Distributed Hybrid Simulation of the Internet of Things and Smart Territories

This paper deals with the use of hybrid simulation to build and compose heterogeneous simulation scenarios that can be proficiently exploited to model and represent the Internet of Things (IoT). Hybrid simulation is a methodology that combines multiple modalities of modeling/simulation. Complex scenarios are decomposed into simpler ones, each one being simulated through a specific simulation strategy. All these simulation building blocks are then synchronized and coordinated. This simulation methodology is an ideal one to represent IoT setups, which are usually very demanding, due to the heterogeneity of possible scenarios arising from the massive deployment of an enormous amount of sensors and devices. We present a use case concerned with the distributed simulation of smart territories, a novel view of decentralized geographical spaces that, thanks to the use of IoT, builds ICT services to manage resources in a way that is sustainable and not harmful to the environment. Three different simulation models are combined together, namely, an adaptive agent-based parallel and distributed simulator, an OMNeT++ based discrete event simulator and a script-language simulator based on MATLAB. Results from a performance analysis confirm the viability of using hybrid simulation to model complex IoT scenarios.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1605.0487

Nurse Practitioner Competency Standards: Findings from Collaborative Australian and New Zealand Research

Background: The title, Nurse Practitioner, is protected in most jurisdictions in Australia and in New Zealand and the number of nurse practitioners is increasing in health services in both countries. Despite this expansion of the role there is scant national or international research to inform development of nurse practitioner competency standards. Objectives: The aim of the study was to research nurse practitioner practice to inform development of generic standards that could be applied for the education, authorisation and practice of nurse practitioners in both countries. Design: The research used a multi-methods approach to capture a range of data sources including research of policies and curricula, and interviews with clinicians. Data were collected from relevant sources in Australia and New Zealand Settings: The research was conducted in New Zealand and the five states and territories in Australia where, at the time of the research, the title of nurse practitioner was legally protected. Participants: The research was conducted with a purposeful sample of nurse practitioners from diverse clinical settings in both countries. Interview and material data were collected from a range of sources and data were analysed within and across these data modalities. Results: Findings included identification of three generic standards for nurse practitioner practice namely, Dynamic Practice, Professional Efficacy and Clinical Leadership. Each of these standards has a number of practice competencies, each of these competencies with their own performance indicators. Conclusions: Generic Standards for nurse practitioner practice will support a standardised approach and mutual recognition of nurse practitioner authorisation across the two countries. Additionally these research outcomes can more generally inform education providers, authorising bodies and clinicians on the standards of practice for the nurse practitioner whilst also contributing to the current international debate on nurse practitioner standards and scope of practice

A Community-based Cloud Computing Caching Service

Caching has become an important technology in the development of cloud computing-based high-performance web services. Caches reduce the request to response latency experienced by users, and reduce workload on backend databases. They need a high cache-hit rate to be fit for purpose, and this rate is dependent on the cache management policy used. Existing cache management policies are not designed to prevent cache pollution or cache monopoly problems, which impacts negatively on the cache-hit rate. This paper proposes a community-based caching approach (CC) to address these two problems. CC was evaluated for performance against thirteen commercially available cache management policies, and results demonstrate that the cache-hit rate achieved by CC was between 0.7% and 55% better than the alternate cache management policies

Schooling federalism: evaluating the options for reform

The most efficient way to run, fund and regulate primary and secondary schools in Australia is for the State and Territory Governments to have sole responsibility. Background Australian federalism has evolved significantly since Federation in 1901. There is now extensive, contested concurrency in Commonwealth and State or Territory government roles and responsibilities, particularly in the schooling portfolio, where it has effectively moved from being a state responsibility to a shared responsibility. The degree of national government involvement in schooling is unprecedented and higher than that of any other federal government in the world. Uncoordinated decision-making, a mismatch in revenue versus responsibilities, and unhelpful overlap in some roles has contributed to the exacerbation of disadvantage and inequities, limiting the effectiveness of government funding and programs. This poses dire consequences for individual students and the nation. This change was not by design. But its reform can be. The White Paper on the Reform of the Federation was established to investigate federalism reform in a range of portfolios characterised by complex, counterproductive and inconsistent government roles; propose and consult on a range of reform options; and set out a platform for improvement. It is led by a Taskforce located within the Prime Minister’s department, overseen by an intergovernmental steering committee and expert advisory panel. Evaluating the options for reform In June 2015, four options for reform to government roles and responsibilities in the schooling portfolio were leaked and later publicly released by the Taskforce. These options were the product of discussions with stakeholders, all the States and Territories, and the Prime Minister’s Expert Advisory Panel. 1. States and Territories fully responsible for all schools 2. States and Territories responsible for funding public schools and the Commonwealth responsible for funding nongovernment schools. States remain responsible for delivery education in government schools and the regulatory framework for all schools. 3. Reduced Commonwealth involvement in school programs 4. The Commonwealth is the dominant funder of all students on an equal and consistent basis, but States and Territories maintain other current responsibilities, including regulatory framework and provision of public schools. The reform plan put forward by the Taskforce in the final White Paper must be within the current constitutional framework (meaning constitutional change is not required). Purpose of this paper This paper evaluates these four options against the criteria established by Australia’s governments. It also considers the feasibility and desirability of each option. In doing so, it seeks to enhance understanding of federalism in schooling, and to contribute to public debate on the reform options under consideration by the leaders of Australia’s governments

Training and Employment of People with Disabilities: Australia 2003

[Excerpt] Training and Employment of People with Disabilities: Australia 2003 is descriptive in nature. When the ILO commissioned the researchers for the Country Study Series, each was asked to follow the comprehensive research protocol appended to this document. The resulting report therefore includes country background information, statistics about people with disabilities and their organizations, a description of relevant legislation and policies and their official implementing structures, as well as the education, training and employment options available to people with disabilities. While few countries have all such information readily available, researchers were asked to note the existence or lack of specific data points and to report data when it did exist. Since the lack of information about people with disabilities contributes to their invisibility and social exclusion, the information itself is important. The protocol called for limited analysis and did not specifically ask for the researchers recommendations, however, researchers were asked to report on existing plans and recommendations of significant national stakeholders

Competitividade de Destinos Turísticos: um Modelo de Aplicação para o sul de Portugal versus as regiões Mediterrânicas de Espanha: COMPETITIVTOUR

Tourism destination competitiveness analysis benefits from a growing number of theoretical and applied developments. To support competitiveness strategies and despite the paraphernalia of competitiveness indexes available, there is not just a single set of indicators that can be used for all destinations at all times. The COMPETITIVTOUR model, developed since 2009 is applied to the south of Portugal versus the Mediterranean regions of Spain, a geographical area that aggregates 14 provinces, 20.2 million inhabitants and 180.1 million overnight stays. COMPETITIVTOUR's objective is to create and apply a territorial assessment model, adapted to the common specificities of these regions, aiming to assist in guiding the complex task of destination competiveness management, with inputs from 25 official producers of information from Portugal and Spain. The outputs are aggregated in three main topics: territory management, markets, and resources&products. Critical areas were identified, with emphasis on the growing seasonality of demand, the market demand and supply adjustment and accommodation prices.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

International Profiles of Health Care Systems, 2011

This publication presents overviews of the health care systems of Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Each overview covers health insurance, public and private financing, health system organization, quality of care, health disparities, efficiency and integration, use of health information technology, use of evidence-based practice, cost containment, and recent reforms and innovations. In addition, summary tables provide data on a number of key health system characteristics and performance indicators, including overall health care spending, hospital spending and utilization, health care access, patient safety, care coordination, chronic care management, disease prevention, capacity for quality improvement, and public views

The multiplier accelerator theory in the study of municipal-level investment

In our research we specially adapted the multiplier accelerator approach for analysis of investment processes on the municipal level. We analyzed the databases of municipalities of the Bashkortostan Republic and found a one-year lag and ratchet effects in the development of investment processes, which manifested themselves through steady rates of growth in the volumes of shipped goods and services in these areas while the amount of investment was declining. Excessively high values of the investment accelerator in certain municipalities were explained, on the one hand, by the insignificant changes in the economic performance of these municipalities and, on the other hand, by the inflow of capital, which was not related to the incentive function of return from the previous investment. The main causes of the disincentive function include the low investment attractiveness of the territories; the poorly developed environment for investment stimulation; the inefficiency of the investment itself; and its short-term character. Our approach combines the multiplier accelerator theory with the concept of efficient management of investment in socio-economic systems of various levels and thus it has enabled us to develop a matrix for diagnostics of investment processes by calculating investment efficiency (with the help of the investment multiplier) and the focus of the investment process (with the help of the investment accelerator). Upon these results we have mapped municipalities according to their levels of investment development and proposed a differentiated approach to managerial decision-making. These findings can be used to study investment attractiveness on the municipal level and to develop guidelines for assessment of investment attractiveness and for managerial decision-making to enhance investment efficiency

Current Developments in Services for People with Intellectual Disabilities

[Taken from Executive Summary] This literature review is the culmination of the Saskatchewan Community Living Division jurisdictional study which began in the autumn of 2003. Following a brief survey of developments in providing services to people with intellectual disabilities (hitherto the People) for creating the questionnaire for this study, information was gleaned from the provinces and territories on their services. The CLD Jurisdictional Project was completed in the spring of 2005. Subsequently, a thorough search and examination of pertinent resources for serving this People and for policy development was conducted. From over 800 documents about 350 were selected for this literature review. The material is recorded in the following chapters: Public Consultation and Policy Development; Social Philosophy: the philosophical influence on contemporary social issues; Definition of disabilities; Needs assessment systems; Human Rights; Advocacy; Community services & Deinstitutionalization; Issues and Influences; Citizenship; Inclusion; Self-determination; Person-centered planning; Supports; Respite; Individualized funding; Canadian governmental initiatives; Provincial Services

Sales motivation & morale during extreme times of change

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the United States entered a recession in December 2007. (Woodworth, 2010). The hospitality industry has been hit extremely hard by this economic downturn. With clients cutting costs, there is less business to be had by the same, and in many cases, a growing number of hotels. At the same time, hotels are forced to cut costs in any number of ways to remain viable. This may mean scaling back services, staffing reductions and cuts in employee benefits. However, there is a point where a company simply cannot cut anymore without doing more harm than good. Once cuts start to affect the service provided to the guest they can actually cause a decrease in revenues rather than help the business be profitable. Ultimately, at some point, cost cuts and operational streamlining is just not enough and a hospitality organization must find a way to drive additional revenue. The sales department is the natural place to start since this department is a profit center with a direct impact on revenues. So how does a company drive the sales team to produce in an environment, which in its very nature, is one where there is less business to be had? Motivation is the key. Much has been written about motivation in the workplace and sales motivation in particular, but little about the hospitality industry, specifically hotels. And even less about motivating in extreme environments or times of economic stress. The current state of our economy and the effect it has had on the hospitality industry exemplifies how important it is to take the study of sales motivation to the next level. Through several case studies of hotel companies weathering the current economic environment, this paper will seek to discover the best practices of motivating a hotel sales team in difficult circumstances. The study examines what strategies property owners, management companies and brands are taking to motivate their sales teams and ultimately drive revenues. Specific areas of concentration are sales organization structure, target markets, compensation, benefits, sales process and new tactics implemented as a result of the economic environment