Evaluation of team dynamic in Norwegian projects for IT students

The need for teaching realistic software development in project courses has increased in a global scale. It has always been challenges in cooperating fast-changing software technologies, development methodologies and teamwork. Moreover, such project courses need to be designed in the connection to existing theoretical courses. We performed a large-scale research on student performance in Software Engineering projects in Norwegian universities. This paper investigates four aspects of team dynamics, which are team reflection, leadership, decision making and task assignment in order to improve student learning. Data was collected from student projects in 4 years at two universities. We found that some leader's characteristics are perceived differently for female and male leaders, including the perception of leaders as skilful workers or visionaries. Leadership is still a challenging aspect to teach, and assigned leadership is probably not the best way to learn. Students is are performing well in task review, however, needs support while performing task assignment. The result also suggests that task management to be done in more fine-grained levels. It is also important to maintain an open and active discussion to facilitate effective group decision makings

Diverging Paths: Transition in the Presence of the Informal Sector

This work suggests a development of the seminal model of transition from plan to market economy by Aghion and Blanchard (1994). We introduce an informal sector to show that its presence can generate qualitatively di?erent steady states, to which the economy converges in the end of transition. Two types of transitional dynamics are considered, and it is argued that they can help explain di?erences in evolution of formal and informal output exhibited, on the one hand, by East European countries and, on the other hand, by the former Soviet Union republics such as Russia or Ukraine.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/40075/3/wp689.pd

Ubiquitous Sensor Networks in IMS: an Ambient Intelligence Telco Platform

Ubiquitous Sensor Network (USN) concept describes the integration of heterogeneous and geographically dispersed Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks (WS&AN) into rich information infrastructures for accurate representation and access to different dynamic user’s physical contexts. This relatively new concept envisions future Sensor-Based Services leading to market disruptive innovations in a broad range of application domains, mainly personal (lifestyle assistants), community (professional users) and industrial domains. The support for this broad range of innovative Ambient Intelligence services urgently demands a standardized access to different WS&AN, and Telco Operators have an opportunity to lead this technological challenge as they evolve towards future Next-Generation Networks. Telefónica Research and Development is a leading innovation company that provides communication services for businesses and consumers. Networks and Service Platforms is a major Telefónica I+D innovation area where new Service Architectures and Platforms concepts are essential for the development of services with a high differentiation value. This contribution describes Telefónica I+D activities directed to the design of an Ambient Intelligence Platform integrating USN concepts over NGN architectures. In our view IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) concepts can enable and promote a first generation of Sensor-Based Services where multimedia interactive sessions are enriched with contextual information from WS&ANs. To this end three major design criteria are addressed at three different levels. At the application layer, OMA Service Environment and OGC Sensor Web Enablement are combined to define a specific USN Service Enabler. At the communication, management and control level WS&AN Gateways are defined for integrating WS&ANs infrastructures into all-IP IMS environments. While at the lower level, data and meta-data exchanges with different WS&ANs entities are homogeneously represented using OGC® SensorML standard. Finally this paper concludes by discussing some preliminary business opportunities we foresee for the proposed Platform

Distance support in-service engineering for the high energy laser

The U.S. Navy anticipates moving to a shipboard high-energy laser program of record in the fiscal year 2018 and achieving an initial operational capability by 2020. The design of a distance support capability within the high-energy laser system was expected to assist the Navy in reaching this goal. This capstone project explored the current Navy architecture for distance support and applied system engineering methodologies to develop a conceptual distance support framework with application to the high-energy laser system. A model and simulation of distance support functions were developed and used to analyze the feasibility in terms of performance, cost, and risk. Results of this capstone study showed that the implementation of distance support for the high-energy laser system is feasible and would reduce the total ownership cost over the life of the program. Furthermore, the capstone shows that moving toward the team’s recommended distance support framework will address current gaps in the Navy distance support architecture and will provide a methodology tailored to modern enterprise naval systems.http://archive.org/details/distancesupporti1094545248Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Arts, Health and Well-Being across the Military Continuum

Is there an active, meaningful role for the arts and creative arts therapies in addressing this vast array of critical human readiness issues across the military continuum? In general, "readiness" is the #1 issue for the military at all times. The connection of the arts to the human dimension of readiness is key. Military leaders say we need every weapon in our arsenal to meet the many challenges we face today. However, one of the most powerful tools we have in our arsenal -- the arts -- is often under-utilized and not well understood within the military and the healthcare system. The arts and creative arts therapists are -- and have been -- a part of military tradition and missions across all branches, supporting military health services, wellness, and mission readiness, including family support. For example, the War Department ordered the use of music in rehabilitation for the war wounded in World War II. In June 1945, the Department of War issued "Technical Bulletin 187: Music in Reconditioning in American Service Convalescent and General Hospitals." This bulletin was a catalyst for the growth and development of music therapy being used as a rehabilitative service for active duty service members and veterans alike during and after WWII. Although many gaps exist in our knowledge regarding the arts in military settings, what we do know to date holds great promise for powerful outcomes for our service members, veterans, their families, and the individuals who care for them. Today, a growing number of members of the public and private sectors are eager to collaborate with military leaders to help make these outcomes a reality.Nowhere was the momentum for greater collaboration more evident than in October 2011, when the first National Summit: Arts in Healing for Warriors was held at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (now referred to as Walter Reed Bethesda) and the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE). Rear Admiral Alton L. Stocks, Commander of Walter Reed Bethesda, hosted the National Summit, in partnership with a national planning group of military, government, and nonprofit leaders. The 2011 Summit marked the first time various branches of the military collaborated with civilian agencies to discuss how engaging with the arts provides opportunities to meet the key health issues our military faces -- from pre-deployment to deployment to homecoming.Building upon its success, a multi-year National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military was established in 2012, with the advice and guidance of federal agency, military, nonprofit, and private sector partners (see Figure 2). The National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military (National Initiative) represents an unprecedented military/civilian collaborative effort whose mission is to "advance the arts in health, healing, and healthcare for military service members, veterans, their families, and caregivers."Members of the National Initiative share a commitment to optimize health and wellness, with a deep understanding and awareness that the arts offer a unique and powerful doorway into healing in ways that many conventional medical approaches do not. The Initiative's goals include working across military, government, private, and nonprofit sectors to: 1. Advance the policy, practice, and quality use of arts and creativity as tools for health in the military; 2. Raise visibility, understanding, and support of arts and health in the military; and 3. Make the arts as tools for health available to all active duty military, medical staff, family members, and veterans

AI-AUGMENTED DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS: APPLICATION IN MARITIME DECISION MAKING UNDER CONDITIONS OF METOC UNCERTAINTY

The ability for a human to overlay information from disparate sensor systems or remote databases into a common operational picture can enhance rapid decision making and implementation in a complex environment. This thesis focuses on operational uncertainty as a function of meteorological and oceanographic (METOC) effects on maritime route planning. Using an existing decision support system (DSS) with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms developed by New Jersey Institute of Technology and University of Connecticut, cognitive load and time to decision were assessed for users of an AI-augmented DSS, accounting for METOC conditions and their effects, and users of a baseline, 'as is,' DSS system. Scenario uncertainty for the user was presented in the relative number of Pareto-optimal routes from two locations. Key results were (a) users of an AI-augmented DSS with a simplified interface completed assigned tasks in significantly less time than users of an information-dense, complex-interface AI-augmented DSS; (b) users of simplified, AI-augmented DSS arrived at decisions with lower cognitive load than baseline DSS and complex-interface AI-augmented DSS users; and (c) users relied mainly on quantitative data presented in tabular form to make route decisions. The differences found in user performance and cognitive load between levels of AI augmentation and interface complexity serve as a starting point for further exploration into maximizing the potential of human-machine teaming.Office of Naval ResearchMajor, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release. distribution is unlimite

An Experimental Platform for large-scale research facing FI-IoT scenarios

Providing experimental facilities for the Internet of Things (IoT) world is of paramount importance to materialise the Future Internet (FI) vision. The level of maturity achieved at the networking level in Sensor and Actuator networks (SAN) justifies the increasing demand on the research community to shift IoT testbed facilities from the network to the service and information management areas. In this paper we present an Experimental Platform fulfilling these needs by: integrating heterogeneous SAN infrastructures in a homogeneous way; providing mechanisms to handle information, and facilitating the development of experimental services. It has already been used to deploy applications in three different field trials: smart metering, smart places and environmental monitoring and it will be one of the components over which the SmartSantander project, that targets a large-scale IoT experimental facility, will rely o

This Year in the MOVES Institute

in the Proceedings of IEEE Cyberworlds 2003, the International Conference on Cyberworlds, Singapore, 3 – 5 December 2003, pp. xxxiii-xl.An Invited Paper