Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Associated Risk In Utilizing Controlled Implosion To Securely Seal An Offshore Oil-Leaking Pipeline, Mohammad Alkazimi, Katie Grantham

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper examines the potential risk of using controlled implosions as a new technique to securely seal an offshore leaking oil pipe. Massive amount of toxins and radioactive waste are produced by offshore oil leaks. These leaks can have negative impact on marine life and can threaten the stability of the ocean's ecosystem. In the past few years, there were several oil leak accidents that had left an overwhelming impact. Identifying potential impact and consequences to the proposed risk mitigation technique, to both the environment and the surrounding infra structure, is crucial to emergency response and crisis management teams. In …

Type-2 Fuzzy Clustering And A Type-2 Fuzzy Inference Neural Network For The Prediction Of Short-Term Interest Rates, David Enke, Nijat Mehdiyev

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The following paper discusses the use of a hybrid model for the prediction of short-term US interest rates. The model consists of a differential evolution-based fuzzy type-2 clustering with a fuzzy type-2 inference neural network, after input preprocessing with multiple regression analysis. The model was applied to forecast the US 3- Month T-bill rates. Promising model performance was obtained as measured using root mean square error. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Assessing Robustness In Systems Of Systems Meta-Architectures, Louis Pape, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

New Systems of Systems (SoSs) are frequently created through partial participation from independent, existing systems with their own continuing missions. These systems' contribution to the SoS may be contingent on changing priorities and conditions. Therefore, when devising a SoS architecture, consideration should be given to the SoS robustness to occasional lack of availability of individual systems. Robustness is generally the ability to deliver capability in unknown future conditions. Not knowing which systems will be present would seem to fit this definition for a SoS. A fuzzy approach to defining SoS performance in terms of capabilities provided by each type of …

Model Based Systems Engineering For System Of Systems Using Agent-Based Modeling, Paulette Acheson, Cihan H. Dagli, Nil Kilicay-Ergin

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) follows a model centric approach in contrast to the traditional document centric approach. The complexity of SoS development lends itself nicely to a model centric approach, especially a model that can represent the independence of the systems that comprise the SoS. An agent-based model provides a framework where the SoS and each system are independent entities with individual dynamics and interactions. The System of Systems (SoS) development depends on contributions from the individual systems each having their own agenda and priorities. System-to-system interactions are often necessary to accomplish the overall objectives and capabilities of the …

An Approach To Advance Higher Order Cross-Cultural Awareness In Dismounted Soldiers, Siddhartha Agarwal, Gianluca Reale, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Cultural awareness is important for a range of operations from disaster assistance to active conflict. This paper illustrates the application of an acknowledged system of systems (SoS) to train dismounted soldiers in cultural awareness. Such training system is required to not only increase intelligence gathering opportunities but also minimize troop member loss during missions. Moreover, given the increase in the cultural interaction of dismounted soldiers, specific training is needed to raise cultural awareness. In this research an acknowledged (SoS) model of augmented cultural awareness centered on both agent-based simulation and body sensor networks is proposed. The immersive vest developed at …

A Fuzzy Evaluation Method For System Of Systems Meta-Architectures, Louis Pape, Kristin Giammarco, John Colombi, Cihan H. Dagli, Nil Kilicay-Ergin

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A method is proposed for evaluating a range of System of Systems (SoS) meta-architecture alternatives. SoS are composed through combination of existing, fully functioning Systems, possibly with minor functional changes, but certainly by using the combined Systems to achieve a new capability, not available from the Systems alone. The meta-architecture describes how all possible subsets of Systems can be combined to create an SoS. The fitness of a realizable SoS architecture may be characterized by terms such as unacceptable, marginal, above average, or excellent. While these terms provide little information about the SoS when used alone and informally, they readily …

Development Of An Integrative Commissioning Methodology For New-Building Construction, William L. Gillis Iii

Doctoral Dissertations

"Commissioning (Cx) is a quality process for building construction used to verify that the owner's project requirements (OPR) are being met by the final design, construction, and operations and maintenance. The goal is to confirm that each phase of the project is linked back to the OPR through quality assurance methods. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is an OPR which contributes to difficulties within the design and construction (D&C) process. Though LEED certification is only part of the OPR, too often the design drifts from the OPR and simply focuses on meeting the LEED certification.

Quality function …

Development Of An Optimization Model To Determine Sampling Levels, Zlatan Hamzic

Masters Theses

"As the complexity of multi-component products increases the quality of these products becomes increasingly difficult to control. The first step to manufacturing a quality product is making sure that the components of the product meet specifications. Product quality can be controlled through sampling inspection of the components. Two models were developed in this research to determine the optimal sampling levels for incoming lots containing parts for production and assembly of multi-component systems. The main objective of the first model is to minimize the expected cost that is associated with a nonconforming item reaching assembly. In this model the time available …

Examining The Efficiency Of Multimodal Transportation Systems: A Systems Dynamics Approach, Lizzette Pérez-Lespier

Masters Theses

"With international trade becoming a big part of the world's economic activity, the demand for good freight transportation systems has grown substantially. The appropriate use of transportation is an integral part of the supply chain's effectiveness. Therefore, the continuous economic globalization, the growing demand for speed-to-market product delivery, and the need to manage global supply chains more effectively, has led to the sustained increase in demand towards multimodal transportation systems (MTS). MTS play an essential role in corporations competing in global markets in the 21st century. In transportation, the effectiveness and efficiency of the whole system depends upon the interconnectivity …

Implementation Of Project Based Learning Technique To Enhance Engineering Education, Dinesh Kanigolla

Masters Theses

"This study investigated the impact of introducing a semester project into three engineering courses where practical application of theoretical knowledge is applicable. Three courses were examined in this work: an undergraduate course in quality, a graduate course in Lean, and a graduate course in Six Sigma. For this research, student teams were given hands-on-projects that included collaboration with local companies. Surveys were conducted to assess the impact of project based learning on students' knowledge. Student responses were recorded and analyzed to determine how students felt the use of the semester project affected the course and to identify the response patterns …

Extending The Minimal Learning Machine For Pattern Classification, Amauri H.Souza Junior, Francesco Corona, Yoan Miche, Amaury Lendasse, Guilherme A. Barreto

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Minimal Learning Machine (MLM) Has Been Recently Proposed as a Novel Supervised Learning Method for Regression Problems Aiming at Reconstructing the Mapping between Input and Output Distance Matrices. Estimation of the Response is Then Achieved from the Geometrical Configuration of the Output Points. Thanks to its Comprehensive Formulation, the MLM is Inherently Capable of Dealing with Nonlinear Problems and Multidimensional Output Spaces. in This Paper, We Introduce an Extension of the MLM to Classification Tasks, Thus Providing a Unified Framework for Mult response Regression and Classification Problems. on the Basis of Our Experiments, the MLM Achieves Results that Are …

Data Preprocessing And Model Design For Medicine Problems, Alberto Guillén, Amaury Lendasse, Guilherme Barreto

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Real Options Modeling And Valuation Of Price Adjustment Flexibility With An Application To The Leasing Industry, Ahmed A. A. Al Sharif

Doctoral Dissertations

"Uncertainty poses not only threats but also opportunities. This study sought to build the scientific foundation for introducing a real options (ROs) methodology for price risk management to the leasing industry. A price risk management that allows for both coping with threats and taking advantage of opportunities. In the leasing industry, fixed rate long-term lease contracts help contract parties stabilize cash flows within volatile markets. The contract's term, however, may be extended long enough that prevent capturing the opportunities of gaining greater profits or reducing expenses. Therefore, the flexibility that enables participants to take advantage of favorable market price is …

An Automated Forward Operating Base Electrical Distribution System Simulator, Onur Kahveci, Mariesa L. Crow, Steven Corns

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, an automated forward operating base electrical distribution system simulator (ODCC) is developed. the ODCC has been developed based on the open platform distribution system simulator (DSS) that is able to create variable models of electrical systems and performing many types of analysis. © 2012 IEEE.

Modeling System Of Systems Acquisition, Nil Kilicay-Ergin, Paulette Acheson, John Colombi, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

System of systems (SoS) acquisition is a dynamic process of integrating independent systems. This paper describes modeling of the SoS acquisition environment based on the Wave Process Model. Agent-Based modeling methodology is utilized to abstract behavioral aspects of the acquisition process. © 2012 IEEE.

Fast Variable Selection For Memetracker Phrases Time Series Prediction, Yoan Miche, Tatiana Chistiakova, Anton Akusok, Amaury Lendasse, Rui Nian, Alberto Guilléhn

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Paper Proposes a Methodology using a Fast Variable Selection as a Modified Version of the Forward-Backward Algorithm. This Methodology is Adapted to the Specificities of the Data Used: Very Small Number of Samples and High Number of Variables. Such Data is Generated using Underlying Dependencies and Seasonality Assumptions, from Meme Phrases Volume Data. by the Use of a Resampling Technique Along with the Proposed Variable Selection Scheme, Significant Results Are Obtained, and the Test Normalized Mean Square Error Performances Are Improved. the Results Indicate that with the Assumptions Made on the Data Structure, Variable Selection is Desirable. Also, the …

Analysis And Applications Of Replenishment Problems Under Stepwise Transportation Costs And Generalized Wholesale Prices, Dinçer Konur, Ayşegül Toptal

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this study, we analyze the replenishment decision of a buyer with the objective of maximizing total expected profits. the buyer faces stepwise freight costs in inbound transportation and a hybrid wholesale price schedule given by a combination of all-units discounts with economies and diseconomies of scale. This general cost structure enables the model and the proposed solution to be also used for the supplier selection of a buyer under the single sourcing assumption. We show that the buyers replenishment problem reduces to finding and comparing the solutions of the following two subproblems: (i) a replenishment problem involving wholesale prices …

A Comparison Of Representations For The Prediction Of Ground-Level Ozone Concentration, Benjamin Daniels, Steven Corns, Elizabeth Cudney

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work presents a comparison of methods to predict ground-level ozone to highlight differences in the ability of the algorithms and to compare their performance to an established signal to noise-based prediction method. Existing data related to weather conditions and ground-level ozone was divided into a training set and a test set. Three algorithms were trained using the training set to create predictors, which were then analyzed with the test set, and then compared to the Taguchi Method to determine performance. It was found that the newly introduced R-LCS performed well on this problem, predictors using the Taguchi method had …

An Exponential Moving Average Algorithm, David Haynes, Steven Corns, Ganesh Kumar Venayagamoorthy

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Techniques to reduce the search space when an optimizer seeks an optimal value are studied in this paper. a new mutation technique called the "Exponential Moving Average" algorithm (EMA) is introduced. the performance of EMA algorithms is compared to two other similar Computational Intelligence (CI) algorithms (an ordinary Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) and a "Mean-Variance Optimization" (MVO)) to solve a multi-dimensional problem which has a large search space. the classic Sudoku puzzle is chosen as the problem with a large search space. © 2012 IEEE.

Introduction Of R-Lcs And Comparative Analysis With Fsc And Mahalanobis-Taguchi Method For Breast Cancer Classification, Benjamin Daniels, Steven M. Corns, Elizabeth A. Cudney

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Classification for medical diagnosis is an important problem in the field of pattern recognition. We introduce a new method for classification based on repeated analysis of information tailored to small data sets - the Rote Learning Classifier System. using the Wisconsin Breast Cancer study, this method was compared to three other methods of classification: Mahalanobis-Taguchi Systems, Finite State Classifiers, and Neural Networks. It was found that for the given data set, the Rote Learning Classifier System outperformed the other methods of classification. This new algorithm correctly classified over 92% of the data set. © 2012 IEEE.

The Multi-Product Price-Setting Newsvendor With Resource Capacity Constraints, Chase C. Murray, Abhijit Gosavi, Debabrata Talukdar

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, we consider a newsvendor problem commonly encountered in retail stores that cater to budget-sensitive shoppers. the newsvendor sells multiple products, and in addition to determining order quantities must also determine the selling price of each product sold. the demand for each product is of a stochastic nature and depends on the demands of other products, i.e., is cross-elastic. We transform the objective function into a form that is amenable to developing integer-programming solutions and then develop a numeric optimization procedure rooted in the Nelder-Mead search technique. We obtain encouraging numerical results on some small-scale and large-scale problems. …

Two-Semester Agile Systems Engineering Design Course: Investigation And Exploration Of "Immersive" Training Technologies, Andrew S. Bodenhamer, Ivan G. Guardiola, Steven Corns, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The teaching of systems engineering is a daunting task that involves the development of curriculum capable of teaching students the systems engineering process, the design aspects of engineering, and the interdisciplinary knowledge of a variety of fields. Design is widely considered to be the central or the major distinguishing activity of engineering1. Design can be considered as the center of system engineering, in which engineers employ an interdisciplinary approach to design effective solutions to meet social needs. However, systems engineering requires that traditional academic boundaries be crossed and intertwined with other fields of engineering as well as business, socio-political, and …

Fast By Nature-How Stress Patterns Define Human Experience And Performance In Dexterous Tasks, I. Pavlidis, P. Tsiamyrtzis, D. Shastri, A. Wesley, Y. Zhou, P. Lindner, P. Buddharaju, R. Joseph, A. Mandapati, B. Dunkin, B. Bass

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the present study we quantify stress by measuring transient perspiratory responses on the perinasal area through thermal imaging. These responses prove to be sympathetically driven and hence, a likely indicator of stress processes in the brain. Armed with the unobtrusive measurement methodology we developed, we were able to monitor stress responses in the context of surgical training, the quintessence of human dexterity. We show that in dexterous tasking under critical conditions, novices attempt to perform a task's step equally fast with experienced individuals. We further show that while fast behavior in experienced individuals is afforded by skill, fast behavior …

System For Detection Of Malicious Wireless Device Patterns, Shikhar P. Acharya, R. Arora, Ivan G. Guardiola

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The research within presents the use of Hidden Markov Models (HMM) for the detection of wireless devices in highly noisy environments using their unintended electromagnetic emissions (UEE). All electromagnetic devices emit such radiation that is unique to the electronics, housing, and other device attributes. This pattern recognition system can provide continuous detection analysis and can provide ideal information regarding the distance to an unknown device. An experiment was performed where UEE of a device was detected by a spectrum analyzer. Experimental result shows that our model can accurately detect if there is a device nearby emitting UEE or not.

Strategic Management And Entrepreneurship As Economic Development Tools, Norbert Ziemer

Doctoral Dissertations

This research develops a framework of Biobased Entrepreneurial Ventures for Rural Economic Development. Rural economic development poses unique challenges and opportunities, based on available production assets, workforce trends like "brain drain," and access to industry clusters. However, certain entrepreneurial venture opportunities are preferable for rural economic development. Since supply chains are vital to business success, initial emphasis is placed on the biomass resource base to be transformed through entrepreneurial activity into higher economic value outputs. The literature contains research on specific opportunities in rural economic development (e.g. ethanol, wind power). Many of these are limited in scope and depend on …

Sustainable Engineering Practices In Transportation Projects, Kiran Rangarajan

Doctoral Dissertations

"Sustainability has become an important issue in transportation and infrastructure development projects. While several agencies are trying to incorporate a range of sustainability measures in their goals and missions, only a few planning agencies have been able to implement these policies and they are far from perfect. The low rate of success in implementing sustainable policies is primarily due to incomplete understanding of the system and the interaction between various elements of the system. The conventional planning efforts focuses mainly on performance measures pertaining to the system and its impact on the environment but seldom on the social and economic …

The Effects Of Personal Protective Respirators On Human Motor, Visual, And Cognitive Skills, Anas Ahmed Alghamri

Doctoral Dissertations

"In oxygen-deficient or toxic environments in which controlling the hazard is not feasible, workers wear personal protective respirators. Hazard controls include but are not limited to engineering controls, such as ventilation, and substituting less hazardous materials. However, respirator selection and the design of tasks that require respirators are critical issues. Understanding the effects of respirators on human abilities is critical to respirator selection and therefore to the safety and efficiency of workers. This research investigated the effect of respirators on human abilities. A review of the relevant literature was conducted, revealing that respirators can affect physiological, psychological, motor, and visual …

A Socio-Technical Analysis Of Widespread Electric Vehicle Adoption, Onanwa Nneka Egbue

Doctoral Dissertations

A combination of high fuel costs, concerns about petroleum availability, and environmental issues associated with conventional vehicles powered by fossil fuels are driving interests in electric vehicles (EVs). Large-scale deployment of EVs can play a significant role in addressing some of these problems. In spite of the benefits of EVs, several obstacles need to be overcome before EVs will be widely adopted. This research focuses on two socio-technical issues that affect widespread adoption and sustainability of EVs, consumer attitudes and perceptions, and supply chain risks of raw materials for EV battery technology. A major barrier is that consumers tend to …

A Feasibility Analysis Of Retrofitting Existing Roadway Lighting Infrastructure With Led Technology, Sean Michael Schmidt

Masters Theses

LED technology has advanced towards use in high intensity lighting purposes. LED luminaires have a significantly longer expected lifetime than traditional high-intensity discharge lighting systems. Due to these recent improvements in LED technology, there is a growing need for a comprehensive method to analyze the applicability of LED luminaires for use on major routes and roadways. This research investigates the acceptability of LED luminaires for use on major roadways through a feasibility analysis using data collected at various LED street light testing sites. Nine distinct LED luminaires were analyzed in field testing. The field data was then analyzed and compared …

Parametric Moment Closure For Non-Linear State Dependent Stochastic Systems, Ritesh Arora

Masters Theses

"This research highlights the use of moment closure approximation techniques to provide analytical approximations to nonlinear state dependent systems. Nonlinear systems are often difficult to solve and often approximated through the use of simulation. However, Moment Closure has the capability to derive an approximate solution by making a closed form solution out of open set of differential equations representing nonlinear system behavior in both transient and equilibrium state. It is this capability of approximating the closed form solution to complex systems that draws interest in the use of this method within systems engineering. This research further extends to the stability …