Programming the Interactions of Collective Adaptive Systems by Relying on Attribute-based Communication

Collective adaptive systems are new emerging computational systems consisting of a large number of interacting components and featuring complex behaviour. These systems are usually distributed, heterogeneous, decentralised and interdependent, and are operating in dynamic and possibly unpredictable environments. Finding ways to understand and design these systems and, most of all, to model the interactions of their components, is a difficult but important endeavour. In this article we propose a language-based approach for programming the interactions of collective-adaptive systems by relying on attribute-based communication; a paradigm that permits a group of partners to communicate by considering their run-time properties and capabilities. We introduce AbC, a foundational calculus for attribute-based communication and show how its linguistic primitives can be used to program a complex and sophisticated variant of the well-known problem of Stable Allocation in Content Delivery Networks. Also other interesting case studies, from the realm of collective-adaptive systems, are considered. We also illustrate the expressive power of attribute-based communication by showing the natural encoding of other existing communication paradigms into AbC

A home-based intervention using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) techniques in rural Kenya: what are the caregivers’ experiences?

Background Caring for a child with complex communication needs associated with a developmental condition frequently adds stress to the caregiver. Furthermore, professional assistance is scarce in low-income rural settings. For such children speech is frequently unachievable. Augmentative and alternative communication provides options for supplementing or replacing speech with other techniques. The current study aimed to examine the experiences of caregivers in Kenya before and after a home-based intervention using augmentative and alternative communication techniques with children with complex communication needs. Methods Caregivers were interviewed pre- and post-intervention. The interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed and translated into English. Content analysis was applied through the stages of text familiarization and topic organization. Emergent themes and their sub-themes were identified and labelled. Connections between themes were established and interpretations made. The procedure was completed by a second researcher independently. Conflicting ideas were jointly discussed until consensus was achieved. Results Four themes emerged from the data: communication process; struggle; normality; and supernatural power. Before intervention, the caregivers acknowledged their expertise in communications with the child, while also revealing their sense of isolation, burden and pain. Normality was present as a source of comparison and also an aspirational goal. Post-intervention more positive language was used to describe the child. There was an ‘opening up’ of communication that recognized the child’s strengths and some social support systems were re-established. The power of the supernatural was recognized before and after intervention. Conclusion Caring of a child with complex communication needs presents many challenges. A home-based intervention using augmentative and alternative communication techniques appears to have been a catalyst for some positive transformations in the caregivers’ experiences, although it is not possible to attribute this change to any one aspect. The potentials of the home-based intervention would benefit from further investigation on a larger scale

Multi-National Project Team Communications and Cultural Influences

This exploratory case study dissertation examined multinational project teams\u27 communication satisfaction as influenced by the project team\u27s cultural attribute of power distance. Utilizing a exploratory case study, semi-guided interview research approach, ordinal scale data and open-ended contextual based question responses was obtained. This data was gathered from United States---Russia and Canada---Angola multi-national, complex, high technology oil transportation project teams. Triangulation data gathering techniques were utilized to obtain empirical data from multiple sources of data and multiple data types. Subsequent data analyses combined descriptive statistical analysis, graphical analysis, cluster analysis, and content analysis techniques to derive a theoretical construct of multi-national project team communications and the individual\u27s power distance culture attribute interactions. According to published literature, project team communication is affected by the individual member\u27s culture. The literature also indicates that the greater the diversity of individual cultures, the greater the potential for unsatisfactory project communications. This research utilized two culturally polar multi-national project teams as identified by their national culture index. Focusing this research on culturally diverse project teams was supported from cross-cultural research literature that identifies the need to use \u27polar\u27 examples to develop new theoretical constructs. Relying on previously validated instruments, this empirical study analyzed these culturally polar project teams to identify how the project team communication satisfaction, as indicated by the participants, related to the identified individual cultures power distance index. The research concluded that individual project team members\u27 culture indexes did not reflect the extreme diversity that Hofstede indicated national origin culture indexes suggest. This finding indicates that for these case studies the ability to accurately predict a project team member\u27s cultural index according to their nation of origin is low. The study also found that, overall, the project teams\u27 rate project team communication satisfaction as satisfactory to very satisfactory. These findings and supporting published literature data generated the theoretical construct that these experienced, multi-national, project teams\u27 exhibit a middle to low power distance cultural attribute with satisfactory project team communication. The findings also indicate that there is a positive relationship between the project team power distance index and project team communication satisfaction rating

Network selection based on chi-square distance and reputation for internet of things

The internet of things (IoT) has become one of the most important technologies of the 21st century. The IoT environment is composed of heterogeneous IoT communication networks. These technologies are complementary and need to be integrated to meet the requirements of different types of IoT applications that require the mobility of the IoT device under different IoT communication networks. In this paper, the vertical handover decision method is considered to select the appropriate network among different IoT technologies. So, IoT devices, equipped with several radio technologies, can select the most suitable network based on several criteria like quality of service (QoS), cost, power, and security. In this work, a multi-attribute decision-making algorithm (MADM) based on techniques for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) that uses chi-square distance instead of Euclidean distance is proposed. The network reputation is added to reduce the average number of handoffs. The proposed algorithm was implemented to select the best technology depending on the requirements of the different IoT traffic classes. The obtained results showed that our proposition outperforms the traditional MADM algorithms

Skarv - regional burden or savior? : a case study of BP's early stage stakeholder relations

Mastergradsoppgave i Energy management - Høgskolen i Bodø, 2009Var sperra for utlån til 2009-07-01This master thesis examines how the international oil company BP identifies and relates to their multiple stakeholders to Skarv, an oil and gas field located outside Alstahaug, Nordland County. The theoretical foundation is mainly based on an extensive methodology by Mitchell et al. (1997) for stakeholder identification and salience, using power, legitimacy and urgency as attributes. Stakeholders are defined as “any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization’s objectives”, and salience is defined as “the degree in which managers prioritize between different stakeholder claims”. In addition I will examine the present status in relation to ripple effects in the Helgeland region, distinguishing between direct-, indirect-, induced- and catalytic impacts. The different theoretical directions are chosen to elucidate my senior problem statement; “How does BP identify and relate to regional stakeholders in the early project phases of Skarv, and how does this lead to possible regional ripple effects?” The empirical data consist of information from interviews with several individuals in the Helgeland region and Bodø, and the Skarv external communication plan provided by BP Norway. The process has been done in close collaboration with a research project at the High North Center for Business at Bodø Graduate School of Business, focusing on ripple effects from Skarv. In brief, my main conclusions are the following; • BP’s methodology for stakeholder identification and salience is based on an external communication plan, which supports Mitchell and colleagues’ (1997) framework. • Power stands forth as the prominent attribute for identification and salience. • BP has approached stakeholders to Skarv in a very positive manner. • Localization should be recognized as an important attribute for identification. • The interrelation between BP’s stakeholder identification and salience, and possible regional ripple effects, correlates. • If you are represented in BP’s external communication plan, the possibility to benefit from ripple effects is very high. • Sandnessjøen has the highest level of salience, and the present situation related to ripple effects, shows that Sandnessjøen has achieved the most tangible impacts and benefits

Komunikasi Politik Ditinjau dari Perspektif Ilmu Komunikasi, Ilmu Politik dan Komunikasi Islam

This article discusses political communication from three perspectives, namely the perspective of communication science, political science, and Islamic communication. The study in this article was carried out by descriptive analysis with the relevant literacy study approach. The results of this study indicate that from the perspective of communication science, political communication is seen from two aspects, namely the mechanistic communication aspect which is based on the Lasswell's theory, namely communicators convey messages to certain audiences through a medium with certain effects. The second aspect is symbolic interaction that rests on Mead's theory which views that every politician or political group will put forward a distinctive attribute as a symbol of his or her identity in a positive communication process. In a political science perspective, political communication is a vehicle that can be used to communicate political messages whose ultimate goal is the attainment of power in its various dimensions. Political communication can be played by politicians who have the goal of gaining certain power, or it can be played by professionals in which they skillfully connect political interests with their target audiences. Political communication in the perspective of Islamic communication emphasizes ethical political communication practices. This communication model is built based on Hefni’s theory which states that Islamic communication is a communication built on Islamic principles that have the spirit of peace, hospitality and safety. On this basis, the political communication model that is built is ethical political communication that is far from the practice of political communication which attacks and overthrows each other

Komunikasi Politik Ditinjau dari Perspektif Ilmu Komunikasi, Ilmu Politik dan Komunikasi Islam

This article discusses political communication from three perspectives, namely the perspective of communication science, political science, and Islamic communication. The study in this article was carried out by descriptive analysis with the relevant literacy study approach. The results of this study indicate that from the perspective of communication science, political communication is seen from two aspects, namely the mechanistic communication aspect which is based on the Lasswell's theory, namely communicators convey messages to certain audiences through a medium with certain effects. The second aspect is symbolic interaction that rests on Mead's theory which views that every politician or political group will put forward a distinctive attribute as a symbol of his or her identity in a positive communication process. In a political science perspective, political communication is a vehicle that can be used to communicate political messages whose ultimate goal is the attainment of power in its various dimensions. Political communication can be played by politicians who have the goal of gaining certain power, or it can be played by professionals in which they skillfully connect political interests with their target audiences. Political communication in the perspective of Islamic communication emphasizes ethical political communication practices. This communication model is built based on Hefni’s theory which states that Islamic communication is a communication built on Islamic principles that have the spirit of peace, hospitality and safety. On this basis, the political communication model that is built is ethical political communication that is far from the practice of political communication which attacks and overthrows each other

Power Systems Monitoring and Control using Telecom Network Management Standards

Historically, different solutions have been developed for power systems control and telecommunications network management environments. The former was characterized by proprietary solutions, while the latter has been involved for years in a strong standardization process guided by criteria of openness. Today, power systems control standardization is in progress, but it is at an early stage compared to the telecommunications management area, especially in terms of information modeling. Today, control equipment tends to exhibit more computational power, and communication lines have increased their performance. These trends hint at some conceptual convergence between power systems and telecommunications networks from a management perspective. This convergence leads us to suggest the application of well-established telecommunications management standards for power systems control. This paper shows that this is a real medium-to-long term possibility