Integration of SysML with Trade-off Analysis Tools

Changes in technology, economy and society create challenges that force us to rethink the way we develop systems. Model-Based Systems Engineering is an approach that can prove catalytic in this new era of systems development. In this work we introduce the concept of the modeling "hub" in order to realize the vision of Model-Based Systems Engineering and especially we focus on the trade-off analysis and design space exploration part of this "hub". For that purpose the capabilities of SysML are extended by integrating it with the trade-off analysis tool Consol-Optcad. The integration framework, the implementation details as well as the tools that were used for this work are described throughout this thesis. The implemented integration is then applied to analyze a very interesting multi-criteria optimization problem concerning power allocation and scheduling of a microgrid

Beyond directed evolution: Darwinian selection as a tool for synthetic biology

Synthetic biology is an engineering approach that seeks to design and construct new biological parts, devices and systems, as well as to re-design existing components. However, rationally designed synthetic circuits may not work as expected due to the context-dependence of biological parts. Darwinian selection, the main mechanism through which evolution works, is a major force in creating biodiversity and may be a powerful tool for synthetic biology. This article reviews selection-based techniques and proposes strict Darwinian selection as an alternative approach for the identification and characterization of parts. Additionally, a strategy for fine-tuning of relatively complex circuits by coupling them to a master standard circuit is discussed

Hydrogen Fuel in Support of Unmanned Operations in an EABO Environment

NPS NRP Project PosterNavy and Marine Corps planners developed the Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) concept of operations to provide maritime commanders with more options for future sea control operations. Additionally, Littoral Operations in a Contested Environment (LOCE) is the concept for logistical support to multiple EABO sites. Finally, NAVPLAN 2020 and the Tri-Service Maritime Strategy detail the importance of unmanned systems capabilities to future warfighting. Many unmanned undersea and aerial systems currently in development are looking to alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, to maximize operational reach and persistence. The picture is clear, the future combat environment demands risk-worthy platforms to perform sea denial as a low-signature "inside force' that is untethered from a large petroleum supply chain. This study will assess hydrogen requirements for use as a fuel in an EABO environment to inform development of a capability evolution plan. This work will apply a holistic, systems engineering approach to develop a finite set of scenarios for hydrogen use as a fuel in an EABO environment. One scenario will be modelled to determine short, mid, and long-term requirements for: hydrogen generation and storage, fuel-cell numbers and capabilities, facilities, and safety or other '-ilities' of relevance. The goal is to investigate benefits and system of systems trade-offs with the objective of delaying fuel resupply to the greatest extent possible. This will inform identification of DOTMLPF gaps to hydrogen adoption as an enabler of EABO in LOCE and support development of a capability evolution plan. This work directly supports technology assessment & transition in support of ONR S&T objectives, as well as the analysis & assessment needs of OPNAV N-94, MCWL, and NECC. An interdisciplinary team of students and faculty from Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Operations Research will contribute. Systems Engineering will lead the study.N9 - Warfare SystemsThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Hydrogen Fuel in Support of Unmanned Operations in an EABO Environment

NPS NRP Technical ReportNavy and Marine Corps planners developed the Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) concept of operations to provide maritime commanders with more options for future sea control operations. Additionally, Littoral Operations in a Contested Environment (LOCE) is the concept for logistical support to multiple EABO sites. Finally, NAVPLAN 2020 and the Tri-Service Maritime Strategy detail the importance of unmanned systems capabilities to future warfighting. Many unmanned undersea and aerial systems currently in development are looking to alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, to maximize operational reach and persistence. The picture is clear, the future combat environment demands risk-worthy platforms to perform sea denial as a low-signature "inside force' that is untethered from a large petroleum supply chain. This study will assess hydrogen requirements for use as a fuel in an EABO environment to inform development of a capability evolution plan. This work will apply a holistic, systems engineering approach to develop a finite set of scenarios for hydrogen use as a fuel in an EABO environment. One scenario will be modelled to determine short, mid, and long-term requirements for: hydrogen generation and storage, fuel-cell numbers and capabilities, facilities, and safety or other '-ilities' of relevance. The goal is to investigate benefits and system of systems trade-offs with the objective of delaying fuel resupply to the greatest extent possible. This will inform identification of DOTMLPF gaps to hydrogen adoption as an enabler of EABO in LOCE and support development of a capability evolution plan. This work directly supports technology assessment & transition in support of ONR S&T objectives, as well as the analysis & assessment needs of OPNAV N-94, MCWL, and NECC. An interdisciplinary team of students and faculty from Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Operations Research will contribute. Systems Engineering will lead the study.N9 - Warfare SystemsThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Hydrogen Fuel in Support of Unmanned Operations in an EABO Environment

NPS NRP Executive SummaryNavy and Marine Corps planners developed the Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) concept of operations to provide maritime commanders with more options for future sea control operations. Additionally, Littoral Operations in a Contested Environment (LOCE) is the concept for logistical support to multiple EABO sites. Finally, NAVPLAN 2020 and the Tri-Service Maritime Strategy detail the importance of unmanned systems capabilities to future warfighting. Many unmanned undersea and aerial systems currently in development are looking to alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, to maximize operational reach and persistence. The picture is clear, the future combat environment demands risk-worthy platforms to perform sea denial as a low-signature "inside force' that is untethered from a large petroleum supply chain. This study will assess hydrogen requirements for use as a fuel in an EABO environment to inform development of a capability evolution plan. This work will apply a holistic, systems engineering approach to develop a finite set of scenarios for hydrogen use as a fuel in an EABO environment. One scenario will be modelled to determine short, mid, and long-term requirements for: hydrogen generation and storage, fuel-cell numbers and capabilities, facilities, and safety or other '-ilities' of relevance. The goal is to investigate benefits and system of systems trade-offs with the objective of delaying fuel resupply to the greatest extent possible. This will inform identification of DOTMLPF gaps to hydrogen adoption as an enabler of EABO in LOCE and support development of a capability evolution plan. This work directly supports technology assessment & transition in support of ONR S&T objectives, as well as the analysis & assessment needs of OPNAV N-94, MCWL, and NECC. An interdisciplinary team of students and faculty from Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Operations Research will contribute. Systems Engineering will lead the study.N9 - Warfare SystemsThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Ab-initio prediction of the melting point of organic solids

The melting point is one of the most fundamental and practically important properties of a compound. For this reason molecular simulation methods have been developed aiming towards accurate computation of melting points. Knowledge of the melting point before a compound has been synthesized could significantly accelerate the design of new materials. Generally, the molecular simulation methods developed so far for the computation of melting points are not fully predictive, since they require an experimental crystal structure as input. An interesting and challenging task is the prediction of the melting point of a compound from first principles- given just the molecular diagram. In this work, the concept of predicting the melting point of a given organic compound using as an input a computationally obtained crystal structure is investigated. To ensure reliable predictions, it is essential to develop an understanding of how the level of detail of the force fields in terms of crystal structure (CSP) prediction as well in melting point prediction affects the accuracy of the calculations. To explore these requirements the proposed approach in this work combines the application of a CSP multistage methodology developed by the Molecular Systems Engineering group at Imperial College and the freeze method which was recently developed in the group. Using the proposed approach, two different force fields are employed in this study. Initially, the freeze method is applied to the well known Lennard-Jones potential. Moving on to an organic compound, the case of benzene is investigated. A CSP search is performed and the computational structure is used for the freeze method. Proper choice of force field can affect the agreement with experimental data. For this reason two different force fields are employed in this part of the study, a standard CSP force field and a version of the OPLS force field.Open Acces

Effect of Freshman Chemistry on Student Performance in Sophomore Engineering Courses

The role of first year chemistry courses in engineering programs varies somewhat across programs and disciplines. Clearly most engineering majors will encounter chemistry topics of a general nature in some of their upper-level course work. The purpose of requiring chemistry in the first year, however, goes well beyond learning chemical concepts. As a quantitative science, chemistry requires the use of math, principally algebra, on a regular basis in solving various problems. Students should gain an appreciation of the importance of units in solving problems should come to understand the difference between implicit and explicit properties and should develop other quantitative skills. Depending on how it is taught, chemistry can provide students with a wide range of opportunities to hone skills that will be required in their engineering courses. In discussions with students and even with many faculty, the role of chemistry is often viewed narrowly in terms of the chemistry topics alone. The purpose of this study is to explore how the number of chemistry courses taken and the performance in freshman chemistry affects performance in early engineering courses. Engineering students at the University of New Haven have different requirements for freshman chemistry depending on their particular discipline. All engineering students are required to take at least one freshman chemistry course. Students in chemical and civil engineering are required to take two, students in mechanical and system engineering have an option of biology or a second course in chemistry and students in electrical and computer engineering take only one freshman chemistry course. All engineering students take a sophomore engineering course, Introduction to Modeling of Engineering Systems, which includes topics drawn from electric circuits, mass and energy balances and force balances. The course is designed to help students develop an organized approach to solving problems and uses a conservation and accounting approach to provide a broad framework for the diverse topics. This course provides an opportunity to explore how their freshman chemistry background prepares studcents for engineering coursework. This study examines the impact of having one or two freshman chemistry courses on student performance in the first sophomore level engineering course. The methods used include standard statistical techniques, such as analysis of variance, correlation (eg., Pearson) and t-tests across groups

From photons to big-data applications: terminating terabits

Computer architectures have entered a watershed as the quantity of network data generated by user applications exceeds the data-processing capacity of any individual computer end-system. It will become impossible to scale existing computer systems while a gap grows between the quantity of networked data and the capacity for per system data processing. Despite this, the growth in demand in both task variety and task complexity continues unabated. Networked computer systems provide a fertile environment in which new applications develop. As networked computer systems become akin to infrastructure, any limitation upon the growth in capacity and capabilities becomes an important constraint of concern to all computer users. Considering a networked computer system capable of processing terabits per second, as a benchmark for scalability, we critique the state of the art in commodity computing, and propose a wholesale reconsideration in the design of computer architectures and their attendant ecosystem. Our proposal seeks to reduce costs, save power and increase performance in a multi-scale approach that has potential application from nanoscale to data-centre-scale computers.This work was supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Internet Project EP/H040536/1. This work was supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Air Force Research Laboratory, under contract FA8750-11-C-0249