Xiuli Chao

Bio: Xiuli Chao is an academic researcher from University of Michigan. The author has contributed to research in topics: Inventory control & Computer science. The author has an hindex of 32, co-authored 145 publications receiving 3216 citations. Previous affiliations of Xiuli Chao include New Jersey Institute of Technology & North Carolina State University.

Operations scheduling with applications in manufacturing and services

Abstract: This text provides coverage of scheduling for operations, both manufacturing and services. It includes: reservations systems; systems design; flexible system scheduling; workforce scheduling; and future scheduling issues such as Web-based systems.

Queueing networks- customers, signals, and product form solutions

Abstract: considerations. Most of these open problems are easily stated and put into a theoretical framework, but they often require either intricate techniques on an ad hoc basis or deep mathematical methods. Often, both of these approaches have to be combined to tackle successfully the solution of quickly formulated problem. The development of queueing network theory, which provided application areas with solutions, formulas, and algorithms, commenced around 1950 in the area of Operations Research, with special emphasis on production, inventory, and transportation. The first breakthroughs were the works of Jackson [10] and Gordon and Newell [10]; both papers appeared in Operations Research. The second breakthrough in queueing network theory was already connected with Computer Science: the celebrated papers of Baskett, Chandy, Muntz, and Palacios [2], which appeared in the Journal of the Association for Computing Machinery, and of Kelly [11]. The two volumes of Kleinrock’s book [13, 14] appeared at the same time as [11]. From that time on, queueing network theory and its applications have become intimately connected with performance analysis of complex systems in Computer and Communication Sciences, both at the hardware and software levels. Today’s growth of production, manufacturing, and transportation, with information processing and communi

Dynamic inventory management with cash flow constraints

Abstract: Current research efforts on inventory management mainly focus on operational decisions and inventory control, i.e., characterizing replenishment policies based on inventory level over a planning horizon. There is an extensive literature on inventory control in both deterministic and stochastic environments, see e.g., Axsater (2000), Zipkin (2000), Nahmias (2001), Porteus (2002), and Cheng et al. (2010). Most of them ignore financial status of a firm and assume that the firm is able to obtain infinite capital to implement any operational decisions.

Reliability analysis of m/g/1 queueing systems

Abstract: This note introduces reliability issues to the analysis of queueing systems. We consider an MIGI1 queue with Bernoulli vacations and server breakdowns. The server uptimes are assumed to be exponential, and the server repair times are arbitrarily distributed. Using a supplementary variable method we obtain a transient solution for both queueing and reliability measures of interest. These results provide insight into the effect of server breakdowns and repairs on system performance.

Fundamentals of Queueing Theory

Abstract: Praise for the Third Edition: "This is one of the best books available. Its excellent organizational structure allows quick reference to specific models and its clear presentation . . . solidifies the understanding of the concepts being presented."IIE Transactions on Operations EngineeringThoroughly revised and expanded to reflect the latest developments in the field, Fundamentals of Queueing Theory, Fourth Edition continues to present the basic statistical principles that are necessary to analyze the probabilistic nature of queues. Rather than presenting a narrow focus on the subject, this update illustrates the wide-reaching, fundamental concepts in queueing theory and its applications to diverse areas such as computer science, engineering, business, and operations research.This update takes a numerical approach to understanding and making probable estimations relating to queues, with a comprehensive outline of simple and more advanced queueing models. Newly featured topics of the Fourth Edition include:Retrial queuesApproximations for queueing networksNumerical inversion of transformsDetermining the appropriate number of servers to balance quality and cost of serviceEach chapter provides a self-contained presentation of key concepts and formulae, allowing readers to work with each section independently, while a summary table at the end of the book outlines the types of queues that have been discussed and their results. In addition, two new appendices have been added, discussing transforms and generating functions as well as the fundamentals of differential and difference equations. New examples are now included along with problems that incorporate QtsPlus software, which is freely available via the book's related Web site.With its accessible style and wealth of real-world examples, Fundamentals of Queueing Theory, Fourth Edition is an ideal book for courses on queueing theory at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It is also a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners who analyze congestion in the fields of telecommunications, transportation, aviation, and management science.

Appointment scheduling in health care: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract: Appointment scheduling systems are used by primary and specialty care clinics to manage access to service providers, as well as by hospitals to schedule elective surgeries. Many factors affect the performance of appointment systems including arrival and service time variability, patient and provider preferences, available information technology and the experience level of the scheduling staff. In addition, a critical bottleneck lies in the application of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IE/OR) techniques. The most common types of health care delivery systems are described in this article with particular attention on the factors that make appointment scheduling challenging. For each environment relevant decisions ranging from a set of rules that guide schedulers to real-time responses to deviations from plans are described. A road map of the state of the art in the design of appointment management systems is provided and future opportunities for novel applications of IE/OR models are identified.

Rescheduling Manufacturing Systems: A Framework of Strategies, Policies, and Methods

Abstract: Many manufacturing facilities generate and update production schedules, which are plans that state when certain controllable activities (e.g., processing of jobs by resources) should take place. Production schedules help managers and supervisors coordinate activities to increase productivity and reduce operating costs. Because a manufacturing system is dynamic and unexpected events occur, rescheduling is necessary to update a production schedule when the state of the manufacturing system makes it infeasible. Rescheduling updates an existing production schedule in response to disruptions or other changes. Though many studies discuss rescheduling, there are no standard definitions or classification of the strategies, policies, and methods presented in the rescheduling literature. This paper presents definitions appropriate for most applications of rescheduling manufacturing systems and describes a framework for understanding rescheduling strategies, policies, and methods. This framework is based on a wide variety of experimental and practical approaches that have been described in the rescheduling literature. The paper also discusses studies that show how rescheduling affects the performance of a manufacturing system, and it concludes with a discussion of how understanding rescheduling can bring closer some aspects of scheduling theory and practice.