Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Bridging Models And Real-World Performance: Capturing Represented, Hidden, And Unrepresented Dynamics In Complex Systems, Dixizi Liu

All Dissertations

Complex systems often depend on adaptive performance that is difficult to capture using structured data or formal models alone. This dissertation asks how predictive modeling, coordination-cost measurement, and simulation can be integrated to better represent the visible, hidden, and unrepresented dynamics that shape real-world system performance.

Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs) provide the empirical context for this work because they support safe and timely surgical care while operating under high workload variability, time pressure, and tight coordination with operating rooms. Hospitals rely on SPDs to clean, assemble, sterilize, and deliver surgical instrument trays so surgeries can start on time and proceed …

Human-Centered Design Of Extended Reality For Learning Adoption, Effectiveness, And Collaborative Training Performance, Bhargav Upadhyay

All Dissertations

Extended reality (XR) technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can be used for technical training to help students learn and practice complex tasks in a safe digital environment. Despite known benefits evidence is required to explore the effectiveness of these technologies to support student learning outcomes. Furthermore, technical training programs need evidence about when these tools improve learning, what are the barriers to adoption of these technologies, and how training should be designed by leveraging these technologies. This dissertation examined how XR technologies can support higher education and workforce training, specifically focusing on barriers and facilitators to …

A Hybrid Machine Learning-Based Feasibility Prediction Of 3d Mechanical Designs Using Scalar And Geometric Features, Md Mohsin Uddin Fahim

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The computational bottleneck of structural feasibility screening frequently hinders the transition from a digital 3D model to a physically manufactured component. Traditionally, engineers have relied on either overly rigid heuristic constraint checks or computationally exhaustive finite element simulations. To address this inefficiency, this thesis proposes and validates a hybrid machine-learning framework to predict the structural manufacturability of 3D mechanical designs. Moving beyond the conventional reliance on isolated scalar parameters, the proposed methodology extracts and integrates both scalar manufacturing constraints (e.g., tolerance, minimum feature thickness) and spatial geometric descriptors (e.g., bounding volume, aspect ratio) directly from STL mesh data. Utilizing a …

Balancing War And Peace In Taekwondo Athlete Development: A Multi-Criteria Coaching Decision Support Framework Using Leadership Scale For Sports And Fuzzy Ahp, King Harold A. Recto, Hazel Jade L. Antonio, Jhyrald Anthony P. Dalida

Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering Faculty Publications

Coaching effectiveness is frequently evaluated through competitive outcomes, with the assumption that coaching behaviors directly influence athlete performance. This study examined the relationship between perceived coaching behaviors and individual win percentage among collegiate Taekwondo athletes using the Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS). Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were conducted across five coaching dimensions: Training and Instruction, Democratic Behavior, Autocratic Behavior, Social Support, and Positive Feedback. Results showed that none of the coaching dimensions demonstrated a statistically significant relationship with win percentage. Although coaching behaviors did not significantly predict win percentage, the findings suggest that athlete development is shaped …

Structure Meets Context: A Simulation Study Of Centralized And Decentralized Decision-Making In Complex Environments, Murat Balci

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The question of when to centralize or decentralize decision-making authority is a foundational problem in organizational theory and management science. Yet existing research often favors decentralized structures, frequently treating them as universally superior, and provides limited guidance on when centralization may be more effective. Leaning toward decentralization without thoroughly exploring options leaves organizational designers without clear direction under varying environmental conditions. This study addresses that gap by developing and applying a simulation-based framework to evaluate the context-dependent effectiveness of centralized and decentralized decision-making structures.

Drawing on contingency theory and decision science, the study conceptualizes environmental complexity along two dimensions: dynamism …

Prevention Vs Detection: A Discrete-Event Simulation Assessment Of Inspection Staffing, Pick-To-Light, And Ai-Based Inspection In Aerospace Wire Harness Kitting, Jorge Mares

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Aerospace wire harness manufacturing operates under conditions that standard industrial engineering methods were not designed to address. Volumes are low, configurations change between orders, assembly is performed manually by certified labor that cannot be expanded quickly, and IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 acceptance requires that every unit be verified rather than sampled. Kit assembly concentrates the resulting risk, because each item retrieved from the rack is an independent selection decision, and the attributes distinguishing a correct item from an incorrect one are frequently not visible to the operator. Errors introduced there are discovered downstream, after substantial certified labor has been invested. A …

Spatial Analysis Of The Environmental And Climatic Explanatory Relationship Of Photovoltaic Potential For Sustainable Shrimp Farming, Dyah Lestari Widaningrum, Roikhanatun Nafi'ah, Religiana Hendarti, Alexandra Catherine Djunaedi, Evaristus Didik Madyatmadja

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Sustainable shrimp aquaculture requires reliable and affordable energy, particularly for coastal pond aeration. However, identifying suitable locations for photovoltaic (PV) deployment remains challenging because ground-based solar-resource measurement is expensive, spatially limited, and difficult to maintain across large coastal regions. This study develops a village-level spatial framework to evaluate PV potential for shrimp aquaculture using open geospatial datasets. The analysis covered villages across Central Java, Special Region of Yogyakarta, and East Java. PV power potential (PVout), Global Horizontal Irradiation (GHI), and Direct Normal Irradiation (DNI) were obtained from the Global Solar Atlas; land surface temperature (LST) and precipitation were derived from …

Stop Blaming My Users: Illumination Of The Technocentric Mythos Bias, Ervin H. Frenzel, Richard Lightcap

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

 Abstract -This conceptual essay addresses the need for systemic and systematic transdisciplinary analytical techniques within cybersecurity and technical security. This conceptual essay is contingent upon recognition that cybersecurity is not simply technical in nature, it does not need an adversary, and more importantly it is based upon systems engineering and systems thinking.  The essay contributes a socio-technical attribution chain and field-specific ontology/taxonomy which distinguish user-triggered events from root causes, latent conditions, technical debt, validation failures, governance failures, and attribution bias before assigning responsibility to end users. It systematically defines an ontology inclusive of developer technical debt, organizational debt arising from …

Improving Cancer Diagnosis And Patient Outcomes With Deep Learning Models, Mariana Arriz-Jorquiera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer care depends on timely and reliable decisions, from detection and diagnosis to treatment planning and patient monitoring. These decisions are often made under uncertainty because medical images and healthcare data may be noisy, incomplete, or difficult to interpret. In breast cancer imaging, ultrasound is widely used because it is safe, accessible, and complementary to other imaging modalities. However, variations in image quality, acquisition conditions, and noise can obscure lesion boundaries and texture, affecting human interpretation and artificial intelligence reliability. This dissertation develops deep learning, image-analysis, and optimization methods to improve healthcare decisions under imperfect information. Its primary focus is …

From Shortage To Strategy: Optimizing Scarce Resource Allocation In Healthcare, Daniela Duran Cantarino

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The allocation of scarce medical resources presents one of the most consequential challenges in health care, requiring decisions that balance equity and efficiency under pervasive uncertainty. This dissertation develops optimization-based frameworks for two critical domains, organ transplantation and emergency medical services, and demonstrates how operations research methods can improve upon current practice along both dimensions simultaneously.

In the domain of deceased-donor kidney allocation, two complementary frameworks are proposed. The first is a bi-objective stochastic optimization model that jointly maximizes post-transplant survival (efficiency) and prioritizes candidates with the highest pre-transplant mortality risk (equity), subject to regional chance constraints on graft failure …

Assessing Computer Vision Based Conflict Detection In Uas Traffic Monitoring Under Secure Communication Constraints, Fadjimata Issoufou Anaroua

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The rapid growth of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is creating a new low-altitude airspace ecosystem where drones, air taxis, service suppliers, communication networks, sensors, and ground-based monitoring systems must work together safely. Within this ecosystem, UAS Traffic Management (UTM) is expected to provide a digital framework for coordinating operations beyond traditional air traffic control. However, reliable integration also requires resilient monitoring methods that can detect non-cooperative aircraft, protect communication links, and maintain timely situational awareness under real-world constraints.

This dissertation examines how computer vision can support cooperative monitoring systems such as Remote ID and ADS-B …

Antropometri Tangan Penduduk Kota Ambon Sebagai Dasar Perancangan Ergonomis, Puan Maryam Leaongso, Wilma Latuny, Aminah Soleman

National Journal of Occupational Health and Safety

The limited availability of hand anthropometric data for the Indonesian population, particularly for the residents of Ambon City, may affect the accuracy of designing ergonomic products, work equipment, and public facilities. This study aimed to measure and analyze 25 hand dimensions of the Ambon City population based on gender and age, and to compare the measurement results with national anthropometric data. This research employed a quantitative method with a descriptive design through an anthropometric approach. Data were collected directly from 200 respondents, consisting of 100 females (aged 18–40 years) and 100 males (aged 20–40 years). Data analysis was performed using …

Analysis Of Technology Introduction And Re-Innovation Models Of Chinese Enterprises Based On Transnational Patent Transfer Data: A Case Study Of Strategic Emerging Industries In Shandong Province, Kun Dong, Kexin Chen, Qingxiu Mu, Zihang Cui

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] Technology introduction re-innovation is the key path for enterprises to quickly acquire advanced technologies and transform them into independent innovation advantages, which is of great significance in promoting the upgrading of the national technology innovation system and enhancing industrial competitiveness. [Method/process] This article proposes a specific approach for analyzing the technology introduction and re-innovation model of enterprises based on cros-border patent transfer data, and takes strategic emerging industries in Shandong Province as an example for empirical research, then proposes the selection strategies for enterprises technology introduction re-innovation models. [Result/conclusion] Research shows that strategic emerging industry enterprises in Shandong Province …

Prediction Of Satellite Temperature During An Orbit Of A Cubesat, Michael Reynolds

Honors Theses

This thesis develops a thermal-simulation strategy for predicting CubeSat component temperatures, applied to Jag-Sat-1, a CubeSat developed at the University of South Alabama and deployed from the International Space Station in 2022. The orbit was reconstructed from two-line element (TLE) data using simplified general perturbations (SGP4) propagation, and spacecraft attitude was recovered from onboard gyroscope measurements. Sunlight, penumbra, and umbra intervals were computed geometrically, and the external radiative environment — direct solar, Earth infrared, and albedo heat fluxes — was modeled using orientation-dependent view factors. These time-varying fluxes drove a transient finite-element thermal simulation of the full satellite geometry in …

Constrained Assortment Optimization Under The Mixed-Logit Model, Hoang Giang Pham, Tien Mai

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we study the assortment optimization problem under the mixed-logit customer choice model. While assortment optimization has been a central topic in revenue management for decades, the mixed-logit model is widely regarded as one of the most general and flexible frameworks for modeling and predicting customer purchasing behavior. The assortment optimization problem is known to be NP-hard to be approximated to any constant factor, even in the unconstrained case. To address this challenge, we first explore the submodularity properties of a simplified version of the objective function to derive novel semi-constant factor approximation solutions for assortment problems under …

Online Ppo-Based Multi-Hop Task Offloading Strategy For Vehicular Edge Computing, Wenzhu Zhang, Yuewei Bian, Fuli Xiong, Siqi Cai

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the problems of frequent communication link interruptions caused by dynamic network topologies and the sharp increase in computational complexity triggered by high-dimensional decision spaces in the vehicular edge computing (VEC) environment, a multi-hop task offloading strategy for VEC based on an online PPO algorithm was proposed. A multi-hop task offloading optimization model simultaneously considering link effective time, transmission rate, and computing resource constraints was constructed; a multi-hop A* path search algorithm integrating link stability and end-to-end delay was designed; an online offloading decision framework based on PPO was proposed, which transformed the 0-1 mixed integer nonlinear programming …

Research On Temporal Action Localization Methods For Cross-Modal Understanding, Jinwei Li, Xiaoyang Liu, Rusheng Ju

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the problems of insufficient localization accuracy and high model complexity in the temporal action localization (TAL) task for video-text cross-modal understanding, an anchor-free action transformer (AFAT) model was proposed. Based on the anchor-free framework, the local self-attention mechanism of Transformer was introduced to enhance the global modeling capability of temporal features. A multi-scale feature pyramid structure was combined to strengthen the representation of actions with different durations, and a lightweight predictor was adopted to reduce computational redundancy. Experimental results show that the average precision of this model on the THUMOS14 dataset is significantly improved compared with the …

A System Dynamics Model For Analyzing Customer Satisfaction Drivers In A Manufacturing Context, Mahnaz Asgari Sooran, Venkat Allada, Adewole Adegbola

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Customer satisfaction offers economic benefits and competitive advantage to manufacturing enterprises. However, a gap exists in understanding how to achieve customer satisfaction due to the complexities involved in coordinating various subsystems of an enterprise in an efficient manner. In this paper, we identified four internal and external-to-the-firm customer satisfaction drivers which include: government policies, supply chain reliability, knowledge management, and manufacturing performance criteria such as on-time delivery, quality and cost. We then developed a conceptual framework to define the non-linear mathematical relationships between drivers using system dynamics modeling. We conducted "what-if "scenario analyses for a base case, optimistic case and …

Resilience Modeling Method For Combat System-Of-Systems Based On Hypernetwork And Game Theory, Yuxian Duan, Hanqiang Deng, Jiarui Zhang, Jian Huang, Shijia Zhang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In view of the difficulties in dynamic reconfiguration and resilience evaluation faced by modern combat system-of-systems in a highly adversarial environment, and the deficiencies of existing studies in depicting high-order interaction relationships and cluster evolution mechanisms, this paper proposed a resilience modeling method for combat system-of-systems integrating hypernetwork and game theory, aiming to analyze the resilience mechanism of the system-of-systems in all dimensions from micro, mesoscopic, to macro levels. At the micro level, a high-order motif structure was introduced to represent the complex interaction modes among combat units, which overcame the information loss of traditional binary relationships in depicting …

Simulation Study Of Elevator Group Control Scheduling Based On Real-Time Occupancy Perception, Yiyong Han, Shiyu Wang, Yang Ye, Zhen Zhang, Fengque Pei, Minghai Yuan

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the conflict between car space allocation and peak passenger flow response efficiency in elevator group control scheduling, a multi-objective scheduling method based on proximal policy optimization (PPO) with real-time occupancy perception was proposed. A simulation environment considering car capacity constraints was constructed, and a reward-penalty mechanism with average passenger waiting time, system energy consumption, and car congestion as optimization objectives was designed. Based on this, state and action spaces were defined to form a PPO-based scheduling framework; a simulation platform integrating traffic flow visualization, policy scheduling, and performance evaluation was developed. Simulation results show that this method …

Adaptive Spatiotemporal Graph Neural Network-Based Net Load Forecasting For Residential Areas, Yongqi Yang, Cong Wang, Hongli Zhang, Ping Ma, Yue Meng, Tianhao Zhou

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the issue that traditional residential overall power load forecasting methods fail to fully consider the differences in users' electricity consumption habits, making it difficult to improve prediction accuracy, a residential net load forecasting method combining representation learning clustering and an AGCN-Transformer was proposed. The representation learning method was utilized to fully extract the latent features of users' net load data, and users were divided into different groups based on the similarity of electricity consumption behaviors; the net load data of the same group were aggregated, and a graph structure suitable for this task was constructed by comprehensively …

Evolution And Prospects Of Polarization Image Simulation Technology, Gengpeng Li, Wei Cai, Zhiyong Yang, Zhili Zhang, Xiaowei Wang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Polarization image simulation technology is a key means to break through the bottleneck of polarization data acquisition and promote the development of polarization vision. This study systematically reviewed three evolutionary paradigms of this technology: Physical mechanism simulation, based on the polarization bidirectional reflectance distribution function and polarization ray tracing, strictly solves polarization light transmission, which has high interpretability and credibility, but it is computationally complex and lacks visual realism. Data-driven simulation, using models like neural radiance fields to learn polarization appearance from data, has high generation efficiency and visual fidelity but weaker physical consistency and interpretability. Physics-data fusion simulation …

Mbse Design And Approach-Phase Operational Simulation Of Bdsbas Airborne Receiver, Ruihua Liu, Tongwei Wang, Zan Ma

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In view of the problem that traditional document-based design methods are difficult to effectively capture the dynamic characteristics and internal interactions in navigation accuracy and integrity assurance required by BeiDou satellite-based augmentation system (BDSBAS) airborne receivers during the approach phase, which easily leads to designs deviating from actual requirements and affects system performance, a model-based systems engineering(MBSE) method was introduced. A multi-dimensional system architecture model encompassing system requirement analysis, behavior description, structure design, and parameter constraints was established. Taking BDSBAS as the object, a co-simulation method of system modeling language and MATLAB for required navigation performance (RNP) was proposed, …

Simulation Study On The Vulnerability Of Belt And Road Composite Transportation Network Based On Cascading Failure, Mingjun Qian, Chao Yin, Zhiwen Huang, Quanneng Wang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the issues of unclear cascading failure propagation mechanisms and difficult-to-quantify vulnerability evolution laws caused by the structural complexity and node heterogeneity of the "Belt and Road" multimodal transport network, a vulnerability assessment method for composite transportation networks integrating physical analogy and improved cascading failure model was proposed. Sub-networks were constructed based on main transportation modes of the Belt and Road, and nodes in the same city were coupled to build a composite transportation network model. An information entropy-Joule's law model was constructed to identify key nodes of the composite network and its subnetworks. A load-capacity cascading failure …

Distributed Cooperative Control Of Swarm Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Based On Multi-Route Clustering, Yuyang Xiong, Chuntao Li, Wenhao Qiu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the collaborative control and formation maintenance problems of large-scale swarm unmanned aerial vehicles, a distributed cooperative control method for unmanned aerial vehicles based on multi-route clustering was proposed. Leveraging the characteristics of multiple routes, the overall cooperative control problem of the swarm was decoupled into the cooperative control within the same route and the consensus control between multiple routes. Within the same route, a forward-neighbor information interaction mechanism was designed to determine the neighbor relationships, and a velocity-guided cooperative algorithm was utilized to achieve the desired velocity matching and spacing maintenance of unmanned aerial vehicles; between multiple …

Modeling And Simulation Of Efficient State Information Diffusion In Wireless Ad Hoc Networks, Mengyao Jia, Shaozhu Gu, Junhan Wang, Denghao Wang, Du Xu, Xiaoning Zhang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To solve the problems of significant communication overhead and limited real-time response capability in the traditional flooding-based state diffusion mechanism, an efficient diffusion algorithm based on regional partitioning and information compression was proposed. A multi-dimensional feature clustering method integrating geographic distance and link quality was used to achieve high-cohesion network partitioning through weighted Euclidean distance and the K-means algorithm; a dynamic selection mechanism for representative nodes was designed to conduct comprehensive scoring by combining the link quality and geographic centrality of nodes, realizing the efficient compression and aggregated transmission of regional information. Simulation results indicate that the algorithm significantly …

Trajectory-Aware Dynamic Offloading For High-Mobility Vehicular Edge Systems, Haoran Xu, Zhiqin Huang, Youwu Hu, Zheyi Chen

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the problems of service interruptions, task failures, and resource waste caused by high mobility of intelligent vehicles (IVs) in vehicular edge computing (VEC), this paper proposes a trajectory-aware dynamic offloading (TADO) framework for high-mobility vehicular edge systems. A lightweight T-pattern trajectory-aware algorithm is designed to efficiently predict the next-hop road side unit (RSU) by mining spatio-temporal patterns from historical trajectories of vehicles, offering a forward-looking reference for offloading decisions. A joint optimization model is constructed, and a service interruption risk factor driven by trajectory prediction is introduced. An improved DRL method is developed. It takes the predicted …

Multi-Auv Pursuit Algorithm With Phased Guidance Based On Maddpg, Sen Zhang, Sihang Shen, Xiaojie Sun, Jingping Shao, Shuaiqiang Guo, Yingjie Deng

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the problems such as low exploration and sampling efficiency and sparse rewards in the early training stage under the complex target pursuit environment of multiple AUVs based on MADDPG, a phased-guidance curriculum MADDPG (PGC-MADDPG) algorithm was proposed. The pursuit task was divided into two phases, i.e., target tracking and encircling, through curriculum learning. In the target tracking phase, an experience strategy based on the APF method was introduced as a guidance item to provide prior knowledge of the target direction and accelerate the AUV training speed. After entering the encircling phase, the APF guidance item was removed, …

Study On Trajectory Optimization Of Spray Painting Robot Based On Improved Sparrow Search Algorithm, Jie Yang, Zhenkai Xiong, Longyan Wang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the challenges posed by the complex working environment to the trajectory planning of the spray painting robot, a multi-strategy integrated sparrow search algorithm (MISSA) was proposed with the dual optimization objectives of time efficiency and motion smoothness. The 3-5-3 polynomial interpolation method was adopted to design the trajectory curve, aiming to ensure continuous angular displacement, angular velocity, and angular acceleration throughout the process. A multidimensional optimization problem with joint constraints was constructed using the total trajectory duration as the performance index. MISSA, which integrates refraction reverse learning, sine-cosine adaptive adjustment, and Cauchy mutation, was utilized to optimize …

Simulation Platform Based On Soc-Fpga Clusters For Cxl-Ethernet Heterogeneous Interconnection, Xu Zhang, Ke Liu, Mingyu Chen

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the difficulty of balancing simulation speed and topology flexibility when simulating large-scale, CXL-Ethernet heterogeneous interconnect datacenter scenarios with existing CXL simulation platforms, this paper presents CNetSim, a semi-physical simulation platform based on an SoC-FPGA cluster. The platform employs SoC-FPGA hardware to emulate endpoint nodes, leveraging their real processors and memory devices as well as FPGA-implemented CXL. mem protocol to support high-speed execution of standard Linux systems and real distributed applications. Meanwhile, it utilizes the flexible topology configuration capability of software simulation to implement CXL switched networks and inter-rack Ethernet interconnects based on DPDK on simulation servers. Simulation …