Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Integrating Gis With Interim Payment Valuation In Road Construction Projects: A Conceptual Framework, Abdulrahman I. Iro, Juma M. Matindana, Julian Ijumulana

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Abstract

Interim Payment Valuation is a critical process in road construction contract administration, yet conventional valuation practices remain heavily dependent on manual measurements, fragmented documentation, spreadsheets, and professional judgement. These limitations can affect measurement accuracy, transparency, traceability, and the timeliness of payment certification. Although Geographic Information Systems have increasingly been applied to construction planning, quantity measurement, progress monitoring, infrastructure management, and decision support, their integration with contractual and financial processes for interim payment valuation remains insufficiently explored. This study therefore develops a conceptual framework for integrating GIS with Interim Payment Valuation in road construction projects. A PRISMA-guided structured literature review …

Voltage-Related Power Quality Issues And Impacts On Distribution Networks With Sensitive Loads - A Review, Godwin Elinazi Mnkeni, Jackson Justo, Aviti Thadei Mushi, Bakari M. M. Mwinyiwiwa

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Voltage disturbances are the most important power quality (PQ) complications that customers and power utilities face in this smart era. The growing adoption of sophisticated electronic equipment and integration of renewable energy sources (RES) into power grids has increased the susceptibility of power distribution networks (PDNs) to voltage sags, swells, interruptions, flicker, and voltage imbalance. These disturbances, mainly caused by upstream faults, switching operations, and RES integration, compromise voltage PQ and system reliability. Consequently, they accelerate equipment degradation, increase electronic waste (e-waste), raise reactive power demand and maintenance costs, increase power losses, and impose substantial economic losses on customers and …

Decision Support Tool For The Maintenance Of Meter Gauge Railway Permanent-Way Infrastructures: A Concept Paper, Hamisi J. Maulid, Beatus A.T Kundi, Juma M. Matindana, Ismail W. R. Taifa Dr

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

A Decision Support Tool (DST) represents a transformative way of modernising maintenance practice on the permanent-way infrastructure of Meter Gauge Railway (MGR). Maintenance practice remains largely reactive, as the MGR plays a strategic role in transporting both freight and passengers, resulting in inefficient resource allocation, high operational risk, and growing Lifecycle expenses. This concept paper explores the potential and the design challenges for a DST that combines fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (Fuzzy-AHP) modelling, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and predictive machine learning (ML) analytics for evidence-based, future-oriented maintenance management. The paper draws on peer-reviewed studies from …

Bridging Images And Language In Radiology: A Comprehensive Prisma Systematic Review Of Transformer Vision-Language Models And Clinical Readiness, Mohammad T. Khasawneh Dr., Sadaf Tabatabaee

Systems Science and Industrial Engineering Student Scholarship

Transformer vision-language models (VLMs) promise end-to-end automation of radiology reporting and related multimodal tasks. However, evidence remains fragmented across datasets, architectures, evaluation practices, and levels of clinical validation, limiting fair comparison and safe translation into practice. Following PRISMA 2020/PRISMA-S, search engines including PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were systematically searched for peer-reviewed, English-language studies published between 2019 and 2025 that used paired radiology images and free-text reports. Dual reviewers screened records and extracted data using a locked schema covering datasets, modalities, architectures, training objectives, evaluation metrics, and indicators of clinical readiness. Free-text model descriptions were normalized …

Enhancing Control Charting Schemes And Exploring New Assessment Metrics To Advance Quality Control And Cyber-Attack Detection In Manufacturing, Ahmad Al Majali

Dissertations

The increasing integration of digital technologies and industrial control systems in modern manufacturing has introduced new cybersecurity vulnerabilities within cyber–physical production environments. Malicious actors can exploit these vulnerabilities to induce subtle process deviations that degrade product quality while remaining undetected by conventional statistical monitoring tools. Such attacks can be deliberately engineered to manipulate process behavior through transient shifts that vary in magnitude, duration, and frequency. Despite extensive research on transient shifts caused by assignable causes in Statistical Process Control (SPC), limited attention has been given to intelligently designed cyber–physical attacks that exploit the structural characteristics and limitations of control charting …

A Study Of Visualized Diagnostics In Early Stage Digital Twin Implementation Of An Industrial Control System, Michael R. Kinzel

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) are used for process control in almost all industries. An ICS combines Operational Technologies (OT) with Information Technologies (IT) to allow human supervision of a process through surveillance of process variables and manipulation of controlling elements such as valves to maintain stable process conditions. ICSs have been in-service for several decades and may remain operational past their technological service life. Organizational personnel interact with the ICS through visual displays that both indicate the process variables and also the controlling elements. The Human Machine Interface (HMI) allows visibility of the process and the ability to manipulate controlling …

Generative Ai-Driven Optimization In Flexible And Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems, Salah Hammedi, Hicham Chaoui, Lotfi Nabli

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Flexible and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (FRMSs) are essential for coping with variability in modern production environments; however, efficient scheduling and rapid reconfiguration remain challenging. This paper presents a hybrid optimization framework that integrates Colored Petri Net (CPN) modeling with Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to enhance scheduling performance and system adaptability. The CPN formalism ensures verifiable modeling of system dynamics, while a transformer-based generative model produces candidate scheduling and reconfiguration strategies. Simulation experiments were conducted under static, dynamic, and adaptive scenarios, including machine breakdowns and dynamic job arrivals. Performance was evaluated using makespan, mean flow time, machine utilization, and reconfiguration latency. …

Exploring The Link Between Emotional States And Coding Task Quality: A Pilot Study, Aquib Reshad, Valentina Nino, Maria Valero, Adriane Randolph, Yang Shi

Faculty Articles

Emotions play a crucial role in shaping cognitive performance, yet their influence on programing remains understudied. This pilot study investigates the relationship between emotional states and coding task quality. Ten participants completed a programing task while their brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG), with frontal alpha asymmetry (FAI) applied as a neural marker of emotional valence. Emotional self-reports were collected using the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE), and coding quality was evaluated through a structured rubric. Preliminary findings indicate a potential association between FAI and coding performance, whereas self-reported affect showed weaker or inconsistent patterns. Given the …

Towards Metrology 4.0 In Developing Countries’ Manufacturing Industries, Jailos Nzumile

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

A systematic literature review was conducted to unveil the status of the digital transformation of metrology in developing countries, as they are lagging in utilising fourth industrial revolution (IR4.0) technologies to transform manufacturing industries. A PRISMA technique was employed using various keywords to identify, screen, and select the relevant literature. Forty publications were selected for the review, mainly discussing IR 4.0 technologies in metrological operations. The results indicate that the digital transformation of metrology has yet to be initiated in developing countries. However, the employment of IR4.0 technologies in advancing metrological operations in manufacturing industries is mostly discussed in the …

Fuzzy-Ahp Based Decision Support System For The Selection Of Optimal Maintenance Strategy For Meter Gauge Railway Infrastructure: A Review, Hamisi J. Maulid

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

There are many uncertainties and complexities associated with maintaining Meter Gauge Railway (MGR) infrastructure, which calls for a methodical approach to decision-making. The development and application of a fuzzy-AHP-based decision support system (DSS) to select the optimal maintenance strategy for the MGR are presented in this study. The review covers research from 2013 to 2023 and focusses on the use of Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) and Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy-AHP) techniques in railway infrastructure maintenance. To manage the inherent uncertainties and subjective judgements involved in maintenance decision-making, the Fuzzy-AHP methodology combines fuzzy logic with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). …

Towards Future Sustainable Infrastructure: The Role Of Technical Audit In Tanzania’S Public Works, George C. Haule

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This study aimed to investigate the vital role and impact of technical audits in promoting sustainable infrastructure development in Tanzania. The role and effects of technical audits in long-term infrastructure development were studied using a mixed-methods approach with both quantitative and qualitative parts. Data were collected through analysis of technical audit documentation, a semi-structured questionnaire, and stakeholder interviews. The study revealed the various dimensions of infrastructure investment projects, including initiation and planning, design, procurement of contractors and consultants, contract management, environment, health, and safety. The technical audit findings reported weaknesses or non-performance issues in infrastructure planning at the national level …

Assessment Of Digital Solutions For Conformity Assessment Of Legally Controlled Measuring Instruments In Tanzania, Faraja Nyoni

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The advent of state-of-the-art digital technologies since 2011 has led to the digital transformation of legal metrology practices to ensure the trustworthiness of software-controlled measuring instruments globally. Despite the digital transformation in legal metrological practices, the conformity assessment of legally controlled measuring instruments is manually done (i.e., paper-based) in Tanzania. The paper-based conformity assessment of legally controlled measuring instruments is prone to error and lacks efficiency and effectiveness. This study aimed to assess digital solutions for improving conformity assessment through a comprehensive survey conducted across various regions in Tanzania, targeting a stratified sample of 51 respondents from organizations involved in …

Machine Learning And Optimization For Intelligent Decision-Making, Elson Cibaku

Dissertations

This dissertation presents a series of innovative machine learning and optimization model designs that address complex operational challenges across logistics and power systems. By integrating advanced neural architectures with robust optimization techniques, the work delivers scalable solutions designed to improve efficiency, reliability, and decision-making in dynamic and real-world environments. The first study introduces a two-stage approach to effective vaccine distribution. This framework tackles the capacitated vehicle routing problem by combining adaptive clustering techniques with reinforcement learning and a simulated annealing pickup policy. Through extensive computational experiments, the approach demonstrates substantial improvements in routing efficiency, reducing both computational time and logistical …

A Fuzzy Based Framework For Sustainable Technology Selection In Small-Scale Gold Mining Operations, John M. Kafuku

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Small-scale gold mining (SSGM) operations in Tanzania has been operating inefficiently due to inadequate mining processing technologies, poor working tools, lack of enough capital, and insufficient electricity. Despite the efforts made by different stakeholders in boosting the sustainability of SSGM yet the sector has not reached the expected goal. This paper proposes a framework for appropriate technology selection to help small scale gold miners in evaluating various gold mineral processing technologies. The framework utilizes the fuzzy logic set theory for technology evaluation and selection. The developed framework for technology selection upon validation provided results that technology adequacy of more than …

A Critical Realist Erp Implementation In Zimbabwean Mining Industry Organisations, Jairos Mukwenha

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This research uses a critical realist framework to examine the factors influencing the success of enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementation in Zimbabwean mining industry organisations. From the perspective of critical realism, the mining industry in Zimbabwe faces a complex interplay of opportunities and obstacles while implementing ERP systems. The deployment of ERP in mining firms is critically examined in this paper, emphasising how these systems might improve operational efficiency while considering Zimbabwe's particular socioeconomic circumstances. By exploring underlying structures, mechanisms, and outcomes, the research aims to identify critical challenges and opportunities and develop practical recommendations for improving ERP adoption …

Application Of Artificial Neural Network Models For Predicting Diesel And Petrol Prices In The Geographically Sparsed Regions In Tanzania, John M. Kafuku

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Fuel consumption in Tanzania, mainly diesel and petrol, accounts for 82 percent of the energy consumption in the country, with significant price volatility affecting market stability, availability of fuel, and investment decisions. This study uses an artificial neural network (ANN) with a backpropagating algorithm to predict fuel prices in four regions of Tanzania. Key input parameters include the currency inflation rate (CIR), the petrol fuel inventory (PFI), the diesel fuel inventory (DFI), and the fuel transport costs (FTC). The study selected the 6-10-10-2 ANN structures for Sumbawanga-Rukwa, Mpanda-Katavi, and Mbeya-Mbeya as well as 6-10-9-2 for the Songea-Ruvuma region. The results …

Digital Thread: Bridging Macro–Micro Services In System-Of-Systems, Joshit Mohanty

Graduate Student Government Association Research Conference

Organizations and industries increasingly rely on distributed services in decentralized environments—ranging from large-scale, system-of-system architectures to fine-grained, agent-based microservices. While this distributed paradigm offers flexibility and innovation, it presents critical challenges such as interoperability gaps, inconsistent data formats, and a lack of holistic oversight. Traditional integration approaches, including ad-hoc middleware or enterprise service buses, tend to solve these issues reactively. As a result, technical debt accumulates, stakeholder misalignments persist, and scaling to new demands becomes complex.

This research proposes digital thread (DT) as the unifying framework to create an authoritative source of truth: a continuous flow of information across the …

A Human-In-The-Loop Framework For Scalable And Interpretable Event Triaging In Large-Scale Systems, Ibrahim Khaled Al-Agha

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents a comprehensive and scalable framework for real-time fault detection and event triage in industrial systems, addressing critical challenges such as class imbalance, ambiguous feature boundaries, and the prioritization of complex, high-dimensional event data. The proposed framework integrates advanced methodologies, including micro-batch processing, retrospective divergence-based event detection (DB-RED), association rule mining (ARM), clustering, and Dempster-Shafer Theory (DST) for conflict resolution. Together, these components enable the systematic stratification of events into actionable priority levels, ensuring robust and interpretable decision-making in real-time environments. DB-RED forms the cornerstone of the framework, leveraging KL-divergence and PE-divergence metrics to detect subtle and transient …

Leveraging Synthetic Data For Efficient Training Of Ai Models For Real-World Object Detection, Reinaldo A. Moraga

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Modern computer vision (CV) systems largely depend on real-world data for training, which is costly in terms of time, materials, and resources. As industries push toward automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) -driven solutions, the need for enabling more efficient model training is growing. The primary aim of this work is to explore a framework tailored for industrial applications that uses synthetic images generated from 3D models to train a CV model capable of real-world object detection. This approach seeks to reduce the time, cost, and resources typically required for training AI models with real-world data. This work presents a method …

Digital Twin And Cybersecurity In Additive Manufacturing, Lidong Wang

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Additive manufacturing (AM) has been applied to automotive, aerospace, medical sectors, etc., but there are still challenges such as parts’ porosity, cracks, surface roughness, intrinsic anisotropy, and residual stress because of the high level of thermal gradient. It is significant to conduct the modeling and simulation of the AM process and achieve quality products. Digital Twin (DT) can help AM with forecasting defects/errors through simulation and real-time process monitoring. DT is a concept of Industry 4.0, and its digital structure reflects the real-time behaviors of a cyber-physical or physical system. This paper introduces the progress of DT applications in AM, …

Exploring Healthcare Chatbot Information Presentation: Applying Hierarchical Bayesian Regression And Inductive Thematic Analysis In A Mixed Methods Study, Samuel Nelson Koscelny

All Theses

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, significantly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the United States. While contributing to over 691,000 deaths in 2021 alone in the United States (U.S.), it also imposes immense economic burden on the healthcare system, costing approximately $131 billion annually. One way to address this issue is for increased self-care behaviors and medication adherence, both of which require sufficient health literacy. Despite the importance of health literacy, 90% of U.S. adults struggle with health-related subjects. Overcoming the issues associated with health literacy requires addressing the …

Transforming Organizational Cyber Security With Artificial Intelligence And Data-Driven Optimization, Soumyadeep Hore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a comprehensive framework for enhancing organizational cybersecurity through data-driven intelligence. The research integrates multiple methodologies to tackle challenges in network intrusion detection and vulnerability management within cybersecurity operations centers (CSOCs). First, the research investigates vulnerability prioritization and mitigation techniques currently employed by CSOCs. To further streamline the vulnerability prioritization and mitigation process a machine learning (ML)-based Vulnerability Priority Scoring System (VPSS) is introduced, significantly improving the prioritization and mitigation of context-sensitive vulnerabilities. The VPSS outperforms traditional methods, reducing the cumulative vulnerability exposure score by up to 30% by considering both organizational context and vulnerability severity. Next, the …

A Robust Data-Driven Framework For Artificial Intelligent Systems, Quoc H. Nguyen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems have demonstrated remarkable performance across various domains. However, their robustness remains a critical concern, particularly in terms of data and model reliability. This dissertation aims to address the challenges associated with building robust AI systems by focusing on two key aspects: data robustness and model robustness. Data robustness poses significant challenges, including data shift, concept shifting, limited and imbalanced datasets, and interoperability issues in IoT systems for data collection. Existing methods fall short in handling dynamic business objectives and evolving data landscapes effectively. To bridge these gaps, we propose an IoT framework that ensures interoperability, seamless …

Assessment Of Risk Factors Related To Body Pain Complaints In Tanzania Construction Industry, Fatma K. Mohamed

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The construction industry is associated with risks that can result in musculoskeletal diseases. Although young male workers who are presumed to be healthy dominate the industry in Tanzania, body pain complaints have been widely reported. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and causes of body pains in workers. A cross-sectional study involving 396 workers was conducted. A chi square test was used for testing association of independent categorical variables and binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors for body pain complaints. The results show that all study participants complained of at least one form …

Product Costing And Pricing In Small And Medium Enterprises In Tanzania, Cosmas F Kindole

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

metalwork small and medium enterprises located in Dar es Salaam with the aim of establishing methods used by SMEs in Tanzania in setting selling prices of their products. The study was necessitated by the apparent discrepancy of prices for similar products from SMEs. The approach used to gather information was mainly through direct interview and the use of questionnaires. Direct observation and literature review were also used to establish the whole costing and pricing practices in metal manufacturing SMEs. The findings of the study established that product selling practices of the surveyed SMEs were based on instinct and appearance of …

Rattus Norvegicus As A Biological Detector Of Clandestine Remains And The Use Of Ultrasonic Vocalizations As A Locating Mechanism, Gabrielle M. Johnston

Master's Theses

In investigations, locating missing persons and clandestine remains are imperative. One way that first responder and police agencies can search for the remains is by using cadaver dogs as biological detectors. Cadaver dogs are typically used due to their olfactory sensitivity and ability to detect low concentrations of volatile organic compounds produced by biological remains. Cadaver dogs are typically chosen for their stamina, agility, and olfactory sensitivity. However, what is not taken into account often is the size of the animal and the expense of maintaining and training the animal. Cadaver dogs are typically large breeds that cannot fit in …

Trace Dna Detection Using Diamond Dye: A Recovery Technique To Yield More Dna, Leah Davis

Master's Theses

This study aspires to find a new screening approach to trace DNA recovery techniques to yield a higher quantity of trace DNA from larger items of evidence. It takes the path of visualizing trace DNA on items of evidence with potential DNA so analysts can swab a more localized area rather than attempting to recover trace DNA through the general swabbing technique currently used for trace DNA recovery. The first and second parts consisted of observing trace DNA interaction with Diamond Dye on porous and non-porous surfaces.

The third part involved applying the Diamond Dye solution by spraying it onto …

The Rise Of Terrorism In Africa And What It Means For U.S. Policymakers, Bridget Mary Hughes

Master's Theses

This thesis utilizes three case studies to measure the rise of terrorism in Africa. This qualitative data leads the reader to one ultimate question: what does the rise in terrorism in Africa mean for the United States (U.S.) and U.S. policymakers, National Security academia, students in National Security, if anything at all? The answer is: if civilian and military compounds are being targeted by these violent extremists, as these three case studies demonstrate, it is my recommendation that U.S. policymakers cease sending troops to the African theater and, instead, allocate funding to the citizens and nonprofits of the countries whom …

Cyber Resilience Analytics For Cyber-Physical Systems, Md Ariful Haque

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) are complex systems that evolve from the integrations of components dealing with physical processes and real-time computations, along with networking. CPSs often incorporate approaches merging from different scientific fields such as embedded systems, control systems, operational technology, information technology systems (ITS), and cybernetics. Today critical infrastructures (CIs) (e.g., energy systems, electric grids, etc.) and other CPSs (e.g., manufacturing industries, autonomous transportation systems, etc.) are experiencing challenges in dealing with cyberattacks. Major cybersecurity concerns are rising around CPSs because of their ever-growing use of information technology based automation. Often the security concerns are limited to probability-based possible attack …

Hard-Real-Time Computing Performance In A Cloud Environment, Alvin Cornelius Murphy

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is rapidly working with DoD Services to move from multi-year (e.g., 7-10) traditional acquisition programs to a commercial industrybased approach for software development. While commercial technologies and approaches provide an opportunity for rapid fielding of mission capabilities to pace threats, the suitability of commercial technologies to meet hard-real-time requirements within a surface combat system is unclear. This research establishes technical data to validate the effectiveness and suitability of current commercial technologies to meet the hard-real-time demands of a DoD combat management system. (Moreland Jr., 2013) conducted similar research; however, microservices, containers, and container …