Engineering Commons^™

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 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 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 …

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 …

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

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 …

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 …

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

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 …

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. …

Enhancements To The Animated Tutor For Air Combat Simulation, David A. Legge

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the use of the Ada programming language in combat modeling. It takes an existing combat model, the Animated Tutor for Air Combat Simulation (ATACS), and re-writes it into Ada. The new model also includes enhancements to the original model. ATACS+, as it is now called, is used as a learning tool in combat modeling classes at the Air Force Institute of Technology. ATACS+ consists of a preprocessor and a model, complete with two and three-dimensional graphics and engagement status reports. Conclusion are made about Ada's suitability for combat modeling, some of the features of Ada which can …

The Use Of Simulation To Evaluate Strategic Aeromedical Evacuation Policy And Planning, Charles W. Wolfe Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Strategic aeromedical evacuation (AE) of casualties from the theater of operations to the CONUS during wartime is a complex operation that involves the integration of medical personnel and policies with airlift concepts and capabilities. Military analysts within the Air Mobility Command Analysis Group (AMC/XPY) have traditionally used deterministic linear programming techniques to estimate the number of aircraft the United States Air Force (USAF) requires for given contingency scenarios. However, this group has yet to develop a stochastic approach to validate their resource recommendations, and more importantly, to study the interrelationships between key factors comprising strategic aeromedical evacuation. As the possibility …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Bradley Fighting Vehicle Gunnery: An Analysis Of Engagement Strategies For The M242 25-Mm Automatic Gun, James G. Riley

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studies various engagement strategies for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle's 25-mm automatic gun firing APDS-T ammunition against a BMP- type target. The Army currently provides only the broadest guidance for the structure of the 25-mm point target engagement which results in the employment of an assortment of strategies throughout the Bradley community. The goal of this research was to determine if a best method exists. Bradley gunnery is a complex set commander/gunner interactions which can be difficult to represent with the analytic models commonly found in the literature. A model, based on the simulation methods used by the US …

Integrating Psychological Operations Into The Joint Theater Level Simulation (Jtls), C. Matthew Pecot Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a prototype and methodology for integrating psychological operations (PSYOP) into the Joint Theater Level Simulation (JTLS) combat model. The requirement rose out of the need for aggregate-level training models to reflect the role of PSYOP so that commanders and their staffs can learn how to manage plan for, and conduct PSYOP within the context of AirLand battle doctrine. As the JTLS model currently exists, there is no representation of psychological operations whatsoever. This thesis outlines a methodology for incorporating the PSYOP analysis process (including the target audience analysis), the PSYOP product development and production process, the PSYOP …

A New Goodness-Of-Fit Test For The Weibull Distribution Based On Spacings, Mark C. Coppa

Theses and Dissertations

The critical values for a new goodness-of-fit test based on spacings are generated for the Weibull distribution when the shape parameter is known. The critical values are used for testing whether a set of observations follow a Weibull distribution when the scale and location parameters are unknown. A Monte Carlo simulation with 10,000 iterations is used to generate the critical values for sample sizes 5(5)35 at shape parameters k equal to 0.5(0.5)1.5 and for sample sizes 5(5)20 at shape parameters k = 2.0(1.0)4.0. A Monte Carlo power study of the Z* test statistic using 5000 iterations is accomplished using nine …

A Fuzzy Logic Optimal Control Law Solution To The Cmmca Tracking Problem, Randy E. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force uses the C-18 Cruise Missile Mission Control Aircraft (CMMCA) to radar track cruise missiles (CM) during test flights. Because of the complexity of the CM flight profiles, maintaining radar coverage at all times is very difficult. This thesis attempted to apply optimal control theory to construct a simulation providing 100% radar coverage. The simulation was divided into ten second intervals, and fuzzy logic was used at the start of each interval to determine the set point, i.e., that point in space where the CMMCA should be in ten seconds. The set point calculation's fuzzy logic balanced CMMCA …

Patient Scheduling And Aircraft Routing For Strategic Aeromedical Evacuation, Michael J. Loftus

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to develop an approach that would assign patients to aeromedical evacuation aircraft and route each aircraft to a single CONUS airport. The goal is to minimize total patient wait time. A heuristic algorithm is developed which exploits the structure of the problem. The first subproblem solved is the assignment of aircraft to airports. This subproblem is solved using integer programming and the results are input into the second subproblem. The second subproblem is the patient to aircraft assignment problem. This subproblem minimizes patient wait time and is solved using network flow programming. The two …

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 …

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, …

Modified Goodness-Of-Fit Tests For The Weibull Distribution, Erol Yucel

Theses and Dissertations

This research will produce a new modified Anderson-Darling and W* goodness of fit statistics for the three parameter Weibull Distribution when all parameters unknown and estimated by Maximum Likelihood-Minimum Distance combination. The critical values for each statistic, sample size and a levels 0. 20, 0.15, 0.10, 0.05 and 0.01 are produced. The Monte Carlo Simulation used 5000 repetitions for sample sizes of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, and 50 with the Weibull shape equals to 3, scale equals to 4 and location equals to 10. The power study is made for the same sizes as above with the hypothesized …