Pricing differentiated brokered internet services

Price war, as an important factor in undercutting competitors and attracting customers, has spurred considerable work that analyzes such conflict situation. However, in most of these studies, quality of service (QoS), as an important decision-making criterion, has been neglected. Furthermore, with the rise of service-oriented architectures, where players may offer different levels of QoS for different prices, more studies are needed to examine the interaction among players within the service hierarchy. In this paper, we present a new approach to modeling price competition in service-oriented architectures, where there are multiple service levels. In our model, brokers, as the intermediaries between end-users and service providers, offer different QoS by adapting the service that they obtain from lower-level providers so as to match the demands of their clients to the services of providers. To maximize profit, players at each level, compete in a Bertrand game, while they offer different QoS. To maintain an oligopoly market, we then describe underlying dynamics which lead to a Bertrand game with price constraints at the providers' level. Numerical examples demonstrate the behavior of brokers and providers and the effect of price competition on their market shares.http://www.cs.bu.edu/fac/matta/Papers/sdp2016.pdfAccepted manuscrip

The effect of (non-)competing brokers on the quality and price of differentiated internet services

Price war, as an important factor in undercutting competitors and attracting customers, has spurred considerable work that analyzes such conflict situation. However, in most of these studies, quality of service (QoS), as an important decision-making criterion, has been neglected. Furthermore, with the rise of service-oriented architectures, where players may offer different levels of QoS for different prices, more studies are needed to examine the interaction among players within the service hierarchy. In this paper, we present a new approach to modeling price competition in (virtualized) service-oriented architectures, where there are multiple service levels. In our model, brokers, as intermediaries between end-users and service providers, offer different QoS by adapting the service that they obtain from lower-level providers so as to match the demands of their clients to the services of providers. To maximize profit, players, i.e. providers and brokers, at each level compete in a Bertrand game while they offer different QoS. To maintain an oligopoly market, we then describe underlying dynamics which lead to a Bertrand game with price constraints at the providers’ level. We also study cooperation among a subset of brokers. Numerical simulations demonstrate the behavior of brokers and providers and the effect of price competition on their market shares.Accepted manuscrip

The effect of competition among brokers on the quality and price of differentiated internet services

Price war, as an important factor in undercutting competitors and attracting customers, has spurred considerable work that analyzes such conflict situation. However, in most of these studies, quality of service (QoS), as an important decision-making criterion, has been neglected. Furthermore, with the rise of service-oriented architectures, where players may offer different levels of QoS for different prices, more studies are needed to examine the interaction among players within the service hierarchy. In this paper, we present a new approach to modeling price competition in (virtualized) service-oriented architectures, where there are multiple service levels. In our model, brokers, as the intermediaries between end-users and service providers, offer different QoS by adapting the service that they obtain from lower-level providers so as to match the demands of their clients to the services of providers. To maximize profit, players, i.e. providers and brokers, at each level compete in a Bertrand game while they offer different QoS. To maintain an oligopoly market, we then describe underlying dynamics which lead to a Bertrand game with price constraints at the providers' level. Numerical simulations demonstrate the behavior of brokers and providers and the effect of price competition on their market shares.This work has been partly supported by National Science Foundation awards: CNS-0963974, CNS-1346688, CNS-1536090 and CNS-1647084

The Effects of Carbon Nanotubes and Silver Quantum Dots on Gas Exchange in Arabidopsis Thaliana

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are increasingly being used in commercial products, and may accumulate in soils when the products are disposed. I examined the effects of two common ENPs, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and silver quantum dots (Ag-QDs), on plant gas exchange. To do this, I grew Arabidopsis thaliana in soil (n=36) for 6 weeks and added a CNT suspension at increasing concentrations (10, 30, 90, 150, 190, 250 μg/ ml) each week. I also grew A. thaliana in petri dishes (n=83) containing Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, with a concentration of 4μg/ ml Ag-QDs or 4μg/ml CNTs. I measured carbon assimilation rates, stomata conductance, and transpiration rates, using a LI-6400XT Portable Photosynthesis System. I found that gas exchange in soil-grown A. thaliana was unaffected by CNTs. There were no effects on rates of photosynthesis, transpiration or stomata conductance. There was also no apparent effect on light or carbon fixation reactions. I found that gas exchange in petri dish-grown A. thaliana was negatively affected by Ag-QDs, and marginally affected by CNTs. There was a reduction in photosynthesis rates, but no apparent effects on stomatal conductance and transpiration rates in A. thalian grown with either Ag-QDs or CNTs. The negative effects of the ENPs were directly related to light and Calvin cycle reactions. My research illustrates a model system for examining ENP effects on plants, and demonstrated that if Ag-QDs are disposed of in soils, they can negatively affect plant growth

An Analysis of News Reports of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria by Daily Trust and the Nation Newspapers in the Year 2016

Crises in various part of Nigeria bring about high number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) especially in the northern part of the country due to the Boko Haram Insurgency. The IDPs rely on humanitarian assistance for survival since they lost their means of livelihood. For them to get such assistance, their conditions need to be known by the general public in other to come to their rescue. Part of the press responsibility in the society is to effectively inform the citizens about happenings in their localities and the country as a whole. A UNICEF report indicates that there are 2.5 million malnourished children in the various IDP camps in Nigeria and about three hundred of them will die unless they are aided while, Doctors without Borders say at least 30 of them die every day. This highlights one serious condition in the IDP camps especially in Borno state due to the Boko Haram Insurgency which displaced hundreds of thousands from their homes. This paper analyzed Daily Trust and the Nation newspapers reports on the situation of the IDPs in the various camps across the country in other to determine the kind of role they play in highlighting their condition and soliciting support for them as well as the kind of agenda they set. Findings indicate that the situation in the various IDP camps has been highlighted by the two newspapers. They as well proffer solutions to effectively tackle the challenges. However, there is need for the newspapers to give more prominence to issues surrounding the management of the IDP camps in order to make it more transparent to minimize or eradicate corrupt practices to ensure better life for the IDPs and prevent the death of mal-nourished children. Keywords: Analysis, News Reports, Daily Trust, The Nation, Boko Haram Insurgency and Internally Displaced persons (IDPs

Status and Representation of Women in Public and Private Broadcasting Media in Kaduna and Kano State, Nigeria

Globally, Journalism is seen as a male-dominated profession. This male dominance has been documented by many studies despite the increase in the number of female students in journalism and mass communication studies throughout the world. This study attempts to determine the status and representation of women in public and private broadcasting media in Kaduna and Kano, Nigeria. The method of data collection employed in the study was documentary research. Data were collected from public and private broadcasting media in Kaduna and Kano respectively. Results indicate that journalism is still male dominated even in the private media although there is improvement in the representation of women in the profession. However, women are more represented in the private media organizations in Kano compared to Kaduna although Kaduna is considered more liberal than Kano.The study concludes that being successful in journalism practice for women is not only based on education and merit but other factors that might prevent them from reaching their career peak. Thus, there is need for fundamental changes in journalism practice to enable women overcome all barriers in order to become successful in their chosen career. Keywords: Status, Representation, Women, Broadcasting Media, Kaduna and Kan

Conceptualising the criteria of the Islamic personality traits for Muslim medical imaging practitioners

Islamic Personality (IP) is a form of moral quality in the psychological aspects of a human which is governed by the belief in Allah as the One God and Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as His servant and His messenger. Many Muslim Personality tests have been established in order to understand the personality based on the principles in Islam. By adopting and adapting existing Muslim personality tests can help in formulating the criteria to measure the Islamic personality traits of Medical imaging students and practitioners. The Medical Imaging practice is comprised of various domains; basic principles in healthcare and medical imaging, patient care, use of technology, the technicalities or procedures, quality, safety, economic, research and professionalism. Thus, the IP can be different from other fields in health sciences. This paper examined various professional guidelines for Medical Imaging practitioners for some specific attributes for each domain in Medical Imaging practice. Among the attributes are, respectful; safe practice; safe activity; equality; trustworthy; honesty and integrity; truthful; responsible and accountable; compassionate; wisdom; being up-to-date; competence; teamwork; self-reflection; dignity; ethical behaviours; adhere to laws and regulations; effective communication; and continuity of knowledge and skills development. These attributes form the personality of the Medical Imaging practitioners. Previous studies have shown that there are positive connections between religiosity and the factor of personality. Religiosity, emotional religion and spirituality can be predicted through the assessment of personality factors. The formulation of a model for Islamic personality and its measures are very important in order to assess the characteristics of the Medical imaging graduates and practitioners, especially when it comes to matters of employment as well as the Islamisation of the professional and the profession. The benefits of the criteria formulation are seen within enhancement of the Medical imaging practice to what Islam champions

A LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PRACTICES ON EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY AT SIBCA LLC

Occupational health and safety (OHS) refer to practices that businesses use to proactively ensure the health and safety of employees. OHS scholars believe companies can use such practices to improve the health and safety of their organization and employee productivity. This study assesses how OHS practices can impact employee productivity at SIBCA LLC, a UAE-based company. It employed a longitudinal research design with pre- and post-intervention data collection to determine the effect of OHS practices on employee productivity. The study sample comprised 293 SIBCA LLC employees. Participants completed the same questionnaire twice, and productivity data were collected twice, 13 months apart, before and after OHS interventions. Findings reveal that implementing OHS practices is effective at realizing change and can improve employee productivity to a statistically significant degree. This result is theoretically significant because it demonstrates the effectiveness of O’Donnell’s model in describing change. Moreover, it provides empirical evidence for the need to increase employees’ knowledge of OHS-related matters and consider a strategic approach toward OHS. The study bridges a gap in the literature by providing empirical evidence on the need for and potential benefit of change regarding the practical application of OHS practices and their effects on employee productivity

HAMBATAN KOMUNIKASI ANTAR BUDAYA PADA ASPEK RAS (Analisis Kritis pada Kasus Indonesia – TiongHoa)

AbstractThis writing aimed for describing cultural diversity in Indonesia where there is too much obstacle to deal with on the cross-cultural communications of domain. This writing tended to look for the obstacle happened between both Indonesia and Tionghoa on the framework of Cross-cultural Communications within the ethnics. Research methods used here is article analyzing based on documentation. The article shown on Kompas, Sunday, November 4th 2007 namely “ Claudine Salmon Menguak Sejarah Tionghoa”. The result of analysis would prove that Indonesian ethnocentrism is still in the state of persistent, thus Indonesian tends to feel better yet best of all. The most prominent factor on Cross-cultural communications among Indonesian and Chinese is that there is those much prejudice. This thing is able to be seen of the behaviour towards chinese, for some instances are they could not be civil servants or even indonesian army. Then it comes to an end of this research. The end of this research is Indonesian do consider that chinese have got much diversity within them to be particular within values and beliefs they usually do embrace, so that it emerges the obstacles in communicating well at the very context of personal, group, organization, or mass communications. (Latar belakang tulisan ini adalah keberagaman budaya di Indonesia yang sangat luas sehingga menimbulkan berbagai hambatan yang seringkali dijumpai dalam Komunikasi antar Budaya. Tujuan penulisan ingin melihat sejauhmana hambatan yang terjadi antara Indonesia dengan Tionghoa dalam kerangka Komunikasi Antar Budaya dalam aspek Ras. Metodologi penulisan menggunakan studi Dokumentasi dengan menganalisis artikel yang terdapat di Surat kabar Kompas Minggu 4 November 2007 pada hal 12 dengan judul ” Claudine Salmon Menguak Sejarah Indonesia Tionghoa”. Hasil analisis menunjukan bahwa etnocentrisme orang-orang Indonesia masih sangat kuat, sehingga orang-orang Indonesia ini cenderung merasa yang paling baik dan paling benar, Faktor yang paling menonjol dalam komunikasi antar budaya antara orang Indonesia dengan orang Tionghoa ini adalah adanya prasangka yang berlebihan. Hal ini  bisa dilihat dari sikap orang Indonesia yang tidak adil terhadap orang tionghoa, misalnya tidak bisa menjadi PNS atau TNI. Kesimpulan dari analisis artikel tersebut adalah orang-orang Indonesia menganggap bahwa orang tionghoa ini mempunyai banyak perbedaan terutama dalam hal nilai-nilai dan kepercayaan yang mereka anut, sehingga memunculkan hambatan dalam berkomunikasi baik dalam konteks antar pribadi, kelompok, organisasi atau komunikasi massa.) Key Words : Komunikasi Antar Budaya, Aspek Ras, Indonesia-Tiongho

An optimized attack tree model for security test case planning and generation

Securing software assets via efficient test case management is an important task in order to realize business goals. Given the huge risks web applications face due to incessant cyberattacks, a proactive risk strategy such as threat modeling is adopted. It involves the use of attack trees for identifying software vulnerabilities at the earliest phase of software development which is critical to successfully protect these applications. Although, many researches have been dedicated to security testing with attack tree models, test case redundancy using this threat modeling technique has been a major issue faced leading to poor test coverage and expensive security testing exercises. This paper presents an attack tree modeling algorithm for deriving a minimal set of effective attack vectors required to test a web application for SQL injection vulnerabilities. By leveraging on the optimized attack tree algorithm used in this research work, the threat model produces efficient test plans from which adequate test cases are derived to ensure a secured web application is designed, implemented and deployed. The experimental result shows an average optimization rate of 41.67% from which 7 test plans and 13 security test cases were designed to mitigate all SQL injection vulnerabilities in the web application under test. A 100% security risk intervention of the web application was achieved with respect to preventing SQL injection attacks after applying all security recommendations from test case execution report