Government call centers (311) were first created to reduce the volume of non-emergency calls that were being placed to emergency 911 call centers. The number of 311 call centers increased from 57 in 2008 to about 300 in 2013. Considering that there are over 2,700 municipal government units across the United States, the adoption rate of the 311 centers is arguably low in the country. This dissertation is an examination of the adoption of 311 call centers by municipal governments. My focus is specifically on why municipal governments adopt 311 and identifying which barriers result in the non-adoption of 311 call centers. This dissertation is possibly the first study to examine the adoption of 311 call centers in the United States. The dissertation study has identified several significant factors in the adoption and non-adoption of 311 government call centers. The following factors were significant in the adoption of 311 government call centers: managerial support, financial constraints, organizational responsiveness, strategic plan placement, and technology champion. The following factors were significant barriers that resulted in the non-adoption of a 311 government call center; no demand from citizens, start up costs, annual operating costs, unavailability of funding, and no obvious need for one.If local government entities that do not have a 311 government call center decide to adopt one, this study will help them identify the conditions that need to be in place for successful adoption to occur. Local government officials would first need to address the barriers in setting up the 311 call centers.

Anonymous Call Detail Records (CDR’s) from mobile phone towers provide a unique opportunity to aggregate individual location data to overall human mobility patterns. Flowminder uses this data to improve the welfare of low- and middle-income countries. The movement patterns are studied through key measurements of mobility. This thesis seeks to evaluate the estimates of key measurements obtained with mobile phone towers through simulation of continuous human movement on a linear network. Simulation is made with an agent based approach. Spatial point processes are used to distribute continuous start points of the agents on the linear network. The start point is then equipped with a mark, a path with an end point dependent on the start point. A path from the start point to the end point of an agent is modeled with a Markov Decision Process. The simulated human movement can then be captured with different types of mobile phone tower distributions realized from spatial point processes. The thesis will initially consider homogeneous Poisson and Simple Sequential Inhibition (SSI) processes on a plane and then introduce local clusters (heterogeneity) with Matérn Cluster and SSI processes. The goal of the thesis is to investigate the effects of change in mobile phone tower distribution and call frequency on the estimates of key measurements of mobility. The effects of call frequency are unclear and invite more detailed study. The results suggest that a decrease in the total number of towers generally worsens the estimates and that introducing local clusters also has a negative effect on the estimates. The presented methodology provides a flexible and new way to model continuous human movement along a linear network.

Living in tune with nature means respecting the natural environment and realizing its power and the ways it manifests in daily life. This essay focuses on the ways in which respect for nature is expressed through animal imagery in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, Mark Twain's "The Stolen White Elephant," Roughing It, and Pudd'nhead Wilson, and Jack London's The Call of the Wild. Each author encouraged readers to seek the benefits of nature in order to become better human beings, forge stronger communities, and develop a more unified nation and world. By learning from the positive example of the animals, we learn how to share our world with them and with each other.

[pt] Pesquisa de caráter micro-analítico, utiliza os pressupostos da Sociolingüística Interacional para descrever e analisar o discurso oral institucional com o objetivo de estudar a quebra da expectativa do público no contexto de um serviço de atendimento telefônico encarregado da captação de anúncios classificados. Na construção dos dados, foram realizadas visitas à editora, entrevistas, consultas à documentos de pesquisa de mercado de propriedade da empresa e gravações dos atendimentos em áudio. Os resultados mostram que a quebra da expectativa do público em relação à empresa ocorre pela dissonância entre a prática e a publicidade veiculada pela empresa, por alinhamentos conflitantes entre os interesses da empresa versus os interesses do público e pelo enquadre assimétrico que coloca o público em posição secundária. Paralelamente aos traços lingüísticos, evidenciam-se os aspectos ético- filosóficos e mercadológicos subjacentes a encontros de serviço desta natureza que suscitam uma reflexão acerca da contribuição de posturas responsáveis na gestão de empresas em favor de uma melhor qualidade de vida. / [en] Case study based on Interactional Sociolinguistics principles, dealing with a micro-analysis of talk-in- interaction to investigate the defeat of expectation in the institutional discourse of a call-center service for classified ads. Data generating methods include field notes taken during visits to the company premises and interviews with some of the staff members; marketing research documents reading procedures and telephone call-service recordings and transcriptions. Data analysis has shown that the defeat of expectation built up by the public is due to cognitive dissonance between the actual vehicle practice and its publicity, as well as conflicting footings and asymmetrical alignments concerning the customers. Alongside linguistic traits, evidence of ethical and marketing aspects in this kind of institutional interaction points to the centrality of business ethics for more responsible management and better quality of life.

The purpose of this project is to address the problems and improve English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning for the students of Korea by contrasting cultural similarities and differences and the same time utilizing computer-based instruction learning.

La croissance de la taille des porte-conteneurs et leur déploiement sur les grandes routes maritimes mondiales est une réalité. Actuellement, la croissance de la capacité des porte-conteneurs a atteint 21 413 EVP, et les carnets de commandes laissent présager une tendance vers des navires encore plus grands. Par exemple, le transporteur CMA CGM devrait recevoir neuf nouveaux porte-conteneurs de 23 000 EVP d'ici la fin de l’année 2020. L’objectif de ce mémoire est de caractériser le mouvement des méga porte-conteneurs sur plusieurs routes maritimes, avec différents transporteurs et régions du monde. Cet objectif comporte deux volets; le premier porte sur l’analyse de la variabilité du temps des escales de méga-navires dans les ports, et le deuxième fait l’étude de la planification des routes de méga-navires pour les transporteurs maritimes. Les données historiques du mouvement d'un grand échantillon de méga-navires ont été analysées en vue de répondre à une série de questions permettant de structurer la recherche. Cette dernière permettra entre autres d’identifier les ports recevant des escales de méga-navires, d’évaluer la variabilité des temps d’escale ainsi que de présenter l’architecture des routes maritimes de ce type de navires. Enfin, cette étude permet de différencier la productivité des ports d'escale, des régions du monde et des transporteurs sur plusieurs routes maritimes. / The growth in the size of container vessels and their deployment is a reality. Currently, the growth of container ships is at 21 413 TEUs, and the order books for ever larger vessels portend an even greater trend towards larger vessels. For instance, CMA CGM will be delivered nine new 23 000 TEU container ships by the end of 2020. The objective of this paper is to characterize the movement of ultra-large container vessels (ULCV) on several shipping routes, with different carriers and regions of the world. This objective is two-fold; the first part deals with the variability of the dwell time of ULCV in the ports, and the second deals with the planning of ULCV routes for each maritime carrier. Historical data of the movement of a large sample of ULCV was analysed with a view to address a series of key issues. Here are some of these issues: What are the mains ports of call? What is the variability of dwell time between the ports of call? What are the routing patterns of mega containers vessels? This study will allow us to differentiate productivity of different ports of call, regions and shipping carriers on many shipping lanes.

Les centres d’appels sont des éléments clés de presque n’importe quelle grande organisation. Le problème de gestion du travail a reçu beaucoup d’attention dans la littérature. Une formulation typique se base sur des mesures de performance sur un horizon infini, et le problème d’affectation d’agents est habituellement résolu en combinant des méthodes d’optimisation et de simulation. Dans cette thèse, nous considérons un problème d’affection d’agents pour des centres d’appels soumis a des contraintes en probabilité. Nous introduisons une formulation qui exige que les contraintes de qualité de service (QoS) soient satisfaites avec une forte probabilité, et définissons une approximation de ce problème par moyenne échantillonnale dans un cadre de compétences multiples. Nous établissons la convergence de la solution du problème approximatif vers celle du problème initial quand la taille de l’échantillon croit. Pour le cas particulier où tous les agents ont toutes les compétences (un seul groupe d’agents), nous concevons trois méthodes d’optimisation basées sur la simulation pour le problème de moyenne échantillonnale. Étant donné un niveau initial de personnel, nous augmentons le nombre d’agents pour les périodes où les contraintes sont violées, et nous diminuons le nombre d’agents pour les périodes telles que les contraintes soient toujours satisfaites après cette réduction. Des expériences numériques sont menées sur plusieurs modèles de centre d’appels à faible occupation, au cours desquelles les algorithmes donnent de bonnes solutions, i.e. la plupart des contraintes en probabilité sont satisfaites, et nous ne pouvons pas réduire le personnel dans une période donnée sont introduire de violation de contraintes. Un avantage de ces algorithmes, par rapport à d’autres méthodes, est la facilité d’implémentation. / Call centers are key components of almost any large organization. The problem of labor management has received a great deal of attention in the literature. A typical formulation of the staffing problem is in terms of infinite-horizon performance measures. The method of combining simulation and optimization is used to solve this staffing problem. In this thesis, we consider a problem of staffing call centers with respect to chance constraints. We introduce chance-constrained formulations of the scheduling problem which requires that the quality of service (QoS) constraints are met with high probability. We define a sample average approximation of this problem in a multiskill setting. We prove the convergence of the optimal solution of the sample-average problem to that of the original problem when the sample size increases. For the special case where we consider the staffing problem and all agents have all skills (a single group of agents), we design three simulation-based optimization methods for the sample problem. Given a starting solution, we increase the staffings in periods where the constraints are violated, and decrease the number of agents in several periods where decrease is acceptable, as much as possible, provided that the constraints are still satisfied. For the call center models in our numerical experiment, these algorithms give good solutions, i.e., most constraints are satisfied, and we cannot decrease any agent in any period to obtain better results. One advantage of these algorithms, compared with other methods, that they are very easy to implement.

Táto práca sa zaoberá návrhom a implementáciou nástroja, ktorý umožní používať klasické 3D OpenGL aplikácie na tzv. autostereoskopických displayoch s plným využitím ich hĺbkových možností a s minimálnym zásahom od užívateľa. Nástrojom je konverzná vrstva, ktorá umožní transparentne beh OpenGL aplikácií s interným rozšírením o vykreslenie z viacerých pohľadov vo formáte, vhodnom pre 3D display. Motiváciou tejto diplomovej práce je potenciálne rozšírenie tzv. autostereskopických displayov, ktoré je v súčasnosti závislé na cene a dostupnosti špecializovaných aplikácií pre tieto displaye. Text práce sa zaoberá dizajnom takejto vrstvy z pohľadu nutných API volaní, ktoré je potrebné korektne prepísať, aby aplikácie, vytvorené pomocou jednotlivých verzii štandardu OpenGL, pracovali správne, ako aj popisom problémov, ktoré vznikajú použitím rôznych vykreslovacích techník, a ktoré sú motiváciou pre komplexnejšie chovanie nástroja. Na záver práce sú ukážky konverzie programov, dopad na výkonnosť, ako aj identifikácia nedostatkov konverznej vrstvy s návrhmi možných riešení pre ďalší vývoj.

The thesis described the proposal for a wireless network problems. There are recorded and compared the characteristics of different wireless technologies. The possibility of voice communication securing is outlined and solutions implemented in the form of ZRTP protocol. The requirements for quality of service are discussed and the solutions to this issue are proposed. Other chapters are devoted to the actual design of specific equipment, including antennas and advance resource. The whole network is practically implemented in the mountainous countryside of eastern Wallachia. In conclusion, this work is network mate in terms of QoS (quality of service) and tested in terms of prioritization of voice communication.

The work deals with design of system for monitoring elderly people. The final product of this thesis will be used to ensure protection of old person´s health. The device will also remind water regime, taking of medicine, measure gas concentration and it will make an emergency call or send an emergency SMS. It will inform an old person about time and date and it will also be working in case of power fail.