Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Assortment Planning For Multiple Quality Levels Using Locational Choice, Mark Mcelreath

All Dissertations

Assortment planning is the process in which a retailer selects a product line to offer to customers and is a key determinant of a retailer's profit. We consider the assortment planning problem using a locational choice model for customer product selection and allow for both horizontal and vertical product differentiation. When the distribution of customer preference is unimodal, the optimal solutions for this problem are unknown. We propose two solution philosophies for generating product assortments. First, we introduce a metaheuristic representation for the problem and test the performance of three metaheuristic techniques. We suggest that a tabu search or genetic …

Estimation Of Mechanical Properties Of Soft Tissue Subjected To Dynamic Impact, Mohamed R. S. Amar

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study attempted to estimate the damping properties of human tissue by using spring and damper system as a model. Data of impacting human tissue at the deltoid area was used to obtain a continuous, second order system to represent the mass-spring-damper system. A discrete ARMA(2,1) model was fitted using the data obtained from experiments in which the deceleration of a pendulum impacting human shoulders in the area of the deltoid muscle was measured. The data of the deceleration was integrated twice to obtain estimates of displacement. The integration was done until the maximum displacement occurred at zero velocity.

An …

Using A Quality Based Analytic Hierarchy Process To Do Decision-Making Analysis In Transportation, Dejing Kong

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The automated identification technology, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), provides the potential to reduce costs in the transportation operations. Local Department of Transportation (DOT) offices have to carefully consider technologies such as RFID when considering their use for operation such as Right of Way (ROW) property control. ROW operations require strategic planning in that inventory and access rights can be contestable in a myriad of situations. This research investigates the comprehensive impacts of using RFID systems for ROW inventory tracking. We utilize the House of Quality as a means to integrating strategic shareholders needs and their impact on the measurement of …

Map Estimation For Graphical Models By Likelihood Maximization, Akshat Kumar, Shlomo Zilberstein

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Computing a maximum a posteriori (MAP) assignment in graphical models is a crucial inference problem for many practical applications. Several provably convergent approaches have been successfully developed using linear programming (LP) relaxation of the MAP problem. We present an alternative approach, which transforms the MAP problem into that of inference in a finite mixture of simple Bayes nets. We then derive the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm for this mixture that also monotonically increases a lower bound on the MAP assignment until convergence. The update equations for the EM algorithm are remarkably simple, both conceptually and computationally, and can be implemented …

A Structure First Image Inpainting Approach Based On Self-Organizing Map (Som), Bo Chen, Zhaoxia Wang, Ming Bai, Quan Wang, Zhen Sun

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper presents a structure first image inpainting method based on self-organizing map (SOM). SOM is employed to find the useful structure information of the damaged image. The useful structure information which includes relevant edges of the image is used to simulate the structure information of the lost or damaged area in the image. The structure information is described by distinct or indistinct curves in an image in this paper. The obtained target curves separate the damaged area of the image into several parts. As soon as each part of the damaged image is restored respectively, the damaged image is …

Automobile Exhaust Gas Detection Based On Fuzzy Temperature Compensation System, Zhiyong Wang, Hao Ding, Fufei Hao, Zhaoxia Wang, Zhen Sun, Shujin Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A temperature compensation scheme of detecting automobile exhaust gas based on fuzzy logic inference is presented in this paper. The principles of the infrared automobile exhaust gas analyzer and the influence of the environmental temperature on analyzer are discussed. A fuzzy inference system is designed to improve the measurement accuracy of the measurement equipment by reducing the measurement errors caused by environmental temperature. The case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The fuzzy compensation scheme is promising as demonstrated by the simulation results in this paper.

Evolving Fuzzy Optimally Pruned Extreme Learning Machine: A Comparative Analysis, Federico Montesino Pouzols, Amaury Lendasse

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Paper Proposes a Method for the Identification of Evolving Fuzzy Takagi-Sugeno Systems based on the Optimally Pruned Extreme Learning Machine (Op-Elm) Methodology. We Describe Elm Which is a Simple Yet Accurate and Fast Learning Algorithm for Training Single-Hidden Layer Feed-Forward Artificial Neural Networks (SLFNS) with Random Hidden Neurons. We Then Describe the Op-Elm Methodology for Building Elm Models in a Robust and Generic Manner. Leveraging on the Previously Proposed Online Sequential Elm Method and the Op-Elm, We Propose an Identification Method for Self-Developing or Evolving Neuro-Fuzzy Systems. This Method Follows a Random Projection based Approach to Extracting Evolving Fuzzy …

Acuta Enews November 2010, Vol 39, No. 11

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

From ACUTA Headquarters: Relief from Cell Phone Regulations ......Jeri A. Semer, CAE, Executive Dir.

Security ls Not a Game......... Curt Harler

Nominate for ACUTA Board of Directors

Tech Talk: Cyber Security and Collateral Damage........ Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

Kansas Universities Get $1.176M Grant from the NSF to Enhance Cyber lnfrastructure

Deadline ls Nov.5 for lnstitutional Excellence Award Nominations

Campus Televideo Releases 2010 Bandwidth and lT Report

PAETEC Provides Catting Service

Learn More about Network Management and Financial lssues without Leaving Your Office

Thanks to Exhibitors and Sponsors at Fall Seminar

Washington Update Newsletter

There ls Still SPIT....................Gary …

Comparison Of Classical Analytic Hierarchy Process (Ahp) Approach And Fuzzy Ahp Approach In Multiple-Criteria Decision Making For Commercial Vehicle Information Systems And Networks (Cvisn) Project, Liyuan Zhang

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has emerged as an important technology with many possible applications in a wide variety of fields. It is said that RFID can perform well in transportation system. Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles (NEDMV) is using this technique to perform an analysis on utilizing RFID license plates to assist with Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) program with the cooperation of many other stakeholders. Previous House of Quality (HOQ) analysis evaluates stakeholders’ needs and provides the pairwise comparison values of six important technical requirements for each stakeholder. Based on these, this research aims to seek for …

A Look Into The Future Of Wireless Mobile Communication Technologies, Jisun Kim, Tugrul Unsal Daim, Timothy R. Anderson

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The number of wireless mobile communication service subscribers has reached 4.6 billion worldwide in 2009, and mobile revenues are expected to be over $1 trillion around 2012 according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) (ITU, 2010). A significant number of studies have been done to forecast the growing market and evaluate the new generation technology, the Beyond 3 Generation (B3G). However, there is no study forecasting when any of these new technologies will be commercialized. This paper presents a technical framework for forecasting the commercialization timeline of B3G technologies and provides insight on technology trajectories from 1G to 4G. The …

Evaluation Of The Stress-Energy Methodology To Predict Transmitted Shock Through Expanded Foam Cushions, J. Singh, L. Ignatova, E. Olsen, P. Singh

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Mechanical stresses experienced by packages in the distribution environment include shock and vibration amongst several others. The destructive effects of these hazards can typically be restricted by using cushioning materials to help protect fragile goods during distribution. ASTM D1596 is the conventional standard used to determine shock absorbing performance of a cushioning material for a given combination of static loading, thickness, and drop height. This industry-accepted standard, however, requires significant amounts of transmitted shock data and can be expensive with respect to costs associated with testing and materials amongst others. Alternate stress-energy-based methodologies, developed in the past decade, recommending a …

Development Of Stem Tools Using Nasa's Systems Engineering Design Approach, J Chevallier, D Hamilton, B Landers, W Landers, B Setayesh

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of Nasa's System Engineering Design Process In The Development Of An Optical Guitar Pickup, Stephanie Buckner, Jared Nelson, Ben Fowler, Samuel Hobbs, Chris Kirchner

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

How A Systems Engineer Starts..., Herman Migliore

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

Dr. Migliore will review systems engineering as a process for developing products, processes, and services and suggest views that encourage systems thinking. As an example, he will focus on the beginning of the development process, the fuzzy front end, and discuss a method, ConOps, for getting started using examples from PSU's masters program.

Modelling And Analysis Of Dynamic Capacity Complexity In Multi-Stage Production, Ahmed M. Deif, Hoda A. Elmaraghy

Industrial Technology and Packaging

The uncertainty associated with managing dynamic capacity problem is the main source of its complexity. This article presents a system dynamics approach to model and analyse operational complexity of dynamic capacity in multi-stage production. The unique feature of this approach is that it captures the stochastic nature of three main sources of complexity associated with dynamic capacity. These are the demand, internal manufacturing delay and capacity scalability delay. The developed model was demonstrated by an industrial case study of multi-stage printed circuit board assembly line. The analysis of simulation experiments showed that ignoring complexity sources can lead to wrong decisions …

Acuta Enews October 2010, Vol 39, No. 10

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Nominate Now for 2011-2012 Board of Directors

From the President........... Matt Arthur, Washington Univ. in St. Louis, ACUTA President

Nominate Now for ACUTA Institutional Excellence Award

Tech Talk: The Land of Lync'in............... Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

That Smarts!

FYI: Useful Information from the Campus......... Student Monitor

ACUTA Surveys Voice and Emergency Systems........... Ray Horak, The Context Corporation

Learn More about UC, WiFi, FMC, Green IT and More from Your Desktop

Visit the ACUTA Community Often!

Board Report........... George Denbow, Univ. of Texas, ACUTA Secretary/Treasurer

Washington Update Newsletter

Overheard on the Listserv: It's All about Access

In Memory: …

Effect Of Freeze-Thaw Cycling On The Compression Strength Of Folding Cartons Made From Different Materials, Koushik Saha, Bruce Harte, Gary Burgess, Sujeet Adudodla

Industrial Technology and Packaging

The quality of frozen food is known to deteriorate in storage due to water migration, in-pack desiccation and frost formation. These same factors can affect folding cartons. The rate of frozen food and folding carton deterioration is further dependent on temperature fluctuations during storage, transportation, loading and unloading. This study was conducted to compare the compression strength of folding cartons made from CNK (Coated Natural Kraft), SBS (Solid Bleached Sulfate), CRP (Coated recycled paperboard) and PCSBS (Poly coated Solid Bleach Sulfate) after subjecting them to multiple freeze-thaw cycles. Compression tests were performed on empty cartons and cartons filled with frozen …

Life Cycle Inventory Comparison Of Paper And Plastic Based Packaging Systems For Strawberry Distribution, Jay A. Singh, Aric Krasowski

Industrial Technology and Packaging

The goal of this study was to conduct a life Cycle Inventory (Lei) analysis based comparison of eleven primary container and pillow wrap combinations for the distribution of fresh strawberries Three of the primary containers studied were paper based (molded pulp, paperboard and corrugated fiberboard) and three other containers investigated were clamshells or punnets made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and recycled PET (rPET) Pillow wraps made of rPET and polylactlde (PLA) were also Included for all punnet/tray style containers The scope of the study ranged from the extraction of raw materials, their processing and formation for all packaging components, product …

Emotional Intelligence And Its Potential In Engineering Management, Jesse Ray Toepfer

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Assuming that the modern connotation of Emotional Intelligence (El) took shape with Wayne Leon Payne's 1986 dissertation, A Study of Emotion: Developing Emotional Intelligence, Self-Integration, Relating to Fear, Pain, and Desire, EI is nearing its thirtieth birthday. Relatively speaking, EI is still very young, and there are a handful of researchers who are still trying to explore and define El. Significant efforts have been made to develop the concept of EI, and the ramifications of EI on an individual's professional performance.

Often more technical and exacting in nature, the field of engineering management exhibits many aspects that are unique relative …

Acuta Enews September 2010, Vol 39, No. 9

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

Survey Paints a Picture of Technology on Campus

From ACUTA Headquarters: Net Neutrality Heats Up........... Jeri A. Semer, CAE, Executive Dir.

Tech Talk: Let There Be Light......... Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

Nominations Open for 2011 ACUTA Institutional Excellence Awards

FYI: Useful Information from the Campus.......... Courtesy of Eric Weil, Student Monitor

Webinar: Overcoming Implementation Challenges with DAS at TAMU

Here's How We Collaborate

Learn More about WiFi, FMC, Green IT, and More from Your Desktop

Info Links......... Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern Iowa

In Memory

"What Ifs..."........... Gary Audin, Delphi, Inc.

Thanks to Exhibitors and Sponsors at …

A Software Application For The Selection Of Temperature Measuring Sensors Using The Analytic Hierarchy Process (Ahp), Shadi Mohammad Al-B'Ool

Systems Science and Industrial Engineering Student Scholarship

This study presents a computer program that applies analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method to objectively select the best temperature sensors for various applications from multiple nominated alternatives. The underlying decision method based on AHP methodology, ranks temperature sensors with different features with a score resulting from the synthesis of relative preferences of each alternative to the others at different levels considering independent evaluation criteria. At each level, relative preferences of each candidate alternative with respect to the upper immediate level are calculated from pair-wise comparisons among the candidate alternative sensors based on the specifications of sensors with respect to a …

A Boundary Corrected Expansion Of The Moments Of Nearest Neighbor Distributions, Elia Liitiäinen, Amaury Lendasse, Francesco Corona

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In This Article, the Moments of Nearest Neighbor Distance Distributions Are Examined. While the Asymptotic Form of Such Moments is Well-Known, the Boundary Effect Has This Far Resisted a Rigorous Analysis. Our Goal is to Develop a New Technique that Allows a Closed-Form High Order Expansion, Where the Boundaries Are Taken into Account Up to the First Order. the Resulting Theoretical Predictions Are Tested Via Simulations and Found to Be Much More Accurate Than the First Order Approximation Obtained by Neglecting the Boundaries. While Our Results Are of Theoretical Interest, They Definitely Also Have Important Applications in Statistics and Physics. …

Spiral Facility Layout Generation And Improvement Algorithm, Hatice E. Sanli, Fahrettin Eldemir

11th IMHRC Proceedings (Milwaukee, Wisconsin. USA – 2010)

This study is concerned with construction and improvement of a facility layout heuristic called Spiral Facility Layout Generation and Improvement Algorithm (SFLA). The algorithm starts with positioning departments from center point and continues like a hologram from center to outside. The aim of any facility layout algorithm is to better allocate the departments within facility. SFLA is compared with the existing space filling curve methods, MCRAFT and MULTIPLE, that are available in the literature. To form an initial spiral curve, a block system is used, like the bands for MCRAFT. The width and length of the blocks are given by …

Empirically-Based Warehouse Design: Can Academics Accept Such An Approach?, James M. Apple Jr., Russell D. Meller, John A. White Jr.

11th IMHRC Proceedings (Milwaukee, Wisconsin. USA – 2010)

It is our opinion that existing research is not sufficient to support the design of a warehouse. As a result, facility designers that work in practice are left to face the design process with their own methods. These methods are in stark contrast to the analytical models developed in academia in that they are highly based on empirical observations. Supported by a collection of empirical observations, facility designers who work in practice employ an ad hoc design process. We present a design process based on empirical observations and then formalize it so that it can be taught and used. We …

Dispatching Vehicles Considering Uncertain Handling Times At Port Container Terminals, Vu Duc Nguyen, Kap Hwan Kim

11th IMHRC Proceedings (Milwaukee, Wisconsin. USA – 2010)

This paper considers the problem of vehicle dispatching at port container terminals in a dynamic environment. The problem deals with the assignment of delivery orders of containers to vehicles while taking into consideration the uncertainty in the travel times of the vehicles. Thus, a real-time vehicle dispatching algorithm is proposed for adaptation to the dynamic changes in the states of the container terminals. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, a simulation study was conducted by considering various values of decision parameters under the uncertainty in travel times. Further, the performance of the proposed algorithm was compared with those …

Blocking Effects On Performance Of Warehouse Systems With Automonous Vehicles, Ananth Krishnamurthy, Sunderesh Heragu, Charles Malmborg

11th IMHRC Proceedings (Milwaukee, Wisconsin. USA – 2010)

Distribution centers are under increasing pressure to adopt material handling systems that offer greater flexibility to improve cycle time and throughput capacity in the transfer of unit loads in their high density storage areas. Autonomous Vehicles-based Storage and Retrieval Systems (AVS/RS), have been shown to hold significant promise in this context. In these systems, loads are transferred by autonomous vehicles. Vehicles support horizontal load movement along aisles and cross-aisles within a tier, and lifts support vertical movement between tiers. Existing research in AVS/RS, do not explicitly account for the potential blocking of vehicles and lifts while they are processing transactions. …

Merge Problems With High Speed Sorters, Dirk Jodin, Andreas Wolfschluckner

11th IMHRC Proceedings (Milwaukee, Wisconsin. USA – 2010)

To meet customer demands on distribution the necessity of sorting systems for unit loads in regard to quantity and capacity is growing up constantly.

Due to that, manufactures offer powerful sorting machines with a capacity up to 15.000 pieces per hour. Those machines are for instance Crossbelt or Tilt-Tray sorters. The output of these sorters is calculated by the equation of throughput.

The point of interest is the merge, referring to the overall efficiency of the single sorter. The motion sequence during merging has to be absolutely quick and precise to achieve exact positioning using minimized distances of the single …

The Future Of Modeling In Material Handling Systems, Leon F. Mcginnis

11th IMHRC Proceedings (Milwaukee, Wisconsin. USA – 2010)

Today, when we talk about “modeling” in the context of material handling systems, invariably we are referring to a mathematical or computational model for analyzing some aspect of the system, such as its throughput rate, response time, cost of ownership, required storage capacity, etc. Creating these kinds of models requires considerable knowledge in at least two domains the material handling system domain, and the analysis methodology domain—and considerable skill in the “art of modeling” in order to express the former in the terms of the latter. The results can be somewhat ad hoc—e.g., two different modelers are likely to create …

Optimizing Distribution Center Configuration: A Practical View Of A Multi-Objective Problem, Russell D. Meller, Lisa M. Thomas

11th IMHRC Proceedings (Milwaukee, Wisconsin. USA – 2010)

The shape of a distribution center, as well as whether dock locations are on one side or two sides of the facility, impacts measures like travel distances and the number of dock locations that may be utilized. Thus, for a required number of pallet locations, there are multiple combinations of distribution center shape and dock configurations that should be evaluated against multiple measures. We have developed a practical model for making such evaluations and illustrate the model with data reflective of a partner in the Center for Engineering Logistics and Distribution.

The Effect Of Interaction Between The Production System (Ps) And A Looped Conveyor-Based Material Handling System (Lcmhs) In A Manufacturing Facility, Vernet Lasrado, Dima Nazzal

11th IMHRC Proceedings (Milwaukee, Wisconsin. USA – 2010)

In this paper, we provide empirical evidence that shows the effect of the interaction between the production system (PS) and a looped conveyor-based material handling system (LCMHS) in a manufacturing facility. A rudimentary simulation model captures the interaction between the two systems. Varying several key factors, we test for a statistically significant difference in the work in process (WIP) of the production system with and without the LCMHS to find if the squared coefficient of variation (SCV) of the interarrival time distribution to the PS is affected. The results suggest the need to model the interaction between the two systems …