Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

A Biofuel Supply Chain Equilibrium Analysis With Subsidy Consideration, Amirsaman Hamzeh Bajgiran

Theses and Dissertations

Growing environmental concerns in the last few decades along with the energy security issues have led governments to take actions to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and enhance renewable energy usage, including biofuels. Enforcement of federal or state mandates and regulations that obligate a certain amount of biofuel production are one of the main levers that governments use to achieve their goals. In the U.S. as an example, Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requires the production of 36 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022, 21 billion gallons of which should be advanced biofuels derived from biostocks other than corn starch. …

A Microscopic Simulation Laboratory For Evaluation Of Off-Street Parking Systems, Yun Yuan

Theses and Dissertations

The parking industry produces an enormous amount of data every day that, properly analyzed, will change the way the industry operates. The collected data form patterns that, in most cases, would allow parking operators and property owners to better understand how to maximize revenue and decrease operating expenses and support the decisions such as how to set specific parking policies (e.g. electrical charging only parking space) to achieve the sustainable and eco-friendly parking.

However, there lacks an intelligent tool to assess the layout design and operational performance of parking lots to reduce the externalities and increase the revenue. To address …

Global Renewable And Nonrenewable Energy Use Impact Assessment Of U.S. Manufacturing: An Integrated Cradle-To-Gate Lca And Dea Approach, Bahadir Ezici

Master's Theses

In this thesis, U.S. manufacturing industries` global supply chain-linked energy use and economic output are investigated considering a total of 16 renewable and nonrenewable energy carriers. A multiregion input output (MRIO) framework is employed to conduct the global supply chain-linked energy use impact assessment. The study period was between 1995 and 2014 based on data availability. Thus, 20 MRIO models were developed. Each MRIO model consists of the 40 largest economies of the world and the rest of the world (ROW) as the 41st country. Each country’s economy was structured into 35 manufacturing and service industries based on the Worth …

Budget-Constrained Regression Model Selection Using Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming, Jingying Zhang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Regression analysis fits predictive models to data on a response variable and corresponding values for a set of explanatory variables. Often data on the explanatory variables come at a cost from commercial databases, so the available budget may limit which ones are used in the final model.

In this dissertation, two budget-constrained regression models are proposed for continuous and categorical variables respectively using Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) to choose the explanatory variables to be included in solutions. First, we propose a budget-constrained linear regression model for continuous response variables. Properties such as solvability and global optimality of the proposed …

Midpoint And Endpoint Sustainability Assessment Of U.S. And China Manufacturing: A Comparative Mrio+Recipe Analysis, Mustafa Saber

Master's Theses

Manufacturing is among the most important industries for an economy, which creates value-added, fosters innovation, stimulates employment and economic growth. Therefore, manufacturing industries are crucial for a country’s sustainable development not only for economic reasons but also for social (.e.g. employment, tax, etc.) and environmental ones. Thus, manufacturing activities’ contribution to the economy is critically related with environmental and social impacts. Sustainable economic growth is essential and necessary for a country to provide all necessary goods and services to its growing population.

And, this is highly linke with the creation of new jobs and in this context, manufacturing jobs have …

Heuristic Algorithm To Minimize Total Weighted Tardiness On The Unrelated Parallel Machine With Sequence Dependent Setup And Future Ready Time, Tzu Yi Li

Theses and Dissertations

This study presents a heuristic algorithm to minimize total weighted tardiness on unrelated parallel machines with sequence-dependent setup time and future ready time. We propose a new rule based on Apparent Tardiness Cost (ATC). The performance of the rule is evaluated on unrelated parallel machines. In order to solve a problem, we use a look-ahead method and a job-swap method. When a machine becomes idle, the heuristic compares the jobs on the machine and selects the one with the smallest total tardiness value to carry out a process.

The propose heuristic is divided into three stages: The first stage employs …

In Silico Analysis Of Advanced Processing Methods For Light-Weight Alloys Powders, Marjan Nezafati

Theses and Dissertations

Light-weight Al and Mg-based metal-matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs) are lauded as one of the most promising structural materials for vehicle, military, and construction applications. These MMNCs are often synthesized using the powder metallurgy (PM) process under liquid nitrogen cryogenic environments to control the grain sizes. It is believed that proper incorporation of the nitrogen species into the bulk lattice during processing could strongly enhance the mechanical properties of MMNCs by forming N-rich dispersoids. In this work, using the density-functional theory (DFT), the adsorption, absorption and diffusion behavior of nitrogen molecule/atoms have been studied and related to t Al and Mg MMNC …

Characterizing Interfacial Bonds In Hybrid Metal Am Structures, John Ross Linn

Theses and Dissertations

The capabilities of various metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes, such as Powder Bed Fusion – Laser (PBF-L) and Direct Energy Deposition (DED) are increasing such that it is becoming ever more common to use them in industrial applications. The ability to print atop a substrate broadens that scope of applications. There is ongoing research regarding the mechanical properties of additively processed materials, but little regarding the interaction between additive material and its substrate. An understanding of the mechanical and performance properties of the AM/substrate interface is imperative. This paper describes a study of the strength properties of AM/substrate interfaces, with …

Statistical Monitoring Of Queuing Networks, Yaren Bilge Kaya

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Queuing systems are important parts of our daily lives and to keep their operations at an efficient level they need to be monitored by using queuing Performance Metrics, such as average queue lengths and average waiting times. On the other hand queue lengths and waiting times are generally random variables and their distributions depend on different properties like arrival rates, service times, number of servers. We focused on detecting the change in service rates in this report. Therefore, we monitored queues by using Cumulative Sum(CUSUM) charts based on likelihood ratios and compared the Average Run Length values of different service …

Evaluation And Validation Of Distraction Detection Algorithms On Multiple Data Sources, Shashank Mehrotra

Masters Theses

This study aims to evaluate algorithms designed to detect distracted driving. This includes the comparison of how efficiently they detect the state of distraction and likelihood of a crash. Four algorithms that utilize measures of cumulative glance, past glance behavior, and glance eccentricity were used to understand the distracted state of the driver and were validated on two separate data sources (i.e., simulator and naturalistic data). Additionally, an independent method for distraction detection was designed using data mining methods. This approach utilized measures like steering degree, lane offset, lateral and longitudinal velocity, and acceleration. The results showed a higher likelihood …

Identifying Key Factors Associated With High Risk Asthma Patients To Reduce The Cost Of Health Resources Utilization, Amani Ahmad

LSU Master's Theses

Asthma is associated with frequent use of primary health services and places a burden on the United States economy. Identifying key factors associated with increased cost of asthma is an essential step to improve practices of asthma management.

The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with over utilization of primary health services and increased cost via claims data and to explore the effectiveness of case management program in reducing overall asthma related cost.

Claims data analysis for Medicaid insured asthma patients in Louisiana was conducted. Asthma patients were identified using their ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, forward variable …

Maximizing Financial Benefit Of Lean Six Sigma Projects Through Optimized Selection Criteria, Colin Wasiloff

Operations Research and Engineering Management Theses and Dissertations

As evolving threats across the globe keep pace with increasing budget constraints, the US Army’s major subordinate commands and their sub-organizations are constantly challenged to do more with less. Resources such as human capital, information technology, facilities, and budgeted funding are stretched as thin as ever, while requirements to serve the Warfighter remain paramount. Each dollar of financial benefit gained through cost reduction efforts at the US Army can affect the Warfighter directly. Budgeted money saved or avoided is reprogrammed both locally and atop the hierarchy at the Department of Treasury to serve the Warfighter better.

Ordinal Logistic Regression was …

The Effect Of Rest Period On Fatigue Using Electromyography During Manual Lifting, Nandakumar Prabhakar

LSU Master's Theses

Manual materials handing (MMH) is the main cause and concern for injuries in the working population which lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs significantly contribute to the cost of workers’ compensation and loss of productivity, thus impacting economy of the United States. MSDs are mainly caused due to over exertion and fatigue experienced by workers involved in manual materials handling. In addition to over-exertion and fatigue, lack of short and frequent rest intervals between tasks contributes to the risk of MSDs. The objective of this research was to study the effect of rest period on muscle fatigue using electromyography (EMG) …

Methods For Online Feature Selection For Classification Problems, Alaleh Razmjoo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Online learning is a growing branch of machine learning which allows all traditional data mining techniques to be applied on an online stream of data in real-time. In this dissertation, we present three efficient algorithms for feature ranking in online classification problems. Each of the methods are tailored to work well with different types of classification tasks and have different advantages. The reason for this variety of algorithms is that like other machine learning solutions, there is usually no algorithm which works well for all types of tasks. The first method, is an online sensitivity based feature ranking (SFR) which …

Modeling And Solution Approaches For Non-Traditional Network Flow Problems With Complicating Constraints, Negin Enayaty Ahangar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we model three network-based optimization problems. Chapter 2 addresses the question of what the operation plan should be for interdependent infrastructure systems in resource-constrained environments so that they collectively operate at the highest level. We develop a network-based operation model of these systems that accounts for interdependencies among them. To solve this large-scale model, a solution approach is proposed that relatively quickly generates high-quality solutions to the problem.

Chapter 3 presents a routing model for a single train within a railyard with the objective of minimizing the total length traveled by train. The difference between this problem …

Configuring Traditional Multi-Dock, Unit-Load Warehouses, Mahmut Tutam

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The development of expected-distance formulas for multi-dock-door, unit-load warehouse configurations is the focus of the dissertation. From formulations derived, the width-to-depth ratios minimizing expected distances are obtained for rectangle-shaped, unit-load warehouse configurations. Partitioning the storage region in the warehouse into three classes, the performance of a multi-dock-door, unit-load warehouse is studied when storage regions can be either rectangle-shaped or contour-line-shaped. Our first contribution is the development of formulas for expected distance traveled in storing and retrieving unit loads in a rectangle-shaped warehouse having multiple dock doors along one warehouse wall and storage racks aligned perpendicular to that wall. Two formulations …

Modeling The Innovation Ecosystem And Development Of A Dynamic Innovation Index, Henriette Schoen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The topic of innovation currently generates a tremendous amount of interest around the world. Innovation is considered an essential part of the solution to creating more jobs and improving the socio-economic conditions of many countries around the globe. Innovation comes about through the existence of many interrelated solutions to socio-economic problems in an extensively interconnected network, which create value for each other. Such a complex creativity and innovation value-creating network is here called an Innovation Ecosystem (IE). The main objective of this dissertation research is to improve the current understanding of the IE by developing a simulation model that uses …

Barge Prioritization, Assignment, And Scheduling During Inland Waterway Disruption Responses, Liliana Delgado-Hidalgo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Inland waterways face natural and man-made disruptions that may affect navigation and infrastructure operations leading to barge traffic disruptions and economic losses. This dissertation investigates inland waterway disruption responses to intelligently redirect disrupted barges to inland terminals and prioritize offloading while minimizing total cargo value loss. This problem is known in the literature as the cargo prioritization and terminal allocation problem (CPTAP). A previous study formulated the CPTAP as a non-linear integer programming (NLIP) model solved with a genetic algorithm (GA) approach. This dissertation contributes three new and improved approaches to solve the CPTAP.

The first approach is a decomposition …

Binder Jetting Additive Manufacturing Process Fundamentals And The Resultant Influences On Part Quality., Hadi Miyanaji

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Binder jetting additive manufacturing (BJ-AM) technology is a process by which a part is fabricated layer by layer through depositing liquid binder in the designated regions of each layer until the feature is complete. Due to the use of binder in geometry generation, this process possesses various advantages over the other additive manufacturing technologies including the ability to create colored objects via colored binders, lower cost, lack of heat-induced defects, and its potential capability to print a variety of materials such as metals, sands and ceramics. Although the application of the binder jetting process has been recently reported by different …

The Application Of Usability Engineering Methods To Evaluate And Improve A Clinical Decision Support System, Kristine Desotto

Masters Theses

Delays in the process of diagnosing and treating cancer are common and lead to confusion and undesirable outcomes. Care coordinators are often embedded within the system of care to manage follow-up care. Electronic and real-time reminder systems can be used to support the care coordinator’s work, but electronic health record (EHR) usability is known to be poor. This study, completed in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Connecticut Healthcare System, evaluated the Cancer Coordination and Tracking System (CCTS), an EHR-linked, web-based tool for cancer care management.

A set of expert-driven and user-driven usability engineering methods was applied to …

Does The Elicitation Mode Matter? Comparing Different Methods For Eliciting Expert Judgement, Claire Cruickshank

Masters Theses

An expert elicitation is a method of eliciting subjective probability distributions over key parameters from experts. Traditionally an expert elicitation has taken the form of a face-to-face interview; however, interest in using online methods has been growing. This thesis compares two elicitation modes and examines the effectiveness of an interactive online survey compared to a face-to-face interview. Differences in central values, overconfidence, accuracy and satisficing were considered. The results of our analysis indicated that, in instances where the online and face-to-face elicitations were directly comparable, the differences between the modes was not significant. Consequently, a carefully designed online elicitation may …

Tooling For Injection Molding Using Laser-Powder Bed Fusion., Mohith Ram Buxani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Laser-Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) has been considered for some time by the injection molding industry for the fabrication of tooling for injection molding in order to address large lead times and costs for tool-making. Computer-aided simulations are also routinely used to evaluate new part and mold designs as well as understanding the effects of material compositions and processing conditions on part quality and overall productivity. However, there remains a significant need to integrate the perspectives from injection molding, 3D printing, metal powders, and component design and process simulation to better utilize LPBF for fabricating tooling required for injection molding. The …

A Framework For Executable Systems Modeling, Matthew Amissah

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Systems Modeling Language (SysML), like its parent language, the Unified Modeling Language (UML), consists of a number of independently derived model languages (i.e. state charts, activity models etc.) which have been co-opted into a single modeling framework. This, together with the lack of an overarching meta-model that supports uniform semantics across the various diagram types, has resulted in a large unwieldy and informal language schema. Additionally, SysML does not offer a built in framework for managing time and the scheduling of time based events in a simulation.

In response to these challenges, a number of auxiliary standards have been offered …

A Representation Of Tactical And Strategic Precursors Of Supply Network Resilience Using Simulation Based Experiments, Yaneth C. Correa-Martinez

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Modern supply chains are becoming increasingly complex and are exposed to higher levels of risk. Globalization, market uncertainty, mass customization, technological and innovation forces, among other factors, make supply networks more susceptible to disruptions (both those that are man-made and/or ones associated with natural events) that leave suppliers unavailable, shut-down facilities and entail lost capacity.

Whereas several models for disruption management exist, there is a need for operational representations of concepts such as resilience that expand the practitioners’ understanding of the behavior of their supply chains. These representations must include not only specific characteristics of the firm’s supply network but …

Farmbot Trackless Redesign, Cole Thomas, Cailey Kamm, Clayton Alderson, Otto Akerstrom

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

For this project the team PLANT3D worked along with Rory Aronson and FarmBot to generate a cheaper more user-friendly design for the FarmBot Genesis 1.3. Working with Rory and FarmBot, we as a team generated a list of design requirements and engineering specifications for the project. These requirements centered around creating a more accessible FarmBot model for the average person to be able to purchase and set up with ease. Much of this required taking the existing system and eliminating the most common problem areas. These were the track system, built using 1.5 meter aluminum extrusions and the complex interchangeable …

Fixing Vertebral Compression Fractures With Medtronic, Kelly Fitzgerald, Trevor Bingham, Alex Denbaugh, Jordan Tang, Jon Stearns

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

No abstract provided.

High Bay Capacity Utilization Tool, Dante C. Mazzanti, Skyler L. Schilke, Conner P. Lawston

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Northrop Grumman’s Space Park facility has many inefficiencies in their high bay scheduling processes. Additionally, it is very hard for project managers to figure out the capabilities of each high bay in order to schedule their specific project. The purpose of this project is to develop a tool that can be used across the facility to easily create projects, assign projects, view room capabilities, and view a master schedule of the rooms. After researching commercially available tools, our approach to designing this system was to use tools that are already utilized at the facility (Microsoft Suite and Tableau) and engineer …

The Pad Route Setting Process Design, Katherine M. Peterson, Dylan C. Breitenbucher

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This study took place at The Pad Climbing, a rock climbing gym in San Luis Obispo. The problem was that the process of setting new climbing routes was time - consuming and potentially dangerous. This resulted in lower capacity, high labor costs, decreased customer satisfaction, and safety risk for employees and customers. The objective of this study was to analyze the route setting process and identify areas of waste and danger, then to redesign the process to improve these areas. Techniques such as time studies, Pareto charts, and process flow mapping were used to analyze the existing process. A new …

Design And Testing Of A Hands-Free Toilet Seat Opener/Closer, Jordan Benjamin Schaeffer

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

People tend to get frustrated when the toilet seat must be moved up or down before use. Men and women often leave the toilet seat in different positions when finished which can cause problems when men and women use the same bathroom. With gender neutral bathrooms gaining in popularity, this frustration will only increase. The objective of this project was to design and test a hands-free system to allow a user to quickly and easily open or close a toilet seat. For the product to be viable, it will have to be durable and easy to clean around, while also …

Solar Electric Immersion Heating Element Fabrication, Logan V. Kregness

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Believing that cooking with flame is cheaper and more efficient than cooking with electricity, Ugandan citizens have exposed themselves to several health and safety risks, including major respiratory issues through harmful emissions, pollution, and the burning down of many homes. Even though solar electric cooking is cheaper and healthier than cooking with flames in the long run, many Ugandans lack the resources to invest in cooking with electricity.

The Solar Stove student research team, led by Dr. Pete Schwartz, partnered with Aid Africa to bring solar panels and prototype solar electric cooking units to villages in Uganda. Observing how their …