Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Influence Of Personality Type And Anonymity On Participation In A Group Support System, Robert E. Hartmann

Theses and Dissertations

A group support system (GSS) uses a combination of networked personal computers, software that collects, manipulates, and aggregates member's individual input, and human facilitation to improve the group decision-making process. A GSS has been promoted as a means of improving the quantity and quality of ideas within a decision-making meeting. Research into GSS has focused on the benefits of providing anonymity to improve participation. Anonymity in a GSS meeting has been offered as a means to improve participation, which in turn improves decision quality. To date this has not been proven through research. In fact, there is conflicting evidence as …

A Delphi Assessment Of The Digital Rosetta Stone Model, Don M. Kelley

Theses and Dissertations

Information that is stored digitally can only be used if it can be retrieved and interpreted. if the methods to retrieve the information are lost, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to recreate them. The knowledge to interpret the bitstream is also at risk. The Digital Rosetta Stone (DRS) Model was developed as a framework for capturing and maintaining the methods necessary to retrieve and display digital information stored on obsolete media or using obsolete software. However, this conceptual model had not yet been assessed by the community of professionals for its practical efficacy. This thesis began the assessment …

Malicious Hackers: A Framework For Analysis And Case Study, Laura J. Kleen

Theses and Dissertations

Recent years have seen an increase in the number and severity of Information Operations (IO) attacks upon DoD resources. At a higher level, the US as a whole has come under cyber attack by individuals and groups seeking thrills, monetary gain, publicity for their causes, and myriad other goals. This effort develops a first cut model of individual hacker mentality that can be utilized to improve threat assessment, mitigate Information Assurance (IA) vulnerabilities, and improve risk assessment. Further, it is a first step toward automated characterization of Information Warfare (IW) attacks based upon hacker types. All hackers are not the …

A Methodology For Simulating The Joint Strike Fighter's Prognostics And Health Management System, Michael E. Malley

Theses and Dissertations

The Autonomic Logistics System Simulation (ALSim) model was developed to provide decision makers a tool to make informed decisions regarding the Joint Strike Fighter's (JSF) Autonomic Logistics System (ALS). The ALS provides real-time maintenance information to ground maintenance crews, supply depots, and air planners to efficiently manage the availability of JSF aircraft. This thesis effort focuses on developing a methodology to model the Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) component of ALS. The PHM component of JSF monitors the aircraft status. To develop a PHM methodology to use in ALSim a neural network approach is used. Notional JSF prognostic signals were …

Forecasting Readiness: Using Regression To Predict The Mission Capability Of Air Force F-16 Fighter Aircraft, Steven A. Oliver

Theses and Dissertations

According to many, the readiness of America's forces deteriorated in the 1990s. In the Air Force, the combat readiness of its fighter aircraft has declined. One of its indicators of combat readiness, the mission capable rate, is used to identify the percentage of aircraft unable to perform their missions. From FY94-FY98, the aggregate total not mission capable rate for maintenance steadily increased from 14% to 18.2% while total not mission capable rate for supply increased from 5.5% to 17.5% between FY86 and FY00. The USAF uses the funding/Availability Multi-Method Allocator for Spares model to forecast these rates for its aircraft. …

Identification Of Critical Roles Of Program Managers And Contracting Officers, Daniel R. Shingledecker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify current disagreement among acquisition professionals in regards to their role and authority; and to identify benefits and risks associated with combining program management and contracting officer roles into a single position. The research questions were answered through a literature review and use of the Delphi technique. The literature review indicated that the DoD has been operating with multiple conflicting perceptions of authority among its key acquisition professionals. The literature also identified the need for complex organizations, such as DoD acquisition offices, to pair high levels of responsibility with equally high levels of …

A Verification And Validation Assessment Of Rapid Availability Prototyping For Testing Operational Readiness, Gurhan Tarman

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the world, new techniques are developed to test and evaluate systems. The Department of Defense and the US Air Force conduct numerous studies into the reliability and maintainability of current and future weapons systems in an effort to understand the reliability, maintainability, and availability (RM&A) costs of these systems. Furthermore, they must verify RM&A characteristics of systems, which are still in the development phase. The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) is responsible for testing new equipment to ensure their RM&A characteristics meet specifications. Rapid Availability Prototyping for Testing Operational Readiness (RAPTOR) is the software tool developed …

Minimum Distance Estimation For Time Series Analysis With Little Data, Hakan Tekin

Theses and Dissertations

Minimum distance estimate is a statistical parameter estimate technique that selects model parameters that minimize a good-of-fit statistic. Minimum distance estimation has been demonstrated better standard approaches, including maximum likelihood estimators and least squares, in estimating statistical distribution parameters with very small data sets. This research applies minimum distance estimation to the task of making time series predictions with very few historical observations. In a Monte Carlo analysis, we test a variety of distance measures and report the results based on many different criteria. Our analysis tests the robustness of the approach by testing its ability to make predictions when …

Gss Technology As A Moderator Of Influence And Perceived Expertise, Kevin V. Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Group Support System (355) research has found this content and process anonymity influence problem solving groups. However, previous studies report mixed results on how OSS technology changes social influence processes and recognition of expertise which affect group performance. This thesis explored content and process anonymity's affect on influence and perceived expertise using three treatments to derive possible explanations for the mixed results found in previous GSS research. The study developed a theoretical model of influence, perceived expertise, and performance. Using structural equation modeling the study tested the relationships between expertise and participation rates, and overall group performance. An experiment was …

A Reactive Tabu Search Metaheuristic Extension Of The Air Refueling Tanker Assignment Problem, Umit Hilmi Tekelioglu

Theses and Dissertations

The Combined Mating and Ranging Planning System (CMARPS) is the system used by AMC to schedule air refueling for deployments from the continental U.S. to other parts of the world. The tool developed by Capehart (2000) got results similar to CMARPS in less time. Capehart's tool allows AMC to input several receiver groups consisting of various aircraft types and numbers. Each receiver group contains a point of origin and destination, with the option of providing one waypoint along the path, a ready to load date (RLD) and required delivery date (RDD). The user is also able to specify the locations …

Relating Initial Budget To Program Growth With Rayleigh And Weibull Models, Eric J. Unger

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research on completed defense R&D shows that contract expenditures can be fit well with a Rayleigh model. With fixed outlay rates, as prescribed by the OSD comptroller, the budget profile must have most of the funds in the early years to produce Rayleigh-distributed expenditures. R&D programs with more delayed funding profiles may also produce expenditures that a Rayleigh model fits through schedule slips and cost overruns. This research tests how well the initial funding profile produces Rayleigh-distributed expenditures that can be related to the program's final cost overrun and schedule slips. Based only on the initial budget profile, we …

A Case Study Analysis Of The Overhead Rate Impact Model Used During The C-5 Maintenance Source Selection, William N. Ward

Theses and Dissertations

The Overhead Rate Impact (ORI) model was used during the C-5 Maintenance source selection to evaluate the impact the new workload would have on the existing overhead rates. The objectives of this research study were to evaluate the ORI model and to identify the lessons learned from this source selection. To accomplish these objectives, interviews were conducted with members of the source selection team who were on the Cost Integrated Product Team (IPT). The experts were asked to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the ORI model and to make recommendation on how to improve the model. This study identified …

An Analysis Of Total System Performance Responsibility In Air Force Acquisitions, Christopher P. White

Theses and Dissertations

This research examined how well the goals and objectives of total system performance responsibility (TSPR) are being met. The research was sparked by the rise of implementing TSPR as an element of an acquisition strategy in many weapon and information systems. Acquisition professionals use TSPR to decrease total ownership cost, improve system performance, and optimize public-private support capabilities while maintaining operational flexibility. However, while the number of programs that use or plan to implement TSPR or some form of contractor support and sustainment continues to increase, little research has been conducted concerning the effectiveness of TSPR as an element of …

Identifying Demand Indicators For Air Force Recruiting Service With Discriminant Analysis, Jason L. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

A changing public disposition towards military service has all four military branches rethinking recruiting practices. This Air Force is reacting to this new recruiting climate by increasing the bonuses for new recruits, pumping up advertising budgets, and bolstering recruiting personnel levels. This thesis provides a new tool for assessing how to allocate these new resources. Discriminant Analysis is used to identify population characteristics that categorize recruiting locations. A methodology is constructed that can discriminate between communities where interest is high in military service and where recruiting efforts will not be productive.

Technology Selection For Enhancing F-16 Capability: An Analysis Using Value Focused Thinking, Cihangir Yay

Theses and Dissertations

This study, with support of the Aeronautical Systems center, builds a scientific decision support system intended for Air Combat Command. Past decision-making techniques are discussed and their limitations are explained. Two multiattribute decision-making techniques, analytical hierarch process and value focused thinking, are studied. Due to limitations of analytical hierarchy process, value focused thinking is accepted as the best fit for our problem. A value hierarchy model is developed using value focused thinking for selecting the most beneficiary F-16 engine modifications depending on Air Combat Command values. Ten modifications are ranked using value model to validate the process. Cost is involved …

An Identification And Discussion Of Key Success Factors In The Acquisition Of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (Cots-) Based Systems, John F. Corbett

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore COTS-based systems as they are acquired by the Air Force. Current guidance related to the acquisition of COTS-based systems is explored. Based upon the literature reviewed, the research targeted the specific area of acquisition plans. A multiple case study of acquisition plans from several COTS-based systems was performed. Current guidance related to the acquisition plan has not been specifically tailored to COTS-based systems. The results of the analysis of the COTS-based systems showed that the use total ownership cost (TOC) and cost as an independent variable (CAIV) enabled a system to he …

The Effects Of Budgetary Constraints, Multiple Strategy Selection, And Rationality On Equilibrium Attainment In An Information Warfare Simulation, Steven W. Tait

Theses and Dissertations

Information warfare (IW) has developed into a significant threat to the national security of the United States. Our critical infrastructures, linked together by information systems, are increasingly vulnerable to information attack. This study seeks to understand some of those factors which affect the ability of an individual to make accurate decisions in an IW environment. The study used game theory to analyze the behavior of decision-makers within an IW simulation. The IW game model is based on a set of games known as infinitely repeated games of incomplete information. It uses the Bayesian Nash equilibrium concept to determine the strategy …

Acuta Enews February 2001, Vol.30, No. 2

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Nominations Sought for Board of Directors

Spotlight on Volunteers

DC Update

A Portal Primer

Cellular Phones for Residence Halls?

Board Report

Welcome New Members

Positions Available

Empirical Model-Based Control For End Milling Process, Abdelmalak Salib

Dissertations

The main objective of this research is to develop an empirical model-based control mechanism to maintain a fine surface finish quality by maintaining on-line cutting force values. The proposed model has been developed to present the control model constraints, by varying the machining parameters to control the force output to be constant. To relate the surface finish and the cutting force in the end milling machining process, a design of experiment has been conducted to determine the effect of two different materials (aluminium and steel) and the machining parameters (feed rate, spindle speed) at a predefined depth of cut.

Regression …

Acuta Enews January 2001, Vol.30, No. 1

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

A Few Words for 2001

Spotlight on Volunteers

DC Update

Board Report

Welcome New Members

Positions Available

Entrance Capacity Of An Automated Highway System, Randolph W. Hall, Ali Nowroozi, Jacob Tsao

Faculty Publications

This paper evaluates the entrance capacity and queueing delay for Automated Highway Systems through use of simulations and analytical modeling. Queueing statistics are also used to determine the sustainable capacity of alternative concepts, taking trip length distribution and spacing between ramps into consideration. Based on safety-spacing headways (produced in a separate analysis), the most promising concept utilizes platoons both on the highway and on on-ramps. However, it is unclear whether comparable capacity can be achieved on exit, when vehicles must be decoupled from their platoons, and whether it is safe for vehicles to enter the highway in closely spaced platoons. …

A Process Theory Of Competency Rallying In Engineering Projects, Bernhard R. Katzy, Kevin Crowston

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

Firms face an environment changing at an increasingly rapid pace. Market opportunities in particular can arise and disappear in a short time. Unfortunately, the speed with which organizations can adapt their strategies and competencies to meet these opportunities remains limited. We argue that firms can address these individual limitations by cooperating with others for access to market opportunities and needed competencies. In this paper, we present a process theory of how a network of firms can reliably engineering and deliver products in the face of rapid market changes. In this theory, the success of the network is predicated on 1) …

Biofeedback Via Telehealth: A New Frontier For Applied Psychophysiology, Raymond A. Folen, Larry C. James, Jay E. Earles, Frank Andrasik

United States Army: Publications

Psychophysiological diagnostic and therapeutic methods, to include biofeedback, have been found to be empirically effective in the treatment of a variety of physical disorders. In many areas of the country, however, certified biofeedback practitioners are not well distributed, limiting patient access to this treatment modality. Psychologists at Tripler Army Medical Center have pioneered efforts to develop and provide these needed services via a telehealth venue. Such capability significantly improves access to care, particularly for patient’s located at considerable distance from the provider. As the telecommunications infrastructure in rural and remote areas is often quite basic, such a system must be …

Child Emotional Maltreatment: A 2-Year Study Of Us Army Cases, Linda K. Jellen, James E. Mccarroll, Laurie E. Thayer

United States Army: Publications

Objective: Reports of childhood emotional maltreatment have increased greatly over the past decade. The objective of this research was to determine the types of emotional maltreatment substantiated in a community of US Army families residing temporarily in Germany. Such a description may help to improve the understanding of how a jurisdictional body defines emotional maltreatment in day-to-day practice.
Method: Data were obtained from a review of the minutes of case review committees (CRCs) for 181 cases of child emotional abuse in 1997–1998. We determined the type, number, and severity of incidents, the substantiation rate, and the situations to which children …

Benchmarking In Heatlh Care Foodservice Operations, J.J. Reagon, C.M. Bedmar, M. Worley

United States Army: Publications

A questionnaire focusing on benchmarking measures and practices was developed and pilot tested with 22 foodservice directors at healthcare facilities. A revised questionnaire was mailed nationwide to 200 members of the American Society of Healthcare Foodservice Administrators and 200 members of the American Dietetic Association Practice Group, Management in Food and Nutrition Systems. The 111 respondents (28% response rate) included mostly self-operating foodservice directors using conventional production systems at facilities with an average of 300 patient beds. Nearly all used some type of benchmarking; however, only 28 facilities were benchmarking clinical productivity. Eighty-eight directors had used a benchmarking partner. Most …

Manipulating Dna Conformation Using Intertwined Conducting Polymer Chains, Ramaswamy Nagarajan, Wei Liu, Jayant Kumar, Sukant K. Tripathy, Ferdinando F. Bruno, Lynne A. Samuelson

United States Army: Publications

In the field of inherently conducting polymers, polyaniline (Pani) has elicited tremendous interest due to its promising electrical properties and unique redox tunability. Synthetic routes involving the use of polyelectrolytes have significantly improved the processability of polyaniline. Recently, a template guided synthesis catalyzed by an enzyme, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), has provided a means of polymerizing aniline under milder pH conditions (pH 4.3) and subsequently widened the choice of templates to more delicate biological macromolecules. Here we report a strategy that exploits the inherent molecular order as well as the polyelectrolyte behavior of DNA to enzymatically synthesize and biologically assemble conducting …

Incorporating Heterogeneity In Command Center Interactions, Holly A. H. Handley, Alexander H. Levis

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

One of the many complexities of multinational coalition operations stems from differences in culture, military procedures, and command and control processes between the cooperating command centers. These differences can influence the interactions between decision makers of different command centers and can affect the outcome of the coalition operation. A coalition model, composed of individual models of the five-stage interacting decision maker model, was used in a virtual experiment. The subjective parameters included in the decision maker model can be any attribute that characterizes the heterogeneity of the decision makers. In this case, the parameters of power distance and uncertainty avoidance …

Use Of Incremental Adaptation And Habituation Regimens For Mitigating Optokinetic Side-Effects, David A. Graeber

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The use of incremental and repeated exposures regimens have been put forth as effective means to mitigate visually induced motion sickness based on the Dual Process Theory (DPT) (Groves & Thompson, 1970) of neural plasticity. In essence, DPT suggests that by incrementing stimulus intensity the depression opponent process should be allowed to exert greater control over the net outcome than the sensitization opponent process, thereby minimizing side-effects. This conceptual model was tested by empirically validating the effectiveness of adaptation, incremental adaptation, habituation, and incremental habituation regimens to mitigate side-effects arising from exposure to an optokinetic drum. Forty college students from …

A Model To Evaluate The Effect Of Organizational Adaptation, Holly A. H. Handley, Alexander H. Levis

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

When an organization’s output declines due to either internal changes or changes in its external environment, it needs to adapt. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of different adaptation strategies on organizational per- formance, an organizational model composed of individual models of a five stage interacting decision maker was designed using an object oriented design approach and implemented as a Colored Petri net. The concept of entropy is used to calculate the total activity value, a surrogate for decision maker workload, based on the functional partition and the adaptation strategy being implemented. The individual decision maker’s total activity is monitored, …

Levels Of Interoperability In Coalition Systems, Holly A. H. Handley, Alexander H. Levis, Michel Bares

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Systems of different command centers that are brought together in a coalition operation must have some level of interoperability in order to work together. Bares [2000] has introduced a formalism of three interoperability domains that describe the ability of the systems to define their own level of interoperability within the coalition by assessing their own and the other systems’ ability to interact on actions of the coalition. The lowest domain, interconnectivity, reflects the ability to exchange messages; this level must already have been achieved in order for the systems to participate in the coalition. The second domain, interoperability, reflects a …