Project report (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1990. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-108). Also available via the Internet.

published_or_final_version / Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

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The application of Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMSs) has an effect in competitiveness, not only of individual companies but of those countries whose manufactured exports play a significant part in their economy (Hartley, 1984). However, the increasing use of FM Ss to effectively provide customers with diversified products has created a significant set of operational challenges for managers (Mahmoodi et al., 1999). In more recent years therefore, there has been a concentration of effort on FMS scheduling without which the benefits of an FMS cannot be realized. The objective of the reported research is to investigate and extend the contribution which can be made to the FMS scheduling problem through the implementation of computer-based experiments that consider real-time situations.

Thesis (M.Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-52). Also available in electronic version.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have become a major health concern with the industrial revolution and technological advances. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently estimated the cost of MSDs at $13 to $20 billion annually. Back, spine, and spinal cord disorders add up to 60% of the total MSD injuries. Based on pervious studies, it is known that lumbar ligaments play a limited or little role in stabilizing the spine; where as the musculature around the spine is the major stabilizing structure. However, repetitive or prolonged static displacement or load induces creep in passive tissues of the spine including ligaments, disc, and joint capsule. The resulting creep in the ligaments or the laxity developed in the viscoelastic structure causes instability of the spine associated with pain, leaving the spine without protection. This study concentrates on the response of the lumbar spine when subjected to static loading. Twenty-two in vivo feline preparations were subjected to four different intensities of load, and electrical activity of the multifidus muscles for six lumbar levels and creep behavior of the supraspinous ligament were observed for twenty minutes of loading and seven hours of rest period. Results show that seven hours of rest period was not enough for the multifidus activity and creep developed in the viscoelastic tissue to return to normal. Larger loads elicited larger initial vertical displacement in the lumbar spine as well as higher creep values. Based on the observed data, four exponential and time dependant models were developed in the mathematical description of the electrical activity and the vertical displacement in the supraspinous ligament for both loading and recovery periods.