Resource Management in Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC)

This PhD thesis investigates the effective ways of managing the resources of a Multi-Access Edge Computing Platform (MEC) in 5th Generation Mobile Communication (5G) networks. The main characteristics of MEC include distributed nature, proximity to users, and high availability. Based on these key features, solutions have been proposed for effective resource management. In this research, two aspects of resource management in MEC have been addressed. They are the computational resource and the caching resource which corresponds to the services provided by the MEC. MEC is a new 5G enabling technology proposed to reduce latency by bringing cloud computing capability closer to end-user Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile devices. MEC would support latency-critical user applications such as driverless cars and e-health. These applications will depend on resources and services provided by the MEC. However, MEC has limited computational and storage resources compared to the cloud. Therefore, it is important to ensure a reliable MEC network communication during resource provisioning by eradicating the chances of deadlock. Deadlock may occur due to a huge number of devices contending for a limited amount of resources if adequate measures are not put in place. It is crucial to eradicate deadlock while scheduling and provisioning resources on MEC to achieve a highly reliable and readily available system to support latency-critical applications. In this research, a deadlock avoidance resource provisioning algorithm has been proposed for industrial IoT devices using MEC platforms to ensure higher reliability of network interactions. The proposed scheme incorporates Banker’s resource-request algorithm using Software Defined Networking (SDN) to reduce communication overhead. Simulation and experimental results have shown that system deadlock can be prevented by applying the proposed algorithm which ultimately leads to a more reliable network interaction between mobile stations and MEC platforms. Additionally, this research explores the use of MEC as a caching platform as it is proclaimed as a key technology for reducing service processing delays in 5G networks. Caching on MEC decreases service latency and improve data content access by allowing direct content delivery through the edge without fetching data from the remote server. Caching on MEC is also deemed as an effective approach that guarantees more reachability due to proximity to endusers. In this regard, a novel hybrid content caching algorithm has been proposed for MEC platforms to increase their caching efficiency. The proposed algorithm is a unification of a modified Belady’s algorithm and a distributed cooperative caching algorithm to improve data access while reducing latency. A polynomial fit algorithm with Lagrange interpolation is employed to predict future request references for Belady’s algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm obtains 4% more cache hits due to its selective caching approach when compared with case study algorithms. Results also show that the use of a cooperative algorithm can improve the total cache hits up to 80%. Furthermore, this thesis has also explored another predictive caching scheme to further improve caching efficiency. The motivation was to investigate another predictive caching approach as an improvement to the formal. A Predictive Collaborative Replacement (PCR) caching framework has been proposed as a result which consists of three schemes. Each of the schemes addresses a particular problem. The proactive predictive scheme has been proposed to address the problem of continuous change in cache popularity trends. The collaborative scheme addresses the problem of cache redundancy in the collaborative space. Finally, the replacement scheme is a solution to evict cold cache blocks and increase hit ratio. Simulation experiment has shown that the replacement scheme achieves 3% more cache hits than existing replacement algorithms such as Least Recently Used, Multi Queue and Frequency-based replacement. PCR algorithm has been tested using a real dataset (MovieLens20M dataset) and compared with an existing contemporary predictive algorithm. Results show that PCR performs better with a 25% increase in hit ratio and a 10% CPU utilization overhead

Evaluation of Information Technology (It) Investments on Bank Returns: Evidence from Nigerian Banks.

No bank can afford to ignore the need to adopt measures that will quicken the processing and transmission of business information, as well as saving time and cost, hence, the need for information technology in banking business. Notwithstanding the numerous benefits of information technology, information technology procurement requires huge investments outlay. Whether the level of investment done in IT actually brings real benefits to the banks, is still a matter of debate in academic circles. This paper therefore, evaluates the effect of information technology investment on bank returns. Our model was structured in a way that it showed the effect and the relationship between information technology expenditure and bank returns. OLS stated in a multiple form was applied to data generated from a sample of banks that survived the 2005 regulatory bank consolidation exercise in Nigeria. The analysis suggests that information technology expenditure has a negative relationship with bank profitability indicating that IT expenditures of all the studied banks do not increase bank profitability, but rather decreases it insignificantly. Keywords: Information technology; bank returns; level of IT investment; correlation; eff

The Interest Rate Deregulation and Bank Lending in Nigeria

This study examined the interest rate deregulation and bank lending in Nigeria within the period of 1987 to 2011. The study was carried out to show the relevance of the hinges on the fact that credit and its costs (interest) perform a private role in shaping the economic future of Nigeria. The ordinary least square (OLS) techniques were utilized to estimate the parameters of the modeled independent variables/regressors on our chosen dependent variable. The hypothesis that the interest rate deregulation has a significance impact on bank lending was tested and validated with the result. Our findings gave rise to statistically significant t-statistics, which confirms the effects of the independent variables on the dependent variables. Some of the recommendations to further accelerate growth of the banking sector are more efforts to recommend that government through central bank should implement stringent fiscal and monetary policies aimed at reducing inflation. Others include that banks have been over-reacting to interest measures by increasing the rates to unprofitable levels especially during the period of deregulation. Keywords: Interest rate, deregulation, bank lendin

Psychometric properties of Sense of Community Scale using Nigerian secondary school students

The populous of Nigeria is fleeing in dread as a result of the obscene security breaches. The school-age teens who may not have a strong feeling of their community are those who are most impacted. Due to the lack of comparable studies in Nigeria, this study carried out the factorial validation of a 36-item SoCS created by Cicognani et al. (2006). The tool was accepted and verified. For this study, a sample of 489 secondary school students was selected using a straightforward random selection procedure. Factor analysis was used to evaluate the validity and reliability of the instrument as part of the factorial validation process. In addition, the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted using the principal component matrix with Varimax rotation, and the data model fit was assessed using the root mean square approximation (RMSEA) and confirmatory factor index (CFI). The study's findings revealed that SoCS in the Nigerian setting exhibited good model fit (RMSEA =.041, CFI =.951) and reliability (0.89). The sense of community among teenagers enrolled in school can be measured with the SoCS

Econometric Evaluation on the Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on the Economic Growth of Nigeria

It has been established that economies in the world are driven by policies. The government, been the centre of policy formulation is therefore saddled with the responsibility of formulating policies that will produce positive impact on the economy. The foreign investment of a nation, been one of the government’s key responsibility has thus been recognized as a major driving force of the economy particularly in the area of globalization. It therefore becomes imperative that the government formulate suitable policies to attract foreign investment. The findings from this study will be useful in this direction. There is an emerging consensus that a conducive macroeconomic policy environment is not only a desideration but is in fact a sine qua non for attracting substantial amounts of foreign investment inflow in a liberalizing and globalizing world economy. Nigeria needs a massive inflow of foreign investment in order to transform its economy, upgrade dilapidated infrastructure and plug on to the electronic age of computers and the Internet. An absolute prerequisite for success is the design and implementation of policies and measures that would make the policy environment investment friendly. In creating a friendly environment of foreign investors, the public sector has a major role to play via its expenditure power. Economic theory suggests that capital will move from countries where it is abundant to countries where it is scarce. This pattern of movement will be informed by the returns on new investment opportunities, which are considered higher where capital is limited. The resultant capital relocation will boost investment in the recipient country and, as summers (2000) suggests, bring enormous social benefits. Underlying this theory is the premise that returns to capital decrease as more machinery is installed and new structures are built, although, in practice, this is not always, or even generally true. Keywords: Foreign Private Investment, Economic Growth and Public Secto

Improving Students’ Achievement in Physics Using Library Electronic Journals

Electronic journals in libraries are essential for updating facilities and expanding services so that users can acquire the information they require. The modern epoch is marked by an information and knowledge revolution. Electronic materials are now available to libraries in a variety of formats. As a result of technology advancements and higher expectations in teaching and learning, 21st-century classrooms demand a lot from both teachers and students. Most parents nowadays purchase (smartphones, tablets, or laptops) for their children without realizing the educational benefits of these devices in allowing access to online learning materials. Electronic journals from libraries have proven to be quite useful to the growing number of students who have access to the internet. This is possible because to 21st-century technology, but it\u27s concerning because there isn\u27t much research on the subject in Nigeria. As a result, the impact of library electronic journals on students\u27 academic achievement in physics was investigated in this study. This study used a quantitative research approach using a simple repeated measures strategy. The Physics Achievement Test (= 0.891) was used to collect the data, which had been rigorously validated and trial-tested. A mixed-design repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Students\u27 physics grades were shown to be significantly improved when they read electronic publications from the library. As a result, in order to improve their academic performance, students should be exposed to the usage of library electronic journals

An insight into the dilemma of african modernity and a theoretical response

This work sets out to articulate the different challenges, contradictions and dilemmas implied by what it means to be modern in the African instance and to explore different ways in which this dilemma can be resolved. The Africa implied is black Africa or what is also known as sub-Saharan Africa and by modernity I mean the worldview that has come about through forms of knowledge that arise from and are agreeable to human nature and has harboured a universal potential for freedom, for humanism, and ultimately, for progress. The paper will defend the claim that modernity in Africa is in a dilemma and will attempt to explain the root and nature of the dilemma. It will go forward to articulate the forms under which modernity in Africa will yield its desired dividend with the view that there is a need for what it calls “the African agency” (interpreted to mean constructing modernity in Africa with Africa’s intellectual and cultural capital) through a fresh knowledge base for modernization to come through the cultural geography of African experience in line with the principles of freedom and rationality which are the cardinal principles of modernity

Capital Structure and Market Values of Companies

The topic for the research has been selected with special interest to reveal the effect or benefit of capital structure and market value of companies. An appropriate capital structure is a critical decision for any business organization and this decision is very important not just because of  its need to maximized Shareholder’s wealth or increase the market value of companies but also because of the impact such decision has on the company ability to deal with the competitive environment. Furthermore, the institutional composition of the market was reviewed and it was revealed that the Nigeria stock exchange amongst all other participants is the live wire of the medium for the mobilisation of long funds for long term investment. Also the listing requirement of small and medium scale enterprises in the second tier securities market of the NSE equally highlighted. This project encompasses a comprehensive survey of companies, however, the prospect of the market appears to be bright considering the current position of the government and players in the industry in the area of formulation and implementation of favourable policies.  The market could assume the expected role of providing long-term financing for the development of small and medium scale enterprises in Nigeria if the institutional frameworks guiding the effectiveness of the operators are strengthened and the profound recommendation by the researcher are religiously implemented.

Influence of Fake News on Public Perception of Nigeria's Online Newspapers

The online newspaper is increasingly taking the place of the hardcopy newspaper As readers switch to popular online newspapers it behoves the internet-based medium to live up to and better play the very important function to the society carried out by the hardcopy newspapers But the increasing cases of fake news in the blogosphere seem likely to detract from the credibility which many place on popular online newspapers When readers apply the Uses and Gratifications as well as the Selectivity Factors theories this will go a long way in whittling down the influential role of the press in the society Using the survey research design this researcher set out to explore the influence which the circulation of fake news has on the perception members of the public have of Nigeria s online newspapers Drawing the sample size from Enugu metropolis it was found that while the prevalence of fake news in Nigeria is high popular online newspapers do not play much role in the dissemination of fake news It was also discovered that most Nigerians see reports on popular online news platforms as credible and that there is difference between information on online newspapers and those circulated through social medi

Communicative performance in the written discourse of undergraduate students : what can literature offer?

This study examines two groups of students of the University of Nigeria who were taught using two approaches (literature-based and grammar-based) in order to measure the effect of the approaches on their communicative performance. The data comprises 100 essay scripts (50 for each group) qualitatively analysed based on content, expression, organisation and mechanical accuracy; and also quantitatively analysed using SPSS in order to measure the difference between the two groups. The findings show that there are significant differences in the performance of the two groups in favour of the literature-based approach. The study closes with conclusions and recommendations for SLT (Second Language Teaching) pedagogy. The findings of this study supports Krashen's (1982) Naturalist Approach to language learning, which has far-reaching implications for the field.Aquest estudi examina dos grups d'estudiants de la Universitat de Nigèria que van ser ensenyats usant dos enfocaments (basats en la literatura i en la gramàtica) per mesurar l'efecte dels enfocaments en el seu rendiment comunicatiu. Les dades comprenen 100 guions d'assaig (50 per a cada grup) analitzats qualitativament, basats en el contingut, l'expressió, l'organització i l'exactitud mecànica. Igualment es va analitzar quantitativament amb SPSS per mesurar la diferència entre els dos grups. Els resultats mostren que hi ha diferències significatives en l'exercici dels dos grups, l'enfocament basat en la literatura va resultar en millor rendiment. L'estudi conclou amb conclusions i recomanacions per a l'ensenyament de segones llengües. Els resultats d'aquest estudi donen suport al 'Enfocament Naturalista' de Krashen (1982) dins de l'aprenentatge de llengues, que té implicacions de llarg abast per que fa aquest camp.Este estudio examina dos grupos de estudiantes de la Universidad de Nigeria que fueron enseñados usando dos enfoques (basados en la literatura y en la gramática) para medir el efecto de los enfoques en su desempeño comunicativo. Los datos comprenden 100 guiones de ensayo (50 para cada grupo) cualitativamente analizados basados en el contenido, la expresión, la organización y la exactitud mecánica. También se analizó cuantitativamente con SPSS para medir la diferencia entre los dos grupos. Los hallazgos muestran que hay diferencias significativas en el desempeño de los dos grupos a favor del enfoque basado en la literatura. El estudio concluye con conclusiones y recomendaciones para la didáctica de las segundas lenguas. Los hallazgos de este estudio apoyan el 'Enfoque Naturalista' de Krashen (1982) para el aprendizaje de lenguas, que tiene implicaciones de largo alcance para este campo.Cette étude examine deux groupes d'étudiants de l'Université du Nigeria qui ont été enseignés en utilisant deux approches (basée sur la littérature et la grammaire) afin de mesurer l'effet des approches sur leur performance communicative. Les données comprennent 100 scripts d'essai (50 pour chaque groupe) analysés qualitativement en fonction du contenu, de l'expression, de l'organisation et de la précision mécanique; Et également analysées quantitativement en utilisant SPSS afin de mesurer la différence entre les deux groupes. Les résultats montrent qu'il existe des différences significatives dans la performance des deux groupes en faveur de l'approche basée sur la littérature. L'étude se termine par des conclusions et des recommandations pour la pédagogie SLT. Les résultats de cette étude soutiennent l'approche naturaliste de Krashen (1982) à l'apprentissage des langues, qui a des implications de grande envergure dans le domaine