Engineering Commons^™

In-House Development Of Scheduling Decision Support Systems: Case Study For Scheduling Semiconductor Device Test Operations, Tali Freed, K. H. Doerr, T. Chang

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Most manufacturing processes can benefit from an automated scheduling system. However;: the design of a fast, computerised scheduling system that achieves high-quality results and requires minimal resources is a difficult undertaking. Efficient .. scheduling of a semiconductor device test facility requires an information system that provides good schedules quickly. Semiconductor device testing-is the last stage of the long semiconductor manufacturing process, and therefore. is subjected to customer service pressures. The cost of an off-the-shelf computerised scheduling system may he prohibitive for many companies. In addition, many companies are taken aback by other characteristics of off-the-shelf scheduling systems, such as code …

Fabrication Of Functionally Graded 3a/5a Zeolites By Electrophoretic Deposition, X. Wang, E. A. Olevsky, E. Bruce, M. B. Stern, D. T. Hayhurst

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Functionally graded zeolites of molecular sieve type 3A and 5A are deposited by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) from acetone suspension with 8% volume concentration of n-butylamine as particle charging agent. The EPD characteristics of both 3A and 5A suspensions are studied. Functionally graded zeolite 3A/5A deposits are obtained at 200 V DC. Energy dispersive X-ray dispersion (EDX) analysis results confirm the graded structure. The deposited zeolites are also analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The factors influencing the deposition process are discussed.

Predictive Congestion Control Protocol For Wireless Sensor Networks, Maciej Jan Zawodniok, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Available congestion control schemes, for example transport control protocol (TCP), when applied to wireless networks, result in a large number of packet drops, unfair scenarios and low throughputs with a significant amount of wasted energy due to retransmissions. To fully utilize the hop by hop feedback information, this paper presents a novel, decentralized, predictive congestion control (DPCC) for wireless sensor networks (WSN). The DPCC consists of an adaptive flow and adaptive back-off interval selection schemes that work in concert with energy efficient, distributed power control (DPC). The DPCC detects the onset of congestion using queue utilization and the embedded channel …

Effects Of Electromagnetic Interference On Control Area Network Performance, Fei Ren, Y. Rosa Zheng, Maciej Jan Zawodniok, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, the effects of electromagnetic interference (EMI) on control area network (CAN) communications are investigated by hardware experiments. Distinct CAN bit rates, communication cables, and networks are used to test effects of EMI on CAN bus. Waveforms of CAN data frames in EMI environment are observed and analyzed for figuring out details of effects. Experiments show that the EMI pulses frequently encountered in automobile and off-road machinery can cause the reduction of bit rates and errors in high-speed CAN communications. Replacing traditional unshielded parallel communication cables with shielded communication cables is proved to be an effective method of …

Measurement And Analysis Of Truck And Rail Shipping Environment In India, Sher Paul Singh, A. P. S. Sandhu, Jay A. Singh, E. Joneson

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Free trade agreements have been on the rise in all regions of the world in the past decade. This has allowed for global distribution and marketing of products in an international market. Products once produced for domestic markets must now be able to compete in international markets without trade barriers. Increased international commerce and manufacturing have forced many packaging and logistics engineers to broaden their true understanding of the global distribution environment. India is a recent entrant on the global arena for manufacturing and services. While China’s economic developments have dominated global headlines, India’s own growth has been impressive as …

Measurement And Analysis Of International Air Parcel Shipping Environment For Dhl And Fedex Between Europe And United States, Manuel-Alfredo Garcia-Romeu-Martinez, S. Paul Singh, Vicente-Agustin Cloquell-Ballester, Koushik Saha

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Various studies have been conducted to determine the dynamics that single packages undergo during distribution between destinations as a function of package size and weight and carrier. Previous studies have normally focused on regional and domestic measurements of these environments in Europe and North America. However, no information is available to determine the international handling and shipping environment of single parcels between the two continents. This study used instrumented packages containing triaxial accelerometers. The measured shocks were analysed to determine the velocity change levels as a function of the events measured in the distribution environment and to develop data for …

Multi-Period Combinatorial Auction Mechanism For Distributed Resource Allocation And Scheduling, Hoong Chuin Lau, Shih-Fen Cheng, Thin Yin Leong, Jong Han Park, Zhengyi Zhao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We consider the problem of resource allocation and scheduling where information and decisions are decentralized, and our goal is to propose a market mechanism that allows resources from a central resource pool to be allocated to distributed decision makers (agents) that seek to optimize their respective scheduling goals. We propose a generic combinatorial auction mechanism that allows agents to competitively bid for the resources needed in a multi-period setting, regardless of the respective scheduling problem faced by the agent, and show how agents can design optimal bidding strategies to respond to price adjustment strategies from the auctioneer. We apply our …

The Price Of Stability In Selfish Scheduling Games, Lucas Agussurja, Hoong Chuin Lau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Game theory has gained popularity as an approach to analysing and understanding distributed systems with selfinterested agents. Central to game theory is the concept of Nash equilibrium as a stable state (solution) of the system, which comes with a price - the loss in efficiency. The quantification of the efficiency loss is one of the main research concerns. In this paper, we study the quality and computational characteristic of the best Nash equilibrium in two selfish scheduling models: the congestion model and the sequencing model. In particular, we present the following results: (1) In the congestion model: first, the best …

Designing The Market Game For A Commodity Trading Simulation, Shih-Fen Cheng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we propose to design a market game that (a) can be used in modeling and studying commodity trading scenarios, and (b) can be used in capturing human traders' behaviors. Specifically, we demonstrate the usefulness of this commodity trading game in a single-commodity futures trading scenario. A pilot experiment was run with a mixture of human traders and an autonomous agent that emulates the aggregatedmarket condition, with the assumption that this autonomous agent would hint each of its action through a public announcement. We show that the information collected from this simulation can be used to extract the …

Global Positioning System Systems Engineering Case Study, Air Force Center For Systems Engineering, Patrick J. O'Brien, John M. Griffin

AFIT Documents

No abstract provided.

Acuta Enews October 2007, Vol.36, No. 10

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

From the President .............. Watt Magnussen, Ph.D., Texas A&M University

Tech Talk: Makin' Bacn: Another Way to Clog lnboxes............... Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

DC Update............... Jeanne Jansenius, Sewanee, The University of the South

Board Report ................. Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State Univ., ACUTA Sec./Treasurer

New Faces at ACUTA

Web Tip: Listserv Reminders ................. Aaron Fuehrer, ACUTA Information Technology Mgr.

Member Sites to See

lnfo Links Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern lowa

lnvite Your Vendors to Join ACUTA............. Amy Burton, ACUTA Mgr., Membership Mktg.& Corp. Relations

Welcome New Members

Check lt Out: RFls/RFPs, Job Postings, Press Releases

Semester Project For Engineering Management, Paul Savory

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Instructional Materials

This is the semester-project for my IMSE 405/805 course on Engineering Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This team-based project required students to develop an operational plan (facility layout, required staffing, company operating policies, company benefits program) for a specified product.

Case Study: Applying A Regional Cge Model For Estimation Of Indirect Economic Losses Due To Damaged Highway Bridges, Chakkaphan Tirasirichai, David Lee Enke

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Destruction from natural and man-made disasters can result in extensive damage to the affected area's infrastructure. While the destruction results in costs that are necessary to restore the physical destruction and repair of existing infrastructure, a wider economic impact is often indirectly measured and felt. Policymakers generally focus only on losses that are directly caused by the destruction, such as the replacement of roads and bridges, yet tend to overlook the consequences from indirect economic losses. This study proposes a framework to estimate the indirect economic loss due to damaged bridges within the highway system of a major metropolitan area. …

Comparisons Of An Adaptive Neural Network Based Controller And An Optimized Conventional Power System Stabilizer, Wenxin Liu, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Jagannathan Sarangapani, Donald C. Wunsch, Mariesa Crow, Li Liu, David A. Cartes

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Power system stabilizers are widely used to damp out the low frequency oscillations in power systems. In power system control literature, there is a lack of stability analysis for proposed controller designs. This paper proposes a Neural Network (NN) based stabilizing controller design based on a sixth order single machine infinite bus power system model. The NN is used to compensate the complex nonlinear dynamics of power system. To speed up the learning process, an adaptive signal is introduced to the NN's weights updating rule. The NN can be directly used online without offline training process. Magnitude constraint of the …

Radical Impact Of Change In Actions And Confidence Index On Reverse Decision Making An Application Based Study, Swatee Trimbak Paithankar

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

While making decisions under uncertainty, people are often unaware of the logical approach to form the decision process. It is assumed that collecting details, analyzing and evaluating data is enough to make 'proper' decisions. However, past research in the decision making arena has significantly validated that there exists a class of decision problems which is complex, ill-structured and not defined to the level where decision makers can draw logical conclusions based on existing traditional decision approaches. RDM (reverse decision making), one of the novel approaches of decision making under conditions of uncertainty, has shown potential towards addressing some of these …

Integrating Game Technology And Discrete Event Simulation To Analyze Mass Casualty Scenarios, Jason Loveland

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In the last 10 years, video games have become complex simulation environments with high resolution 3D graphics enabled by powerhouse rendering engines, multi-player client server networks, user friendly displays and graphical user interface , while remaining relatively inexpensive. There is a critical need for systems engineering analysis and rapid trade studies due to changes in operations caused by current events such as terrorist attacks, asymmetric threats, natural disasters, etc. Modem games provide a unique way to visualize and interact with these complex environments, scenarios, missions, and operations. A discrete event simulator (DES) provides an environment to model system architecture behavior, …

Energy-Efficient Hybrid Key Management Protocol For Wireless Sensor Networks, Timothy J. Landstra, Maciej Jan Zawodniok, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, we propose a subnetwork key management strategy in which the heterogeneous security requirements of a wireless sensor network are considered to provide differing levels of security with minimum communication overhead. Additionally, it allows the dynamic creation of high security subnetworks within the wireless sensor network and provides subnetworks with a mechanism for dynamically creating a secure key using a novel and dynamic group key management protocol. The proposed energy-efficient protocol utilizes a combination of pre-deployed group keys and initial trustworthiness of nodes to create a level of trust between neighbors in the network. This trust is later …

Neural Network Based Decentralized Controls Of Large Scale Power Systems, Wenxin Liu, Jagannathan Sarangapani, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Donald C. Wunsch, Mariesa Crow, Li Liu, David A. Cartes

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a suite of neural network (NN) based decentralized controller designs for large scale power systems' generators, one is for the excitation control and the other is for the steam valve control. Though the control inputs are calculated using local signals, the transient and overall system stability can be guaranteed. NNs are used to approximate the unknown and/or imprecise dynamics of the local power system dynamics and the inter-connection terms, thus the requirements for exact system parameters are relaxed. Simulation studies with a three-machine power system demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller designs.

Workshop - Building Reflective Team Skills With A T-Group, Ray Luechtefeld, Steve Eugene Watkins

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

ABET criteria require that engineering graduates have the ability to "function on multidisciplinary teams" and "communicate effectively". An important component of these skills is the ability to reflect on one's personal actions and the dynamics occurring within the group. This workshop is intended to provide participants with a practical exercise that can help students become more self-reflective and aware of group dynamics, while demonstrating the use of the "virtual facilitator" system to improve group dialogue. The workshop will engage the participants in a self- directed learning exercise modeled after T-Groups. This exercise will help participants: 1) Become aware of their …

Expert System For Team Facilitation Using Observational Learning, Ray Luechtefeld, R. K. Singh, Steve Eugene Watkins

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

While ABET criteria require that engineering graduates be able to "function on multidisciplinary teams" and "communicate effectively", the need for effective team skills goes far deeper. One solution is the use of a computationally intelligent "virtual facilitator" that contains a subset of the expert knowledge of a skilled facilitator. The "virtual facilitator" models behaviors of an expert facilitator to engineering student teams as they are working together. Albert Bandura's theory of observational learning suggests that skills can be developed through observation of expert "others" engaged in practice. Preliminary research indicates that students can increase beneficial team behaviors (such as inquiry) …

The Benefits Of Automatic Data Collection In The Fresh Produce Supply Chain, Ryan Charles Panos, Tali Freed

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The potential for RFID based systems to improve the safety and efficiency of a supply chain with rapidly decaying products and strict health standards is creating pressure to adopt RFID in several agricultural industries. A handful of fresh produce industry leaders currently participate in mandated pilot projects, while the industry as a whole is still intimidated by the perceived cost of RFID. Therefore in this study we attempt to validate the correlation between performance and automated data collection, paving the way to economic justification of investment in data collection technologies, such as barcode and RFID.

The majority of product in …

Search Techniques For Multi-Objective Optimization Of Mixed Variable Systems Having Stochastic Responses, Jennifer G. Walston

Theses and Dissertations

A research approach is presented for solving stochastic, multi-objective optimization problems. First, the class of mesh adaptive direct search (MADS) algorithms for nonlinearly constrained optimization is extended to mixed variable problems. The resulting algorithm, MV-MADS, is then extended to stochastic problems (MVMADS-RS), via a ranking and selection procedure. Finally, a two-stage method is developed that combines the generalized pattern search/ranking and selection (MGPS-RS) algorithms for single-objective, mixed variable, stochastic problems with a multi-objective approach that makes use of interactive techniques for the specification of aspiration and reservation levels, scalarization functions, and multi-objective ranking and selection. A convergence analysis for the …

Acuta Enews September 2007, Vol.36, No. 9

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

From ACUTA Headquarters ................. Jeri A. Semer, CAE, ACUTA Executive Director

lnfo Links.................. Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern lowa

Tech Talk: Change May Be Constant, But at Least lt's Gradual.............. Kevin Tanzilto, Dux PR

DC Update................ Jeanne Jansenius, Sewanee, The University of the South

Board Report..................... Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State Univ., ACUTA Sec./Treasurer

Telecommunications Enhancing School Safety............. Gerard Shallo, XTEND Communications

Check lt Out: RFls/RFPs, Job Postings, Press Releases

ACUTA Resources Make Membership a Great Value ................. Patty Benton, University of Alabama

FYI: Useful lnformation from the Campus Student Monitor

Treasure Chest Winners

Welcome New Members …

Measurement And Analysis Of The Shocks Generated During Egg Production, Jay A. Singh, Chris Ferrier, Paul Singh

Industrial Technology and Packaging

In their journey from the laying cage to shipments out of an egg production operation, table eggs encounter multiple shock events. While all agricultural commodities run the possibility of damage during the course of production, shell eggs are particularly susceptible to being cracked or broken during the production operation. A typical egg production facility experiences 2% to 7% checks (a partial mechanical failure to the egg shell) during handling, packaging and transportation of shell eggs. It has been estimated that the total losses to the U.S. egg industry due to checks and breakage of eggs during production amounts to over …

Development Of Wholesale Packaging To Prevent Post-Harvest Damage To Rose Apples, Bundit Jarimopas, Siam Toomsaengtong, Sher Paul Singh, Jay Singh, Rangsinee Sothornvit

Industrial Technology and Packaging

The purpose of this research was to determine post-harvest damage to rose apples due to transportation hazards and to comparatively evaluate the performance of the current and proposed wholesale packaging for the fruit. The methodology comprised of sampling and conducting damage analysis of rose apples of two varieties (Thongsamsri and Toonklao) distributed using commercial packaging to various retailers and wholesalers selected at random around the Bangkok metropolitan areas. Three kinds of current wholesale packaging were packed with newly harvested, damage-free, and uniform sized Thongsamsri rose apples and tested using a vibration simulator. The same testing was performed for the two …

Comparison Of Package Cushioning Materials To Protect Post-Harvest Impact Damage To Apples, Bundit Jarimopas, Sher Paul Singh, S. Sayasoonthorn, Jay A. Singh

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Damage to fruits and vegetables continues to be a big challenge as global markets become a reality. Worldwide distribution of sensitive produce is faced with various levels of impacts from shipping and handling. Despite a variety of packaging options available today, bruising damage is commonplace for post-harvest apples throughout the supply chain. The major sources of bruising are compression, impact or vibration forces. Understanding where these forces occur can help reduce this type of mechanical damage to apples. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact characteristics of foam net and corrugated board when applied as wrapping for …

Assessing Capacity Scalability Policies In Rms Using System Dynamics, Ahmed M. Deif, Hoda A. Elmaraghy

Industrial Technology and Packaging

This paper presents a model for assessing different capacity scalability policies in Reconfigurable Manufacturing System (RMS) for different changing demand scenarios. The novelty of this approach is two fold: (1) it is the first attempt to explore different capacity scalability policies in RMS based on multiple performance measures, mainly scaling rate, Work In Process level, inventory level and backlog level; and (2) the dynamic scalability process in RMS is modeled for the first time using System Dynamics. Different policies for capacity scalability for various demand scenarios were assessed. Numerical simulation results obtained using the developed capacity scalability model showed that …

Unreliable Retrial Queues In A Random Environment, James D. Cordeiro Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates stability conditions and approximate steady-state performance measures for unreliable, single-server retrial queues operating in a randomly evolving environment. In such systems, arriving customers that find the server busy or failed join a retrial queue from which they attempt to regain access to the server at random intervals. Such models are useful for the performance evaluation of communications and computer networks which are characterized by time-varying arrival, service and failure rates. To model this time-varying behavior, we study systems whose parameters are modulated by a finite Markov process. Two distinct cases are analyzed. The first considers systems with …

Robust Local Search And Its Application To Generating Robust Schedules, Hoong Chuin Lau, Fei Xiao, Thomas Ou

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we propose an extended local search framework to solve combinatorial optimization problems with data uncertainty. Our approach represents a major departure from scenario-based or stochastic programming approaches often used to tackle uncertainty. Given a value 0 < ? 1, we are interested to know what the robust objective value is, i.e. the optimal value if we allow an chance of not meeting it, assuming that certain data values are defined on bounded random variables. We show how a standard local search or metaheuristic routine can be extended to efficiently construct a decision rule with such guarantee, albeit heuristically. We demonstrate its practical applicability on the Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem with minimal and maximal time lags (RCPSP/max) taking into consideration activity duration uncertainty. Experiments show that, partial order schedules can be constructed that are robust in our sense without the need for a large planned horizon (due date), which improves upon the work proposed by Policella et al. 2004.

Distributed Energy Resources: Issues And Challenges, Badrul H. Chowdhury, Chung-Li Tseng

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.