Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Acuta Enews September 2006, Vol. 35, No. 9

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

Prepaid Calling Cards

From ACUTA Headquarters: Looking Ahead................. Jeri A. Semer, CAE, ACUTA Executive Director

Tech Talk: As a Framework, lTlL Leads the Way.............. Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

DC Update............ Jeanne Jansenius, University of the South

Wiretaps: lnterpreting the Constitution Becomes a Controversy............. Pat Scott, ACUTA Comm. Mgr.

Board Report.............. Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State Univ. ACUTA Sec./Treasurer

ACUTA One-Day Workshop: Making Convergence Work

Be a State/Province Coordinator............ Mary Lou Emmons, lndiana Univ., Bloomington

lnfo Links................ Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern lowa

More Winners from ACUTA Annual Conference

Your Site Could Be a Site to See

Welcome …

Acuta Enews September 2006, Vol. 35, No. 9

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

Prepaid Calling Cards

From ACUTA Headquarters: Looking Ahead...................... Jeri A. Semer, CAE, ACUTA Executive Director

Tech Talk: As a Framework, lTlL Leads the Way................ Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

DC Update................ Jeanne Jansenius, University of the South

Wiretaps: lnterpreting the Constitution Becomes a Controversy.............. Pat Scott, ACUTA Comm. Mgr.

Board Report............... Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State Univ. ACUTA Sec./Treasurer

ACUTA One-Day Workshop: Making Convergence Work

Be a State/Province Coordinator........... Mary Lou Emmons, lndiana Univ., Bloomington

lnfo Links................... Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern lowa

More Winners from ACUTA Annual Conference

Your Site Could Be a Site to See

Welcome …

Graph Theoretical Analysis Of Network Centric Operations Using Multi-Layer Models, Ann Wong-Jiru

Theses and Dissertations

As the Department of Defense continues its transformations to a network centric force, evaluating DoD's progression towards net-centricity remains a challenge. This research proposes to extend the Network Centric Operation Common Framework Version 2.0 (draft) with the metrics based in graph theory and, specifically addresses, among other metrics, the measurement of a net-centric force's mission effectiveness. The research incorporates the importance of understanding network topology for evaluating an environment for net-centricity and using network characteristics to help commanders assess the effects of network changes on mission effectiveness. The multi-layered model of Network Centric Operations and interlayer mapping are introduced to …

Efficacy Of Virtual Models In A Production Systems Course, Lawrence Whitman, Barbara Chaparro

Publications

Wichita State University has developed an integrated set of virtual reality models of an aircraft assembly line. These models are intended to provide students an ‘artifact’ of industrial and manufacturing engineering by providing a realistic environment for initial learning and application. By utilizing a virtual model of the line, students are able to view the process and interrogate the process details, make changes and observe the effects, and gain a better understanding of the concepts and their interrelationships. This paper presents the method used to assess if virtual models (computer models of a real factory) lead to: improved perception of …

Estimation Of Liquidus Temperature When Snagcu Bga/Csp Components Are Soldered With Snpb Paste, Jianbiao Pan

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Recently, the soldering of lead-free components with SnPb paste, or lead-free backward compatibility, is becoming a hot topic. One of the major challenges in backward compatibility assembly is the development of a right reflow profile for the soldering of SnAgCu Ball Grid Array (BGA)/Chip Scale Package (CSP) components with SnPb paste. If the SnAgCu reflow profile is used, the reflow temperature may be too high for other SnPb components in the same board during assembly according to the component rating per IPC/JEDEC J-STD-020C. In addition, the flux in SnPb solder paste may not function properly in such a high reflow …

Acuta Enews August 2006, Vol. 35, No. 8

ACUTA Newsletters

In This lssue

Report from the 35th Annual ACUTA Conference

From the President: Generations X and Y.............. Carmine Piscopo, Providence College

Tech Talk: TWAMP Will Help Track lP Network Performance............... Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

lnfo Links.................... Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern lowa

Web Tip: Conference Audio/Video Available Aaron Fuehrer, ACUTA lnformation Tech. Mgr.

ACUTA One-Day Workshop: Making Convergence Work

FYI: Useful lnformation from Campus............... Student Monitor

Board Report.............. Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State Univ. ACUTA Sec./Treasurer

DC Update............. Jeanne Jansenius, University of the South

Network Redundancy Options..................... Rick Cunningham, PAETEC Communications

Welcome New Members

Committee Profile: Publications Committee

Development Of A Transportation Network Model For Complex Economic And Infrastructure Simulations, Paula S. Downes

Masters Theses

The intent of this effort is to add a transport network to an agent-based economic simulation model, thereby increasing the fidelity of the economic results reported. The majority of existing agent-based work regarding transportation infrastructures deals with traffic management and urban planning. However, little work has been done in modeling the transport system as a basic infrastructure dependency for an agent-based representation of the economy. In an agent-based modeling environment the transportation component derives its demand from the activities of the agents as they buy and sell goods which require transportation services. The Network Shipper agent was added to allow …

Analysis Of Opportunities And Challenges For R&D Management And The Role Of The R&D Society For Its Improvement – A Case Study In Iran, Reza R. Tavakkoli-Moghaddam, Nader Ale Ebrahim, Arash Golnam, M. Vasei, Ali Ghazizadeh-Moghaddam

Nader Ale Ebrahim

Research and Development (R&D) management in Iran is faced to many barriers and obstacles, in which R&D units are considered as the basic core of the product development and innovation. Due to structural shortcomings, a great number of organizations and industries have not been able to find their actual status. There are about different 1141 R&D units with a dispersion pattern in Iran. This paper considers and analyzes the R&D case study in one of the provinces located in the north part of Iran in order to enhance the potential R&D activities in respect with the industrialized areas and zones. …

Acuta Enews July 2006, Vol. 35, No. 7

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Board of Directors for 2006-2007

From ACUTA Headquarters: Member Service Awards............ Jeri A. Semer, CAE, ACUTA Executive Director

ACUTA One-Day Workshop: Making Convergence Work

Tech Talk: Technology Makes PBXs "Open" for Business................... Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

lnfo Links Randy Hayes, Univ' of Northern lowa

Board Report............... Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State Univ., ACUTA Sec./Treasurer

DC Update.............. Jeanne Jansenius, University of the south

Web Tip: Telecom and VolP Listserv FAQ.................. Aaron Fuehrer, ACUTA lnformation Tech. Mgr.

Welcome New Members

ACUTA Online Press Room

Order And Disorder, Entropy In Math, Science, Nature And The Arts, Sol Neeman Ph.D., Arie Maharshak

Engineering Studies Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Often, science and engineering students have difficult time in viewing certain concepts in their holistic form. An example for such a concept is the concept of Entropy. Although it originated from the field of thermodynamics, the relation between order and disorder is a profound one and manifests itself in various fields, sometimes unrelated, such as math and science, nature and the arts. In the discipline of physics, the amount of disorder in a system has been quantified by the concept of Entropy. In the area of information theory it provides a quantitative measure of the amount of compression that may …

Development Of An Electro-Mechanical System To Identify & Map Adverse Soil Compaction Using Gis&Gps, Santosh Pitla, L. G. Wells

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Conference Presentations and White Papers

A stand-alone electro-mechanical system with a 32-inch disc coulter was developed and tested to identify soil compaction in a 1-acre field located at the University of Kentucky Animal Research Center (UKARC). The system was evaluated by making four passes in the square grid cell. With the aid of hydraulic actuation, the coulter oscillated between depths of 100mm (4-in) and 330mm (13-in) as it moved forward and recorded the vertical impedance force given by the soil continuously. Forty standard soil cone penetrometer measurements along the diagonals to a depth of 400mm (16-in) were taken and the average cone indices (MPa) at …

Neural Network Based Decentralized Excitation Control Of Large Scale Power Systems, Wenxin Liu, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Donald C. Wunsch, David A. Cartes, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a neural network (NN) based decentralized excitation controller design for large scale power systems. The proposed controller design considers not only the dynamics of generators but also the algebraic constraints of the power flow equations. The control signals are calculated using only local signals. The transient stability and the coordination of the subsystem controllers can be guaranteed. NNs are used to approximate the unknown/imprecise dynamics of the local power system and the interconnections. All signals in the closed loop system are guaranteed to be uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB). Simulation results with a 3-machine power system demonstrate the …

Development Of A Theoretical Framework Of Distributed Cognition Phenomena In Control Centers During Crisis Conditions, Christopher J. West

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to develop and partially validate a theoretical framework describing distributed cognition phenomena occurring in organizational control centers functioning in crisis environments. Using a systems approach, the work synthesizes existing constructs relating to distributed cognition then supplements this knowledge with review of crisis management literature. The goal of this effort is the development of a framework for understanding the impact of crisis conditions on such phenomena occurring within the specified setting. An exploratory case study approach was used to partially validate and refine the framework by gauging its ability to interpret the impact of crisis …

A Comparative Study Of Various Loss Functions In The Economic Tolerance Design, Jehnan Pan, Jianbiao Pan

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Engineering tolerance design plays an important role in modern manufacturing. In this paper, the Kapur's model was modified so that the economic specification limits for both symmetric and asymmetric losses can be established. Three different loss functions: (1) Taguchi's quadratic loss function; (2) Inverted Normal Loss Function; (3) Revised Inverted Normal Loss Function are compared in the economic tolerance design. The relationships between the three loss functions and process capability indices for symmetric tolerance are established. The results suggest that the revised inverted normal loss function be used in determination of economic specification limits.

Knowledge Management In Iran, Nader Ale Ebrahim, Ali Ghazizadeh, Arash Golnam

Nader Ale Ebrahim

In the highly competitive global market, only organizations survive in which, knowledge has replaced labor and natural resources as the key source of sustainable growth and development. The organizations that have learnt doing things differently and doing different things. In such organizations knowledge and learning are widely considered as sustainable sources of competitive advantage. In this paper first we take a look at the history and the pioneers of knowledge management in Iran analyzing the evolutionary trend of knowledge management and its current condition in Iran. Then we trace the emphasis put on knowledge management in the fourth economic, social …

Plotting A Bright Future For Manufacturing Education: Results Of A Brainstorming Session, Daniel Waldorf, Sema E. Alptekin, Robert Bjurman

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Manufacturing industries worldwide have undergone dramatic changes in recent years and now demand more from graduating manufacturing engineers. The effects of globalization have forever changed the parameters for success in manufacturing. Our educational institutions must respond to these changes with innovation. That agenda formed the basis for a special SME/CIRP international conference on manufacturing engineering education called “Looking Forward: Innovations in Manufacturing Engineering Education,” held in San Luis Obispo, California, June 22-25, 2005. At the meeting, manufacturing education professionals from around the world came together to share their own innovative ideas and to brainstorm ways to shape the future of …

Acuta Enews June 2006, Vol. 35, No. 6

ACUTA Newsletters

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Planning for VolP...................... Mike Grunder, Vantage Technology Consulting Group

From the President................... Patricia Todus, Northwestern Univ., ACUTA President

Board Report................ Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State Univ., ACUTA Sec./Treasurer

Three Preconference Seminars Offered

Tech Talk: VolP Implementation: The Survey Says...................... Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

lnfo Links......................... Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern lowa

Web Tip: Members Post Job Openings Free............... Aaron Fuehrer, ACUTA lnformation Tech. Mgr.

Dues Notices Mailed

DC Update.............. Jeanne Jansenius, University of the South

Welcome New Members

ACUTA Online Press Room

Leadership In Student Distance Education Teams, Leroy Cox, Susan L. Murray, David Spurlock

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Interactive video technology has become a widely used medium for education. A prominent implementation of this technology, interactive distance learning, involves groups of students at local and remote sites connected by audio and video teleconferencing. This approach has made the task of delivering vital undergraduate and graduate engineering courses to distributed audiences much easier. As this approach has permeated more curricula, distance education instructors have increasingly assigned projects that require distance learners to work together as an element of the final course grade. This trend presents an interesting opportunity for researchers to understand the nature of interactions among course participants …

Technology Transfer: A Qualitative Analysis Of Air Force Office Of Research And Technology Applications, David C. Trexler

Theses and Dissertations

Everyday within United States Air Forces’ research laboratories there are hundreds of scientists and engineers whose research and development activities contribute to the advancement of science and technology for mankind. The opportunities for successful technology transfer within these research activities are unbounded. This thesis examines the Air Force Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA’s) involvement with technology transfer, the complexities they face, the importance of their position, and what best practices ORTAs use to facilitate technology transfer. Air Force concerns and initiatives are detailed to provide perspective on balancing technology transfer with mission requirements and adherence to United States …

Modeling A Reparable Supply Chain And Applying Cpfr Concepts, Sandra A. Mayhall

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force supply chain includes parts required to build, fix, or maintain aircraft delivered to the warfighter to carry out missions. Industry has shown that following Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR) concepts, particularly reducing inventory through accurate demand forecasts, has increased profits in part by lowering the holding costs of inventory and increasing sales. This is analogous to the Air Force increasing aircraft availability. There is scant evidence that demand forecasts generated at any level in the Air Force are shared with the intent of coordinating replenishment. This thesis uses a simple discrete-event stochastic simulation model to show …

User Friendly Computer Software For Construction Projects Delay Analysis, Kamel Ahmed Salem El Sayed

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Construction industry around the world is facing a huge revolution in terms of number of executed projects. Projects are no longer simple ones managed by few persons. Commercial buildings, high rise towers and bridges are being built everywhere. The majority of these projects are complex ones that face a lot of obstacles. Delays are one of the major obstacles that construction projects face and are very likely to occur. Generally, claims are the result of any delay in the construction progress. To be able to analyze the claim and assign the responsibility, the analyst has to perform a delay analysis. …

Acuta Enews May 2006, Vol. 35, No. 5

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Nominees for ACUTA Board of Directors 2006-2007

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

Info Links................. Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern Iowa

Tech Talk: R U Protected from the Dangers of IM?.................. Kevin Tanzillo, DUX PR

Audio Seminar: Wireless Network Security

Be a Monitor or Moderator at the Annual Conference

Web Tip: Conference 2006: Register & Details Online....... Aaron Fuehrer, ACUTA Information Tech. Mgr.

Dues Notices to Mail May 1

Board Report................. Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State Univ., ACUTA Sec./Treasurer

DC Update..................... Whitney Johnson, Retired, NO. Michigan Univ.

Welcome New Members

ACUTA Online Press …

Winning Back The Cup For Distributed Pomdps: Planning Over Continuous Belief Spaces, Pradeep Varakantham, Ranjit Nair, Milind Tambe, Makoto Yokoo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Distributed Partially Observable Markov Decision Problems (Distributed POMDPs) are evolving as a popular approach for modeling multiagent systems, and many different algorithms have been proposed to obtain locally or globally optimal policies. Unfortunately, most of these algorithms have either been explicitly designed or experimentally evaluated assuming knowledge of a starting belief point, an assumption that often does not hold in complex, uncertain domains. Instead, in such domains, it is important for agents to explicitly plan over continuous belief spaces. This paper provides a novel algorithm to explicitly compute finite horizon policies over continuous belief spaces, without restricting the space of …

Utilizing Employee Stress To Establish Guidelines For Managing Personnel During Lean Transition, Nezhad Naim Jallal Hossiney

Masters Theses

Employee resistance has been one of the many primary obstacles during Lean execution. Employee stress is a principal outcome of resistance when implementing Lean systems. This research is directed towards finding the relationship between employee stress and Lean. The hypothesis states-Lean implementation increases employee stress.

The research methodology involves investigating employee stress during various phases of Lean. This research proposes three phases of Lean that are- Lean Introduction Phase, Lean Implementation Phase, and Lean Refinement Phase. Surveys are used to collect data for the study. Two questionnaires are used 1) Lean Environment Evaluation Profile (LEEP) 2) Work Stress Profile (WSP). …

Developing And Integrating A Campus Program For Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning Initiatives, Paul Savory, Amy M. Goodburn, Amy Nelson Burnett

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Based on the successful campus model that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has developed over ten years, and those of our project consortium partners (Texas A&M, Kansas State University, Indiana University–Bloomington, University of Michigan, and University of Kansas), this panel offers suggestions for creating a campus peer review program designed to promote the intellectual work of teaching generally and the scholarship of teaching and learning more specifically. We offer our perspective on approaches for getting started, establishing the project leadership, seeking funding to support a project, recruiting and supporting faculty participants, developing strategies for running the program, and assessing the project’s …

National Internet Repository For Course Portfolios, Paul Savory, Amy M. Goodburn, Amy Nelson Burnett

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Faculty in higher education are increasingly asked to document, assess, and make public their teaching practices. Course portfolios are a valuable medium for capturing the scholarly work of one’s teaching by combining inquiry into the intellectual work of a course with a careful investigation of the quality of student understanding and performance. It enables a faculty member to document the careful, difficult, and intentional scholarly work of planning and teaching a course. Since a course portfolio can be read, evaluated, and used by others, it offers mechanisms for valuing teaching as scholarship and for improving student learning. This poster will …

Acuta Enews April 2006, Vol. 35, No. 4

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

From the President............... Patricia Todus, Northwestern Univ., ACUTA President

Tech Talk: Working Up a Sweat over Power Consumption............ Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

Nominate for ACUTA Ruth A . Michalecki Award

lnfo Links................... Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern lowa

How to Negotiate a Cell-Site Leasing Agreement............... Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State Univ.

Board Report................. Riny Ledgerwood, Son Diego State Univ., ACUTA Sec..Treasurer

Web Tip: Visited the ACUTA Press Room Lately?................... Aaron Fuehrer, ACUTA lnformation Tech. Mgr.

DC Update...................... Whitney Johnson, Retired, No. Michigan Univ.

Welcome New Members

ACUTA Online Press Room

An Adaptive System Identification Model Of The Biomechanical Response Of The Human Trunk During Sudden Loading, Brad M. Lawrence, Gregory D. Buckner, Gary A. Mirka

Gary A. Mirka

Sudden loading injuries to the low back are a concern. Current models are limited in their ability to quantify the time-varying nature of the sudden loading event. The method of approach used six males who were subjected to sudden loads. Response data (EMG and kinematics) were input into a system identification model to yield time-varying torso stiffness estimates. The results show estimates of system stiffness in good agreement with values in the literature. The average root mean square error of the model’s predictions of sagittal motion was equal to 0.1deg. In conclusion, system identification can be implemented with minimal error …

Semester Project For Engineering Management, Paul Savory

Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Instructional Materials

This is the team-based, semester project for my advanced engineering management course at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This project focuses on having student teams plan a successful, professional, innovative and enjoyable professional conference. This is an activity that many of of them will have the opportunity to be involved with during their career. The project is divided into nine tasks with peer feedback and rework part of the process.

Measuring Plant-Wide Energy Savings, J. Kelly Kissock, Carl Eger

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents a general method for measuring plant-wide industrial energy savings and demonstrates the method using a case study from an actual industrial energy assessment. The method uses regression models to characterize baseline energy use. It takes into account changes in weather and production, and can use sub-metered data or whole plant utility billing data. In addition to calculating overall savings, the method is also able to disaggregate savings into components, which provides additional insight into the effectiveness of the individual savings measures.

Although the method incorporates search techniques and multi-variable least-squares regression, it is easily implemented using data …