Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Leadership In Student Distance Education Teams, Leroy Cox, Susan L. Murray, David Spurlock

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Interactive video technology has become a widely used medium for education. A prominent implementation of this technology, interactive distance learning, involves groups of students at local and remote sites connected by audio and video teleconferencing. This approach has made the task of delivering vital undergraduate and graduate engineering courses to distributed audiences much easier. As this approach has permeated more curricula, distance education instructors have increasingly assigned projects that require distance learners to work together as an element of the final course grade. This trend presents an interesting opportunity for researchers to understand the nature of interactions among course participants …

Velocity Distribution Of Helium And Neon Atoms Released From Graphite And Tungsten Limiters In Textor, P. Lindner, M. Brix, Ph Mertens, A. Pospieszczyk, U. Samm, B. Schweer, B. Unterberg

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The release mechanisms of noble gases from plasma-facing components were observed spectroscopically in the TEXTOR plasma boundary by determining the velocity distribution from Doppler broadening. For the first time, three different mechanisms for helium and neon release from graphite and tungsten limiters could be distinguished quantitatively in a tokamak: thermal desorption, ion-induced desorption and particle reflection. Under the assumption that the thermal desorption follows a Maxwellian velocity distribution, the ion-induced desorption can be expressed by a Thompson velocity distribution. Calculating the particle reflection by the Monte-Carlo code TRIM, these processes could be separated in the measured velocity distribution. © 2005 …

Patterns In Team Communication During A Simulation Game, David M. Baca, Ray Luechtefeld, Steve Eugene Watkins

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The development of communication skills is a necessary preparation for effective engineering teamwork. Argyris' "Theory of Action" provides a framework for understanding patterns in team dialogue. Students can benefit from an awareness of these patterns. The theory highlights the detection and correction of errors by sharing information during group collaboration and interactions. Quality decision-making can be enhanced when members of a team develop high degrees of openness and interdependence. Quality decision-making can be diminished when members of a team regulate the information shared within the team. This work analyzes team interactions from simulation games used in an interdisciplinary engineering course …

Heuristics And Genetic Algorithms, Michael D. Mobley, Cihan H. Dagli, David Enke

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Genetic algorithms are design tools used in generating optimal solutions. While they can often be shown to outperform various heuristic methods and hybrid approaches, using a combination of evolutionary algorithms and heuristic approaches can generate an optimal solution more quickly than either of the two methods independently. Our purpose is to provide an overview of genetic algorithms, to discuss the types of problems that lend themselves to being solved by genetic algorithms, and to identify heuristics that have been shown to aid genetic algorithms in their quest for optimal solutions. While the sample problems discussed in this paper are generally …

Neural Network-Based Output Feedback Controller For Lean Operation Of Spark Ignition Engines, Brian C. Kaul, Jagannathan Sarangapani, J. A. Drallmeier, Jonathan B. Vance, Pingan He

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Spark ignition (SI) engines running at very lean conditions demonstrate significant nonlinear behavior by exhibiting cycle-to-cycle dispersion of heat release even though such operation can significantly reduce NOx emissions and improve fuel efficiency by as much as 5-10%. A suite of neural network (NN) controller without and with reinforcement learning employing output feedback has shown ability to reduce the nonlinear cyclic dispersion observed under lean operating conditions. The neural network controllers consists of three NN: a) A NN observer to estimate the states of the engine such as total fuel and air; b) a second NN for generating virtual input; …

Modeling Net-Centric System Of Systems Using The Dystems Modeling Language Sysml, Rao Madwaraj, Sreeram Ramakrishnan, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Understanding the operations of a large 'net-centric system-of-systems requires in-depth knowledge of the interfaces among the various systems, sub-systems and components. Architectural modeling can help in reducing the complexity involved in designing such large networked systems. An example of such a complex system is the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) - a system for monitoring and collecting information related to Earth's resources. This paper demonstrates the use of Systems Modeling Language (SysML), which supports specification, analysis, design, verification and validation of a broad range of complex systems, to model some aspects of the GEOSS. The paper discusses issues …

Forecasting Using The Mahalanobis-Taguchi System In The Presence Of Collinearity, Elizabeth A. Cudney, Kenneth M. Ragsdell

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Mahalanobis Taguchi System is a diagnosis and forecasting method for multivariate data. Mahalanobis distance is a measure based on correlations between the variables and different patterns that can be identified and analyzed with respect to a base or reference group. the issue of multicollinearity is not adequately addressed in the MTS method. in cases where strong relationships exist between variables, the correlation matrix becomes almost singular, and the inverse matrix is not accurate. Multicollinearity can be handled by utilizing the adjoint matrix of the correlation matrix and Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization. This paper presents a case study of the MTS methodology …

A Simulation Framework For Real-Time Management And Control Of Inventory Routing Decisions, Shrikant Jarugumilli, Sreeram Ramakrishnan, Scott Erwin Grasman

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We consider a logistics network where a single warehouse distributes a single item to multiple retailers. Retailers in the network participate in a Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) program with the warehouse, where the warehouse is responsible for tracking and replenishing the inventory at various retailer locations. The information update occurs every time a vehicle reaches a location and the decision on the delivery quantity and the next location to visit is made. For a small increase of locations in the network, the state space for the solution increases exponentially, making this problem NP-hard. Thus, we propose a solution methodology where …

A Methodology For Deriving System Requirements Using Agent Based System Modeling, Karthik Gopalakrishnan, Sreeram Ramakrishnan, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, we duscuss a method to derive the requirements for developing an Industrial Automation and Constrol System (IACS). An IACS has software components and associated hardware, which together implement the required monitoring, supervision and control of operations an a production plant. The requirements of such a system are multi-dimensional and may require multiple layers of abstraction. For this domain, we propose an agent-based modeling adopting an agent-based modeling approach is the implicit flexibility afforded by agents and the negotiation techniques that can be implemented to streamline the change management process associated with requirements modeling and analysis. This paper …

Unifying Value Methodology And Robust Design To Achieve Design For Six Sigma, Vivek K. Jikar, Elizabeth A. Cudney, Kenneth M. Ragsdell, Chuck T. Hui

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The concept of product or system function is considered as described in the Taguchi System of Quality Engineering. the importance of transfer functions is also discussed, and a review of conventional value analysis techniques is given. This paper proposes a combination of the principles of robust design and value methodology to enable on-target functionality and direct cost allocation early in the product development process. the discussion on integration of value analysis principles in robust design methodology is provided considering the six-sigma environment. Copyright © 2006 SAE International.

Adaptive And Probabilistic Power Control Algorithms For Dense Rfid Reader Network, Kainan Cha, Anil Ramachandran, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In radio frequency identification (RFID) systems, the detection range and read rates may suffer from interferences between high power devices such as readers. In dense networks, this problem grows severely and degrades system performance. In this paper, we investigate feasible power control schemes to ensure overall coverage area of the system while maintaining a desired data rate. The power control should dynamically adjust the output power of a RFID reader by adapting to the noise level seen during tag reading and acceptable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We present a novel distributed adaptive power control (DAPC) and probabilistic power control (PPC) as …

Neuro Control Of Nonlinear Discrete Time Systems With Deadzone And Input Constraints, Pingan He, Wenzhi Gao, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A neural network (NN) controller in discrete time is designed to deliver a desired tracking performance for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems with unknown deadzones and magnitude constraints on the input. The NN controller consists of two NNs: the first NN for compensating the unknown deadzones; and the second NN for compensating the uncertain nonlinear system dynamics. The magnitude constraints on the input are modeled as saturation nonlinearities and they are dealt with in the Lyapunov-based controller design. The uniformly ultimate boundedness (UUB) of the closed-loop tracking errors and the neural network weights estimation errors is demonstrated via Lyapunov …

Decentralized Power Control With Implementation For Rfid Networks, Kainan Cha, Anil Ramachandran, David Pommerenke, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In radio frequency identification (RFID) systems, the detection range and read rates will suffer from interference among high power reading devices. This problem grows severely and degrades system performance in dense RFID networks. In this paper, we investigate a suite of feasible power control schemes to ensure overall coverage area of the system while maintaining a desired read rate. The power control scheme and MAC protocol dynamically adjusts the RFID reader power output in response to the interference level seen locally during tag reading for an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We present novel distributed adaptive power control (DAPC) and probabilistic …

Development And Implementation Of Optimized Energy-Delay Sub-Network Routing Protocol For Wireless Sensor Networks, Maciej Jan Zawodniok, Jagannathan Sarangapani, Steve Eugene Watkins, James W. Fonda

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The development and implementation of the optimized energy-delay sub-network routing (OEDSR) protocol for wireless sensor networks (WSN) is presented. This ondemand routing protocol minimizes a novel link cost factor which is defined using available energy, end-to-end (E2E) delay and distance from a node to the base station (BS), along with clustering, to effectively route information to the BS. Initially, the nodes are either in idle or sleep mode, but once an event is detected, the nodes near the event become active and start forming sub-networks. Formation of the inactive network into a sub-network saves energy because only a portion of …

Distributed Power Control For Cellular Networks In The Presence Of Channel Uncertainties, Maciej Jan Zawodniok, Q. Shang, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, a novel distributed power control (DPC) scheme for cellular network in the presence of radio channel uncertainties such as path loss, shadowing, and Rayleigh fading is presented. Since these uncertainties can attenuate the received signal strength and can cause variations in the received Signal-to-Interference ratio (SIR), a new DPC scheme, which can estimate the slowly varying channel uncertainty, is proposed so that a target SIR at the receiver can be maintained. Further, the standard assumption of a constant interference during a link's power update used in other works in the literature is relaxed. A CDMA-based cellular network …

Adaptive Distributed Fair Scheduling And Its Implementation In Wireless Sensor Networks, Maciej Jan Zawodniok, Jagannathan Sarangapani, Steve Eugene Watkins, James W. Fonda

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel adaptive and distributed fair scheduling (ADFS) scheme for wireless sensor networks is shown through hardware implementation. In contrast to simulation, hardware evaluation provides valuable feedback to protocol and hardware development process. The proposed protocol focuses on quality-of-service (QoS) issues to address flow prioritization. Thus, when nodes access a shared channel, the proposed ADFS allocates the channel bandwidth proportionally to the weight, or priority, of the packet flows. Moreover, ADFS allows for dynamic allocation of network resources with little added overhead. Weights are initially assigned using user specified QoS criteria. These weights are subsequently updated as a function of …

Applying The Mahalanobis-Taguchi System To Vehicle Handling, Kioumars Paryani, Elizabeth A. Cudney, K. M. Ragsdell

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Mahalanobis-Taguchi system (MTS) is a diagnosis and forecasting method using multivariate data. Mahalanobis distance (MD) is a measure based on correlations between the variables and patterns that can be identified and analyzed with respect to a base or reference group. The MTS is of interest because of its reported accuracy in forecasting using small, correlated data sets. This is the type of data that is encountered with consumer vehicle ratings. MTS enables a reduction in dimensionality and the ability to develop a scale based on MD values. MTS identifies a set of useful variables from the complete data set …

Evaluation Of The Effect Of Vehicle Performance On Consumer Satisfaction, Elizabeth A. Cudney

Doctoral Dissertations

"Value is the relationship of functionality or benefit to the cost of a product or service. Consumers appear to seek value, but not all consumers are alike in their needs and wants. Common characteristics that consumers desire in automobiles include a high level of value relative to the product's cost. Consumers measure vehicle performance in terms of twenty-three attributes such as roominess, ride, reliability, handling, brake pedal feel, visibility, interior noise, acceleration, etc. Problems arise when automakers try to translate these characteristics into vehicle performance specifications and capabilities.

Quality is an essential element for both the consumer and producer since …

Harmony Search For Structural Design, Zong Woo Geem, Kang Seok Lee, Chung-Li Tseng

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Various algorithms have been developed and applied to structural optimization, in which cross-sectional areas of structure members are assumed to be continuous. in most cases of practical structure designs, however, decision variables (cross-sectional areas) are discrete. This paper proposes a combinatorial optimization model for structural design using a new nature-inspired algorithm, harmony search (HS). HS is also compared to genetic algorithms through a standard truss example. Numerical results reveal that the proposed HS is a powerful search algorithm for combinatorial structure optimization.

Distributed Simulation Modeling For Manufacturing Systems Design Using Xml, Rawinkhan Srinon, Sreeram Ramakrishnan

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Discrete event simulations have been used to model manufacturing systems. Various decomposition methods such as distributed simulations have been employed for this modeling. in the context of distributed simulations, each federate must be able to share the embedded logic with the other federates, irrespective of the software used to design and build such systems. This paper provides an extensible Markup Language (XML)-Based representation for distributed models that can be shared across the federation of simulations. Specifically, the paper outlines three different model components that forms the basis of a design framework for distributed simulation models - object model (for simulation …

Increasing Student Commitment To Class Preparation, Susan L. Murray

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Most of us know the rule-of-thumb that students should spend a certain number of hours outside of class studying for every hour in class. Unfortunately, students often develop the view that it is more efficient to come to class and have the instructor cover the material and then only study material that was emphasized or unclear. As faculty members this results in the dilemma of either assuming the students are not prepared and lecturing over basic material or trying to require the students to prepare. Some use readiness quizzes covering the required readings. Some try to intimidate, calling on students …

A Matter Of Priorities: Effects Of Increased Opportunities For Extracurricular And Non-Traditional Learning Experiences On Student Time Management And Attitudes, David Spurlock, Daniel J. Bailey, Susan L. Murray, Andrew S. Ricke

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Many schools are emphasizing non-traditional and extracurricular learning experiences for undergraduate engineering students. These include activities such as incorporating servicelearning projects into the classroom, involving students in design competitions (e.g., solar car, formula car races), and promoting involvement in traditional campus organizations. Often this emphasis is in response to changes in ABET requirements, desires of future employers, and needs to improve student retention. What are the effects of emphasizing these sorts of activities on student attitudes and time management decisions? We examine the influences on students' priorities for allocating their time and their perceptions of the relative importance of available …

Work In Progress - Automated Discourse Interventions And Student Teaming, Ray Luechtefeld, Steve Eugene Watkins, Ralph E. Flori

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The ability to successfully work in teams is a crucial part of an engineer's workplace success. Engineering education can be improved through a better understanding of how effective teamwork develops. A (patent pending) software tool that "listens" to team conversations and generates automatic interventions into team discourse can effectively mimic the actions of a skilled facilitator. Automated facilitation tools may help students improve their team skills by providing a simplified model for conversational interventions, which students can readily imitate. This paper describes this tool and presents preliminary findings from student reactions to the tool's use.

Reinforcement Learning-Based Output Feedback Control Of Nonlinear Systems With Input Constraints, Pingan He, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel neural network (NN) -based output feedback controller with magnitude constraints is designed to deliver a desired tracking performance for a class of multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) discrete-time strict feedback nonlinear systems. Reinforcement learning in discrete time is proposed for the output feedback controller, which uses three NN: 1) a NN observer to estimate the system states with the input-output data; 2) a critic NN to approximate certain strategic utility function; and 3) an action NN to minimize both the strategic utility function and the unknown dynamics estimation errors. The magnitude constraints are manifested as saturation nonlinearities in the output feedback …

Taxonomy Of Systems-Of-Systems, James Gideon, Cihan H. Dagli, Ann K. Miller

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The study of systems-of-systems is an increasingly important topic in systems engineering. Though there is not complete agreement, a more precise definition of what these highly evolved systems are and what attributes they possess has certainly emerged. However, there are still areas in the study where the topic can be advanced by a more rigorous presentation of the basic elements. One such area is the taxonomy of systems-ofsystems. This paper will begin with the definition of systems-of-systems as it currently stands and will present the taxonomy from a broader view with additional considerations for classification. These taxonomic categories will consider …

A Generic, Adaptive Systems Engineering Information Model I, Ann K. Miller, Joseph J. Simpson, Scott Erwin Grasman, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes a new network centric architecture that can be used by first responders to effectively respond to crisis situations. The powerful network-centric concept originally developed for and mainly used in the military environment, can be effectively used for civilian security and emergency response missions. This paper also proposes the use of a swarm of intelligent robots as a part of the network-centric architecture to aid the first responders. The swarm of robots works in tandem with the first responders and provides them with the necessary information on a real time basis. The proposed network centric architecture with a …

An Sds Modeling Approach For Simulation-Based Control, Sreeram Ramakrishnan, Kumar Mayur Thakur

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We initiate a study of mathematical models for specifying (discrete) simulation-based control systems. It is desirable to specify simulation-based control systems using a model that is intuitive, succinct, expressive, and whose state space properties are relatively easy computationally. We compare automata-based models for specifying control systems and find that all systems that are currently used (such as finite state machines, communicating hierarchical finite state machines (FSM), communicating finite state machines, and Turing machines) lack at least one of the abovementioned features. We propose using sequential dynamical systems (SDS) - a formalism for representing discrete simulations - to specify simulation-based control …

Network-Centric First Responder Architecture With Swarming Robots Entity, Lakshmanan Meyyappan, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes a new network centric architecture that can be used by first responders to effectively respond to crisis situations. The powerful network-centric concept originally developed for and mainly used in the military environment, can be effectively used for civilian security and emergency response missions. This paper also proposes the use of a swarm of intelligent robots as a part of the network-centric architecture to aid the first responders. The swarm of robots works in tandem with the first responders and provides them with the necessary information on a real time basis. The proposed network centric architecture with a …

Design Stability, K. M. Ragsdell

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is a quality management strategy, which shows promise for manufacturing organizations, which seek to rapidly develop and market high-quality, low-cost products for hyper-competitive markets. This paper introduces and discusses the concept of design stability, and its relationship to reliability, durability and warranty cost. the use of this concept at very early stages of product development, even before knowledge of customer preferences, is discussed. the use of the design stability concept as a part of DFSS is suggested as an effective supply chain management strategy. Copyright © 2005 SAE International.

Special Session - Team Training To Promote Constructive (Not Destructive) Conflict, Ray Luechtefeld, Steve Eugene Watkins

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Advancing technology increases the need for engineering students to perform effectively on multidisciplinary teams. While conflict is a normal, and even necessary, component of team dynamics, if not managed effectively it can lead to destructive (rather than constructive) outcomes. An Action Science approach to group and individual effectiveness can help teams handle conflict constructively. This session uses a "Teach the Teacher" approach to give participants a basic understanding of skills underlying the approach. It provides practice in Action Science through a set of learning modules. These skills can be brought back and integrated into the participants' courses to provide student …