6 Transition: The Time ls (Finally) Here

4 Board Report

5 Social Intelligence: Bringing the Human Touch to the Online Work place

5 Annual Dues Reminders Mail July 2

6 lnfo Links

7 Welcome New Members

7 Check lt Out

8-12 Annual Conference Photo Gallery

Development And Validation Of A Model For Granular Material Volume Measurements, Pourya Fasounaki

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

Keeping inventory record of packed grains in silos poses challenges since the bulk material’s different segments do not discharge uniformly, leading to formation of random peaks and valleys on the surface. To facilitate obtaining accurate volume measurement of the grains by taking into account this non-linear behavior on the surface, laser or plumb-bob level-sensing devices are employed at different part of the surface to probe the level of material under those regions.

The main goals of this research is to study the behavior of granular material in silo while discharging downward and by doing so, differentiate certain flow patterns formed …

An Energy Cost Optimization Method For A Large Scale Hybrid Central Cooling Plant With Multiple Energy Sources Under A Complex Electricity Cost Structure, Yin Guo

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

The cooling energy cost could be a significant portion of the total energy cost for a large organization or building complex during summer. A hybrid system or thermal energy storage system is usually applied to reduce the energy cost. However, without proper integration and operation, the advantage of using such systems could be limited.

This study presents a general energy cost optimization methodology and mathematical model for a hybrid cooling system under a complex electricity cost structure. The model considers the efficiency of the hybrid cooling system and multiple energy sources. The energy cost evaluation reflects a complex cost structure …

Acuta Enews May 2012 Vol. 41, No. 5

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue...

1 Looking Back at 2011'2012

2 NSF Funding for Cyber-learning: Transforming Education

3 Choose Your VoIP Host Carefully

3 ACUTA Webinar: Creating a Project Management Office

4 7 Must-Haves in a UC Cloud Contract

5 Board Report

6 How Cross-Cultural Competency Will Build Workers' Global Agility

6 Annual Dues Invoices Mail May 1

7 Info Links

8 Welcome New Members

8 Check It Out

System Selection Based On Controlled Risk, Lina Wang

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

The studies of using computer simulation to address stochastic systems selection problem prevail currently. Ranking and selection procedures are statistical procedures that can be used in the field of computer simulation to select the best system or the subset that includes the best system based on a performance metric of the interest with a guaranteed correct selection. The best system is defined in the majority of selection problems as a system with the largest (or smallest) mean value. However, mean is only a measure of the average behavior. Risk, which influences the stability of a system to a large extend, …

Study Of Grinding Burn Using Design Of Experiments Approach And Advanced Kaizen Methodology, Kiruthika Devi Sundarrajan

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

Grinding burn has been one of the re-occurring issues at a leading automotive manufacturer. Historically when grinding burn occurred, trial and error was used to delicately find a set up process settings that provided good-enough-to-get-by results, but not optimal. Some changes include changing the coolant manifold to improve the coolant flow and rate, changing the grinding wheel, changing the type of coolant. The experiments have proved to introduce some improvements, however the occurrence of grinding burns have not been reduced or quantified and the cause of the grinding burn has not been identified or quantified. Grinding is a complex phenomenon …