On the Yellow Brick Road, A Path to Enterprise Architecture Maturity

This study concentrated on the relationship between the Enterprise Architecture (EA) maturity of an organization and the business value associated with it in the South African financial services environment. It was developed within the critical realism philosophy, which states that mechanisms generate events by accentuating the underlying EA mechanisms that lead to business value, as well as provide insights into the opportunities and challenges organizations experienced as they progressed to higher levels of maturity. Constructed using the resource-based view of the firm as the underlying theoretical framework, this research examined EA as an intangible resource and maturity as a source of heterogeneity. This research also examined the practices of business units at evolving levels of maturity and the forms of business value attainable at those levels. Further, this study demonstrated that EA is a source of both tangible and intangible forms of value

The Uncertain Path to Enterprise Architecture (EA) Maturity in the South African Financial Services Sector

The research described in this article used the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm as an underlying theoretical framework to explore the relationship between enterprise architecture (EA) maturity and associated business value in the South African financial services environment. EA maturity was examined as an intangible resource and as a source of heterogeneity. The study identified the capabilities of business units at different levels of EA maturity, and found that EA is implemented at a coarse-grain level at lower organisational levels, and at finer-grain levels as one moves up the maturity curve. The study also found that EA is a source of both tangible and intangible forms of business value.CA201

Unsupervised maritime target detection

The unsupervised detection of maritime targets in grey scale video is a difficult problem in maritime video surveillance. Most approaches assume that the camera is static and employ pixel-wise background modelling techniques for foreground detection; other methods rely on colour or thermal information to detect targets. These methods fail in real-world situations when the static camera assumption is violated, and colour or thermal data is unavailable. In defence and security applications, prior information and training samples of targets may be unavailable for training a classifier; the learning of a one class classifier for the background may be impossible as well. Thus, an unsupervised online approach that attempts to learn from the scene data is highly desirable. In this thesis, the characteristics of the maritime scene and the ocean texture are exploited for foreground detection. Two fast and effective methods are investigated for target detection. Firstly, online regionbased background texture models are explored for describing the appearance of the ocean. This approach avoids the need for frame registration because the model is built spatially rather than temporally. The texture appearance of the ocean is described using Local Binary Pattern (LBP) descriptors. Two models are proposed: one model is a Gaussian Mixture (GMM) and the other, referred to as a Sparse Texture Model (STM), is a set of histogram texture distributions. The foreground detections are optimized using a Graph Cut (GC) that enforces spatial coherence. Secondly, feature tracking is investigated as a means of detecting stable features in an image frame that typically correspond to maritime targets; unstable features are background regions. This approach is a Track-Before-Detect (TBD) concept and it is implemented using a hierarchical scheme for motion estimation, and matching of Scale- Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) appearance features. The experimental results show that these approaches are feasible for foreground detection in maritime video when the camera is either static or moving. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were generated for five test sequences and the Area Under the ROC Curve (AUC) was analyzed for the performance of the proposed methods. The texture models, without GC optimization, achieved an AUC of 0.85 or greater on four out of the five test videos. At 50% True Positive Rate (TPR), these four test scenarios had a False Positive Rate (FPR) of less than 2%. With the GC optimization, an AUC of greater than 0.8 was achieved for all the test cases and the FPR was reduced in all cases when compared to the results without the GC. In comparison to the state of the art in background modelling for maritime scenes, our texture model methods achieved the best performance or comparable performance. The two texture models executed at a reasonable processing frame rate. The experimental results for TBD show that one may detect target features using a simple track score based on the track length. At 50% TPR a FPR of less than 4% is achieved for four out of the five test scenarios. These results are very promising for maritime target detection

An investigation into stakeholders’ definitions of effective learning, student success and perceptions of the role of extra-lessons towards achieving effective learning and students’ success and the opportunity costs that are involved, at a denominational girls’ secondary school in Trinidad & Tobago.

As an educational researcher and a secondary school teacher in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), one of my key areas of educational interest is that of the role of paid academic extra-lessons. In this research, extra-lessons are paid academic classes that are run in parallel to the local formal secondary school education system in T&T. This research is focused on a denominational girls’ secondary school and examines stakeholders’ definitions of effective learning, student success and their perceptions of the role of extra-lessons towards achieving effective learning and students’ success and the opportunity costs that are involved. In T&T to date, there have only been three substantive studies in the area of extra-lessons. Thus, these findings may prove important, and timely, to constructively engaging and analysing the extra-lessons phenomenon as the findings may realistically have educational, cultural and social implications. A mixed methods approach was adopted where relevant comparable and contextual data were collected, from the students and their parents in the examination classes, as well as teachers. The results showed that all stakeholders recognised the importance of effective teachers to ensure effective teaching and learning, whether in-school or in extra-lessons. Also, the pressure for scholarship success was established to be a key catalyst for stakeholders seeking out extra-lessons, and for the most part, at the expense of extra-curricular activities. Notably, there was clear evidence of scholarship success without extra-lessons, that significantly involved all-round and holistic development opportunities

Vision-based adaptive cruise control using pattern matching

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is a relatively new system designed to assist automobile drivers in maintaining a safe following distance. This paper proposes and validates a vision-based ACC system which uses a single camera to obtain the clearance distance between the preceding vehicle and the ACC vehicle. Pattern matching, with the aid of lane detection, is used for vehicle detection. The vehicle and range detection algorithms are validated using real-world data, and then the resulting system performance is shown to be sufficient using a simulation of a basic vehicle model

Right Hepatic Artery Pseudoaneurysm Thirteen Months Following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

A Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare vascular complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We report a case that presented thirteen months following elective surgery and was treated successfully by endovascular coil embolisation. This case represents the latest presentation post surgery without the development of life threatening clinical rupture

Experimental cadmium contamination of the echinoid Stomopneustes variolaris (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) : influence of dosage and distribution of the metal in the organism.

Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2002.Cd levels were measured in three different body compartments of the echinoid Stomopneustes variolaris after exposure to concentrations of 5 ug 1l, 20 ug 1l and 50 ug 1l Cd for a period of two weeks. The body compartments investigated included the intestine, gonads and skeleton. The gonads did not exhibit dose-dependent bioaccumulation. The levels of cadmium in the intestine and skeleton were significantly different between the treatments, suggesting that dose dependent bioaccumulation had occurred in these compartments (except in the skeleton where higher levels -were recorded for those exposed to 20 ug 1l than those exposed to 50 ug 1l) The levels recorded in the intestine were higher than those recorded in the gonads and skeleton at the higher Cd exposures of 20 and 50 ug 1i. The levels accumulated in the gonads and skeleton were not significantly different from each other. A separate group, exposed to 20 ug 1`1Cd over a period of two weeks, was placed in uncontaminated seawater to determine if the echinoids were capable of bioremediation. Bioremediation was found to lower the Cd levels in the gonads, but not in the intestine and skeleton. Cadmium levels for the three body compartments were also recorded from specimens collected from the field, indicating the presence of this element in the environment. In addition to using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) was used as a comparative technique to detect the presence of Cd in the skeleton of the urchin. Cadmium was detected in the skeleton with AAS, but not with EDX. S. variolaris proved to be a capable biomonitor of Cd contamination

A business analysis methodology

Synopsis Business analysis is defined as the process in which business needs are identified and solutions proposed. This process is regarded as one of the most important parts of systems development because no other part is more difficult to rectify later. However, current business analysis methodologies are inadequate because they are at a too high level and only address portions of the complete business analysis process. In particular, the lack of clear objectives, relevance and outcomes of the phases make business analysis methodologies inadequate. Moreover, activities, techniques and tools not mapped to those phases are also problematic. The aim of this research was to develop a business analysis methodology for business analysts in the South African financial services environment. The intentions were to identify the phases, as well as objectives, relevance and outcomes for each of these phases. Furthermore, this research intended to identify appropriate activities, techniques and tools to address the objectives of each phase of a methodology. This was done by presenting a literature review of previous research relating to business analysis methodologies. For information gathering, 45 participants (comprising of business analysts, project managers, IS managers and CIOs) contributed to this research, 22 of whom were interviewed individually while 23 participated in focus group interviews. The data from each of these methods was analysed independently and did not influence or feed into any of the other methods. Once the individual interviews and focus group interviews had been transcribed, content analysis and analysis within and between interviews (Merriam, 1998; Strauss, 1987) was used to analyse the information gathered independently. The phases of a business analysis methodology identified by the research are the: • feasibility phase; • business case phase; • analysis and design phase; and • post-implementation evaluation phase. Objectives, relevance and outcomes of these phases were also identified. In addition, activities, techniques and tools were mapped to each of these phases

Anger, impulsivity, sensation seeking and driver attitudes as correlates for self-reported acts of risky driving behaviour among young drivers.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sci.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.The study used a cross-sectional survey design to investigate anger, impulsivity, sensation seeking and driver attitudes as correlates for self-reported acts of risky driving behaviour (RDB), among young drivers. A non-probability sample of 306 university students from two universities in the Durban region completed the self-administered questionnaire. A key focus area included an examination of age and gender differences in the above-mentioned constructs. Fifty four percent of the sample were male (N = 165) and 46% female (N = 141). The mean age of males and females in the sample was 29 years and 25 years respectively. The majority of the sample (75%) indicated that they drive either on a daily basis or 3-6 days a week. With regard to the relationship between the various personality constructs and selfreported acts of RDB, the results indicate that driver anger, sensation seeking, a sense of urgency and a lack of premeditation and perseverance were significantly related to self-reported acts of RDB. That is, drivers with higher driver anger, sensation seeking, urgency, and with a greater lack of premeditation and perseverance in daily activities were statistically more likely to report riskier driving acts. With respect to gender differences, males reported significantly more acts of RDB, while females displayed a significantly lower amount of premeditation in their general daily activities. However no other significant gender differences were observed. The results suggested that driver attitudes were significantly related to self-reported acts of RDB on most indicators. That is, drivers with a negative attitude towards RDB-related behaviours reported significantly less engagement in RDB-related actions.Finally, with respect to age differences, older drivers (25 years and older) reported significantly more negative attitudes towards rule violations/speeding and the careless driving of others. Also, older drivers reported a significantly lower sense of sensation seeking and urgency in life

Land-cover change in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve 1993-2006): A first step towards creating a conservation plan for the subregion.

This paper is a first step towards a conservation plan for the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve K2C) on the South African Central Lowveld, quantifying the historical land-cover trends 1993-2006). During the analysis period, 36% of the biosphere reserve BR) underwent land-cover change. Settlement areas increased by 39.7%, mainly in rural areas, becoming denser, particularly along roadways. Human-Impacted Vegetation increased by 6.8% and Intact Vegetation declined by 7.3%, predominantly around settlement areas, which is testament to the interdependency between rural communities and the local environment. However, settlement expansion exceeded the rate of rangeland growth; in the long term, this may raise questions for sustainable resource extraction. Similarly, the block losses of intact vegetation are of concern; issues of fragmentation arise, with knock-on effects for ecosystem functioning. In the economic sector, agriculture increased by 51.9%, while forestry and mining declined by 7.1% and 6.3%, respectively. The future of these three sectors may also have significant repercussions for land-cover change in the BR. The identification of historical drivers, along with the chance that existing trends may continue, will have important implications for biodiversity protection in this landscape. Applied within a conservation-planning framework, these land-cover data, together with economic and biodiversity data, will help reconcile the spatial requirements of socio-economic development with those of conservation.SP201