Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Effect Of Truck Vibration During Transport On Damage To Fresh Produce Shipments In Thailand, V. Chonhenchob, S. Sittipod, D. Swasdee, P. Rachtanapun, S. P. Singh, Jay A. Singh

Industrial Technology and Packaging

The increase in global trade allows packaged products to be shipped across borders using inter-modal transportation. Trucks are still the most prevalent mode for surface shipments and time sensitive transport perishable products such as fresh produce. This study focused on measuring the transportation environment in truck shipments from various packing houses to major retail distribution centers in Thailand and then the subsequent distribution to regional stores in smaller trucks. Test measurements were compared to test methods used in North America and Europe. This study compared the quality of cabbage, lettuce, plums and pears after being shipped in truck transport by …

Performance Of Pre-Cut Lettuce Packaged In Biodegradable Film Formed On Commercial Vertical-Form-Fill-And-Seal Machines, J. Wyatt Brown, Keith Vorst, Shasta Palmer, Jay A. Singh

Industrial Technology and Packaging

The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of using biodegradable films suitable for fresh-cut lettuce with commercial vertical-form-fill-and-seal packaging machines (VVFS) equipped with heat-sealing bars. Biodegradable high-density polyethylene (BHDPE) and polypropylene (BPP) films were tested. Commercial bags of pre-cut Romaine sealed in a polyethylene/oriented polypropylene (PE/OPP) bag formed on a WFS machine were used as the control. All bags were held at 4.4°C, 80% RH and assessed for reduction in quality during storage per a commercial (in-house) standard utilized by a large pre-cut salad packer in Salinas, California. When the biodegradable films were sealed with a VFFS …

Emergence Of Multitasking Machining Systems: Applications And Best Selection Practices, Manocher Djassemi

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Purpose –Multitasking machining (MTM) systems have become increasingly sophisticated and expensive capital equipment. The lack of practical guidelines for selection of these machines can lead to significant undesirable machine attributes, application mismatch, and longer return on investment. The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight to numerous features and configurations of MTM systems and to present several application-based selection guidelines.

Design/methodology/approach –A taxonomy of MTM systems is developed based on the number of axes of motions, tooling and spindle systems. Practical guidelines for general and advance features are presented with special regard to multi-axis and multi-spindle …

Computer-Based Approach To Material And Process Selection, Manocher Djassemi

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a perspective of computer-aided material and process selection (MPS) software tools for product development purpose and present a practical approach for manufacturers and other decision makers involved in MPS.
Design/methodology/approach – A multi-criteria deductive approach for MPS is applied to a case study by taking into account the technical performances and environmental constraints. A resource-based cost modeling is also deployed to examine the implication of selected material and process on overall product cost.
Findings – The paper demonstrates the capabilities and shortcoming of existing computerized MPS software tools in assisting …

A Study Of The Effect Of Pictorial Markings And Warning Labels On Handling Of Packages In The Dhl Single-Parcel Environment, Jay A. Singh, Sher Paul Singh, T. Voss, K. Saha

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Over the past two decades, there has been a heavy influx in the number of direct-to-consumer express shipments of packaged products. As a consequence, parcel delivery companies, such as DHL, FedEx and UPS, have strengthened their presence in air transport. This study measured and analysed the effect of moving single packages through air shipments in the USA using one of the newest service providers, DHL. The study also quantified the effect of placing pictorial markings and warning labels on mid-sized and lightweight packages when using Next-Day and 2nd Day services provided by the carrier DHL. Instrumented packages measuring 0.38 m …

Dynamic Modelling Of Reconfigurable Manufacturing Planning And Control Systems Using Supervisory Control, Ahmed M. Deif, Waguih H. Elmaraghy

Industrial Technology and Packaging

This research is concerned with studying the dynamic performance of reconfigurable Manufacturing Planning and Control (MPC) systems. Such goal requires two main tasks. The first task is to develop a dynamic MPC system model that has the ability to reconfigure to different MPC policies. The second task is to design a supervisory control unit that has as input the high level strategic market decisions and constraints together with a feedback of the current manufacturing system state and then select the optimal suitable operation mode or policy at these conditions. This paper addresses the first task of the proposed research and …

Optimization Of Lifeguard Towers, Equipment, And Sign Placement With Human Factors Considerations For The Cal Poly Recreation Center Expansion, Brian J. Henrikson

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Cal Poly’s Recreation Center serves many faculty, students and alumni by providing them with a safe and fun environment to work out and swim. An overwhelming majority of students voted for a Recreation Center expansion to handle the increased usage of the Center over the past few years. The focus of this report is the safe and effective operations of the pool deck and the lifeguard staff. Three surveys were created to see what the lifeguard staff, as well as pool users, thought about the current pool deck and what they would like to see in the new pool deck …

Qualitative Mapping For Understanding The Collective Judgment Building Process : A Study Of The Federal Open Market Committee, Hyunjung Kim

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study develops a mapping method for studying a collective judgment building process in a decision-making group. Environmental uncertainties and a lack of information require a decision maker to make judgments about various issues relevant to the decision task. In a group setting, the members together weave their structural model of the system with available information to build a collective judgment for the decision task.

Characterization Of Electrochemically Active Bacteria Utilizing A High-Throughput Voltage-Based Screening Assay, Justin C. Biffinger, Meghann Ribbens, Bradley Ringeisen, Jeremy Pietron, Steven Finkel, Kenneth Nealson

United States Navy: Publications

Metal reduction assays are traditionally used to select and characterize electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) for use in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). However, correlating the ability of a microbe to generate current from an MFC to the reduction of metal oxides has not been definitively established in the literature. As these metal reduction assays may not be generally reliable, here we describe a four- to nine-well prototype high throughput voltage-based screening assay (VBSA) designed using MFC engineering principles and a universal cathode. Bacterial growth curves for Shewanella oneidensis strains DSP10 and MR-1 were generated directly from changes in open circuit voltage …

Simultaneous Analysis Of Physiological And Electrical Output Changes In An Operating Microbial Fuel Cell With Shewanella Oneidensis, Justin C. Biffinger, Ricky Ray, Brenda J. Little, Lisa A. Fitzgerald, Meghann Ribbens, Steven E. Finkel, Bradley R. Ringeisen

United States Navy: Publications

Changes in metabolism and cellular physiology of facultative anaerobes during oxygen exposure can be substantial, but little is known about how these changes connect with electrical current output from an operating microbial fuel cell (MFC). A high-throughput voltage based screening assay (VBSA) was used to correlate current output from a MFC containing Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 to carbon source (glucose or lactate) utilization, culture conditions, and biofilm coverage over 250 h. Lactate induced an immediate current response from S. oneidensis MR-1, with both air-exposed and anaerobic anodes throughout the duration of the experiments. Glucose was initially utilized for current output by …

Photophysical Properties Of C60 Colloids Suspended In Water With Triton X-100 Surfactant: Excited-State Properties With Femtosecond Resolution, Andrew F. Clements, Joy E. Haley, Augustine M. Urbas, Alan Kost, R. David Rauh, Jane F. Bertone, Fei Wang, Brian M. Wiers, De Gao, Todd S. Stefanik, Andrew G. Mott, David M. Mackie

United States Army: Publications

We examine the photophysics of a colloidal suspension of C₆₀ particles in a micellar solution of Triton X-100 and water, prepared via a new synthesis which allows high-concentration suspensions. The particle sizes are characterized by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering and found to be somewhat polydisperse in the range of 10-100 nm. The suspension is characterized optically by UV-vis spectroscopy, femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, laser flash photolysis, and z-scan. The ground-state absorbance spectrum shows a broad absorbance feature centered near 450 nm which is indicative of colloidal C₆₀. The transient absorption dynamics, presented for the …

Retrieval Of Subpixel Snow Covered Area, Grain Size, And Albedo From Modis, Thomas H. Painter, Karl Rittger, Ceretha Mckenzie, Peter Slaughter, Robert E. Davis, Jeff Dozier

United States Army: Publications

We describe and validate a model that retrieves fractional snow-covered area and the grain size and albedo of that snow from surface reflectance data (product MOD09GA) acquired by NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The model analyzes the MODIS visible, near infrared, and shortwave infrared bands with multiple endmember spectral mixtures from a library of snow, vegetation, rock, and soil. We derive snow spectral endmembers of varying grain size from a radiative transfer model specific to a scene's illumination geometry; spectra for vegetation, rock, and soil were collected in the field and laboratory. We validate the model with fractional snow …

Enhancing Systems Integration By Incorporating Business Continuity Drivers, Bajgoric Nijaz, Young Moon

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering - All Scholarship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for developing an integrated operating environment (IOE) within an enterprise information system by incorporating business continuity drivers. These drivers enable a business to continue with its operations even if some sort of failure or disaster occurs.

Design/methodology/approach – Development and implementation of the framework are based on holistic and top-down approach. An IOE on server’s side of contemporary business computing is investigated in depth.

Findings – Key disconnection points are identified, where systems integration technologies can be used to integrate platforms, protocols, data and application formats, etc. Downtime …

A Framework For Managing Engineering Change Propagation, Krishna Reddi, Young Moon

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering - All Scholarship

Engineering Changes (ECs) are facts of life for any company developing and introducing new products, despite a commonly held notion that they are distractions from normal operation. Companies can become more innovative by utilising ideas from the ECs or by learning how to handle the ECs. This paper presents a framework to manage the ECs effectively, particularly the issue of EC propagation. An EC seldom confines itself to a single change, but triggers other changes in different components. The framework is designed to identify the affected components automatically, capture the required knowledge during the design phase of the product life …

Rapid Sensor Technology: A Risk And System Complexity Analyses Of Early Detection Of Influenza-Like-Illnesses, Cesar Ariel Pinto, Ipek Bozkurt

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The development of effective and reliable methods to defend the nation against biological terrorism remains an urgent challenge to researchers in the areas of risk, bio-defense, public health, and emergency medicine. The emerging threat of the avian flu pandemic also highlights the unpreparedness of our nation's health care system to meet a highly contagious and infectious disease outbreak. The implementation of a rapid sensor technology for early detection of influenza-like-illness provides possible opportunities, as well as problems. Bounding and defining such a complex problem is one of the first challenges this research addresses. Approaching this problem from various perspectives such …

Embedding Simulation Education Into The Engineering Management Body Of Knowledge, Andreas Tolk, Ghaith Rabadi, Donald N. Merino

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

The American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM) established a Body of Knowledge (BoK). As simulation is of growing interest to engineers in general and to engineering managers in particular, simulation is part of this documentation of domains of interest that characterise the profession. The basis for the Body of Knowledge comprises of established and accredited curricula and additional input from practitioners of the field. As it is essential to cover the basic topics and core competences as well as application specific domain knowledge, the simulation education for engineers is categorised into topics on simulation theory and simulation application.

Contributions By Individual And Group Strategies For Organizational Learning In Architectural, Engineering, And Construction Firms, Robert Beaver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Organizations with multiple operating requirements require support functions to assist in execution of strategic goals. This effort, in turn, requires management of engineering activities in control of projects and in sustaining facilities. High level strategies include employing engineering support that consists of a project management function encompassing technical and managerial disciplines. The architecture/engineering, and construction office (AEC) is the subject of this research. Engineering and construction oriented organizations have experienced challenges to their abilities to learn and grow. This has potential detrimental implications for these organizations if support functions cannot keep pace with changing objectives and strategy. The competitive nature …

A Systematic Analysis To Identify, Mitigate, Quantify, And Measure Risk Factors Contributing To Falls In Nasa Ground Support Ope, Joylene Ware

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the research was to develop and validate a multifaceted model such as a fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) model that considers both qualitative and quantitative elements with relative significance in assessing the likelihood of falls and aid in the design of NASA Ground Support Operations in aerospace environments. The model represented linguistic variables that quantified significant risk factor levels. Multiple risk factors that contribute to falls in NASA Ground Support Operations are task related, human/personal, environmental, and organizational. Six subject matter experts were asked to participate in a voting system involving a survey where they judge risk …

The Design And Development Of An Additive Fabrication Process And Material Selection Tool, Andrew Palmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the Manufacturing Industry there is a subset of technologies referred to as Rapid Technologies which are those technologies that create the ability to compress the time to market for new products under development . Of this subset, Additive Fabrication (AF), or more commonly known as Rapid Prototyping (RP), acquires much attention due to its unique and futuristic approach to the production of physical parts directly from 3D CAD data, CT or MRI scans, or data from laser scanning systems by utilizing various techniques to consecutively generate cross-sectional layers of a given thickness upon the previous layer to form 3D …

Data Entry Error In Mobile Keyboard Device Usage Subject To Cognitive, Environmental, And Communication Workload Stressors Present In Fully Activated Emergency Operations Centers, Samiullah Durrani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The diversity and dynamic nature of disaster management environments necessitate the use of convenient, yet reliable, tools for technology. While there have been many improvements in mitigating the effects of disasters, it is clearly evident by recent events, such as Hurricane Katrina that issues related to emergency response and management require considerable research and improvement to effectively respond to these situations. One of the links in a disaster management chain is the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC is a physical command center responsible for the overall strategic control of the disaster response and functions as an information and communication …

Dod Acquisition Workforce Education: An Sba Education Case Study, Richard Davenport

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Department of Defense (DoD) M&S education task force is in the process of studying the Modeling and Simulation (M&S) education of the acquisition workforce. Historically, DoD acquisition workforce education is not referred to as education, but rather what the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) refers to as "practitioner training, career management, and services." The DAU is the organization primarily responsible for training the DoD acquisition corps in conjunction with service schools and strategic partners in the civilian sector. DAU programs primarily focus on program management, contracting, and management of logistics across the system life cycle. Further, the examples and cases …

Occupational Lower Extremity Risk Assessment Modeling, Christopher Reid

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Lower extremity (LE) work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are known to occur with cumulative exposure to occupational and personal risks. The objective of this dissertation study was to find if creating a quantifiable risk detection model for the LE was feasible. The primary product of the literature review conducted for this study resulted in focusing the attention of the model development process onto creating the initial model of the LE for assessing knee disorder risk factors. Literature Review: LE occupational disorders affect numerous industries and thousands of people each year by affecting any one of the musculoskeletal systems deemed susceptible …

Preliminary Investigation Of Metallurgical Structure And Mechanical Properties Of Cast Iron With High Aluminum Content, Pavel Bizyukov

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The problem addressed in this study analyzed various properties of cast iron with high aluminum content. This grade of cast iron was projected for use in the automotive industry. The benefits provided with high aluminum content are lower specific gravity and relatively inexpensive source materials with the potential of achieving high temperature properties.

The purpose of the study was to select suitable source materials and determine an effective melting technique, to investigate metallurgical structure and mechanical properties at given chemical composition, and, finally, to provide elaborate results.

The design of the experiment included the following steps: (a) selection and preparation …

Using Two Channel Communication To Study Selective Auditory Attention Using Air And Bone Conducted Interfaces, Kutbi Nuruddin Kaliyakuwawala

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the human capability to use selective auditory attention across the two different hearing pathways, air conduction and bone conduction. Four two channel communication systems were used as a basis for comparison: (1) both channels presented via headphones (left ear and right ear each represent a different channel), (2) two channels presented via loudspeakers placed at 135° and 225°, (3) one channel presented via headphones (both ears) and one channel to bone vibrator (placed at the condoyle), and (4) one channel presented via bone vibrator and one channel via loud speakers (placed at …

The Effects Of Depth And Eccentricity On Visual Search In A Depth Display, George Angelo Reis

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The attribute of depth has been shown to provide saliency or conspicuity for items in a visual search task. Novel displays that present information in real physical depth offer potential benefits. Previous research has studied depth in visual search but depth was mostly realized without real physical separation of display elements. This study aimed to better understand the effects of real physical depth and eccentricity on visual search in a depth display. Through this understanding, we can appropriately utilize this new technology. An experiment was conducted to test four hypotheses regarding how depth, eccentricity, target feature, and screen location would …

Application Of Modern Principles To Demand Forecasting For Electronics, Domestic Appliances And Accessories, Gregory Daniel Noble

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Royal Philips is a large scale producer of consumer electronics, personal appliances, lighting, and healthcare appliances. Demand data from 12 Business Units (BU) of Royal Philips was examined in the study; four business units from each of three divisions: DAP, PA, and CE. From the data supplied, different forecast techniques were evaluated to determine which procedure produces the highest quality forecasts. Three forecasting techniques were evaluated using the provided data. The three forecasting techniques evaluated are the exponential smoothing forecasting method, the exponential smoothing with a linear trend forecasting method, and the Winters forecasting method.

The Visual Basic for Applications …

Integrated Faceted Browser And Direct Search To Enhance Information Retrieval In Text-Based Digital Libraries, Shea-Tinn Yeh

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Browsing and searching are two prominent paradigms in information retrieval. In current digital library implementations, exploratory browsing is sometimes not available as an option. When offered, it is commonly presented as an alphabetical listing of chosen categories depending on the scope of the digital collections. In addition, users have to switch between different information spaces for browsing and searching. This research proposes an information retrieval paradigm of integrated faceted browser and direct search interfaces for text-based digital libraries. Experimental results show that compared to a conventional alphabetical browser, the faceted browser can significantly improve the effectiveness (by 30.8%, p = …

Abatteuses Forestières : Dispositif Et Circuits De Commande Relatifs À La Sécurité, Laurent Giraud, Yuvin Chinniah, Damien Burlet-Vienney, Joseph-Jean Paques, Marina Koutchouk, Renaud Daigle

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Les abatteuses forestières sont des engins tout-terrains conçus pour évoluer en forêt, qui servent de véhicule moteur pour déplacer une tête d’abattage.

L’utilisation d’abatteuses avec une tête d’abattage multifonctionnelle s’est largement répandue au Québec ces dernières années pour deux raisons :

• Cette méthode d’abattage réduit la machinerie car une seule machine tronçonne et façonne les arbres en billots, là où il en fallait plusieurs avec les anciennes méthodes;
• La méthode d’abattage abîme moins le sol de la forêt car le façonnage des arbres se fait sur place et crée ainsi un tapis végétal.

L’IRSST a lancé une série d’études sur …

Gathering Cows Using Virtual Fencing Methodologies, Dean M. Anderson, Marek Doniec, Carrick Detweiler, Iuliu Vesilescu, Daniela Rus, Barbara Nolen, Roy Libeau

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

Free-ranging livestock are classically controlled by herders. Holding, moving, or gathering free-ranging cattle requires flexible husbandry practices for efficient and effective lowstress animal management. Behavioral theory and practical experience indicates cattle can be taught to respond to auditory cues. Preliminary research has demonstrated that cows can be gathered autonomously using recorded audio cues associated with manual gathering. However, efficient gathering requires movement in the proper direction. Therefore, we believe using audio cues administered from directional virtual fencing (DVF™) equipment can facilitate proper animal orientation and facilitate the gathering of animals with minimal human intervention. Results from applying directional audio cues …

Egypt's Information Society Strategy: A Critical Lexicography, Neil Mcbride, Bernd Carsten Stahl

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The development of ICT policies within developing countries in the past ten years has opened up a new area for study. These documents chart the ambitions of the countries for the use of ICT to promote rapid development. As such they are intercultural documents, developing at the interface between the culture of the country and western economic culture. This paper develops a critical approach to understanding these documents and studying their message. The approach involves the preparation of a critical dictionary which identifies relevant terms within the ICT policy document and reflects on their multiple meanings. The approach was applied …