Information Searching and Satisficing Process for IT Decision Making Process of SMEs

Information Technology (IT) can provide Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with competitive advantage, effective management, and improved business performance. Decision making is an integral process of achieving a successful IT investment. SME owner-managers are usually the key IT decision makers despite the fact that they often do not possess sufficient IT skills. This study examines how SME managers search and prioritise information that guides their IT decisions. This study adopted a qualitative research method and conducted interviews with eleven SME owner-managers in Nigeria and South Africa to understand the process of IT investment based on the information available to the decision-makers. Owner-managers of small manufacturing, servicing, and retail companies were the participants of this study. Thematic data analysis technique was employed to analyse the data collected in this study. The findings of this study revealed that SME owner-managers face specific challenges like insufficient information to guide IT choice, limited resources when making IT decisions and lack of formalised approach to the decision-making process. The finding in this study provides an insight into strategies to formalise SME owner-managers’ IT decision-making process. This study concludes that, the formalisation of information searching process for IT choices in SMEs is crucial to achieving better IT investments

Stability Analysis of a Mathematical Model for Onchocerciaisis Disease Dynamics

In this work, we propose a Deterministic Mathematical Model that Combines Infectious but not Blind and Infectious Blind Compartments for Onchocerciasis Transmission and Control. Onchocerciasis is usually the term used to describe river blindness, it is a disease that causes blindness, and the second largest cause of blindness after trachoma. It mainly affects the eyes and the skin. The equilibrium states of the model are obtained. The disease free equilibrium state is analysed for stability; the condition for its stability is obtained as an inequality constraint on the parameters. Results shows that although, a 60% treatment coverage rate of infected and infectious blind individuals only is better than 80% treatment coverage rate of infected but not blind individuals only. Also, all the four control strategies reduce the effective reproduction number below unity. A 40% coverage rate of fumigation and treatment of infectious but not blind is better than a 40%coverage rate of fumigation only. It further reveals that a 30% coverage rate of fumigation and treatment of infectious blind is better than 80%coverage rate of fumigation only or fumigation and treatment of infected but not blind only. We are able to show that disease free equilibrium and endemic equilibrium exists and are both locally and globally stable, and we computed the Rc of the model and showed that it is a parameter to test for stability, we also use the Jacobi stability technique to show that disease free equilibrium and endemic equilibrium are both locally and globally stable. The sensitivity analysis results shows that the most sensitive parameter is ρ while the least sensitive is  μvKeywords: Onchocerciasis, Mathematical model, Equilibrium state, Deterministic, Effective reproductive number, Stability

Equivalent Circuit Modeling and Analysis of Metamaterial Based Wireless Power Transfer

In this study, an equivalent circuit model is presented to emulate the behavior of a metamaterial-based wireless power transfer system. For this purpose, the electromagnetic field simulation of the proposed system is conducted in ANSYS high frequency structure simulator. In addition, a numerical analysis of the proposed structure is explored to evaluate its transfer characteristics. The power transfer efficiency of the proposed structure is represented by the transmission scattering parameter. While some methods, including interference theory and effective medium theory have been exploited to explain the physics mechanism of MM-based WPT systems, some of the reactive parameters and the basic physical interpretation have not been clearly expounded. In contrast to existing theoretical model, the proposed approach focuses on the effect of the system parameters and transfer coils on the system transfer characteristics and its effectiveness in analyzing complex circuit. Numerical solution of the system transfer characteristics, including the scattering parameter and power transfer efficiency is conducted in Matlab. The calculation results based on numerical estimation validates the full wave electromagnetic simulation results, effectively verifying the accuracy of the analytical model.Comment: 12 figures, 7 pages, IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Conferenc

Effect of set-up heights on the performance of pot-in-pot cooling system for storing food and drugs at ambient temperature

The research aimed at evaluating the effect of set-up height on the performance of earthenware pot-in-pot cooling system. The pots were set up at different heights; H1 (0 m), H2 (0.5 m) and H3 (1 m) and observed for 59 days from 8:00am to 6:00pm daily. The inner temperatures obtained from the three different arrangements were determined using standard methods. The result showed that increasing the height from ground level (0 m) to 1 m increases the mean cooling effect by 8 %. Generally, it was observed that only the set-up height at 1 m proved to have maximum efficiency of the pot-in-pot system performance. Keywords— Cooler, Efficiency, Evaporative cooling, Set-up height, Pot-in-pot, Preservatio

Early detection of Pre-XDR TB with line probe assay in a high TB burden country

Background - Worldwide, tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of death. Drug resistant tuberculosis has lately become a major public health problem that threatens progress made in Tuberculosis (TB) care and control worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Pre-extensive drug resistant TB among MDR TB in North Central of Nigeria. Methods - This study was conducted from October, 2018 to August, 2019 with 150 samples. In Nigeria, guidelines for DR-TB as recommended by WHO is followed. All the samples from the patients who gave their consent were transported to a zonal reference TB laboratory (ZRL). Results - Mean age was 38.6 \ub1 13.4 years with peak age at 35-44. Out of these 103 samples processed with LPA, 101(98%) were rifampicin resistant and 2 were rifampicin sensitive, 99(96%) were INH resistant and 4 (4%) were INH sensitive, 5(5%) were fluoroquinolone resistant, 98(95%) were fluoroquinolone sensitive, 12 (12%) were Aminoglycoside + Capreomycin resistant, 91(83%) were Aminoglycoside + Capreomycin sensitive. Conclusion - Multidrug resistant TB and its severe forms (Pre-extensive & extensively drug resistant TB) can be detected early with rapid tool- Line Probe Assay rapid and prevented timely by early initiation on treatment

A Numerical Simulation for a Deterministic Compartmental Mathematical Model of HIV/ADIS Disease Pandemic with Effect of Public Awareness/Campaign

In this work, an earlier deterministic mathematical model of HIV/AIDS is revisited and numerical solutions obtained using Eulers numerical method. Using hypothetical values for the parameters, a program was written in VISUAL BASIC programming language to generate series for the system of difference equations from the output of the program. Simulation results were presented in form of graphs. Finally, results were compared with the earlier analysis which was carried out using a modified version of Bellman and Cookes theory. It was found that both results agree.Keywords: Deterministic, HIV/AIDS, model, simulatio

Analysis of effect of overcrowding on the spread of tuberculosis using deterministic modelling approach: A case study of internally displaced riverside settlements by hydro electric generating power stations of Nigeria

In this study, the effects of population density on the dynamics of  tuberculosis were discussed using deterministic modeling approach . A mathematical model was formulated that incorporated the size of the area occupied by the population being studied. The results suggested that the observed trend in tuberculosis incidence was partly as a result of explosive population growth due to urbanization and resettlements. In the  qualitative analysis of the model, the disease free steady state was analyzed for stability using Rowth Hurwitz theorem. The analysis showed that there exists a globally stable disease-free equilibrium point. The disease-free equilibrium point will be globally asymptotically stable provided the characteristic area per individual is greater than the product of the probability of survival from latent stage into the infectious stage and the number of latent infections produced by a typical infectious individual during the mean infectious period. The results of numerical simulation were remarkably in line with those of the qualitative analysis of the model.Key words: Tuberculosis, Population density, Equilibrium State and Stability Analysis

Performance Of Micro Gas Turbine Combined Heat And Power Systems Fueled By Biofuels

The global demand for utilisation of renewable energy fuels in gas turbines has been on the increase to secure a sustainable and pollution free environment, especially in Malaysia where abundant biomass is available. The research problems involves combustion difficulties faced while using biofuels and lack of sufficient small-scale CHP-MGT systems in rural locations running on these low grade biofuels. In this research work, a combustion chamber was improved and best geometry selected using ANSYS-FLUENT program, followed by experimental verification of the model. Fuel spray characterisation was performed using four sizes commercial diesel nozzle injectors 1- 4 gallon per hour (GPH) for diesel, palm biodiesel and vegetable oil blends with diesel (P10-P100). Development of two-staged micro gas turbine based vehicular turbochargers using Garrett GT25 for first stage and Holset H1C for second stage was performed. Furthermore, the experimental test and combustion characterisation for the first-stage MGT and two-stage CHP-MGT were performed based on temperature profile, emissions and acoustics measurements, while the development of high-speed alternator based on vehicular alternator was accomplished for electrical power output. For the nozzle and spray experimental analysis using diesel fuel as a benchmark, injector 2 was selected for the experiment based on its performance as it produces best combustion stability, moderate TIT and acceptable compressor and turbines power outputs. The results from first stage MGT emission and combustion analysis shows that performances of palm biodiesel, P60 and pre-heating of P100 (vegetable oil) at 100 °C, were found out to be comparable to that of diesel fuel in terms of efficiency, power outputs and emissions. While using combustion acoustics analysis for all the fuels, a new tool was developed to compare flame stability of biofuels to diesel as a reference fuel. The development of high-speed alternator reveals that friction coupling is most suitable and hence adopted for the MGT, because it produces the least friction losses and lowest vibration value of 33.5m/s2 at maximum alternator speed of 13037 rpm. Lastly, the full MGT-CHP system characterisation was achieved with the following performances parameters as 71.5W electrical output, 18.2kW thermal power output, 0.36kg/kWh SFC for hot air production, 400ppm CO emissions, 48ppm NOx emissions, 43.7% HRU efficiency and 28.9% overall system efficiency