Model-Based Verification for SIMULINK Design

Testing a Model-Based design is the only way to determine the correctness of the designed model but not enough to conclude that the design is error free. Verification exposes all the design errors and describes the functionality of the system. Assertion based verification helps to determine whether the model obey the actual design requirements. This thesis work is mainly based on verification of a Water Tank control system modeling using SIMULINK model

An Implementation of A Combined DEA-PROMETHEE Method for The Hull of A Ship Application

The selection of an appropriate parameter in a water absorption process experiment is an important route to reducing fabrication wastes and ensuring the optimum deployment of scarce process resources to the appropriate parameter. However, the literature is inadequate in providing an appropriate direction on selecting parameters for the hull of the ships' application due to the conflicting requirements of the interested parties. A novel method called the Data Environment Analysis (DEA) to overcome this problem. Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment of Evaluations (PROMETHEE) method is deployed to establish the appropriate parameter in a water absorption process on epoxy composite. The net outranking results show that criterion B (final weight) is placed in the first position. The criterion A (initial weight), D (thickness), and C (length) are placed in the second, third, and fourth positions, respectively, while E (time) is not necessary to the achievement of the system's goals. The key novelty is the unique application of the fused DEA-PROMETHEE method to a composite using the Taguchi signal-to-noise ratio response table for the hull of a ship. The method enhances the performance of multiple inputs (parameters) and multiple outputs (responses). The results of the DEA method-PROMETHEE method established the potential of epoxy composite to be used on the ship for the hull component. This could reduce the waste generated in the system, and guided allocation of resources are made to the appropriate parameters and, consequently, enhance the shipping company's profit. Furthermore, the results could improve the shipping vessel performance and develop a sustainable practice, which will lengthen the lifespan of the shipping industry

The Application of the EDAS Method in the Parametric Selection Scheme for Maintenance Plans in the Nigerian Food Industry

Nowadays, maintenance performance in organizations has become compelling due to competitiveness in the global market and the inclusion of more legislation issues (such as safety and health regulations) in assessments. In this article, the purpose is to formulate in maintenance problem for a food processing unit as a multicriteria problem and solve it using the evaluation based on distance from the average solution (EDAS) method. To attain this purpose, the authors defined a set of weighted criteria and a set of alternatives, and the solution is the alternative that scores the best in those criteria. Consequently, analysis was done based on the EDAS method and the calculated results from the literature data. Consequently, the parameters considered include the frequency of failure, MTBF, MTTF and MTTR while availability is the response. The EDAS method was used to select the best alternative (MTTR, 0.8802) and this score of 0.8802 is for an alternative. The chief novelty of this article is the unique introduction of an innovative EDAS method, which requires only two measures of the desirability of alternative (positive and negative distances from the average solution) but excluded the evaluation of the idea and nadir solutions for the key performance indicators of maintenance. Consequently, this study initiates a maintenance plan for the food industry referring to the key performance indicators as a cause for poor availability of equipment in the Nigerian food industry

Water Absorption Process Parametric Selection For Natural Composites Using The PROMETHEE Method And Analytical Hierarchy Process For Objective Weights For Ship’s Hull Application

The purpose of this study is to establish the importance of parameters in a water absorption process for natural particulate composite for ship’s hull applications. To attain useful and reliable outcomes, the subjective evaluation of the assessor and weights of inputs are combined in a PROMETHEE and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) approach. The PROMETHEE serves the goal of ranking while the AHP is deployed to establish the objective weighing. It was found that time is the heading parameter for the natural particulate thermoset composite solutions, compared with thickness and length. By integrating PROMETHEE and AHP, it was proved that this approach offers a higher level of confidence to composite developers than initiative practices that currently dominate choices of parameters. It is particularly useful for natural particulate water absorption parametric selection since it is an innovative and scientific choice approach involving multicriteria analysis

The Effect of Beneficiation on Some Properties of Osun State Ceramic Raw Materials

Clay, feldspar and silica sand are important industrial minerals which often need treatment commonly known as beneficiation to improve the quality of ceramic tiles produced from these materials. The different minerals, after sorting, were treated separately in distilled water, alcohol and hydrochloric acid before being crushed in a ball mill; they were then characterized using a pelletron accelerator. The results show an increased silicon content for clay, silica sand and feldspar; and reduced aluminum content for clay and silica sand but not for feldspar. Iron impurity and its oxide are also shown to reduce by over 50% in all the minerals while potassium was found to be the dominant element in feldspar among the defining elements. In conclusion, the increased quartz in the mineral will improve the hardness, density, porosity, and rigidity of ceramic tiles as well as providing support and controlling shrinkage. Furthermore, increasing the mineral quotient in feldspar will enhance its fluxing potential

Allelophatic effect of prosopis africana (guill and per) taub pod powder on the germination indices of three varieties of abelmoschus esculentus (l.) Moench

The release of certain chemicals by plants has been found to significantly affect different facets of other plant life cycles, from germination through to reproduction. The study was carried out to investigate the allelopathic effect of Prosopis Africana pod powder on the germination, growth and yield attributes of three varieties of Abelmoschus esculentum. Germination indices such as germination percentage, germination rate and germination index were evaluated. Growth parameters namely; number of leaves, plant height, stem girth and leaf area were also assessed. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 16.0 version. Duncan Multiple Range Test was used to separate mean differences (P<0.05). Results revealed that the highest germination percentage, index and rate values were recorded for variety Yellen (100%, 3.447 and 0.5), respectively when treated with Prosopis Africana pod powder extract. Highest germination index values were recorded in okra varieties Yellen, Clemson spineless and NHAe when treated with 40, 60 and 40 g of the pod extract (3.447, 3.057 and 3.39) respectively. Least germination percentage, and germination index recorded in okra variety Clemson spineless and NHAe (7.22% and 0.39) respectively. Administration of 80 and 100 g of the Prosopis Africana pod powder extract resulted in a detrimental effect on the three okra varieties, thus concluded allelopathic at these concentrations

Nigerian indigenous hens show more discomfort-related behavior with visual separation than physical separation from their chicks: An exploratory study

The Nigerian indigenous hens exhibit their full natural behavior repertoires, including maternal care. The strong maternal bond between the hen and her chicks is established prior to hatching. Maternal care of chickens is essential for both exotic and indigenous chickens. This study compared the behaviors of six hen-chick pairs in a physical (PHY) and visual (VIS) separation test for 10 min. All the six hen-chick pairs were subjected to PHY separation on the 8th day of post-hatch and a VIS separation on the 12th day of post-hatch. The PHY separation involved the use of a wire mesh to separate the hen from her chicks, while the VIS separation involved the use of a trampoline to separate the hen from her chicks. The hen's behavior was recorded during the 10-min separation period. Behaviors recorded included sitting, body shaking, pecking, movements toward the chicks, jumping, pacing, defecation, movements away from the chicks, and preening. We further grouped these nine behaviors into two categories: discomfort-related (pacing, movement toward chicks, body shaking, defecation, and jumping) and comfort-related (sitting, pecking, preening, and movement away from the chicks) behaviors. Before and after each separation, the hens were gently restrained, and a drop of blood was sampled from the wing vein to determine the blood glucose level. Their heart rate and eye temperature were also measured. A two-related samples test (Wilcoxon) was used to compare the behavior of the hens when subjected to the PHY and VIS separation. Eight out of the nine behaviors monitored did not differ between the separation types. However, the frequency of pacing by the hens was greater (z = −2.201, P = 0.028) in the VIS separation than in the PHY separation. Also, discomfort-related behavior was greater (t(5) = −2.717, P = 0.042) during the VIS separation than the PHY separation. Comfort-related behavior did not differ between the separation types. The change in eye temperature, heart rate, and blood glucose was similar in the two separation types. In conclusion, Nigerian indigenous hens displayed more discomfort-related behavior to the VIS separation from their chicks, but this was not associated with physiological responses indicative of stress.Peer Reviewe

The PREDICTS database: a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts

Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species’ threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project – and avert – future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups – including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems – www.predicts.org.uk). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015

An Evaluation of Water Absorption Process Parameters for Composites by Deploying A Novel DEMATEL Method-PROMETHEE Method

Parametric ranking and selection in water absorption process of composite development are obligatory as they guide on resource distribution during the planning phase of composite development. However, the present literature model seems inaccurate as the PROMETHEE method fails to offer the likelihood of structuring the water absorption problem making it challenging to achieve a concise problem viewpoint and assess the results without difficulty. In this paper, the DEMATEL method is introduced to assign weights, revealing a cause and effect mechanism to overcome the aforementioned problem. The coupling point of the DEMATEL method-PROMETHEE method is at the weight determination of the DEMATEL method and the net outranking results are the final output of the model. Based on literature data, the DEMATEL method produced weights of 0.182, 0.114, 0.290, 0.242 and 0.244 for the parameters of final weight, initial weight, length, thickness and time, respectively. The PROMETHEE procedure yields the outranking results of -0.2166, -0.2742 and -0.0079 for the length, thickness and time, revealing time as the best parameter. The proposed method is user-friendly, complete in outranking, successful in real-world applications and capable to establish the cause and effect series constituent of the complicated water absorption system. The usefulness of this research is to help composite developers to achieve effective distribution of resource and decision regarding priority of parameters, leading to lean and effective manufacturing outcomes

Cause-and-Effect Relationship Analysis of Cocoa Pod Husk Composites in Water Absorption Process Parametric Evaluation: A DEMATEL Approach

Polymer composites are expanding in scope and applications to water-based structures such as the ship's hull in ship vessels due to their resistance to water and satisfactory mechanical properties. Unforunately, few studies have tackled their water absorption properties. In this paper, a novel method, DEMATEL, is used to analyse the conflicting water absorption process parameters of cocoa pod husk composite using the cause and effect associations of the parameters. The parameters considered are particulate loading, initial weight, particulate weight, the weight of the matrix, and weight after 150 days and rate of water absorption. A comparison scale explains the extent of influence of a criterion on the other. The direct relationship matrix is normalized and the total relation matrix generated to procedure a causal diagram. The most fascinating findings of the study are the differences between the sum of row and columns, which places particulate weights as the most appealing, 1.0798, while the rate of water absorption as the least appealing criterion. Besides, the sum of the row and column that yields the most attractive results is the particulate weight (5.4982) while the least attractive result is the rate of water absorption (3.5436). The novelty of this work lies in the application of DEMATEL structure to examine contextual associations between the essential pointers of water absorption process parameters, for cocoa pod husk composites in the water environment. To our knowledge, it is the first type of work in this area on the selected agro-filler-based composite