Search

This study investigated factors influencing customer loyalty in three-star hotels in Dodoma City, focusing on customer perceived value, brand trust, and service personalization. Qualitative data, collected through purposive sampling and thematically analyzed, revealed significant disparities in customer perceived value. A majority the participants expressed dissatisfaction with pricing and alignment of services, signaling areas for hotel service enhancement. Transparent communication and consistent service delivery emerged as crucial for fostering brand trust, while personalized experiences positively impacted customer loyalty, highlighting the importance of tailored amenities and attentive staff. Recognizing the importance of meeting customer expectations, hotels emphasize personalized services and clear communication to enhance satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, quantitative data collected from 96 respondents using stratified random sampling and analyzed through multiple linear regressions indicated that neither customer perceived value nor brand trust significantly correlated with customer loyalty. This suggests that variations in these factors alone do not adequately explain changes in loyalty, hinting at a more unique and context-dependent relationship. However, a notable positive correlation was observed between service personalization and customer loyalty, indicating that improvements in personalization significantly influence higher levels of loyalty. Thus, hotels should focus on tailoring services and amenities to align with individual customer preferences and needs, thereby enhancing loyalty and fostering positive recommendations. Also, hotels should prioritize transparent pricing, consistent communication, and responsive customer engagement. The study provides fresh insights into customer loyalty dynamics within Dodoma City’s three-star hotel sector, offering valuable knowledge to aid hotel management in devising effective strategies to bolster customer loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While service and operational records of the US armed forces have been previously investigated, personal communication records of military personnel have received less attention in archival scholarship. Specifically, we are concerned with the ways that changes in technology challenge the preservation of personal communications records. This issue is important because personal communication records of service members, both active and retired, can support military personnel and their families in managing the stress of deployment. Moreover, such records can help military families cope with grief when a service member dies. In this study, we address this gap by exploring the communication practices of US military personnel who served between 2005 and 2020. We focus on how military personnel communicated with their friends and family, the records that resulted from such communications, and the impacts of information technologies and institutional policies of the armed forces in said recordkeeping practices. We found that these practices evolved in tandem with the information and communication technologies available to them, that military personnel employed a relational approach to records and recordkeeping, and that recordkeeping practices of personal communications were directly connected to factors such as the information policies of the armed forces and the blurred lines between the on and off duty lives of active service members. Based on our findings, we suggest that future work should develop guidelines that help service members and their families prioritize which personal communications to record and keep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the Digital Markets Act (DMA) implemented by the European Union to regulate platform services offered by Big Tech companies. It specifically focuses on the potential impact of platform integration and the emergence of "super-apps" within the EU, using Meta's WhatsApp as an example. The article examines whether the DMA is equipped to address new competitive concerns and ensure fairness in digital markets. It emphasizes the importance of swift and effective enforcement of the DMA. Additionally, the article discusses the potential impact of super-apps and FM-fueled chatbots on the consumption of digital services, highlighting concerns such as barriers to entry and favoritism towards their own services. It concludes that while the DMA can address many concerns, it should be adaptable to future changes and work alongside traditional antitrust law. [Extracted from the article]

The article describes a novel low‐loss microwave diplexer based on compact planar filtering elements. These are composed of spiral resonators and etched directly onto the signal layer. Furthermore, their design and optimization prove to be easy, and their native high‐pass/low‐pass characteristics are perfectly suited for assembling a diplexer. To verify the claim, a diplexer is designed and fabricated. It operates at 1.9 GHz and 3.5 GHz, and it is intended for personal communications service and 5G applications. The proposed device has an active area of 15.5 mm × $\times $ 19.5 mm. It shows an insertion loss of 0.35 dB and 0.28 dB for the two channels, representing the lowest data reported in the literature for this kind of device and technology. Additionally, the −10 dB‐fractional bandwidths for the lower and upper bandwidths are 40.6% and 20.2%, respectively, and isolation is at least 25 dB for both channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the European Union's regulation of speech and its potential impact on freedom of expression. It discusses various EU acts, such as the Digital Services Act and the Strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation, as well as the European Media Freedom Act and the Russia Today decision. The author criticizes the EU's approach, arguing that it deviates from the European liberal tradition. They express concerns about the broad definition of "illegal hate speech" and the delegation of control to internet intermediaries. The article also addresses the use of algorithmic systems and the role of "trusted flaggers" in enforcing the regulations. It further examines the EU's regulation of news and disinformation, questioning the reliance on self-proclaimed fact-checkers and the proposed creation of a centralized body to regulate media services through the European Media Freedom Act. The text concludes by asserting that attempts to regulate speech in the digital age can restrict freedom of thought and expression. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: The study concerns the properties of a parallel discrete-event simulation (PDES) model, namely a simple mobile network model known as a personal communication service (PCS) model. In this type of parallel computing, each process has its own computation time, known as local virtual time. The local virtual times change during the simulation process, forming a complex profile similar to the surface growth profile in physics. Methods: We apply the scaling theory of statistical physics to study the properties of the PCS model. We construct a simple local virtual time evolution algorithm for the PCS model and compare this theoretical time evolution model to a standard parallel mobile network implementation in Rensselaer's Optimistic Simulation System (ROSS). Results: We show that the value of the critical exponent for the mobile network system is close to the value in the theoretical local virtual time profile model. A roughening transition is found in the LVT-PCS model, which belongs to the universality class of directed percolation in dimension 2 + 1. Discussion: We believe that the analogies we found can be useful for preliminary analyses of scalability, process desynchronization, and possible deadlocks in a wide class of parallel discrete-event simulation models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although calls for inclusiveness in services are becoming more vigorous, empirical research on how to design and implement service inclusion for stigmatized consumers remains scant. This paper draws on key questions of personalization (i.e., who personalizes what for whom ?) to tailor the (a) source and (b) content of marketing messages in order to better include stigmatized consumers. The authors examine this idea in three experiments in healthcare/well-being settings. In terms of message source, the results show that, in interpersonal interactions, service companies can employ the principle of homophily to better engage stigmatized consumers (Study 1). In contrast, homophily-inspired personalized messages to stigmatized consumers can backfire in the context of consumer-artificial intelligence (AI)-interactions (human-to-avatar interactions; Study 2). Moreover, in terms of message content, Study 3 explores how, and under which conditions, companies can leverage thinking AI versus feeling AI for improved service inclusiveness. Finally, the studies point to anticipated consumer well-being as a crucial mediator driving effective service inclusiveness among stigmatized consumers. The results not only contribute to an emerging theory of service inclusiveness, but also provide service scholars and managers with initial empirical results on the role of AI in inclusive services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tie strengths in social networks are heterogeneous, with strong and weak ties playing different roles at the network and individual levels. Egocentric networks, networks of relationships around an individual, exhibit few strong ties and more weaker ties, as evidenced by electronic communication records. Mobile phone data has also revealed persistent individual differences within this pattern. However, the generality and driving mechanisms of social tie strength heterogeneity remain unclear. Here, we study tie strengths in egocentric networks across multiple datasets of interactions between millions of people during months to years. We find universality in tie strength distributions and their individual-level variation across communication modes, even in channels not reflecting offline social relationships. Via a simple model of egocentric network evolution, we show that the observed universality arises from the competition between cumulative advantage and random choice, two tie reinforcement mechanisms whose balance determines the diversity of tie strengths. Our results provide insight into the driving mechanisms of tie strength heterogeneity in social networks and have implications for the understanding of social network structure and individual behavior. Personal communication networks through mobile phones and online platforms can be characterized by patterns of tie strengths. The authors propose a model to explain driving mechanisms of emerging tie strength heterogeneity in social networks, observing similarity of patterns across various datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the help of perception technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), information interaction will expand from communication devices to various non-communication items in daily life, and the era of ubiquitous personal communication networks may come. In an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) RFID system, however, signal collision often occurs during multiple tags identification. The collision resolution across a Media Access Control (MAC) layer and a physical layer can significantly improve communication efficiency. As a delay code, Miller code is often used in the UHF RFID system. Because its baseband signal has more subcarriers, it has higher anti-noise performance. This paper adopt the cross-layer resolution and proposes a new collision separation and decoding algorithm for the Miller code of the RFID system. This algorithm separates the collision signal by clustering and dictionary matrix firstly, and then decode the separated signal by Viterbi method. In this simulation, we generate a set of simulation data to evaluate the proposed algorithm. The simulation results show that the separation efficiency of the proposed algorithm is about 25% higher than that of traditional methods. Furthermore, we evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm in this measured data, and obtain 8% higher system throughput than a traditional dynamic ALOHA system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to describe consumer complaints about overpricing during the COVID-19 period, to determine and evaluate what kind of preventive and regulatory measures have been taken in terms of Competition Law in the world and in Turkey. The secondary data obtained using the Document Scanning method has been simplified and the sentences and paragraphs used as the analysis unit have been gathered under the same subheadings. The qualitative data obtained are given in tables; In addition, complaints regarding overpricing in the last 20 months on sikayetvar.com are classified. The findings that emerged in the complaint analysis on the sikayetvar.com site are presented both numerically and categorically in tables. The most frequently complained goods and services are domestic equipment and repairs, food, personal communication tools and services. The findings in the literature show that overpricing is applied by businesses in many countries with the COVID-19 epidemic. On the other hand, it has been revealed that the competition authorities of the countries impose sanctions on such companies that provide unfair profits. In this study, it has been pointed out that it is important to take the measures to eliminate the source of the problems with the common agreement of all parties, to include these measures in the market law and retail law to be enacted, and to constantly control the implementation of these measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless personal communication has become popular with the rapid development of 5G communication systems. Critical demands on transmission speed and QoS make it difficult to upgrade current wireless personal communication systems. In this paper, we develop a novel resource allocation method using deep learning to squeeze the benefits of resource utilization. By generating the convolutional neural network using channel information, resource allocation is to be optimized. The deep learning method could help make full use of the small scale channel information instead of traditional resource optimization, especially when the channel environment is changing fast. Simulation results indicate the fact that the performance of our proposed method is close to MMSE method and better than ZF method, and the time consumption of computation is smaller than traditional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Recommendations for quality assessment of paint care products for vehicles: Part 2: Paint preservatives" describes the recommendations of the German Cosmetic, Toiletry, Perfumery and Detergent Association (IKW) for the quality assessment of paint preservatives. The recommendations were developed by working groups and aim to enable a qualified testing of the products. The IKW advocates for optimal quality standards and is guided by the principles of sustainability. The recommendations serve both manufacturers and consumers and describe the relevant qualities and measurement methods for paint preservatives. Regulations, standards, and voluntary agreements that must be observed are also mentioned. The article describes various paint care products for the automotive industry, such as paint cleaners, paint preservatives, and paint polishes. These products are used to clean, protect, and polish paint surfaces. Various ingredients and evaluation criteria for these products are also mentioned. The recommendation provides three separate testing methods for the different product groups. It is noted that paint preservatives generally do not fall under the Washing and Cleaning Agents Act or the Detergents Regulation, unless they are removed after cleaning with detergents and enter water bodies. The testing methods should be practical, accurate, differentiable, and easy to perform. The text describes the SEPAWA Congress, which is considered the most important meeting point for the cleaning agents, cosmetics, and fragrance industry in Europe. The congress includes lectures and poster presentations by international experts on current research results and innovative developments. Over 300 companies present their latest products and trends in the exhibition. There are also networking opportunities to establish business and personal contacts. The testing method for paint preservatives for motor vehicles is also described, including the application and measurement of water runoff behavior. The text focuses on conducting tests to determine the hydrophobic properties of a paint preservative. A water jet is directed onto a test plate, and the time it takes for the water to run off is measured. The measurement results are entered and evaluated in an Excel table. Before the tests, the test plates are pretreated and the paint preservative is applied and polished. The precise instructions for conducting the tests are described in the text. The text describes various tests for evaluating paint preservatives on glossy test plates. First, the change in gloss value is measured before removing the product residues. Then, the color refreshment is assessed. After removing the product residues, a new measurement of the change in gloss value and a new assessment of color refreshment are performed. The tests are visually compared to a reference paint preservative. Points are awarded to evaluate the results. The text describes the testing of polishability, surface appearance, grip and slip resistance, water runoff behavior, and wash resistance of paint preservatives. It is recommended to use specific materials for each test and enter the results in an Excel table. The evaluation is relative to a reference paint preservative and is indicated in points. Detailed instructions are given for each test to ensure correct execution. The text describes a method for evaluating the [Extracted from the article]

I ask where African opposition parties organize. Party-building is communicative; it involves persuading people to become activists. The literature suggests that opposition parties organize where people are receptive to their messages and build outwards from there. I study Chadema's opposition party-building through site-intensive fieldwork. Chadema organized primarily in such receptive areas, but also in four unreceptive constituencies. I use these deviant constituencies to refine the literature. Prior theory neglects the heterogeneity of party-building. I decompose party-building into three modes as follows: by touring leaders, branches and concentrating leaders. Concentrating leaders dedicate their organizing to single places. They employ small rallies which afford interactive, individualized and iterative communication. This personalized communication enables them to overcome initial unreceptiveness to their messages. I conclude that opposition parties can organize in unreceptive areas, but only through the personalized methods of these 'lone organizers'. Altogether, I show how and through whom opposition parties organize in hostile environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless personal communication network is easily affected by intrusion data in the communication process, resulting in the inability to ensure the security of personal information in wireless communication. Therefore, this paper proposes a malicious intrusion data mining algorithm based on legitimate big data in wireless personal communication networks. The clustering algorithm is used to iteratively obtain the central point of malicious intrusion data and determine its expected membership. The noise in malicious intrusion data is denoised by objective function, and the membership degree of communication data is calculated. The change factor of the neighborhood center of gravity of malicious intrusion data in wireless personal communication network is determined, the similarity between the characteristics of malicious intrusion data by using the Markov distance was determined, and the malicious intrusion data mining of wireless personal communication network supported by legal big data was completed. The experimental results show that the accuracy of mining malicious data is high and the mining time is short. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report the findings of a study conducted among a sample of 202 Hong Kong-based Chinese importing companies regarding their working relationships with Western export manufacturers. In particular, the study emphasizes the effect of interpersonal factors on financial performance through the intervening roles of intercompany trust and relationship quality. Using structural equation modeling, the authors confirm that (1) several interpersonal relational dimensions--namely, personal communication (sijiao,), personal credibility (xinyongj, and personal affection fganqingj--positively influence interfirm trust; (2) trust plays an instrumental role in enhancing the components of the interfirm relationship quality (i.e., cooperation, commitment, and satisfaction); (3) interfirm relationship quality is positively related to superior financial performance; and (4) most of the associations between each of the interpersonal factors and interfirm trust were moderated by the importer's size and foreign supplier's origin as well as by the length of the relationship and which party initiated the relationship. The authors extract several conclusions and implications from the findings and provide directions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the sociological interest in social groups as an object of investigation as well as a concept has reawakened. Topics include examines that Stefan Kühl recently staked out the potential of social groups from a system-theoretical perspective as he opposes primarily quantitative attempts at determination and regards personal communication as an essential characteristic of social groups.

Terahertz (THz) communication is a promising technique for chip-to-chip communication and wireless personal area networks. In this paper, we present an experimental study and design to realize such THz communication systems. We develop two different chip sets for on-off-keying (OOK) modulation based THz transceivers which include carrier generators, modulators, THz amplifiers, and baseband amplifiers. Specifically, the first chip set integrates the circuit blocks for the OOK modulation without the THz amplifier for short-range communication. In addition, the second chip set design includes the THz amplifier modules to extend the coverage of transmission. For these two chip sets, we experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of the wireless communication at THz frequency bands and assess performance using the bit error rate (BER) analysis. We estimate the BER by calculating the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) based on the eye diagram and compare with actual BER measurements and Monte Carlo simulations. We also address the impact of the distance, the transmit power, and the data rate for the proposed THz transceivers based on the link budget analysis, and confirm the accuracy of the derived BER expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the broad impact of digitalization on economic development. More specifically, it addresses the computer science-derived notion of "social machines", along with the invention of distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) (or blockchain), as potential signposts on the pathway to "smart(er) digital economies". The paper investigates blockchain-based ecosystems as examples of social machines that assist in economic "smartification" and development. It looks at distributed ledger-based communities (DLCs) that provide examples of functioning social machines for a variety of business and personal network communications purposes. It then analyses the scaleup of DLT-based social machines by comparison with "extension services", largely in education and agriculture, which are currently undergoing processes of digitalization. Overall, this conceptual study examines the general horizons and potential impact of blockchain and social machines on the provision of online products and services, across a range of sectors and industries. The paper offers interpretative assistance to managers, entrepreneurs, technology experts, and academics with lingering questions about blockchain in and for business and economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hands-on ultrasound experience has become a desirable component for undergraduate medical education (UGME) curricula throughout medical schools in the United States (US) to enhance readiness for future training. Ultrasound integration can be a useful assistive educational method in undergraduate medical education to improve anatomy and physiology skills. Relatively few medical schools have integrated ultrasound experiences formally into their 4-year medical school curriculum due to limitations of a resource intensive set up. Methods: We undertook a scoping review of published UGME ultrasound curricula integrated into all four years in peer-reviewed as well online literature. In addition, we provide a narrative review of our institutional experience in conceptualization, design and implementation of UGME ultrasound curriculum driven by need to address the fading knowledge in anatomy and physiology concepts beyond pre-clinical years. Results: Integrated ultrasound curriculum at WFSOM utilizes focused ultrasonography as a teaching aid for students to gain a more thorough understanding of basic and clinical science concepts taught in the medical school curriculum. We found 18 medical schools with ultrasound curricula published in peer-reviewed literature with a total of 33 ultrasound programs discovered by adding Google search and personal communication Conclusions: The results of the review and our institutional experience can help inform future educators interested in developing similar curricula in their undergraduate programs. Common standards, milestones and standardized competency-based assessments would be helpful in more widespread application of ultrasound in UGME curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the nonlinearity and large time delay characteristics of the aquaculture, this paper proposes an environment monitoring system based on low long range (LoRa) communication technology. The system integrates sensor nodes, dissolved oxygen regulation node, LoRa communication network and personal computer (PC) platform to realize real-time monitoring, storage and data sharing. The environmental parameters were processed by programmable logic controller (PLC) intelligent controller, in which, the dissolved oxygen was adjusted with the variable universe fuzzy PID algorithm. The system was tested in a fish pond with an area of 110*120 square meters. The results show that the system can obtain temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen in real time and it has the advantages of high measurement accuracy, stable and reliable data transmission, and can satisfy the needs of aquaculture intelligent management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the increase of the dependence of technology in the practice due to the impact of Covid-19 pandemic. It discusses that due to the pandemic technologies or inventions, it has served as an impetus for the profession to make far better use of already existing technology; The increased use of video conferencing in personal communications will continue; and mentioning that there will be substantial and continuing changes due to the pandemic.

In this project report, I introduce the citation templates for Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers that I created in partnership with the staff of the NorQuest Indigenous Student Centre. These citation templates have been adopted/linked to by twenty-five institutions across Canada and the United States. They represent an attempt to formalize something that Indigenous scholars have been doing for decades: fighting to find a better way to acknowledge our voices and knowledges within academia. I outline how the project was developed, highlighting the importance of stable, respectful relationships, before delving into some of the literature and personal experiences that provided the reasoning for why more culturally responsive citation is needed. Part of the background is acknowledging my own experiences as an Indigenous scholar, but I also draw on literature from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars to illustrate the interdisciplinary need for these templates. I provide in-depth explanations of each element in the new citation templates to explain the reasoning behind and/or importance of each element. For example, I outline why including the individual, s nation/community is important for breaking down the pan-Indigenous stereotype and helping scholars to recognize the variation of knowledge across the hundreds of unique Indigenous communities. While the main focus of this paper will be these specific citation templates, I hope that it will also empower, inspire, and provide a case study of how academia can make small changes to improve the respectful recognition of Indigenous knowledges and voices. Given the recent focus in educational institutions on being more inclusive of Indigenous ways of knowing, I think it is only right that we also look at reconsidering how we treat things like Indigenous oral knowledge in academia and whether there are systems in place that implicitly prioritize written knowledge over oral knowledge in a form of ongoing colonialism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative translation projects are gaining in popularity at translator training institutions. This is due to the fact that simulated, near-authentic and authentic tasks provide context and bridge the gap between academia and the real world. The use of collaborative translation projects is based on the principle that learning is a social experience and knowledge is constructed through social interaction (Kiraly 2015). So far, however, there has been little published research on the implementation of authentic translation projects conducted in collaboration with intra-university partners. This paper presents an authentic collaborative translation project carried out in spring 2019 at the Jacob of Paradies University in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland. During the last semester of a three-semester Translation Project course, 12 undergraduate students worked for two simulated translation bureaus, completing 12 translation assignments commissioned by the university's Promotion and Information Department staff, who acted as the external client. Based on the teacher's observations, personal communication with the client, the analysis of the translation product quality and the students' reflections, it can be concluded that the participation in the project benefitted all the parties involved, supporting the view that authentic translation projects can be successfully implemented in a university setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless network communication standards have become very common due to the huge benefits of their application. The use of radio waves to create networks has reduced infrastructure costs and increased the mobility of devices. The advantages of wireless communication (WLAN) also pose a challenge to the security of transmitted data. However, the use of a wireless signal poses certain threats to network security. The aim of the study was to analyse problems related to the security of WLAN 802.11. and assess its resistance to various attack strategies. It was assumed that wireless networks have an insufficient level of security. The assumed assumption is verifiable due to the ability to monitor events in networks. In order to verify the hypothesis, a number of experiments have been carried out in laboratory conditions, concerning the currently used WLAN protections from the IEEE 802.11 family of standards. The electromagnetic waves used for communication are available to the public at a distance of a few / several dozen metres from the communicating devices. It is easy to monitor air traffic using a network card that operates in monitor mode. The communication itself cannot be secured in any way, so data encryption is one way of secure transmission. During the research, the applied security features were successfully broken with the help of publicly available tools. The obtained results are distinguished by a high level of objectivity and reliability in the assessment of applied wireless network security. It was shown that there are still imperfections in the security and it is possible to break the security measures. The consequences of attacks are very serious and lead to a breach of each of the attributes of secure information. Practice has shown that it is impossible to create a wireless network that is fully secure. The findings of the study should be used to develop methods to improve information security, as well as to raise users' awareness of existing threats. Not all users of wireless networks are aware of how easy some of the commonly used security features are to break. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are numerous proven effective methods for improving the effectiveness and efficiency in teamwork as well as arguments to which methods correspond to certain circumstances. This work‘s focus, however, is not upon WHAT is used as methods; neither upon WHY those methods are used, but rather upon HOW the team members may effectively and efficiently use whichever methods they find appropriate. The novel approach is suggested, which is expected to enable significant improvement in the outcome of the project fulfillment, without any limitation to the set of methods that are used. The approach is individually created with regard to the notion of Drivers and Working styles and Transactional Analysis as recognized and widely used personality theory. Personal communication doors relevant to behavior, feelings and thinking are discussed as well as sentences patterns as indicators to dominant Drivers and/or Working styles. The results and conclusions are summarized according to several employees‘ Working styles categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dawn is an autobiographical university theatre production based on the narrative of Samanyanga, a University of Zimbabwe undergraduate. The article draws from interview materials, personal communication and observations to theorise the experience of participating in the project. The concepts of Aesthetics of Existence and Technologies of the Self are used to explore how participants acquired enhanced resources to unearth and challenge the political economy of soccer and how its power-knowledge system is implicated in the 'manufacture' of bodily impairments. The article demonstrates the tensions that may emerge from a theatrical exploration of this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a patch antenna for wireless body area network (WBAN) applications is proposed. Antenna is designed for on-body to Off-body communication that aims to interconnect WBAN with various wireless technologies. It covers three bands for Personal Communication Services (1.2–1.6 GHz), WiMax (3.1–3.4 GHz) and WLAN (5.2–5.8 GHz) in free space. The proposed design is composed of a monopole radiator and defected ground plane. A perfect conducting metal plate is added below the antenna at a gap s to enhance the antenna performance on bio-tissue. Metallic plate acts as a shield for antenna and avoids frequency detuning due to body. Result shows wide bandwidth of 70/330/600 MHz at 1.4/3.2/5.5 GHz frequencies for on body. High directivity of 5.0/7.0/7.50 dBi is observed at 1.4/3.2/5.5 GHz frequencies. In order to consider the health safety, specific absorption rate (SAR) value has been evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligent Parking Systems (IPS) allow customers to select a car park according to their preferences, rapidly park their vehicle without searching for the available parking space (place) or even book their place in advance avoiding queues. IPS provides the possibility to reduce the wastage of fuel (energy) while finding a parking place and consequently reduce harmful emissions. Some systems interact with in-vehicle navigation systems and provide users with information in real-time such as free places available at a given parking lot (car park), the location and parking fees. Few of these systems, however, provide information on the forecasted utilisation at specific time. This paper describes results of a traffic survey carried out at the parking lot of supermarket and the proposal of the model predicting real-time parking space availability based on these surveyed data. The proposed model is formulated as the non-homogenous Markov chains that are used as a tool for the forecasting of parking space availability. The transition matrices are calculated for different time periods, which allow for and include different drivers' behaviour and expectations. The proposed forecasting model is adequate for potential use by IPS with the support of different communication means such as the internet, navigation systems (GPS, Galileo etc.) and personal communication services (mobile-phones). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on personal communications with a CMA (Certified Management Accountant). It mentions that Waters Paper Corporation (WPC) has became a worldwide leader in personal care products with revenue of billion and employees; also focuses on that WPC's information technology (IT) staff supported several legacy computer systems.

That this special issue has seen the light of day is primarily due to the vision of Todd Sandel, the outgoing editor of the I Journal of International and Intercultural Communication i , who readily identified the relative lack of visibility of South Asia focused intercultural communication research, suggested a special issue, and offered us total editorial discretion over the details. We are proud to have had the opportunity to edit this special issue focused on intercultural research from/on South Asia. In the same breath, both of us see this pattern of "naming and claiming" in South-Asia focused institutions and events, where India-centric articulations, scholarship and viewpoints come to stand for South Asia as a whole. [Extracted from the article]

The article informs that on December 7, 2019, at the request of Premier François Legault, the Québec Assembly held an extraordinary sitting to introduce an exceptional legislative procedure to conclude consideration of Bill 34, An Act to simplify the process for establishing electricity distribution rates. It reports the bill was passed during the session.

This work proposes a model to detect and identify failures in Personal Communications Service mobile networks. Among the information available from the network equipment and transiting messages, our investigation concluded that event counters produced by Mobile Switching Centers (MSC) have the best set of attributes to be used in clustering mechanisms. Specifically, Clear Code counters, produced when MSCs establish connections between mobile subscribers, allow the perception and location of failures independently of its geographic region, performance, and subscriber use profiles. To develop our model, Clear Codes collected from 6 MSCs in different country-wide geographic regions are organized in tables to compose the mass of data to be analyzed. The analysis starts by clustering the data into groups using Self-Organizing Maps. Each group is analyzed by an expert that identifies common characteristics and assigns a classification according to the type of faults or behavior each group represents. The resulting classification is evaluated by another expert to demonstrate the model's abilities. The results showed that the proposed model is able to detect and identify network faults in 5 different categories and evaluate each equipment with respect to its performance. Thus, the information in the output of the model helps the management team to detect faults in the network, identify the faulty MSC, and obtain an overview of the network according to performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]