System design, parameter design, and tolerance design are the three stages of product or process development advocated by Genichi Taguchi. Parameter design, or robust parameter design (RPD), is the method to determine nominal parameter values of controllable variables such that the quality characteristics can meet the specifications and the variability transmitted from uncontrollable or noise variables is minimized for the process or product. Tolerance design is used to determine the best limits for the parameters to meet the variation and economical requirements of the design. In this thesis, response surface methodology (RSM) and nonlinear programming methods are adopted to integrate the parameter and tolerance design. The joint optimization method that conducts parameter design and tolerance design simultaneously is more effective than the traditional sequential process. While Taguchi proposed the crossed array design, the combined array design approach is more flexible and efficient since it combines controllable factors, internal noise factors, and external noise factors in a single array design. A combined array design and the dual response surface method can provide detailed information of the process through process mean and process variance obtained from the response model. Among a variety of cuboidal designs and spherical designs, standard or modified central composite designs (CCD) or face-centered cube (FCC) designs are ideal for fitting second-order response surface models, which are widely applied in manufacturing processes. Box-Behnken design (BBD), mixed resolution design (MRD), and small composite design (SCD) are also discussed as alternatives. After modeling the system, nonlinear programming can be used to solve the constrained optimization problem. Dual RSM, mean square error (MSE) loss criterion, generalized linear model, and desirability function approach can be selected to work with quality loss function and production cost function to formulate the object function for optimization. This research also extends robust design and RSM from single response to the study of multiple responses. It was shown that the RSM is superior to Taguchi approach and is a natural fit for robust design problems. Based on our study, we can conclude that dual RSM can work very well with ordinary least squares method or generalized linear model (GLM) to solve robust parameter design problems. In addition, desirability function approach is a good selection for multiple-response parameter design problems. It was confirmed that considering the internal noise factors (standard deviations of the control factors) will improve the regression model and have a more appropriate optimal solution. In addition, simulating the internal noise factors as control variables in the combined array design is an attractive alternative to the traditional method that models the internal noise factors as part of the noise variables. The purpose of this research is to develop the framework for robust design and the strategies for RSM. The practical objective is to obtain the optimal parameters and tolerances of the design variables in a system with single or multiple quality characteristics, and thereby achieve the goal of improving the quality of products and processes in a cost effective manner. It was demonstrated that the proposed methodology is appropriate for solving complex design problems in industry applications.

Vision and audition are the two best understood modalities which humans use to interact with the outside world. These modalities can provide highly precise spatial and temporal information. Thus, the field of human-computer interface design has focused much of their study and design on these modalities. On the other hand, the sense of touch has been largely ignored despite the fact that it is an essential part of human ability to interact with the environment. We are interested to identify key findings on how to use tactile technology effectively to design and fabricate a tactile interface. We intend to design a wearable tactile interface which can assist Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) operators in supervisory control and monitoring tasks. Tactile displays are usually comprised of vibratory stimulators which are arranged in specific formation based on the application of the display. Quantitative properties of a vibrating tactor which was used as the vibratory stimulator in our tactile interface were investigated and evaluated in this study. We executed a series of experiments to investigate the intensity of vibrations that the vibrating tactor can generate when it is being activated through different electrical signals. Driving signals were different in terms of waveform, frequency and amplitude. By applying the outcomes of our experiments, and using the available guidelines for the design of tactile displays, we proposed some methods for displaying flight dynamics (Roll, Pitch and Yaw) of a UAV through a tactile display which is structured in form of a vest. Due to the relative infancy of this branch of information presentation, and also the lack of thorough discussion within the scientific community we need to execute further experiments to evaluate the performance of the suggested tactile display.

Restenosis that occurs after stent implantation is a great threat to the quality of life of patients with coronary artery diseases. Studies on thrombosis have revealed that platelet is a primary component of blood clots, and leukocytes and other plasma proteins also contribute to thrombus formation. However, the mechanism of material-induced activation, especially with metallic materials, is currently not well understood and the effect of blood flow on material-induced blood cell activation has not been well characterized. In vitro static and flow experiments were performed to assess the effect of flow on blood cell activation. Blood was taken from healthy donors. Two common stent metals, ST316L and TiAl6V4, were used as test materials. In static experiments, blood was incubated with metal disks at 37 ℃ for two hours. In flow experiments, blood was circulated in flow chambers preloaded with or without metal wires at shear rates of 100 s-1, 500 s-1, and 1500 s-1. Platelet and leukocyte activation, leukocyte-platelet aggregation, and tissue factor expression on monocytes were measured by using a three-color FACSCalibur flow cytometer. Fibrin deposition and blood cell adhesion on metal surfaces were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that platelet and leukocyte activation under static condition was low. TiAl6V4 metal disk induced relative lower platelet and leukocyte activation, albeit no significant difference was found between control groups and the two metals tested. Shear stress significantly enhanced platelet activation as measured by an increase in platelet microparticle formation and platelet receptor CD61 expression. CD11b up-regulation, leukocyte-platelet aggregates, and tissue factor (TF) expression increased at 100 s-1. However as shear rate increased, lower leukocyte activation was observed. TiAl6V4-induced leukocyte activation was generally lower than that of ST316L. Significant fibrin deposition and blood cell adhesion were observed on metal surfaces under static condition and with shear rate of 500 s-1. Adhesion significantly decreased with increasing shear rate to 1500 s-1. The flow cytometry analysis results and SEM images demonstrated that materials with different surface properties can induce different blood cell activation and adhesion after incubation with blood. While shear may have an effect on blood cell activation, the effect of biomaterials on cell activation under physiological shear conditions remains unclear. Further studies are required to determine if an increase in biomaterial surface area will provide some answers into the mechanisms of material-induced blood activation in the presence of flow.

The deployment of high-fidelity information systems in command and control environments is common, however it is not yet well understood what impacts these systems have on decision-making processes, or whether the implementation of these systems is always a positive change. Research in military domains has suggested that these types of systems can create substantial increases in micromanagement, but these changes have not been empirically investigated. In this thesis, the effect of high-fidelity information on command environments is experimentally evaluated. A baseline set of data is collected within a real-world command center that uses only low-fidelity information. Then, a laboratory-based controlled technology experiment is used to gather information about how the command processes change as information fidelity is increased. Finally, the same system is implemented within the functioning command center and a preliminary comparison is carried out against the original baseline data. The experimental study suggests that an increase in micromanagement may occur with an increase in information fidelity, while increases in situation awareness and performance improvements during times of both extremely low and high workload are seen. The preliminary ecological validation study shows support for these effects.

Vision and audition are the two best understood modalities which humans use to interact with the outside world. These modalities can provide highly precise spatial and temporal information. Thus, the field of human-computer interface design has focused much of their study and design on these modalities. On the other hand, the sense of touch has been largely ignored despite the fact that it is an essential part of human ability to interact with the environment. We are interested to identify key findings on how to use tactile technology effectively to design and fabricate a tactile interface. We intend to design a wearable tactile interface which can assist Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) operators in supervisory control and monitoring tasks. Tactile displays are usually comprised of vibratory stimulators which are arranged in specific formation based on the application of the display. Quantitative properties of a vibrating tactor which was used as the vibratory stimulator in our tactile interface were investigated and evaluated in this study. We executed a series of experiments to investigate the intensity of vibrations that the vibrating tactor can generate when it is being activated through different electrical signals. Driving signals were different in terms of waveform, frequency and amplitude. By applying the outcomes of our experiments, and using the available guidelines for the design of tactile displays, we proposed some methods for displaying flight dynamics (Roll, Pitch and Yaw) of a UAV through a tactile display which is structured in form of a vest. Due to the relative infancy of this branch of information presentation, and also the lack of thorough discussion within the scientific community we need to execute further experiments to evaluate the performance of the suggested tactile display.

Restenosis that occurs after stent implantation is a great threat to the quality of life of patients with coronary artery diseases. Studies on thrombosis have revealed that platelet is a primary component of blood clots, and leukocytes and other plasma proteins also contribute to thrombus formation. However, the mechanism of material-induced activation, especially with metallic materials, is currently not well understood and the effect of blood flow on material-induced blood cell activation has not been well characterized. In vitro static and flow experiments were performed to assess the effect of flow on blood cell activation. Blood was taken from healthy donors. Two common stent metals, ST316L and TiAl6V4, were used as test materials. In static experiments, blood was incubated with metal disks at 37 ℃ for two hours. In flow experiments, blood was circulated in flow chambers preloaded with or without metal wires at shear rates of 100 s-1, 500 s-1, and 1500 s-1. Platelet and leukocyte activation, leukocyte-platelet aggregation, and tissue factor expression on monocytes were measured by using a three-color FACSCalibur flow cytometer. Fibrin deposition and blood cell adhesion on metal surfaces were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that platelet and leukocyte activation under static condition was low. TiAl6V4 metal disk induced relative lower platelet and leukocyte activation, albeit no significant difference was found between control groups and the two metals tested. Shear stress significantly enhanced platelet activation as measured by an increase in platelet microparticle formation and platelet receptor CD61 expression. CD11b up-regulation, leukocyte-platelet aggregates, and tissue factor (TF) expression increased at 100 s-1. However as shear rate increased, lower leukocyte activation was observed. TiAl6V4-induced leukocyte activation was generally lower than that of ST316L. Significant fibrin deposition and blood cell adhesion were observed on metal surfaces under static condition and with shear rate of 500 s-1. Adhesion significantly decreased with increasing shear rate to 1500 s-1. The flow cytometry analysis results and SEM images demonstrated that materials with different surface properties can induce different blood cell activation and adhesion after incubation with blood. While shear may have an effect on blood cell activation, the effect of biomaterials on cell activation under physiological shear conditions remains unclear. Further studies are required to determine if an increase in biomaterial surface area will provide some answers into the mechanisms of material-induced blood activation in the presence of flow.

The deployment of high-fidelity information systems in command and control environments is common, however it is not yet well understood what impacts these systems have on decision-making processes, or whether the implementation of these systems is always a positive change. Research in military domains has suggested that these types of systems can create substantial increases in micromanagement, but these changes have not been empirically investigated. In this thesis, the effect of high-fidelity information on command environments is experimentally evaluated. A baseline set of data is collected within a real-world command center that uses only low-fidelity information. Then, a laboratory-based controlled technology experiment is used to gather information about how the command processes change as information fidelity is increased. Finally, the same system is implemented within the functioning command center and a preliminary comparison is carried out against the original baseline data. The experimental study suggests that an increase in micromanagement may occur with an increase in information fidelity, while increases in situation awareness and performance improvements during times of both extremely low and high workload are seen. The preliminary ecological validation study shows support for these effects.

Optimization problems in two different application fields are investigated: the first one is the popular portfolio optimization problem and the second one is the newly developed online display advertising problem. The portfolio optimization problem has two main concerns: an appropriate statistical input data, which is improved with the use of factor model and, the inclusion of the transaction cost function into the original objective function. Two methods are applied to solve the optimization problem, namely,the conditional value at risk (CVaR) method and the reliability based (RB) method. Asset allocation problem in finance continues to be of practical interest because decisions as to where to invest must be made to maximize the total return and minimizing the risk of not attaining the target return. However, the commonly used Markowitz method, also known as the mean-variance approach, uses historic stock prices data and has been facing problems of parameter estimation and short sample errors. An alternative method that attempts to overcome this problem is the use of factor models. This thesis will explain this model in addition to explaining the basic portfolio optimization problem. Conditional value at risk and the reliability based optimization method are applied to solve the portfolio optimization problem with the consideration of transaction costs in the objective function.They are applied and evaluated by simulation in terms of their convergence, efficiency and results. The online display advertising problem extends a normal deterministic revenue optimization model to a stochastic allocation model. The incorporation of randomness makes it more realistic for the estimation of demand, supply and market price. Revenues are considered as a combination of gains from guaranteed contracts and unguaranteed spot market. The objective is not only to maximize the revenue but also to consider the quality of ads, so that the whole market obtains long-term benefits and stability. The thesis accomplishes in solving the online display advertising allocation problem in a stochastic case with the measure of conditional value at risk algorithm.

Optimization problems in two different application fields are investigated: the first one is the popular portfolio optimization problem and the second one is the newly developed online display advertising problem. The portfolio optimization problem has two main concerns: an appropriate statistical input data, which is improved with the use of factor model and, the inclusion of the transaction cost function into the original objective function. Two methods are applied to solve the optimization problem, namely,the conditional value at risk (CVaR) method and the reliability based (RB) method. Asset allocation problem in finance continues to be of practical interest because decisions as to where to invest must be made to maximize the total return and minimizing the risk of not attaining the target return. However, the commonly used Markowitz method, also known as the mean-variance approach, uses historic stock prices data and has been facing problems of parameter estimation and short sample errors. An alternative method that attempts to overcome this problem is the use of factor models. This thesis will explain this model in addition to explaining the basic portfolio optimization problem. Conditional value at risk and the reliability based optimization method are applied to solve the portfolio optimization problem with the consideration of transaction costs in the objective function.They are applied and evaluated by simulation in terms of their convergence, efficiency and results. The online display advertising problem extends a normal deterministic revenue optimization model to a stochastic allocation model. The incorporation of randomness makes it more realistic for the estimation of demand, supply and market price. Revenues are considered as a combination of gains from guaranteed contracts and unguaranteed spot market. The objective is not only to maximize the revenue but also to consider the quality of ads, so that the whole market obtains long-term benefits and stability. The thesis accomplishes in solving the online display advertising allocation problem in a stochastic case with the measure of conditional value at risk algorithm.

Thesis (M.S.)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2006. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Durwood K. Sobek II. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-68).