Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Computational Intelligence Methods For Predicting Fetal Outcomes From Heart Rate Patterns, Vinayaka Nagendra Harikishan Gude Divya Sampath

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, methods for evaluating the fetal state are compared to make predictions based on Cardiotocography (CTG) data. The first part of this research is the development of an algorithm to extract features from the CTG data. A feature extraction algorithm is presented that is capable of extracting most of the features in the SISPORTO software package as well as late and variable decelerations. The resulting features are used for classification based on both U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) categories and umbilical cord pH data. The first experiment uses the features to classify the results into three different …

Transmission Line Inspection Using Suspended Robot: Cost Effective Analysis And Operational Routing Identification, Balaji Rathinam Nagarajan

Masters Theses

"High voltage transmission lines form a crucial part of the energy infrastructure of a country. Effective maintenance is required to maintain its reliability and reduce the probability of the occurrence of the outage. Conventionally, the routine inspection of the transmission line was conducted by linemen with the assistance of hot stick and helicopter, which is considered dangerous, time-consuming, and expensive.

In this thesis, we focus on the initial study of seeking the state of the art robotics technology to by largely replace human beings in transmission line inspection. The existing robotics technologies that are interested by utility companies, as well …

Evaluating Microgrid Effectiveness In Transitioning Energy Portfolios, Jacob Marshal Hale

Masters Theses

"Microgrid energy systems have emerged as a potential solution to rising greenhouse gas emissions from dependence on fossil fuels. This research provides a framework for evaluating the utility of microgrids. Three key findings are presented: use of a state-of-the-art matrix (SAM) analysis to identify gaps in key research areas that inhibit wide-spread microgrid adoption, development of a system dynamics (SD) model, and a cost benefit analysis case study to evaluate microgrid feasibility in partially meeting the energy demand of a building. Governments play a central role in developing clean energy strategies. A SAM was developed to determine if key microgrid …

การเพิ่มระดับการยอมรับเทเลเมติกส์สำหรับการประกันภัยรถยนต์ในประเทศไทย, พีระวิช คงเมือง

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

เทเลเมติกส์เป็นเทคโนโลยีใหม่ในอุตสาหกรรมประกันภัยรถยนต์ในประเทศไทย ถือกำเนิดจากความต้องการเปลี่ยนแปลงพฤติกรรมของผู้ขับขี่ให้มีความปลอดภัย ซึ่งยังไม่ได้รับการยอมรับจากลูกค้ามากนัก ผู้วิจัยจึงได้ทำการสำรวจความต้องการของลูกค้าและปัญหาการใช้งาน จากนั้นได้ทำการศึกษาทฤษฎีและงานวิจัยที่เกี่ยวข้องกับการยอมรับนวัตกรรมและเทคโนโลยี เพื่อศึกษาปัจจัยการยอมรับเทเลเมติกส์ โดยทำการวิจัยตามกระบวนการพัฒนานวัตกรรม 5D เพื่อตอบสนองความต้องการของลูกค้าอย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ การวิเคราะห์ข้อมูลและทดสอบสมมติฐาน พบว่า 2 ปัจจัยคือ สภาพสิ่งอำนวยความสะดวกในการใช้งาน และแรงจูงใจภายนอก ส่งผลต่อความตั้งใจในการใช้งาน จากนั้นใช้เทคนิคการแปลงความต้องการเชิงคุณภาพในการออกแบบแนวคิดผลิตภัณฑ์ และนำผลการศึกษาที่ได้มาใช้ในการพัฒนาเทเลเมติกส์ในครั้งนี้ ผู้วิจัยได้ทำการวิเคราะห์สถานการณ์ในปัจจุบัน โดยใช้ทฤษฎีการแพร่กระจายนวัตกรรมและศึกษาข้อกำหนดทางกฎหมายในเรื่องค่าเบี้ยประกันภัยรถยนต์ ทำให้ผู้วิจัยได้ตัดสินใจนำเทคโนโลยี Beacon เข้ามาใช้ร่วมกับแอพพลิเคชั่นเทเลเมติกส์ ซึ่งสอดคล้องกับปัจจัยการยอมรับด้านสภาพสิ่งอำนวยความสะดวกในการใช้งาน ผลการประเมินความคิดเห็นของผู้ทดลองใช้งาน 39 คน พบว่า ความตั้งใจในการใช้งาน ค่าเฉลี่ยอยู่ 3.01 ส่วนเบี่ยงเบนมาตรฐาน 0.95 เมื่อทดสอบสมมติฐานก่อนพัฒนาและหลังพัฒนา สรุปได้ว่า มีความแตกต่างอย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับความเชื่อมั่น 95%

Contribution Of Physical Internet Containers To Mitigate The Risk Of Cargo Theft, Yanyan Yang, Eric Ballot, Miguel Gaston Cedillo-Campos

15th IMHRC Proceedings (Savannah, Georgia. USA – 2018)

Different from current dedicated goods distribution solutions, the goods in the Physical Internet are encapsulated in modular dimensioned standard easy-to-interlock smart containers in an open interconnected logistic system. This paper aims to study the performance of the application of this cross-chain innovative packaging solution, especially its potential against cargo theft risks. To attain this, both qualitative and quantitative studies are carried out. With a scenario-based cost-justification model, different case studies are examined. Results suggest that through the modularity and standardization, the application of Physical Internet Containers will significantly improve the logistics performance and reduce cargo theft risks.

A Framework For Modeling Material Handling With Decentralized Control, Kai Furmans, Kevin R. Gue

15th IMHRC Proceedings (Savannah, Georgia. USA – 2018)

Despite decades of research in material handling, the academic community still has no accepted way of describing material handling requirements in a way that machines and algorithms can process them. Such a “way of describing” requires a language with which to describe requirements, objects, relationships between objects, and so on. We propose a modeling framework that differs from existing research in two ways: First, we address material handling modeling from the bottom up rather than from the top down, meaning we define a set of elementary functions and then combine them into processes and more complex relationships that allow us …

Pull-Driven Order Fulfillment In Distribution Centers, Dima Nazzal, Shankar Shanmugasundaram, Sung Kim, Russell D. Meller

15th IMHRC Proceedings (Savannah, Georgia. USA – 2018)

One of the challenges facing e-commerce fulfillment is the rigidity of the wave management system that often dictates a fixed batch size that must be processed before the next wave of orders is released. As a result, operation managers usually push multiple waves, which lead to accumulation at bottleneck resources, and poor synchronization at sortation engines. We demonstrate the power of operating an order fulfillment engine using the “pull” paradigm. We hypothesize that a pull-driven order fulfillment can meet the same throughput requirements achieved by the push-driven wave-based order fulfillment, but with higher speed, higher service levels, more level resource …

A Motion Capture System Framework For The Study Of Human Manufacturing Repetitive Motions, Francis Mendez, David Wierschem, Jesus Jimenez

15th IMHRC Proceedings (Savannah, Georgia. USA – 2018)

Our research proposes a framework to obtain and analyze real time data concerning the dynamic and natural motion of individuals in manufacturing-like processes that involve human labor. The framework that we propose consists of five main components: a tracking system, a system of sensors, a processor that collects time series data, data processing and discovery module, and an alert or reporting component. Using motion capture cameras, data is collected on a variety of human subjects performing simulated labor-intensive manufacturing operations. This data is analyzed for identification of actual and optimal activity motions. This project has significant potential impact for contribution …

Digital Design Of Intralogistics Systems: Flexible And Agile Solution To Short-Cyclic Fluctuations, Anike Murrenhoff, Christoph Pott, Moritz Wernecke, Philipp-Akira Burger

15th IMHRC Proceedings (Savannah, Georgia. USA – 2018)

In times of fast-paced, fluctuating and individual markets, intralogistics systems, such as warehouses, have to adapt to the resulting volatile performance demands dynamically. Hybrid systems, in which humans and machines work together efficiently and communicate in socio-technical networks, can be the answer to manage these high-frequency markets. Hybrid systems of the future need to adapt frequently and permanent change becomes the “new normal”. A one-time planning of warehousing systems upon first installation becomes obsolete. This results in the question of how to design and implement processes for future logistics systems in an agile way in order to exploit the flexibility …

Home Inventory Management And Last-Mile Logistics, Bhagyalakshmi V. Shrikrishna, Bharat Kulkarni, Michael G. Kay

15th IMHRC Proceedings (Savannah, Georgia. USA – 2018)

A study of the functioning of last-mile logistics in home inventory management is described. Different patterns of the household consumptions are studied and assumed in the interim. These consumption patterns then form the automatic grocery ordering system leading to what we would refer as a “home inventory management system.” In the futuristic world. This paper focuses on the impact of driverless delivery vehicles and drone delivery to satisfy the demand of the customers in a future scenario where orders are placed automatically by a home inventory management system.

Augmenting Incident Command System For Improved Emergency Response, Meenakshi Nagarajan

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Incident Command System provides a framework for commanders to manage an incident. However, maintaining good situation awareness in an emergency situation is often challenging to the Incident Commander. Stress may result in task fixation which may cause the commander to miss critical information and can eventually lead to poor decisions. The proposed augmented decision support system, with an integrated knowledge base, enhances the commander's decision making and situation awareness by presenting the information that may have been missed. The system has been evaluated to investigate its utility in chemical hazard scenarios. The system was used by experienced Incident Commanders to …

Two Essays On Whole Farm Modeling And Crop Marketing In Western Kentucky, Benjamin A. Martin

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This thesis is composed of two essays that investigate whole farm planning and crop marketing in western Kentucky. In the first essay, contracting decisions between food corn producers and a mill are analyzed to observe factors affecting the bushel amount farmers contract. Unbalanced panel data containing seven years’ worth of pricing and contract information are used with a fixed-effects model to generate parameter estimates and quantify their effect on bushels contracted. It was found that contract attributes, market condition, and relationship-specific assets had a significant effect on producers’ food corn contracting decisions. The second essay utilizes mixed-integer programming to optimize …

Human-Intelligence And Machine-Intelligence Decision Governance Formal Ontology, Faisal Mahmud

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Since the beginning of the human race, decision making and rational thinking played a pivotal role for mankind to either exist and succeed or fail and become extinct. Self-awareness, cognitive thinking, creativity, and emotional magnitude allowed us to advance civilization and to take further steps toward achieving previously unreachable goals. From the invention of wheels to rockets and telegraph to satellite, all technological ventures went through many upgrades and updates. Recently, increasing computer CPU power and memory capacity contributed to smarter and faster computing appliances that, in turn, have accelerated the integration into and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in …

Understanding The Impact Of Large-Scale Power Grid Architectures On Performance, Ange-Lionel Toba

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Grid balancing is a critical system requirement for the power grid in matching the supply to the demand. This balancing has historically been achieved by conventional power generators. However, the increasing level of renewable penetration has brought more variability and uncertainty to the grid (Ela, Diakov et al. 2013, Bessa, Moreira et al. 2014), which has considerable impacts and implications on power system reliability and efficiency, as well as costs. Energy planners have the task of designing infrastructure power systems to provide electricity to the population, wherever and whenever needed. Deciding of the right grid architecture is no easy task, …

Inspection Process Flow Development For A Warehouse, Pahalawaththage Perera

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The project is based on a medical device outsourcing company in the US. In 2018 the company added a 44,000 sq ft new warehouse. With the scales of growth and market competition, it has come to a need to optimize production capacity to achieve 98% monthly on time delivery target. Optimizing production capacity comes with efficiently managing operations that impact overall product lead time. A primary factor that impacts the overall product lead time is production preparation time. Production preparation time is impacted by lead times of 3 operations managed by the new warehouse - Receiving Inspection, Incoming Inspection, and …

Predictive Modeling On The Piezoelectric Properties Of 3d Printed Functional Nanocomposites Using The Data Analytics Approach, Md Didarul Islam

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This paper presents research done on prediction modeling using a data analytics approach to determine various factors affecting the piezoelectric properties of the 3D printed pressure sensors. Previously, the material extrusion 3D printing technique was used to fabricate pressure sensors composed of multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNT), barium titanate (BT), and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) using simple fabrication and low-cost methods. This sensor produced a voltage output of 725 mV (0.13 pC/N) which is enough for pressure sensing applications. However, a holistic study to determine impacts of all factors was not carried out in the previous model. In this study, the design …

Shape Detection Of Structural Electronics Using Machine Vision System Embeded Into Scara Robot, Varaha Venkat Vyas Kumar Naidu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Additive manufacturing processes combined with enhanced technologies for electronics production enables a highly flexible manufacturing of personalized 3D electronic devices. Due to the technical progress within the last years, these technologies made their way from prototyping towards manufacturing. The growing request for products manufactured in batch size, making use of a robot to incorporate the electronic components necessary to make functional 3-Dimensional-Structural Electronics will extend the mass production possibilities. There is significant interest in automation of a process in which parameters are influential in the occurrence of assembly defects and which adjustments should be made to those variables to reduce …

Economic And Environmentally Efficient Energy Management System For Optimal Microgrid Operation, Olayinka Samuel Obafemi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this Thesis is to study and understand the economic analysis of integrating renewable energy resources for the purpose of improving the system grid, identifying and monetizing benefits and cost. This Thesis discusses the approach taken and solution created to tackle the current problems facing the production and consumption of electricity and how the microgrid has become a platform for improvement in power system operation. A microgrid in islanded and connected mode are simulated using Homer Pro for optimization and its results help gain an insight into analyzing and monetizing cost and benefits with one common goal in …

Technical Project Management: Union Of Systems Engineering Processes With Project Management Processes, Deyaaldeen M. Abusal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Today, most projects in technical fields utilize project management to complete projects as planned, and some of the projects utilize system engineering to cover the project in both technically and commercially. This Thesis investigates the relationship between Project Management (PM) and Systems Engineering (SE) to determine if a suitably professional level of management and level of quality can be achieved. When studying PM and SE separately and make a comparison between both, there is much overlap between these two mature fields. The project could be planned and completed solely by either process. This study combines both fields of Project Management …

Extraction Of Fiber Morphology From Sem Images For Quality Control Of Fiber Reinforced Composites Manufacturing, Md Fashiar Rahman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The morphology of fibers (e.g. spatial uniformity, orientation, and length) plays a decisive role in determining the material properties or fabrication quality of fiber-reinforced nanocomposites. Hence, determining the morphology becomes a very critical issue in the field of nanocomposite quality control. The conventional way of quality inspection is to take the scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images of the cross-section of composite material and do the visual checking of these SEM images to evaluate the nanofiber alignment and length distribution. But this type of inspection is often subjective, inaccurate and time consuming. Moreover, the extremely small size of nanofibers makes the …

Ambulatory Clinic Exam Room Design With Respect To Computing Devices: A Laboratory Simulation Study, Dustin T. Weiler, Tyler Satterly, Shakaib U. Rehman, Maury A. Nussbaum, Neale R. Chumbler, Gary M. Fischer, Jason J. Saleem

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background—Challenges persist regarding how to integrate computing effectively into the exam room, while maintaining patient-centered care. Purpose—Our objective was to evaluate a new exam room design with respect to the computing layout, which included a wall-mounted monitor for ease of (re)-positioning. Methods—In a lab-based experiment, 28 providers used prototypes of the new and older “legacy” outpatient exam room layouts in a within-subject comparison using simulated patient encounters. We measured efficiency, errors, workload, patient-centeredness (proportion of time the provider was focused on the patient), amount of screen sharing with the patient, workflow integration, and provider situation awareness. Results—There were no statistically …

Performance, Workload, And Usability In A Multiscreen, Multi-Device, Information-Rich Environment, Jason J. Saleem, Dustin T. Weiler

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Potential benefits of multiscreen and multiple device environments were assessed using three different computing environments. A single factor, within-subject study was conducted with 18 engineering students in a laboratory experiment. Three levels for the computing environment factor included one with a desktop computer with a single monitor (control, condition A); one with a desktop with dual monitors, as well as a single tablet computer (condition B); and one with a desktop with a single monitor, as well as two tablet computers (condition C). There was no statistically significant difference in efficiency or workload when completing scenarios for the three computing …

Impact Of Noise Level On Task Performance And Workload And Correlation To Personality, Kaylee Marie Eakins

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

An ideal work environment supports a culture of high performance, low mental workload, and quick turnarounds. The impact of noise on three types of tasks in a lab work environment were examined while attempting to identify correlations between a subject's personality and their tolerance to noise. Neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extroversion correlated significantly with subjective (NASA-TLX) and physiological mental workload measures (heart rate variability and eye-tracking). The results show that task type impacts the performance, task duration, and mental workload. Although the physiological workload measures showed significant impact, the parameters standard deviation of R-R intervals and LF/HF ratio agreed with …

Galvanic And Pitting Corrosion Of A Fastener Assembly, Julie Shallman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research focuses on coupled galvanic/pitting corrosion of AA7075 when combined with stainless steel in a fastener assembly. A one-dimensional mathematical model of a well-mixed thin film electrolyte is developed to predict the damage profile of the AA7075 surface when its protective coating is damaged. The damage exposes the galvanic couple. A time dependent system of partial differential equations for potential, chloride concentration, aluminum ion concentration, and damage is developed and solved numerically. Two approaches to calculate the current density within aluminum pits are discussed. The first is a current balance between the cathodic, anodic and passive portions of the …

Demonstrating The Functionality And Efficacy Of Blockchain-Based System In Healthcare Using Simulation Tools, Jad S. Mubaslat

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Blockchain and cryptocurrencies have been a rapidly growing industry and area of academic research since Bitcoin's launch in early 2009. Blockchains have already been applied in spaces outside of finance, such as healthcare. This work explores the Bitcoin blockchain and a blockchain-based care coordination system through the use of modeling and simulation tools. Two agent based models are constructed: one to represent the Bitcoin blockchain, and a second to represent a blockchain-based care coordination system, MDChain. Insight is provided that is relevant to current issues within the Bitcoin community and predictions are made as to its future. The feasibility of …

Exploring Feedback Modalities Using Wearable Device For Complex Systems Training Programs, Layla Akilan

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effectiveness of a wearable device in delivering various feedback modalities in an attempt to improve performance outcomes in complex systems. Secondarily this study looked at performance when feedback type was matched to preferred learning style according to VARK Learning Styles Inventory results. Participants were required to perform system monitoring and correct for system failures through key presses. Feedback was delivered through a smart watch and was based on response time performance. Feedback modalities included visual, auditory, and haptic feedback. Subjective ratings of situation awareness and mental workload were also examined. Results indicated that auditory feedback condition …

Wavelet Anova Bisection Method For Identifying Simulation Model Bias, Andrew D. Atkinson, Raymond R. Hill, Joseph J. Pignatiello Jr., G. Geoffrey Vining, Edward D. White, Eric Chicken

Faculty Publications

High-resolution computer models can simulate complex systems and processes in order to evaluate a solution quickly and inexpensively. Many simulation models produce dynamic functional output, such as a set of time-series data generated during a process. These computer models require verification and validation (V&V) to assess the correctness of these simulations. In particular, the model validation effort evaluates if the model is an appropriate representation of the real-world system that it is meant to simulate. However, when assessing a model capable of generating functional output, it is useful to learn more than simply whether the model is valid or invalid. …

The Rhetoric Of Science Education And Technology, Iwasan D. Kejawa

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Nearly thousands of science experiments are performed both on humans and animals every year in the United States (Gregory, 1999). Does Science enormously play a role in the well-beings of individual in the society? Research has found that science education is through motivation and satisfying the needs of humans. The scientific world is part of an elongated human development. This can be substantiated with the use and evolution of TECHNOLOGY and SCIENCE (Minton, 2004). Education of the entities that comprise the need to achieve the goal of TECHNOLOGY and SCIENCE which are important issues of today. Research has shown that …

Internet Of Underground Things In Precision Agriculture: Architecture And Technology Aspects, Mehmet C. Vuran, Abdul Salam, Rigoberto Wong, Suat Irmak

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

The projected increases in World population and need for food have recently motivated adoption of information technology solutions in crop fields within precision agriculture approaches. Internet Of Underground Things (IOUT), which consists of sensors and communication devices, partly or completely buried underground for real-time soil sensing and monitoring, emerge from this need. This new paradigm facilitates seamless integration of underground sensors, machinery, and irrigation systems with the complex social network of growers, agronomists, crop consultants, and advisors. In this paper, state-of-the-art communication architectures are reviewed, and underlying sensing technology and communication mechanisms for IOUT are presented. Moreover, recent advances in …

Table Of Contents Jitim Vol 27 Issue 2, 2018

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

ToC JITIM vol 27 - 2, 2018