Taking Saratoga from Space-Based Ground Sensors to Ground-Based Space Sensors

The Saratoga transfer protocol was developed by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) for its Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) satellites. In over seven years of operation, Saratoga has provided efficient delivery of remote-sensing Earth observation imagery, across private wireless links, from these seven low-orbit satellites to ground stations, using the Internet Protocol (IP). Saratoga is designed to cope with high bandwidth-delay products, constrained acknowledgement channels, and high loss while streaming or delivering extremely large files. An implementation of this protocol has now been developed at the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) for wider use and testing. This is intended to prototype delivery of data across dedicated astronomy radio telescope networks on the ground, where networked sensors in Very Long Baseline Interferometer (VLBI) instruments generate large amounts of data for processing and can send that data across private IP- and Ethernet-based links at very high rates. We describe this new Saratoga implementation, its features and focus on high throughput and link utilization, and lessons learned in developing this protocol for sensor-network applications.Comment: Preprint of peer-reviewed conference paper accepted by and to appear at the IEEE Aerospace 2011 conference, Big Sky, Montana, March 201

Smart Toolkit for evaluating information products and services

The Toolkit focuses on the evaluation of information products and services from a learning perspective within the context of agricultural information projects. It is directed at internal evaluation rather than external evaluation. An internal evaluation aids organisational learning and represents a real change away from the traditional evaluation, which has tended to be funding agency-driven and -controlled, because of the need for accountability and compliance. The Toolkit will help you to understand how and why things go wrong or right, so as to gain an insight on how to do things better in the information project. The Toolkit thus encourages learning and self-evaluation.The Toolkit focuses on the evaluation of information products and services from a learning perspective within the context of agricultural information projects. It is directed at internal evaluation rather than external evaluation

Assessment of solar shading strategies in low-income tropical housing: the case of Uganda

Developing countries in tropical and subtropical areas will be the worst hit by climate change. Very little research has been done to assess the impact of climate change on thermal comfort in low-income housing in these regions. The effects of solar shading strategies and solar absorptance properties of walls and roofs on thermal comfort in Ugandan low-income housing are studied in this paper. Various shading strategies including curtains, roof and window overhangs, veranda and trees as well as effects of painting on solar heat gain and thermal comfort are modelled using EnergyPlus software. An adaptive approach for naturally ventilated buildings defined by the European Committee for Standardization standard BS EN 15251:2007 is used to assess the conditions. According to the results, solar shading is less effective in meeting thermal comfort requirements and it should be used in conjunction with other strategies to achieve desirable results. White painting, in contrast, significantly improved the conditions and significantly reduced the risk of overheating. Solar shading proved to be effective during the hottest periods of the year, reducing the risk of extreme overheating by up to 52%

Provider and lay perspectives on intra-uterine contraception: a global review

BACKGROUND: Intra-uterine contraception (IUC) involves the use of an intra-uterine device (IUD), a highly effective, long-acting, reversible contraceptive method. Historically, the popularity of IUC has waxed and waned across different world regions, due to policy choices and shifts in public opinion. However, despite its advantages and cost-effectiveness for programmes, IUC's contribution to contraceptive prevalence is currently negligible in many countries. This paper presents the results of a systematic review of the global literature on provider and lay perspectives on IUC. It aims to shed light on the reasons for low use of IUC and reflect on potential opportunities for the method's promotion. METHODS: A systematic search of the literature was conducted in four peer-reviewed journals and four electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, POPLINE, and Global Health). Screening resulted in the inclusion of 68 relevant publications. RESULTS: Most included studies were conducted in areas where IUD use is moderate or low. Findings are similar across these areas. Many providers have low or uneven levels of knowledge on IUC and limited training. Many wrongly believe that IUC entails serious side effects such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and are reluctant to provide it to entire eligible categories, such as HIV-positive women. There is particular resistance to providing IUC to teenagers and nulliparae. Provider opinions may be more favourable towards the hormonal IUD. Some health-care providers choose IUC for themselves. Many members of the public have low knowledge and unfounded misconceptions about IUC, such as the fear of infertility. Some are concerned about the insertion and removal processes, and about its effect on menses. However, users of IUC are generally satisfied and report a number of benefits. Peers and providers exert a strong influence on women's attitudes. CONCLUSION: Both providers and lay people have inaccurate knowledge and misconceptions about IUC, which contribute to explaining its low use. However, many reported concerns and fears could be alleviated through correct information. Concerted efforts to train providers, combined with demand creation initiatives, could therefore boost the method's popularity. Further research is needed on provider and lay perspectives on IUDs in low- and middle-income countries

Shelters for the great number

Reproduction of poor qualit

Techniques to learn

U maloprodaji vladaju trendovi internacionalizacije i koncentracije što dovodi do otvaranja tržišta i sve većeg tržišta i konkurencije. U uvjetima velike konkurencije i otvorenog tržišta kupci su u situaciji da biraju ono što ih najviše zadovoljava, odnosno da biraju između velike količine proizvoda i konkurenata. Suvremena tehnologija dovela je do ogromne količine informacija i dostupnosti različitih marketinških strategija koje utječu na kupce i kupčevu percepciju. U moru proizvoda i poduzeća na sve većem tržištu presudna stvar svakog uspješnog poduzeća je konkurentska prednost. Konkurentska prednost je ono što omogućava poduzeću da opstaje i da se širi na tržištu, da postaje konkurentnije i uspješnije. Sve ono što čini razliku između poduzeća, odnosno ono što jedno poduzeće čini posebno u odnosu na konkurenciju i ima pozitivan učinak na kupčevu percepciju, smatra se konkurentskom prednosti. Ako je konkurentska prednost koju poduzeće posjeduje usmjerena dugoročnom poslovanju i uspješnosti, riječ je o održivoj konkurentskoj prednosti koja je ključni pojam ovog rada. Cilj rada je definiranje i opisivanje karakteristika održive konkurentske prednosti kao i analiza strategija kojima se ona ostvaruje. U radu će se opisivati međuodnos konkurentske prednosti i pojmova kao što su lanac vrijednosti, segmentacija tržišta, tehnologija i drugi. Sve navedeno će se koristiti u svrhu opisivanja područja i načina postizanja održive konkurentske prednosti u maloprodaji. U radu će se analizirati poduzeće Walmart kao primjer maloprodajnog poduzeća koje je ostvarilo održivu konkurentsku prednost. U analizi će biti obuhvaćene općenite informacije o poduzeću kao i njegov povijesni razvoj, te opisani načini i rezultati nakon ostvarene održive konkurentske prednosti