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Co-Designing Manufacturing Systems for Robustness and Resilience: A Decision-Based Design Perspective
No full textManufacturing systems (MSs) comprise various stakeholders associated with the manufacture and supply of products required by customers and are interrelated by the flow of materials and information. The interrelated stakeholders make system-specific decisions and stakeholder-specific decisions across multiple levels of a decision hierarchy to satisfy many conflicting system-specific and stakeholder-specific requirements that define system and stakeholder performances. Given the stakeholder interrelations and conflicting nature of system-specific and stakeholder-specific requirements, system and stakeholder performances are correlated and conflicting.
In the Industry 5.0 era, there is an increased emphasis on the creation and equitable distribution of value among all the stakeholders in MSs. This emphasis on equitable distribution of value in the Industry 5.0 era necessitates designing MSs to simultaneously realize stakeholder performances along with system performance, termed ‘co-realization.’ Moreover, uncertainties and disruptions in the operating environment adversely impact system and stakeholder performances.
Co-realizing system and stakeholder performances requires support for ‘co-designing’ to enable stakeholders (decision-makers) in MSs to work collaboratively to satisfy system-specific and stakeholder-specific requirements. Co-designing MSs to co-realize system and stakeholder performances is challenging due to their conflicting and correlated nature and the impacts of uncertainties and disruptions. The foundational premise of this dissertation is that systems-based design techniques, in combination with robust design principles, graph theory principles, and inventory and recovery policies, provide a potential pathway to facilitate the co-realization of conflicting system and stakeholder performances while considering the performance correlations and the impacts of uncertainties and disruptions. In this dissertation, systems-based strategies, specifically, frameworks for co-designing MSs for robustness to uncertainties and resilience to disruptions, are established to help ensure system and stakeholder performances under uncertainties and disruptions. The efficacy of these frameworks is demonstrated using the hot rod rolling of steel and steel manufacturing supply network examples
Organizational Ambidexterity, Redefining Measurement and Testing Antecedents
No full textIdentification of organizational ambidexterity has varied methodologies and is up to researcher interpretation. This leads to a lack of replicability of testing and disjointed conclusions regarding defining ambidexterity in the field as well as its antecedents. This study investigates the intersection of organizational ambidexterity and financial metrics by leveraging from a comprehensive set of financial variables, literature backed indicators of exploration, exploitation, or antecedents to ambidextrous capabilities. Drawing upon seminal works by leading scholars, including O\u27Reilly III, Tushman, Gibson, March, Birkinshaw, and others, this research provides a novel approach to identifying organizational ambidexterity. By leveraging a dataset of corporate financial indicators and patent data, a measure for both exploration and exploitation is operationalized. The analysis reveals distinct patterns which supports difference between exploratory, exploitative, and ambidextrous firms within the S&P500. The study then shifts to testing the new measure of ambidexterity by comparing a model that leverages known antecedents and moderators with ambidextrous companies. The findings contribute to the literature by enhancing the conceptual clarity and measurement rigor in ambidexterity research, providing a foundation for future studies on strategic decision-making and firm performance
Matrix Training of Verb Tenses with Autistic Children
No full textThe purpose of this study was to extend the research on matrix training by evaluating its efficacy for producing recombinative generalization of regular verb tense endings. Three autistic children were shown videos of people known to the participants acting out behaviors associated with an action about to take place, currently taking place, or that took place. The targets (actors, actions, and verb tenses) were arranged in a matrix, and the targets appearing along the diagonal of the matrix were directly trained, while the remaining targets were probed to determine if the participant was able to emit correct responses without any direct training. The therapist gave instructions corresponding to the verb tense targeted in each trial (i.e., What is about to happen?, What\u27s happening?, What happened? ). A response was scored as correct if the participant accurately tacted the specific actor in the video and the specific target action using the verb tense relating to the temporal presentation of the action in the video and the instruction given on that trial (e.g., Jane typed, Sam will play, Ron is cooking, ). All participants learned the actor-action combinations using the correct verb tense and successfully recombined the components of the matrix on probe trials of the untrained targets. Results from this study may provide practitioners with a new way to teach verb tenses to autistic children
Effects of Different Blue Light Conditions on Saos-2 Cell Viability, Differentiation, and Mineralization
No full textPhotobiomodulation (PBM) is a low-intensity light therapy that uses non-ionizing forms of energy to induce a directed cellular response. Prior work has investigated the effects of blue light exposure at energy densities ranging from 1 J/cm2 to 10 J/cm2 on osteogenic differentiation of human gingival mesenchymal stem cells (hGMSCs), human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs), and stem cells from the apical papilla (SCAPs) and shown promising outcomes at 4 J/cm2 and then having a detrimental impact at higher energy densities. One key caveat in prior studies is that the blue light energy density was modulated by changing the light exposure time, and hence it cannot be determined if the observed effects of blue light-mediated PBM on osteogenesis are due to different light energy densities, exposure times, or a combination of both. In addition, prior PBM studies employed culture media composed of dexamethasone (a synthetic glucocorticoid and stimulant of osteogenesis) and hence, the effects of PBM on osteogenesis in the absence of dexamethasone are unknown. The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of different blue light energy densities (i.e., 1 J/cm2, 2 J/cm2, 4J/cm2, and 8 J/cm2) while keeping the exposure time constant at 1 min. Human osteosarcoma cells (i.e., Saos-2) were cultured in RPMI growth media supplemented with 15% FBS, 10 mM β-glycerophosphate, 50 µg/ml ascorbic acid, and 1% penicillin/streptomycin (without dexamethasone) and the effects of different blue light energy densities on Saos-2 cell viability, differentiation, and mineralization were investigated. Live-Dead and Alamar Blue assays showed that Saos-2 cell viability and metabolic activity is maintained in all light exposure conditions. Results from ALP assay showed a significant increase in ALP activity upon exposure to 1 J/cm2, 2 J/cm2, and 4 J/cm2 compared to the dark and 8 J/cm2 conditions. Qualitative assessment of the ARS-stained images shows that 1 J/cm2, 2 J/cm2, and 4 J/cm2 demonstrate visibly higher amount of cell-mediated mineral-like deposition compared to the dark and 8 J/cm2 conditions. These results are corroborated by tetracycline staining (visual indicator of calcium via green fluorescence). Results showed larger amount of green fluorescence in all blue-light conditions compared to the dark condition, with 1 and 2 J/cm2 displaying the highest amounts of fluorescence. Quantification of green fluorescence from tetracycline images corroborates these results, showing 2 J/cm2 has a significantly higher (p \u3c 0.01) amount of fluorescence indicative of greater calcium deposition compared to the dark control. Together these results suggest that 4 J/cm2 is the upper threshold for seeing osteogenic benefits with blue-light exposure and 1 and 2 J/cm2 displayed the most significant increases in osteogenic differentiation and calcium deposition when compared to the dark condition. In conclusion, results from this work indicate that blue light exposure time is a critical factor that must be considered when developing an optimal dosing regimen. Further, blue light-mediated PBM can induce osteogenic cell differentiation and cell-mediated calcium deposition in the absence of external factors such as dexamethasone. Development of an optimal blue light dosing regimen to promote osteogenesis with consideration to both energy density and exposure time can be a promising non-invasive therapeutic approach for treatment of non-healing bone fractures
Heli-Plane
Full text link● Design, build, and test a prototype RC stop-rotor aircraft capable of in-air transition between vertical and forward flight. ● Objective and requirement verification largely achieved via analysis and flight testing
GrandMaster ChessBot
Full text linkThis project aims to solve the problem of unsafe and unpredictable robotic interactions with humans by integrating computer vision, custom GUI, and a robotic arm to create confidence in seamless interactions between man and machine
The Effect of Oyster-Shell Orientation on Biomass Accumulation
Full text linkThe Indian River Lagoon (IRL) contains heavy nutrient pollution due to stormwater runoff. Oysters, Crassostrea virginica, are used to filter the resulting phytoplankton blooms. These oysters attach to and grow on oyster mats placed in the IRL by different conservation organizations
Video game platforms to study cognition in neurosurgery patients and control populations
Full text linkWhat if you were being chased by someone? Would you approach or avoid a stranger on the sidewalk? The difference in these answers can mean life or death for some people. How the brain processes these complex situations in real time remains an area of interest for scientists. Controlled laboratory studies are useful, but often fail to represent real life scenarios that involve feeling stressed, rushed, or anxious. Video games provide a more dynamic setting that better mirrors the unpredictable nature of reality, and optimally integrates with the challenges of clinical patient settings
Recycling of Flexible Polyurethane Foams Using Glycolysis
Full text linkPolyurethane (PU), commonly used in products like mattresses, furniture, and insulation, is often landfilled at end-of-life, especially in bulky, nondegradable forms like mattresses. This project explores industrial-scale recycling of PU foam from discarded mattresses using a split-phase glycolysis process
Effects of Reflective Journaling and Nudges on Academic Motivation and Engagement
Full text linkThis study investigates the effects of reflective journaling and motivational nudges on academic motivation and engagement among college students. Grounded in Self- Determination Theory (SDT), the research examines how different interventions influence intrinsic motivation, and academic behaviors such as class attendance, participation, and preparation. The study employed a between-group experimental design with three conditions: a control group, a journaling group, and a journaling group that also received daily motivational nudges. Results showed that students in the journaling groups—particularly those who received nudges—experienced a significant increase in academic motivation. While changes in academic engagement were not significant, the effect size suggested a moderate practical impact. Furthermore, participants in the nudged group demonstrated more consistent engagement with the journaling activity, as evidenced by fewer skipped entries, supporting the potential role of nudges in habit formation. These findings suggest that reflective journaling, when combined with timely and supportive prompts, can enhance motivation and foster consistent academic habits. The study contributes to the growing body of research on low-cost, scalable interventions for improving student outcomes