Prospects of Cross-Border Cooperation in Europe: Capacity-Building and the Operating Principle of “Horizontal Subsidiarity”

Based on a reflection of the seven central challenges which all cross- border territories in Europe are facing in practice, the article analyses how cross-border cooperation in Europe could be improved in the future. Two central fields are interpreted in this regard: training/facilitating and applied interdisciplinary research. The article suggests that a more effective cross-border policymaking of the future depends on a systemic capacity-building, based on the new operating principle of »horizontal subsidiarity«. For the moment being, cross-border cooperation is only a functional sub-system, created by and largely depending on contributions coming from the states involved. Horizontal subsidiarity, combined with new approaches such as territorial impact assessment, multi-level governance or joint interest representation would allow for a better development of an integrated cross-border policymaking, based on the real challenges and potentialities of a 360° perspective on the cross-border territory

Autonomous communicative behaviors in avatars

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Media Arts & Sciences, 1997.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-50).by Hannes Högni Vihjálmsson.M.S

WORD BOMBS: THE USE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNTER DOMESTIC VIOLENT EXTREMISM

This thesis investigates how implementing strategic communications can counter domestic violent extremist (DVE) behavior in the United States. Strategic communications use counter-messaging based on research and intelligence of the group’s behaviors and perceptions. To develop strategic communications to counter violence, this thesis explores narratives, how they work, their persuasiveness, and how emotions play a role in influencing others. Extremists use social media to propagate images depicting violence and language promoting physical violence. This thesis explores inoculation strategies, nudge theory, psychological and social approaches, and counternarratives to counter DVEs. Reasoned action theory is used as a template for determining how background information, beliefs, and intentions form extremists’ behavior and action. Four case studies are presented using DVE group examples from anarchists, Proud Boys, Boogaloo Boys, and Atomwaffen. Each case study looks at the group’s ideology, violence, social media, demographics, and narratives to better understand the group’s themes. Next, using the reasoned action theory model as well as knowledge of the group and messaging theme, the thesis provides an example of how to craft a counternarrative. This thesis recommends that government and law enforcement invest in inoculation and nudge strategies as well as artificial intelligence, and create special strategic communication teams or units.Civilian, Washington County Sheriff's OfficeApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

SUREVEG - Strip-cropping and recycling of waste for biodiverse and resoURce-Efficient intensive VEGetable production

The rise in demand for organically grown vegetables requires further optimization of the current organic cultivation systems, with even more attention for biodiversity and soil fertility. That is why this year the new, European partnership SUREVEG is starting. The focus is on strip-cropping and on the use of vegetable residual streams as soil improvers and as fertilizers

Selección de socios en las Empresas Virtuales Dinámicas

En el presente documento se describen los aspectos más importantes asociados a la aplicación software DVEBreeder. Esta herramienta ha sido creada expresamente para facilitar el proceso de selección de socios en las Empresas Virtuales Dinámicas utilizando, para ello, dos tecnologías procedentes del ámbito de la Inteligencia Artificial, como son los Sistemas Multiagente y los Sistemas Expertos. En dicha aplicación el proceso de selección se realiza en base a un modelo que engloba y amplía las posibilidades de los distintos enfoques existentes en la literatura, y en el que se hace uso del reciente concepto de Entornos de Gestación.Departamento de Informátic

Monitoring middleware for distributed applications

With growing maturity Internet services are proving integral to the provision of computer services. To provide consistent end-user experiences these services are increasingly augmented with some notion of 'Quality-of-Service' (QoS), which typically requires the management of computing resources to maintain a predictable level of service performance. It is difficult to guarantee consistent servIce provision In dynamic and open environments such as the Internet. However service monitoring can be used to inform compensatory actions by collecting meaningful service performance data from strategic points in an active service environment. Due to the unpredictable nature of the Internet distributed monitoring mechanisms face challenges with respect to the various communication protocols, application languages, and monitoring requirements associated with a service environment. With the growing popularity of Internet services creation of monitoring solutions on a per- service basis becomes time-consuming and misses opportunities to re-use existing logic. Ideally monitoring solutions would be domain-agnostic, automatically generated and automatically deployed. This thesis progresses these ambitions by providing a generic, distributed monitoring and evaluation framework based on Metric Collector (MeCo) components. These components can transparently gather measurement data across a range of service technologies as used within E-Commerce service environments. MeCo components form part of a framework which can interpret Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to automatically provide tailored service monitoring. The evaluation paradigms of the Meeo Framework are re-appropriated for use in Distributed Virtual Environments (DYEs). Quantifiable QoS requirements are established for Interest Management mechanisms (which limit message production based on object localities within a DYE). These are then incorporated into a DVE Simulator application. This application allows DYE application developers to evaluate Interest Management configurations for their suitability. Extensions to the DVE Simulator are exhibited in the Evolutionary Optimisation Simulator (EOS), which provides automated optimisation capabilities for DVE configurations through utilisation of genetic algorithm techniques.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Development of context-sensitive user interfaces

Dobro dizajniran, intuitivan i privlačan za korišćenje korisnički interfejs predstavlja ključni faktor uspeha računarskih proizvoda i sistema. Radi unapređenja razvoja i upotrebljivosti korisničkih interfejsa potrebno je uzeti u obzir karakteristike korisnika. Ovo zahteva interdisciplinaran pristup i korišćenje znanja iz različitih oblasti kao što su računarske, saznajne i biološke nauke. Pored toga, potrebno je uzeti u obzir karakteristike medija i fizičkog okruženja u kojem se odvija interakcija čoveka i računara. Razvoj korisničkog interfejsa treba da uvaži i karakteristike hardverskih uređaja koji se koriste u komunikaciji sa korisnikom, dostupne softverske resurse, kao i karakteristike programskih sistema koji treba da koriste korisnički interfejs. U skladu sa tim, uvodi se pojam kontekstno-osetljivog interfejsa koji se definiše kao korisnički interfejs koji je prilagodljiv kontekstu interakcije sa konkretnim korisnikom. Kontekst interakcije čine tri klase entiteta: korisnik računarskog sistema (čovek); hardverska i softverska platforma pomoću kojih korisnici interaguju sa sistemom i fizičko okruženje u kojem se odigrava interakcija sa sistemom. Posmatrajući evoluciju razvoja softvera uočavamo povećanje nivoa apstrakcije na kojem se softver opisuje. Dostignuti nivo razvoja omogućava platformski nezavisnu specifikaciju softvera koja se postepeno ili automatizovano prevodi u izvršne aplikacije za različite softverske i hardverske platforme. Arhitektura upravljana modelima, koja se koristi za razvoj složenih programskih rešenja, hijerarhijski organizuje koncepte i modele u više nivoa apstrakcije. Ovo je posebno bitno imajući u vidu da je razvoj kontekstno-osetljivih korisničkih interfejsa složen proces koji uključuje modelovanje velikog broja elemenata na različitim nivoima apstrakcije. U ovoj tezi smo istraživali problem unapređenja razvoja kontekstno-osetljivih korisničkih interfejsa. Predloženo je rešenje koje omogućava automatizaciju razvoja korisničkog interfejsa prilagođenog kontekstu interakcije čoveka i računara. Rešenje se ogleda u proširenju jezika za modelovanje, standardnog procesa razvoja softverskih sistema (Unified proces) i razvojnih alata elementima specifičnim za interakciju čoveka i računara. U skladu sa prethodnim, razvijen je model kontekstno-osetljive interakcije čoveka i računara i predloženi su modeli korisničkih interfejsa na različitim nivoima apstrakcije. Zbog standardizacije, široke prihvaćenosti, i dostupnosti razvojnih alata, odlučili smo se za proširenje UML (Unified Modeling Language) jezika za modelovanje i ATL (Atlas Transformation Language) jezika za transformacije modela. Primena predloženog pristupa je demonstrirana na primerima dve studije slučaja iz različitih domena...Well-designed, intuitive and catchy-to-use user interface represents key issue of success of computer products and systems. In order to improve development and usability of user interfaces it is needed to take into account user’s charasteristics. This entails interdisciplinary approach and use of knowledge from different fields such as computing, cognitive and biological sciences. In addition, it is needed to consider features of the physical environment and the medium in which interaction between human and computer takes place. Development of user interface must include characteristics of hardware devices employed in interaction with the user, availabale software resources, as well as characteristics of software systems using the interface. According to stated, concept of context-sensitive user interface is introduced, defined as a user interface adaptable to context of interaction with concrete user. Context of interaction is decomposed into three classes of entitites: user of a computer system (human); hardware and software platforms by which users interact with the system and physical environment in which interaction with system happens. Looking at the evolution of software development, we can notice that the abstraction level on which software is described is increasing all the time. The latest trend is to specify software using platform-independent models, which are then gradually and (semi-) automatically transformed into executable applications for different platforms and target devices. Modeldriven architecture, used for development of complex software solutions, hierarchically organizes concepts and models into multiple abstraction levels. This is especially important regarding development of context-sensitive user interfaces which appears to be a complex process involved with modeling of a large number of elements on different abstraction levels. In this thesis, we have been exploring problem concerned with the improvement of development of context-sensitive user interfaces. Solution enabling automation of development of user interface adaptable to context of interaction between human and computer is proposed. Solution includes extensions of modelling language, standard software development process (Unified process) and development tools with the elements specific for human-computer interaction. Based on previous, model of context-sensitive human-computer interaction has been developed and user interface models on different abstraction levels have been proposed. For reasons of standardization, wide acceptance and availability of development tools, we have decided to extend UML (Unified Modeling Language) modeling language and ATL (Atlas Transformation Language) language for model transformations. Application of the proposed approach is demonstrated with examples of two case studies from different domains..

Organisational challenges for local maize value chains in the biobased economy

Societal challenges drive an increased interest to transform our fossil resources based to a biobased economy, in which biomass is used for the production of bioenergy and biomaterials. Research aiming to enhance this biobased economy often focuses on the technical and techno-economic aspects of converting biomass into value-added biobased products, but fails to take into account non-technical aspects, such as the organizational challenges related to local biomass value chains. These organizational challenges originate from the unique characteristics of the biomass itself, and those of the economic agents involved in the value chain. In this dissertation, we therefore focused on the organizational aspects of local biomass value chains for new applications within the biobased economy. We used local maize value chains in Flanders as case-study. Our research integrated findings from qualitative research with simulation results from a quantitative dynamic modelling approach, being agent-based modelling. We demonstrated the importance of the local context in the trade of silage maize, and identified several organizational challenges that need to be addressed for the development of a corn stover value chain in Flanders. This allows us to formulate five practical recommendations for practitioners: (1) try to work with intermediaries when you are a new entrant into an already existing local biomass value chain; (2) retain an adequate level of flexibility; (3) make a well-considered choice about the organizational form of new value chains; (4) make sure all stakeholders are involved when developing new local biomass value chains for new applications in the biobased economy; and (5) pay special attention to create trust and enthusiasm for the new value chain amongst all stakeholders involved. In general, we advocate a value chain perspective when developing new local biomass value chains for the biobased economy

“Getting the agencies together”: a qualitative study of the professionals’ perceptions of collaboration in prevention of juvenile criminality

Interagency collaboration is increasingly recognized as an effective approach in prevention of crimes among young population. Sweden along with Denmark and Norway was among the pioneers in introducing the platform for information exchange between social services, schools, police and the recreational centers for youth, those agencies having the primary contact with young people. In doing so, the professionals involved found a way to address the issue of juvenile criminality together, pooling the resources and collecting essential information that they would otherwise not be able to access on their own. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of relevant professionals from social services, schools, police and the recreational centers on collaboration in prevention of juvenile criminality in the city of Gothenburg. In particular, understand professionals’ perspectives on their roles in collaboration, reflect on its strengths and weaknesses, and discover the role of a coordinator. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 respondents (including one e-mail interview) representing each of the agencies and the coordinators. Insights from the Ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) and the Craftsmanship theory of interagency collaboration (Bardach, 1998) were borrowed as a theoretical framework for the current study. Content analysis as an analytic strategy allowed to identify the recurring themes in the empirical data. The findings allowed to conclude that collaboration was conceptualized by professionals as an effective approach featuring trust, mutual understanding of the roles and responsibilities, communication and continuous information sharing as the pillars of collaboration. The dominating perceptions of collaboration related to the comprehensive character and integrated approach it has. In particular, collaboration was recognized as a platform for information exchange between partners, collective decision-making, and early identification of youth at risk with each partner’s contribution equally important. The study recognized that coordinators are assigned critical roles in collaboration, such as performing organizational responsibilities along with the casework. However, varying time commitments significantly affect their ability to answer the expectations of the team members. Coordinators and team members had similar expectations as to the skills, personal qualities and knowledge that coordinators should possess, yet, their points of view divided with regards to coordinator’s qualification. Despite general encouragement of collaborative practice and desire to work together, the study revealed significant barriers to collaboration, such as issues with information sharing and confidentiality, insufficient communication, police reorganization, power relations and status differences, inadequate follow up of the cases as well as problems related to prioritizing collaboration