Balance of System Cost Analysis to Investigate Future Economic Competitiveness of Tandem Solar Cells

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Description
As single junction silicon based solar cells approach their Shockley\u2014Queasier (SQ) conversion efficiency limits, tandem solar cells (TSC) provide an attractive prospect for higher efficiency cells. Although TSCs have been shown to be more efficient, their higher fabrication costs are…

As single junction silicon based solar cells approach their Shockley\u2014Queasier (SQ) conversion efficiency limits, tandem solar cells (TSC) provide an attractive prospect for higher efficiency cells. Although TSCs have been shown to be more efficient, their higher fabrication costs are a limiting factor for their economic competitiveness and large-scale integration in PV power systems. Current literature suggests that even with reduced costs of fabrication in the future, TSCs still offer no competitive benefit for integration in utility-scale systems and may yield minimal benefits only in places where area-related costs are high. This work investigates Balance of Systems (BoS) circumstances under which TSCs can attain economic viability in scenarios where the necessary technological advances are made to increase the efficiency of solar cells beyond the SQ limit.
Date Created
2017-05
Agent

Modeling Fantasy Baseball Player Popularity Using Twitter Activity

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Description
Social media is used by people every day to discuss the nuances of their lives. Major League Baseball (MLB) is a popular sport in the United States, and as such has generated a great deal of activity on Twitter. As…

Social media is used by people every day to discuss the nuances of their lives. Major League Baseball (MLB) is a popular sport in the United States, and as such has generated a great deal of activity on Twitter. As fantasy baseball continues to grow in popularity, so does the research into better algorithms for picking players. Most of the research done in this area focuses on improving the prediction of a player's individual performance. However, the crowd-sourcing power afforded by social media may enable more informed predictions about players' performances. Players are chosen by popularity and personal preferences by most amateur gamblers. While some of these trends (particularly the long-term ones) are captured by ranking systems, this research was focused on predicting the daily spikes in popularity (and therefore price or draft order) by comparing the number of mentions that the player received on Twitter compared to their previous mentions. In doing so, it was demonstrated that improved fantasy baseball predictions can be made through leveraging social media data.
Date Created
2017-05
Agent

Intercultural Negotiation and Risk Mitigation

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Description

In an increasingly global economy, companies face challenges with implementing successful business and marketing strategies in cultures different from their own. This paper calls upon previous research to compile a per-country outline of general behaviors and expectations when doing business…

In an increasingly global economy, companies face challenges with implementing successful business and marketing strategies in cultures different from their own. This paper calls upon previous research to compile a per-country outline of general behaviors and expectations when doing business overseas. Using categorical definitions from Hofstede's 1984 study and those found in the Handbook of Global and Multicultural Negotiation, a table has been prepared to group similar countries based on their cultural biases.

Date Created
2013-05
Agent

Can Beauty Coexist with Brains? Perceptions of NFL Cheerleaders

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Description

The definition of "beauty" can be interpreted in many ways but when defining it literally, it is considered as such: "a combination of qualities that pleases the intellect or moral sense" (Oxford Dictionaries). Beauty simply "pleases" the intellect; it does…

The definition of "beauty" can be interpreted in many ways but when defining it literally, it is considered as such: "a combination of qualities that pleases the intellect or moral sense" (Oxford Dictionaries). Beauty simply "pleases" the intellect; it does not say that intellect is a factor of beauty itself. Beauty is nice to look at, a mere pleasure to experience in the "moral sense." It does not have anything to do with one's actions, principles or intelligence, but instead the way one presents himself or herself. If someone is deemed as intellectual, does that mean they are not viewed as beautiful? Is that why beauty is rarely associated with brains and vice versa? Has a history of stereotypes and media interference convinced us that these two concepts cannot coexist? And what if we found out that they did? Could we take that person seriously? I decided to challenge the idea of beauty and brains, and see if beauty is in fact measured by its literal definition and controlled by its assumed stereotype, or if other factors apply when deciphering someone's "beauty." First, I will analyze the perceptions and stereotypes of engineers. By looking at the public opinion of both engineers and women engineers, I can show the common struggles engineers face. Next I will look at perceptions of cheerleaders, in particular, professional cheerleaders. Through analyzing current stereotypes and gender roles associated with these women in the spotlight, I can establish how opinions of these women are formed. I will also look at a survey of a sample of Arizona State University students in which we can confirm or deny the results found through research of previous studies. We will also be able to gather personal opinions about why these stereotypes exist and how to break them down. Finally, we will look at personal accounts of current or retired National Football League (NFL) cheerleaders. These will give first-hand examples of what it is like to be both a cheerleader and a woman in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Date Created
2013-05
Agent

Early Career Performance Models: Regression-Based Forecasting Models for Predicting Future Major League Baseball Player Performance

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Description
The widespread use of statistical analysis in sports-particularly Baseball- has made it increasingly necessary for small and mid-market teams to find ways to maintain their analytical advantages over large market clubs. In baseball, an opportunity for exists for teams with…

The widespread use of statistical analysis in sports-particularly Baseball- has made it increasingly necessary for small and mid-market teams to find ways to maintain their analytical advantages over large market clubs. In baseball, an opportunity for exists for teams with limited financial resources to sign players under team control to long-term contracts before other teams can bid for their services in free agency. If small and mid-market clubs can successfully identify talented players early, clubs can save money, achieve cost certainty and remain competitive for longer periods of time. These deals are also advantageous to players since they receive job security and greater financial dividends earlier in their career. The objective of this paper is to develop a regression-based predictive model that teams can use to forecast the performance of young baseball players with limited Major League experience. There were several tasks conducted to achieve this goal: (1) Data was obtained from Major League Baseball and Lahman's Baseball Database and sorted using Excel macros for easier analysis. (2) Players were separated into three positional groups depending on similar fielding requirements and offensive profiles: Group I was comprised of first and third basemen, Group II contains second basemen, shortstops, and center fielders and Group III contains left and right fielders. (3) Based on the context of baseball and the nature of offensive performance metrics, only players who achieve greater than 200 plate appearances within the first two years of their major league debut are included in this analysis. (4) The statistical software package JMP was used to create regression models of each group and analyze the residuals for any irregularities or normality violations. Once the models were developed, slight adjustments were made to improve the accuracy of the forecasts and identify opportunities for future work. It was discovered that Group I and Group III were the easiest player groupings to forecast while Group II required several attempts to improve the model.
Date Created
2013-05
Agent

Intervention Strategies for the DoD Acquisition Process Using Simulation

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Description
The current Enterprise Requirements and Acquisition Model (ERAM), a discrete event simulation of the major tasks and decisions within the DoD acquisition system, identifies several what-if intervention strategies to improve program completion time. However, processes that contribute to the program…

The current Enterprise Requirements and Acquisition Model (ERAM), a discrete event simulation of the major tasks and decisions within the DoD acquisition system, identifies several what-if intervention strategies to improve program completion time. However, processes that contribute to the program acquisition completion time were not explicitly identified in the simulation study. This research seeks to determine the acquisition processes that contribute significantly to total simulated program time in the acquisition system for all programs reaching Milestone C. Specifically, this research examines the effect of increased scope management, technology maturity, and decreased variation and mean process times in post-Design Readiness Review contractor activities by performing additional simulation analyses. Potential policies are formulated from the results to further improve program acquisition completion time.
Date Created
2013-05
Agent

Optimal Scheduling of the Refurbishment of Rotable Parts in an Aircraft Maintenance System

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Description
The efficient refurbishment of rotable parts on an aircraft proves to be a main concern for airline carriers today. Airlines must be able to seamlessly rotate parts into and out of the system for maintenance in accordance with FAA requirements…

The efficient refurbishment of rotable parts on an aircraft proves to be a main concern for airline carriers today. Airlines must be able to seamlessly rotate parts into and out of the system for maintenance in accordance with FAA requirements while leaving daily operations uninterrupted. In this paper, we develop an airline maintenance scheduling model that constructs an optimal schedule for part maintenance over a given time horizon using deterministic forecasting techniques. The model generates a schedule that minimizes the total cost of a maintenance schedule solution while maximizing the utility of all parts in the system. The model is then tested against actual network data of three part types crucial to airline operations and used to investigate the current data collection processes of US Airways maintenance lead time metrics. Manual sensitivity analysis is performed to generate the marginal value of each parameter and potential model extensions are highlighted as a result of these conclusions.
Date Created
2013-12
Agent

Operations Research Contributions to Emergency Department Patient Flow Optimization: A Review

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Description
In recent years, Operations Research (OR) has had a signicant impact on improving the performance of hospital Emergency Departments (EDs). This includes improving a wide range of processes involving patient ow from the initial call to the ED through disposition,…

In recent years, Operations Research (OR) has had a signicant impact on improving the performance of hospital Emergency Departments (EDs). This includes improving a wide range of processes involving patient ow from the initial call to the ED through disposition, discharge home, or admission to the hospital. We mainly seek to illustrate the benet of OR in EDs, and provide an overview of research performed in this vein to assist both researchers and practitioners. We also elaborate on possibilities for future researchers by shedding light on some less studied aspects that can have valuable impacts on practice.
Date Created
2013-12
Agent

Building Better Engagement - An Approach To Improving Student Engagement in Higher Education Environments

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Description
Many student engagement studies take a holistic view of the student experience at a university setting, which includes factors both inside and outside of the classroom. However, most engagement improvements focus on activities outside of the classroom. Some research regarding…

Many student engagement studies take a holistic view of the student experience at a university setting, which includes factors both inside and outside of the classroom. However, most engagement improvements focus on activities outside of the classroom. Some research regarding improving teaching styles and activities shows an impact on engagement, but little research has investigated the impact of the built environment on student engagement. This paper explores the definition of student engagement, what environmental variables affect building occupant performance, and specifically addresses how environmental variables can impact student engagement. The authors provide a review of literature discussing these variables as well as propose a method for quantifying the impact of the built environment on students based on results of a preliminary study. Evidence of a relationship between human comfort and student engagement can provide an argument for how thoughtful building designs can improve student success and engineering education. It can further extend to industry settings where green building design can lower operating costs and improve worker satisfaction and productivity.
Date Created
2014-05
Agent

The Elimination of Career Path Decision Making

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Description
Abstract The purpose of this project is to utilize the models and concepts from Information Measurement Theory (IMT) to help minimize future decision making with respect to my career path. When I began this project, my future was clouded, my…

Abstract The purpose of this project is to utilize the models and concepts from Information Measurement Theory (IMT) to help minimize future decision making with respect to my career path. When I began this project, my future was clouded, my initial conditions were unknown, my stress over future career-path decisions was high, and I had eight possible career paths in mind. I have narrowed my career-path options from eight to four. In addition, I have determined a one-year plan that enables me to be prepared to pursue any of the four career paths that I have found align with me. In this project, I explored my dominant initial conditions with respect to my career path. I tracked the job history of my grandparents and parents. These efforts allowed me to identify the strengths and weaknesses that I was exhibiting by the age of three. Natural law dictates that the strengths and weaknesses of my younger self will be the same strengths and weakness that I excel at and struggle with today. I then used my understanding of natural law and the event model process to map the strengths and weaknesses of my parents and grandparents and to compare and contrast these to my strengths and weaknesses, including those that were apparent by the time that I was three years old. Focusing in on what I really want from a job, four main goals were established to grade the various future career-path options. Finally, I documented my transition from uncertainty to clarity. It began with my sobriety and ended with a milestone one-year plan that will give me information that I need to commit to my career path. This transition has had significant impact. The elusive "who am I" has been addressed, not completely but addressed sufficiently so that the question no longer plagues me. I know from where I have come. I have gained significant insight from those around me who know me. All of this has been documented for my own personal use, and for my children someday. This process permitted me to eliminate outliers from my eight original career paths, reducing them to four. In addition, application of IMT models and concepts has allowed me to see one year into the future. With my new-found knowledge, I will listen and watch the doors close on three of the remaining four career paths, as there is only one path I am meant to take.
Date Created
2014-05
Agent
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