Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Effects Of Data Resolution And Human Behavior On Large Scale Evacuation Simulations, Wei Lu

Doctoral Dissertations

Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ) based macroscopic simulation studies are mostly applied in evacuation planning and operation areas. The large size in TAZ and aggregated information of macroscopic simulation underestimate the real evacuation performance. To take advantage of the high resolution demographic data LandScan USA (the zone size is much smaller than TAZ) and agent-based microscopic traffic simulation models, many new problems appeared and novel solutions are needed. A series of studies are conducted using LandScan USA Population Cells (LPC) data for evacuation assignments with different network configurations, travel demand models, and travelers’ compliance behavior.

First, a new Multiple-Source-Nearest-Destination Shortest Path …

A Dea Model To Optimize Insurance Payment Plans Based On Pacs, Gagan Rajpal

Doctoral Dissertations

Healthcare industry has evolved dramatically over the time. From being a “cottage industry” to an “organized industry” has brought lot of changes. The changes have been both good and bad. Among the problems that have surfaced in past couple of decades, rising healthcare cost has been one of the most significant. The rising healthcare cost has been documented to be a symptom of several factors. Since the inception of healthcare as an organized industry several payment models for providers and hospitals have been adopted. Current healthcare reforms have proposed new payments models to curb the rising cost and provide consumer …

Using Real-Time Location Systems & Simulation Modeling To Improve Healthcare, Colby Thomas Mattie

Masters Theses

In the healthcare industry, facility managers often find themselves with limited resources, lack of timely data, and unexpected crises that they have to respond too. Their options are based on hastily made assumptions and a limited understanding of all implications of the problems at hand. This scenario has become a concerning issue for the healthcare industry where problems can arise at any time and every minute counts. The healthcare industry is also littered with wasteful processes and regulations that increase the cost for physicians and facility operators and decrease the overall care for the patients. This is very evident in …

A Multi-Echelon Inventory System With Supplier Selection And Order Allocation Under Stochastic Demand, Cong Guo

Masters Theses

This article addresses the development of an integrated supplier selection and inventory control problems in supply chain management by developing a mathematical model for a multi-echelon system. In particular, a buyer firm that consists of one warehouse and N identical retailers wants to procure a type of product from a group of potential suppliers, which may require different price, ordering cost, lead time and have restriction on minimum and maximum total order size, to satisfy the stochastic demand. A continuous review system that implements the order quantity, reorder point (Q, R) inventory policy is considered in the …

Modeling And Optimization Of Resource Allocation In Supply Chain Management Problems, Qi Yuan

Doctoral Dissertations

Resource allocation in supply chain management studies how to allocate the limited available resources economically/optimally to satisfy the demands. It is an important research area in operations research. This dissertation focuses on the modeling and optimization of three problems.

The first part of the dissertation investigates an important and unique problem in a supply chain distribution network, namely minimum cost network flow with variable lower bounds (MCNF-VLB). This type of network can be used to optimize the utilization of distribution channels (i.e., resources) in a large supply network, in order to minimize the total cost while satisfying flow conservation, lower …

Moldable Items Packing Optimization, Sima Maleki

Doctoral Dissertations

This research has led to the development of two mathematical models to optimize the problem of packing a hybrid mix of rigid and moldable items within a three-dimensional volume. These two developed packing models characterize moldable items from two perspectives: (1) when limited discrete configurations represent the moldable items and (2) when all continuous configurations are available to the model. This optimization scheme is a component of a lean effort that attempts to reduce the lead-time associated with the implementation of dynamic product modifications that imply packing changes.

To test the developed models, they are applied to the dynamic packing …

East Tennessee Children's Hospital Lean, Eddie D. Eatherly, Catherine Julson, Kelsey Tjader, Jack Smodic, Lanier Loftin

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Energy Efficiency In Residential Buildings In Knoxville, Tn, U.S, Minoo Mardookhy

Masters Theses

Energy efficiency is an essential aspect in the design and operation of residential buildings. Residential energy consumption has been shown to account for approximately 8% of the electricity and 3.5% of the natural gas consumption in the U.S. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and lighting system are two major factors influencing energy consumption in residential buildings with about 52~72% of the average energy consumed used to keep buildings at comfortable temperatures, provide hot water, and circulate fresh air indoors. In the service region of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), 92% of electricity is non-renewable electricity, and approximately …

Astaxanthin: A Comparative Case Of Synthetic Vs. Natural Production, Khoa Dang Nguyen

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Astaxanthin, the “king of carotenoids” has been widely used as an animal feed additive for several decades, mainly in the aquaculture industry. Recent studies have led to its emergence as a potent antioxidant available for human consumption. Traditionally it has been chemically synthesized, but the recent market interest has generated interests in producing it naturally via yeast (Phaffia rhodozyma) fermentation, or algal (Haematococcus pluvialis) induction. This work aims to compare these production processes and their impact on the economical, environmental, and societal scale. We also look at the attempts of increasing production yields by altering various …