97 research outputs found
Stochastic dominance for project screening and selection under uncertainty
No full textThesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-224).At any given moment, engineering and chemical companies have a host of projects that they are either trying to screen to advance to the next stage of research or select from for implementation. These choices could range from a relative few, like the expansion of production capacity of a particular plant, to a large number, such as the screening for candidate compounds for the active pharmaceutical ingredient in a drug development program. This choice problem is very often further complicated by the presence of uncertainty in the project outcomes and introduces an element of risk into the screening or decision process. It is the task of the process designer to prune the set of available options, or in some cases, generate a set of possible choices, in the presence of such uncertainties to provide recommendations that are in line with the objectives of the ultimate decision maker. Screening and decision rules already exist that do this but the problem with most of them is that they add more assumptions to the structure of the preferences of the decision maker, or to the form of the uncertain distribution that characterizes the project outcome, than is known at the time. These challenges may lead to the screening out of viable alternatives and may ultimately lead to the selection of inferior projects. This thesis aims to demonstrate the applicability of Stochastic Dominance as method that can overcome these obstacles. Stochastic Dominance has been shown to be a general method for incorporating risk preferences into the decision-making process. It is consistent with classical decision theory, it makes minimal assumptions of the structure of the utility functions of the decision makers and of the nature of the distributions of the uncertainty and under certain conditions can be shown to be equivalent to the other objectives. In this work, an up-to-date review and an implementation framework for Stochastic Dominance is presented. The performance of the method relative to some of the other screening and decision objectives is examined in the light of three case studies: the design of a reactor-separator system for the production of a chemical, the selection of a crop for biomass production and the design of a biomass to liquids process. The limitations of the method are also discussed together with suggestions for how they can be overcome to make the method more effective.by Adekunle M. Adeyemo.Ph.D
Design of an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) and an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) for the EIU Cybersecurity Laboratory
Get PDFCyber Security will always be a subject of discussion for a long time to come. Research has shown that there is massive growth of cyber-crime and the currently available number of Cyber Security experts to counter this is limited. Although there are multiple resources discussing Cyber Security, but access to training in practical applications is limited. As an institution, Eastern Illinois University (EIU) is set to start Masters of Science in Cyber Security in Fall 2017. Then the challenge is how EIU will expose students to the practical reality of Cyber Security where they can learn different detection, prevention and incidence analysis techniques of cyber-attacks. In addition, students should have the opportunity to learn cyber-attacks legally. This research proposes a solution for these needs by focusing on the design of firewall architecture with an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) for the EIU Cyber Security Laboratory. This thesis explores different up to date techniques and methods for detection and prevention of cyber-attacks. The overall outcome of this research is to design a public testing site that invites hackers to attack for the purpose of detection, prevention and security incidence analysis. This public firewall might empower students and instructors with practical cyber-attacks, detection techniques, prevention techniques, and forensics analysis tools. It may also provide the knowledge required for further research in the field of Cyber Security
Detecting Media Bias in On-line News Articles: A Text Analytics Approach
No full textPolitical bias in the media is not only relevant because it has been extensively discussed, it is important to study because it can have significant influence on political knowledge, attitudes and the beliefs of the people. Although several studies that investigate political bias have been published, there is need for an approach to detect this bias using modern computing method called text analytics. The results presented in this study are the outcomes of the analysis carried out on the news articles extracted from three mainstream media in the U.S using a newly developed web scraping tool. LIWC was then used to analyze the data and several text analytics techniques are employed through Python to formulate other key variables important to our study. With our results, we compare the potential difference in left versus right media bias between CNN and Fox News. Also, we compare differences between fact reporting versus opinion or persuasion. These findings correspond with the existing studies in media bias (Otero, 2018). We discovered that there are differences in media bias and these are defined by linguistic processes, psychological processes, and other language variables. The dataset provided in the study can serve as a basis for further research on media bias. We also discovered that discriminant analysis is a useful statistical tool for text analysis research as it considers all relevant language attributes expressed in the news to formulate its model. Finally, we described important language attributes to be examined when analyzing news media for bias
Southwest African Peoples Organization (SWAPO) and Political Economy of Namibia: An Analysis of the Tactics and Strategies of an African Liberation Movement, 1976
Get PDFThis thesis is concerned with the process by which South West African Peoples Organization (SWAPO) is con-ducting the struggle for the liberation of Namibia. The purpose is to determine what type of liberation SWAPO may possibly bring to Namibia. The problem of this study arose out of concern for what has come to characterize African countries presently, namely : nominal independence without overall social transformation. SWAPO is the African Liberation movement in Namibia . Namibia is legally an international territory which South Africa is holding on to like a colonial power in defiance of the United Nations and many other international opinions. International Capitalists Investments are largely involved in exploiting both the natural and human resources of the territory . Given that the interests of South Africa and her international capitalist allies are diametrically opposite of the interests of the Namibians, it is how the realization of these conflicting interests manifest themselves in the strategies and tactics of SWAPO in con-ducting the struggle for the liberation of Namibia that constitute the central concern of this study. I Materials for this study were collected from the already published works on Namibia as well as primary sources like newspapers, magazines, periodicals and SWAPO publications. The conclusion of this study shows that SWAPO is an organization with neither a clear-cut ideological position nor a comprehensive and discernible alternative economic program for the territory. The political programs are designed more to minimize western capitalists oppositions to the organization than to address the reality of the Namibian situation. In effect, it is concluded that as of now, it is conceivable that SWAPO might succeed in bringing independence to Namibia, but that would be it, nominal independence without complete social transformation
Technology Suitability Assessment of Battery Energy Storage System for High-Energy Applications on Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms
Get PDFSelecting a battery energy storage technology for application on offshore platforms or marine vessels can be a challenging task. Offshore oil and gas platforms (OOGPs) require battery energy storage systems (BESSs) with high volumetric density, high gravimetric density, high safety, a long life span, low maintenance, and good operational experience, amongst other BESS properties. No single battery chemistry can satisfy all these factors perfectly, which implies that there is a need for a method that determines the most suitable battery chemistry for a given application. To this end, this paper proposes an improved version of a 7-step procedure proposed in the literature to systematically and logically determine the most suitable BESS for high-energy applications on OOGPs. In order to implement the 7-step procedure, a review of the state-of-the-art of consolidated and emerging battery chemistry is done. As part of the 7-step procedure, the operational experience of the battery chemistry was also reviewed. The 7-step procedure was then applied to a case study (with two test cases) of a real OOGP in the North Sea. The first test case considers BESS for peak shaving, for which six battery chemistries were assessed in detail. A technology suitability assessment (TSA) weighted score is calculated, which is based on five attributes critical for the energy storage choice in the considered application, which are weight, space, safety, life cycle cost, and operational experience. Of the six battery chemistries assessed, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) has the highest technology suitability assessment (TSA) weighted score and is therefore deemed the most suitable battery chemistry for peak shaving. The second test case considers BESS for spinning reserve. Since this is a high C-rate application, only battery chemistry capable of high C-rate was evaluated. From the TSA evaluation, LFP and lithium nickel manganese cobalt have the joint highest TSA weighted score and are therefore deemed the most suitable battery chemistry for spinning reserve
Fault reactivation potential and associated permeability evolution under changing injection conditions
Get PDFAcknowledgements The authors wish to acknowledge Adekunle Ajasin University, for granting the lead author a study leave; the African Union for providing the financial support (scholarship) through the Pan African University; and the University of Aberdeen for providing the facilities and enabling environment for a successful research.Peer reviewe
Job Stress and Employees’ Adaptive Performance of the Staff of Selected Banks in Nigeria : .
No full textThis paper examines the effect of job stress on employees\u27 adaptive performance of staff of selected banks in Lagos State, Nigeria. To achieve this objective, research data was collected from primary and secondary sources. A sample size of 133 respondents was chosen using Yaro Yamani method while the sample size was randomly drawn from the staff of branches of GTBank and Access Bank Plc in Lagos State. The theoretical underpinning of this study stems from the role theory and person environment fit. The data was analyzed using correlation matrix and multiple regression analysis. The result shows that the variability changes in the employees\u27 adaptive performance could be accounted for by approximately 97% of factors related to job stress (proxied using different job stress dimensions such as job roles, physical and mental conditions of employees, and work environment). The findings also reveal that there is a significant relationship between job stress and adaptive performance of employees in banking sector in Nigeria. Giving the importance of job stress, especially in the banking sector and how to improve the adaptive performance of the employees, the study recommends that managers and supervisors should reduce all distortions of responsibilities and clarify job roles, know the kind of personality traits among the individuals in their team and improve the physical work environment to reduce pressure on employees. 
Еffect of unemployment and inflation on Nigerian economic growth: a time-series analysis
Get PDFThis study investigates the effect of unemployment and inflation on economic growth in Nigeria from 1999 to 2021. Employing econometric techniques such as descriptive statistics, trend analysis, and regression analysis, the study explores the relationships between these variables. Findings reveal a significant positive correlation between inflation and GDP growth, while unemployment exhibits a negative correlation with GDP growth. The analysis explains approximately 54.1% of the variance in GDP growth, highlighting the substantial influence of unemployment and inflation on economic performance. Policy recommendations include measures to control inflation, stimulate job creation, and diversify the economy. By addressing these factors, Nigeria can foster sustainable and inclusive economic growth
Evaluation of cookies produced from blends of wheat, cassava and cowpea flours
Get PDFCassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) were processed into flours and used to substitute wheat flour for preparation of cookies. The chemical, including proximate composition and anti-nutritional factors, and functional and pasting properties of the blends were determined. Cookies were produced from the blends with 100% wheat flour as a control. The antinutritional factors, physical properties and organoleptic attributes of the cookies were evaluated. An increase in the level of cassava flour substitution resulted in a decrease in the protein content of the composite flour. However, addition of cowpea flour resulted in an increase in the protein content. There were significant (p<0.05) reductions in the studied anti-nutritional factors after baking. Cookies from composite flours were not significantly (p>0.05) different from the control in overall acceptability. This indicates the feasibility of producing nutritious cookies with desirable organoleptic qualities from cassava, wheat and cowpea composite flour
Modeling Transmission Dynamics of Tuberculosis–HIV Co-Infection in South Africa
No full textSouth Africa has the highest number of people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the world, accounting for nearly one in five people living with HIV globally. As of 2021, 8 million people in South Africa were infected with HIV, which is 13% of the country’s total population. Approximately 450,000 people in the country develop tuberculosis (TB) disease every year, and 270,000 of those are HIV positive. This suggests that being HIV positive significantly increases one’s susceptibility to TB, accelerating the spread of the epidemic. To better understand the disease burden at the population level, a Susceptible–Infected–Recovered–Dead (SIRD) TB–HIV co-infection epidemic model is presented. Parameter values are estimated using the method of moments. The disease-free equilibrium and basic reproduction number of the model are also obtained. Finally, numeric simulations are carried out for a 30-year period to give insights into the transmission dynamics of the co-infection
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