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2007

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Articles 241 - 270 of 304

Full-Text Articles in Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering

Towards A Diagnostic Framework For Understanding Complex Situations, José J. Padilla, Andres Sousa-Poza, Arturo Tejada, Samuel Kovacic Jan 2007

Towards A Diagnostic Framework For Understanding Complex Situations, José J. Padilla, Andres Sousa-Poza, Arturo Tejada, Samuel Kovacic

VMASC Publications

This paper presents a theoretical framework for the concept of understanding and how it can be used for assessing complex situations. Understanding is presented as a cognitive process on how an individual perceives and represents a complex domain based on his/her own predispositions, and how he/she selects knowledge or what may not be knowledge based on the same predispositions towards finding a set of solutions for the situation. Predispositions, in this case, are based on his/her epistemological, ontological and teleological biases while the domain is represented by irreducible and transient conditions. The final outcome is the match or mismatch of …


Online Reinforcement Learning Neural Network Controller Design For Nanomanipulation, Qinmin Yang, Jagannathan Sarangapani Jan 2007

Online Reinforcement Learning Neural Network Controller Design For Nanomanipulation, Qinmin Yang, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, a novel reinforcement learning neural network (NN)-based controller, referred to adaptive critic controller, is proposed for affine nonlinear discrete-time systems with applications to nanomanipulation. In the online NN reinforcement learning method, one NN is designated as the critic NN, which approximates the long-term cost function by assuming that the states of the nonlinear systems is available for measurement. An action NN is employed to derive an optimal control signal to track a desired system trajectory while minimizing the cost function. Online updating weight tuning schemes for these two NNs are also derived. By using the Lyapunov approach, …


Performance Prediction Based Resource Selection In Grid Environments, Peggy Lindner, Edgar Gabriel, Michael M. Resch Jan 2007

Performance Prediction Based Resource Selection In Grid Environments, Peggy Lindner, Edgar Gabriel, Michael M. Resch

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Deploying Grid technologies by distributing an application over several machines has been widely used for scientific simulations, which have large requirements for computational resources. The Grid Configuration Manager (GCM) is a tool developed to ease the management of scientific applications in distributed environments and to hide some of the complexities of Grids from the end-user. In this paper we present an extension to the Grid Configuration Manager in order to incorporate a performance-based resource brokering mechanism. Given a pool of machines and a trace file containing information about the runtime characteristics of the according application, GCM is able to select …


An Optimal Operational Policy For An Integrated Production-Delivery System Under Continuous Price Decrease, Deniz Mungan Jan 2007

An Optimal Operational Policy For An Integrated Production-Delivery System Under Continuous Price Decrease, Deniz Mungan

LSU Master's Theses

In today’s competitive world, the unit cost of a high-tech product declines significantly over its life cycle. An integrated inventory model for products experiencing continuous decrease in unit cost is studied in this research. In this integrated model a manufacturing facility purchases raw material from outside supplier at a fixed size and supplies a fixed quantity of finished products to a buyer periodically after using its production processes. Moreover, buyers demand frequent deliveries of small lots of finished products since the price is continuously decreasing, and this emphasizes the significance of just-in-time (JIT) inventory management for successful companies in technology-related …


Integrating It-Enabled Social Networks With Transaction Cost Economics And The Resource Based View Of The Firm, Ganesh D. Bhatt, Jatinder N. D. Gupta, Sushil K. Sharma Jan 2007

Integrating It-Enabled Social Networks With Transaction Cost Economics And The Resource Based View Of The Firm, Ganesh D. Bhatt, Jatinder N. D. Gupta, Sushil K. Sharma

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Prior research has mostly focused on transaction cost economics (TCE) to interpret the effect of information systems (IS) on organizational governance structures. A TCE based approach predicts that information technology (IT) will lead to increased use of electronic markets to coordinate economic transactions from electronic hierarchies. However, there is contradictory evidence in the literature regarding the rise and importance of cooperative relationships, joint ventures, and value-added partnerships integrated through information systems. To reconcile these contradictions, this paper analyzes the effect of IT on governance structures based on the TCE, social network theory, and the resource based view (RBV) of the …


In Search Of Factors To Online Game Addiction And Its Implications, Yangil Park, Jeng-Chung V. Chen Jan 2007

In Search Of Factors To Online Game Addiction And Its Implications, Yangil Park, Jeng-Chung V. Chen

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Research has explored online users who are hooked on Internet applications such as chat rooms, web surfing, and interactive games. Online game addiction is one of the problems arisen from the use of the Internet. This study is motivated by a causal connection found from previous research of computer game addiction. The study describes two typical types of online games and looks further into the causes of the addiction by using two main theories. We also propose research hypotheses and discuss possible implications of online game addiction.


An Examination Of Internet Effectiveness For Non-Work Activities, Pruthikrai Mahatanankoon, Tim Klaus, H. Joseph Wen Jan 2007

An Examination Of Internet Effectiveness For Non-Work Activities, Pruthikrai Mahatanankoon, Tim Klaus, H. Joseph Wen

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The Internet is frequently used for non-work activities. When used for these purposes, the effectiveness of the Internet in accomplishing these leisure activities becomes an important consideration. Research literature has remained relatively silent in regards to the examination of accomplishing non-work tasks through the Internet. This study uses Davis’ Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a basis to predict different types of common user web activities—entertainment, communicating, and information searching. Using Structured Equation Modeling, this paper examines the effectiveness of the Internet in accomplishing non-work activities. In this study, the overall analysis of the survey data suggests that perceived ease of …


Internet Entrepreneurship And Economic Growth, Gerald V. Post, John F. Pfaff Jan 2007

Internet Entrepreneurship And Economic Growth, Gerald V. Post, John F. Pfaff

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This paper looks at national attempts to promote economic growth through the Internet. Growth can be driven through service exports or internally through increased service transactions and fostering entrepreneurship. India is often held as an example of service exports, but economic statistics show that India might not be a good example for other nations because net service trade is negative and wages have been economically distorted. Ultimately, developing nations need to find internal growth models. Internal growth could be driven though increased consumption due to improved information, or increased investment expenditures from infrastructure investments.


Project Management Practices In The Information Technology Departments Of Various Size Institutions Of Higher Education, Charles R. Johnston, David C. Wierschem Jan 2007

Project Management Practices In The Information Technology Departments Of Various Size Institutions Of Higher Education, Charles R. Johnston, David C. Wierschem

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The demand for information technology at institutions of higher education is increasing at a rapid pace. It is fueled by student, faculty, and administrative needs. This paper examines project management practices at these institutions with respect to the sizes of the institutions. Survey results indicate an emphasis on operational concerns at small and medium size institutions when selecting IT projects. The prominence of the role of project manager and adoption of formal PM tools/techniques by IT departments generally increase with the sizes of the institutions. The importance of having a project plan is recognized by all sizes of institutions of …


An Analysis Of The D Programming Language, Sumanth Yenduri, Louise Perkins, Md. Sarder Jan 2007

An Analysis Of The D Programming Language, Sumanth Yenduri, Louise Perkins, Md. Sarder

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The C language and its derivatives have been some of the dominant higher-level languages used, and the maturity has stemmed several newer languages that, while still relatively young, possess the strength of decades of trials and experimentation with programming concepts. While C++ was a major step in the advancement from procedural to object-oriented programming (with a backbone of C), several problems existed that prompted the development of new languages. This paper focuses on one such language: D. D was designed as a potential successor to C++, supporting most features of C++’s class design and modifications intended to ease common program …


Development Of A Maintenance System Based On Web And Mobile Technologies, Jaime Campos, Erkki Jantunen, Om Prakash Jan 2007

Development Of A Maintenance System Based On Web And Mobile Technologies, Jaime Campos, Erkki Jantunen, Om Prakash

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The paper reports the development of an e-monitoring and maintenance system based on web technology and mobile device, PDA. Rarity of experts led to the application of artificial intelligence and later, distributed artificial intelligence for condition monitoring and diagnosis of machine condition. Recently, web technology along with wireless communication is emerging as a potent tool in maintenance. It facilitates obtaining of the desired information by the relevant personnel at any time wherever he may be. The paper first describes the web and mobile architecture that formed the basis of the system and ICT tools used to communicate among the different …


Comparing The Prioritization Of Erp System Effectiveness Measures By Organizational Actors: A Focus On It Professionals And Business Managers, Princely Ifinedo Jan 2007

Comparing The Prioritization Of Erp System Effectiveness Measures By Organizational Actors: A Focus On It Professionals And Business Managers, Princely Ifinedo

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Modern organizations adopt Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERP) to integrate their organizational data resources into unified systems. Researchers tend to concentrate on ERP implementation issues with only a handful studying ERP system effectiveness or success in adopting organizations. In fact, none has studied how key organizational actors prioritize or rank relevant measures or items related to the effectiveness of such systems. This study is designed to fill this gap in research as it aims at investigating how two organizational stakeholder groups, i.e. information technology (IT) professionals and business managers prioritize relevant measures related to ERP systems effectiveness. Using surveys in …


Strategic Alliances In Greek Mobile Telephony, Ioanna Stoili, Anastasios A. Economides Jan 2007

Strategic Alliances In Greek Mobile Telephony, Ioanna Stoili, Anastasios A. Economides

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The mobile telephony market is a very competitive market. Mobile telephony companies try to expand by forming strategic alliances with companies from various industries. The objective of this paper is to analyze the motives, the actions and the results of the collaborations and alliances of two Greek mobile telephony companies (Cosmote and Vodafone Hellas). In addition, this paper illustrates examples of how the technology change and the technological convergence (Internet, computers, and mobile telephony) affected and activated the proliferation of these alliances. The entry of I-mode and Vodafone Live! in the Greek market caused an increase in the number of …


Improving Credit Card Operations With Data Mining Techniques, Malini Krishnamurthi Jan 2007

Improving Credit Card Operations With Data Mining Techniques, Malini Krishnamurthi

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Consumer credit is ubiquitous and lending poses credit risk – the risk of economic loss due to the failure of a borrower to repay according to the terms of his or her contract with the lender. And so, managing credit risk entails estimating the potential ability of borrowers to repay their debts. Researchers have sought to identify factors that contribute to consumer risk, by using quantitative models. However, the presence of data mining techniques to identify credit risk cannot be ignored. There is a paucity of research to demonstrate the use of data mining techniques in this context, and such …


Internet Industry Competition Dynamics: Peering Limitations, Exposure, And Counter Strategies, Seungjae Shin, Jack E. Tucci Jan 2007

Internet Industry Competition Dynamics: Peering Limitations, Exposure, And Counter Strategies, Seungjae Shin, Jack E. Tucci

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The Internet industry is vertically integrated with Internet Backbone Providers (IBPs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs.) Although there are many ISPs and IBPs in each stream, both markets are considered independent oligopolies in that there are a few dominant competitors in each market. It is generally accepted that the Internet industry structure has evolved into a four-tier hierarchical structure. The synergistic and codependent nature of the Internet industry is the key element in understanding the competitive environment in which both IBP’s and ISP’s cooperate. Peering is an efficient way to exchange traffic freely within the access tier, nevertheless competitive constraints …


Multi-Phase Flow Analysis In Oil And Gas Engineering Systems And Its Modelling, Orlando F. Ayala, Luis F. Ayala, Orlando M. Ayala Jan 2007

Multi-Phase Flow Analysis In Oil And Gas Engineering Systems And Its Modelling, Orlando F. Ayala, Luis F. Ayala, Orlando M. Ayala

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

[Introduction] Two-phase flow is very common in industrial processes and its applications were already in use in ages as remote as the era of Archimedes. At the present time, many industrial processes rely on multi-phase phenomena for the transport of energy and mass or for material processing. During the last century, the nuclear, chemical and petroleum industries propelled intense research activity in the area. Their efforts have been aimed at the demystification of the mechanisms taking place during this complex flow situation.


Barriers And Best Practices For Material Management In The Healthcare Sector, Carlos Callender Jan 2007

Barriers And Best Practices For Material Management In The Healthcare Sector, Carlos Callender

Masters Theses

"For many years, the primary focus of the healthcare sector has been to provide patients with the best quality of care. Recently, with the escalating cost of supplies and the severe competition among healthcare providers, the pressure on material managers to operate more cost-efficiently without compromising the high patient care standards has significantly increased. While other sectors have experienced success through the deployment of supply chain management practices, the healthcare sector has not seen major improvements in this area. However, in spite of the uniqueness and complexity of the healthcare supply chain, opportunities for improvements are plentiful. Thus, this thesis …


Integrated Product And Its Extended Enterprise Network Design Using Lean Principles, Abhijit K. Choudhury Jan 2007

Integrated Product And Its Extended Enterprise Network Design Using Lean Principles, Abhijit K. Choudhury

Masters Theses

"Recently, many system integration companies have begun to intensely focus on suppliers' involvement in the product realization process to enhance their competitiveness. The product architecture has a huge impact on the efficiency of the integrator's supplier network. One of the ways to enhance efficiency is to implement the lean principles while creating a collaborative design/manufacturing/supply chain environment. In this study, two distinct stages of the product realization process, namely, design stage and production stage are considered for determining the design and production supplier networks"--Abstract, page iv.


Modular Architecting For Effects Based Operations, Emel Meteoglu Jan 2007

Modular Architecting For Effects Based Operations, Emel Meteoglu

Masters Theses

"Effects Based Operations (EBO) is a way of thinking for planning, executing and assessing any operations for the effects they produce, rather than dealing with actions, targets or even objectives. The literature on EBO has been growing day by day; however, there is still a need for modeling techniques and tools that provide more efficient and effective effects based assessment, planning and analysis in order to further develop the capabilities of the operations. In this context, this thesis presents an introduction to EBO by focusing on its methodology, its challenges and also its applicability in different systems. Moreover, this thesis …


Interactive And Dialogue Based Learning In Engineering Education, Siddartha Thummuri Jan 2007

Interactive And Dialogue Based Learning In Engineering Education, Siddartha Thummuri

Masters Theses

"This thesis focuses on a class room architecture that provides high levels of interactivity which enhances the students' learning environment both in distance and on-campus contexts and forms a basis for practical learning. Two analyses are presented in this thesis, the first one being a simple measure of levels of interactivity in this course architecture, based on rubric and the second one, a comparative analysis, to demonstrate the effectiveness of interactive (multi-directional information flow) classrooms as opposed to conventional (unidirectional information flow) classrooms and that this course architecture is ideal for enhancement of distance learning and an excellent route to …


Security Architecture Methodology For Large Net-Centric Systems, Njideka Adaku Umeh Jan 2007

Security Architecture Methodology For Large Net-Centric Systems, Njideka Adaku Umeh

Masters Theses

"This thesis describes an over-arching security architecture methodology for large network enabled systems that can be scaled down for smaller network centric operations such as present at the University of Missouri-Rolla. By leveraging the five elements of security policy & standards, security risk management, security auditing, security federation and security management, of the proposed security architecture and addressing the specific needs of UMR, the methodology was used to determine places of improvement for UMR"--Abstract, page iii.


Use Of Analytical Hierarchy Process In University Strategy Planning, Mihir Gokhale Jan 2007

Use Of Analytical Hierarchy Process In University Strategy Planning, Mihir Gokhale

Masters Theses

"The selection of an appropriate strategy is critical for a university's success, and each university needs to capitalize on its own specialties and competencies for a competitive advantage. Strategy creation and planning in universities is generally a collective effort which relies on consensus. It is a complex process involving the setting of objectives and goals to achieve the strategic vision, and an analysis tool for evaluating and comparing different options and prioritizing objectives and goals is required. A high deductive capacity is necessary for aggregating the different trade-offs while prioritizing, which is challenging for a human mind. This thesis demonstrates …


Bridge Damage Detection Using An Intelligent Engineering System, Dionysios N. Danilatos Jan 2007

Bridge Damage Detection Using An Intelligent Engineering System, Dionysios N. Danilatos

Masters Theses

"This thesis concerns the design of an algorithm that is capable to detect structural damage in civil infrastructure bridges. The algorithm, which will be dubbed Damage Diagnostics System throughout the thesis, is the software component of a broader Bridge Health Monitoring System. This broader system integrates software and hardware,such as sensors and data acquisition components...The rationale for the Structural Damage Diagnosis is based on the principle of the structural vibration testing. The Health Monitoring System captures the vibration signals, as the bridge responds to excitation from various sources. The purpose of the Diagnostic System is to extract information from the …


Converting Some Global Optimization Problems To Mixed Integer Linear Problems Using Piecewise Linear Approximations, Manish Kumar Jan 2007

Converting Some Global Optimization Problems To Mixed Integer Linear Problems Using Piecewise Linear Approximations, Manish Kumar

Masters Theses

"Some global optimization problems are converted to mixed-integer linear problems (MILP) using piecewise-linear approximations in this thesis so that they can be solved using commercial MILP solvers, such as CPLEX. Special attention is given to approximating two-term log-sum functions, which appears frequently in generalized geometric programming problems. Numerical results indicate the proposed approach is sound and efficient"--Abstract, page iii.


Best Practices For Implementing A Biodiesel Program, Sundaresan Sadashivam Jan 2007

Best Practices For Implementing A Biodiesel Program, Sundaresan Sadashivam

Masters Theses

"The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has a mandate to utilize biodiesel blends in its fleets. However, they have not been able to meet this requirement due to various implementation issues. Therefore, this thesis presents a study to determine the best practices for implementing a biodiesel program. The study was conducted by soliciting information from Departments of Transportation and other agencies related to their biodiesel programs and practices. A list of best practices was developed and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to prioritize this list of best practices"--Abstract, page iv.


Social Network Enhanced Digital City Management And Innovation Success: A Prototype Design, Bih-Ru Lea, Wen-Bin Yu, Prashanth Kannan Jan 2007

Social Network Enhanced Digital City Management And Innovation Success: A Prototype Design, Bih-Ru Lea, Wen-Bin Yu, Prashanth Kannan

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Innovation is the process by which knowledge is transformed into products and services which in turn fuels economic development to create wealth and generates improvements in the standard of living. With the advance of technology, social networks that play a fundamental role as a medium for the spread of information, ideas, and influence among its members have taken a form of digital city to offer a range of online services, including access to social environments, community services, and e-commerce to its infohabitants. This study investigates how social network theories can be used to design and manage a web-based digital city …


Corporate Blogs Of 40 Fortune 500 Companies: Distribution, Categorization And Characteristics, Shaoyi He, Jake Zhu Jan 2007

Corporate Blogs Of 40 Fortune 500 Companies: Distribution, Categorization And Characteristics, Shaoyi He, Jake Zhu

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This paper studies corporate blogs as virtual communities, focusing on the distribution, categorization and characteristics of 40 Fortune 500 Companies’ blogs. Firstly, the 40 corporate blogs were classified by industries to see which industries are active advocates of corporate blogs. Secondly, the 40 corporate blogs were first grouped in direct competitor clusters and then categorized into four types of virtual communities: 1) Community of interest, 2) Goal-oriented community of interest, 3) Learner’s community, and 4) Community of practice. Thirdly, eight common elements were identified and compared for each of the 40 corporate blogs to find out their major characteristics. Finally, …


Discovering Software Reliability Patterns Based On Multiple Software Projects, Yi Liu, Gerald Adkins, Jeng-Foung Yao, Gita Williams Jan 2007

Discovering Software Reliability Patterns Based On Multiple Software Projects, Yi Liu, Gerald Adkins, Jeng-Foung Yao, Gita Williams

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Discovering patterns that indicate software reliability provides valuable information to software project managers. Software Quality Classification (SQC) modeling is a methodology that can be used to discover reliability patterns of large software projects. However, the patterns found by SQC modeling may not be accurate and robust owing to insufficient information used in the training process. This study compares two genetic programming-based SQC models using different volumes of data. These data were extracted from seven different NASA software projects. The results demonstrate that combining data from different projects can produce more accurate and reliable patterns.


Application Of Uml For Modeling Urban Traffic System Using Producer Consumer Theory To Generate Process Algebra Model, Manuj Darbari, Sanjay Medhavi, Abhay Kumar Srivastava Jan 2007

Application Of Uml For Modeling Urban Traffic System Using Producer Consumer Theory To Generate Process Algebra Model, Manuj Darbari, Sanjay Medhavi, Abhay Kumar Srivastava

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

UML is widely used as an industry standard for modeling any system. In this paper will be dealing with simple UML diagrams and show that low it can be transformed into process algebra models specially designated to model urban traffic systems. The model capture functionality at the level of mesoscopic as well as microscopic level and it is merged with process algebra’s producer consumer theory. The model is also formalized using Process algebra equations. This paper focuses on complex situational activity diagrams enhancing the expressivity by refining at the abstraction levels. Performance requirement is annotated by the UML profile for …


Spatial Diversity In Signal Strength Based Wlan Location Determination Systems, Anil Ramachandran, Jagannathan Sarangapani Jan 2007

Spatial Diversity In Signal Strength Based Wlan Location Determination Systems, Anil Ramachandran, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Literature indicates that spatial diversity can be utilized to compensate channel uncertainties such as multipath fading. Therefore, in this paper, spatial diversity is exploited for locating stationary and mobile objects in the indoor environment. First, space diversity technique is introduced for small scale motion and temporal variation compensation of received signal strength and it is demonstrated analytically that it enhances location accuracy. Small scale motion refers to movements of the transmitter and/or the receiver of the order of sub-wavelengths while temporal effects refer to environmental variations with time. A novel metric is introduced for selection combining in order to improve …