Quality of service in distributed multimedia systems

The Unix operating system made a vital contribution to information technology by introducing the notion of composing complicated applications out of simple ones by means of pipes and shell scripts. One day, this will also be possible with multimedia applications. Before this can happen, however, operating systems must support multimedia in as general a way as Unix now supports ordinary applications. Particularly, attention must be paid to allowing the operating-system service to degrade gracefully under heavy loads.\ud This paper presents the Quality-of-Service architecture of the Huygens project. This architecture provides the mechanisms that allow applications to adapt the level of their service to the resources the operating system can make available

Welfare and warfare an uneasy mix: personal experiences of and organisational responses to emotional and mental health issues in young ex-service personnel

'Shell-shock', which is now known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), was first identified during the First World War and since this time the mental health of service personnel has been an issue of concern, particularly during times of armed conflict. This is an exploratory piece of research, the purpose of which is to provide information from a range of stakeholders, primarily ex-service personnel but also their families and welfare staff about the mental health needs of young military personnel

Kartoitus Shell Savonlinnan palvelutankkauspisteen asiakkaista

Opinnäytetyön aiheena oli kartoittaa Shell Savonlinna palvelutankkausta käyttävien asiakkaiden profiili. Työn aihe syntyi yhteistyössä toimeksiantajan kanssa yrityksen tarpeisiin. Palvelutankkausta on ollut saatavilla Shell Savonlinna liikenneasemalla helmikuusta 2013 lähtien, mutta asiakkaista ei ole tehty kartoitusta aikaisemmin. Palvelutankkaus on vakiinnuttanut asemansa Savonlinnassa ja nyt oli hyvä aika kartoittaa palvelua käyttävät asiakkaat. Toimeksiantajana työssä toimi Shell Savonlinna, joka kuuluu Restel Liikenneasemat Oy:n liikenneasemaverkkoon. Työn teoriapohjassa käsitellään asiakkuutta, segmentointia, kartoitusta ja profilointia. Tutkimus toteutettiin kvantitatiivisena kyselytutkimuksena palvelutankkausta käyttäville asiakkaille huhtikuussa 2014. Asiakkaille jaettiin kyselylomake tankkauksen yhteydessä, johon vastasi yhteensä 103 henkilöä, joten tutkimusta voidaan pitää luotettavana. Vastanneista 71 oli miehiä ja 32 naisia. Suurin osa oli yksityisasiakkaita iältään 50 - 64 vuotta. Vastaajista 21 ilmoitti olevansa yritysasiakkaita. Suurin osa oli Savonlinnasta kotoisin olevia ammattityöntekijöitä. Palveluista tankkauksen ohella eniten käytettiin kahvilapalveluita. Suurin osa asiakkaista oli tyytyväisiä palvelutankkaukseen ja haluaisi sen jatkuvan entisellään. Eniten palvelumestarit saivat kiitosta ammattitaidosta ja kohteliaisuudesta. Kehitettävää asiakkaiden mielestä oli palvelun saatavuuden kanssa. Näiden tietojen perusteella pohdittiin keinoja kehittää palvelua ja tehostaa lisämyyntiä.The purpose of this thesis was to map the customers who are using the Shell refuelling service. The topic was created in cooperation with the client for the company’s needs. Shell refuelling service has been available in Savonlinna since February 2013, but there has been no survey considering the service yet. The refuelling service has established its position at Shell Savonlinna service station so it was a good time to perform this survey. The client was Shell Savonlinna service station, which is part of Restel Liikenneasemat Ltd. The theoretical background of this survey considers customer survey, segmentation, mapping and profiling. The survey was implemented as quantitative research for the people who are using the refuelling service. Structured questionnaires were handed to the client, who answered the questions while the car was being refuelled. All together 103 people took part in the survey, so it can be considered reliable. 71 of 103 were men and 32 women. Most of the people were aged between 50 - 64. Twenty one people were business customers. The biggest group were skilled workers from Savonlinna. In addition to refuelling the most popular service was the cafeteria. Most of the people were happy with the service as it is, and they wanted it to stay in Savonlinna. As the best valuations for the refuelling service were considered politeness and professional workers. There were some parts which needed to be improved. The availability of the service needed to be improved. With these results I found ways to improve the service and increase the volume of additional sales

The purgatorial shadows of war: accounting, blame and shell shock pensions, 1914–1923

This research is a qualitative analysis of the role of accounting in British disablement pensions awarded to men who sustained shell shock during their Army service in the First World War. It suggests that accounting classification of shell shock for pension determination purposes supported a view of shell shock which made men with shell shock scapegoats of a system that was often unsupportive. Accounting classification contributed to the lack of support by distancing pension decision-makers from the moral consequences of pension determinations. This was able to occur because the British government used accounting classification as part of a mechanism to avoid blame for its pension determination choices. This research contributes to an ongoing debate about the role of government by suggesting that the functions of government provide opportunities for accounting to simultaneously serve a neutral role as mere inscription while being a social and moral construct

Hubble Space Telescope meteoroid-debris protection analysis

A system level failure could occur if the Hubble Space Telescope's (ST) capability to operate as a facility on-orbit is critically reduced or when a significant reduction in the quality of science data is registered. Failure could occur if a meteoroid/debris impact damages a component of a major support subsystem or if a meteoroid/debris penetration causes straylight contamination in the light shield, forward shell, aft shroud, or through the aperture door. The ST was analyzed to find the probability of no critical penetration. This probability value was found to be 92.25% for a two-year service life. A straylight leakage repair technique was recommended for the aft shroud, the region found most likely to be critically penetrated. Fozar tape and multilayer insulation blankets are suggested as posible repair materials

Non-homogeneity effect in the spherical shell by using seth's theory

This paper presents nonlinear deformation behaviour of non-homogeneous spherical shell examined under pressure by using Seth's transition theory. It has been seen that for increased material compressibility in thickness direction, the circumferential stress in the spherical shell reaches maximum at the external surface, but is reverse in the case of a deceasing compressibility in the thickness direction. The spherical shell of non-homogeneous material (non-homogeneity increases radially) is on the safer side of design. Hence, the more use of non-homogeneous material (non-homogeneity increases radially) may be beneficial for manufacturing spherical shells as they provide longer service life than shells of homogeneous material under identical conditions

Non-homogeneity effect in the spherical shell by using seth's theory

This paper presents nonlinear deformation behaviour of non-homogeneous spherical shell examined under pressure by using Seth's transition theory. It has been seen that for increased material compressibility in thickness direction, the circumferential stress in the spherical shell reaches maximum at the external surface, but is reverse in the case of a deceasing compressibility in the thickness direction. The spherical shell of non-homogeneous material (non-homogeneity increases radially) is on the safer side of design. Hence, the more use of non-homogeneous material (non-homogeneity increases radially) may be beneficial for manufacturing spherical shells as they provide longer service life than shells of homogeneous material under identical conditions

On the roles of Mg in the activation of G proteins

In this review, we highlight the evolution of our knowledge about the way Mg2+ participates in the activation of heterotrimeric G proteins, beginning with its requirement in hormonal stimulation of fat cell adenylyl cyclase (1969) and ending with knowledge that incorporates information obtained from site directed mutagenesis and examination of the crystal structures of G proteins (2010). Our current view is that, as it seeks to fill its octahedral coordination shell, Mg acts as a keystone locking the G protein-α subunits into a conformation in which Gα dissociates from the Gβγ dimer, is competent in regulating effectors, and acquires GTPase activity. The latter is the result of moving the backbone carbonyl group of the Mg-coordinating threonine into a location in space that positions the hydrolytic water so as to facilitate the water's nucleophilic attack that leads to hydrolysis of the link between the β and γ phosphates of guanosine triphosphate (GTP). The role of the backbone carbonyl group of the Mg-coordinating threonine is equi-hierarchical with a similar and long-recognized role of the Switch II glutamine δ amide carbonyl group. Disruption of either leads to loss of GTPase activity.Fil: Birnbaumer, Lutz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Public Healt Service. National Institute Of Health. Laboratorio Of Developmental Neurobiology; Estados UnidosFil: Zurita, Adolfo Ramón. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Public Healt Service. National Institute Of Health. Laboratorio Of Developmental Neurobiology; Estados Unido