Assessment of the quality of international court libraries: a study of the African Union Court on Human and Peoples’ rights Library

Text in EnglishThe study sought to assess the quality of library services by investigating the gaps between various service quality variables using the LibQUAL, SERVQUAL and SERVPERF models. The pragmatic paradigm formed the basis of this study while the mixed methods approach was adopted. The convergent parallel mixed methods design where both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods and data were integrated was adopted. Using the side-by-side comparison style, both sets of data were separately analysed and presented. The results were then compared to establish if they confirm or disconfirm each other. Questionnaires were administered to 94 users of the library. To calculate the level of service quality, the study measured the service adequacy gap (SAG), service superiority gap (SSG), zone of tolerance (ZoT), and D-M scores. Followup focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted to validate, supplement and further explore the issues that arose from data collected using the questionnaires. The findings revealed a gap between the users’ expectations and perceptions of service quality and that library services were not meeting users’ expectations. The users’ expectations exceeded their perceptions since all service quality scores (SAG, SSG, ZoT and D-M scores) were either low or negative. Generally, the library performed well in the dimensions that touch on human aspects of the library but did poorly in the aspects that touch on information collections, library space and equipment. There were no significant differences between the protocols, with the overall gaps between perceptions and desires being all negative. The findings of the FGDs confirmed those of the questionnaires. The study recommended that the Court should allocate resources in a way that ensures human aspects of the library remain at high levels of service quality, while the shortcomings on aspects of information control, library space and equipment addressed. However, while addressing the physical space aspects, the library should bear in mind that users did not rate them as important for their purposes. This means that the library will need to invest in electronic content that can be accessed remotely by users. In view of the findings, the study concluded by developing a service quality framework on quality improvement and its sustenance at the library and the Court at large.Information ScienceD. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science

Effect of porcine somatotropin and stress susceptibility on the sensory, physical and chemical properties of porcine skeletal muscle

Forty-eight pigs of three genetically defined phenotypes (stress positive, stress carrier and stress negative) were injected daily with recombinant porcine somatotropin (PST) (4 mg/day) or placebo, and the effects of PST along with stress susceptibility on the sensory, physical, chemical and processing characteristics of pork longissimus and semimembranosus (SM) muscle were observed. Two end-point temperatures (71° and 77°C) were used for sensory analysis of broiled pork chops;PST treatment significantly lowered panel scores for tenderness, juiciness and flavor of broiled pork chops, while stress susceptibility decreased panel scores for tenderness only. PST treatment reduced intramuscular fat and increased moisture in the longissimus muscle, but PSE had no effect on proximate composition. PST treatment and stress susceptibility decreased and increased Hunter L values of chops, respectively. Furthermore, higher end-point temperature of broiled pork chops reduced sensory scores for tenderness and juiciness;PST treatment of animals had no effect on the sensory scores, lipid and protein content, cook yields, or color values of hams. Hams from stress susceptible animals, however, had reduced sensory scores, lower cook yields, and higher Hunter a and b values, and significantly lower lipid content. No interaction between PST treatment and stress classification was observed for any of the measurements;In the second study, the effect of the porcine stress syndrome on the solubility and degradation of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar/cytoskeletal proteins was investigated. Longissimus dorsi muscle samples were obtained from each of 6 stress positive, 6 stress negative and 5 stress carrier animals 45 minutes post-slaughter and on 1, 3, 5, and 7 days postmortem. Purified myofibrils were prepared for gel electrophoresis, and muscle samples were extracted with phosphate buffers containing KCl or KI. Samples for SDS-PAGE were made from each extraction to observe changes in solubility of individual proteins. Sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar/cytoskeletal protein solubility was significantly lower in muscle samples from stress positive animals and the reduction was uniform among proteins. Postmortem degradation of titin was different in myofibrils purified from stress positive animals in that no increase in the intensity of T[subscript]2 bands at days 5 and 7 was observed. The combination of reduced solubility and degradation of structural constraints may explain the reduced water-holding capacity (WHC) and functionality of PSE muscle

Real time digital propulsion system simulation for manned flight simulators

A real time digital simulation of a STOL propulsion system was developed which generates significant dynamics and internal variables needed to evaluate system performance and aircraft interactions using manned flight simulators. The simulation ran at a real-to-execution time ratio of 8.8. The model was used in a piloted NASA flight simulator program to evaluate the simulation technique and the propulsion system digital control. The simulation is described and results shown. Limited results of the flight simulation program are also presented

High speed cylindrical roller bearing analysis. SKF computer program CYBEAN. Volume 2: User's manual

CYBEAN (CYlindrical BEaring ANalysis) was created to detail radially loaded, aligned and misaligned cylindrical roller bearing performance under a variety of operating conditions. Emphasis was placed on detailing the effects of high speed, preload and system thermal coupling. Roller tilt, skew, radial, circumferential and axial displacement as well as flange contact were considered. Variable housing and flexible out-of-round outer ring geometries, and both steady state and time transient temperature calculations were enabled. The complete range of elastohydrodynamic contact considerations, employing full and partial film conditions were treated in the computation of raceway and flange contacts. The practical and correct implementation of CYBEAN is discussed. The capability to execute the program at four different levels of complexity was included. In addition, the program was updated to properly direct roller-to-raceway contact load vectors automatically in those cases where roller or ring profiles have small radii of curvature. Input and output architectures containing guidelines for use and two sample executions are detailed

Image 100 procedures manual development: Applications system library definition and Image 100 software definition

An outline for an Image 100 procedures manual for Earth Resources Program image analysis was developed which sets forth guidelines that provide a basis for the preparation and updating of an Image 100 Procedures Manual. The scope of the outline was limited to definition of general features of a procedures manual together with special features of an interactive system. Computer programs were identified which should be implemented as part of an applications oriented library for the system

ACUTA Journal of Telecommunications in Higher Education

This Issue The Changing Skill Set for lT/Telecom Titles and Responsibilities Are Evolving Campus Connectivity: Building Next-Generation Networks Sha-Na-Na-Na...Get a Job! The New Face of lT: More Smiles than Frowns Reinvent Your lT Frontline Capabilities President\u27s Message From the CEO Q&A with the CI

Spartan Daily, April 6, 2006

Volume 126, Issue 36https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/10236/thumbnail.jp

Oh The Places We'll Go: The Game of Children's Spaces

Play is inarguably an important part of human development. Through play, children as young as three years of age learn social skills and values that will form the foundation of their development in to adult life. Children can be excluded from play for many reasons. Any visible or cognitive differences in a child can cause them to be marginalized in playgroups or daycares and later in their development, at school and camps. This makes it difficult for them to experience the types of play that are so important to their healthy development. This thesis examines the existing standards for accessible design, finding the contradictions in the information available, and exposing the gaps of information that make it impossible for designers to create truly inclusive play spaces for children. Collaboration with Camp Trillium, one of the foremost pediatric oncology camp programs in Ontario, will be a useful tool for gaining insight into the healing powers of inclusive play experiences for children. The product of this thesis will be the design of a system for creating inclusive play spaces that will allow children who have been marginalized by disabilities and illness to play freely with others. These fully-inclusive play spaces will aim to foster a new understanding of inclusivity in children; teaching those without distinguishing differences the value of relationships with people of differing challenges, and instilling in marginalized children a sense of self that helps them develop the confidence and social ability to penetrate the boundaries that have been inflicted on them