Snehal Udar, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, presented on May 4, of 2011, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: BUILT-IN SCHEMES FOR TEST PATTERN GENERATION AND FAULT LOCATION MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. D. Kagaris In this dissertation, we studied the areas of test pattern generation and fault location for detecting and diagnosing the faults in today's complex chips. In the first problem, a novel reseeding based test pattern generation scheme is analyzed by proposing a hardware efficient technique that uses irreducible polynomial-primitive element pair to generate distinct subsequences of test patterns. It is shown that for the given characteristic polynomial the hardware cost remains the same irrespective of the number of seeds required to generate the test sequence of given length. This scheme is targeted at generating pseudo-random test patterns that detect easy-to-detect faults. A counter based reseeding scheme is further analyzed that embeds a given set of fully specified test patterns in minimum number of clock cycles. Second problem investigates the effectiveness of inserting observation points on the circuit lines that along with primary output lines distinguish a given set of faults. Three hardware based approaches are proposed that aim at inserting minimum observation points, and are compared with each other for different diagnostic resolutions.

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The purpose of this study was to identify and rank the importance of the site selection factors that influence the U.S. franchise restaurant industry as well as rank the confidence level of the experts. To identify the site selection factors, this study sought assistance and support from restaurant professionals. The Delphi technique was used to elicit the opinions of a panel of experts regarding the site selection factors. The panel was composed of restaurant professionals of restaurant companies which had already developed franchised units in the U.S. Panel members suggested a total of 56 factors under six different headings: general location, position of site, demographics, traffic information, competition, and cost consideration. They reached a consensus on the site selection factors on most of the issues. The result of study showed that the factors identified under position of site and competition are major aspects that influence the site selection of the restaurant companies. / Master of Science

This study is divided into two main parts. The first section deals with mathematical properties of distance functions. The fp norm is analyzed as a function of its parameter p, leading to useful insights for fitting this distance measure to a transportation network. Properties of round norms are derived, which allow us later to generalize some well-known results. The properties of a norm raised to a power are also investigated, and these prove useful in our subsequent analysis of location problems with economies or diseconomies of scale. A positive linear combination of the Euclidean and rectangular distance measures, which we term the weighted one-two norm, is introduced. This distance function provides a linear regression model with interesting implications on the characterization of transportation networks. A directional bias function is defined, and examined in detail for the Pp and weighted one-two norms. In the second part of this study, several properties are derived for various forms of the continuous minisum location model. The Weiszfeld iterative solution procedure for the standard Weber problem with fp distances is also examined, and global and local convergence results obtained. These results are extended to the mixed-norm problem. In addition, optimality criteria are derived at non-differentiable points of the objective function. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Distributed Generators (DGs) are being increasingly utilized in power system distribution networks to provide electric power at or near load centers. These are generally based on technologies like solar, wind and biomass and range from 10 kW to 50 MW. Research work carried out in this thesis relates to the optimal siting and sizing of DGs in order to maximize the system voltage stability and improve voltage profile. This has been formulated as an optimization problem and solved using LINGO software. Power flow equations have been embedded in the LINGO formulation, along with other operating constraints. The solution provides optimal values of the bus voltage magnitudes and angles, which have been utilized to compute a stability index. Finally, a multi-objective formulation has been developed to simultaneously optimize the size and placement of the DGs. The impact of the DGs on voltage stability and voltage profile has been studied on I standard distribution test systems and verified using three-phase unbalanced power flow software developed at Mississippi State University (MSU). Results indicate that the sizing and siting of DGs are system dependent and should be optimally selected before installing the distributed generators in the system.

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Firms seeking sites for new or expansion plants rely on their ability to assess the benefits and costs generated by locating operations in a given state. State governments strive to understand the issues important to firms who are seeking a site for new operations or branch plants. They do so because attracting branch plants and new firms is critical to their economic growth. In addition to factors traditionally considered important to industrial location decisions (energy prices, wage levels, unionization, taxes, and public services), this study also considers the impact of the average level of education attained by the population of a state. Specifically, this study hypothesizes that the average level of education attained by a state's labor force significantly affects the location decisions of firms oriented toward local inputs. Results indicate that educational attainment is a significant determinant of where firms in the transportation industry decide to locate or expand operations. However, educational attainment is not a significant determinant for the electronic equipment industry. Wage and unemployment levels are significant factors for both industries. With the exception of educational attainment and tax levels, the results do not vary across industries. Since industries such as transportation equipment seem to place a premium on states with a relatively high level of education attainment, states wishing to attract this type of companies may find it beneficial to encourage higher education, both for the well-being of its residents and for the economy of the state. / Master of Arts