Augmenting Agent Platforms to Facilitate Conversation Reasoning

Within Multi Agent Systems, communication by means of Agent Communication Languages (ACLs) has a key role to play in the co-operation, co-ordination and knowledge-sharing between agents. Despite this, complex reasoning about agent messaging, and specifically about conversations between agents, tends not to have widespread support amongst general-purpose agent programming languages. ACRE (Agent Communication Reasoning Engine) aims to complement the existing logical reasoning capabilities of agent programming languages with the capability of reasoning about complex interaction protocols in order to facilitate conversations between agents. This paper outlines the aims of the ACRE project and gives details of the functioning of a prototype implementation within the Agent Factory multi agent framework

Alternative project delivery in rural Alaska: experiences, quality and claims

Master's Project (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2015The popularity of alternative project delivery systems has expanded beyond the private sector and into the public sector. Alaska embodies unique challenges that may present obstacles while using alternative project delivery systems. This analysis will provide an understanding of alternative project delivery systems in Alaska and how local experiences, quality and claims are affected. Alaska's unique characteristics present both challenges and opportunities for implementing alternative project delivery systems. This report begins with a discussion of experiences from several rural Alaska projects, and how alternative project delivery systems can be utilized. Some impacts that alternative project delivery systems have on quality are then presented, including a perspective on quality and recommendations for achieving customer satisfaction. A treatment of construction claims is then provided, followed by conclusions and recommendations for stakeholders in selecting an appropriate project delivery system. Alternative project delivery systems were researched by means of scholarly literature reviews, professional interviews and seminars. The report of these findings is intended to provide owners and contractors with a concise presentation of the challenges and advantages for using alternative project delivery systems in Alaska

2018-2019 New Faculty Handbook

Welcome to Missouri S&T! We are delighted that you are here. Missouri S&T is committed to helping you succeed. In this Handbook you will find the resources that will not only help you become familiar with the campus, but also will enhance your teaching, research, and service endeavors. The following pages identify resources ranging from a map of the campus and a directory of contact information for key offices on campus to the schedule of Early Career Faculty Forum events for the academic year and some helpful tips on teaching. Some of the offices identified in the handbook will have representatives at the New Faculty Orientation resource fair on Friday. All of us in the Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence are ready to assist with any questions that you have as you begin your careers at Missouri S&T. As our mission statement makes clear, we promote the success of Missouri S&T faculty as teaching-scholars at all stages of their careers. We look forward to meeting you and getting to know about your goals and how we can assist you in reaching them. Larry Gragg, CAFE Chair Wayne Huebner, CAFE Co-Chair Abby Bigg, Coordinator Diane Hagni, Administrative Assistanthttps://scholarsmine.mst.edu/cafe_resources/1000/thumbnail.jp

Performance-Based Specifications: Exploring When They Work and Why

There is extensive research and attention on innovation and sustainable public procurement (SPP) in the European Union at present, with the 2014 revision of the Procurement Directives, the Innovation Union strategy and other European Union policy initiatives. This report seeks to contribute to this discussion through the investigation of the use of performance based specifications (PBSs) in public procurement in the European Union and the United States. The report outlines the benefits and limitations of the use of PBSs, even in the most "progressive" public procurement environments, such as the Netherlands, particularly around their ability to support sustainable development goals and deliver environmental benefits for a procuring authority, such as energy and resource efficiency. Additionally, this report aims to identify the sectors in which the enabling conditions for the successful use of PBSs in public procurement are in place and to understand what policies and regulations are needed to promote the use of PBSs in public tenders and public procurement framework agreements

Ciri-ciri yang mempengaruhi pelatih aliran kemahiran untuk menjadi seorang usahawan : satu tinjauan di Institut Kemahiran Mara Lumut, Manjung Perak

Kajian ini beijudul "Ciri-ciri yang Mempengaruhi Pelatih Aliran Kemahiran Untuk Menjadi Seorang Usahawan : Satu Tinjauan di Institut Kemahiran Mara Lumut, Manjung Perak. Tujuan kajian ini ialah untuk menilai sejauhmana tahap ciriciri usahawan di kaiangan pelatih IKM untuk menjadi seorang usahawan daripada lima aspek ciri-ciri usahawan iaitu kemahiran berkomunikasi, kemahiran berfikir, kemahiran merancang dan mentadbir, bermotivasi dan ilmu dalam bidang keusahawanan. Kajian ini adalah berbentuk deskriptif. Instrumen yang digunakan di dalam kajian adalah borang soal selidik. Sampel kajian terdiri daripada 48 orang pelatih semester akhir kursus Kejuruteraan Awam (Bangunan). Data-data kajian dianalisa dengan menggunakan program SPSS Versi 11.0 for windows dan dianalisis daripada soal selidik ke dalam bentuk min dan frekuensi. Keseluruhan hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa pelatih-pelatih mempunyai ciri-ciri keusahawanan yang tinggi berdasarkan skor min keseluruhan (skor min = 4.06). Akhir sekali, pengkaji mencadangkan agar diwujudkan satu senarai semak yang boleh digunakan sebagai kriteria untuk menilai sama ada terdapat ciri-ciri usahawan di kaiangan pelatih dan dicadangkan supaya kajian ini dilanjutkan ke seluruh Pusat Latihan Kemahiran yang lain di Malaysia

Structured Literature Review of Design-Build/Bridging, Design-Bid-Build & Design-Build

This paper is a systematic literature review of journal papers and articles on the three project delivery systems (PDS), design-build/bridging (bridging), design-bid-build (DBB) and design-build (DB). Mean estimated project cost, project schedule and market share for these three types of PDS were studied and a comparison is shown in this paper. Upon the comparative study, the benefits of bridging over DBB are outlined. The paper finds out that despite the benefits of bridging over DBB, very few projects in the industry have used this system as a choice of project delivery. This is due to lack of information on this project delivery method among the construction industry professionals. Hence, structured literature review, combined with cost and schedule data comparisons, has highlighted the advantages and disadvantages of the bridging method of project delivery. The scope of this research is limited to projects in the United States

Selling to NASA

This handbook is designed to promote a better understanding of NASA's interests and the process of doing business with NASA. The document is divided into the following sections: (1) this is NASA; (2) the procurement process; (3) marketing your capabilities; (4) special assistance programs; (5) NASA field installations; (6) sources of additional help; (7) listing of NASA small/minority business personnel; and (8) NASA organization chart

An assessment of General Aviation utilization of advanced avionics technology

Needs of the general aviation industry for services and facilities which might be supplied by NASA were examined. In the data collection phase, twenty-one individuals from nine manufacturing companies in general aviation were interviewed against a carefully prepared meeting format. General aviation avionics manufacturers were credited with a high degree of technology transfer from the forcing industries such as television, automotive, and computers and a demonstrated ability to apply advanced technology such as large scale integration and microprocessors to avionics functions in an innovative and cost effective manner. The industry's traditional resistance to any unnecessary regimentation or standardization was confirmed. Industry's self sufficiency in applying advanced technology to avionics product development was amply demonstrated. NASA research capability could be supportive in areas of basic mechanics of turbulence in weather and alternative means for its sensing

FDTL voices : drawing from learning and teaching projects

This publication draws on insights and experiences from individuals and teams within learning and teaching development projects in higher education. It considers lessons learnt from the processes, outcomes and tangible outputs of the projects across the spectrum of the FDTL initiative, with the intention that colleagues can draw on and benefit from this experience. The overriding theme at the heart of every FDTL project has been the desire to achieve some form of positive and meaningful change at the level of the individual, institution or discipline. The continuing legacy of the programme has been to create wider community involvement as projects have engaged with the higher education sector on multiple levels - personal, institutional, practice, and policy. This publication has remained throughout a collaborative endeavour, supported by Academy colleagues. It is based around the four themes emerging from the initiative as a whole: • Sectoral/Organisational Change • Conceptual Change • Professional and Personal Development Partnership and • Project Managemen