BARCH: a business analytics problem formulation and solving framework

The BARCH framework is a business framework that is specifically formulated to help analysts and management who want to identify and formulate a scenario to which Analytics can be applied and the outcome will have a direct impact on the business. This is the overarching public work that I have used extensively in various projects and research. This framework has been developed initially in the banking sector and has evolved progressively with successive projects. The framework’s name represents five aspects for the formulation and identification of an area that one can use Analytics to answer. The five aspects are Business, Analytics, Revenue, Cost and Human. The five aspects represent the entire system and approach to the identification, formulation, understanding and modelling of Analytic problems. The five aspects are not necessarily sequential but are interrelated in some ways where certain aspects are dependent on the other aspects. For example, revenue and cost are related to business and depend on the business from which they are derived. However, in most practices involving Analytics, Analytics are conducted independent of business and the techniques in Analytics are not derived from business directly. This lack of harmony between business and Analytics creates an unfortunate combination of factors that has led to the failure of Analytics projects for many businesses. In intensely practising Analytics and critically reflecting on every piece of work I have done, I have learned the importance of combining knowledge with skills and experience to come up with new knowledge and a form of practical wisdom. I also realize now the importance of understanding fields that are not directly related to my field of specialization. Through this context statement I have been able to increase the articulation of my thinking and the complexities of practice through approaches to knowledge such as transdisciplinarity which further supports the translation of what I can do and what needs to be done in a way that business clients can understand. Having the opportunity to explore concepts new to me from other academic fields and seeking their relevance and application in my own area of expertise has helped me considerably in the ongoing development of the BARCH framework and successful implementation of Analytics projects. I have selected the results of three projects published in papers that are listed in Appendices A-C to demonstrate how the model can be applied to solve problems successfully compared to other frameworks. The evolution of the model involves a continual feedback loop of learning from each successive project which contributes to the BARCH model being able to not only continuously demonstrate its applicability to various problems but to consistently produce better and more refined results. The majority of analytical models applied to the many problems in the business environment address the problems only superficially (Bose, 2009; Krioukov et. al., 2011), that is without understanding the impact on the business as a whole. Many Analytics projects have not delivered the promised impact because the models applied are overly complicated (Stubbs, 2013) to solve the root causes of the business problem. This situation is compounded by an increasing number of analysts applying Analytics to business problems without a proper understanding of the context, technique and environment (Stubbs, 2013). While many experts in the field interpret the problem as a multidisciplinary problem, the problem is in my opinion transdisciplinary in nature

Array-based iterative measurements of SmKS travel times and their constraints on outermost core structure

Vigorous convection in Earth's outer core led to the suggestion that it is chemically homogeneous. However, there is increasing seismic evidence for structural complexities close to the outer core's upper and lower boundaries. Both body waves and normal mode data have been used to estimate a P wave velocity, V_p, at the top of the outer core (the E’ layer), which is lower than that in the Preliminary Reference Earth Model. However, these low V_p models do not agree on the form of this velocity anomaly. One reason for this is the difficulty in retrieving and measuring SmKS arrival times. To address this issue, we propose a novel approach using data from seismic arrays to iteratively measure SmKS-SKKS-differential travel times. This approach extracts individual SmKS signal from mixed waveforms of the SmKS series, allowing us to reliably measure differential travel times. We successfully use this method to measure SmKS time delays from earthquakes in the Fiji‐Tonga and Vanuatu subduction zones. SmKS time delays are measured by waveform cross correlation between SmKS and SKKS, and the cross‐correlation coefficient allows us to access measurement quality. We also apply this iterative scheme to synthetic SmKS seismograms to investigate the 3‐D mantle structure's effects. The mantle structure corrections are not negligible for our data, and neglecting them could bias the V_p estimation of uppermost outer core. After mantle structure corrections, we can still see substantial time delays of S3KS, S4KS, and S5KS, supporting a low V_p at the top of Earth's outer core

Beliefs and Attitudes of Medical Students from Public and Private Universities in Malaysia towards Individuals with HIV/AIDS

We describe the findings from a survey assessing the beliefs regarding testing, confidentiality, disclosure, and environment of care and attitudes towards care of people with HIV/AIDS (PLHWA), in 1020, 4th and 5th year medical students, from public and private medical universities in Malaysia. A self-administered validated questionnaire based on the UNAIDS Model Questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale (5, strongly disagree; 4, disagree; 3, neutral; 2, agree; 1, strongly agree) was used as a survey tool. The survey included demographic data and data on undergraduate training received on HIV/AIDS. Statistical significance in the demographic data and training received by respondents was evaluated using the chi-square test while the independent Student's t-test was used for comparison of means between public and private universities. A P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant with 95% confidence interval. Our study revealed less than 20% of medical students received adequate training to care for PLHWA. They had prevalent negative beliefs regarding testing, confidentiality, disclosure and environment of care towards PLHWA although in giving care to PLHWA, their attitudes were largely positive and nondiscriminatory.Article Link: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2013/462826

Dynamic analysis of flexible rotor-bearing systems using a modal approach

The generalized dynamic equations of motion were obtained by the direct stiffness method for multimass flexible rotor-bearing systems. The direct solution of the equations of motion is illustrated on a simple 3-mass system. For complex rotor-bearing systems, the direct solution of the equations becomes very difficult. The transformation of the equations of motion into modal coordinates can greatly simplify the computation for the solution. The use of undamped and damped system mode shapes in the transformation are discussed. A set of undamped critical speed modes is used to transform the equations of motion into a set of coupled modal equations of motion. A rapid procedure for computing stability, steady state unbalance response, and transient response of the rotor-bearing system is presented. Examples of the application of this modal approach are presented. The dynamics of the system is further investigated with frequency spectrum analysis of the transient response

Rebuilding California History: Research, Conceptual Design, and Code Analysis for the Reconstruction of the Swanton Pacific Railroad on Swanton Ranch

The purpose of this report is to provide code research, code analysis, and conceptual design work for the Swanton Pacific Railroad. This work will provide a basis that decisions makers can use to review potential actions for the future of the Swanton Pacific Railroad. Based on the research, several issues have been identified that will need to be addressed if rebuilding is to succeed. The parcel that the railroad is located on is Split Zoned, which will need to be resolved. A decision needs to be made if this project is: Only rebuilding what was existing beforehand, rebuilding in part and building new in part, or building brand new entirely. After explaining the relevant background information and ordinances of the Santa Cruz County Code, this report will recommend two separate alternatives for the future. In addition, a list of resources and contacts will be provided that the Swanton Pacific Railroad Society can use to receive material, design, and financial aid

Vibration and noise analysis of a gear transmission system

This paper presents a comprehensive procedure to predict both the vibration and noise generated by a gear transmission system under normal operating conditions. The gearbox vibrations were obtained from both numerical simulation and experimental studies using a gear noise test rig. In addition, the noise generated by the gearbox vibrations was recorded during the experimental testing. A numerical method was used to develop linear relationships between the gearbox vibration and the generated noise. The hypercoherence function is introduced to correlate the nonlinear relationship between the fundamental noise frequency and its harmonics. A numerical procedure was developed using both the linear and nonlinear relationships generated from the experimental data to predict noise resulting from the gearbox vibrations. The application of this methodology is demonstrated by comparing the numerical and experimental results from the gear noise test rig

Low-energy excitations of the one-dimensional half-filled SU(4) Hubbard model with an attractive on-site interaction: Density-matrix renormalization-group calculations and perturbation theory

We investigate low-energy excitations of the one-dimensional half-filled SU(4) Hubbard model with an attractive on-site interaction U < 0 using the density matrix renormalization group method as well as a perturbation theory. We find that the ground state is a charge density wave state with a long range order. The ground state is completely incompressible since all the excitations are gapful. The charge gap which is the same as the four-particle excitation gap is a non-monotonic function of U, while the spin gap and others increase with increasing |U| and have linear asymptotic behaviors.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitte

Design and Focused Ion Beam Fabrication of Single Crystal Diamond Nanobeam Cavities

We present the design and fabrication of nanobeam photonic crystal cavities in single crystal diamond for applications in cavity quantum electrodynamics. First, we describe three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations of a high quality factor (Q ~ 10^6) and small mode volume (V ~ 0.5 ({\lambda}/n)^3) device whose cavity resonance corresponds to the zero-phonon transition (637nm) of the Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) color center in diamond. This high Q/V structure, which would allow for strong light-matter interaction, is achieved by gradually tapering the size of the photonic crystal holes between the defect center and mirror regions of the nanobeam. Next, we demonstrate two different focused ion beam (FIB) fabrication strategies to generate thin diamond membranes and nanobeam photonic crystal resonators from a bulk crystal. These approaches include a diamond crystal "side-milling" procedure as well as an application of the "lift-off" technique used in TEM sample preparation. Finally, we discuss certain aspects of the FIB fabrication routine that are a challenge to the realization of the high-Q/V designs

Dynamics of Multistage Gear Transmission with Effects of Gearbox Vibrations

A comprehensive approach is presented in analyzing the dynamic behavior of multistage gear transmission systems with the effects of gearbox induced vibrations and mass imbalances of the rotor. The modal method, with undamped frequencies and planar mode shapes, is used to reduce the degrees of freedom of the gear system for time-transient dynamic analysis. Both the lateral and torsional vibration modes of each rotor-bearing-gear stage as well as the interstage vibrational characteristics are coupled together through localized gear mesh tooth interactions. In addition, gearbox vibrations are also coupled to the rotor-bearing-gear system dynamics through bearing support forces between the rotor and the gearbox. Transient and steady state dynamics of lateral and torsional vibrations of the geared system are examined in both time and frequency domains to develop interpretations of the overall modal dynamic characteristics under various operating conditions. A typical three-stage geared system is used as an example. Effects of mass imbalance and gearbox vibrations on the system dynamic behavior are presented in terms of modal excitation functions for both lateral and torsional vibrations. Operational characteristics and conclusions are drawn from the results presented