Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Robust Sensitivity Analysis Of Courses Of Action Using An Additive Value Model, Hunter A. Marks

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense (DoD) requires the ability to quantifiably measure progress in arenas that are complex and difficult to measure, such as the stability of a region. Therefore, the DoD works diligently to predict the effect of operations and sponsors research to improve prediction and analysis. They desire a repeatable, systematic methodology to aid in the selection of courses of action (COA) that efficiently meet stated objectives and quantitatively measure the degree of accomplishment of these objectives. The author proposes a value-focused thinking (VFT) decision analysis (DA) approach to this problem. This methodology not only aids in selection of …

Developing An Excel Decision Support System Using In-Transit Visibility To Decrease Dod Transportation Delays, Brian B. Stone

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force's Air Mobility Command (AMC) is responsible for efficiently transporting military personnel and cargo throughout the world. Organizations throughout the transportation system search for ways to decrease cargo transportation time as part of their ongoing mission to provide timely airlift services to the DoD. As cargo is transported through the transportation system it is in one of two states; waiting at an air base for transportation or in some phase of the loading, transportation, or unloading process. The loading and unloading process has been streamlined throughout the transportation system to a point which leaves little room …

Combat Identification Modeling Using Robust Optimization Techniques, Taeho Kim

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this research were: (1) the modeling of a CID situation and (2) the search for robust and controllable input variable settings. The inputs were defined as controllable and noise variables and the confusion matrices in ROC theory were adapted to act as controllable factors. In this research a simple virtual battlespace representation is employed. The experimental results of the CID system are summarized by a posterior confusion matrix and throughout the confusion matrix analysis we can obtain all various types of data such as accuracy, error cost, error rates, and so forth. To find the optimal parameters …

Forecasting Instability Indicators In The Horn Of Africa Region, Bryan R. Tannehill

Theses and Dissertations

The forecasting of state failure and the associated indicators has been a topic of great interest to a number of different agencies. USAID, CENTCOM, the World Bank, the Center for Army Analyses, and others have all examined the subject based on their own specific objectives. Whether the goal is denying terrorists space in which to operate, deciding how to pre-position materials in anticipation of unrest, stabilizing foreign markets and trade, or preventing or mitigating humanitarian disasters, man made or otherwise, this topic has been of interest for over a decade. The Horn of Africa has been one of the least …

A Simulation Optimization Approach To The Design Of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Emily C. Evans

Theses and Dissertations

Military strategy and operations have evolved significantly over the past decade. This evolution has led to a change in the military resources required to carry out missions successfully. In line with these requirements, demand has increased for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with enhanced capability to perform surveillance and to strike targets of interest. This research effort aids in the design of a next generation UAV by employing a simulation optimization approach. The goal of this research is to maximize the number of targets destroyed in a conflict scenario by a newly designed UAV that is subject to size, weight, and …

A Decision Tool To Evaluate Budgeting Methodologies For Estimating Facility Recapitalization Requirements, Krista M. Hickman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop a decision tool to assist in the evaluation of facility recapitalization budget estimation models to determine which model was best suited for a particular organization. Specifically, this thesis sought to answer an overarching research question addressing the importance of recapitalization and the best method to estimate the facility recapitalization budget using the Department of Defense (DoD) as the subject of the research. A comprehensive literature review revealed ten existing recapitalization model alternatives to consider for implementation. The methodology used to develop a decision tool was based on the Value Focused Thinking (VFT) …

The Impact Of Operations Tempo (Optempo) On Intentions To Depart The Military. Does The Increase Of Optempo Cause Action, Nathan P. Olsen

Theses and Dissertations

Recent information in the field of Operations Tempo (OPTEMPO) has resulted in conflicting information on its effect on turnover intentions. This study evaluated the August 2004 Status of Forces Survey to determine if the sample demonstrated OPTEMPO had a curvilinear effect on turnover intentions when accounting for the moderators job satisfaction and organizational commitment while controlling for rank and gender. Linear regressions were used to determine if the relationship between OPTEMPO and turnover intentions were significant. When accounting for job satisfaction and organizational commitment the relationship between OPTEMPO and turnover intentions is not significant, this indicated that OPTEMPO and turnover …

Intelligence Surveillance And Reconnaissance Asset Assignment For Optimal Mission Effectiveness, Ryan D. Kappedal

Theses and Dissertations

This research develops mathematical programming techniques to solve an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance sensor assignment problem for USSTRATCOM. The problem as specified is hypothesized to be difficult (i.e. np-hard). With the smallest test cases, the true optimal solution is found using simple optimization techniques, but, due to intractability, the optimal solutions for larger test cases are not found using these same techniques. Instead, heuristic techniques are applied to several test cases in order to determine the best, robust methodologies to find true or near optimal solutions. Specifically, simulated annealing (SA) is tested for convergence properties across several different parameter settings. …

An Analysis Of Methodologies & Best Practices For Rapidly Acquiring Technologies To Meet Urgent Warfighter Needs, Charles D. Solomon

Theses and Dissertations

The rapidly changing global security environment that today's military operates within requires an ever-increasing ability to quickly adapt to non-traditional threats. This has forced the United States to re-examine the traditional means of equipping its forces to ensure more agile acquisition practices are available to the Science and Technology (S&T) and acquisition communities. While there have been significant efforts to look towards industry for potential solutions to this problem, the heavily bureaucratic and restrictive government environment has made applying commercial lessons learned difficult. To effectively implement rapid fielding approaches within the government context, research into organizations facing the same or …

Acuta Enews February 2008, Vol. 37, No. 2

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

From the President........ Walt Magnussen, Texas A&M Univ., ACUTA President

Board Report ................... Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego Stale Univ, , ACUTA, Sec./Treasurer

Check lt Out: RFls/RFPs, Job Postings, Press Releases

Tech Talk: What Kind of Experience Does Your Website Provide?.............Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

DC Update ............Jeanne Jansenius, Sewonee, The University of the South

Grant Money for Minority College Wireless Networks

Ethernet Alliance White Paper Challenge

lnfo Links ............. Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern lowa

Deadline for lnstitutional Excellence Awards ls February 15

Welcome New Members

Optimum Production And Installation Capacities For Products With Seasonal Demand, Ahmed Reda Adawy

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Systematic Approach For Securing Our Space Assets, Heather Yates, Michael R. Grimaila

Faculty Publications

We are surrounded by the use of space assets, but for the most part are unaware of their impact on our lives. On a daily basis, space assets contribute to our well-being and others around the world. Space activities have enhanced security, monitored the environment, improved and increased information growth and flow, created economic growth, and changed the way people around the world live and work.[1] Since the 1991 Gulf War, we have also come to understand how much the US military depends on space. Military forces use satellite information for communications, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, warning, weather, navigation, and timing. …

A Suite Of Robust Controllers For The Manipulation Of Microscale Objects, Qinmin Yang, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A suite of novel robust controllers is introduced for the pickup operation of microscale objects in a microelectromechanical system (MEMS). In MEMS, adhesive, surface tension, friction, and van der Waals forces are dominant. Moreover, these forces are typically unknown. The proposed robust controller overcomes the unknown contact dynamics and ensures its performance in the presence of actuator constraints by assuming that the upper bounds on these forces are known. On the other hand, for the robust adaptive critic-based neural network (NN) controller, the unknown dynamic forces are estimated online. It consists of an action NN for compensating the unknown system …

Application Of Design Of Experiments To Flight Test: A Case Study, Aaron A. Tucker, Gregory T. Hutto, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Modern flight test tends to be a complex, expensive undertaking so any increases in efficiency would result in considerable savings. Design of experiments is a statistical methodology which enables a highly efficient investigation where only the samples needed are collected and analyzed. the application of design of experiments to the design of flight test can result in a significant increase in test efficiency. Increased information is garnered from the data collected while the number of data points required to understand the system is reduced. in this effort, an actual flight test program serves as a case study to compare and …

Acuta Enews January 2008, Vol. 37, No. 1

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

From ACUTA Headquarters.................. Jeri A. Semer, CAE, ACUTA Executive Director

Board Report.............Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State Univ., ACUTA Sec./Treasurer

Tech Talk: Play the Network Game and Track Mystery Signals ......... Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

Institutional Excellence Award Deadline: February 15

DC Update ................Jeanne Jansenius, Sewanee, The University of the South

lnfo Links ............. Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern lowa

Thanks to 2007 Journal Advertisers

FYI: Useful lnformation from Campus............Eric Weil, Student Mlonitor

Welcome New Members

Check lt out: RFls/RFPs, Job Postings, Press Releases

Engineering Microbial Fuels Cells: Recent Patents And New Directions, Justin C. Biffinger, Bradley R. Ringeisen

United States Navy: Publications

Fundamental research into how microbes generate electricity within microbial fuel cells (MFCs) has far outweighed the practical application and large scale development of microbial energy harvesting devices. MFCs are considered alternatives to standard commercial polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology because the fuel supply does not need to be purified, ambient operating temperatures are maintained with biologically compatible materials, and the biological catalyst is self-regenerating. The generation of electricity during wastewater treatment using MFCs may profoundly affect the approach to anaerobic treatment technologies used in wastewater treatment as a result of developing this energy harvesting technology. However, the materials …

Scheduling Maintenance Activities During Planned Outages At Nuclear Power Plants, Alan Mckendall, James Noble, Cerry Klein

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

In order to maintain high production rates, electric power as well as manufacturing plants shut down so that maintenance activities can be performed on machines/equipment. These planned shut downs (outages) usually occur at least once a year and are more frequent for plants with older machines/equipment. The major costs associated with outages are cost of materials, labor cost, and loss of production cost. Due to high cost incurred from loss of production, the objective is to schedule maintenance activities such that outage duration is minimized. Since the resources required to perform maintenance activities are very limited, the problem of scheduling …

Improved Tabu Search Heuristics For The Dynamic Space Allocation Problem, Alan Mckendall

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The dynamic space allocation problem(DSAP) presented in this paper considers the task of assigning items(resources) to locations during a multi-period planning horizon such that the cost of rearranging the items is minimized. Three tabu search heuristics are presented for this problem. The first heuristic is a simple basic tabu search heuristic. The second heuristic adds diversification and intensification strategies to the first, and the third heuristic is a probabilistic tabu search heuristic. To test the performances of the heuristics, a set of test problems from the literature is used in the analysis. The results show that the tabu search heuristics …

Tabu Search Heuristics For The Crane Sequencing Problem, Alan Mckendall

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Determining the sequence of relocating items (or resources) moved by a crane from existing positions to newly assigned locations during a multiperiod planning horizon is a complex combinatorial optimisation problem, which exists in power plants, shipyards, and warehouses. Therefore, it is essential to develop a good crane route technique to ensure efficient utilisation of the crane as well as to minimize the cost of operating the crane. This problem was defined as the Crane Sequencing Problem (CSP). In this paper, three construction and three improvement algorithms are presented for the CSP. The first improvement heuristic is a simple Tabu Search …

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Infection Of The Auricular Cartilage Caused By “High Ear Piercing”: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature, Henry H. Rowshan, Karen Keith, Dale Baur, Peter Skidmore

United States Army: Publications

Piercing of various parts of the body has gained tremendous popularity among adolescent and adult populations in recent years. There are no exact statistical reports on the number of body piercings being performed in the United States. One study among 481 college students in New York revealed that 42% of men and 60% of women had body piercing. In the past, the majority of complications of ear piercing were associated with the lobule. Torn ear lobes, localized infection, hypertrophic scars, allergic contact dermatitis, and keloid formations were among the most common, with no significant morbidity. However, “high ear piercing,” defined …

Cost Of Manufacturing: Experiment To Establish Process-Specific Cost Functions For A Deviation Based Cost Formulation, Parikshit Rajendra Deshmukh

Graduate Research Papers

In the present day global competition, there is incredible pressure on manufacturing unit of a company to reduce the cost of manufacturing, so that company can offer products at low cost. Cost of manufacturing is essential to determine final cost of the product. The cost depends on the type of manufacturing techniques used and the desired level of tolerance, it varies with the tolerance. To formulate the detail cost of manufacturing all the geometric tolerance given has to be evaluated including material, dimensions and machining operations. It is vital to the survival of any business to forecast more effectively the …

Influence Of Snow And Ice Crystal Formation And Accumulation On Mercury Deposition To The Arctic, Thomas A. Douglas, Matthew Sturm, William R. Simpson, Joel D. Blum, Laura Alvarez-Aviles, Gerald J. Keeler, Donald K. Perovich, Abir Biswas, Kelsey Johnson

United States Army: Publications

Mercury is deposited to the Polar Regions during springtime atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDEs) but the relationship between snow and ice crystal formation and mercury deposition is not well understood. The objective of this investigation was to determine if mercury concentrations were related to the type and formation of snow and ice crystals. On the basis of almost three hundred analyses of samples collected in the Alaskan Arctic, we suggest that kinetic crystals growing from the vapor phase, including surface hoar, frost flowers, and diamond dust, yield mercury concentrations that are typically 2-10 times higher than that reported for snow …

The Phylogeny Of The Four Pan-American Mtdna Haplogroups: Implications For Evolutionary And Disease Studies, Alessandro Achilli, Ugo A. Perego, Claudio M. Bravi, Michael D. Coble, Qing-Peng Kong, Scott R. Woodward, Antonio Salas, Antonio Torroni, Hans-Jürgen Bandelt

United States Army: Publications

Only a limited number of complete mitochondrial genome sequences belonging to Native American haplogroups were available until recently, which left America as the continent with the least amount of information about sequence variation of entire mitochondrial DNAs. In this study, a comprehensive overview of all available complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genomes of the four pan-American haplogroups A2, B2, C1, and D1 is provided by revising the information scattered throughout GenBank and the literature, and adding 14 novel mtDNA sequences. The phylogenies of haplogroups A2, B2, C1, and D1 reveal a large number of sub-haplogroups but suggest that the ancestral Beringian …

The Creation Of Tools And Models To Characterize And Quantify User-Centered Design Considerations In Product And System Developm, Katherine Meza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ease of use differentiates products in a highly competitive market place. It also brings an added value that culminates in a higher degree of customer satisfaction, repeated business, increased sales, and higher revenue. User-centered design is a strategic asset that companies can use to improve their customer relationships by learning more about their customers, and increase their sales. In today's economy, the measurement of intangible assets such as user experience has become a major need for industries because of the relationship between user-centered design and organizational benefits such as customer loyalty. As companies realize that the inclusion of user-centered design …

Effective Elution Of Rdx And Tnt From Particles Of Comp B In Surface Soil, John S. Furey, Herbert L. Fredrickson, Margaret J. Richmond, Michael Michel

United States Army: Publications

During live fire training exercises, large amounts of explosives are consumed. Low order detonations of high explosive payloads result in the patchy dispersal of particles of high explosive formulations over large areas of firing range soils. Dissolution of explosives from explosive formulation particles into soil pore water is a controlling factor for transport, fate, and effects of explosive compounds. We developed an empirical method to evaluate soils based on functionally defined effective dissolution rates. An automated Accelerated Solvent Extractor was used to determine the effective elution rates under controlled conditions of RDX and TNT from soil columns containing particles of …

Detection Of The Superoxide Radical Anion Using Various Alkanethiol Monolayers And Immobilized Cytochrome C, Xiaojun J. Chen, Alan C. West, Donald M. Cropek, Scott Banta

United States Army: Publications

The superoxide radical anion (SO) is a critical biomarker for monitoring cellular stress responses. Electrochemical SO biosensors are frequently constructed through the covalent immobilization of cytochrome c (Cyt c) onto self-assembled monolayers (SAMs); however, a detailed comparison of these systems as well as configuration influence on SO detection is needed to enable robust applications. Two reaction pathways, oxidation of SO by the SAM-modified gold electrode or electron transfer through a protein and monolayer relay, may be involved during the electrochemical detection of SO with Cyt c, depending on the SAM that is used. Although electrodes with SAMs alone can exhibit …

Phase 2a Trial Of 0, 1, And 3 Month And 0, 7, And 28 Day Immunization Schedules Of Malaria Vaccine Rts,S/As02 In Malaria-Naive Adults At The Walter Reed Army Institute Of Research, Kent E. Kester, James F. Cummings, Christian F. Ockenhouse, Robin Nielsen, B. Ted Hall, Daniel M. Gordon, Robert J. Schwenk, Urszula Krzych, Carolyn A. Holland, Gregory Richmond, Megan G. Dowler, Jackie Williams, Robert A. Wirtz, Nadia Tornieporth, Laurence Vigneron, Martine Delchambre, Marie-Ange Demoitie, W. Ripley Ballou, Joe Cohen, D. Gray Heppner Jr.

United States Army: Publications

Background: Immunization with RTS,S/AS02 consistently protects some vaccinees against malaria infection in experimental challenges and in field trials. A brief immunization schedule against falciparum malaria would be compatible with the Expanded Programme on Immunization, or in combination with other prevention measures, interrupt epidemic malaria or protect individuals upon sudden travel to an endemic area.
Methods: We conducted an open label, Phase 2a trial of two different full dose schedules of RTS,S/AS02 in 40 healthy malaria-naıve adults. Cohort 1 (n = 20) was immunized on a 0, 1, and 3 month schedule and Cohort 2 (n = 20) on a 0, …

Vietnam: Historians At War, Mark Moyar

United States Army: Publications

By the early 1990s, when I began studying the Vietnam War, the American public had largely lost interest in the history of that conflict. The Civil War and World War II were the wars that historians were advised to cover if they wanted to reach the public. Among government officials, military officers, and political scientists, Vietnam was considered irrelevant, because the United States would never get caught in protracted counterinsurgency warfare again. Iraq changed all that. Ever since the outbreak of insurgency in the former empire of Saddam Hussein, people of all persuasions have been mining the history of Vietnam …

Influenza Immunization And Subsequent Diagnoses Of Group A Streptococcus-Illnesses Among U.S. Army Trainees, 2002–2006, Seung-Eun Lee, Angelia Eick, Michael S. Bloom, John F. Brundage

United States Army: Publications

To assess the association between influenza immunization and subsequent diagnosis of group A streptococcus (GAS)-illness in Army recruits during influenza seasons 2002–2006. A case–control study was employed with cases as trainees with outpatient GAS diagnosis (ICD-9-CM codes: 034.0, 035, 038.0, 041.01, 320.2, 390–392, 482.31) during the influenza season, and controls as trainees with no outpatient GAS diagnosis during the influenza season. Primary exposure was influenza immunization during 1st September to 30th April of each season. Estimated protective effects of influenza immunization against GAS-illness ranged from 50% to 77%. A strong protective effect was suggested for Army trainee influenza immunization on …

Utility Of Lipid Biomarkers In Support Of Bioremediation Efforts At Army Sites, D. Ringelberg, M. Richmond, K. Foley, C. Reynolds

United States Army: Publications

Lipid biomarker analysis has proven valuable in testing the hypothesis that attributes of the extant microbiota can directly reflect the occurrence of contaminant biodegradation. Two past research efforts have demonstrated this utility and are described here.
A 4.5 m vertical core was obtained from a diesel fuel oil contamination plume. Core material was assayed for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and bacterial membrane phospholipids (PLFA) via a single solvent extraction. Microbial viable biomass and the relative abundance of Gram-negative bacterial PLFA biomarkers were found to be significantly correlated with TPH concentration. The core TPH profile also revealed two distinct areas where …