Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

The Threshold Value Of A Quality Index For Formation Of Cellular Manufacturing Systems, Hamid Seifoddini, Manocher Djassemi

Industrial Technology and Packaging

The superiority of cellular manufacturing to job shop manufacturing has been questioned by a number of simulation studies. The initial structure of the machine-part matrix seems to play an important role in the failure of cellular manufacturing systems in these studies. In this paper a grouping measure called 'quality index - QI' will be used to evaluate the relationship between the quality of a machine-part matrix and the performance of the corresponding cellular manufacturing system. A simulation study will be conducted to demonstrate how the procedure can be used to determine the threshold value for QI beyond which the cellular …

Acuta Enews December 1996, Vol. 25, No. 12

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Fifth Annual Institutional Excellence Awards Competition

ACUTA News will have a new look

Welcome New Members

President's Message

Emergency Phone Provide Security

DC at a Glance

Fiber Optic Video Systems for Campus Networking

Campus News Briefs

Industry Insights

From ACUTA Headquarters

Synergistic Decision-Making Systems: Using Models Of Decision-Making Behaviors And Resources To Design Better Decision-Making System, Ronald R. Carter

Masters Theses

Despite advances in decision-making systems, many practical issues remain unaddressed and much of the computer's potential for supporting decisions is unrealized. The existing systems are often limited to specific decision-making activities or domains, and they force the decision-maker to adopt a closed and inflexible way of doing things. What is needed is a new approach to building decision-making systems, one that is not focused on how decisions should be made, but on the behaviors and resources involved in decision-making and how they affect the results. This paper explores such an approach. It examines how models of decision-making behaviors and resources …

Determining The Optimum Strategy Of Techniques From The Municipal Solid Waste Management Hierarchy To Maximize Social Value, Camille M. Still

Theses and Dissertations

Environmental managers must make difficult decisions regarding how to manage solid waste generation and disposal. The primary waste management alternatives are source reduction, recycling, composting, incineration, and landfilling often, waste management policies are based entirely on technical considerations and ignore that actual disposal practices depend on individuals' attitudes and behaviors. This research formulated a decision analysis model that incorporates social value measures to determine the waste management strategy that maximizes the individuals' willingness to participate. The social values that are important and that were considered in the decision support model to assist with making decisions about solid waste management were …

Digital Rosetta Stone: A Conceptual Model For Maintaining Long-Term Access To Digital Documents, Steven B. Robertson

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the rapid evolution of technology, future digital systems may not be able to read and/or interpret the digital recordings made by older systems, even if those recordings are still in good condition. This thesis addresses the problem of maintaining long-term access to digital documents and provides a methodology for overcoming access difficulties due to technological obsolescence. A review was conducted to determine the long-term access methods that have already been suggested by other researchers. These previously suggested methods are then combined with other ideas that were encountered and conceived while performing research for this project. The combination of …

Independent Verification And Validation Of The Hazardous Material Cost Trade-Off Analysis Tool Developed By The Human Systems Center At Brooks Air Force Base, Thomas S. Choi

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force realizes that the life cycle cost (LCC) associated with hazardous materials is a significant cost in the acquisition of major weapon systems. In trying to mitigate the growth of environmental LCC for future weapon systems, the Air Force has developed a tool called the Hazardous Material Cost Trade-off Analysis Tool (HAZMAT CTAT). The HAZMAT CTAT estimates the LCC for weapon system hazardous materials, so that intelligent decisions can be made in the early stages of the acquisition process. The problem with implementing this program into the acquisition process is that an independent computer model evaluation has never …

A Decision Support Model For Municipal Solid Waste Recycling At United States Air Force Installations, Gergory A. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force requires each installation to operate a municipal solid waste recycling program. Two inherently conflicting objectives, waste material diversion and financial result, have been established for the program. Reducing landfill disposal is the primary objective, but the incentive for profit is strong because each installation can retain profits from the program. Installations can be divided into two distinct areas, commercial and residential, based on the waste stream composition and funding. Structuring of the recycling program is often done in an ad-hoc manner. A decision support model was developed to evaluate four methods for each area. The …

Arts, Computers And Artificial Intelligence, Sol Neeman Ph.D.

Engineering Studies Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Science and art seem to belong to different cultures. Science and technology, mainly the products of the intellect, use terminology and vocabulary that are concise and well defined. In contrast, in artistic expression, ambiguity is a powerful component. Still the relationship between these two different categories of human activity is interesting and fascinating. In this paper, a general comparison of these two disciplines will be introduced. Then the possibility of mechanical creation of art using computers and artificial intelligence will be discussed. This will be followed by two techniques which are used to create poetry and music. First, a statistical …

Preparing The Leaders For Mechatronics Education, Sema E. Alptekin

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Mechatronics is the synergetic combination of precision mechanical engineering, electronic control and systems thinking in the design of products and processes. There is a need to develop interdisciplinary programs in Mechatronics that better prepare our graduates to design, build, and operate the products and systems of today and tomorrow. To address this need, National Science Foundation funded a project entitled "Preparing the Leaders for Mechatronics Education" undertaken by Cal Poly in 1995 - 1996. In this paper, the activities that took place during this two-year program is outlined. Several courses and course modules have already been developed and implemented by …

Acuta Enews November 1996, Vol. 25, No. 11

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Univ. of Idaho: Homepage Sweet Homepage

Institutional Excellence Award

Committee Member Approved

More Angles for 809 Fraud

Welcome New Members

President's Message

The '90s: New Challenges for Telecom

DC at a Glance

Campus News Briefs

Industry Insights

Sensitivity Analysis In Cellular Manufacturing System In The Case Of Product Mix Variation, Hamid Seifoddini, Manocher Djassemi

Industrial Technology and Packaging

In this paper, performance measures such as mean flow time and work-in-process inventories will be used to determine the changes in the performance of a cellular manufacturing system due to product mix variations.

Numeric Keyboard Layouts: An Ergonomic Approach, Tricia S. Lowe

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This study investigated the most effective method of numeric data entry, by means of a numeric keypad. The methods of numeric data entry were (a) two keypads with different numerical configurations, (b) two keypads with identical numerical configurations, and (c) one keypad with only a single numerical configuration. The two configurations utilized were the telephone and the calculator. An experimental design, with focus on the post-test only control group, was utilized. Sixty randomly selected students from the population attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University were assigned to five experimental groups.

The results indicated no significant differences: (a) for the number of errors …

Acuta Enews October 1996, Vol. 25, No. 10

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In This Issue

President's Message

FlexSourcing

Desk Top Video

Overheard on the Listserve

From ACUTA Headquarters

Improving The Performance Of Cellular Manufacturing By A Dynamic Part Assignment Approach, Hamid Seifoddini, Manocher Djassemi

Industrial Technology and Packaging

In this paper, a simple dynamic part assignment (DPA) procedure is introduced and its effects on the performance of cellular manufacturing systems is evaluated. In this procedure rerouting of parts among machine cells is allowed for better machine utilization. Three data sets are used to compare the performance of manufacturing systems under job shop and cellular manufacturing when DPA is employed. The results of simulation runs indicate that the proposed DPA method improves the performance of cellular manufacturing significantly by reducing the congestion in machine cells with long waiting lines.

Acuta Enews September 1996, Vol. 25, No. 9

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

From the President

New Legislation

User Group Reports

Changes Come to Campus Directories

From ACUTA Headquarters

Acuta Enews August 1996, Vol. 25, No. 8

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Silver Anniversary Celebration 25 Years of Excellence

President's Message

Chicago Presentations Inspire, Inform, and Entertain

Executive Director

DC at a Glance

Record Number of Exhibitors in Chicago

From ACUTA Headquarters

A Comparison Of Traffic Models: Part 1, Framework, Hong Lo, Wei-Hua Lin, Lawrence Liao, Elbert Chang, Jacob Tsao

Faculty Publications

This report defines a framework for comparing dynamic traffic models. It emphasizes four dimensions: functionality, traffic dynamics, route choice dy namics, and overall network performance. The first dimension compares the models through a check-list of model functions. Regarding the last three comparison dimensions, a total of five networks and twelve scenarios are defined. These test scenarios are designed to accentuate model properties and differences. Also included in the report are a list of performance measures for comparison purpose, and a discussion of the interpretation of results.

Dynamic Traffic Assignment For Automated Highway Systems: A Two-Lane Highway With Speed Constancy, H.-S. Jacob Tsao

Faculty Publications

Dynamic traffic assignment through analytical modeling and optimization has been widely accepted by the IVHS R&D community as a promising traffic control tool for understanding and relieving traffic congestion on conventional highways and city streets. Due to the completely controlled nature of AHS traffic, dynamic assignment of AHS traffic is even more promising. One added dimension of complexity associated with AHS dynamic traffic assignment is lane assignment. Lane changes, for fully utilizing AHS capacity or for exiting, incur disturbances to and hence reduction of longitudinal flow. Intelligent lane assignment is necessary to ensure a high rate of successful exiting, to …

Applications Of Artificial Neural Networks In Interactive Simulation, Payman Jula

Masters Theses

Although there have been many improvements in simulation technology over the past few years, it still suffers from many limitations. Simulation methods are usually time consuming and hence not suitable for the interactive decision making processes.

In this project, applications of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to simulate manufacturing systems have been studied. The backpropagation Multiple Layer Perceptrons (MLPs) have been applied to simulate manufacturing systems. Some guidelines for developing appropriate ANNs have been presented. The results of ANN approach have been compared to those of conventional simulation methods.

Acuta Enews July 1996, Vol. 25, No. 7

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

New Board of Directors Prepares for 1996-97

ACUTA Announces Quarterly Journal

President's Message

Do You Tax Student Long Distance Bills?

DC at a Glance

University of Washington Fills Service Niche with T1 Channel Banks

How to Subscribe to ACUTA Listserves

Everyone Wants Voice Mail

Campus New Briefs

Welcome New Members

Industry Insights

Exploring Knowledge Processes For Technology Assimilation, Rochelle K. Young

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In the emerging knowledge society, the ability to make the experience and expertise of those involved in and affected by new technology unconditionally available to all members of an organization is becoming increasingly important. One of the problems in developing such knowledge processes for technology assimilation is that current social structures do not easily accommodate unconditional participation. Since the implementation of modern information technology is changing the workplace and the nature of work itself, alternative social structures are needed. This research takes as given that deep questions concerning knowledge processes and social transformation are in principle undecidable; and, only questions …

An Artificial Life Model Of Engineering Attrition Contemplation: Why Do Federally Employed Civilian Engineers Think Of Quitting?, John William Herweg

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The research objective is, using engineer turnover, to develop an Artificial Life (A-Life) model and simulation methodology useful for studying behavioral variables of individuals in an organization.

One consequence of work stress is burnout, and its extreme expression is quitting or turnover. Various models have been used to explain and predict this behavior. Behavior models are useful tools to explore the ability of organizational policies to reduce stress levels and turnover. Advancing the usefulness of models is a goal which assists all research on human behavior. A-Life offers a new and different methodology for this purpose. It provides an ability …

The Noaa Corps A Participant Action Research Of A Uniformed Service Facing Termination, Richard Eugene Marriner Ii

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The NOAA Corps is a uniformed service of the Federal Government. It is composed of officers commissioned by the President of the United States as are the officers of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, and Public Health Service. "NOAA" is the acronym for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce.

On January 24, 1996 the Clinton administration formally proposed that the NOAA Corps be terminated on October 1, 1996. If this were to become reality it would be the first time in U.S. History that a uniformed service has been …

Reaction Based Grasp Force Assignment, Mark W. Hunter

Theses and Dissertations

An iterative method is developed by which the contact forces required to apply an arbitrary wrench (six elements of force and moment) to a stably grasped object may be calculated quickly. The assignment of contact forces, given a required object wrench, is accomplished with the use of fuzzy logic. This concept is referred to as the fuzzy logic reactive system (FLRS). The solution is versatile with respect to goals inherent in the rulebase and the input parameters, and is also applicable for an arbitrary number of contacts. The goal presented in this research, to illustrate the concept of the FLRS, …

Applying Informal Cooperative Learning Groups Techniques In The Classroom, Susan L. Murray

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The application of informal cooperative learning (CL) groups techniques in the courses including operation research, and computer simulation, is discussed. The informal CL activities can be accomplished in small groups consisting of two or three students. It increases student participation and revitalizing passive lecturers. Students work example problems or homework problems in groups.

Acuta Enews June 1996, Vol. 25, No. 6

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In This Issue

From the President

Virtual LAN at Univ. of Mississippi

DC at a Glance

Internet Phone

From ACUTA Headquarters

A New Grouping Measure For Evaluation Of Machine-Component Matrices, Hamid Seifoddini, Manocher Djassemi

Industrial Technology and Packaging

The machine-component matrix is the main input to most machine-component grouping models used in cellular manufacturing. A number of measures have been developed for performance evaluation of machine-component grouping algorithms. In this paper, the relationship between these measures and the performance of the corresponding cellular manufacturing system is evaluated and a new grouping measure is developed which is more consistent in predicting the suitability of a manufacturing system for cellular manufacturing.

Acuta Enews May 1996, Vol. 25, No. 5

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From the President

DC at a Glance

Letter to FCC

High-Tech Crime

From ACUTA Headquarters

Developing An Expert System For Processing Planning, Mahmoud M Abdel Wahab

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of An Integrated Cost And Schedule Control System In The Egyptian Construction Industry, Nahla Mofid El-Ebiary

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.