Application of meta-analytical probabilistic approach for reliability benefits reflective optimal transmission costing – the case of India

In the deregulated Power markets it is necessary to have a appropriate Transmission Pricing methodology that also takes into account “Congestion and Reliability”, in order to ensure an economically viable, equitable, and congestion free power transfer capability, with high reliability and security. This thesis presents results of research conducted on the development of a Decision Making Framework (DMF) of concepts and data analytic and modelling methods for the Reliability benefits Reflective Optimal “cost evaluation for the calculation of Transmission Cost” for composite power systems, using probabilistic methods. The methodology within the DMF devised and reported in this thesis, utilises a full AC Newton-Raphson load flow and a Monte-Carlo approach to determine, Reliability Indices which are then used for the proposed Meta-Analytical Probabilistic Approach (MAPA) for the evaluation and calculation of the Reliability benefit Reflective Optimal Transmission Cost (ROTC), of a transmission system. This DMF includes methods for transmission line embedded cost allocation among transmission transactions, accounting for line capacity-use as well as congestion costing that can be used for pricing using application of Power Transfer Distribution Factor (PTDF) as well as Bialek’s method to determine a methodology which consists of a series of methods and procedures as explained in detail in the thesis for the proposed MAPA for ROTC. The MAPA utilises the Bus Data, Generator Data, Line Data, Reliability Data and Customer Damage Function (CDF) Data for the evaluation of Congestion, Transmission and Reliability costing studies using proposed application of PTDF and other established/proven methods which are then compared, analysed and selected according to the area/state requirements and then integrated to develop ROTC. Case studies involving standard 7-Bus, IEEE 30-Bus and 146-Bus Indian utility test systems are conducted and reported throughout in the relevant sections of the dissertation. There are close correlation between results obtained through proposed application of PTDF method with the Bialek’s and different MW-Mile methods. The novel contributions of this research work are: firstly the application of PTDF method developed for determination of Transmission and Congestion costing, which are further compared with other proved methods. The viability of developed method is explained in the methodology, discussion and conclusion chapters. Secondly the development of comprehensive DMF which helps the decision makers to analyse and decide the selection of a costing approaches according to their requirements. As in the DMF all the costing approaches have been integrated to achieve ROTC. Thirdly the composite methodology for calculating ROTC has been formed into suits of algorithms and MATLAB programs for each part of the DMF, which are further described in the methodology section. Finally the dissertation concludes with suggestions for Future work.

Skapandet av ett webbaserat ärendehanteringssystem för affärssystemet Pyramid med Scrum : Creation of a web based case management system for the business system Pyramid with Scrum

The business system known as Pyramid does today not provide its user with a reasonable system regarding case management for support issues. The current system in place requires the customer to contact its provider via telephone to register new cases. In addition to this, current system doesn’t include any way for the user to view any of their current cases without contacting the provider.A solution to this issue is to migrate the current case management system from a telephone contact to a web based platform, where customers could easier access their current cases, but also directly through the website create new cases. This new system would reduce the time required to manually manage each individual case, for both customer and provider, resulting in an overall reduction in cost for both parties.The result is a system divided into two different sections, the first one is an API created in Pyramid that acts as a web service, and the second one a website which customers can connect to. The website will allow users to overview their current cases, but also the option to create new cases directly through the site. All the information used to the website is obtained through the web service inside Pyramid. Analyzing the final design of the system, the developers where able to conclude both positive and negative aspects of the systems’ final design. If the platform chosen was the optimal choice or not, and also what can be include if the system is further developed, will be discussed.The development process and the method used during development will also be analyzed and discussed, what positive and negative aspects that where encountered. In addition to this the cause and effect of a development team smaller than the suggested size will also be analyzed. Lastly an analysis of actions that could’ve been made in order to prevent certain issues from occurring will.

Johdon laskentatoimen kuukausiraportoinnin kehittäminen case-yrityksessä

Tämän kandidaatintutkielman tarkoituksena on tutkia johdon laskentatoimen kuukau-siraportointia ja sen kehittämistä case-yrityksen avulla. Tutkielman teoriaosuus muo-dostaa työlle sen teoreettisen viitekehyksen. Empiriaosuudessa käsiteltävä kuukausi-raportoinnin kehittäminen alkaa sen lähtötason määrittelemisellä. Tämän jälkeen tun-nistetaan prosessiin liittyviä kehitystä vaativia asioita sekä pyritään löytämään keinot näiden ongelmien ratkaisemiseksi. Tutkielmassa käytettävä empiirinen aineisto on kerätty laadullisen tutkimuksen mene-telmiä käyttäen. Tähän on kuulunut sekä työnteon havainnointia että haastatteluja. Ha-vainnointi koostui kahden kuukaudenvaihteen raportointiprosessin seuraamisesta. Siitä saatua aineistoa hyödynnettiin erityisesti raportoinnin lähtötason määrittämiseksi. Haastatteluja hyödynnettiin puolestaan prosessin ongelmakohtien tunnistamiseksi ja niiden ratkaisemiseksi. Tutkimuksesta selvisi, että case-yrityksen kuukausiraportointiprosessin lähtötilanne on yleisesti ottaen hyvä. Raportoinnille tunnistettiin kolme keskeistä päämäärää: hyvä ai-kataulutus, korkea automaation taso ja analyysin hyödynnettävyys. Koska kuukausira-portointi on jatkuvasti kehittyvä prosessi, on siinä aina jotain parannettavaa. Tutkimuk-sesta nousikin kolme keskeistä raportointiprosessin kehittämiskohdetta: aikataulutuk-sen ja talousosaston sisäisen kommunikaation haasteet, raportointityökalut sekä tie-don tiedon analyysin ja yksiköiden välisen kommunikaation haasteet. Näistä jokaiseen löydettiin konkreettisia parannusehdotuksia, joita case-yritys voi hyödyntää raportoin-tiprosessin päämäärien saavuttamiseksi.

Small bowel adenocarcinoma. Two case reports

Introduction. Small bowel adenocarcinoma is a rare tumor, with a still not well studied tumorigenesis process, and non-specific symptoms that cause a delay in the diagnosis and consequently a worst outcome for the patient. Videocapsule endoscopy (VCE) and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) have revolutionized the diagnosis and management of patients with small bowel diseases. Surgery is the treatment of choice when feasible, while the chemotherapeutic approach is still not well standardized. Case reports. Two cases in 2 months (two women 52 and 72-yr-old) of primary bowel adenocarcinoma is reported. The site of the tumor was in jejunum, instead of the most common site in duodenum. The patients underwent DBE with biopsy and ink mark. Laparoscopic-assisted bowel segmental resection was performed. The pathologic diagnosis was primary jejunum adenocarcinoma. No post-operative mortality or significant morbidities were noted. Conclusion. The combination of DBE and laparocopic-assisted bowel surgery represents an ideal diagnostic and therapeutic method.

Giant condyloma acuminatum quickly growing. Case report

Background. Giant Condyloma Acuminatum (GCA) is a rare, slow growing, large cauliflower tumor of the penile foreskin and perianal region with benign histologic appearance but high propensity for local invasion and recurrences. GCA is associated with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) types 6 and 11 and it also has considerable risk of neoplastic transformation into fully invasive squamous cell carcinoma into about 5 years. Objective. Because of the rarity of perianal GCA, to date there is no general agreement on the best method for treatment. We wanted to know if surgical approach only was a good method to treat our case. Case report. A 28 years old man, HIV-negative, with a 4 years history of perianal GCA quickly growing underwent full tickness local excision at least 0,7 cm margin of normal tissue with skin grafting taken from the thighs. Fecal contamination was avoided by diet and loperamide per os. At two years follow-up no recurrence was detected. Conclusion. Surgical approach with full tickness excision and immediate skin-grafting and regular follow-up demonstrated effective to treat GCA and to minimize disease recurrence.

Diagnostic utility of thyroglobulin measurement in the fine needle aspirates from cervical lymph nodes: a case report

Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is the more accurate diagnostic method for cervical lymph node (CLN) metastasis from differentiated thyroid cancers (DTC). However, FNAC diagnosis of cystic CLN is, in most cases, uninformative due to inadequate cellularity. Recently, thyroglobulin (Tg) detection in FNAC needle washout fluid has been shown to improve the diagnostic accuracy of FNAC, and its routine association with cytology is recommended. We here describe the case of a 20 yr old girl complaining of the recent appearance of palpable non-painful laterocervical nodes in the neck. Ultrasound examination revealed the presence of 3 cystic CLNs and 2 mixed thyroid nodules, with the larger one showing irregular margins. On the latter, and on 2 larger CLNs, FNAC was performed, and both Tg protein and mRNA were determined in the needle washout. The cytological analysis was not diagnostic for the two CLNs, while that of the thyroid nodule reported the presence of colloid and groups of thyrocytes with normal morphology. Both CLNs showed, however, high levels of Tg protein and were positive for Tg mRNA, suggestive of metastatic DTC. Based on these findings, the FNAC analysis was performed on the second smaller thyroid nodule suggesting (Tir4) the presence of PTC. The patient was then subjected to total thyroidectomy with lymph nodes resection of the central and homolateral compartments. The histological diagnosis confirmed the presence of a PTC in the small nodule and metastatic lymph nodes. In conclusion, this case confirms that the cytological diagnosis of cystic lymph nodes is challenging, and that the measurement of Tg protein and/or mRNA in the needle washout may overcome this limitation.

Exploring the feasibility of applying data mining for library reference service improvement : a case study of Turku Main Library

Data mining, as a heatedly discussed term, has been studied in various fields. Its possibilities in refining the decision-making process, realizing potential patterns and creating valuable knowledge have won attention of scholars and practitioners. However, there are less studies intending to combine data mining and libraries where data generation occurs all the time. Therefore, this thesis plans to fill such a gap. Meanwhile, potential opportunities created by data mining are explored to enhance one of the most important elements of libraries: reference service. In order to thoroughly demonstrate the feasibility and applicability of data mining, literature is reviewed to establish a critical understanding of data mining in libraries and attain the current status of library reference service. The result of the literature review indicates that free online data resources other than data generated on social media are rarely considered to be applied in current library data mining mandates. Therefore, the result of the literature review motivates the presented study to utilize online free resources. Furthermore, the natural match between data mining and libraries is established. The natural match is explained by emphasizing the data richness reality and considering data mining as one kind of knowledge, an easy choice for libraries, and a wise method to overcome reference service challenges. The natural match, especially the aspect that data mining could be helpful for library reference service, lays the main theoretical foundation for the empirical work in this study. Turku Main Library was selected as the case to answer the research question: whether data mining is feasible and applicable for reference service improvement. In this case, the daily visit from 2009 to 2015 in Turku Main Library is considered as the resource for data mining. In addition, corresponding weather conditions are collected from Weather Underground, which is totally free online. Before officially being analyzed, the collected dataset is cleansed and preprocessed in order to ensure the quality of data mining. Multiple regression analysis is employed to mine the final dataset. Hourly visits are the independent variable and weather conditions, Discomfort Index and seven days in a week are dependent variables. In the end, four models in different seasons are established to predict visiting situations in each season. Patterns are realized in different seasons and implications are created based on the discovered patterns. In addition, library-climate points are generated by a clustering method, which simplifies the process for librarians using weather data to forecast library visiting situation. Then the data mining result is interpreted from the perspective of improving reference service. After this data mining work, the result of the case study is presented to librarians so as to collect professional opinions regarding the possibility of employing data mining to improve reference services. In the end, positive opinions are collected, which implies that it is feasible to utilizing data mining as a tool to enhance library reference service.

Small bowel obstruction caused by mesh migration. Case report

Introduction. Endoscopic hernia repair methods have become increasingly popular over the past 15 years. Nonetheless, there is no consensus regarding an optimal fixation method. Transabdominal sutures and titanium tacks or staples are the most traditional ones. Case report. We present a case of mechanic small bowel obstruction due to mesh migration occurring one year and a half after incisional hernia repair with polytetrafluoroethylene mesh fixed by spiral tacks. Discussion. Titanium spiral tacks are dangerous because of their sharp components, which can damage organs such as the small intestine, by causing microperforations. The type of prosthesis used has also contributed to the intraluminal migration, since polytetrafluoroethylene mesh is very flexible and poorly integrates in the abdominal wall. Conclusion. A prosthesis of a different material combined with a different fixation system such as absorbable tacks, biological glue, or mechanical tacks without sharp components, would have obviated mesh migration. .

Structured cases in case-based reasoning: re-using and adapting cases for time-tabling problems

In this paper, we present a case-based reasoning (CBR) approach solving educational time-tabling problems. Following the basic idea behind CBR, the solutions of previously solved problems are employed to aid finding the solutions for new problems. A list of feature-value pairs is insufficient to represent all the necessary information. We show that attribute graphs can represent more information and thus can help to retrieve re-usable cases that have similar structures to the new problems. The case base is organised as a decision tree to store the attribute graphs of solved problems hierarchically. An example is given to illustrate the retrieval, re-use and adaptation of structured cases. The results from our experiments show the effectiveness of the retrieval and adaptation in the proposed method.

Multiple-Retrieval Case-Based Reasoning for Course Timetabling Problems

The structured representation of cases by attribute graphs in a Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) system for course timetabling has been the subject of previous research by the authors. In that system, the case base is organised as a decision tree and the retrieval process chooses those cases which are sub attribute graph isomorphic to the new case. The drawback of that approach is that it is not suitable for solving large problems. This paper presents a multiple-retrieval approach that partitions a large problem into small solvable sub-problems by recursively inputting the unsolved part of the graph into the decision tree for retrieval. The adaptation combines the retrieved partial solutions of all the partitioned sub-problems and employs a graph heuristic method to construct the whole solution for the new case. We present a methodology which is not dependant upon problem specific information and which, as such, represents an approach which underpins the goal of building more general timetabling systems. We also explore the question of whether this multiple-retrieval CBR could be an effective initialisation method for local search methods such as Hill Climbing, Tabu Search and Simulated Annealing. Significant results are obtained from a wide range of experiments. An evaluation of the CBR system is presented and the impact of the approach on timetabling research is discussed. We see that the approach does indeed represent an effective initialisation method for these approaches.

Case-Based Reasoning as a Heuristic Selector in a Hyper-Heuristic for Course Timetabling Problems

This paper studies Knowledge Discovery (KD) using Tabu Search and Hill Climbing within Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) as a hyper-heuristic method for course timetabling problems. The aim of the hyper-heuristic is to choose the best heuristic(s) for given timetabling problems according to the knowledge stored in the case base. KD in CBR is a 2-stage iterative process on both case representation and the case base. Experimental results are analysed and related research issues for future work are discussed.

Knowledge discovery in hyper-heuristic using case-based reasoning on course timetabling

This paper presents a new hyper-heuristic method using Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) for solving course timetabling problems. The term Hyper-heuristics has recently been employed to refer to 'heuristics that choose heuristics' rather than heuristics that operate directly on given problems. One of the overriding motivations of hyper-heuristic methods is the attempt to develop techniques that can operate with greater generality than is currently possible. The basic idea behind this is that we maintain a case base of information about the most successful heuristics for a range of previous timetabling problems to predict the best heuristic for the new problem in hand using the previous knowledge. Knowledge discovery techniques are used to carry out the training on the CBR system to improve the system performance on the prediction. Initial results presented in this paper are good and we conclude by discussing the con-siderable promise for future work in this area.

A generic method of engagement to elicit regional coastal management options

Stakeholder engagement is important for successful management of natural resources, both to make effective decisions and to obtain support. However, in the context of coastal management, questions remain unanswered on how to effectively link decisions made at the catchment level with objectives for marine biodiversity and fisheries productivity. Moreover, there is much uncertainty on how to best elicit community input in a rigorous manner that supports management decisions. A decision support process is described that uses the adaptive management loop as its basis to elicit management objectives, priorities and management options using two case studies in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. The approach described is then generalised for international interest. A hierarchical engagement model of local stakeholders, regional and senior managers is used. The result is a semi-quantitative generic elicitation framework that ultimately provides a prioritised list of management options in the context of clearly articulated management objectives that has widespread application for coastal communities worldwide. The case studies show that demand for local input and regional management is high, but local influences affect the relative success of both engagement processes and uptake by managers. Differences between case study outcomes highlight the importance of discussing objectives prior to suggesting management actions, and avoiding or minimising conflicts at the early stages of the process. Strong contributors to success are a) the provision of local information to the community group, and b) the early inclusion of senior managers and influencers in the group to ensure the intellectual and time investment is not compromised at the final stages of the process. The project has uncovered a conundrum in the significant gap between the way managers perceive their management actions and outcomes, and community's perception of the effectiveness (and wisdom) of these same management actions.

Multiple-retrieval case-based reasoning for course timetabling problems

The structured representation of cases by attribute graphs in a Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) system for course timetabling has been the subject of previous research by the authors. In that system, the case base is organised as a decision tree and the retrieval process chooses those cases which are sub attribute graph isomorphic to the new case. The drawback of that approach is that it is not suitable for solving large problems. This paper presents a multiple-retrieval approach that partitions a large problem into small solvable sub-problems by recursively inputting the unsolved part of the graph into the decision tree for retrieval. The adaptation combines the retrieved partial solutions of all the partitioned sub-problems and employs a graph heuristic method to construct the whole solution for the new case. We present a methodology which is not dependant upon problem specific information and which, as such, represents an approach which underpins the goal of building more general timetabling systems. We also explore the question of whether this multiple-retrieval CBR could be an effective initialisation method for local search methods such as Hill Climbing, Tabu Search and Simulated Annealing. Significant results are obtained from a wide range of experiments. An evaluation of the CBR system is presented and the impact of the approach on timetabling research is discussed. We see that the approach does indeed represent an effective initialisation method for these approaches.