Simulated Annealing and Threshold Accepting are two stochastic search algorithms that have been successfully used on a variety of complex and difficult problem sets. Due to their stochastic nature they are not guaranteed to produce the same result for each run. This means that these techniques actually produce a distribution...
Occurrence of human error in highly complex systems, such as a cockpit, can be disastrous and/or overwhelmingly costly. Mismanagement of multiple concurrent tasks has been observed by researchers to be a type of repetitive human error in previous studies of accidents and incidents. This error may occur in the form...
Organizations are constantly looking for innovative strategies to face more stringent competitive environments and the ever increasing market globalization. An alternative these organizations can pursue to respond to these challenges is to optimize their supply chain network (SCN). Important considerations when optimizing a SCN involve determining locations for plants and...
Modern supply chains have grown to be far more complex than their predecessors, as global trade and accessibility have opened avenues of trade that were previously impossible. As such, the inherent risk of internal and/or external disruptions impacting the performance of a supply chain has also grown due to the...
The use of fossil fuels and their related impact on the environment and global warming have encouraged societies to pursue more sustainable and renewable alternatives, e.g., forest-based bio-oil. Thus, a vital need to decrease the level of greenhouse gas emissions and the tendency of nations to reduce their dependency on...
Small business energy analysts often specialize in one aspect of the business. This specialized focus is done by necessity due to scarcity of resources and to maintain a proprietary market niche. However, this specialized focus results in a growth inhibitor due to their lack of ability to address all the...
Three-dimensional laser scanning has revolutionized spatial data acquisition and can be completed from a variety of platforms including airborne (ALS), mobile (MLS), and static terrestrial (TLS) laser scanning. MLS is a rapidly evolving technology that provides increases in efficiency and safety over static TLS, while still providing similar levels of...
A helicopter operations problem was studied for a private forest landowner testing an
experimental application of minerals on Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesil) in the Coast Range
of Oregon to offset growth reductions from Swiss needle cast disease. A planning approach was
needed to minimize costs for transportation and aerial application of...
Reflection of an obliquely incident solitary wave at a vertical wall is studied experimentally in the laboratory wave tank. Precision measurements of water-surface variations are achieved with the aid of laser-induced fluorescent (LIF) technique and detailed temporal and spatial features of the
Mach reflection are captured. During the development stage...
The objective of this project was to investigate technical efficiency and productivity growth in the Pacific Northwest sawmilling industry over the period 1968-2002. Productivity growth was decomposed into three components: technical change, efficiency change, and scale efficiency change. In addition, using econometric methods, changes in output elasticities and input substitution...
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Darius M. Adams
The objective of this project was to investigate technical efficiency and