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Acuta Enews August 1993, Vol. 22, No. 8

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Interview with Luther Robb

President's Message

Paradigms & Paradoxes

Total Quality Management

Super Schools

Win-Win Relationships

21st Century Technology

Executive Director's Message

Acuta Enews July 1993, Vol. 22, No. 7

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Gain-share at Wake Forest

President's Message

North American Numbering Plan

Toll Fraud Checklist

Staff Report

A Computer-Based Strategy To Facilitate Organizational Learning Process, Charles B. Keating

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research investigated the development of Organizational Learning Process (OLP) through the application of a computer-based strategy in an organizational setting. OLP is developed from the organizational learning literature as an integration of similar concepts of organizational processes of inquiry essential to organizational learning. These concepts included: organizational dialectic (Argyris and Schon 1978), surfacing and testing mental models (Senge 1990a,1990b), and interpretation process (Daft and Weick 1984). A qualitative research methodology was developed within a participatory action research framework (Whyte 1989). A six phase research project, designed as a computer-based strategy to generate OLP, was applied in an organizational setting. …

Development Of A Knowledge Based System For Wastewater Pipeline Failure Risk Assessment, Adam Mayanzani Ngaliga

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to study and analyze the wastewater pipeline failure risk assessment process, and then design and develop an effective and efficient wastewater pipeline risk assessment tool for the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, in Virginia, U.S.A. A knowledge based system was developed using an expert system building shell (Xi-Plus).

The system design is based on the knowledge elicited from the experts and literature in sanitary pipeline failure risk evaluation. The knowledge base contains both heuristics and procedural rules. The system interprets the information provided by the user and reasons from that information to reach conclusions on …

A Multivariate Quality Control Approach For Automated Manufacturing Systems, Hisham Naim Ashur

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In today's competitive manufacturing environment, effective and practical statistical quality control approaches are essential. A successful process control approach needs to provide on line real time monitoring of quality related characteristics.

No longer acceptable is an approach that analyzes quality related data only after the product is produced. A statistical process control approach that monitors the process during production and that reports trouble spots before bad products are made is necessary in an automated manufacturing environment.

An automated manufacturing environment is characterized by high volume production runs and short production cycles. Traditional statistical process control approaches are not capable of …

Optimum Design For Spring With Orthogonal Design Method, Han Fu - Jie

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Orthogonal design method is a sort of direct optimum method, by which the op- timal result may be obtained through simple computation and analysis. This method has gained increasingly extensive interest in scientific research, engineering design, end production management as well. The orthogonal table is the basic instrument for carrying out optimum design with orthogonal design method. It is a mathernatical table established On the basis Of the idea of isostatic distribution. As various levels may appear in any column, it makes a partial experiment contain levels of all factors furthermore. RII combina- tions of any two columns may appear …

Development And Testing Of Locally Produced Natural Rubber (Nr) And Pvc Blends, B Mutagahywa

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The mechanical properties of natural rubber - poly(vinyl chloride) blends have been studied. Tensile and tear strengths of the vulcanizates has been shown to increase with increasing proportions of PVC up to about 20 pphr. Abrasion loss and hardness decreases slightly with increasing concentration of PVC. Increased loading Of carbon black lowers the tensile and tear strength while increasing the abrasion loss and hardness values. This may be explained by the fact that PVC exists as a discontinuous rigid phase in the polymer compound. At normal loading of black (37 pphr) PVC improves processability and acts in the same way …

Antecedents, Moderators And Outcomes Of Organizational Commitment, Beatus Kundi

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This study examined: (I) the impact of the BtruCturaI of tenure, job integration and organizational support on organizational (2) the mediating roles of the cultural values for performance and collectivity, and the intra—individual factorg of organizational identification and the norm of reciprocity Ln the relationahip between the structural factore and organization coamitment; and, (3) the relationghip between organizational cormitment and the ouecome variablen Of abøeneeeigm, turnover and The Bhow that job and Of the for performance a gignificant facilitator of the effecte Of the etructuraL factors on commitment; and organization identification and the norm of rec are important linkø in …

Acuta Enews June 1993, Vol. 22, No. 6

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Telemedicine

Vancouver Review

Economy at Turning Point

Yale Meridian Upgrade

Executive Director's Message

A Probabilistic Model And A Software Tool For Avcs Longitudinal Collision/Safety Analysis, H.-S. Jacob Tsao, Randolph Hall

Faculty Publications

This paper develops a probabilistic model and a software tool for analyzing longitudinal collision/safety between two automated vehicles. The input parameters are the length of the gap between the two vehicles, the common speed prior to the failure, the reaction delay of the following vehicle and a bivariate pint distribution of the deceleration rates of the two vehicles. The output includes the probability of a collision and also the probability distribution of the relative speed at collision time.We will use this model to compare the safety consequences associated with the platooning and "free-agent" vehicle-following rules. We will also demonstrate that …

Acuta Enews May 1993, Vol. 22, No. 5

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Call for Nominations page 2

President's Message page 3

MHEC $aves with Virtual Private Network page 4

Board of Directors Meeting page 5

Tireed Dues page 5

Toll Fraud Takes Aim page 6

Infrastructure page 7

Toll Fraud Checklist page 8

Will My Cellular Phone Fry My Brain? page 9

Executive Director's Message page 11

Tensile Comparison Of The Variables Using The Statasys 3-D Modeler, William Oscar Birt

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this study was to investigate some of the different variables that were used in building a prototype model on the Stratasys 3-D Modeler. Variables tested were: 1) speed of the head; 2) z slice; 3) road width; 4) orientation angle of the path; 5) tip and liquefier temperatures; 6) envelope temperature. There were 34 tests and each test had 10 specimens in it for a total of 340 tensile specimens. Each test consisted of the six variables. Tests indicated that the “orientation angle” variable had the greatest effect on tensile strength.

Acuta Enews April 1993, Vol. 22, No. 4

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

TQM at Univeristy of Kansas page 2

President's Message page 3

Kent State Meets ADA Requirements page 4

Remembering Dorothy Heinecke page 7

Toll Fraud & Telabuse page 8

NATA Addresses E911 Issue page 9

Executive Director's Message page 11

Cross-Cultural Issues In The Management Of German-Owned Business Subsidiaries In Hampton Roads, Teja Ulrich

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

'Culture' can be described as patterns of thinking, feeling and acting that distinguish one cultural group from another. Cultural diversity is therefore likely to introduce variety to organizations in which individuals from different national backgrounds are working together. Although this variety bears the potential for an improvement of the cognitive development in the organizations, managers of multicultural business organizations tend to perceive cultural diversity as a disadvantage. This thesis attempts to identify the impact of cultural differences between Germans and Americans on organizations in which German managers work with American employees. German managers of eight business subsidiaries in the Hampton …

A Sociotechnical Approach To The Study Of Semiautonomous Work Group Communication In Technical Organizations, Elizabeth B. Varnes

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The sociotechnical aspects of group communication in semiautonomous technical work teams were investigated to understand how team members define "effective" group communication and what impact technical tools have on the group communication process. A team of workers with various technical backgrounds was selected for study. The study involved videotaped group sessions, a group training educational briefing and individual group member questionnaires. The results indicate that group members believed sharing information among group members was critical to successful communication and that certain technical tools could be effective during group meetings. The findings are congruent with the general theory that group communication …

Simulation Model For Predicting The Impact Of Progressive Diseases In The U.S. Population By Tracking, Biju Suseelan

Masters Theses

Computer Aided Simulation is the process of designing a mathematical-logical model of a real system and experimenting with this model on a computer. Simulation encompasses a model building process as well as the design and implementation of an appropriate experiment involving that model. A simulation experiment involves observing the dynamic behavior of a model by moving from state to state in accordance with well-defined operating rules designed into the model. This research contains the development of a novel approach for the HIV transmission dynamics by using computer simulation to track the HIV positive individuals in a population and to determine …

Acuta Enews March 1992, Vol. 21, No. 3

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

OSP violators fined

President's column

Non-dominant carriers face tariffs

Resource Manager joins staff

Acuta Enews March 1993, Vol. 22, No. 3

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

CUPA Salary Survey page 2

Presidents Message page 3

Tampa Review: Voice Processing at lU page 4

Tampa Review: Auto Attendants page 7

PBX Toll Fraud Prevention Checklist page 8

Markey Addresses Communications infrastructure page 9

Tampa Review: Voice Processing Partnerships page 10

Executive Director's Message page 11

Cost Constrained Improvements To The Military Retirement System, Cynthia A. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This research studies possible changes to the current military retirement system. The current military retirement system refers to the system provided under the Military Reform Act of 1986, A new system is proposed which would provide the retiree with four options. Option 1 would provide a pay annuity and medical benefits to the retiree (this is the current system). Option 2 would provide a pay lump sum in place of the, annuity and would offer medical benefits. Option 3 would offer the pay annuity but give a medical lump sum amount in place of the medical benefit. Finally, option 4 …

Using Animation In The Validation Of Simulation Models, Michael L. Carpenter

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined three aspects of animation (movement, color, and detail of icons) to determine which one (or ones) best communicated the operation of a simulation model. The procedure was done in the context of using animation to establish a model's face validity. Movement, color, and detail of icons were looked at individually and in combination. The ability to communicate was measured both subjectively and objectively. The subjective measures were a selection of best and worst animation types where best and worst referred to how well an animation communicated, and a pairwise comparison of the animation types which resulted in …

Predicting The Productive Capacity Of Air Force Aerospace Ground Equipment Personnel Using Aptitude And Experience Measures, Robert S. Faneuff

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of mechanical aptitude and job experience on the job performance of 204 Air Force Aerospace Group Equipment (AGE) mechanics. Job performance was expressed as productive capacity (PC), which is derived from estimated performance times on job tasks. PC measures were derived for 50 tasks typically performed by airmen in the specialty. Aptitude measures took the form of Mechanical percentile composite scores on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). A second-order logistic model was used to regress PC on aptitude and experience at the task level and at the overall job, or aggregate, level. Model …

Automating The Satellite Range Scheduling Process, Timothy D. Gooley

Theses and Dissertations

Satellite range scheduling is a complex problem that involves scheduling satellite supports in which a satellite and a specific remote tracking station are assigned a time window during which they communicate with each other. As the number and complexity of satellite supports continue to increase, more pressure is placed on the current manual system to efficiently generate a schedule. The objective of this research was to develop a methodology that will automate the generation of the initial 24 hour schedule. The goal of the algorithm developed was to schedule as many conflict free supports as possible. A two phased approach …

Modified Anderson-Darling And Cramer-Von Mises Goodness-Of-Fit Tests For The Normal Distribution, David A. Gwinn Sr.

Theses and Dissertations

New techniques for calculating goodness-of-fit statistics for normal distributions with parameters estimated from the sample are investigated. Samples are generated for a Normal(0,1) distribution. Critical values are calculated for five modifications to the Anderson-Darling statistic and five modifications to the Cramer-Von Mises statistic. An extensive power study is done to test the power of the new statistics versus the power of the unmodified statistics. Powers of six of the new statistics show minimal to no improvement, two of the new statistics show a marked decrease in power, and two of the new statistics show an overall increase in power over …

Spartan Ii: An Instructional High Resolution Land Combat Model, Edwin H. Harris Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This project improved SPARTAN, a high resolution land combat model demonstrator. SPARTAN was originally developed as a hands-on trainer for land combat modeling students because there were no models specifically designed to teach the analysts how the models function. SPARTAN is built to demonstrate the techniques used in the current generation of US Army high resolution models. Like the original, the model is primarily a small scale attrition (both direct and indirect fire) model. The model represents 12 soldiers involved in the following processes: target search, target selection, direct fire engagement, indirect fire engagement, movement, reaction to fire, obstacle breaching, …

A Statistical Analysis Of Terrorism And Instability In Latin America, Juan A. Hurtado

Theses and Dissertations

In this research the effect of socioeconomic factors on terrorism and government instability in Latin America are studied. A commonly held opinion is that terrorism and instability are caused by repressive conditions. The objective of this research was to generate a methodology to forecast terrorism and instability given certain socioeconomic indicators. This methodology was generated for individual countries, two groups of countries, and a composite developing country. A set of 28 socioeconomic factors were evaluated and reduced based on correlation analysis. Patterns of terrorism and instability were investigated through data analysis and factor analysis. Multiple regression was used to develop …

A Monte Carlo Study Of The Raw And Normal Varimax Rotation Criterion In Factor Analysis, Willam M. Ibinson

Theses and Dissertations

Factor analysis is a multivariate statistical procedure for analyzing and reducing large data sets. Many factor analysis schemes and techniques are available that lead to strikingly different results from the same data. This research effort used a Monte Carlo approach to investigate the properties of two rotation methods for simple structure, Kaiser's raw and normal varimax criterion. Data sets were developed from a set of contrived experimental factor patterns by multiplying each factor pattern by its transpose to create a covariance matrix. Data sets of multivariate normal deviates were in turn generated from each covariance matrix via the Choleski algorithm. …

The Airlift Capabilities Estimation Prototype: A Case Study In Model Validation, Randy Mccanne

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the application of a life cycle approach to the validation of operational models. The classic waterfall life cycle from software engineering is adapted for use on mathematical models by defining four stages of model development. Each stage is discussed in detail and examples of the output from each stage are presented. In addition, techniques are investigated for applying the proposed life cycle to existing models through the recovery of life cycle stages. The methodology is applied to a linear programming model developed for planning airlift operations to demonstrate the power of the life cycle approach to validation. …

Including Maximum Sustained Wind Speed In A Time Series Model To Forecast Hurricane Movement, Timothy B. Mott

Theses and Dissertations

Techniques for applying time series fundamentals to forecasting hurricane movement are thoroughly examined in this research. The objectives are: (1) to modify Dr. Thomas Curry's threshold autoregressive time series model to improve its ability to forecast hurricane movement, (2) to forecast the maximum sustained wind speed for a hurricane, and (3) to identify if wind speed should be included as an explanatory variable to aid in forecasting hurricane movement. Eleven different models to predict the latitude, longitude and maximum sustained wind speed are compared and contrasted with Curry's bivariate time series model. The results showed the modifications allow significant forecasting …

A Modified Anderson Darling Goodness-Of-Fit Test For The Gamma Distribution With Unknown Scale And Location Parameters, Tamer Ozmen

Theses and Dissertations

A new modified Anderson-Darling goodness-of-fit test is introduced for the three-parameter Gamma distribution when the location parameter is found by minimum distance estimation and scale parameter by maximum likelihood estimation. Monte Carlo simulation studies were performed to calculate the critical values for A-D test when A-D statistic is minimized. These critical values are then used for testing whether a set of observations follows a Gamma distribution when the scale and location parameters axe unspecified and are estimated from the sample. Functional relationship between the critical values of A-D is also examined for each shape parameter by the variables, sample size …

Optimal Silo Attack Plan For The Red Integrated Strategic Offensive Plan (Risop), Richard C. Pace

Theses and Dissertations

The Joint Staff Directorate for Force Structure, Resources, and Assessment (J-8) sought a procedure which could be used to generate an optimal missile allocation for the silo attack portion of the Red Integrated Strategic Offensive Plan (RISOP). Their current solution procedure is a manual heuristic which is time-consuming and is not guaranteed to lead to an optimal solution. J- 8 defines an optimal solution as a feasible solution which minimizes both the flight time of the missile that impacts first and the duration of the attack. J- 8 defined several input rules which limit how missiles may be allocated. A …