Decaying fossil fuel resources, international relation complexities, and the risks associated with nuclear power have led to an increased demand for alternative energy sources. Renewable energy sources offer adequate solutions to these challenges. Forecasting of solar energy has also increased over the past decade due to its use in photovoltaic (PV) system design, load balance in hybrid systems, and projected potential future PV system feasibility. Artificial neural networks (ANN) have been used successfully for solar energy forecasting. In this work, several meteorological variables from Saudi Arabia as a case study will be used to determine the most effective variables on Global Solar Radiation (GSR) prediction. Those variables will be used as inputs for a proposed GSR prediction model. This model will be applicable in different locations and conditions. This model has a simple structure and offers better results in terms of error between actual and predicted solar radiation values.

Thesis (M.Ing. (Development and Management Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The thesis analyses and validates Beamforming methods using Convex Optimization.  CVX which is a Matlab supported tool for convex optimization has been used to develop this concept. An algorithm is designed by which an appropriate system has been identified by varying parameters such as number of antennas, passband width, and stopbands widths of a beamformer. We have observed the beamformer by minimizing the error for Least-square and Infinity norms. A graph obtained by the optimum values between least-square and infinity norms shows us a trade-off between these two norms. We have observed convex optimization for double passband of a beamformer which has proven the flexibility of convex optimization. On extension for this, we designed a filter in which stopband is arbitrary. A constraint is used by which the stopband would be varying depending upon the upper boundary (limiting) line which varies w.r.t y-axis (dB). The beamformer has been observed for feasibility by varying parameters such as number of antennas, arbitrary upper boundaries, stopbands and passband. This proves that there is flexibility for designing a beamformer as desired.

Thesis (M.Ing. (Development and Management Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Chinese media control has been repressive, systematic, and successful. This thesis explores how it has been achieved in Post-Tiananmen China. Many outstanding scholars and authors of Chinese media politics assert that such a Chinese media control has been attained by the Party censorship system. Though this was the case before the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre and during the suppressive period from June 1989 to January 1992, I argue that the major part of Chinese media control since 1992 has been accomplished not by the Party censorship, but by marketizing media control. Marketizing media control is triggered by the job responsibility system. Job responsibility for media managers or contract responsibility for journalists in Chinese media imposes both a survival pressure and a compliance pressure on media professionals and organizations. Under the backdrop of the predatory Chinese political economy, the “Survival of the Fittest” logic encourages media professionals to begin their psychological transformation for pursuing their personal interests. The rich material compensation resulting from marketizing media control consolidates such a psychological transformation. Collective interest protection of media organizations reinforces collective self-censorship. Yet punishment pushes them further into compliance with the Party ideology. Marketizing media control works well as long as the Party-state structure remains unchanged and as long as the Chinese economy is still running.

This thesis provides several new calibration methods for the empirical log-likelihood ratio. The commonly used Chi-square calibration is based on the limiting distribu¬tion of this ratio but it constantly suffers from the undercoverage problem. The finite sample distribution of the empirical log-likelihood ratio is recognized to have a mix¬ture structure with a continuous component on [0, +∞) and a probability mass at +∞. Consequently, new calibration methods are developed to take advantage of this mixture structure; we propose new calibration methods based on the mixture distrib¬utions, such as the mixture Chi-square and the mixture Fisher's F distribution. The E distribution introduced in Tsao (2004a) has a natural mixture structure and the calibration method based on this distribution is considered in great details. We also discuss methods of estimating the E distributions.

A methodology for the measurement of the radio frequency environment close to the radio noise floor is presented for urban, suburban and rural areas within New Zealand for the purposes of characterisation and trend monitoring by radio spectrum managers. Flux density measurements in bands within a range of frequencies from 80 MHz to 8 GHz have been made in urban, suburban and rural areas of New Zealand during 2007 and 2008. An analysis of the band occupancy is presented in summary form. These summaries are intended as a starting point for radio spectrum usage and can be used as a reference for any future measurements. A description of the computer directories and charts resulting from these measurements, using 20 MHz bandwidths have also been included. All the results for the work have been collated in a set of computer directories named “NZRFI Directories 2007 2008”, which are intended as a reference for use in the determination of local activity in particular frequency ranges. A disc with the full range measurement spectral density charts and channel occupancy charts accompanies this work. Also included on the disc are sets of 20 MHz band charts for some urban, suburban and rural location measurements.

A methodology for the measurement of the radio frequency environment close to the radio noise floor is presented for urban, suburban and rural areas within New Zealand for the purposes of characterisation and trend monitoring by radio spectrum managers. Flux density measurements in bands within a range of frequencies from 80 MHz to 8 GHz have been made in urban, suburban and rural areas of New Zealand during 2007 and 2008. An analysis of the band occupancy is presented in summary form. These summaries are intended as a starting point for radio spectrum usage and can be used as a reference for any future measurements. A description of the computer directories and charts resulting from these measurements, using 20 MHz bandwidths have also been included. All the results for the work have been collated in a set of computer directories named “NZRFI Directories 2007 2008”, which are intended as a reference for use in the determination of local activity in particular frequency ranges. A disc with the full range measurement spectral density charts and channel occupancy charts accompanies this work. Also included on the disc are sets of 20 MHz band charts for some urban, suburban and rural location measurements.

A methodology for the measurement of the radio frequency environment close to the radio noise floor is presented for urban, suburban and rural areas within New Zealand for the purposes of characterisation and trend monitoring by radio spectrum managers. Flux density measurements in bands within a range of frequencies from 80 MHz to 8 GHz have been made in urban, suburban and rural areas of New Zealand during 2007 and 2008. An analysis of the band occupancy is presented in summary form. These summaries are intended as a starting point for radio spectrum usage and can be used as a reference for any future measurements. A description of the computer directories and charts resulting from these measurements, using 20 MHz bandwidths have also been included. All the results for the work have been collated in a set of computer directories named “NZRFI Directories 2007 2008”, which are intended as a reference for use in the determination of local activity in particular frequency ranges. A disc with the full range measurement spectral density charts and channel occupancy charts accompanies this work. Also included on the disc are sets of 20 MHz band charts for some urban, suburban and rural location measurements.

Abstract This thesis considers some linear and nonlinear time series models. In the linear case, the analysis of a large number of short time series generated by a first order autoregressive type model is considered. The conditional and exact maximum likelihood procedures are developed to estimate parameters. Simulation results are presented and compare the bias and the mean square errors of the parameter estimates. In Chapter 3, five important nonlinear models are considered and their time series properties are discussed. The estimating function approach for nonlinear models is developed in detail in Chapter 4 and examples are added to illustrate the theory. A simulation study is carried out to examine the finite sample behavior of these proposed estimates based on the estimating functions.