Web Conferencing Traffic - An Analysis using DimDim as Example

In this paper, we present an evaluation of the Ethernet traffic for host and attendees of the popular opensource web conferencing system DimDim. While traditional Internet-centric approaches such as the MBONE have been used over the past decades, current trends for web-based conference systems make exclusive use of application-layer multicast. To allow for network dimensioning and QoS provisioning, an understanding of the underlying traffic characteristics is required. We find in our exemplary evaluations that the host of a web conference session produces a large amount of Ethernet traffic, largely due to the required control of the conference session, that is heavily-tailed distributed and exhibits additionally long-range dependence. For different groups of activities within a web conference session, we find distinctive characteristics of the generated traffic

Post-resolution treatment of depositors at failed banks: implications for the severity of banking crises, systemic risk, and too big to fail

Losses from bank failures have significant adverse implications for bank stakeholders, as well as for the macroeconomy. This article examines the potential sources of such losses, in particular the losses that may occur after the date a bank is failed, and makes recommendations on how to minimize these losses.Bank failures ; Financial crises ; Deposit insurance ; Bank deposits

Cross-sectional study assessing HIV related knowledge, attitudes and behavior in Namibian public sector employees in capital and regional settings

The study objective was to assess the current status of HIV knowledge, attitudes and behavior (KAB) among employees of Namibian ministries. As most HIV campaigning takes place in the capital of Windhoek, an additional aim was to compare Windhoek to four regions (Hardap, Erongo, Oshana, and Caprivi). Between January and March 2011 a cross-sectional survey was conducted in two Namibian ministries, with participants selected randomly from the workforce. Data collection was based on questionnaires. 832 participants were included in the study (51.6% male). Nearly 90% of participants reported to have been tested for HIV before. Knowledge about HIV transmission ranged from 67% to 95% of correct answers, with few differences between the capital and regions. However, a knowledge gap regarding HIV transmission and prevention was seen. In particular, we found significantly lower knowledge regarding transmission from mother-to-child during pregnancy and higher rate of belief in a supernatural role in HIV transmission. In addition, despite many years of HIV prevention activities, a substantial proportion of employees had well-known HIV risk factors including multiple concurrent partnership rates (21%), intergenerational sex (19%), and lower testing rates for men (82% compared to women with 91%)

Spatial Awareness Language for English Language Learners

The aim of the project was to create a unit on spatial awareness language for Spanish-speaking English learners (ELs) to help them understand the meanings of positional words and use them in the correct way. The guiding questions investigated in this capstone project were: How can Spanish-speaking ELs develop their spatial awareness language? What role do cross-curricular connections play in developing spatial awareness language? The topic was chosen because for the past decade, I have found myself struggling with teaching spatial awareness language to ELs. Through my teaching experience, I have noticed that several ELs have had difficulty using positional words, such as on top of, between, next to, or in front of , in the correct context. The setting is for a Kindergarten classroom, where all of the content areas are taught. I chose Spanish-speaking ELs because that is the dominant EL group in the school. The project was influenced by literature on Hispanic ELs, spatial awareness language, and cross-curricular connections. Howard Gardner’s framework about Multiple Intelligences also helped influence the content of the project, specifically the visual-spatial intelligence. The unit consists of eight social studies lessons that focus on reading a map and using positional words. The lessons have two main objectives that include: recognizing where an object is in a given picture after listening to directions that include spatial awareness language and identifying where objects are in the given picture by using spatial awareness language. Exploring my personal and professional journeys throughout this capstone project has offered me more insight on ELs and their language development. By creating this unit, I gained more knowledge on what kind of support ELs need to help them learn a new language. I set expectations of what I wanted the unit outcomes to be, how to gradually release the lessons and which assessments would be used

Addressing the observational gap over heterogeneous land surfaces in the lower atmospheric boundary layer by multi-copter temperature and humidity profile measurements

The effects of surface heterogeneity on the atmospheric boundary layer are still poorly understood and thus not appropriately parameterized in numerical weather prediction models. The complexity of types, shapes, and scales of heterogeneity poses also considerable challenges to any observational approach. The problem of heterogeneity is usually addressed by distributed single point measurements over the different surface types, but typically leave a considerable observational gap across the heterogeneity boundaries. This study proposes the method of utilizing the Bebop2Met, a small multi-rotor drone equipped with a meteorological payload for temperature and humidity measurements, to bridge this gap. As a part of the international MOSAI (Models and Observations for Surface-Atmosphere Interaction) campaign, more than 400 individual temperature and humidity profiles were collected during three extensive operational periods in April, August, and December 2023, close to Lannemezan, France, at the foothills of the Pyrenees. The measurement strategy applied was to observe the thermodynamic properties of the lower atmosphere through repeated series of densely spaced vertical profiles along a line perpendicular to the transition from the smooth (grass/corn) to rough (forest) surface, to enhance the insight in the spatio-temporal variability over strongly heterogeneous surfaces. The results show that the chosen measurement approach can provide valuable data sets that can clearly complement the classical mast based in-situ observations. The system is able to resolve small-scale structures near transitional boundaries. By an appropriate spatial and temporal interpolation of the individual profiles, measured at different positions and at different times, those structures can be properly visualized. Due to the limited number of observed and analyzed cases, in comparison to the varying meteorological conditions, remains the cause of these structures and there development unclear, the study can however be seen as a successful proof-of-concept. The flexibility, affordability, and ease of access with a small drone make it appealing for both primary and complementary data collection for surface heterogeneity impacts and effects. Future studies could look into greater data collection periods, as well as utilizing multiple drones for greater spatial coverage and possibly adding another dimension for analyzing the structural development of these complex interactions between differing surface heterogeneities.Masteroppgave i meteorologi og oseanografiGEOF399MAMN-GEO

Image Quality in Augmented Binocular Vision: QoE Approximations with QoS and EEG

Augmented reality (AR) applications become increasingly popular, however, little is known about how multimedia consumption interplays with the Quality of Experience (QoE) in these settings. We experimentally evaluate binocular vision augmentation with optical see-through devices by contrasting QoE, expressed by Mean Opinion Scores (MOS), with a ground truth reference data set. We find that the QoE in AR settings (i) is higher for small media impairments and lower for high impairment levels compared to opaque settings, (ii) exhibits an emerging quantifiable relationship with the QoE in traditional setups, (iii) can be approached with common objective image quality metrics as Quality of Service (QoS) factors, and (iv) exhibits a relationship between the Low Gamma frequency band levels determined with consumer-grade electroencephalograms (EEG) and image quality levels as rated by the participants

Loreley

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-ps/3395/thumbnail.jp