Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 31-09, Section: A, page: 4510. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1970.

Micro air vehicles (MAVs) are small scale unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are used for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and battle damage assessment. The U.S. Air Force Research Lab Munitions Directorate develops MAVs for various defense missions. The case involves a tandem wing MAV that is designed to have retractable wings for transport, control surfaces on the aft wing, and two different vertical tail configurations. Wind tunnel testing is one of the vital steps in MAV development for evaluating and ensuring that stability and control requirements are met for sustained flight. Traditionally, wind tunnel tests have been performed using a one factor at a time (OFAT) approach. Wind tunnel OFAT involves testing at many levels of one particular factor, usually angle of attack (AoA), while holding all other input factors constant; this technique is then repeated for various input factor configurations. This classic approach can be useful in determining the effect that each input alone has on the desired response. However, OFAT is not capable of identifying the influence that inputs interacting with one another have on the response, which commonly affect aircraft performance. Furthermore, OFAT is not capable of characterizing uncertainty that is present in experimentation. The research objective is to develop a testing strategy that provides an efficient number of test points to run in the wind tunnel effectively characterizing the aerodynamic behavior of MAVs as a function of design changes, changes in attitude and control inputs, while reducing costs and resources using design of experiments (DOE) and response surface methods (RSM). The research involves one of the first applications of second-order split plot designs, as well as the traditional completely randomized design. The DOE/RSM approach will be directly compared to the traditional OFAT wind tunnel testing that is performed during the same test period. The analyses resulting from the DOE/RSM approach will highlight its capabilities in identifying factor interactions, characterizing system uncertainty, and providing stability and control analyses – the common objectives of wind tunnel testing. The outcome of the study will demonstrate the effectiveness of DOE/RSM techniques when tailored to meet the specifications of wind tunnel testing. Some characteristics involved with the wind tunnel environment are low noise, qualitative factors, hard-to-change factors, and second-order models. The collaboration of experimental design techniques adapted to traditional wind tunnel testing techniques will provide a powerful approach to characterizing and optimizing aerodynamic systems. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Industrial Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2007. / Date of Defense: April 5, 2007. / Design of Experiments, Completely Randomized Design, Response Surface Methods, Split-plot Design, Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) / Includes bibliographical references. / James R. Simpson, Professor Directing Thesis; Drew Landman, Committee Member; Okenwa I. Okoli, Committee Member; Joseph J. Pignatiello, Committee Member.

As manufacturing systems are becoming more complex, the use of multivariate fault detection and diagnosis methods are increasingly important. Effective fault detection and diagnosis methods can minimize cost of rework, plant down time and maintenance time and improve reliability and safety. This thesis proposes Principal Components Analysis (PCA) based root cause identification approach for quality improvement in complex manufacturing processes. Simulation studies are presented to demonstrate the improved diagnosability of the proposed approach compared to existing methods. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2010. / Date of Defense: June 11, 2010. / Multivariate Analysis, Principal Components Analysis (PCA), Contribution Plot, Root Cause Identification / Includes bibliographical references. / Arda Vanli, Professor Directing Thesis; Ben Wang, Committee Member; Chuck Zhang, Committee Member; Joseph J. Pignatiello, Jr., Committee Member.

Purpose. The primary purpose of this study was to utilize a person-environment (P-E) fit framework to explore relationships among mid-life working women's Type A personality, perceived job characteristics and feelings of job tension. A secondary purpose was to explore the potential moderating effects of Type A personality on job characteristics/job tension relationships. / Method. The subjects were 161 female state workers, aged 35 to 55, employed by a large state agency in Florida. A Women's Work Questionnaire (WWQ), consisting of (a) Sales Type A Personality Index (STAPI short form) to determine Type A behavior; (b) Job Characteristics Inventory (JCI) to determine perceived job characteristics of: variety, autonomy, feedback, significance, identity, challenge, dealing with others, and friendship opportunities; (c) Job-Related Tension Index (JRTI) to determine perceived job tension; and (d) several items to describe demographic and other work-related factors, was used to collect the data. / Results. Findings of multiple and hierarchical regression analyses, discussed in relation to previous research and theory were: (1) A significant linear relationship existed between job tension, and a linear combination of Type A personality and all eight job characteristics measured by the JCI. (2) A significant linear relationship existed between job tension and the following variables, singularly: Type A personality, job characteristics of autonomy, feedback, significance, and friendship opportunities. (3) No significant linear relationships were found between job tension and the following variables, singularly: perceived job characteristics of variety, challenge, identity, dealing with others. (4) No significant moderating effects of Type A personality on job characteristic/job tension relationships were found. (5) Descriptive data from subgroup analyses performed by trichotomizing the total sample of women according to the distribution of their Type A raw scores, suggested that negative relationships existed between job tension and the job characteristics of autonomy, feedback, significance, and friendship opportunities for Type B subgroups only. Based upon the findings of this study, suggestions for future research and implications for prevention of job stress were explicated. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-12, Section: B, page: 4184. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

This exploratory study examined the relative impact of schooling on productivity of workers in Zaire industries before, during, and after training. Three major research questions involved identification of criterion measures, relationships among those measures, and associations with formal education and other variables. Five hundred fifty-six male workers trained by INPP and employed in low and middle occupational categories of selected industries were chosen as subjects. Questionnaires and structured interviews provided primary data, and multiple regression was the major statistical technique used for analysis. Findings indicated that worker productivity may be viewed as a tridimensional construct consisting of training performance, job performance, and job payment. The impact of schooling varied from one dimension to another and also within the same dimension when other factors were considered. In some occupations the amount of schooling had a positive effect on productivity; in others the effect was negligible or counterproductive. Findings also suggested that, given the dynamic nature of productivity and the number of factors affecting it, the conceptual framework and empirical analysis used in this study should be considered preliminary and tentative. The study concluded with a review of limitations, policy implications, and indications for further research. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-09, Section: A, page: 3921. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

A 1982 study conducted by the New York Stock Exchange emphasized the growth in the use of quality circles by American manufacturing companies. Eighty-two percent of the managers from 49,000 American corporations felt that the use of participatory management practices such as quality circles is a promising new approach to increasing productivity and improved labor-management relations. / With such interest in quality circles from the private sector, vocational educators must ask themselves, what are the implications of quality circles for vocational programs? What can be done to prepare students to enter a workplace where teamwork and interpersonal skills are valued and required? / The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which postsecondary machine shop instructors were aware of quality circles being used in local industry. The study also determined the extent to which quality circles practices were used in postsecondary machine shop programs in Florida. The research also interviewed key personnel from two large Florida industries and a prominent management consulting firm, to determine the extent to which these individuals felt American industry would continue to encourage the growth of participative approaches to management. / The entire population of 30 instructors was surveyed by using a questionnaire and personal interviews. All data were personally collected by the researcher. / Major findings of the study were: (1) Most machine shop instructors in postsecondary institutions in Florida are aware of the trend toward increased use of quality circles by industry. (2) Most instructors felt that interpersonal skills and teamwork were very important skills for students to obtain prior to employment. (3) In general, quality circle practices are not taught to to students in postsecondary machine shop programs. (4) Instruction in postsecondary machine shop programs, in every program visited by the researcher, used a project approach to instruction. The lack of production type activities was repeatedly cited by teachers as the reason for not incorporating quality circle practices into their teaching. (5) According to key personnel interviewed at two large Florida manufacturing firms and the president of a consulting firm, quality circles continue to be a very important concept in enhancing productivity. The growth trend continues in large corporations. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-04, Section: A, page: 0913. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.

A typical supervisor feedback intervention was compared to a more comprehensive multi-level performance management package. The procedures were implemented on 28 residential wards and 7 administrative areas of a large mental health facility. Throughout all conditions measurements were made of the cleanliness of the areas, implementation of independent variables and completion of other major job functions. During the supervisor feedback phase, supervisors completed a weekly performance checklist in each area, then gave vocal and graphic feedback to the custodial worker. The multi-level system procedures included all aspects of the supervisor feedback intervention remained plus weekly reliability checks with supervisors, public posting of group cleanliness scores and supervisory performance, feedback to supervisors on implementation of the feedback procedures and social reinforcement from upper level administrators. / The supervisor feedback technique led to only slight mean increases in cleanliness. Implementation of the multi-level system led to more substantial improvements and closer correspondence between the observers' and supervisors' scores. Data collected on supervisor job duties indicate generally high performance even though no procedures were in effect for these behaviors. / The multi-level system was associated with higher, but still nominal, costs for materials and printing, and required the expenditure of more department head time. Measurements of staff satisfaction indicated supervisors felt more positively about the system than did custodial workers, but there was no change in overall job satisfaction for either group. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-12, Section: B, page: 6138. / Major Professor: Jon S. Bailey. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 32-11, Section: B, page: 6708. / Thesis (D.B.A.)--The Florida State University, 1971.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 35-10, Section: B, page: 5170. / Thesis (D.B.A.)--The Florida State University, 1974.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-02, Section: A, page: 0715. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1978.