The substance of interaction: design and policy implications of NGO- government projects in India

Collaboration between government and non-government organizations has been a recurrent feature of many development interventions in India. This paper is based on case studies of 11 such programs.Non-governmental organizations India., Government., India Economic development.,

Deployment of Heterogeneous Swarm Robotic Agents Using a Task-Oriented Utility-Based Algorithm

In a swarm robotic system, the desired collective behavior emerges from local decisions made by robots, themselves, according to their environment. Swarm robotics is an emerging area that has attracted many researchers over the last few years. It has been proven that a single robot with multiple capabilities cannot complete an intended job within the same time frame as that of multiple robotic agents. A swarm of robots, each one with its own capabilities, are more flexible, robust, and cost-effective than an individual robot. As a result of a comprehensive investigation of the current state of swarm robotic research, this dissertation demonstrates how current swarm deployment systems lack the ability to coordinate heterogeneous robotic agents. Moreover, this dissertation's objective shall define the starting point of potential algorithms that lead to the development of a new software environment interface. This interface will assign a set of collaborative tasks to the swarm system without being concerned about the underlying hardware of the heterogeneous robotic agents. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop a task-oriented software application that facilitates the rapid deployment of multiple robotic agents. The task solutions are created at run-time, and executed by the agents in a centralized or decentralized fashion. Tasks are fractioned into smaller sub-tasks which are, then, assigned to the optimal number of robots using a novel Robot Utility Based Task Assignment (RUTA) algorithm. The system deploys these robots using it's application program interfaces (API's) and uploads programs that are integrated with a small routine code. The embedded routine allows robots to configure solutions when the decentralized approach is adopted. In addition, the proposed application also offers customization of robotic platforms by simply defining the available sensing and actuation devices. Another objective of the system is to improve code and component reusability to reduce efforts in deploying tasks to swarm robotic agents. Usage of the proposed framework prevents the need to redesign or rewrite programs should any changes take place in the robot's platform

Reinforcement Learning

Brains rule the world, and brain-like computation is increasingly used in computers and electronic devices. Brain-like computation is about processing and interpreting data or directly putting forward and performing actions. Learning is a very important aspect. This book is on reinforcement learning which involves performing actions to achieve a goal. The first 11 chapters of this book describe and extend the scope of reinforcement learning. The remaining 11 chapters show that there is already wide usage in numerous fields. Reinforcement learning can tackle control tasks that are too complex for traditional, hand-designed, non-learning controllers. As learning computers can deal with technical complexities, the tasks of human operators remain to specify goals on increasingly higher levels. This book shows that reinforcement learning is a very dynamic area in terms of theory and applications and it shall stimulate and encourage new research in this field

Best Practices for Constitutional Government Under the South Korean Framework of Democratic Experimentalism

South Korea has been one of the most successful newborn republics since 1948, and yet, since the new millennium, it has been embroiled in a controversy over the issues of constitutionalism and successful government, with the public expressing concerns about transparency, democracy, and competitiveness. Of particular concern is the public\u27s perception of constitutional government. The purpose of this study was to better understand the elements of governmental success and best practices for constitutionalism in the country\u27s framework of democratic experimentalism. Three prongs of inquiry rooted in the democratic experimentalist tradition (lessons learned from private governance, national institutions, and new concepts of rights) were examined. Dorf and Sabel\u27s theory of constitution of democratic experimentalism was used to help answer the research question, which was, how democratic experimentalism supports constitutional government in South Korea. Data were collected through interviews with 16 legal/government professionals under the age of 40, and then coded and thematically analyzed. Findings identified 9 identified key themes as vital for the success of constitutional government in South Korea. Results suggest that constitutionalism and democratic experimentation need to be considered together when seeking to understand the South Korean constitutional government. Implications for positive social change include helping future investigators to better interpret the Korean constitutional system and supporting decision makers and public servants in making better informed decisions to further more democratic and transparent government