Dynamic SLA and Trust for Next Generation Business Models in Grid

This paper looks at the changing nature and the relationship of trust and Service Level Agreements (SLA) in emerging business environments based on Grid technologies. This paper presents a new approach for managing SLA contracts in new highly dynamic scenarios tackled in BEinGRID’s business experiment on virtual hosting environments (VHE) applied to online gaming. A new negotiation mechanism based on the advertisement/discovery of business services is presented. Finally, as case of study we present the application of our work to a concrete business scenario related to the on-line game application provision, offering as well an overview of the main business benefits assessed during the evaluation of the components

A Grid Computing for Online Games

Andago Ingeniería SL has developed the Andago Games Platform [1], an open source platform which provides the necessary technological base for provisioning online game services based on service strategies like user loyalty, or based on business strategy models like subscriptions or micro payments. However, the platform requires important investments by operators and portals, limiting the number of possible customers. Grid computing will reduce dramatically the amount of these investments by means of sharing resources among different operators and portals. Also, Grid computing offers the possibility to create virtual organizations, where operators and portals could share games and contents, and even their users base

Borderland Patterns of Scientific Identity: Canada, the United States, and Acid Rain

This study uses the Canada-United States borderlands (as defined by its sensitivity to cross-border acid rain pollution) to establish patterns of identity that transcend political borders. Along these lines, acid rain scientists from Canada and the United States were surveyed to determine the degree of their agreement with government claims of substantial reductions in the pollutants that cause acid rain. The survey results indicate that despite the successful reduction of certain pollutants, the vast majority of Canadian and United States scientists believe that acid rain pollution continues to adversely affect lakes and streams and that present emissions targets are not protecting sensitive ecosystems. Furthermore, the survey results show that scientists from both countries view the acid rain issue from similar perspectives, and that national sympathies do not play a decisive role in scientists’ perceptions of the acid rain issue. In essence, it appears that more and more scientists from Canada and the United States are viewing the acid rain issue from a shared (or bilateral) perspective

Rapport annuel. 1965-1966. Tikem. Section Entomologie

Stocking densities are commonly used to set limits for the production of fish in sea-cages, yet limited information exists to assess how environmental fluctuations modify the effects of stocking densities on the production and welfare of fish. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) of average size 1.3 kg were held at high (15.7–32.1 kg m−3) or normal (5.6–14.5 kg m−3) stocking densities in triplicate 2000 m3 sea-cages from August to December. Intense crowding within both the high (189 kg m− 3, 10 × stocking density) and normal (147 kg m− 3, 17 × stocking density) density cages occurred when sub-optimal temperatures limited the amount of vertical space available. In addition, when stocking density in the high treatment exceeded 26.5 kg m− 3, feed intake, growth rate and feed utilisation declined and a greater number of cataracts, fin erosions and skin lesions developed. Fish with cataracts on both eyes were smaller than fish with only one or no cataracts. High stocking densities have significant detrimental effects on production and welfare, particularly when they are exacerbated by environments that drive crowding. Stocking densities should therefore be based on the characteristics of each location, to account for the influence of environmental variability