Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xiii, 338 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 316-338). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Thesis--Münster. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 337-347).

Thesis (M.S.)--Worcester Polytechnic Institute. / Keywords: Stress Analysis; Machine Design; Combined Approximation Reanalysis; Structural Reanalysis; Design Process; FEM; Finite Element Analysis. Includes bibliographical references (p. 88-97).

Thesis (M.S.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Psychology, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

We are working to enable the engineering of integrated biological systems. Specifically, we would like to be able to build systems using standard parts that, when combined, have reliable and predictable behavior. Here, we define standard characteristics for describing the absolute physical performance of genetic parts that control gene expression. The first characteristic, PoPS, defines the level of transcription as the number of RNA polymerase molecules that pass a point on DNA each second, on a per DNA copy basis (PoPS = Polymerase Per Second; PoPSdc = PoPS per DNA copy). The second characteristic, RiPS, defines the level of translation as the number of ribosome molecules that pass a point on mRNA each second, on a per mRNA copy basis (RiPS = Ribosomes Per Second; RiPSmc = RiPS per mRNA copy). In theory, it should be possible to routinely combine devices that send and receive PoPS and RiPS signals to produce gene expression-based systems whose quantiative behavior is easy to predict. To begin to evaluate the utility of the PoPS and RIPS framework we are characterizing the performance of a simple gene expression device in E. coli growing at steady state under standard operating conditions; we are using a simple ordinary differential equation model to estimate the steady state PoPS and RiPS levels. / Poster presented at the 2005 ICSB meeting, held at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent R. Amanor-Boadu / The China agricultural equipment market represents 48% of the equipment demand in South East Asia, and 16.5% of the global equipment demand in 2005. With John Deere’s market leadership position in the global agricultural equipment business, in order to maintain that leadership, China will have be part of their plans. John Deere started doing business in China in 1976 and has grown to four agricultural machinery factories in the country. Service parts sales make up an important part of the agricultural equipment business, both in revenue and profit. Margins on service parts sales can be as much as eight times that of new complete good sales. Within China, the John Deere dealer organization in the past has focused primary on selling complete goods, missing out on service parts sales. Successful equipment dealerships outside of China maintain a balance between complete good sales, service parts sales, and service labor sales. The objective of this research was to determine those factors that appear to impact the amount of service parts a John Deere dealership in China sells. Data was collected for three years and regression modeling used to determine what impact variables had on service parts sales and net service parts sales. The outcome of the research found that there are key attributes of John Deere dealerships along with geographical regions that John Deere can focus on in China to improve their service parts sales.

<p>This report focused on the suboptimization of a logistics support system that is assumed to be in existence. A minimum steady-state level of spares was sought to meet a demand due to the discarding of failed items.</p> / Master of Science

<p>During the early stages of the acquisition cycle for a military equipment, the question arises as to how the system will be maintained at an operationally capable level. The desired level of readiness must be balanced against the cost of system maintenance. The primary question to be answered is what is the optimum (i.e., least cost) maintenance concept which will allow the system to meet its specified performance goals. In order to answer this question, one must compare the costs associated with the possible choices in maintenance alternatives.</p> <p> Level of Repair Analysis, or LORA for short, is an optimization technique used to determine the optimum level of repair for each component in the system. Premised on accurately addressing selected system life-cycle maintenance costs, the methodology, data requirements, and algorithms used to conduct a LORA are found in Military Standard 1390C, Level of Repair Analysis.</p> <p> LORA examines the feasibility of repair from both technical (non-economic) and economic standpoints. The optimization process will determine whether it is feasible to repair an item, and if so, where and how. While LORA is an excellent and necessary tool, like many analyses of its type, it has limitations. Like any analytical tool, one must understand both the strengths and weaknesses of the process to properly apply its techniques and interpret its results. Data collection and entry into a computer model can be made relatively easily. Paramount however to properly applying the techniques and results is a thorough understanding of the LORA process. Therefore, the primary focus of this project and report is to illustrate the strengths and limitations of the WRA process by its application to a specific example. It is not intended to pass judgement on the LORA process as implemented and utilized by DOD. Rather, it is intended that this report present an overview of the LORA process and detail some of the nuances one could expect to encounter when performing a LORA.</p> <p> This report contains a description of the Level of Repair Analysis process and how this process was applied to a specific United States Department of Defense electronics system. This report documents the analysis (data and calculations used) to reach the repair and discard decisions for the NIXIE Signal Generator Engineering Change Kit for the AN/SLQ-25, a US Navy electronics equipment. This report differs from the one submitted under the contract in that it contains more theoretical detail on the overall LORA process and does not include any classified or proprietary data.</p> / Master of Engineering

No description available.

In spite of advances in industrial automation, manual assembly tasks continue to be an important feature of many industrial operations. In heavy part assembly, some pieces of raw material or equipment are too heavy to be safely handled by an operator. Material handling devices such as Jib cranes or overhead cranes are employed to help operators work safer and, in some cases, faster. However, during full-load productions, these devices could become limited and insufficient resources and hence, delay or extend the cycle times. Not only may the companies not be able to ship the products on time, but the labor and overhead costs also increase from the workers' increased idle time as they wait for a turn to use the devices. Finding a way to utilize the material handling devices more effectively could significantly reduce the total cycle times and production costs. An assembly task could be separated into three steps: transferring, approaching or positioning, and joining or fixing. The transferring time is principally dependent on the distance. The joining time could be directly reduced by increasing the efficiency of the joining machines. However, the positioning time depends on task difficulties, handling methods, and operators' skills. Therefore, this research focuses on how to specify the task difficulties and improve the efficiency of the handling methods. In this research, metal plates were used to represent heavy parts. Four handling methods were studied including One-person, Two-person team, One person with an overhead crane, and One person with a spring-equipped overhead crane. This study applies Fitts' Index of Difficulty as a guideline to determine task difficulty. The results indicate that, for all methods mentioned above, the relationships between moment time and task difficulty are linear. The results also show that, for a part that weights up to 40 pounds, a two-person team gives the fastest assembly time for every task difficulty. In addition, the assembly performance of one person with an overhead crane could be increased approximately 250% by adding a spring between the hook and the gripper. / Master of Science