Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

A Survey Of The Current State Of The Practice In Bridging The Gap Between Engineering Ontologies And Modeling Profiles For Engineering Applications, John Artus

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Model-Based Systems Engineering holds the promise of enhancing systems engineering tasks and product quality through better, more efficient exchange of data across tools, personnel, and departments, a higher quality of analysis resulting from greater access to cross-discipline data, better coordination between engineering activities and those of program management, and many other benefits. Yet, there is still no standardized method for achieving commonality of architecture vocabulary across projects, across, companies, across industries such that entities operating in the same domain produce products that speak the same technical language. Some specialized domains, such as the Department of Defense (DoD), have developed Architecture …

Employee Engagement And Job Satisfaction’S Impact On Productivity In The Distribution Industry, Jessica Copeland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Productivity deficiencies in distribution services are detrimental to profitability, annually causing billions of dollars in reporting losses industry-wide. Understanding employees’ motivating factors in meeting metric-based expectations is essential to enhancing overall performance. Grounded in the motivation-hygiene theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationships among employee engagement, job satisfaction, and productivity within the distribution industry. Electronic survey data were analyzed for 47 participants who completed the Mensah Employee Engagement Survey, Mensah Job Satisfaction Survey, and Utrecht Work Employee Engagement Survey. The results of the multiple linear regression were significant, F(2, 44) = 36.84, p = .001, …

Strategies Road Freight Transport Leaders Use To Increase Driver Retention, Johnny Mumphrey Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The turnover of skilled over-the-road (OTR) truck drivers in the road freight transportation (RFT) industry results in significant yearly financial losses to organizations across the United States. Leaders in the industry continue to struggle to develop successful strategies for retaining these drivers. Grounded in the motivation hygiene theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies 5 transformational leaders from two RFT firms in North Texas used to improve OTR driver retention. Data collection included semi structured face-to-face interviews, a review of company webpages, and an assessment of company documents (e.g., employee handbooks, training manuals, and vision …

Technology Business Leaders' Strategies To Increase Employees' Engagement, Desmond J. L. Browne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractEmployee disengagement is costly and reduces an organization's ability to meet its full potential to produce business results. Technology business leaders who have engaged employees can positively alter the company's rapid transformation to be more competitive. Grounded by the social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies 6 technology leaders in the Atlanta metropolitan area use to engage employees. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and company documents. Data were analyzed using Yin's 5-step data analysis process. Three themes emerged: communicate with transparency, provide offerings for training and rewards, and identify and implement …

Implications Of Variability Of Electromyographic Measurements For Assessing Localized Muscle Fatigue, Hamad Nasser Alasim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The impact of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) is enormous due to a combination of direct and indirect costs associated with healthcare, lost workdays and human suffering. Because of the established relationship between Localized Muscle Fatigue (LMF) development and WMSDs, and in order to reduce and/or prevent WMSDs in workplaces, different fatigue assessment methods have been developed. Surface Electromyography (SEMG) is a commonly used LMF assessment technique. The SEMG signals are typically analyzed in time and frequency domains to predict LMF based on a relative change with respect to initial, or under no-fatigue conditions. Quantifying such change, however, relies on the …

Metaheuristics For The Generalized Quadratic Assignment Problem, Roseline Mostafa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The generalized quadratic assignment problem (GQAP) is the task of assigning a set of facilities to a set of locations such that the sum of the assignment and transportation costs is minimized. The facilities may have different space requirements, and the locations may have varying space capacities. Also, multiple facilities may be assigned to each location such that space capacity is not exceeded. In this research, an application of the GQAP is presented for assigning a set of machines to a set of locations on the plant floor. Two meta-heuristics are proposed for solving the GQAP: tabu search (TS) and …

Analysis Of Factors Influencing The Stationarity Of Surface Electromyography Signals Measured In Non-Fatigued Shoulder Muscles, Hui Ci

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A reduction in the % stationarity of surface electromyography (SEMG) signals with respect to the initial or fresh condition is used to predict localized muscle fatigue. However, factors other than muscle fatigue can also influence the stationarity of SEMG signals. This study was aimed at analyzing the effect of various work/task related factors on the stationarity of SEMG signals obtained from non-fatigued shoulder muscles. Twelve participants were recruited for data collection and each one performed 120 trials characterized by the combination of 2 shoulder angles (60° and 120°), 2 planes of exertions (sagittal and scapular), 3 force levels (0lb, 2.5lb, …

Energy Forensics Analysis, Rupa Das

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The energy consumed by a building can reveal information about the occupants and their activities inside the building. This could be utilized by industries and law enforcement agencies for commercial or legal purposes. Utility data from Smart Meter (SM) readings can reveal detailed information that could be mapped to foretell resident occupancy and type of appliance usage over desired time intervals. However, obtaining SM data in the United States is laborious and subjected to legal and procedural constraints. This research develops a user-driven simulation tool with realistic data options and assumptions of potential human behavior to determine energy usage patterns …

Evaluation Of Fitts’ Throughput As A Possible Performance Measure For Manual Assembly Tasks, Pradyumna Bettagere Jagadish

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Assembly lines are the backbone of the manufacturing sector. Workers at the assembly lines are expected to perform fast pace hand-arm exertions with precision and accuracy. To protect the workers from injuries, OSHA mandates the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) including gloves. Certain assembly operations require the use of special gloves. Some of these gloves can inhibit hand performance, further increasing the task difficulty. The Index of Difficulty (ID) is a metric measured in ‘bits’ quantifies task difficulty through the quotient of target width and target motion, i.e., distance travelled. The time required to complete the target motion is …

Evaluation Of Object Attributes To Study Speed-Accuracy Trade-Off Of Gloves Using Iso 9241-411 Standard, Isha Gaut

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Selection of appropriate gloves plays an important role in the overall comfort and productivity of workers. Currently, there are no standards and/or guidelines available to systematically evaluate the glove performance based on speed-accuracy trade-off. The ISO 9241-411 standard which is based on Fitts’ Law has been extensively used in the literature to measure speed-accuracy trade-off in terms of throughput in the virtual environments. This study was aimed at developing guidelines for implementing ISO 9241-411 standard in the physical environment so that it can be used to estimate (and compare) throughputs of safety gloves. Specifically, the various physical attributes of objects …

The Potentials Of Faecal Sludge Treatment Using Local Conditioners In Tanzania: A Review, Doglas Benjamin1

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Worldwide, every day human beings generate millions of tons of Faecal Sludge (FS), which is rich in water, nutrients, energy, and organic compounds. Yet FS is not being managed in a way that permits us to derive value from its reuse, while at the same time, millions of farmers struggle with depleted soils and lack of water. In most of the developing countries, energy for cooking is mainly derived from cutting of trees, either as wood or charcoal. Resource recovery and reuse from FS can create livelihoods, enhance food security, support green economies, reduce waste and contribute to cost recovery …

Reviewing The Potential And Constraints Of Modified Technology Options For Faecal Sludge Management In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Amour Seleman

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Cities in the developing world face the challenge of safe management of faecal sludge because of rapid population growth that overwhelms the sanitation infrastructure and services. In developing countries, only 50% of faecal sludge (FS) generated is safely managed the remaining portion is haphazardly disposed of in the environment risking public health and environment. In response to the urgent need for safely managed sanitation services, technological options for containment, desludging and transportation of FS are being modified. This paper reviewed current desludging practices and the potential of modified technological options for addressing FSM at containment, desludging, and transportation in Dar …

Design And Development Of A Perfusion Bioreactor With Internal Volume Expansion And Cell Retention For Cell And Gene Therapy Manufacturing, Corinna Doris

KGI Theses and Dissertations

Economically producing patient-specific cell therapies at commercial levels remains a challenge as it requires manufacturing separate batches per patient where the production system must be scaled-out rather than scaled-up to supply more patient doses. The resulting high production cost and consequent price-point can limit patient access. Specifically, the current cell expansion processes are highly manual and laborious, with the number and complexity of operations and components increasing the opportunities for failure and contamination. This work therefore aims to design a mechanically simple bioreactor that is better suited for scale-out by consolidating the cell expansion process to fewer components, vessels, and …

Tracked Vehicle Physics-Based Energy Modelling And Series Hybrid System Optimisation For The Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Travis E. Mcwhirter, Torrey J. Wagner, John E. Stubbs, Denise M. Rizzo, Jada B. Williams

Faculty Publications

A hybrid electric tracked ground vehicle (HETGV) can reduce military fuel usage, however a review of current tools determined they are not suitable to estimate HEGTV performance. Based on topographic data and vehicle attributes, this research developed an estimation tool by creating a model to determine tracked vehicle energy and fuel requirements, and using these requirements, created a HEGTV cost and performance optimisation for the Bradley fighting vehicle energy system. The optimised design reduced fuel consumption by 15%, and met the vehicle's peak power requirement of 365 kW, with a recommended configuration of a 135 kW generator and 100 kWh …

Meal Duration: Implications For Restaurant Revenue Management, Dale F. Billings

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A comprehensive revenue management strategy addressing space, product, price and time, has been shown to increase profits within the hospitality sector. While the literature shows that the restaurant industry has frequently addressed space, product, and price when looking at financial strategy, the effect of the variable of time on revenue generation has not been adequately studied. Restaurants shy away from the practice of using time as a commodity, particularly regarding meal duration, due to fears of reducing customer satisfaction.

This project explores the use of time as a commodity in restaurant revenue management. In particular, it examines consumers’ feelings about …

Research On Simulation Platform For Equipment System Analysis, Yuping Li, Shaojie Mao, Zhenqi Ju, Zhou Fang, Guoqiang Yan

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: With the development of equipment construction from platform-centric to network-centric, simulation analysis of equipment system is an important means and tool to support the transformation and development of equipment construction under the condition of multi-task joint operation. Starting from the requirement of system simulation analysis, a cloud-based equipment system simulation architecture is proposed to realize flexible and configurable simulation environment according to task requirements; and a high-performance simulation framework is conducted, which provides strong support for different application modes, such as parallel hyper-real-time and distributed simulation deduction. The unified description, organization and management method of model and data resources …

Parallel Tasks Optimization Scheduling In Cloud Manufacturing System, Chenwei Feng, Wang Yan

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To solve the problem of unbalanced resource requirements and low resource utilization when the same type of tasks are executed in parallel in the cloud manufacturing system, a task resource scheduling model with the goal of minimizing cost, minimizing time, maximizing reliability and optimizing quality is established. A non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm based on reference points (NSGA-III) is adopted to solve the model by combining real number matrix coding and crossover and mutation based on real number coding instead of common evolutionary strategy. And an optimal decision strategy based on combination of analytic hierarchy process and entropy value method …

Research On Source Seeking Methods Of Harmful Gas Leakage In Chemical Industry Parks, Zhao Yong, Bin Chen, Xiaodong Wang, Zhengqiu Zhu, Rongxiao Wang, Xiaogang Qiu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Chemical production safety accidents often lead to harmful gas leakage, causing serious environmental damage and casualties. Mastering the information of leaking source quickly can assist in emergency disposal decisions and reduce the harm of accidents. In this paper, Entrotaxis algorithm is used to guide the ground source seeking equipment to move to the vicinity of the leaking source quickly and autonomously in a chemical park scene, and to master the source information. According to the characteristics of the chemical industry park scene, this paper applies intermittent search module into Entrotaxis algorithm and proposes a robust and suitable algorithm (Entrotaxis-Jump …

Multi-Objective Optimization Design Of Aerodynamic Layout For Twin Swept-Wing Aircraft, Yuchang Lei, Dengcheng Zhang, Yanhua Zhang, Guangxu Su, Luo Hao, Zhan Ren

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Multi-objective optimization of aerodynamic layout is a key technology in the design of vehicles. The overall configuration of the shape parameters is optimized with a double swept-shaped wave shape as the basic configuration. We use NSGA-Ⅱ multi-objective genetic algorithm, take the aircraft double sweep angle as the design variable, consider the maximum takeoff weight, range, volume ratio and other performance indicators, use Elman neural network to establish the relationship between shape parameters and performance parameters, and establish constraints based on mission planning requirements. The Pareto optimal solution set is obtained by using optimized design and the individuals with …

Fast Simulation Of Yacht In Calm Water Based On Improved Savitsky Method, Xiaochen Li, Yin Yong

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: An improved Savitsky method is proposed to increase the accuracy of mathematical model of yacht in fast simulation. Three degrees of freedom mathematical model is established to simulate the motion in displacement regime. warped hull forms of yachts are simplified into prismatic hull and improved Savitsky method is used to calculate resistance. The simulation is carried out in pre-planing regime and planing regime. The validity of the proposed method has been assessed by comparing results with previous experimental data, which shows good agreements. The improved method runs well and the result is accurate when it is added to the …