S. Maharaj, M. Watson, D. Mcgaw, S. Thomas, Shivani Sonilal
: The market projections for growth in both the essential and oleoresins market demonstrate a unique opportunity for Trinidad and Tobago to enter the business. Since an established bay tree plantation in Tobago cannot provide the raw material to operate a natural extracts plant for an entire year, the operation could be supplemented by the production of vetiver oil using vetiver roots that are grown and supplied by Tobago farmers. The chosen extraction technique is Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) using carbon dioxide solvent since SFE was found to be more efficient and versatile than the traditional technique of Steam Distillation Extraction (SDE). To determine the optimum process conditions, a laboratory scale SFE programme was implemented using indigenous vetiver roots. The interactive effects of the operating parameters of pressures, temperatures and flowrates with respect to the oil yield were ascertained using Design of Experiments (DOE) which entailed the execution of 11 experimental runs. An ANOVA test produced an R 2 value 0.9864 and the optimum conditions were found to be – 220 Bar at 50 o C at an exit CO 2 flow rate of 2ml/min. The yield at this optimum condition was 4.75 wt. % which was considerably higher than yields reported in the literature. An initial evaluation of the economic viability of the project indicated an IRR of 28%, making the project well worthy of further development towards potential commercialisation.
对精油和油树脂市场增长的市场预测表明，特立尼达和多巴哥进入该业务的独特机会。由于多巴哥已建立的月桂树种植园无法提供经营一整年的天然提取物工厂的原料，因此可以利用多巴哥农民种植和供应的香根草生产香根草油来补充这种经营。由于超临界流体萃取(SFE)比传统的蒸汽蒸馏萃取(SDE)技术更有效和通用，因此选择了二氧化碳溶剂的超临界流体萃取(SFE)技术。为了确定最佳工艺条件，采用本土香根草根实施了实验室规模的SFE计划。利用实验设计(DOE)确定了压力、温度和流量等操作参数对原油产量的交互影响，并进行了11次实验。方差分析的r2值为0.9864，最佳条件为- 220 Bar, 50℃，co2出口流速为2ml/min。在此最佳条件下的产量为4.75 wt. %，大大高于文献报道的产量。对该项目经济可行性的初步评估表明，内部收益率为28%，使该项目非常值得进一步开发，以实现潜在的商业化。
{"title":"OPTIMISATION OF THE SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION OF VETIVER ROOTS","authors":"S. Maharaj, M. Watson, D. Mcgaw, S. Thomas, Shivani Sonilal","doi":"10.47412/cpto5829","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47412/cpto5829","url":null,"abstract":": The market projections for growth in both the essential and oleoresins market demonstrate a unique opportunity for Trinidad and Tobago to enter the business. Since an established bay tree plantation in Tobago cannot provide the raw material to operate a natural extracts plant for an entire year, the operation could be supplemented by the production of vetiver oil using vetiver roots that are grown and supplied by Tobago farmers. The chosen extraction technique is Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) using carbon dioxide solvent since SFE was found to be more efficient and versatile than the traditional technique of Steam Distillation Extraction (SDE). To determine the optimum process conditions, a laboratory scale SFE programme was implemented using indigenous vetiver roots. The interactive effects of the operating parameters of pressures, temperatures and flowrates with respect to the oil yield were ascertained using Design of Experiments (DOE) which entailed the execution of 11 experimental runs. An ANOVA test produced an R 2 value 0.9864 and the optimum conditions were found to be – 220 Bar at 50 o C at an exit CO 2 flow rate of 2ml/min. The yield at this optimum condition was 4.75 wt. % which was considerably higher than yields reported in the literature. An initial evaluation of the economic viability of the project indicated an IRR of 28%, making the project well worthy of further development towards potential commercialisation.","PeriodicalId":206492,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering & Technology (IConETech-2020)","volume":"178 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114772091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
: Excavating and backfilling trenches along the roadway to accommodate the installation of building services are common to the local industry. These services include electricity, water, telecommunications and data. The job hazard analysis (JHA) and risk assessment (RA) documents are typical forms prepared before the execution of these works to ensure health and safety. However, due to the hazards associated with the works, there are cost impacts which almost always affect the labour, materials and equipment resources. The main reasons for these are scope creep and the unforeseen nature of what to expect when breaking ground. This results in either the client or the contractor absorbing the additional unforeseen expenditure. The purpose of this research is to improve the efficiency of preparing and administering JHA and RA documents to help reduce unforeseen expenditures. This includes identifying and analysing all typical hazards and risks associated with labour, materials and equipment and the respective potential cost impacts. The data was collected by means of a population survey and validation of the results was achieved by means of a case study analysis of typical projects. The results revealed the main hazards associated with JHA and RA. It also identified some of the barriers to implementation such as lack of specific training, the need for more academic research, the use of more technology and for regulatory authorities to be more proactive. It was recommended that further research into this topic be done.
{"title":"EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS AND RISK ASSESSMENT REPORTS FOR BUILDING SERVICES INSTALLATION","authors":"Gino Hosein, I. Ray","doi":"10.47412/cdoq2845","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47412/cdoq2845","url":null,"abstract":": Excavating and backfilling trenches along the roadway to accommodate the installation of building services are common to the local industry. These services include electricity, water, telecommunications and data. The job hazard analysis (JHA) and risk assessment (RA) documents are typical forms prepared before the execution of these works to ensure health and safety. However, due to the hazards associated with the works, there are cost impacts which almost always affect the labour, materials and equipment resources. The main reasons for these are scope creep and the unforeseen nature of what to expect when breaking ground. This results in either the client or the contractor absorbing the additional unforeseen expenditure. The purpose of this research is to improve the efficiency of preparing and administering JHA and RA documents to help reduce unforeseen expenditures. This includes identifying and analysing all typical hazards and risks associated with labour, materials and equipment and the respective potential cost impacts. The data was collected by means of a population survey and validation of the results was achieved by means of a case study analysis of typical projects. The results revealed the main hazards associated with JHA and RA. It also identified some of the barriers to implementation such as lack of specific training, the need for more academic research, the use of more technology and for regulatory authorities to be more proactive. It was recommended that further research into this topic be done.","PeriodicalId":206492,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering & Technology (IConETech-2020)","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114904515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Electric vehicles (EVs) have a number of environmental benefits in an era where fossil fuels have dominated. As such, the upgrade of electricity distribution grids to suit the needs of the modern world where the use of EVs can be accommodated is essential. Management of EV penetration is necessary, since uncoordinated charging can produce load imbalances and sharp variations in current, voltages and power. In order to assess the needs of such a system, estimates of random variables reflecting charging behaviour are necessary, particularly in cases where real data is insufficient. An attempt is made to assess some probabilistic models based on weekday load curves derived from the charging process. Level 1 EV charging profiles for uncoordinated charging schemes over one year for a data set consisting of 348 vehicles corresponding to 200 households are analysed and compared. Charging characteristics are reviewed and probability models are validated by goodness of fit statistics. Probability distribution functions (PDFs) which provide the best fit for these weekday load profiles are identified among the Johnson SB, Generalised Gamma and Dagum functions. This can provide an insight into estimation of PDFs based on EV charging behaviours, in order to build and assess models associated with transportation mobility data in other regions.
{"title":"GOODNESS OF FIT OF PROBABILISTIC MODELS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING BEHAVIOUR","authors":"L. Addison, Govinda Hosein, S. Bahadoorsingh","doi":"10.47412/qzwp9167","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47412/qzwp9167","url":null,"abstract":"Electric vehicles (EVs) have a number of environmental benefits in an era where fossil fuels have dominated. As such, the upgrade of electricity distribution grids to suit the needs of the modern world where the use of EVs can be accommodated is essential. Management of EV penetration is necessary, since uncoordinated charging can produce load imbalances and sharp variations in current, voltages and power. In order to assess the needs of such a system, estimates of random variables reflecting charging behaviour are necessary, particularly in cases where real data is insufficient. An attempt is made to assess some probabilistic models based on weekday load curves derived from the charging process. Level 1 EV charging profiles for uncoordinated charging schemes over one year for a data set consisting of 348 vehicles corresponding to 200 households are analysed and compared. Charging characteristics are reviewed and probability models are validated by goodness of fit statistics. Probability distribution functions (PDFs) which provide the best fit for these weekday load profiles are identified among the Johnson SB, Generalised Gamma and Dagum functions. This can provide an insight into estimation of PDFs based on EV charging behaviours, in order to build and assess models associated with transportation mobility data in other regions.","PeriodicalId":206492,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering & Technology (IConETech-2020)","volume":"223 6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116041914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The construction industry of Trinidad and Tobago has been, for decades, a direct indicator of national development and contributor to economic growth. The associated problems of the industry as experienced by contractors negatively impacts project performance and success. This study identified the most common problems experienced by contractors and assessed these to determine their level of significance and importance to projects. Employing a survey questionnaire and analytical methods using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), 43 problems were identified, classified into seven (7) factor groups: Financial, Managerial, Environmental, Labour Based, Resource Based Owner Based and Project Based that were ranked on their level of significance and importance. The top ten (10) problems were found to be delay of payments, design, scope and material changes, working in high risk areas, lack of feasibility and brief, corruption, lack of contractor’s experience, bureaucracy, geological problems, contractor’s finances and cash flow. These problems represent the Financial, Managerial, Environmental, Project Based and Owner Based factor groups with financial factors being the highest rated group of adverse effect and significance. Highlighting the findings of this study, the preferred solution to mitigate against the adverse impact indicative of the construction problems experienced were presented. These solutions can be implemented to reduce the adverse effects on projects, promoting sustainable construction practices in the construction industry of Trinidad & Tobago.
{"title":"MITIGATING CONTRACTOR PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO","authors":"D. Outridge, Roshan Patel","doi":"10.47412/cekp4197","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47412/cekp4197","url":null,"abstract":"The construction industry of Trinidad and Tobago has been, for decades, a direct indicator of national development and contributor to economic growth. The associated problems of the industry as experienced by contractors negatively impacts project performance and success. This study identified the most common problems experienced by contractors and assessed these to determine their level of significance and importance to projects. Employing a survey questionnaire and analytical methods using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), 43 problems were identified, classified into seven (7) factor groups: Financial, Managerial, Environmental, Labour Based, Resource Based Owner Based and Project Based that were ranked on their level of significance and importance. The top ten (10) problems were found to be delay of payments, design, scope and material changes, working in high risk areas, lack of feasibility and brief, corruption, lack of contractor’s experience, bureaucracy, geological problems, contractor’s finances and cash flow. These problems represent the Financial, Managerial, Environmental, Project Based and Owner Based factor groups with financial factors being the highest rated group of adverse effect and significance. Highlighting the findings of this study, the preferred solution to mitigate against the adverse impact indicative of the construction problems experienced were presented. These solutions can be implemented to reduce the adverse effects on projects, promoting sustainable construction practices in the construction industry of Trinidad & Tobago.","PeriodicalId":206492,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering & Technology (IConETech-2020)","volume":"47 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121097102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The DarcyForchheimer equation is the most common model used in describing porous media flow. Many CFD pre-packaged platforms offer this model via the modified NavierStokes equations and typically implement the model under a penalization scheme. Although the theoretical basis of the Darcy-Forchheimer equation is unquestionable, its use is dependent on introduced coefficients which vary with practical applications. Despite a general range of values, the selection of these coefficients is somewhat subjective in saturated cases. For transient unsaturated flow cases, the selection of these coefficients may even be further complicated. This research experimentally investigated the inherent nature of these Darcy-Forchheimer coefficients for unsaturated flows in naturally occurring porous media. The results suggest variability of these coefficients with the transient nature of this flow regime. Thus, highlighting the invalidity of a single combination of coefficients across the entirety of unsaturated flows in natural porous media.
{"title":"ON THE FORCHHEIMER COEFFICIENTS FOR UNSATURATED FLOWS","authors":"A. Ali, D. Villarroel-Lamb","doi":"10.47412/dmdg4407","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47412/dmdg4407","url":null,"abstract":"The DarcyForchheimer equation is the most common model used in describing porous media flow. Many CFD pre-packaged platforms offer this model via the modified NavierStokes equations and typically implement the model under a penalization scheme. Although the theoretical basis of the Darcy-Forchheimer equation is unquestionable, its use is dependent on introduced coefficients which vary with practical applications. Despite a general range of values, the selection of these coefficients is somewhat subjective in saturated cases. For transient unsaturated flow cases, the selection of these coefficients may even be further complicated. This research experimentally investigated the inherent nature of these Darcy-Forchheimer coefficients for unsaturated flows in naturally occurring porous media. The results suggest variability of these coefficients with the transient nature of this flow regime. Thus, highlighting the invalidity of a single combination of coefficients across the entirety of unsaturated flows in natural porous media.","PeriodicalId":206492,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering & Technology (IConETech-2020)","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131222769","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"TRANSPORTATION SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK","authors":"Kohan Dolcy, T. Townsend","doi":"10.47412/cvab8251","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47412/cvab8251","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":206492,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering & Technology (IConETech-2020)","volume":"64 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134565003","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this paper, we consider the unsteady hydromagnetic Couette flow of a viscous incompressible flow between two infinitely-long horizontal parallel plates under an oscillating pressure gradient. We apply a constant magnetic field which is perpendicular to the plates, and there is uniform suction and injection through the plates. The governing equation for fluid motion within the channel is discretized with the help of the Galerkin Finite Element Method. The effects of the Suction parameter S, Hartmann number Ha, Reynolds number Re, the amplitude of the pressure gradient k and the oscillation frequency of the pressure gradient ω on the velocity distribution are investigated.
{"title":"UNSTEADY HYDROMAGNETIC COUETTE FLOW UNDER AN OSCILLATING PRESSURE GRADIENT AND UNIFORM SUCTION AND INJECTION","authors":"Jennilee Veronique, S. Gunakala, V. Job","doi":"10.47412/jclz2920","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47412/jclz2920","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper, we consider the unsteady hydromagnetic Couette flow of a viscous incompressible flow between two infinitely-long horizontal parallel plates under an oscillating pressure gradient. We apply a constant magnetic field which is perpendicular to the plates, and there is uniform suction and injection through the plates. The governing equation for fluid motion within the channel is discretized with the help of the Galerkin Finite Element Method. The effects of the Suction parameter S, Hartmann number Ha, Reynolds number Re, the amplitude of the pressure gradient k and the oscillation frequency of the pressure gradient ω on the velocity distribution are investigated.","PeriodicalId":206492,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering & Technology (IConETech-2020)","volume":"54 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114825841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jorrel Bisnath, Aneil Ramkhalawan, E. Cumberbatch, P. Persad, Aatma Maharajh, Natalie Persadie, Ronnie Bickramdass, Dinesh Soodeen
Engineering students are often faced with many assessment points during a semester. One of the more common assessments in an engineering programme are group-based, design and build projects. These projects often require a disproportionate amount of time due to coordination between members and resources for acquiring materials. This study relates an attempt to reduce this burden by utilising a common project as an assessment point for two separate courses: Practical Prototyping Skills and Introduction to Energy Engineering. The challenges faced by instructors in creating a project that would adequately address their individual learning outcomes are presented, along with the students’ perspective on this approach. Student surveys indicated that there was a clear understanding of how the project related to both courses and that they had sufficient support for the project, while lecturers highlighted several positive outcomes such as more student emphasis on the project, a higher standard of project and collegial support in the design and administration of the project.
{"title":"EXPERIENCES OF USING A SINGLE ASSESSMENT FOR BOTH PRACTICAL PROTOTYPING SKILLS AND INTRODUCTION TO ENERGY ENGINEERING","authors":"Jorrel Bisnath, Aneil Ramkhalawan, E. Cumberbatch, P. Persad, Aatma Maharajh, Natalie Persadie, Ronnie Bickramdass, Dinesh Soodeen","doi":"10.47412/ziai9517","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47412/ziai9517","url":null,"abstract":"Engineering students are often faced with many assessment points during a semester. One of the more common assessments in an engineering programme are group-based, design and build projects. These projects often require a disproportionate amount of time due to coordination between members and resources for acquiring materials. This study relates an attempt to reduce this burden by utilising a common project as an assessment point for two separate courses: Practical Prototyping Skills and Introduction to Energy Engineering. The challenges faced by instructors in creating a project that would adequately address their individual learning outcomes are presented, along with the students’ perspective on this approach. Student surveys indicated that there was a clear understanding of how the project related to both courses and that they had sufficient support for the project, while lecturers highlighted several positive outcomes such as more student emphasis on the project, a higher standard of project and collegial support in the design and administration of the project.","PeriodicalId":206492,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering & Technology (IConETech-2020)","volume":"135 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121724539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper presents the PAVENERGY research project, which has carried out at the University of Coimbra, in Portugal, since June 1, 2016 and will end on April 30, 2020. The following results have been achieved so far: one startup has been created (PAVNEXT); one prototype has been constructed; one pilot plant has been installed; one patent has been submitted, and which is in the final stage of approval; eleven innovation and entrepreneurship prizes have been won, five at national level and six at international level; one PhD thesis has been finished; ten articles have been published in Web of Science journals; seventeen articles have been presented in international conferences; one article has been presented in a national conference. This paper describes what was planned, what has already been done, what will be done in the next few months and what is planned for the years to come.
本文介绍了PAVENERGY研究项目，该项目自2016年6月1日起在葡萄牙科英布拉大学开展，将于2020年4月30日结束。目前取得的成果如下:创建了一家初创公司(PAVNEXT);已经建造了一个原型;已经安装了一个试验装置;已申请专利1项，已进入最后审批阶段;获创新创业奖11项，其中国家级5项，国际级6项;完成博士论文1篇;在Web of Science期刊上发表文章10篇;在国际会议上发表了17篇文章;一篇文章已在全国会议上发表。本文描述了计划的内容，已经完成的内容，未来几个月将完成的内容以及未来几年的计划。
{"title":"PAVENERGY RESEARCH PROJECT – RESULTS ALREADY ACHIEVED AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS PLANNED FOR THE YEARS TO COME","authors":"Adelino Ferreira","doi":"10.47412/gsfy3058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47412/gsfy3058","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents the PAVENERGY research project, which has carried out at the University of Coimbra, in Portugal, since June 1, 2016 and will end on April 30, 2020. The following results have been achieved so far: one startup has been created (PAVNEXT); one prototype has been constructed; one pilot plant has been installed; one patent has been submitted, and which is in the final stage of approval; eleven innovation and entrepreneurship prizes have been won, five at national level and six at international level; one PhD thesis has been finished; ten articles have been published in Web of Science journals; seventeen articles have been presented in international conferences; one article has been presented in a national conference. This paper describes what was planned, what has already been done, what will be done in the next few months and what is planned for the years to come.","PeriodicalId":206492,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering & Technology (IConETech-2020)","volume":"53 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125402221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The tracking of prices in monitored supermarkets across Trinidad and Tobago is done by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. This initiative involves data collection every month for 118 grocery items (“standard basket”). The task of identifying which supermarkets are non-conforming in their pricing schemes is linked to the “total basket price” (total cost of the 118 items). An outlier is defined as any datapoint that varies significantly from all other observations in a dataset. In this paper, it is any supermarket that exceeds this total basket price by 5%. The aim of this research was twofold, with the first goal being to employ feature selection methods to reduce the number of items being collected. The second goal was to create a logistic regression learning model that can identify whether supermarkets are non-conforming, given their pricing information. The dataset contained 692 datapoints and out of these, only eight (8) were classified as outliers. This is an imbalanced dataset. Resampling by SMOTE (Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique) was used to synthetically generate data for the training set. Seven (7) feature selection methods were also investigated and their results discussed and analysed. In doing this, a more balanced dataset was achieved which was tested and validated on the unseen data (testing set). The metrics indicated that a subset of these features can be collected whilst still maintaining the supermarket outliers.
{"title":"MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUES FOR THE DETECTION OF UNFAIR PRICING IN SUPERMARKETS ACROSS TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO","authors":"A. Ramdhanie","doi":"10.47412/gids9258","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47412/gids9258","url":null,"abstract":"The tracking of prices in monitored supermarkets across Trinidad and Tobago is done by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. This initiative involves data collection every month for 118 grocery items (“standard basket”). The task of identifying which supermarkets are non-conforming in their pricing schemes is linked to the “total basket price” (total cost of the 118 items). An outlier is defined as any datapoint that varies significantly from all other observations in a dataset. In this paper, it is any supermarket that exceeds this total basket price by 5%. The aim of this research was twofold, with the first goal being to employ feature selection methods to reduce the number of items being collected. The second goal was to create a logistic regression learning model that can identify whether supermarkets are non-conforming, given their pricing information. The dataset contained 692 datapoints and out of these, only eight (8) were classified as outliers. This is an imbalanced dataset. Resampling by SMOTE (Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique) was used to synthetically generate data for the training set. Seven (7) feature selection methods were also investigated and their results discussed and analysed. In doing this, a more balanced dataset was achieved which was tested and validated on the unseen data (testing set). The metrics indicated that a subset of these features can be collected whilst still maintaining the supermarket outliers.","PeriodicalId":206492,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering & Technology (IConETech-2020)","volume":"87 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124991203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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