Layout Optimization of a repair facility using discrete event simulation

Technological advancements in the field of simulation have enabled production managers to model and simulate their facilities under various scenarios, in order to optimize system performance. In particular the reconfiguration of factory layouts can be time consuming and expensive; Discrete Event Simulation (DES) can be used to model and assess various scenarios to assist production managers with layout planning. Significant benefits can be achieved through the use of DES for factory layout optimization including: decreased lead times, reduced manufacturing costs, efficient materials handling and increased profit. This paper presents the development of a DES model in WITNESS for the analysis and factory layout optimization of a repair facility. The aim of the model is to allow decision makers to assess various layouts and configurations with a view to optimize production. The model has been built with a link to an Excel spreadsheet to enable data input and the visualization of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Specific functions have been built into the simulation model to set and save new layouts within Excel to facilitate layout optimization. The model will be used to optimize the factory configuration

Met a researcher? Research paradigms among those new to research

This paper reports some insights into the understandings about research of computing educators and novice researchers in the NACCQ sector. These insights arise from a self-assessment of their approaches to teaching and research, undertaken at NACCQ sponsored "Getting Started in Research Workshops". The self-assessment was intended to assist workshop participants to become aware of and reflect upon their predominant teaching and research paradigms. It also served as a means of actively modelling use of the critical method in research. Three paradigms – Functional, Transactional and Critical were used in the assessment process, and attendees were asked to indicate which paradigm best applied to their practice and beliefs in their teaching and research respectively. This paper will discuss the settings, the instrument used, review the findings from data gathered to date, and indicate future directions for this research

An exploratory study into the impact of NACCQ Research

This paper reports the findings of a preliminary investigation into the impact of research within the New Zealand National Advisory Committee on Computing Qualifications (NACCQ) sector. Using a strategy based predominantly upon keyword search of academic reference databases, the study found that NACCQ projects and publications are beginning to be cited in diverse outlets, and are now making a contribution to the international literature in the computing disciplines. The study and its findings are briefly reviewed and the outlets in which NACCQ research has been cited are tabulated. This paper establishes the first profile of international citations for NACCQ research and provides a replicable baseline for subsequent studies into the impact of research originating in the sector

Boundary element method modelling of KEMAR for binaural rendering: Mesh production and validation

Head and torso simulators are used extensively within acoustic research, often in place of human subjects in time-consuming or repetitive experiments. Particularly common is the Knowles Electronics Manikin for Acoustic Research (KEMAR), which has the acoustic auditory properties of an average human head. As an alternative to physical acoustic measurements, the boundary element method (BEM) is widely used to calculate the propagation of sound using computational models of a scenario. Combining this technique with a compatible 3D surface mesh of KEMAR would allow for detailed binaural analysis of speaker distributions and decoder design - without the disadvantages associated with making physical measurements. This paper details the development and validation of a BEM-compatible mesh model of KEMAR, based on the original computer-aided design (CAD) file and valid up to 20 kHz. Use of the CAD file potentially allows a very close match to be achieved between the mesh and the physical manikin. The mesh is consistent with the original CAD description, both in terms of overall volume and of local topology, and the numerical requirements for BEM compatibility have been met. Computational limitations restrict usage of the mesh in its current state, so simulation accuracy cannot as yet be compared with acoustically measured HRTFs. Future work will address the production of meshes suitable for use in BEM with lower computational requirements, using the process validated in this wor

Knowledge skills and abilities demanded of graduates in the new learning environment

Changes in technology and employer demands require that we regularly survey our stakeholder communities to ensure the relevance and currency of what we are teaching, and the qualifications we offer to prepare our students for practice. At a presentation to an IT breakfast of the NZCS Auckland Branch in October 1998, the audience were surveyed in order to gauge how well we were doing in developing tomorrow's practitioners. Topics surveyed were: the relative importance of different technical skills required by employers, the key trends that we need to prepare graduates for, the impact of the Internet on skills required, the most urgent up skilling requirements of employees and the relative value of vendor vs. formal Polytechnic qualifications. The results of the survey are reported, the key findings analysed and some strategies are suggested which address the identified gaps

Hepatitis B among Pacific Islanders in Southern California: how is health information associated with screening and vaccination?

We measured Hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission knowledge and self-reported screening/testing behavior among Pacific Islanders (Guamanians/Chamorros, Samoans, and Tongans) in Southern California. We also examined access and trust by Pacific Islanders of varying health information sources. We administered and analyzed survey data (N = 297), using a convenience sample in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties in spring 2009. We found that while Pacific Islander respondents reported that they receive health information from physicians, and largely trust this source, information from and trust in physicians were not statistically significant in explaining whether respondents sought HBV screening or vaccination

Development, Validation and Applications of MRI-Only Treatment Planning in Radiotherapy

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has superior soft tissue visualization to guide radiotherapy treatment planning but does not provide the electron density information required for the dose calculation. Thus, MRI has been used in a complementary way, registering to the gold standard computed tomography (CT) scan. Development of methods to allow accurate planning from the MRI images would remove the requirement for additional (CT) scans as well as improve clinical workflow and remove potential registration errors. Various methods have been reported to generate datasets with electron density information from MRI data, with these being termed substitute, synthetic or pseudo CT (sCT) datasets. This thesis explores the potential variation in planning and optimization error from MRI-only treatment planning for a range of situations. sCT generation was explored with a deep learning methodology applied to a set of retrospective H&N patient data. A lung MRI sequence was investigated for its potential application for sCT generation, with various methods trialed and assessed for clinical suitability. For an existing sCT generation method used clinically for prostate cancer treatment planning, a time-reduced MRI sequence was investigated, optimizing scan parameters for this by initial assessment in a volunteer cohort, followed by clinical validation in a patient cohort. A pancreas MRI volunteer study was also conducted to investigate internal organ motion effects on treatment planning and potential treatment delivery to assess the suitability of treatment regimes for pancreatic cancer patients. This work provides evidence that MRI-only treatment planning is achievable and acceptably accurate. This has led to current and future implementations of findings into clinical practice locally, and potentially more widely. MRI-only treatment planning in radiotherapy could lead to improved patient outcomes, via both better target delineation and reduced normal tissue toxicity

Massively Clustered CubeSats NCPS Demo Mission

Technologies under development for the proposed Nuclear Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (NCPS) will require an un-crewed demonstration mission before they can be flight qualified over distances and time frames representative of a crewed Mars mission. In this paper, we describe a Massively Clustered CubeSats platform, possibly comprising hundreds of CubeSats, as the main payload of the NCPS demo mission. This platform would enable a mechanism for cost savings for the demo mission through shared support between NASA and other government agencies as well as leveraged commercial aerospace and academic community involvement. We believe a Massively Clustered CubeSats platform should be an obvious first choice for the NCPS demo mission when one considers that cost and risk of the payload can be spread across many CubeSat customers and that the NCPS demo mission can capitalize on using CubeSats developed by others for its own instrumentation needs. Moreover, a demo mission of the NCPS offers an unprecedented opportunity to invigorate the public on a global scale through direct individual participation coordinated through a web-based collaboration engine. The platform we describe would be capable of delivering CubeSats at various locations along a trajectory toward the primary mission destination, in this case Mars, permitting a variety of potential CubeSat-specific missions. Cameras on various CubeSats can also be used to provide multiple views of the space environment and the NCPS vehicle for video monitoring as well as allow the public to "ride along" as virtual passengers on the mission. This collaborative approach could even initiate a brand new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program for launching student developed CubeSat payloads beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on future deep space technology qualification missions. Keywords: Nuclear Propulsion, NCPS, SLS, Mars, CubeSat