Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Multi-Stage Stochastic Optimization And Reinforcement Learning For Forestry Epidemic And Covid-19 Control Planning, Sabah Bushaj

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on developing new modeling and solution approaches based on multi-stage stochastic programming and reinforcement learning for tackling biological invasions in forests and human populations. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is the nemesis of ash trees. This research introduces a multi-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming model to assist forest agencies in managing emerald ash borer insects throughout the U.S. and maximize the public benets of preserving healthy ash trees. This work is then extended to present the first risk-averse multi-stage stochastic mixed-integer program in the invasive species management literature to account for extreme events. Significant computational achievements are obtained using …

Stochastic Programming And Agent-Based Simulation Approaches For Epidemics Control And Logistics Planning, Xuecheng Yin

Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the resource allocation challenges of fighting against infectious disease outbreaks. The goal of this dissertation is to formulate multi-stage stochastic programming and agent-based models to address the limitations of former literature in optimizing resource allocation for preventing and controlling epidemics and pandemics. In the first study, a multi-stage stochastic programming compartmental model is presented to integrate the uncertain disease progression and the logistics of resource allocation to control a highly contagious infectious disease. The proposed multi-stage stochastic program, which involves various disease growth scenarios, optimizes the distribution of treatment centers and resources while minimizing the total expected …

Constructive Solution Methodologies To The Capacitated Newsvendor Problem And Surrogate Extension, Pinyuan Shan

Dissertations

The newsvendor problem is a single-period stochastic model used to determine the order quantity of perishable product that maximizes/minimizes the profit/cost of the vendor under uncertain demand. The goal is to fmd an initial order quantity that can offset the impact of backlog or shortage caused by mismatch between the procurement amount and uncertain demand. If there are multiple products and substitution between them is feasible, overstocking and understocking can be further reduced and hence, the vendor's overall profit is improved compared to the standard problem. When there are one or more resource constraints, such as budget, volume or weight, …

Critical Chain – Or Why Wedding Planners Get Ulcers, Greg Hutto

Operations Management Presentations

Planning a wedding is one of the most challenging projects in a young life… So much to do! A respected journal in the project management literature -- Southern Bride -- advises well-off young couples to escape stress and employ a professional wedding planner+. In today's webinar we will contrast two project planning methods in examining one such wedding project -- hastily planned and beset with troubles. We will shed light on the science & art of project management and possibly help our wedding planners (both professional and amateur) avoid stress-induced medical complications. In this webinar, we’ll be spending time with …

Cable Manipulation With A Tactile-Reactive Gripper, Yu She, Shaoxiong Wang, Siyuan Dong, Neha Sunil, Alberto Rodriguez, Edward Adelson

School of Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Cables are complex, high-dimensional, and dynamic objects. Standard approaches to manipulate them often rely on conservative strategies that involve long series of very slow and incremental deformations, or various mechanical fixtures such as clamps, pins, or rings. We are interested in manipulating freely moving cables, in real time, with a pair of robotic grippers, and with no added mechanical constraints. The main contribution of this paper is a perception and control framework that moves in that direction, and uses real-time tactile feedback to accomplish the task of following a dangling cable. The approach relies on a vision-based tactile sensor, GelSight, …

Multistage Stochastic Programming: Algorithms, Modelling And Applications, Murwan Siddig

All Dissertations

This dissertation comprises four di˙erent topics related to multistage stochastic program-ming (MSP) algorithms, modeling, and applications.

First, we extend the adaptive partition-based approach for solving two-stage stochastic programs with a fixed recourse matrix and a fixed cost vector to the MSP setting, where the stochastic process is assumed to be stage-wise independent. The proposed algorithms integrate the adaptive partition-based strategy with a popular approach for solving multistage stochastic programs, the stochastic dual dynamic programming (SDDP) algorithm, according to two main strategies. These two strategies are distinct from each other in the manner by which they refine the partitions during the …

Micro Scalable Graphene Oxide Productions Using Controlled Parameters In Bench Reactor, Carolina S. Andrade, Anna Paula Godoy, Marcos Antônio Gimenes Benega, Ricardo J. E. Andrade, Rafael Cardoso Andrade, Wellington Marcos Silva, Josué Marciano De Oliveira Cremonezzi, Waldemar Augusto De Almeida Macedo, Hélio Ribeiro, Jaime Taha-Tijerina

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

The detailed study of graphene oxide (GO) synthesis by changing the graphite/oxidizing reagents mass ratios (mG/mROxi), provided GO nanosheets production with good yield, structural quality, and process savings. Three initial samples containing different amounts of graphite (3.0 g, 4.5 g, and 6.0 g) were produced using a bench reactor under strictly controlled conditions to guarantee the process reproducibility. The produced samples were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray diffraction (XDR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetry (TGA) techniques. The results showed that the major GO product comprised of nanosheets containing between 1–5 layers, …

High-Density Parking For Autonomous Vehicles., Parag J. Siddique

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In a common parking lot, much of the space is devoted to lanes. Lanes must not be blocked for one simple reason: a blocked car might need to leave before the car that blocks it. However, the advent of autonomous vehicles gives us an opportunity to overcome this constraint, and to achieve a higher storage capacity of cars. Taking advantage of self-parking and intelligent communication systems of autonomous vehicles, we propose puzzle-based parking, a high-density design for a parking lot. We introduce a novel method of vehicle parking, which leads to maximum parking density. We then propose a heuristic method …

Evaluation Of Patient Experience Using Natural Language Processing Algorithms, Sofia Veronica Ortega

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare organizations are making extensive efforts to improve the patient experience. Enhancing patient/client experience and outcomes is crucial for patient-centered care and can reveal improvement opportunities. Healthcare settings currently rely on surveys (e.g., HCAHPS) and patient feedback to measure patient experience. Studies have identified that utilizing patient journey mapping can better capture patient experience throughout all stages of the patient's journey and provide quality and process improvement recommendations at specific hotspots. However, these measurement techniques are time-consuming and resource intensive. AIM: This research aims to measure patient experience of breast cancer patients from social media data using natural language …

Machine Learning Models For Lodi Indices., Lucas A. Bruns

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two indices published monthly by the Logistics and Distribution Institute (LoDI) predict changes in logistics and distribution activity levels nationally and regionally and are useful for organizations when planning projects and expenses. This research validates the current linear regression model, updates the index conversion method, and introduces machine learning models.

New source data are introduced to the models to validate the current linear regression model and a comparative analysis verifies that the current source data are robust. A rolling average is used for index conversion in place of a fixed reference month to reflect recent changes in employment levels.

Three …

Assessment Of The Impacts Of Climate Variability On Hydropower Generation: A Case Study Of The New Pangani Falls, Tanzania, Dativa Byarufu

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Climate change poses potential impacts on hydropower generation either positively by increasing or negatively by decreasing river flow. This study assessed the impacts of climate variability on hydropower with a focus on the New Pangani Falls in Tanzania. Rainfall and temperature time series data from 1980-2014 were analyzed in relation to river discharge and associated impacts to hydropower generation. The Man-Kendall test was used to detect trend in both annual and seasonal time series. The results showed a negative trend in annual rainfall with Z= -2.41 at α = 0.05 and the slope Q = -0.964. Seasonal trend analysis showed …

Rheological Properties Of Aged Crude Hard Wood Pyrolysis Oil, Divina D. Kaombe

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Upon storage of the pyrolysis oil, aging reactions may initiate phase separation and change of the rheological properties. These changes lead to unfavourable fuel characteristics in handling, transportation and applications. Efforts have been made for alleviation including methods on how to avoid these aging effects and development of equipment capable of handling aged pyrolysis liquids with unfavourable fuel characteristics. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the rheological properties of phase separated pyrolysis liquid fuel. Two batches of a well – stored poplar wood pyrolysis oils were used for the investigation; one batch was diluted with water to …

Prediction Of Uniaxial Compressive Strength Of Granite Rock Samples Of Lugoba Quarry Using Rebound Hammer Test, Moses Kongola, Karim Baruti

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Rebound hammer test is widely used as an indirect measure of uniaxial compressive strength for engineering materials such as concrete, soil, and rock in both civil and mining engineering works. In quarries, uniaxial compressive strength is a crucial parameter in the analysis of geotechnical problems involving rock stability and rock blasting design. This study aims at establishing the empirical models of uniaxial compressive strength fits on rebound hammer number that can be used to predict uniaxial compressive strength of granitic rock at Lugoba Quarry. Data for direct uniaxial compressive strength were obtained from uniaxial compressive strength test carried out on …

Prediction Of Four-Days Soaked California Bearing Ratio (Cbr) Values From Soil Index Properties, Pascal Ambrose, Siya P. Rimoy Dr

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

California Bearing Ratio (CBR) laboratory testing is the conventional method for determining soaked strengths of pavement subgrades. The test requires careful preparation of soil samples followed by four days of water soaking before penetrating the samples using a standard plunger at prescribed rates to set depths. When the number of samples becomes large the determination of soaked CBR values becomes cumbersome as the test is laborious and time consuming. This study aimed at establishing an alternative way of determining soaked CBR by developing a model that would be used for estimating soaked CBR of fine- and coarse- grained soils without …

Embedded Curriculum With Industry-Recognized Certifications To Improve The Marketability Of Engineering Technology Graduates, Immanuel Edinbarough, Jesus A. Gonzalez-Rodriguez

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Embedded Curriculum with Industry Recognized Certifications to Improve the Marketability of Engineering Technology Graduates

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is challenging the industries to change the way they manage and operate the manufacturing environment. This leads to the transformation of the world through artificial intelligence, next-generation robotics, automation, big data analytics, 5G technology and Internet of Things. This idea of Industry 4.0 forces the change in the industries of today and tomorrow. In this, cyber physical systems communicate with one another using the Internet of Things. The manufacturing sector takes full advantage of these technologies to produce innovative products to enhance …

An Improved Earned Value Management Method Integrating Quality And Safety, Brian Briggs

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The construction industry invests significant time and money to improve quality and safety while reducing cost and schedule impacts. The industry has a sincere desire to improve construction project management methods to improve efficiency. Historically, quality and safety underperformances result from undermanaged quality control and safety activities. The cost and schedule impacts associated with poor quality work have always had an impact on construction operations. The unprecedented challenges and uncertainties of COVID-19 highlighted the need to improve the Earned Value Management (EVM) method within construction to reflect these quality and safety activities. The central goal of this dissertation is to …

Study Of Friction And Wear Effects In Aluminum Parts Manufactured Via Single Point Incremental Forming Process Using Petroleum And Vegetable Oil-Based Lubricants, Jose M. Diabb Zavala, Oscar Martinez-Romero, Alex Elias-Zuniga, Hector Manuel Leija Gutierrez, Alejandro Estrada-De La Vega, Jaime Taha-Tijerina

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper focuses on studying how mineral oil, sunflower, soybean, and corn lubricants influence friction and wear effects during the manufacturing of aluminum parts via the single point incremental forming (SPIF) process. To identify how friction, surface roughness, and wear change during the SPIF of aluminum parts, Stribeck curves were plotted as a function of the SPIF process parameters such as vertical step size, wall angle, and tool tip semi-spherical diameter. Furthermore, lubricant effects on the surface of the formed parts are examined by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, the Alicona optical 3D measurement system, …

Healthcare Data Analytics For Predicting Health Outcomes Of Older Adults And Emergency Responses Of Aged Care Facilities, Nazmus Sakib

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States (US) is experiencing rapid growth in its older adult population, who may suffer from multiple chronic diseases, injuries, and impairments. To meet with the excess demand without compromising the quality of care for older adults, the current aged care systems, such as nursing home systems, will face unprecedented challenges of healthcare resource shortage with rising costs. Accurate prediction of health outcomes of individual older adults will facilitate the aged care professionals to better prioritize healthcare resources for the most at-risk individuals with more focused care and provide more proactive and individualized treatment and care delivery. In addition, …

Optimization Of Vaccine Supply Chains In Low- And Middle-Income Countries Utilizing Drones, Maximilian Kolter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite tremendous efforts from governments and humanitarian organizations, millions of children in low- and low-middle-income countries (LICs and LMICs) are still excluded from the benefits of immunization. The vaccine distribution in LICs and LMICs is challenging for several reasons, such as limited cold chain capacities, vaccine wastage, uncertain demand, and lack of access to immunization services. A promising avenue to address these issues is the utilization of drones for vaccine delivery. Drones can fly at high speed on direct paths and could enable on-demand deliveries to mitigate limited storage capacities. Further, their independence of road networks could allow them reaching …

Scheduling Allocation And Inventory Replenishment Problems Under Uncertainty: Applications In Managing Electric Vehicle And Drone Battery Swap Stations, Amin Asadi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, motivated by electric vehicle (EV) and drone application growth, we propose novel optimization problems and solution techniques for managing the operations at EV and drone battery swap stations. In Chapter 2, we introduce a novel class of stochastic scheduling allocation and inventory replenishment problems (SAIRP), which determines the recharging, discharging, and replacement decisions at a swap station over time to maximize the expected total profit. We use Markov Decision Process (MDP) to model SAIRPs facing uncertain demands, varying costs, and battery degradation. Considering battery degradation is crucial as it relaxes the assumption that charging/discharging batteries do not …