Ramamohan L. Tummala

Principles of Ecosystem Design and Management

Basic principles of engineering, ecology, and economics are synthesized into logically consistent theoretical and computational procedures for a coordinated multilevel analysis of the tradeoffs in the static mass-energy and economic characteristics of alternate ecosystems (life support systems) and subsystems. Ecologically consistent pricing mechanisms are discussed as a means for regulating physical and technological succession.

Classes of process models and their characteristics useful for the design of manufacturing systems

The physical plant of a manufacturing system can be represented as a network of elemental processes whose basic function is to transform the technical state of materials using physical energy and human time. The authors present models of the elemental processes and show their relevance in the design of manufacturing systems. The design of these systems involves the evaluation of alternative organizations (networks) of the elemental processes for their economic performance, energy efficiency and ecological compatibility. The set of feasible technologies are selected based on constraints and opportunities available for the exchange of materials and energies between the manufacturing system and its environment.<<ETX>>

General models for simulating population growth in insects grouped both by stages and age classes

Many models have been developed in the past that are specific to a given pest population. The authors have found that the structures of these models are similar, and thus a general model structure can be identified. On the basis of this understanding, several general component models are developed that can be used to simulate the population growth of many insects of interest. Their application to agricultural pests is shown.