Felice Gigante, Data Processing Customer Engineer

Felice Gigante a graduate from the New York Trade School Electronics program works on a machine in his job as Data Processing Customer Engineer for the International Business Machines Corp. Original caption reads, "Felice Gigante - Electronices, International Business Machines Corp." Black and white photograph with caption glued to reverse.

A GUI for online presentation of steel and steelmaking ladle temperature data and simulation.

Continuous casting is a casting process that produces steel slabs in a continuous manner with steel being poured at the top of the caster and a steel strand emerging from the mould below. Molten steel is transferred from the AOD converter to the caster using a ladle. The ladle is designed to be strong and insulated. Complete insulation is never achieved. Some of the heat is lost to the refractories by convection and conduction. Heat losses by radiation also occur. It is important to know the temperature of the melt during the process. For this reason, an online model was previously developed to simulate the steel and ladle wall temperatures during the ladle cycle. The model was developed as an ODE based model using grey box modeling technique. The model’s performance was acceptable and needed to be presented in a user friendly way. The aim of this thesis work was basically to design a GUI that presents steel and ladle wall temperatures calculated by the model and also allow the user to make adjustments to the model. This thesis work also discusses the sensitivity analysis of different parameters involved and their effects on different temperature estimations.

Methodology for identifying parameters for the TRNSYS model Type 210 -wood pellet stoves and boilers

This report describes a method how to perform measurements on boilers and stoves and how to identify parameters from the measurements for the boiler/stove-model TRNSYS Type 210. The model can be used for detailed annual system simulations using TRNSYS. Experience from measurements on three different pellet stoves and four boilers were used to develop this methodology. Recommendations for the set up of measurements are given and the re-quired combustion theory for the data evaluation and data preparation are given. The data evalua-tion showed that the uncertainties are quite large for the measured flue gas flow rate and for boilers and stoves with high fraction of energy going to the water jacket also the calculated heat rate to the room may have large uncertainties. A methodology for the parameter identification process and identified parameters for two different stoves and three boilers are given. Finally the identified models are compared with measured data showing that the model generally agreed well with meas-ured data during both stationary and dynamic conditions.

Electricity Supply Solutions for an Educational Center in Tanzania

The aim of this study was to investigate electricity supply solutions for an educationalcenter that is being built in Chonyonyo Tanzania. Off-grid power generation solutions andfurther optimization possibilities were studied for the case.The study was done for Engineers Without Borders in Sweden. Who are working withMavuno Project on the educational center. The school is set to start operating in year 2015with 40 girl students in the beginning. The educational center will help to improve genderequality by offering high quality education in a safe environment for girls in rural area.It is important for the system to be economically and environmentally sustainable. Thearea has great potential for photovoltaic power generation. Thus PV was considered as theprimary power generation and a diesel generator as a reliable backup. The system sizeoptimization was done with HOMER. For the simulations HOMER required componentdata, weather data and load data. Common components were chose with standardproperties, the loads were based on load estimations from year 2011 and the weather datawas acquired from NASA database. The system size optimization result for this base casewas a system with 26 kW PW; 5.5 kW diesel generator, 15 kW converter and 112 T-105batteries. The initial cost of the system was 55 875 €, the total net present cost 92 121 €and the levelized cost of electricity 0.264 €/kWh.In addition three optimization possibilities were studied. First it was studied how thesystem should be designed and how it would affect the system size to have night loads(security lights) use DC and could the system then be extended in blocks. As a result it wasfound out that the system size could be decreased as the inverter losses would be avoided.Also the system extension in blocks was found to be possible. The second study was aboutinverter stacking where multiple inverters can work as one unit. This type of connectionallows only the required number of inverters to run while shutting down the excess ones.This would allow the converter-unit to run with higher efficiency and lower powerconsumption could be achieved. In future with higher loads the system could be easilyextendable by connecting more inverters either in parallel or series depending on what isneeded. Multiple inverters would also offer higher reliability than using one centralizedinverter. The third study examined how the choice of location for a centralized powergeneration affects the cable sizing for the system. As a result it was found that centralizedpower generation should be located close to high loads in order to avoid long runs of thickcables. Future loads should also be considered when choosing the location. For theeducational center the potential locations for centralized power generation were found outto be close to the school buildings and close to the dormitories.

Testing Seasonal Unit Roots in Data at Any Frequency, an HEGY approach

This paper generalizes the HEGY-type test to detect seasonal unit roots in data at any frequency, based on the seasonal unit root tests in univariate time series by Hylleberg, Engle, Granger and Yoo (1990). We introduce the seasonal unit roots at first, and then derive the mechanism of the HEGY-type test for data with any frequency. Thereafter we provide the asymptotic distributions of our test statistics when different test regressions are employed. We find that the F-statistics for testing conjugation unit roots have the same asymptotic distributions. Then we compute the finite-sample and asymptotic critical values for daily and hourly data by a Monte Carlo method. The power and size properties of our test for hourly data is investigated, and we find that including lag augmentations in auxiliary regression without lag elimination have the smallest size distortion and tests with seasonal dummies included in auxiliary regression have more power than the tests without seasonal dummies. At last we apply the our test to hourly wind power production data in Sweden and shows there are no seasonal unit roots in the series.

Consumer issues in navigating health care services for type I diabetes

• Despite increasing interest in consumer awareness and participation in health care service delivery, there has been little exploration of consumer views in relation to services for people with type I diabetes. • The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to identify strategies people with type I diabetes used to access health services and the barriers they perceived in accessing the services they needed. • Data gathered in semi-structured interviews revealed that consumers experience significant barriers when navigating the health care system. • Three dominant themes were identified. They relate to access to specialist medical skill, to the transition from teenager to young adult and to pre-pregnancy and obstetric care. • Directions for change in service delivery and policy development are discussed.

The Gondwanan Carboniferous-Permian Boundary Revisited: New Data from Australia and Argentina

The identification and correlation of the Carboniferous-Permian (Gzhelian-Asselian) boundary within the sedimentary sequences of Gondwana has always been a topic of debate. Type latest Carboniferous and earliest Permian marine sequences are characterised by warm tropical faunas and come from the Uralian Region of Russia and Kazakhstan. Faunas include conodonts and fusulinid foraminiferids which are prime tools for correlation. Such faunal groups are absent from most Gondwanan sequences where reliance for correlations must be placed primarily on brachiopods, bivalve molluscs and palynology. The Western Australian marine sequences, with their contained ammonoids, provide a pivotal link for the dating and correlating of Early Permian Gondwanan sequences with those of the type regions and their palynostratigraphical record is essential for trans-Australian correlations and correlations elsewhere throughout Gondwanaland.

The importance of degree versus type of maltreatment: a cluster analysis of child abuse types

The author conducted secondary data analysis of 3 previously reported studies (D. J. Higgins & M. P McCabe, 1998, 20(K)b, 2(X)3) to examine whether respondents are best classified according to their experience of separate maltreatment types (sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, neglect, and witnessing family violence) or whether their experience reflects a single unifying concept: child maltreatment.

Market research effectiveness : the effects of organisational structure, resource allocation and strategic type

According to the marketing literature and marketing textbooks, market research is required for successful marketing. However organisations differ in the way they both manage and resource their market research. This study hypothesised that market research effectiveness would be a function of internal research buying expertise, resource allocation and strategy. The research was conducted among a sample of 240 Australian marketing managers. Market research effectiveness was measured in terms of a) decision making support, b) contribution to marketing strategy, c) leveraging customer and competitor data, d) its ability to represent the "voice of the customer" and finally, e) bolstering the role of the marketing group and marketing manager within the organisation. The findings showed that having dedicated internal market researchers and allocating internal and external resources to the research function enhanced market research effectiveness. It was also found that organisations with an entrepreneurial strategic orientation were more likely to see value in the market research function, with these organisations being less likely to use market research for internal political purposes.

The need for low bias algorithms in classification learning from large data sets

This paper reviews the appropriateness for application to large data sets of standard machine learning algorithms, which were mainly developed in the context of small data sets. Sampling and parallelisation have proved useful means for reducing computation time when learning from large data sets. However, such methods assume that algorithms that were designed for use with what are now considered small data sets are also fundamentally suitable for large data sets. It is plausible that optimal learning from large data sets requires a different type of algorithm to optimal learning from small data sets. This paper investigates one respect in which data set size may affect the requirements of a learning algorithm — the bias plus variance decomposition of classification error. Experiments show that learning from large data sets may be more effective when using an algorithm that places greater emphasis on bias management, rather than variance management.

Robustness of form K of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in an Australian sample

Analyses of the twenty facet scores for 243 females and 394 males who undertook Form K of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) revealed strong and meaningful patterns of relationships with the four preferences. A clear factor structure of four factors emerged which had a few minor cross-loadings. It was found that the facets are distinctive and generally do not correlate with preferences other than those intended. Comparisons with USA evidence revealed patterns that were even clearer in the Australian data. The previously observed differences related to gender (as found in research on Form G) were reproduced using the Form K format. The evidence implies that the robustness of Fonl1 K with an Australian sample has been demonstrated.

Productivity growth and efficiency change in Malaysian manufacturing: recent evidence from disaggregated data

This paper estimates productivity growth in Malaysian manufacturing over the period 1983-1999. Malmquist productivity Indices (MPIs) have been computed using non parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) type linear programming, which show productivity growth sourced from efficiency change and growth in technology. Unlike previous studies, this study identifies the sources of productivity growth in Malaysian manufacturing industries at the five digit breakdown of Malaysian Standard Industrial Classification (MSIC) thereby revealing more industry specific efficiency and technical growth patterns. Results indicated that a high majority of the industries operated with low levels of technical efficiency with little or no improvement over time. Growth estimates revealed that two third of the industries (76 out of total 114 categories) experienced average annual productivity improvement ranging from 0.1% to 7.8%. Average annual technical progress was recorded by 95 industry categories while technical efficiency improvement was achieved by 53 industries. Overall yearly average indicated relatively low productivity growth from the mid 1990’s onwards caused by either efficiency decline or technical regress. Summary results for industries showed that some of the high rates of productivity growth have been recorded in glass and glass products (7.3%), Petroleum and coal (7.2%), industrial chemicals (4.9%) contributed from both efficiency improvement and technical progress ranging from 0.8% to 5.4% and from 1.7% to 4.1%, respectively. These results are expected to have some implications for ongoing and future strategic policy reform in Malaysian manufacturing generating a more sustainable growth for specific industry categories.

Online versus postal data collection : a re-examination of the response differences using demographically matched data

Past research has identified differences between online and mail collected responses to the same survey, but differences in the demographics of respondents had also been noted making the cause of the variation unclear. In the research reported here, responses to the same questionnaire, delivered via mail and internet surveys, were demographically matched across a range of variables. This removed the impact of response differences caused by age, gender, type of product consumed and length of customer relationship. Across all the different question types and response scales, significant differences were still found between mail and online respondents, even when data were ipsatised. Notably, online respondents were far less likely to use the end-points of the scale, perhaps indicating issues with the online collection methodology. The conclusion is that the two methods of data collection can not be assumed to be directly inter-changeable, and that the method used can lead to different results if not managed carefully.

Impaired activation of AMP-Kinase and fatty acid oxidation by globular adiponectin in cultured human skeletal muscle of obese type 2 diabetics

Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived hormone associated with antidiabetic actions. In rodent skeletal muscle, globular adiponectin (gAD) activates AMP-kinase (AMPK) and stimulates fatty acid oxidation effects mediated through the adiponectin receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2. In the present study, we examined the mRNA expression of adiponectin receptors and the effects of gAD on AMPK activity and fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle myotubes from lean, obese, and obese type 2 diabetic subjects. Myotubes from all groups expressed approximately 4.5-fold more AdipoR1 mRNA than AdipoR2, and obese subjects tended to have higher AdipoR1 expression (P = 0.052). In lean myotubes, gAD activates AMPK[alpha]1 and -[alpha]2 by increasing Thr172 phosphorylation, an effect associated with increased acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC[beta]) Ser221 phosphorylation and enhanced rates of fatty acid oxidation, effects similar to those observed after pharmacological AMPK activation by 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside. In obese myotubes, the activation of AMPK signaling by gAD at low concentrations (0.1 [mu]g/ml) was blunted, but higher concentrations (0.5 [mu]g/ml) stimulated AMPK[alpha]1 and -[alpha]2 activities, AMPK and ACC[beta] phosphorylation, and fatty acid oxidation. In obese type 2 diabetic myotubes, high concentrations of gAD stimulated AMPK[alpha]1 activity and AMPK phosphorylation; however, ACC[beta] phosphorylation and fatty acid oxidation were unaffected. Reduced activation of AMPK signaling and fatty acid oxidation in obese and obese diabetic myotubes was not associated with reduced protein expression of AMPK[alpha] and ACC[beta] or the expression and activity of the upstream AMPK kinase, LKB1. These data suggest that reduced activation of AMPK by gAD in obese and obese type 2 diabetic subjects is not caused by reduced adiponectin receptor expression but that aspects downstream of the receptor may inhibit AMPK signaling.

Determination of yield and erosion damage functions using subjectively elicited data: application to small holder tea in Sri Lanka

Tea has been Sri Lanka's major export earner for several decades. However, soil erosion on tea-producing land has had considerable on-site and off-site effects. This study quantifies soil erosion impacts for smallholder tea farms in Sri Lanka by estimating a yield damage function and an erosion damage function using a subjective elicitation technique. The Mitscherlich-Spillman type of function was found to yield acceptable results. The study indicates that high rates of soil erosion require earlier adoption of soil conservation measures than do low rates of erosion. Sensitivity analysis shows the optimum year to change to a conservation practice is very sensitive to the discount rate but less sensitive to the cost of production and price of tea.