Simulating The Performance of Various Revenue Managment Engines

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Description
Revenue management (RM) attempts to understand and shape consumer behavior to maximize revenue from a perishable resource. Various algorithms can be used to control bid-prices, and subsequently, perform differently with respect to the total network revenue that they generate. There…

Revenue management (RM) attempts to understand and shape consumer behavior to maximize revenue from a perishable resource. Various algorithms can be used to control bid-prices, and subsequently, perform differently with respect to the total network revenue that they generate. There is currently a need for some method to compare RM engines; a simulation can fulfill this need.

The first module of this thesis will create a statistically accurate representation of customers arriving at ticket purchasing channels. Each customer's attributes are: arrival time, origin and destination, number of destined tickets, and willingness to pay. Each attribute can be generated using a specific distribution.

The created customers will then be used to simulate the purchase of tickets and overall revenue for a flight network. With a valid simulation, airlines will be able to compare the performance of different RM engines under various circumstances.
Date Created
2012-05
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Data Analytics to Identify the Genetic Basis for Resilience to Temperature Stress in Soybeans

Description
This paper explores the ability to predict yields of soybeans based on genetics and environmental factors. Based on the biology of soybeans, it has been shown that yields are best when soybeans grow within a certain temperature range. The event…

This paper explores the ability to predict yields of soybeans based on genetics and environmental factors. Based on the biology of soybeans, it has been shown that yields are best when soybeans grow within a certain temperature range. The event a soybean is exposed to temperature outside their accepted range is labeled as an instance of stress. Currently, there are few models that use genetic information to predict how crops may respond to stress. Using data provided by an agricultural business, a model was developed that can categorically label soybean varieties by their yield response to stress using genetic data. The model clusters varieties based on their yield production in response to stress. The clustering criteria is based on variance distribution and correlation. A logistic regression is then fitted to identify significant gene markers in varieties with minimal yield variance. Such characteristics provide a probabilistic outlook of how certain varieties will perform when planted in different regions. Given changing global climate conditions, this model demonstrates the potential of using data to efficiently develop and grow crops adjusted to climate changes.
Date Created
2018-05
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Educating Future Engineers in the Art of Communication through Presenting

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Description
Effective communication and engineering are not a natural pairing. The incongruence is because engineering students are focused on making, designing and analyzing. Since these are the core functions of the field there is not a direct focus on developing communication…

Effective communication and engineering are not a natural pairing. The incongruence is because engineering students are focused on making, designing and analyzing. Since these are the core functions of the field there is not a direct focus on developing communication skills. This honors thesis explores the role and expectations for student engineers within the undergraduate engineering education experience to present and communicate ideas. The researchers interviewed faculty about their perspective on students' abilities with respect to their presentation skills to inform the design of a workshop series of interventions intended to make engineering students better communicators.
Date Created
2018-05
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Theorizing the 21st Century City: Urban Design through the SETS Framework

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Description
As the move towards sustainable urbanism grows, understanding how the city has previously been envisioned and designed will be useful to moving forward. This work examines the legacy of urban design theories, what these theories have implied about what the…

As the move towards sustainable urbanism grows, understanding how the city has previously been envisioned and designed will be useful to moving forward. This work examines the legacy of urban design theories, what these theories have implied about what the city should be, and their sustainability consequences. Noticing three prominent urban design visions of the city, the technological city (as proposed in 1922 by Le Corbusier's Ville contemporaine and later in 1933 by his Ville Radieuse (The Radiant City), and in 1935 by Frank Lloyd Wright's' Broadacre City), the social city (as explored in 1961 by Jane Jacobs and in 1976 by Edward Relph of the University of Chicago), and the ecological city (as expounded upon in 1924 by both Lewis Mumford and in 1969 by Ian McHarg), I have newly applied the social-ecological-technical systems framework (SETS) to help classify and analyze these urban design theories and how they have mixed to create hybrid perspectives in more recent urban design theory. Lastly, I have proposed an urban design theory that envisions the sustainable city as an ongoing process. Hopefully, this vision that will hopefully be useful to the future of sustainable development in cities, as will a more organized understanding of urban design theories and their sustainability outcomes.
Date Created
2018-05
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Optimized Line Calling Strategies in Ultimate Frisbee

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Description

Ultimate Frisbee or "Ultimate," is a fast growing field sport that is being played competitively at universities across the country. Many mid-tier college teams have the goal of winning as many games as possible, however they also need to grow…

Ultimate Frisbee or "Ultimate," is a fast growing field sport that is being played competitively at universities across the country. Many mid-tier college teams have the goal of winning as many games as possible, however they also need to grow their program by training and retaining new players. The purpose of this project was to create a prototype statistical tool that maximizes a player line-up's probability of scoring the next point, while having as equal playing time across all experienced and novice players as possible. Game, player, and team data was collected for 25 different games played over the course of 4 tournaments during Fall 2017 and early Spring 2018 using the UltiAnalytics iPad application. "Amount of Top 1/3 Players" was the measure of equal playing time, and "Line Efficiency" and "Line Interaction" represented a line's probability of scoring. After running a logistic regression, Line Efficiency was found to be the more accurate predictor of scoring outcome than Line Interaction. An "Equal PT Measure vs. Line Efficiency" graph was then created and the plot showed what the optimal lines were depending on what the user's preferences were at that point in time. Possible next steps include testing the model and refining it as needed.

Date Created
2018-05
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A Strategy for Improved Traffic Flow

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Description
Commuting is a significant cost in time and in travel expenses for working individuals and a major contributor to emissions in the United States. This project focuses on increasing the efficiency of an intersection through the use of "light metering."…

Commuting is a significant cost in time and in travel expenses for working individuals and a major contributor to emissions in the United States. This project focuses on increasing the efficiency of an intersection through the use of "light metering." Light metering involves a series of lights leading up to an intersection forcing cars to stop further away from the final intersection in smaller queues instead of congregating in a large queue before the final intersection. The simulation software package AnyLogic was used to model a simple two-lane intersection with and without light metering. It was found that light metering almost eliminates start-up delay by preventing a long queue to form in front of the modeled intersection. Shorter queue lengths and reduction in the start-up delays prevents cycle failure and significantly reduces the overall delay for the intersection. However, frequent deceleration and acceleration for a few of the cars occurs before each light meter. This solution significantly reduces the traffic density before the intersection and the overall delay but does not appear to be a better emission alternative due to an increase in acceleration. Further research would need to quantify the difference in emissions for this model compared to a standard intersection.
Date Created
2018-05
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Economic Analysis of Virtual Reality as an Arcade System

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Description

Virtual Reality is being widely adapted for use in the consumer market. There are adaptations of the technology for every purpose, from education, to gaming, and even medical. There are businesses being formed worldwide that incorporate the gaming utility in…

Virtual Reality is being widely adapted for use in the consumer market. There are adaptations of the technology for every purpose, from education, to gaming, and even medical. There are businesses being formed worldwide that incorporate the gaming utility in an arcade/internet café style. However, there are other plausible business models. There is the preexisting model that companies are currently using, another option is to add this technology to preexisting physical arcades, and to create a new business with practices decided by consumer statistics. These three models were tested in this study to determine the profitability, feasibility, and best practices for each. Each business model appears to be incredibly profitable based on the assumptions used for this study.

Date Created
2017-12
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An optimization model for emergency response crew location within a theme park

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Description
Every year, millions of guests visit theme parks internationally. Within that massive population, accidents and emergencies are bound to occur. Choosing the correct location for emergency responders inside of the park could mean the difference between life and death. In…

Every year, millions of guests visit theme parks internationally. Within that massive population, accidents and emergencies are bound to occur. Choosing the correct location for emergency responders inside of the park could mean the difference between life and death. In an effort to provide the utmost safety for the guests of a park, it is important to make the best decision when selecting the location for emergency response crews. A theme park is different from a regular residential or commercial area because the crowds and shows block certain routes, and they change throughout the day. We propose an optimization model that selects staging locations for emergency medical responders in a theme park to maximize the number of responses that can occur within a pre-specified time. The staging areas are selected from a candidate set of restricted access locations where the responders can store their equipment. Our solution approach considers all routes to access any park location, including areas that are unavailable to a regular guest. Theme parks are a highly dynamic environment. Because special events occurring in the park at certain hours (e.g., parades) might impact the responders' travel times, our model's decisions also include the time dimension in the location and re-location of the responders. Our solution provides the optimal location of the responders for each time partition, including backup responders. When an optimal solution is found, the model is also designed to consider alternate optimal solutions that provide a more balanced workload for the crews.
Date Created
2017-12
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