Forecasting Intraday Time Series with Multiple Seasonal Cycles Using Parsimonious Seasonal Exponential Smoothing

This paper concerns the forecasting of seasonal intraday time series. An extension of Holt-Winters exponential smoothing has been proposed that smoothes an intraday cycle and an intraweek cycle. A recently proposed exponential smoothing method involves smoothing a different intraday cycle for each distinct type of day of the week. Similar days are allocated identical intraday cycles. A limitation is that the method allows only whole days to be treated as identical. We introduce an exponential smoothing formulation that allows parts of different days of the week to be treated as identical. The result is a method that involves the smoothing and initialisation of fewer terms than the other two exponential smoothing methods. We evaluate forecasting up to a day ahead using two empirical studies. For electricity load data, the new method compares well with a range of alternatives. The second study involves a series of arrivals at a call centre that is open for a shorter duration at the weekends than on weekdays. By contrast with the previously proposed exponential smoothing methods, our new method can model in a straightforward way this situation, where the number of periods on each day of the week is not the same.Exponential smoothing; Intraday data; Electricity load; Call centre arrivals.

Eating Practices and Attitudes among American Buddhists: An aspect of Buddhism and Ecology

The purpose of this thesis is to illuminate the ways that Buddhism and ecology intersect, specifically as it pertains to food beliefs and attitudes. I examined contemporary American Buddhists, their perceptions of the natural world, and the ways in which their dietary prescriptions may reflect those perceptions. Examining the historical and contemporarily relevant perspectives on food is vital in understanding Buddhism and Ecology, a field becoming more explored in the search for measures to solve the environmental crisis. This thesis functions to explore the ways that American Buddhist practitioners view the environment and as a result, their food practices and attitudes. Specifically, I examine the various motivations that guide the eating choices of American Buddhists through research on their environmental ethic (both historically and currently) and their behavior surrounding food procurement, cooking, and eating. I found that while this is an interesting and worthy pursuit, it is impossible to generalize the eating motivations and behaviors within the diverse community of American Buddhists. I speculate that the most interesting potential Buddhism and ecology may have, rather than its theoretical connections, is the capacity it may have to spur ecological action and sensitivity among its adherents into the future

(The) philosophy of Thomas Hardy as revealed in his novels ..

Typewritten sheets in cover. Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University This item was digitized by the Internet Archive. Bibliography: p. 45-50

Implementation of a coal level sensing and control system comparing range sensor modalities

A coal-fired power plant typically has silos, bunkers or stockpiles in which the fuel is placed for storage purposes. Real-time feedback sensors are utilized to sense the coal height so data can be sent to downstream systems for further processing. These systems are required to accurately sense the height of coal within the bunker or stockpile. The range information is then fed in a real-time fashion to a control system. Inaccurate measurements can result in severe environment and safety consequences. The coal-fired power plant application is especially daunting due to the particularly harsh operating conditions and reliability requirements. There are many types of ranging sensors available in the marketplace. The performance of ultrasonic, radar, and laser rangefinder sensors was investigated to determine the height of coal stockpiles in various sites in a coal-fired power plant. A system to control the spacing of a telescoping coal-delivery chute above its coal pile was designed (using laser rangefinder), implemented, and tested. A detailed analysis of each sensor modality is provided, along with some conclusions regarding their performance. These systems are currently operational at a plant located in northeast Texas. The ultrasonic and radar sensors were part of legacy systems and the new laser sensor was integrated as a part of this study. The feedback signals from each sensor were compared to measured data. The implementation of the laser rangefinders proved to be slightly more accurate than the other legacy systems. However, the laser rangefinder systems have some drawbacks that have been listed

Performance of a Reinforced Concrete Pipe Culvert with Standard and B\u3csub\u3e1\u3c/sub\u3e High Fill Bedding Under Rock Embankment

In co-operation with the Bureau of Public Roads, a number of reinforced pipe culvert installations in a number of states have been selected to evaluate the effectiveness of the design and construction criteria. One particular pipe has been chosen for this special study because of its installation conditions. This pipe is located on I 75-6 (5) 123 in Scott County at Station 37 + 50, US460, SW Ramp, and has been constructed using both type beddings that are specified in the 1956 edition of the Kentucky Department of Highways Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction and amendments thereto. Observation of the performance of this installation during construction and after completion was desirable so as to check the validity of the theory as applied to rock fill material, which was used in this particular installation. The ultimate objective of this study and investigation, therefore, is to align the theory more with actual field conditions. No attempt has been made to discuss the hydraulic or functional phase of culvert design or the structural design of the conduit

The evolution of nationalism in Wordsworth's political principles

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Letter from the University of Maine at Farmington

Letter from Ralph M. Taylor to Madeleine Giguère confirming her inclusion in a Media Training Program in New Instructional Techniques held at the University of Maine at Farmington in 1971.https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/giguere-conferences-and-presentations-1968-1997/1010/thumbnail.jp