Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Development Of A Systems Engineering Model Of The Chemical Separations Process: Final Report, Yitung Chen, Sean Hsieh

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The whole chemical separation process is complex to the point that definitely requires certain level of systematic coordination. To perform smoothly and meet the target extraction rates among those processes, this research proposed a general-purpose systems engineering model.

A general purposed systems engineering model, Transmutation Research Program System Engineering Model Project (TRPSEMPro), was developed based on the above design concept. The system model includes four main parts: System Manager, Model Integration, Study Plan, and Solution Viewer. TRPSEMPro can apply not only to chemical separation process, but also a general system model.

Software engineering and Object Oriented Analysis and Design (OOA&D) …

Acuta Enews September 2004, Vol. 33, No. 9

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

ACUTA Joins lntemet2

From ACUTA Headquarters...................... Jeri Semer, CAE, Executive Director

Board Report................................ Carmine Piscopo, Providence College, ACUTA Secretary/Treasurer

Looking Back at the 33rd Annual Conference

So Many Winners....................... Such Nice Prizes

The University of Texas at Austin Unveils UTOPIA

Tech Talk....................... Kevin Tanzilo, Dux Public Relations

DC Update.................. Whitney Johnson, Retired, Northem Michigan Univ.

ACUTA Members Sites to See

Peer Review Of Teaching Project: Survey Of Project Participants, Paul Savory, Amy M. Goodburn, Amy Nelson Burnett

Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Reports

In planning for the future of the Peer Review of Teaching project, we performed a survey of to collect faculty participant feedback on their experience in the project (i.e., writing a course portfolio, possibly having it externally reviewed) and the impact that the experience has had on their teaching. While each of the partner campuses (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Michigan, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Indiana – Bloomington, and University of Kansas) have shaped the project experience differently for campus participants, we sought feedback from participants of all the project partners to get an overall assessment of the project.

A Development Framework For Rapid Metaheuristics Hybridization, Hoong Chuin Lau, M. K. Lim, W. C. Wan, S. Halim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

While meta-heuristics are effective for solving large-scale combinatorial optimization problems, they result from time-consuming trial-and-error algorithm design tailored to specific problems. For this reason, a software tool for rapid prototyping of algorithms would save considerable resources. This work presents a generic software framework that reduces development time through abstract classes and software reuse, and more importantly, aids design with support of user-defined strategies and hybridization of meta-heuristics. Most interestingly, we propose a novel way of redefining hybridization with the use of the "request and response" metaphor, which form an abstract concept for hybridization. Different hybridization schemes can now be formed …

A Two-Level Framework For Coalition Formation Via Optimization And Agent Negotiation, Hoong Chuin Lau, Lei Zhang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We present a two-level coalition formation approach based on a centralized optimization model on the upper level, and a distributed agent-negotiation model on the lower level. This approach allows us to balance agent self-interests against a high joint utility. Experimental results show that the two-level coalition formation mechanism will increase not only the overall utility of the coalition, but also the individual utility of most participating agents. The results also suggest it is better for the agents to be partially cooperative rather than either fully cooperative or self-interested in our setting.

Investigating Graphical User Interface Usability On Task Sequence And Display Structure Dependencies, Tirthankar Sengupta

Dissertations

Designing Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) requires the consideration of task sequence requirements (sequence of operations arising from task structures and application constraints) and display structure (layout of the elements of the interface) relationships. The basic purpose was to understand the usability differences of the interfaces through efficiency, motor performance, and search performance.

Thirty-two subjects performed experiments in four groups. The experiments differed in display structure and compatibility of task sequences. Subject mouse actions, mouse coordinates and eye positions were recorded. The derived measures, click efficiency, mouse traversal and eye visits to different areas of interest (namely the tool, object, and …

Wire Bonding Challenges In Optoelectronics Packaging, Jianbiao Pan, Patrice Fraud

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Wire bonding has been used in integrated circuit (IC) packaging for many years. However, there are many challenges in wire bonding for optoelectronics packaging. These challenges include bonding on sensitive devices, bonding over cavity, bonding over cantilevel leads and bonding temperature limitations. The optoelectronics package design brings another challenge, which requires wire bonding to have deep access capability. In this paper, the wire bonding technologies are reviewed and ball bonding and wedge bonding are compared. The variables that affect the wire bonding process are then discussed. Finally, the challenges of wire bonding in optoelectronics packaging are presented in detail.

Acuta Enews August 2004, Vol. 33, No. 8

ACUTA Newsletters

In This lssue

ACUTA Board & Committee Changes.................. Tamaro Closs, Georgetown Univ., ACUTA President-Elect

Tech Talk........................... Kevin Tanzillo, Dux Public Relations

LAN Cabling-When Too Much Bandwidth ls Never Enough . Aref Baddar, NextGen/ General Cable

DC Update..................... Whitney Johnson, Retired, Northern Michigan Univ.

Meet Amy White, ACUTAs New Accounting & Administrative Assistant

Welcome New Members

Development Of Internet Based Lean Assessment Methodology And Tool: Utopex, Prashant M. Hulloli

Masters Theses

Lean implementation is a complex process and requires a comprehensive lean assessment methodology that collects information from all the areas of an organization, and helps to determine the current state of the organization. A lean assessment tool is a stepping-stone for successful lean implementation as it provides as accurate accounting of a company’s current state and helps develop future strategies for business activities. It is quite essential to develop a lean assessment tool that focuses on manufacturing systems, support systems, operational excellence (integration of lean & six-sigma), and cultural sustainability of the organization. The assessment tool is developed focusing on …

Feedback Linearization Based Power System Stabilizer Design With Control Limits, Wenxin Liu, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Donald C. Wunsch, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In power system controls, simplified analytical models are used to represent the dynamics of power system and controller designs are not rigorous with no stability analysis. One reason is because the power systems are complex nonlinear systems which pose difficulty for analysis. This paper presents a feedback linearization based power system stabilizer design for a single machine infinite bus power system. Since practical operating conditions require the magnitude of control signal to be within certain limits, the stability of the control system under control limits is also analyzed. Simulation results under different kinds of operating conditions show that the controller …

Transport Logistics Planning With Service-Level Constraints, Hoong Chuin Lau, K. M. Ng, Xintao Wu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we study a logistics problem arising in military transport planning. A military organization operates a large fleet of vehicles in a depot to serve the requests of various operational units. Each request has a fixed start and end time, and is served by a prescribed number of vehicles. We address the following two problems: (1) how many vehicles are at least needed to meet a given service level of requests; and (2) suppose we allow each request to shift its start time by a constant duration, call all the requests be met? A Niche genetic algorithm, together …

Effect Of Chromium-Gold And Titanium-Titanium Nitride-Platinum-Gold Metallization On Wire/Ribbon Bondability, Jianbiao Pan, Robert M. Pafchek, Frank F. Judd, Jason Baxter

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Gold metallization on wafer substrates for wire/ribbon bond applications require good bond strength to the substrate without weakening the wire/ribbon. This paper compares the ribbon bondability of Cr/Au and Ti/TiN/Pt/Au metallization systems. Both chromium and titanium are used to promote adhesion between substrates and sputtered gold films. Both can diffuse the gold surface after annealing and degrade the wire/ribbon bondability. Restoring bondability by ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) etch was investigated. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of Cr/Au and Ti/TiN/Pt/Au, annealing, and CAN etch processes on 25.4 times; 254 μm (1 × 10 mil) ribbon bonding. All bonds were …

Acuta Enews July 2004, Vol. 33, No. 7

ACUTA Newsletters

In This lssue

Meet the Board for 2004-05

From ACUTA Headquarters.................... Jeri A. Semer, CAE, Executive Director

Tech Talk......................... Kevin Tanzillo, Dux Public Relations

DC Update..................... Whitney Johnson, Retired, Northern Michigan Univ.

Recapturing Long-Distance Revenues..................... Mark Allen, MobilSphere

2005 ACUTA Seminar Topics Announced

Board Report................................. Carmine Piscopo, Providence College, ACUTA Secretory/Treasurer

Welcome New Members

Taking Dcop To The Real World: Efficient Complete Solutions For Distributed Event Scheduling, Rajiv Maheswaran, Milind Tambe, Emma Bowring, Jonathan Pearce, Pradeep Varakantham

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Distributed Constraint Optimization (DCOP) is an elegant formalism relevant to many areas in multiagent systems, yet complete algorithms have not been pursued for real world applications due to perceived complexity. To capably capture a rich class of complex problem domains, we introduce the Distributed Multi-Event Scheduling (DiMES) framework and design congruent DCOP formulations with binary constraints which are proven to yield the optimal solution. To approach real-world efficiency requirements, we obtain immense speedups by improving communication structure and precomputing best case bounds. Heuristics for generating better communication structures and calculating bound in a distributed manner are provided and tested on …

Notes On Equilibria In Symmetric Games, Shih-Fen Cheng, Daniel M. Reeves, Yevgeniy Vorobeychik, Michael P. Wellman

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In a symmetric game, every player is identical with respect to the game rules. We show that a symmetric 2strategy game must have a pure-strategy Nash equilibrium. We also discuss Nash’s original paper and its generalized notion of symmetry in games. As a special case of Nash’s theorem, any finite symmetric game has a symmetric Nash equilibrium. Furthermore, symmetric infinite games with compact, convex strategy spaces and continuous, quasiconcave utility functions have symmetric pure-strategy Nash equilibria. Finally, we discuss how to exploit symmetry for more efficient methods of finding Nash equilibria.

Stability Analysis Of Jump-Linear Systems Driven By Finite-State Machines With Markovian Inputs, Sudarshan S. Patilkulkarni

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A control system with a fault recovery mechanism in the feedback loop and with faults occurring in a non-deterministic manner can be modeled as a class of hybrid systems, i.e., a dynamical system switched by a finite-state machine or an automaton. When the plant and controller are linear, such a system can be modeled as a jump-linear system driven by a finite-state machine with a random input process. Such fault recovery mechanisms are found in flight control systems and distributed control systems with communication networks. In these critical applications, closed-loop stability of the system in the presence of fault recoveries …

Project-Based Introduction To Engineering - A University Core Course, Samuel Bogan Daniels, Bouzid Aliane, Jean Nocito-Gobel, Michael Collura

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

This paper describes a first year engineering course that is taken by both engineering and non-engineering students. The project-based Introduction to Engineering course, EAS107P, fulfills a university core curriculum elective. Although engineering students take the course during their first year, students from other majors typically elect to take the course later in their curriculum. The focus of EAS107P is to have students experience the engineering design and problem solving process in a multi-disciplinary, team-based setting. In addition to learning about design, students develop an interest in the engineering profession and build a foundation of skills for future work. An additional …

How To Increase The Ability Of A Student To Learn, Srinivas R. Chakravarthy

Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering Presentations And Conference Materials

An instructor is always challenged when covering the materials in a course (according to the syllabus) and at the same time making sure that all students have the opportunity to learn and understand the materials presented in the classroom. In this paper we will present some ideas and tools that enable one to try to achieve a balance. These are based on the author’s experience and perspective in teaching deterministic and stochastic operations research courses.

Development Of A Multidisciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral, Samuel Bogan Daniels, Bouzid Aliane, Jean Nocito-Gobel, Michael Collura

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

To operate effectively in today’s workforce engineers need to have a muti-disciplinary perspective along with substantial disciplinary depth. This broad perspective cannot be achieved by merely taking 2 or 3 engineering courses outside of the major, but rather will require a radical change in the way we educate engineers. The faculty of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of New Haven have developed a new approach: the Multidisciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral. This curricular model provides the needed mix of breadth and depth, along with the desired professional skills, by providing carefully crafted, well-coordinated curricular experiences in …

Project-Based Introduction To Engineering -- Course Assessment, Samuel Bogan Daniels, Michael Collura, Bouzid Aliane, Jean Nocito-Gobel

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

The School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of New Haven has a newly developed project-based Introduction to Engineering course. This new course plays a central role in the new Multi-Disciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral curriculum as the first semester course for all engineering freshmen. An assessment process was developed to determine the effectiveness of this project-based course, specifically with attention towards assessing attitudes, impact on retention, problem-solving and engineering foundation topics. This paper addresses the particular portion of the assessment process for the individual course projects and their contribution to the last two assessment categories.

Project Planning & Development For Engineering Freshmen, Bouzid Aliane, Michael Collura, Samuel Bogan Daniels, Jean Nocito-Gobel

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

The nature and background of students seeking an engineering education has changed drastically in the last decade, as has the expectations of industrial employers. Many students lack the organizational skills needed for academic success. Similar organizational skills, although more advanced, are required for managing engineering projects. A new course was developed by the faculty at the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of New Haven. Through this course, a key component of the Multidisciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral, seeks to promote higher retention rates, increase student motivation and begin a confidence-building transition to professional practice. Project management concepts …

Acuta Enews June 2004, Vol. 33, No. 6

ACUTA Newsletters

In This lssue

Make Plans to Attend Annual Conference

From the President............................. Walter L. Czerniak, Northern Illinois University

URGENT: ITFS Spectrum at Risk

Tech Talk........................ Kevin Tanzillo, Dux Public Relations

FCC Releases Study on Telephone Trends

Preconference Seminars Address Timely Topics

DC Update.......................... Whitney Johnson, Retired, Northern Michigan Univ.

Unexpected Dangers in the Plenum................. Frank Bisbee, Communications Planning Corp.

ACUTA Member Sites to See

Board Report......................... Carmine Piscopo, Providence College, ACUTA Secretary/Treasurer

Welcome New Members

Successfully Blending Distance Students Into The On-Campus Classroom, Susan L. Murray, David Lee Enke, Sreeram Ramakrishnan

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

As universities are increasingly embracing distance education technology, it is useful to examine the challenges and opportunities of technology in the classroom. This is especially true when the course contains on-campus local students in addition to students learning at a distance. A significant challenge commonly faced is how to remain flexible in presenting course materials while still having notes and other handouts in electronic format available before the lecture. Other challenges include creating and using lecture material that can be viewed at low resolution and low bandwidth, and getting distance students to interact with the instructor, on-campus students, and fellow …

Adoption Of Iso 14001 By Construction Companies In Egypt, Dalia Abdel-Hamid Mahmoud Sakr

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Prediction Of Growth Factor Effects On Engineered Cartilage Composition Using Deterministic And Stochastic Modeling, Sean S. Kohles, Asit K. Saha, J. (Jagannath) Mazumdar

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the design of engineered tissues, guided balance of biomaterial degeneration with tissue synthesis offers refined control of construct development. The objective of this study was to develop a mathematical model that describes the steady state metabolism of extracellular matrix molecules (ECM: glycosaminoglycan and collagen) in an engineered cartilage construct taking into account localized environmental changes that may arise because of the application of growth factors. The variable effects of growth factors were incorporated in the form of random noise rather than the difference in rates of synthesis and catabolism. Thus, the frequency of ECM accumulation for each matrix molecule …

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 …

Supply Chain Risk Analysis, Venkata R. Kallepalli

Theses

A new decision support system is proposed and developed that will help sustaining business in a high-risk business environment. The system is developed as a web application to better integrate the supply chain entities and to provide a common platform for performing risk analysis in a supply chain. The system performs a risk analysis and calculates risk factor with each activity in the supply considering its interrelationship with other activities. Bayesian networks along with fault tree structures are embedded in the system and logical rules are used to perform a qualitative fault tree analysis, as the data required to calculate …

Human Factors Approach Towards Improving Readability Of Bus Schedules, Anand Tharanathan

Theses

Due to an increasing concern over the readability of existing bus schedules of a public transportation agency the schedule format was redesigned. Two prototype schedules were designed based on the gathered information from the literature survey, focus group meetings and data from other public transportation agencies' schedules. One of the prototypes was designed by giving primary importance to the direction of travel and was named the directional prototype schedule. The other prototype was designed by giving primary importance to the day of the week, and was named weekday / weekend prototype schedule. A time based laboratory experiment and a subjective …

Case Studies In Disassembly Process Planning, Riteshkumar Dhimmar

Theses

The rapid advancement in technology started in last century and still continuing resulted in decreased life cycle of electronic products. It also resulted in increased product disposal rate and filling land fill space faster causing shortage of such space and consequently creates major environmental problems. So, since couple of decade environmental concern has focused on production process and environmental regulations imposed by government has watched industrial pollution. With government regulations to control environmental problems; consumers are also aware of adverse effects of product disposal forcing manufacturer to become more responsible for safe product disposal and recycling of used product.

A …

Supply Chain Risk Mitigation, Roshan R. Pai

Theses

In recent years, especially post 9/11, there has been an increasing awareness for securing business supply chains against probable disruptions. With globalization and lean inventories, the efficiency of supply chain has greatly enhanced over the years, but at the expense of new vulnerabilities. Supply chain vulnerabilities have resulted in disruptions to the economic stability and security. As a result, risk analysis and mitigation has now grown to become one of the key links to business stabilization. To ensure business continuity, it is necessary to identify key assets (physical and operational) within the supply chain and secure them against probable threats. …