Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Instance-Based Parameter Tuning Via Search Trajectory Similarity Clustering, Linda Lindawati, Hoong Chuin Lau, David Lo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper is concerned with automated tuning of parameters in local-search based meta-heuristics. Several generic approaches have been introduced in the literature that returns a ”one-size-fits-all” parameter configuration for all instances. This is unsatisfactory since different instances may require the algorithm to use very different parameter configurations in order to find good solutions. There have been approaches that perform instance-based automated tuning, but they are usually problem-specific. In this paper, we propose CluPaTra, a generic (problem-independent) approach to perform parameter tuning, based on CLUstering instances with similar PAtterns according to their search TRAjectories. We propose representing a search trajectory as …

Workforce Planning Models For Semiconductor Manufacturing: Assembly-Test Operations, Shrikant Jarugumilli

Doctoral Dissertations

"We present a framework that integrates strategic and operational workforce planning models. Since these models provide decisions for planning horizons with different lengths, the formulation and solution strategy should ensure that the flow of information between these models is both appropriate and consistent.

The single-shift workforce planning problem is formulated as a two-phase goal program. In the first phase, the model allocates the workers to machine groups and identifies the shortage of workers (referred to as gap) followed by the second phase, in which certain constraints are relaxed and the workers are reallocated to the machine groups in order to …

Implementation Of Flexible Manufacturing System In A Fertilizer Plant To Reduce Inventory And Waste : A Case Study., Chien Wei Ee

Student Works (2010-2019)

This case study aims to investigate the results of implementing flexible manufacturing system in a fertilizer plant, for reducing waste. The main problems identified during the study are loss of material, low productivity, low machines utilization, low overall equipment effectiveness and high quantity of reworked material. To achieve the goals of the study, engineering tools such as Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) are used. PDSA cycle is followed in developing the framework of the study. A team is formed, which consists of 6 executives to execute the flexible manufacturing systems and engineering tools. An effective flexible …

Approximate Policy Iteration For Semi-Markov Control Revisited, Abhijit Gosavi

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The semi-Markov decision process can be solved via reinforcement learning without generating its transition model. We briefly review the existing algorithms based on approximate policy iteration (API) for solving this problem for discounted and average reward under the infinite horizon. API techniques have attracted significant interest in the literature recently. We first present and analyze an extension of an existing API algorithm for discounted reward that can handle continuous reward rates. Then, we also consider its average reward counterpart, which requires an updating based on the stochastic shortest path (SSP). We study the convergence properties of the algorithm that does …

Arguing Security Of Generic Avionic Mission Control Computer System (Mcc) Using Assurance Cases, Bhanuchander Reddy Poreddy, Steven Corns

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An assurance case is a body of evidence organized into an argument demonstrating that some claim about a system holds, i.e., is assured. Assurance cases are used to comment about system safety, and it serves as a mean to show that the systems acceptably satisfy their safety properties. Assurance cases perform rigorous security analysis on safety-critical complex systems. in this paper, the analysis done is an approach to documenting an assurance case for system security, i.e., a security assurance case. the paper deals with the Assurance cases for Generic Avionic Mission Control Computer system, by constructing tangible claims and investigating …

Sysml Profiling For Handling Army Base Camp Planning, Dustin Nottage, Steven Corns

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Army base camp planning is a complicated process involving many variables and optional facilities. the facilities can also vary in size and resource utilization depending on permanency of the base, local resources, and population on the base. Each level of facility is modeled and placed into a library database. All of these facilities must be distinguishable for planners to come in and export the correct facility based on the mission. the first method involves separating the different levels into packages so just the package could be exported. the issue is not all facilities will fit correctly. the second method is …

Adaptive Reconfiguration Of Complex System Architecture, Khaled Haris, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, an approach for adaptive reconfiguration of architecture of a complex system using computational intelligence techniques is proposed. This paper establishes that the simulated change in the relative importance of rules reflecting the significance of customer's key performance attributes could be used to affect architectural evolution. the proposed approach was demonstrated on a sample system. It was also extended to a general system. the evolving system architecture gave the system an adaptive feature in the sense that it accepted alternative components based on the simulated changes in the environment. Architecture alternatives were generated through genetic algorithms (GA), while …

Cognition Evolutionary Computation For System-Of-Systems Architecture Development, Feng Yang, Cihan Dagli, Weiping Wang

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The evolving nature of system-of-systems requirements and corresponding architecture, and the complex causal relationship between the architecture of system-of-systems and its emergent behavior make the problem of system-of-systems architecture development a great challenge. as a tentative effort in meeting this special challenge, a new evolutionary computation paradigm- named Cognition Evolutionary Computation(CEC) is proposed, which models the creative cognition process of divergent and convergent thinking, adaptation and innovation, that drives the co-evolution of problem space, knowledge space and solution space. the optimization algorithm for CEC uses causal probabilistic network as the knowledge representation mechanism. a theoretical framework for CEC based system-of-system …

Model Development Of A Virtual Learning Environment To Enhance Lean Education, Akalpit Gadre, Elizabeth Cudney, Steven Corns

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Modern day industry is becoming leaner by the day. This demands engineers with an in-depth understanding of lean philosophies. Current methods for teaching lean include hands-on projects and simulation. However, simulation games available in the market lack simplicity, ability to store the results, and modeling power. the goal of this research is to develop a virtual simulation platform which would enable students to perform various experiments by applying lean concepts. the design addresses these deficiencies through the use of VE-Suite, a virtual engineering software. the design includes user-friendly dialogue boxes, graphical models of machines, performance display gauges, and an editable …

Local Linear Regression For Soft-Sensor Design With Application To An Industrial Deethanizer, Zhanxing Zhu, Francesco Corona, Amaury Lendasse, Roberto Baratti, Jose A. Romagnoli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Soft-Sensors for Estimating in Real-Time Important Quality Variables Are a Key Technology in Modern Process Industry. the Successful Development of a Soft-Sensor Whose Performance Does Not Deteriorate with Time and Changing Process Characteristics is Troublesome and Only Seldom Achieved in Real-World Setups. the Design of Soft-Sensors based on Local Regression Models is Becoming Popular. Simplicity of Calibration, Ability to Handle Nonlinearities And, Most Importantly, Reduced Maintenance Costs While Retaining the Requested Accuracy Are the Major Assets. in This Paper, We Introduce Several Approaches for Defining an Appropriate Locality Neighborhood and We Propose a Recursive Version of Local Linear Regression for …

Assessing System Architectures: The Canonical Decomposition Fuzzy Comparative Methodology, Jason Paul Dauby

Doctoral Dissertations

"The impacts of decisions made during the selection of the system architecture propagate throughout the entire system lifecycle. The challenge for system architects is to perform a realistic assessment of an inherently ambiguous system concept. Subject matter expert interpretations, intuition, and heuristics are performed quickly and guide system development in the right overall direction, but these methods are subjective and unrepeatable. Traditional analytical assessments dismiss complexity in a system by assuming severability between system components and are intolerant of ambiguity. To be defensible, a suitable methodology must be repeatable, analytically rigorous, and yet tolerant of ambiguity. The hypothesis for this …

Architecture Value Mapping: Using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps As A Reasoning Mechanism For Multi-Criteria Conceptual Design Evaluation, Atmika Singh

Doctoral Dissertations

"The conceptual design phase is the most critical phase in the systems engineering life cycle. The design concept chosen during this phase determines the structure and behavior of the system, and consequently, its ability to fulfill its intended function. A good conceptual design is the first step in the development of a successful artifact. However, decision-making during conceptual design is inherently challenging and often unreliable. The conceptual design phase is marked by an ambiguous and imprecise set of requirements, and ill-defined system boundaries. A lack of usable data for design evaluation makes the problem worse. In order to assess a …

Quality Costing Knowledge, Attitudes, And Perceptions In A Small Manufacturing Company, Adam M. Benner

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this research was to identify and assess employee knowledge, attitude, and perception of quality costing in a manufacturing company. The company selected for this research was a small manufacturer of agricultural processing equipment with an undeveloped quality management program. A quality costs questionnaire was discovered from a review of the literature and was slightly modified to gather data from a sample of company employees. The following information was collected from employees: knowledge of common quality costing terminology, attitude towards quality and non-quality concepts, and perception of departments associated with quality costs and the scale of quality costs …

A Framework For Determining The Reliability Of Nanoscale Metallic Oxide Semiconductor (Mos) Devices, Wilkistar Otieno

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An increase in worldwide investments during the past several decades has pro-pelled scienti c breakthroughs in nanoscience and technology research to new and exciting levels. To ensure that these discoveries lead to commercially viable prod-ucts, it is important to address some of the fundamental engineering and scientific challenges related to nanodevices. Due to the centrality of reliability to product integrity, nanoreliability requires critical analysis and understanding to ensure long-term sustainability of nanodevices and systems. In this study, we construct a relia-bility framework for nanoscale dielectric lms used in Metallic Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) devices. The successful fabrication and incorporation of metallic …

Analysis Of Factors Affecting Technological Innovativeness In Engineering Enterprises In Tanzania, Emanuel Mjema

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This paper discusses the technological innovativeness in engineering enterprises in Tanzania and analyses the factors affecting the innovativeness. It starts by analyzing various concepts regarding innovation, then analyzed from documentary review factors affecting innovativeness and then analyzed the innovativeness in Tanzanian enterprises. From the documentary review it was learnt that the following key factors influence technological innovativeness: Existence of innovation management; Existence of market to absorb the products of innovation; Existence of partnership between the universities and the firms; Existence of positive culture and politics towards innovation; The government playing its role to influence innovation; Existence of the right knowledge; …

A Space Acquisition Leading Indicator Based On System Interoperation Maturity, Jason T. Shibata

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense‘s space acquisition enterprise has experienced numerous challenges since the advent of space power. Space borne capabilities are needed more than ever, but space acquisition frequently fails to meet its goals. The decades of space acquisition experience form a rich history that can be used to build a leading indicator of success to enable effective program execution. First, the space acquisition areas of greatest concern were determined to be cost, schedule and requirements. These areas are considered as systems composed of the people, processes and products that execute the program. Second, the vital interoperation characteristics, or attributes …

Conceptual Design And Analysis Of Service Oriented Architecture (Soa) For Command And Control Of Space Assets, Eric B. Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

The mission-unique model that has dominated the DoD satellite Command and Control community is costly and inefficient. It requires repeatedly “reinventing” established common C2 components for each program, unnecessarily inflating budgets and delivery schedules. The effective utilization of standards is scarce, and proprietary, non-open solutions are commonplace. IT professionals have trumpeted Service Oriented Architectures (SOAs) as the solution to large enterprise situations where multiple, functionally redundant but non-compatible information systems create large recurring development, test, maintenance, and tech refresh costs. This thesis describes the current state of Service Oriented Architectures as related to satellite operations and presents a functional analysis …

Integrating Balanced Scorecard And Simulation Modelling To Improve Emergency Department Performance In Irish Hospitals, Amr Arisha, Waleed Abo-Hamad, Khaled Ismail

Conference papers

In the healthcare sector, there is a requirement for innovative solutions in managing the high levels of complexity and uncertainty within Emergency Departments (EDs). Simulation modeling is currently seen as a competent means of analyzing EDs, which allows changes effects to be understood and predicted more easily. The Balanced Scorecard (BSC), well-known performance management concept, has become a steering method in approaching new improvement cycles. This paper presents a methodology that integrates BSC and simulation modeling to improve the performance of ED in a University Hospital in North Dublin. BSC design began with understanding patient's needs, ED activities, as well …

Evaluating Obsolete Inventory Policies In A Hospital's Supply Chain, Maurice D. Cavitt

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Numerous organizations are currently facing inventory management problems including distributing inventory on time and maintaining the appropriate inventory level to satisfy the end user. Organizations understand the importance of inventory accuracy as any error will increase the purchasing and holding costs affecting investment decisions. Lack of information about effective measures that will allow management to make important business decisions motivated this research to identify a decision criterion for warehouse management. A feasible solution of calculating the carrying cost ratio from purchasing and holding cost is the main objective of this thesis. The carrying cost ratio will allow managers to make …

Evaluation Of Optimization Algorithms For Improvement Of A Transportation Companies (In-House) Vehicle Routing System, Jian Han

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Vehicle routing problem (VRP) is the main issue of the transportation. It is becoming more and more popular. Trucking companies play an important role in the transportation industry. Most trucking companies are developing their own software to make profit. Often, the software is used for routing optimization models to minimize cost because the first work is organized over the road.

Linear Programming and saving heuristics are traditional algorithms for solving the vehicle routing problems. However, none of the companies want to make a decision of routing by calculating with mathematics models in their companies. So the vehicle routing software is …