Using Latency to Evaluate Computer System Performance

Building high performance computer systems requires an understanding of the behaviour of systems and what makes them fast or slow. In addition to our file system performance analysis, we have a number of projects in measuring, evaluating, and understanding system performances. The conventional methodology for system performance measurement, which relies primarily on throughput-sensitive benchmarks and throughput metrics, has major limitations when analyzing the behaviour and performance of interactive workloads. The increasingly interactive character of personal computing demands new ways of measuring and analyzing system performance. In this paper, we present a combination of measurement techniques and benchmark methodologies that address these problems. We use some simple methods for making direct and precise measurements of event handling latency in the context of a realistic interactive application. We analyze how results from such measurements can be used to understand the detailed behaviour of latency-critical events. We demonstrate our techniques in an analysis of the performance of two releases of Windows 9x and Windows XP Professional. Our experience indicates that latency can be measured for a class of interactive workloads, providing a substantial improvement in the accuracy and detail of performance information over measurements based strictly on throughput

Flour functionality, chemical and sensory properties of cookies from trifoliate yam flour-soybean blends

Trifoliate yam was used to produce flour which was enriched with soybean flour at varying substitution levels and used to produce cookies. The cookies were analysed for their proximate content, nutritional content and sensory evaluation were carried out on them. The flour was analyzed for its physicochemical, properties. The results showed that enriching trifoliate yam flour with soybean flour increased the protein content. There was also an increase in the fat content with increase in the substitution level. The sensory evaluation showed that the cookie made at 20% substitution level had the highest overall acceptability score. Enrichment of trifoliate yam flour with soy flour at levels of 10% to 30% resulted in a notable increase in the protein content, which is nutritionally advantageous where many cannot afford foods that are rich in protein because of its cost. Keywords: Trifoliate yam; flour; soybean; cookie

Economic analysis of locust bean processing and marketing in Iwo local government, Osun state.

This study was designed to estimate the economic analysis of locust bean processing and marketing in Iwo Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria. Primary data was used and purposive sampling technique was adopted to select the respondents used for the study. A total number of 60 respondents were interviewed. The data collected were analyzed using inferential statistical tool such as regression analysis. Budgetary analysis technique was also used to analyze the profitability of locust bean processing and marketing in the study area. Majority (78.3%) of the processors and marketers were making profit; 95.0% operate above break even point while 3.3% operate at break even point this indicates that they neither gain nor loss. The regression analysis result shows that quantity processed and years of experience in processing were significant at 1% and 10% respectively, while stall rent was significant at 5%. F-test also explained that independent variables are jointly significant at 1% probability level with an adjusted R2 of 79.8%. It was therefore concluded that locust bean enterprise is profitable and attention should be focused on boosting quantity of locust bean seeds available for processing and the revenue from its’ sales through cultivation and planting of more locust bean trees.Keywords: Locust bean, processing, marketing, Iwo, Budgetary techniques, Regression analysis

An assessment of the Health and Social Economic implications of satchet water in Ibadan Nigeria: A Public Health challenge

The inadequacy of pipe borne water in Ibadan Metropolis is almost endemic. This inadequacy is both in quantity and quality of the public water supply. As an alternative to the water supply, small scale industrial concerns came up with ‘PURE WATER’: 0.5Litre water in nylon sachets, which are electrically heated, sealed at both ends and widely patronized by both low and middle class Nigerians. The objective of the study was to find out the quality of such pure water. Stratified, simple random sampling procedures were used to select 78 samples from 20 brands of sachet water from important hawkers/vendors. The samples were subjected to physical, chemical and bacteriological analysis. For chemical analysis, Hanna’s 100 spectrophotometer plus chemical reagents were used. The water samples were assessed for coliform and other intestinal bacteria using MKC cowkery broth (MM) and Brilliant Green Bile Broth (BGBB). Multiple tube method was employed. The result showed that the physical parameters were within W.H.O limits for drinking water quality guidelines except for pH which ranged from 6.6 - 9.7. Some chemical parameters were also within the W.H.O guideline values. However; aluminum which concentration ranged from 0.00 — 0.34 mg/l, fluoride concentration ranged from 0.01 — 1.87 mg/I and cyanide concentration ranged from 0.000 — 0175 were not. Bacteriological analysis, showed that five (5) or 6.4% of the samples tested fielded bacterial growth. Bacteria produced included: Klebsiella sp., Streptococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The enforcement of the regulation guiding water quality before the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) to comply with the drinking water qualities guideline values as recommended by W.H.O, becomes urgent

Impacts of heavy duty truck emissions on the vertical distributions of soil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at a big haulage vehicle park

Nigeria relies heavily on heavy duty haulage vehicles to convey commodities from one end of the nation to the other, owing to the decades-long collapse of the rail transportation infrastructure. This is resulting in settings with very high concentrations of the trucks on the country’s key roads. Diesel engine exhausts have long been recognized to be detrimental to human health. The concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the top and bottom soil samples from an extensive haulage vehicle stop located at Ogere, a roadside town along the ever busy Lagos-Ibadan highway were investigated. Soil samples taken at depths of 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm were subjected gas-chromatographic/mass spectrometer analysis. The Ʃ priority PAHs in the top and bottom soils at four sampling locations ranged between 16.4 and 32.0 mg/kg and 18.6–26.6 mg/kg respectively. The corresponding Ʃ carcinogenic PAHs for top and bottom soils ranged between 9.2 and 17.4 mg/kg and 8.7–12.0 mg/kg respectively. The concentrations of PAHs obtained in this study clearly exceeded the permissible limits set for soil PAHs in most developed nations of the world. The diagnostic ratio attributed the observed PAHs to diesel emissions. The study concluded that the emissions from the trucks at the haulage vehicle stop have tremendous impact on the soil PAH concentrations

Ascites in Ibadan, Nigeria – usefulness of albumin gradient in its etiologic diagnosis

In a 2-year prospective study, ninety adult patients with ascites at the University College Hospital Ibadan were evaluated clinically in addition to a diagnostic work‑up protocol. Of these, 40 (44%) had liver cirrhosis, 21 (23%) had tuberculous peritonitis, 20 (22%) had malignant ascites, 5 (6%) had heart diseases and\ud 4 (5%) had nephrotic syndrome.\ud \ud Albumin gradient was compared with the usual parameters of ascitic fluid analysis in the differential diagnosis of ascites. We showed that the ascitic fluid total protein concentration, the ascitic fluid/serum total protein, the ascitic fluid lactic dehydrogenase, and the ascitic fluid/serum lactic dehydrogenase were lower in the patients with liver cirrhosis than in the patients with tuberculous peritonitis (p<0.0001) or malignant ascites (p<0.0001). In contrast, the albumin gradient (serum albumin minus ascitic fluid albumin) in the patients with liver cirrhosis was significantly higher than in the patients with tuberculous peritonitis (p<0.0001) or malignant ascites (p<0.0001). There was no difference in these biochemical parameters between the patients with tuberculous peritonitis and malignant ascites. Overall, the efficiency of the biochemical parameters in correctly diagnosing patients with ascites caused by liver cirrhosis and those due to tuberculous peritonitis or malignancies was highest for albumin gradient <1.1 g/dL (96%), followed by ascitic fluid lactic dehydrogenase level >180 IU/L (77%), ascitic fluid total protein >3.0 g/dL (73%), ascitic fluid to serum lactic dehydrogenase ratio >0.6 (70%) and ascitic fluid to serum total protein ratio >0.5 (63%)

MODIFICATION OF LOG-NORMAL PREDICTION MODEL FOR HSPA NETWORK USING ADAPTIVE NEURO-FUZZY INFERENCE SYSTEM

The transmission of radio signals over a channel for proper path-loss prediction is a core aspect of planning in wireless communication. Some conventional path-loss prediction models such as Log-normal, Okumura-Hata and COST 231 models are not appropriate for predicting the path-loss values due to differences in frequencies of operation which, therefore, need adaptation before employing. This paper, therefore, modifies the Log-normal prediction model for High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) using Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). The modification is carried out by measuring the Received Signal Strength (RSS) using drive test at Ayetoro area of Lagos, Nigeria on (Longitude 3.19647E and Latitude 6.59167 N). The drive test equipment consists of a computer system integrated with Test Equipment for Mobile System (TEMS) software, Ericson TEMS phone and Global Positioning System (GPS). Suitability of the conventional models is determined using Base Station (BS) parameters of the network after which the modification of Log-normal prediction model is carried out by obtaining the path-loss exponent. The path-loss exponent is used to determine the deviation for proper modification. The modified model is further enhanced using ANFIS model which is developed by training five layer ANFIS architecture for adaptation. The models are evaluated using path-loss values and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) to determine the performances. The results obtained show that ANFIS, COST 231, and modified Log-normal models give the lowest RMSE values with their path-loss values closest to the measured values. Therefore, these models are suitable for predicting the HSPA signal in this area and can be used for future planning of wireless network

Convergence Rate of Some Two-Step Iterative Schemes in Banach Spaces

This article proves some theorems to approximate fixed point of Zamfirescu operators on normed spaces for some two-step iterative schemes, namely, Picard-Mann iteration, Ishikawa iteration, S-iteration, and Thianwan iteration, with their errors. We compare the aforementioned iterations using numerical approach; the results show that S-iteration converges faster than other iterations followed by Picard-Mann iteration, while Ishikawa iteration is the least in terms of convergence rate. These results also suggest the best among two-step iterative fixed point schemes in the literature