The first part of this paper... ]]> Hongjie Leng http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/14 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/14 Mon, 27 Aug 2012 10:19:00 PDT This study comes within a framework of scientific research arguing that users' perception of visual aesthetics of computer interface design is related to visual screen design features and layout elements. This framework is concerned with determining what features triggers users' perception of aesthetics and tries to express such features numerically. The goal is to combine their collective effects using mathematical formulas and computational models that would objectively predict perceived visual aesthetics.

The general purpose of this study is to continue the research efforts towards this goal. In this study, rigorous experimental methods were utilized to verify and further improve currently... ]]> Ahamed A. O. Altaboli http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/13 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/13 Mon, 20 Aug 2012 06:06:48 PDT Recent technological advancements have energized the growth in electronics and thus endowed the customers with high quality yet inexpensive consumer goods. Availability of such products has caused a consumption revolution. In particular, used products are routinely discarded prematurely. In other words, products become obsolete or "old" in a much shorter time although they are still functional. This trend has led to tremendous depletion of virgin resources to satisfy the ever increasing demands of consumers.

Awareness on environmental problems has risen with the distressing increase in the use of virgin resources and has led to several legislations that extend manufacturers' responsibility... ]]> Onder Ondemir http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/12 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/12 Wed, 15 Aug 2012 07:57:33 PDT Many processes produce a count statistic that is a sum of multiple non-homogeneous dichotomous random variables, that is, with different values of the Bernoulli parameter p. The probability distribution of this count statistic is the convolution of J non-identical binomial distributions and can significantly differ from its binomial and normal counterparts. In such cases the homogeneity assumption can result in incorrect probability calculations and conclusions from statistical procedures such as control charts, sequential probability ratio tests, and cluster detection via scan statistics. Use of the exact (J-binomial) distribution, however, can require prohibitively exhausting calculations as the number (J) of non-identical... ]]> Aysun Taseli http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/11 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/11 Tue, 24 Jul 2012 07:03:10 PDT In this dissertation we investigate the topological and dynamic characteristics of computer manufacturing enterprises needing to operate competitively in a rapidly changing business environment. Today business markets are highly non-linear, fast evolving and emerging. Crucial part of this dynamic structure is supply chains with innumerable interactions and inter-dependencies, altering global and local economies, and increasing customer expectations. In this sheer complexity and unpredictability enterprises look for different approaches to have more agile supply chains. They adopt different strategies to anticipate and quickly adapt to forthcoming changes. They are sensitive to environmental disturbances. In order to survive, they are in need... ]]> Selen Onel http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/10 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/10 Wed, 20 Jun 2012 05:50:03 PDT Environmental and economic concerns together with the stricter government regulations on the disposal of end of life (EOL) products have increased the importance of product recovery. Disassembly is the first operation in product recovery. Due to missing or non-functional components, an accurate prediction of the number of components that can be recovered from a product prior to disassembly is very difficult. This highly uncertain nature of disassembly environment is the focus of the research presented in this dissertation. In particular, the use of sensor embedded products (SEPs) to deal with this uncertainty is investigated. SEPs involve sensors embedded in products... ]]> Mehmet Ali Ilgin http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/9 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/9 Wed, 20 Jun 2012 05:50:02 PDT Recent years have witnessed Reverse Supply Chain (RSC) become the center of attention for researchers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). The fast depletion of virgin resources and the rapid increase of product returns from customers to original manufacturers for maintenance, repair or to be disposed of can be said to be one of the main reasons behind this interest. Electronics manufacturers have introduced state-of-the-art technologies in quick succession. As a result of this, the end-of-life (EOL) products returned by customers have grown significantly in volume. But often these EOL products are found to be in excellent working conditions (functional). Customers... ]]> Badr O. Johar http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/8 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/8 Wed, 20 Jun 2012 05:48:24 PDT As nanotechnology moves from development to commercialization, interest has grown in understanding economic and environmental trade-offs regarding nanomanufacturing. Nanotechnology holds enormous promise in energy, electronics, healthcare, consumer products, and other applications. In parallel, significant concerns exist regarding possible environmental, health, and safety (EHS) risks of engineered nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing processes, and in turn, there is significant uncertainty about appropriate workplace safeguards, commercialization regulations, and future market conditions. Given these uncertainties, methods for informing nanotechnology manufacturing and commercialization decisions are increasingly important.

This study assesses the utility of several mathematical modeling techniques in addressing uncertainty across a range of nanotechnology research,... ]]> Zeynep Damla Ok http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/7 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/7 Fri, 30 Mar 2012 06:50:34 PDT Science and engineering communities have given the synthesis of vertically aligned single walled carbon nanotubes (VA-SWNTs) considerable attention due to their attractive physical properties, unique morphology, and better potential for building advanced devices than those with asymmetric and entwined carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is one of several viable methods for growing VA-SWNTs, which is well known for its economic viability and good yield of VA-SWNTs. Utilizing Co catalyst (0.5 ~ 1 nm thick) supported on an Al/SiO2 multilayer substrate and a hydrocarbon feedstock, VA-SWNTs are grown in excess of a millimeter height.

To control the CVD process... ]]> Hatem Mansour Abuhimd http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/6 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/6 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 06:09:03 PDT Logistics is the management of the flow of goods, information and other resources between the point of production and the point of consumption in order to meet the requirements of consumers. Logistics involves mainly the integration of information, transportation, and inventory.

This dissertation addresses two important issues of the multifaceted area of logistics. The first pertains to inventory management and focuses on the problems of when and by how much to discount products that are being phased-out due to non-sales or the manufacturer's / distributor's decision. The second issue tackled is the transportation aspect of the reverse logistics problem which... ]]> Nizar Zafer Zaarour http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/5 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/5 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:29:35 PDT With emergence of increasingly complex human-machine interaction systems, traditional machines are becoming more reliant on artificial intelligence. In human-machine cooperation, automated assistance promises to simultaneously reduce operators' workload and human errors. In fact, "intelligent" machines frequently encounter difficulties in complex dynamic environments due to limited human-like adaptability. Chaotic and unreliable assistance usually leads to cognitive overload, emotional suffering, and other negative behavior manifestations. Such negative consequences significantly magnify the importance of effective management of human-machine cooperation.

By analyzing human cognitive information processing characteristics, this thesis proposes a framework to unify the assistive measures that have very different manifestations on the... ]]> Hua Cai http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/4 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/4 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 05:55:19 PDT Disassembly is often the first crucial step in remanufacturing, reusing, and recycling. In order for manufacturers to disassemble end-of-life (EOL) products, they first need to obtain the EOL products for the disassembly process. However, several uncertainties exist in the disassembly process which further complicates the process and makes it more difficult to know in advance the exact number of EOL products needed for disassembly that would fulfill the different demands.

This dissertation focuses on the disassembly-to-order (DTO) system where a variety of EOL products are taken back or purchased from the end user for disassembly. EOL products are disassembled into... ]]> Amre Zuhair Massoud http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/3 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/3 Fri, 28 May 2010 08:37:15 PDT Manufacturing a product for the first time is generally quite different than remanufacturing the same item. The number of usable parts retrieved from returned products most often varies significantly, causing fluctuations in inventory capacity and configuration requirements. Consequently, remanufacturing requires storage designs that not only minimize warehousing space and inventory-holding costs, but also facilitate effective coordination of facilities planning and remanufacturing decisions. A well designed facility will affect the efficiency of operations and influence the operating costs and profits of a company.

The focus of this dissertation is on decision-making and modeling issues that arise in facility and warehouse designs... ]]> Aysegul Topcu Warehouses--Management Remanufacturing http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/2 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/2 Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:23:18 PST Products or materials are often tested at higher levels of stress than operational conditions to quickly obtain information on the life distribution or product performance under normal use. Such testing could save much time and money. In step-stress accelerated life test (SSALT), the stress for survival units is generally changed to a higher stress level at a pre-determined time. Determination of the stress change times is one of the most important design problems in SSALT. In this dissertation research, we focus on the SSALT design problem for Weibull failure data because of its broad application in industry. The optimal simple... ]]> Li Chenhua http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/1 http://iris.lib.neu.edu/ind_eng_diss/1 Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:23:17 PST This dissertation addresses two problems when handling proportional data and weight constraints frequently arise in Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), motivated by several healthcare studies. DEA is a mathematical method for measuring the relative efficiencies of multiple decision making units (DMUs) at transforming multiple inputs (e.g., number of medical staff, number of beds, per patient costs) into multiple outputs (e.g., mortality, clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction), also computing target values and optimal weights for each input and output, where here the DMUs could be hospitals, departments, healthcare systems, physicians, public policies, and so on. The primary contributions of this research are methods... ]]> Aysun Sunnetci