Socially Trusted Collaborative Edge Computing in Ultra Dense Networks

Small cell base stations (SBSs) endowed with cloud-like computing capabilities are considered as a key enabler of edge computing (EC), which provides ultra-low latency and location-awareness for a variety of emerging mobile applications and the Internet of Things. However, due to the limited computation resources of an individual SBS, providing computation services of high quality to its users faces significant challenges when it is overloaded with an excessive amount of computation workload. In this paper, we propose collaborative edge computing among SBSs by forming SBS coalitions to share computation resources with each other, thereby accommodating more computation workload in the edge system and reducing reliance on the remote cloud. A novel SBS coalition formation algorithm is developed based on the coalitional game theory to cope with various new challenges in small-cell-based edge systems, including the co-provisioning of radio access and computing services, cooperation incentives, and potential security risks. To address these challenges, the proposed method (1) allows collaboration at both the user-SBS association stage and the SBS peer offloading stage by exploiting the ultra dense deployment of SBSs, (2) develops a payment-based incentive mechanism that implements proportionally fair utility division to form stable SBS coalitions, and (3) builds a social trust network for managing security risks among SBSs due to collaboration. Systematic simulations in practical scenarios are carried out to evaluate the efficacy and performance of the proposed method, which shows that tremendous edge computing performance improvement can be achieved.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1010.4501 by other author

New Ways of Addressing the Psychological Traumas of War: Supplementing Traditional Social Supports to Prevent Homelessness Among Mentally Ill Veterans

Both nationally and in Rhode Island, there is a high prevalence of veterans in the homeless population. Many homeless veterans suffer from serious mental health issues and military specific traumas, adding to the social stigma they face. To avoid homelessness, veterans need to treat their mental illness with the assistance of their social support networks. Despite incredible advances in technology and mental health care, provision of mental health services to veterans still remains very traditional. With an influx of veterans returning from the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, a greater number of younger clients will be entering the system. Because of their comfort with computers, the Internet and social networking tools, there is a natural progression for these veterans to use the Internet to support one another in their return from combat and readjustment to civilian life. To prevent isolation and encourage continued receipt of mental health services, online social support services can help veterans avoid homelessness when used as a supplement to traditional mental health treatment. A survey of nine (N=9) social workers at the VAMC showed that social workers who serve veterans would find online social supports helpful for their clients and would recommend these services as a supplement to their traditional therapeutic treatment

Opponents and supporters of water policy change in the Netherlands and Hungary

This paper looks at the role of individuals and the strategies that they use to bring about or oppose major policy change. Current analysis of the role that individuals or small collectives play in periods of major policy change has focussed on strategies that reinforce change and on the supporters of change. This paper adds the perspective of opponents, and asks whether they use similar strategies as those identified for supporters. Five strategies are explored: developing new ideas, building coalitions to sell ideas, using windows of opportunity, playing multiple venues and orchestrating networks. Using empirical evidence from Dutch and Hungarian water policy change, we discuss whether individuals pursued these strategies to support or oppose major policy change. Our analysis showed the significance of recognition of a new policy concept at an abstract level by responsible government actors, as well as their engagement with a credible regional coalition that can contextualise and advocate the concept regionally. The strategies of supporters were also used by opponents of water policy change. Opposition was inherent to policy change, and whether or not government actors sought to engage with opponents influenced the realisation of water policy change

The Core of Care Management: The Role of Authentic Relationships in Caring for Patients with Frequent Hospitalizations.

In the movement to improve the health of patients with multiple chronic conditions and vulnerabilities, while reducing the need for hospitalizations, care management programs have garnered wide attention and support. The qualitative data presented in this paper sheds new light on key components of successful chronic care management programs. By going beyond a task- and temporal-based framework, this analysis identifies and defines the importance of authentic healing relationships in driving individual and systemic change. Drawing on the voices of 30 former clients of the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, the investigators use qualitative methods to identify and elaborate the core elements of the authentic healing relationship-security, genuineness, and continuity-a relationship that is linked to patient motivation and active health management. Although not readily found in the traditional health care delivery system, these authentic healing relationships present significant implications for addressing the persistent health-related needs of patients with frequent hospitalizations. (Population Health Management 2016;19:248-256)

Stochastic Coalitional Better-response Dynamics and Strong Nash Equilibrium

We consider coalition formation among players in an n-player finite strategic game over infinite horizon. At each time a randomly formed coalition makes a joint deviation from a current action profile such that at new action profile all players from the coalition are strictly benefited. Such deviations define a coalitional better-response (CBR) dynamics that is in general stochastic. The CBR dynamics either converges to a strong Nash equilibrium or stucks in a closed cycle. We also assume that at each time a selected coalition makes mistake in deviation with small probability that add mutations (perturbations) into CBR dynamics. We prove that all strong Nash equilibria and closed cycles are stochastically stable, i.e., they are selected by perturbed CBR dynamics as mutations vanish. Similar statement holds for strict strong Nash equilibrium. We apply CBR dynamics to the network formation games and we prove that all strongly stable networks and closed cycles are stochastically stable