Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Using A Systemic Skills Model To Build An Effective 21st Century Workforce: Factors That Impact The Ability To Navigate Complex Systems, Morteza Nagahi

Theses and Dissertations

The growth of technology and the proliferation of information made modern complex systems more fragile and vulnerable. As a result, competitive advantage is no longer achieved exclusively through strategic planning but by developing an influential cadre of technical people who can efficiently manage and navigate modern complex systems. The dissertation aims to provide educators, practitioners, and organizations with a model that helps to measure individuals’ systems thinking skills, complex problem solving, personality traits, and the impacting demographic factors such as managerial and work experience, current occupation type, organizational ownership structure, and education level. The intent is to study how these …

Effects Of The Inclusion Of Rice Hull Derived Bio-Oil On Wood Pellet Production, Tyler E. Lowe

Theses and Dissertations

Wood pellet production has become an advancing industry for the sake of reducing greenhouse emissions into the atmosphere especially, in European Union countries. Researchers and industry executives seek new methods and materials to improve the pelletization process. Rice hulls or husks has the potential to aid in wood pelletization as they possess high calorific values. This study focuses on using rice hull derived bio-oil from pyrolysis, which will also decrease ash content, as an additive to aid in the wood pelletization process. Using two groups of rice hull derived bio-oil as an additive in wood pelletization: Group 1 uses heavy …

Deep Multi-Modal U-Net Fusion Methodology Of Infrared And Ultrasonic Images For Porosity Detection In Additive Manufacturing, Christian E. Zamiela

Theses and Dissertations

We developed a deep fusion methodology of non-destructive (NDT) in-situ infrared and ex- situ ultrasonic images for localization of porosity detection without compromising the integrity of printed components that aims to improve the Laser-based additive manufacturing (LBAM) process. A core challenge with LBAM is that lack of fusion between successive layers of printed metal can lead to porosity and abnormalities in the printed component. We developed a sensor fusion U-Net methodology that fills the gap in fusing in-situ thermal images with ex-situ ultrasonic images by employing a U-Net Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for feature extraction and two-dimensional object localization. We …

The Development Of Authentic Virtual Reality Scenarios To Measure Individuals’ Level Of Systems Thinking Skills And Learning Abilities, Vidanelage L. Dayarathna

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops virtual reality modules to capture individuals’ learning abilities and systems thinking skills in dynamic environments. In the first chapter, an immersive queuing theory teaching module is developed using virtual reality technology. The objective of the study is to present systems engineering concepts in a more sophisticated environment and measure students learning abilities. Furthermore, the study explores the performance gaps between male and female students in manufacturing systems concepts. To investigate the gender biases toward the performance of developed VR module, three efficacy measures (simulation sickness questionnaire, systems usability scale, and presence questionnaire) and two effectiveness measures (NASA …

Quantitative Characterization Of Complex Systems—An Information Theoretic Approach, Aditya Akundi, Eric Smith

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

A significant increase in System-of-Systems (SoS) is currently observed in the social and technical domains. As a result of the increasing number of constituent system components, Systems of Systems are becoming larger and more complex. Recent research efforts have highlighted the importance of identifying innovative statistical and theoretical approaches for analyzing complex systems to better understand how they work. This paper portrays the use of an agnostic twostage examination structure for complex systems aimed towards developing an information theorybased approach to analyze complex technical and socio-technical systems. Towards the goal of characterizing system complexity with information entropy, work was carried …

Process Improvement Of Honeysuckle Biscuits And Bakery, Jevon Franklin, Kaela Bellamy, Manuel Quintal, Suheyl Polat

Senior Design Project For Engineers

Honeysuckle Biscuits and Bakery is a locally owned restaurant in Downtown Kennesaw, Georgia. Mitch and Lori Phillips, the owners, opened the restaurant in 2018. The restaurant serves breakfast (with biscuits as its specialty), lunch, coffee, desserts, and specialty cakes. As the business is beginning to outgrow itself, the project manager, Kaela Bellamy, felt it was a need to look at how to best accommodate the growing demand within the new space.

Intelligent Computer System For Enhancing Value Engineering Implementation In The Egyptian Construction Industry, Hazem M. El-Senoussi

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Genetic Algorithm For Production Scheduling, Mary El-Mallakh

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Workflow Optimization Of World Micro, Inc. Quality Department, Nicholas Ricci, Rosa Lopez Gomez, Darius Ruffin, Josh Fennell

Senior Design Project For Engineers

Our group member Nick is currently an intern at World Micro, which is an electronic components distributor for companies manufacturing a variety of commercial, aerospace and military products. When electrical components are purchased from the open market, they need to be traced back to the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) or have a series of tests performed to verify that the parts are authentic and work. The current process time for World Micro’s quality testing and inspection is not efficient causing long lead times, extra work hours, and extra expenses in outsourcing services.

Design For Older Adults – Functional Limitations And Human Factors Engineering, Megumi Sato Hice

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Background: Throughout the aging process, people experience changes in functional ability and such changes can happen in physical and mental functions. As a result, older adults develop limitations in their capabilities to perform daily activities. Although many studies have done to identify functional limitations for elderly, many older adults still face negative consequences in daily living conditions due to their functional declines. One of the possible causes may be a lack of feedback or participations of elderly users in the design process. Other reason could be a lack of consideration to identify the needs for a specific task associated with …

One Step At A Time: Improving The Fidelity Of Geospatial Agent-Based Models Using Empirical Data, Amy A. Marusak

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Theses - Archive

Agent-based modeling is frequently used to produce geospatial models of transportation systems. However, reducing the computational requirements of these models can require a degree of abstraction that can compromise the fidelity of the modeled environment. The purpose of the agent-based model presented in this thesis is to explore the potential of a volunteer-based crowd-shipping system for rescuing surplus meals from restaurants and delivering them to homeless shelters in Arlington, Texas. Each iteration of the model’s development has sought to improve model realism by incorporating empirical data to strengthen underlying assumptions. This thesis describes the most recent iteration, in which a …

Framework Of Big Data Analytics In Real Time For Healthcare Enterprise Performance Measurements, Ahmed Mohamed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Healthcare organizations (HCOs) currently have many information records about their patients. Yet, they cannot make proper, faster, and more thoughtful conclusions in many cases with their information. Much of the information is structured data such as medical records, historical data, and non-clinical information. This data is stored in a central repository called the Data Warehouse (DW). DW provides querying and reporting to different groups within the healthcare organization to support their future strategic initiatives. The generated reports create metrics to measure the organization's performance for post-action plans, not for real-time decisions. Additionally, healthcare organizations seek to benefit from the semi-structured …

Understanding The Behavior Of The Covid-19 Pandemic Using Data Analytics, Mohammad Reza Davahli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In December 2019, China announced the breakout of a new virus identified as coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), which soon grew exponentially and became a global pandemic. Despite strict actions to mitigate the spread of the virus in various countries, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant loss of human life in 2020 and 2021. To better understand the pandemic, this doctoral research incorporated data analytics to evaluate the behavior and impacts of the virus. The doctoral research contributed to the scientific body of the knowledge in different ways including (1) presenting a systematic literature review of current research and topics about …

Constraint Optimal Selection Techniques (Costs) For A Class Of Linear Programming Problems, Tai-Kuan Sung

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation describes two classes of Constraint Optimal Selection Techniques (COSTs). An algorithm of each type is developed for solving nonnegative linear programming problems. In addition, geometric interpretations of these new algorithms are given, computational results for some large-scale problems are provided, and directions for future research are discussed.

An Algorithm For Biobjective Mixed Integer Quadratic Programs, Pubudu Jayasekara Merenchige

All Dissertations

Multiobjective quadratic programs (MOQPs) are appealing since convex quadratic programs have elegant mathematical properties and model important applications. Adding mixed-integer variables extends their applicability while the resulting programs become global optimization problems. Thus, in this work, we develop a branch and bound (BB) algorithm for solving biobjective mixed-integer quadratic programs (BOMIQPs). An algorithm of this type does not exist in the literature.

The algorithm relies on five fundamental components of the BB scheme: calculating an initial set of efficient solutions with associated Pareto points, solving node problems, fathoming, branching, and set dominance. Considering the properties of the Pareto set of …

Assessment Of Leadership Styles And Lean Six Sigma Critical Success Factors In The Aerospace And Defense Industry, Corey Gellis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Aerospace and Defense industry has shifted into a global competitive market that is prioritizing innovative advancements in technological capabilities. Corporations are now having to further develop customer focused strategies based in adding value while reducing costs. Large manufacturing corporations often embrace continuous improvement methodologies, such as Lean Six Sigma, for process improvement. Many organizations have received minimal benefit from the methodology which may link back to leadership and culture. This research examined which styles of leadership are most effective when trying to gain the most value from Lean Six Sigma within manufacturing. The research study surveyed 112 black belt …

The Effect Of Information Acquisition Automation And Workspace Design On Human Pattern Recognition For Information Fusion, Kellie L. Turner

Theses and Dissertations

Automation employed in information fusion systems is designed to help humans combine information derived from multiple sources to form a cohesive assessment of the situation. Research using the Levels of Automation model (Parasuraman, Wickens, and Sheridan, 2000) have produced conflicting results, which Patterson (2017) posited was because it focused solely on analytical processing while neglecting the effects of intuitive cognition. The present study examined how information acquisition automation affects the human’s ability to detect patterns in data needed to reach higher levels of information fusion. Results showed that when information acquisition was performed through manual operations, pattern recognition performance was …

Meta-Analysis Of Performance Characteristics Of Modern Database Schemas, Carter Grove

Theses and Dissertations

Industry and academia alike are more commonly using databases as solutions to advanced and complex problems. Unfortunately, not all database schemas are created equal and can yield different advantages in different areas. To try to understand what database schema might be best suited for a user’s needs, we sought out to distinguish how databases are measured against each other, what their performance characteristics are, and what advantages each type of database inherently possesses. To allow for the ingestion of data across the five different categories of database schemas, we used a met-analysis of past literature and aggregated the data to …

Combat Assessment For The Simulation Of Warfare, Benjamin L. Finch

Theses and Dissertations

Military assessment seeks to answer two primary questions: "are we creating the effects that we desire?" and "are we accomplishing tasks to standard?" This thesis steps through several desirable characteristics for a simulated combat assessment methodology. After developing a value hierarchy from these characteristics, this thesis provides and evaluates several candidate methodologies for use within a combat simulation. Each alternative's evaluation is informed by its application to a small combat simulation. Upon recommending the use of Linear Programming, we utilize value-focused thinking to modify this alternative. The thesis terminates with some conclusory thoughts and ideas for future research.

Lean Application: An Assessment Of 5s On Employee Attitudes And Productivity, Nickolaos Dimitrios Karvounis

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the effect of the implementation of 5S on employee attitudes and productivity in an Asian based facility of a global manufacturing company. Utilizing an assessment of the 5S implementation in various areas of the facility and organizational performance data for each of those areas, a non-experimental, causal comparative approach is used to analyze the impact. The study concluded that statistically significant improvements from the implementation of 5S were found both in quality and product cost for this facility; however, the study also found statistical significance where the implementation of 5S led to a decrease in performance and …