Quality management in service ecosystems

Service-oriented architectures and Web services mature and have become more widely accepted and used by industry. This growing adoption increased the demands for new ways of using Web service technology. Users start re-combining and mediating other providers’ services in ways that have not been anticipated by their original provider. Within organisations and cross-organisational communities, discoverable services are organised in repositories providing convenient access to adaptable end-to-end business processes. This idea is captured in the term Service Ecosystem. This paper addresses the question of how quality management can be performed in such service ecosystems. Service quality management is a key challenge when services are composed of a dynamic set of heterogeneous sub-services from different service providers. This paper contributes to this important area by developing a reference model of quality management in service ecosystems. We illustrate the application of the reference model in an exploratory case study. With this case study, we show how the reference model helps to derive requirements for the implementation and support of quality management in an exemplary service ecosystem in public administration.     

“The big sweep”: On the power of the wavefront approach to Voronoi diagrams

We show that the wavefront approach to Voronoi diagrams (a deterministic line-sweep algorithm that does not use geometric transform) can be generalized to distance measures more general than the Euclidean metric. In fact, we provide the first worst-case optimal (O (n logn) time,O(n) space) algorithm that is valid for the full class of what has been callednice metrics in the plane. This also solves the previously open problem of providing anO (nlogn)-time plane-sweep algorithm for arbitraryL _k -metrics. Nice metrics include all convex distance functions but also distance measures like the Moscow metric, and composed metrics. The algorithm is conceptually simple, but it copes with all possible deformations of the diagram. Research partially supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Research partially supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Grant No. Kl 655/2-1.     

Reticulated Porous Foam Ceramics with Different Surface Chemistries

The aim of this study was to discuss the influence of different filter surface chemistries on the properties of foam filters. For reliable results, it is essential to ensure comparable structural properties (cell size and strut thickness) for all different surface chemistries (Al₂O₃, MgAl₂O₄, 3Al₂O₃·2SiO₂, SiO₂, and TiO₂) possess the same structural properties (cell size and strut thickness). Filters made of 100% of the investigated materials and alumina skeletons coated with the investigated materials were prepared. The coated alumina samples were sintered in one and two steps. The processing route with two sintering steps resulted in improved mechanical properties and comparable shrinkage and strut thickness. The 100% bulk foams possessed different pore sizes due to the differences of the material shrinkage. In this study, a comparison of the experimental investigated properties of the ceramic foam filters and the theoretically calculated values for foam materials derived from the bulk material properties is established.     

Strukturanalytische Untersuchungen an Folgeprodukten aus Sulfonamiden. VIII. Zur Struktur der Reaktionsprodukte aus 1,1,3-trisubst. Thioharnstoffen und N-Tosyl-iminothiokohlensäuremethylester-chlorid

Structure-Analytical Investigations of Consecutive Products of Sulphonamides. VIII. About the Structure of Reaction Products from 1,1,3-Trisubst. Thioureas and N-Tosyl-iminothiocarbonic Acid Methylester Chlorides The structure of a variety of reaction products from 1,1,3-trisubstituted thioureas ( 1 a – e ) and N-tosyl-iminothiocarbonic acid methylester chlorides ( 2 ) is investigatigated with respect to whether a sequence  SO₂ NC S C (structure I ) or  SO₂ NC N C (structure I ) is form ed. The problem is solved by means of m.s. and i.r. spectra as well as the Feigl test. The results of these investigations show that structure I is formed.     

Substituierte N,N′-Bis(thiazol-2-yl)-diaminoalkane aus α-Thiocyanato-acetophenonen und N,N′-Dialkyl-diamino-alkanen

Substituted N,N′-Bis(thiazol-2-yl)-diaminoalkanes from α-Thiocyanato-acetophenones and N,N′-Dialkyl-diaminoalkanes α-Thiocyanato-acetophenones 1 react with N,N′-dialkyl-diaminoalkanes 2 in the presence of an appropriate weak acid (acetic acid, propionic acid, benzoic acid) to give the hitherto unknown N,N′-dialkyl-N,N′-bis(4-aryl-thiazol-2-yl)-diaminoalkanes 3 . As reaction medium aliphatic alcohols (ethanol, methanol), halogenated hydrocarbons (methylene chloride, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride) or dipolar-aprotic solvents (acetonitrile, dimethylformamide) can be used. - I.r., u.v., n.m.r. and mass spectroscopic data of the novel bisthiazoles 3 are reported.     

High Iron and Iron Household Protein Contents in Perineuronal Net-Ensheathed Neurons Ensure Energy Metabolism with Safe Iron Handling

A subpopulation of neurons is less vulnerable against iron-induced oxidative stress and neurodegeneration. A key feature of these neurons is a special extracellular matrix composition that forms a perineuronal net (PN). The PN has a high affinity to iron, which suggests an adapted iron sequestration and metabolism of the ensheathed neurons. Highly active, fast-firing neurons—which are often ensheathed by a PN—have a particular high metabolic demand, and therefore may have a higher need in iron. We hypothesize that PN-ensheathed neurons have a higher intracellular iron concentration and increased levels of iron proteins. Thus, analyses of cellular and regional iron and the iron proteins transferrin (Tf), Tf receptor 1 (TfR), ferritin H/L (FtH/FtL), metal transport protein 1 (MTP1 aka ferroportin), and divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) were performed on Wistar rats in the parietal cortex (PC), subiculum (SUB), red nucleus (RN), and substantia nigra (SNpr/SNpc). Neurons with a PN (PN⁺) have higher iron concentrations than neurons without a PN: PC 0.69 mM vs. 0.51 mM, SUB 0.84 mM vs. 0.69 mM, SN 0.71 mM vs. 0.63 mM (SNpr)/0.45 mM (SNpc). Intracellular Tf, TfR and MTP1 contents of PN⁺ neurons were consistently increased. The iron concentration of the PN itself is not increased. We also determined the percentage of PN⁺ neurons: PC 4%, SUB 5%, SNpr 45%, RN 86%. We conclude that PN⁺ neurons constitute a subpopulation of resilient pacemaker neurons characterized by a bustling iron metabolism and outstanding iron handling capabilities. These properties could contribute to the low vulnerability of PN⁺ neurons against iron-induced oxidative stress and degeneration.     

Design and Fabrication of Transparent and Gas‐Tight Optical Windows in Low‐Temperature Co‐Fired Ceramics

Low‐temperature co‐fired ceramics (LTCC) enable the fabrication of microfluidic elements such as channels and embedded cavities in electrical devices. Hence, LTCC facilitate the realization of complex and integrated microfluidic devices. Examples can be applied in many areas like reaction chambers for synthesis of chemical compounds. However, for many applications it is necessary to have an optically transparent interface to the surroundings. The integration of optical windows in LTCC opens up a wide field of new and innovative applications such as the observation of chemiluminescent reactions. These chemical reactions emit electromagnetic radiation and thus offer a method for noninvasive detection. Thin glasses (≤500 μm) were bonded by thermocompression onto a LTCC substrate. As the bonding agent, a glass frit paste was used. Borosilicate glasses, fused silica as well as silicon were successfully bonded onto LTCC. To join materials with a large coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch (i.e., fused silica and LTCC), it is necessary to limit the heat input to the bond interface. Therefore, a heating structure was integrated into the LTCC substrate beneath the bond interface. This bonding process provides a gas‐tight optical port with a high bond strength.     

Strukturanalytische Untersuchungen an Folgeprodukten aus Sulfonamiden. V. Infrarotspektroskopische und thermoanalytische Untersuchungen an polymorphen Modifikationen von N-substituierten S-Methyl-N′-tosyl-isothioharnstoffen

Structure-Analytical Investigations of Consecutive Products of Sulphonamides. V. Infrared Spectroscopic and Thermoanalytical Studies of Polymorphic Modifications of N-Substituted S-Methyl-N′-tosyl-isothioureas Four compounds ( 1d, 1e, 1h, 1p ) out of twelve N-substituted S-methyl-N′-tosylisothioureas were shown to form polymorphic modifications. Attempts were made to isolate each single specimen and to characterize it by means of differential scanning calorimetry and infrared spectroscopy. The results clearly revealed that both different hydrogen bonding and conformational effects are responsible for the formation of the polymorphic species. With the help of ¹⁵N labeled compounds the presence of the sulphonylimino structure in any modification was proved. The v(NH) and δ_s(SO₂) band positions are used to divide the polymorphs into two groups A and B.     

Horton and Wohl Revisited: Exploring Viewers' Experience of Parasocial Interaction

Linking back to D. Horton and R. Wohl (1956) , the present approach conceptualizes and empirically examines viewers' parasocial interaction experience with a TV performer. Causes and outcomes of parasocial interaction experience are examined. To this end, a new Experience of Parasocial Interaction (EPSI) scale is introduced. In a 2 (Bodily Addressing) × 2 (Verbal Addressing) between‐subjects experiment (N = 198) viewers reported a more intense parasocial experience if they were addressed by a TV performer on a bodily and verbal level. In addition, the more viewers perceived the performer to be attractive and the stronger their perspective‐taking ability, the more intense their parasocial experience. Stronger parasocial experience resulted in higher commitment to social norms and a greater enjoyment of the exposure situation.