A Reinforcement Learning Approach To A Beyond Visual Range Air Combat Maneuvering Problem,
2023
Air Force Institute of Technology
A Reinforcement Learning Approach To A Beyond Visual Range Air Combat Maneuvering Problem, Caleb A. Taylor
Theses and Dissertations
A one-versus-one air combat maneuvering problem is considered wherein a friendly autonomous aircraft must engage and defeat an adversary autonomous aircraft in a beyond visual range environment. The Advanced Framework for Simulation, Integration, and Modeling (AFSIM) is leveraged to model the complex and interdependent operations of aircraft, sensors, and weapons utilized in beyond visual range air combat. We formulate a Markov decision process to obtain high-quality decision policies wherein our autonomous aircraft makes maneuvering and missile firing decisions. We utilize a reinforcement learning solution procedure that implements a linear value function approximation to represent state-decision pairs due to the high …
Team And Skill Matching For Disaster Recovery Operations,
2023
Air Force Institute of Technology
Team And Skill Matching For Disaster Recovery Operations, Emily B. Frahm
Theses and Dissertations
United States Air Force (USAF) bases are key power projection platforms that ensure mission readiness and help bring humanitarian aid to locations in need. Recovering airfields after attack or natural disaster is a key mission of USAF civil engineers, and accomplishing this repair as swiftly as possible is key to maintaining our position in the global order. Accomplishing a disaster recovery project is a set of teams, each assigned to a specific task, and made up of a series of personnel. The question answered within this paper is: how do we match the right person with the appropriate skills to …
Uncertainty Quantification In Federated Learning For Persistent Post-Traumatic Headache,
2023
Air Force Institute of Technology
Uncertainty Quantification In Federated Learning For Persistent Post-Traumatic Headache, Byungmoo Brian Kim
Theses and Dissertations
A post-traumatic headache (PTH), resulting from a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), potentially develops into persistent post-traumatic headache (PPTH). Although no known cure for PPTH exists, research has shown that receiving treatment at earlier stages of PTH lowers the risk of patients developing PPTH. Previous studies have shown machine learning (ML) models capable of predicting a patient’s PTH progression, but none have considered the issue of protecting patient privacy. Due to patient privacy, ML models only have access to data within the institution. Federated learning (FL) harnesses data from separate institutions without sacrificing patient privacy as institutions can run ML …
Operationalizing A Culture For Successful Lean Transformations: A Framework And Model-Based Tools,
2023
University of Kentucky
Operationalizing A Culture For Successful Lean Transformations: A Framework And Model-Based Tools, Amir Najarzadeh Dr.
Theses and Dissertations--Manufacturing Systems Engineering
Lean manufacturing has been embraced by many companies as a business model to promote operational excellence. However, a high percentage of lean implementation attempts have failed; many organizations have not been able to sustain continuous improvements to achieve lean transformations. This failure is often attributed to the sole focus on the hard-side (tools) of lean, at the expense of the soft side (culture). The majority of research exploring the cultural dimensions of lean either aims to increase awareness about culture or addresses it only in a cursory manner. To bridge this gap this study aims to identify and assess the …
Accuracy Assessment Of The Ebee Using Rtk And Ppk Corrections Methods As A Function Of Distance To A Gnss Base Station,
2023
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Accuracy Assessment Of The Ebee Using Rtk And Ppk Corrections Methods As A Function Of Distance To A Gnss Base Station, Joseph Cerreta, David Thirtyacre, Peter Miller, Scott S. Burgess, William J. Austin
International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace
The use of unmanned aircraft systems to collect data for photogrammetry models has grown significantly in recent years. The accuracy of a photogrammetric model can depend on image georeferencing. The distance from a reference base station can affect the accuracy of the results. Positioning corrections data relies on precise timing measurements of satellite signals. The signals travel through the Earth's atmosphere, which introduces errors due to ionospheric and tropospheric delays. The aim of this research was to examine the eBee X and its global GNSS accuracy by comparing the RTK and PPK methods at different base station distances in photogrammetry …
Machine Learning Prediction Of Dod Personal Property Shipment Costs,
2023
Air Force Institute of Technology
Machine Learning Prediction Of Dod Personal Property Shipment Costs, Tiffany Tucker, Torrey J. Wagner, Paul Auclair, Brent T. Langhals
Faculty Publications
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) personal property moves account for 15% of all domestic and international moves - accurate prediction of their cost could draw attention to outlier shipments and improve budget planning. In this work 136,140 shipments between 13 personal property shipment hubs from April 2022 through March 2023 with a total cost of $1.6B were analyzed. Shipment cost was predicted using recursive feature elimination on linear regression and XGBoost algorithms, as well as through neural network hyperparameter sweeps. Modeling was repeated after removing 28 features related to shipment hub location and branch of service to examine their influence …
Accelerating Manufacturing Decisions Using Bayesian Optimization: An Optimization And Prediction Perspective,
2023
West Virginia University
Accelerating Manufacturing Decisions Using Bayesian Optimization: An Optimization And Prediction Perspective, Taofeeq Olajire
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Manufacturing is a promising technique for producing complex and custom-made parts with a high degree of precision. It can also provide us with desired materials and products with specified properties. To achieve that, it is crucial to find out the optimum point of process parameters that have a significant impact on the properties and quality of the final product. Unfortunately, optimizing these parameters can be challenging due to the complex and nonlinear nature of the underlying process, which becomes more complicated when there are conflicting objectives, sometimes with multiple goals. Furthermore, experiments are usually costly, time-consuming, and require expensive materials, …
Improving The Health And Safety Of Manufacturing Workers By Detecting And Addressing Personal Protective Equipment (Ppe) Violations In Real-Time With The Use Of Automated Ppe Detection Technology,
2023
West Virginia University
Improving The Health And Safety Of Manufacturing Workers By Detecting And Addressing Personal Protective Equipment (Ppe) Violations In Real-Time With The Use Of Automated Ppe Detection Technology, Joseph Olufemi Fasinu
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasized that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can significantly reduce the risk of occupational injuries and illnesses. However, improper use, failure to use, and other PPE-related violations can still result in injuries and fatalities. Eye and face protection violation has been one of the top 10 most frequently violated OSHA standards in fiscal years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 consecutively. A common practice among safety professionals to ensure PPE compliance has been to physically inspect or monitor PPE usage among workers, which has been found to be unsustainable on a continuous real-time …
Practical Requirements Elicitation In Modern Product Development: A Multi-Case Study In Discontinuous Innovation,
2022
Mississippi State University
Practical Requirements Elicitation In Modern Product Development: A Multi-Case Study In Discontinuous Innovation, Michael King
Theses and Dissertations
Practical modern product development, specifically rapid, lean efforts to create new disrupting or specialized products, face constraints that require modified requirements elicitation (RE) techniques. Requirements elicitation conventions have not been updated to address the challenges of these approaches, and industry practitioners lack the tools to select the most efficient techniques. This study examines the RE approaches performed by three resource-limited teams conducting discontinuous new product development through a multi-case study to identify gaps between the literature and practice, with suggestions to fill them. Our findings suggest modern RE practices and challenges closely reflect those found by studies on RE in …
Towards Structured Planning And Learning At The State Fisheries Agency Scale,
2022
Mississippi State University
Towards Structured Planning And Learning At The State Fisheries Agency Scale, Caleb A. Aldridge
Theses and Dissertations
Inland recreational fisheries has grown philosophically and scientifically to consider economic and sociopolitical aspects (non-biological) in addition to the biological. However, integrating biological and non-biological aspects of inland fisheries has been challenging. Thus, an opportunity exists to develop approaches and tools which operationalize planning and decision-making processes which include biological and non-biological aspects of a fishery. This dissertation expands the idea that a core set of goals and objectives is shared among and within inland fisheries agencies; that many routine operations of inland fisheries managers can be regimented or standardized; and the novel concept that current information and operations can …
Operational And Cost Analysis Of A Leo Radar-Based Satellite Constellation,
2022
Air Force Institute of Technology
Operational And Cost Analysis Of A Leo Radar-Based Satellite Constellation, Kyle O. Norbert
Theses and Dissertations
This thesis presents a methodology to assess the ability of a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation to successfully accomplish the GMTI mission in a cost-effective fashion. A simulation model was developed to test the coverage performance of 512 unique constellation designs. Significant factors were revealed by developing regression models that revealed the most critical constellation trade-offs on measures of performance. A Value-Focused Thinking (VFT) approach was applied to assign weights to a broad range of measures of performance from which the Pareto distribution on a cost-capability plot revealed cost-effectiveness. A novel measure of performance was developed and analyzed that accounted …
Novel Hitch Cargo Cart,
2022
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Novel Hitch Cargo Cart, Cesilio Sanchez Ramirez, Lance Haidet, Richard Lontoc, Tyler Selinka
Mechanical Engineering
This document presents the engineering design process used to develop, manufacture, and test a new and improved iteration of a hitch cart prototype. This process was performed by a team of four mechanical engineering seniors as part of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo’s senior design pathway. The goal of this project was to develop a sturdy and reliable iteration of our sponsor’s hitch cart prototype, that integrated the functionality of a vehicle hitch cargo platform and that of a height adjustable cargo cart into a single streamlined and easy to use product. This design could be used by …
Project Selection In Facility And Infrastructure Maintenance Organizations,
2022
Air Force Institute of Technology
Project Selection In Facility And Infrastructure Maintenance Organizations, Bayram M. Kurbanov
Theses and Dissertations
The current Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) built infrastructure Facility Sustainment Restoration and Modernization (FSRM) portfolio management methodology results in an unbalanced project portfolio. The consequence of this unbalance is that majority of the funding goes towards buildings on the flightline and Facility Support Services activities do not get adequate funding which leads to further deterioration of those facilities. This research investigates whether decision support framework based on Value-Focused Thinking (VFT) process yields better project selection outcomes for facility and infrastructure maintenance organizations. To accomplish that, the investigation focuses on understanding current AFCEC decision support methodology, building an alternative …
Cooperative Wide Area Search Algorithm Analysis Using Sub-Region Techniques,
2022
Air Force Institute of Technology
Cooperative Wide Area Search Algorithm Analysis Using Sub-Region Techniques, Shawn Whitney
Theses and Dissertations
Recent advances in small Unmmaned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology reinvigorates the need for additional research into Wide Area Search (WAS) algorithms for civilian and military applications. But due to the extremely large variability in UAV environments and design, Digital Engineering (DE) is utilized to reduce the time, cost, and energy required to advance this technology. DE also allows rapid design and evaluation of autonomous systems which utilize and support WAS algorithms. Modern WAS algorithms can be broadly classified into decision-based algorithms, statistical algorithms, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. This research continues on the work by Hatzinger and Gertsman …
Essays On Perioperative Services Problems In Healthcare,
2022
Clemson University
Essays On Perioperative Services Problems In Healthcare, Amogh S. Bhosekar
All Dissertations
One of the critical challenges in healthcare operations management is to efficiently utilize the expensive resources needed while maintaining the quality of care provided. Simulation and optimization methods can be effectively used to provide better healthcare services. This can be achieved by developing models to minimize patient waiting times, minimize healthcare supply chain and logistics costs, and maximize access. In this proposal, we study some of the important problems in healthcare operations management. More specifically, we focus on perioperative services and study scheduling of operating rooms (ORs) and management of necessary resources such as staff, equipment, and surgical instruments. We …
Evaluating Performance Competencies In The Royal Saudi Air Force Engineering Directorate And Squadrons,
2022
Air Force Institute of Technology
Evaluating Performance Competencies In The Royal Saudi Air Force Engineering Directorate And Squadrons, Faisal A. Al Dawood
Theses and Dissertations
The effectiveness of tasks performed by the directorate of aeronautical engineering and squadrons in RSAF directly impacts flight safety, which in turn influences the organization either positively or negatively. Therefore, improving engineers' competencies will improve the overall performance of the organization. The study refined and reconstructed a model, namely a T-shape competency model, to assess the engineers' competencies which revealed some management and competency-related deficiencies and concluded with managerial recommendations.
Root-Cause Analysis Of Rsaf Maintenance-Related Flight Safety Mishaps,
2022
Air Force Institute of Technology
Root-Cause Analysis Of Rsaf Maintenance-Related Flight Safety Mishaps, Heaf H. Alqahtani
Theses and Dissertations
Poor maintenance is a major factor in many aviation mishaps. This is due to the fact that some maintenance activities are carried out improperly or overlooked as a result of human error. It is important to acknowledge that maintenance mistakes are a visible sign of deeper organizational issues. Therefore, adequate solutions to maintenance issues must consider organizational influences. Despite efforts to reduce the accident rate within the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF), the RSAF suffers from an increasing trend in mishaps attributed to maintenance. Therefore, safety data was analyzed to examine trends. Additionally, the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System …
Evaluating Safety And Productivity Relationship In Human-Robot Collaboration,
2022
School of Food Science and Environmental Health, Technological University of Dublin & Irish Manufacturing Research, Ireland
Evaluating Safety And Productivity Relationship In Human-Robot Collaboration, Aayush Jain, Shakra Mehak, Philip Long, John D. Kelleher, Michael Guilfoyle, Maria Chiara Leva
Conference papers
Collaborative robots can improve ergonomics on factory floors while allowing a higher level of flexibility in production. The evolution of robotics and cyber-physical systems in size and functionality has enabled new applications which were never foreseen in traditional industrial robots. However, the current human-robot collaboration (HRC) technologies are limited in reliability and safety, which are vital in risk-critical scenarios. Certainly, confusion about European safety regulations has led to situations where collaborative robots operate behind security barriers, thus negating their advantages while reducing overall application productivity. Despite recent advances, developing a safe collaborative robotic system for performing complex industrial or daily …
Manufacturing & Service Systems,
2022
Kennesaw State University
Manufacturing & Service Systems, Robert S. Keyser
KSU Distinguished Course Repository
An analysis of decision making in the current production environment and the tools and optimization models needed for finding solutions to problems relating to production planning and scheduling, inventory, and warehouse design.
Improving Patient Safety, Patient Flow And Physician Well-Being In Emergency Departments,
2022
Clemson University
Improving Patient Safety, Patient Flow And Physician Well-Being In Emergency Departments, Vishnunarayan Girishan Prabhu
All Dissertations
Over 151 million people visit US Emergency Departments (EDs) annually. The diverse nature and overwhelming volume of patient visits make the ED one of the most complicated settings in healthcare to study. ED overcrowding is a recognized worldwide public health problem, and its negative impacts include patient safety concerns, increased patient length of stay, medical errors, patients left without being seen, ambulance diversions, and increased health system expenditure. Additionally, ED crowding has been identified as a leading contributor to patient morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, this chaotic working environment affects the well-being of all ED staff through increased frustration, workload, stress, …
