A Foundation for Breach Data Analysis

Analysis of breach data would provide fresh insight into the subject of Information Security. There is, therefore the need to examine breach data repositories on which the analyses would be based. This work set to identify and describe breach data repositories, and highlight whatever is revealed. The use of Datalossdb.org data set as a base to be enriched for open verifiable analysis of the breach data was supported, and the necessity of a common vocabulary for describing security breach related issues was revealed. Keywords: data breach, breach data, breach data database, breach data repository, breach data report

Water in Yoruba Belief and Imperative for Environmental Sustainability

The observation by scholars that the typical African people are often overtly religious in matters of interpreting reality demands a critical outlook with allusion to apt consideration of phenomena in relevant locale within the African space. The phenomenon of water has received copious attention worldwide and the need to consider this within an African nay Yoruba worldview is timely. The Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria are wont to express that ‘water is the converge of good health, no one can despise it’ – omi labuwe, omi labumi, eni kan kii ba omi s’oota. This expression among other narratives convey a symbolic and paradoxical representation of water, which depicts the metaphysical dialectics of water in Yoruba belief. Basically, it renders the phenomenon of water as an entity that has the potency to vitalize and disrupt life-forms, given the beliefs regarding its place in relationship with certain animals like buffalo, fish and some endangered species, plants, trees as well as humans. Resultant impediments that fraught environmental order such as flood, draught and water borne diseases or outbreak in this regard are often linked to these beliefs. This is believed to be due to negating demands of the essential place of water by aberrant practices/acts, abuse, negligence of venerating ancestral grooves, goddesses or spirit. In lieu of this, this discourse adopts a hermeneutic analysis of the phenomenon and argues that the understanding of water in indigenous Yoruba belief is underscored by the dialectics of positive and negative causes that also impact the course of environmental sustainability. Keywords: Water, Yoruba Belief, Metaphysical Dialectics, Environmental Sustainability

Assessment of Poor Resource Farmers’ Level of Awareness on Climate Change and Adaptation/Mitigation Strategies in Some Selected Rural Areas in Oyo State, Southwest, Nigeria

Climate change is a phenomenon that is currently in dire need of a wide range of publicity and other measures in order to adapt and mitigate its effect on the society. This study examined the level of climate change awareness among the poor resource farmers in some selected local government areas of Oyo state. A well structured questionnaire titled "Climate Change Awareness Questionnaire (CCAQ)" was administered on a sample of 240 households. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistical tools such as frequency counts and percentage as well as cross table analysis. Findings indicated that the level of climate change awareness was generally low among the resource poor farmers. Keywords: Climate change, Awareness, Adaptation strategies, Mitigation strategies

Reward Allocation For Maximizing Energy Savings In A Transportation System

Transportation has a major impact on our society and environment, contributing 70% of U.S petroleum use, 28% of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, over 34,000 fatalities and 2.2 million injuries in 2013. Punitive approaches to used to tackle environmental issues in the transportation sector, such as congestion pricing have been well documented, although the use of incentives or rewards lags behind in comparison. In addition to the use of more fuel-efficient, alternate energy vehicles and various other energy reduction strategies; energy consumption can be lowered through incentivizing alternative modes of transportation. This paper focused on modifying travelers’ behavior by providing rewards to enable shifts to more energy-efficient modes, (e.g., from auto to either bus or bicycles). Optimization conditions are formulated for the problem to understand solution properties, and numerical tests are carried out to study the effects of system parameters (e.g., token budget and coefficient of tokens) on the optimal solutions (i.e., energy savings). The multinomial logit model is used to formulate the full problem, comprised of an objective function and constraint of a token budget ranging from $5,000-$10,000. Comparably, the full problem is computationally reduced by various parameterization strategies, in that the number of tokens assigned to all travelers’ is parameterized and proportional to the expected energy savings. An optimization solution algorithm is applied with a global and local solver to solve a lagrangian sub-problem and a duo of heuristic solution algorithms of the original problem. These were determined necessary to attain an optimal and feasible solution. Input data necessary for this analysis is obtained for the Town of Amherst, MA from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC). The results demonstrated strong evidence to conclude a positive correlation between the system’s energy savings and the aforementioned system parameters. The local and global solvers solution algorithm reduced the average energy consumption by 11.48% - 19.91% and12.79% – 21.09% consecutively for the identified token budget range from a base case scenario with no tokens assigned. The duo of lagrangian heuristic algorithms improved the full problems solution i.e., higher energy savings, when optimized over a local solver, while the parameterized problem formulations resulted in higher energy savings when compared to the full problems’ formulation solution over local solver, but higher energy savings compared over the global solver. The Computational run-time for the global and local solvers solution algorithm for the full problem formulation required 43 hours and 24 minutes consecutively, while the local solver for the lagrangian heuristics and parameterized problem solution algorithm took 13 minutes and 7 minutes consecutively. Future research on this paper will be comprised of a bi-level optimization problem formulation where a high level optimization aims at maximizing system-wide energy savings, while a low-level consumer surplus maximization problem is solved for each system user

A semi-automatic computer-aided assessment framework for primary mathematics

Assessment and feedback processes shape students behaviour, learning and skill development. Computer-aided assessments are increasingly being used to support problem-solving, marking and feedback activities. However, many computer-aided assessment environments only replicate traditional pencil-and-paper tasks. Attention is on grading and providing feedback on the final product of assessment tasks rather than the processes of problem solving. Focusing on steps and problem-solving processes can help teachers to diagnose strengths and weaknesses, discover problem-solving strategies, and to provide appropriate feedback to students. This thesis presents a semi-automatic framework for capturing and marking students solution steps in the context of elementary school mathematics. The first focus is on providing an interactive touch-based tool called MuTAT to facilitate interactive problem solving for students. The second focus is on providing a marking tool named Marking Assistant which utilises the case-based reasoning artificial intelligence methodology to carry out marking and feedback activities more efficiently and consistently. Results from studies carried out with students showed that the MuTAT prototype tool was usable, and performance scores on it were comparable to those obtained when paper-and-pencil was used. More importantly, the MuTAT provided more explicit information on the problem-solving process, showing the students thinking. The captured data allowed for the detection of arithmetic strategies used by the students. Exploratory studies conducted using the Marking Assistant prototype showed that 26% savings in marking time can be achieved compared to traditional paper-and-pencil marking and feedback. The broad feedback capabilities the research tools provided can enable teachers to evaluate whether intended learning outcomes are being achieved and so decide on required pedagogical interventions. The implications of these results are that innovative CAA environments can enable more direct and engaging assessments which can reduce staff workloads while improving the quality of assessment and feedback for students

Climate Change and Thermal Comfort: Implications for Building Design in Southern Nigeria

One of the greatest challenges facing the world in this century is the twin phenomena of global warming and environmental degradation with their consequential effects. There are growing cases of ocean surge, desert encroachment, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, acid rain, heat stress, flash floods, etc. which have been claiming many lives and rendering several million homeless. Recent scientific studies have predicted that these events, rather than subsiding, would be more severe and more frequent in the future, with many of the developing countries most vulnerable. This suggests that man’s response to these challenges should not be limited to combating efforts alone but should also include adequate adaptation strategies that would minimise the impending disasters. This paper examines the science of global warming and its implications on thermal comfort in buildings in Southern Nigeria. It contends that as the area becomes warmer, the cooling potential of natural ventilation in the area would be reduced with fatal consequences. The paper closes by highlighting certain design strategies that could minimise the impending catastrophes. Keywords:  Architectural Design, Climate Change, Global Warming, Hot-Humid Climate, Thermal Comfor

Evidence of Utilisation of the Lessons of History for Planning and Development in Nigeria: The Example of the Contrast Between Lagos and Abuja

The paper examined how the lessons of Lagos, Nigeria’s former capital, were utilized for the choice of location, planning and development of Abuja, the new capital. It questioned the view that the dichotomy between Abuja and Lagos with regard to beauty, cleanliness, functionality, organization and development control is an anathema arising mainly from the neglect of Lagos. Contrarily, it argued that the differences between the two regions of the country is not mainly due to the neglect of Lagos, the former capital, considering the fact that it was the shortcomings and inadequacies of Lagos that provided the lessons for the choice, designing, naming, development, development control, and even recently, the “reform agenda”, in Abuja. The paper posited that, notwithstanding the perceived neglect of the former capital by the federal government, contrary to its promise when the capital was relocated to Abuja in 1991, the dichotomy between Lagos and Abuja is essentially clear evidence that the country has, for once, benefitted from its history in the development of the new capital. If the contrary was the case, as it was in the pre-2003 era, it would have been another sad commentary on the ability of the country to learn and benefit from its history. The focus of the paper, therefore, is how the inadequacies and shortcomings of Lagos provided the lessons for the development of Abuja.Key words: Background, Designing, Naming, Development, Abuja, Lagos, Refor

A Philosophical Reflection on Some Key Issues in Yoruba Indigenous Knowledge System

Abstract Abstract The discourse of indigenous knowledge system is no absolute preserve of any intellectual outlook; humanities, social-sciences or basic sciences. The enterprise of philosophy is not an exemption in this regard. From a philosophical angle, this discourse addresses certain key issues identified in Yoruba indigenous knowledge system (IKS). Adopting conceptual and critical methodology, it argues that the Yoruba indigenous knowledge system could be explicated from an internalist perspective, drawing upon the intricacies of key issues like Ifá , the environment, arts (beliefs and practice), as well as human-animal relations in Yoruba worldview. Basically, it emphasizes that Yoruba IKS is underscored by an internalist framework of understanding (knowing) inherent in beliefs, reflected in attitudes and practices, which are suffused with ontological cum existential assumptions of reality. Keywords: Yoruba, Indigenous knowledge system, internalism, beliefs and practice

Development of Web-based Interactive Map Using Object-Oriented Programming Concept

The program incorporates an interactive map which responds to origin and destination selection, by analyzing the relative positions of both locations and creating real-time routes on the road network to display to the user the required path from the origin to the destination and the approximate distance/time required. System design is based on the Model- View-Controller (MVC) design pattern, and the application has been developed using Adobe Flash CS3 (with ActionScrip

Pinch Analysis as a Knowledge Management Tool for Optimization in Supply Chain

Supply chain managers are trying to maximize the profitable operation of their manufacturing and distribution supply chain, but due to global competition in process industries and complexities of the supply chain processes together with large computational times, it has made optimization of supply chain management (SCM) quite difficult. Recently, Knowledge management (KM) is a new important information technology-based business paradigm for achieving competitive advantage, and it is no surprise that it has received so much attention from researchers. This paper therefore deploys Pinch Analysis, a practicable tool that entails less complex mathematics compared to many other optimization tools, to manage critical knowledge generated in supply chains. In this study, demand and supply explicit knowledge from the organization was represented as composites for the pinch analysis. The developed system gave supply chain managers new insights into SCM and thus aiding quick decision-making and on the overall helped to achieve the much needed competitive advantage