A platform-independent model for agents

Various agent-oriented methodologies and metamodels exist to describe multiagent systems ([VIAS) in an abstract manner. Frequently, these frameworks specialize on particular parts of the MAS and only few works have been invested to derive a common standardization. This limits t he impact of agent-related systems in commercial applications. In this paper, we present a metamodel for agent systems that abstract from existing agent-oriented methodologies and platforms and could thus be called platform-independent. This metamodel provides the core language that is used in our agentoriented software development process that conforms to the principles of Model-Driven Developrnent (MDD). Beside the domain-specific modelling language, we further provide two model transformations that allow to transform the generated models into textual code that call be executed with JACK and JADE

The Conservative Party and the form of the National Health Service, 1964 - 1979

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 16/05/2002.This thesis focuses on the development of the Conservative Party's policy in respect of the form of the National Health Service in England between the general elections of 1964 and 1979. By form is meant the basic principles of the Service and the organisational arrangements (structure, management processes and financing) made to give effect to those principles. After an account of the form of the NHS in 1964, the thesis documents the development of Conservative Party policy on those aspects of form to which attention was given between 1964 and 1979. In doing so, it draws extensively on primary material, much of which (especially that relating to the Party's periods in Opposition) has not, as far as the author can discover, been brought together previously in an historical study. By examining this material in its appropriate context, it is hoped that the thesis makes intelligible a passage of history quite tightly circumscribed both in terms of subject and period. Insofar as an overall theme might be said to emerge, it is of a Party committed to the idea of a comprehensive health service, uncomfortable with the consequences of aspects of the form enacted in 1946 but, conscious of the popularity of the NHS, cautious about making radical changes

An exploration of modal, serial, stochastic, electroacoustic and computer aided compositional techniques and their application into a series of original compositions

The text is divided into two parts preceded by an introduction. The introduction focuses on some general issues that relate to musical composition: More specifically, it discusses the motivation of a composer and the goals he tries to achieve. The first section of part I focuses on small-scale technical aspects in relation to the music submitted. More specifically, it deals with aspects relating to melody and harmony, counterpoint, timbre, tempo, rhythm and meter. The second section of the first part focuses on large-scale construction elements like the juxtaposition and development of ideas, the role of numbers and proportions on the submitted music as well as on certain aesthetic issues. In this first part, an overview is given of the techniques that were used in order to create the pieces that are included in this PhD. The goal is not to give a detailed analysis of the techniques but to emphasize the ideas that might interest other composers and facilitate them in then: search for their own organisational tools. Consequently, the creation of a 'system' of musical composition is out of the scope of this research. It is also true that there are many aspects of contemporary composition that are not discussed in this text, mainly because of the fact that they were not used in these particular pieces that were submitted with the theoretical part. Part II focuses on the main subject of the PhD, the submitted pieces themselves. It contains information that relates to the program notes as well as the actual scores of the pieces that can be studied together with the available recordings found on the CD. The opening commentaries of the second part include key structural points of the music as well as issues regarding their aesthetic approach. Each submitted piece is an 'amalgamation' of a series of techniques and thoughts on music so that the reader will be able to trace the evolution of thoughts among the different pieces. The works, however, are presented at random rather than in chronological order. This is because they were not written one after the other, but have undergone changes affecting one another up the last completion of the entire project. In this sense they do form a larger 'circle' of musical pieces while the last one, Engraving, which was composed separately at the very end of this 'circle', functions as a 'coda' to the whole project. The Epilogue of the theoretical part deals with personal thoughts regarding future 'musical quests'. The music and the ideas take composers into certain directions regarding future works and professional decisions that relate to the compositional activity as well as to decisions regarding technical and aesthetic issues. These are presented at the end of the text

Exploration of the Perceptions and Attitudes of School District Administrators Regarding Instructional Coaching in Central New York State Urban/Suburban Public School Districts

The purpose of this study was to gather perceptions and attitudes from school district administrators regarding an instructional coach’s role, the components that influence the utilization of instructional coaches, and the specialized professional development for instructional coaches. Exploratory-descriptive qualitative research sought to identify the critical components necessary for comprehensive implementation of instructional coaching. The study utilized semi-structured interviews with seven tenured urban and suburban Central New York State (NYS) school district administrators in positions such as assistant superintendents, directors, or supervisors of professional development or curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Four themes emerged from the data. The themes related to the implementation of instructional coaching were (a) job depiction, (b) capacity building, (c) interactions, and (d) organizational structure. The themes found aligned with Taylor’s (1911) scientific management theory principles for improving employee productivity. The critical components identified included (a) identifying clear roles and responsibilities for the instructional coach, (b) hiring the right people, (c) ongoing training, (d) building strong trusting relationships, and (e) having an organizational structure. The recommendations for improving the implementation of instructional coaching among the school districts included (a) a standardized set of selection criteria, (b) a clear job description for instructional coaches, (c) a standard training program, and (d) a standard evaluation tool to support the development of the instructional coach. In addition, the results of this study recommend a need for policy development in creating a certification and tracking system for instructional coaches to aid in the determination of the effectiveness of the school improvement strategy

The incurable Dr. Vaid : transgression, nation and the crisis in postcolonial Hindi criticism

Krishna Baldev Vaid is one of the most innovative and significant writers of Hindi fiction. He has relentlessly tested the boundaries of acceptability in Hindi fiction, and has refused to bow to pressure to conform to dominant paradigms regarding what Hindi literature should look like. The purpose of this thesis is to show that accusations that Vaid's fiction is obscene, un-Indian and lacking social engagement reflect certain anxieties regarding what constituted 'authentic' Indian literature in the postcolonial context. I argue that criticism of Vaid's more controversial work, and the subsequent relegation of his fiction to the periphery, has been the result of a set of postcolonial circumstances whereby establishing a modernity which could be asserted as both modern and Indian was considered important. In the case of Hindi literature ideas regarding what constituted 'good' Hindi fiction were heavily influenced by the social and political milieu of post-colonial India and the establishment of this uniquely Indian style of modernity. The thesis takes the themes of sexual transgression and nation as the basis for analysis of selected short fiction by Vaid to demonstrate how Vaid critiques the postcolonial discourse of the time. I argue that Vaid's fiction has been marginalized as a result of a postcolonial crisis in Hindi criticism, despite, or perhaps because of, his relentless challenging of normative discourse and his absolute refusal to conform to the boundaries dictated by his contemporaries. In the texts analysed Vaid uses rupture, dissonance, irony and wit to destabilize the predominating discourse regarding sexual transgression and nationalist sentiment. After analysis of selected fiction of Vaid based on the themes of sexual transgression and nation, the thesis proceeds to an outline of the crisis in postcolonial Hindi criticism, criticism of Vaid's work, and rebuttal from Vaid regarding the criticism he has received and the environment he considers it reflects. The main contribution of the thesis is to show that criticism of Vaid's fiction has been heavily influenced by postcolonial anxieties regarding Indianness and authenticity and that this reflects more about the environment in which he wrote than the literature itself. The evidence shows that rather than demonstrating a lack of social engagement, obscenity or undue imitation of Western models, Vaid is deeply engaged with the Indian postcolonial environment and challenges the very basis on which it was constructed

Making sense of citizenship and citizen identity in light of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019: A qualitative study of micro-level citizenship processes among Indian citizens

Citizenship literature often either concentrates on the macro-level aspects of citizenship or investigates the micro-level processes. This project bridges micro-level processes with the macro-level components of citizenship using Structural Symbolic Interactionism. Citizenship is more than just a formal membership bestowed upon us by the nation-state; it is also a claims-making process where individuals extend citizenship claims based on ethnic, racial, or other social identities. Using thirty semi-structured interviews with Indian citizens, this qualitative study of citizenship shows how the micro-level process of citizenship—i.e., making sense of citizenship, is guided by macro-level dimensions or layers of citizenship. Overall, this study makes a threefold contribution. First, it offers a blueprint for a holistic investigation of citizenship. Not only does it investigate how individuals make sense of citizenship and citizen identity, draw symbolic boundaries, and differentiate between citizens and non-citizens, but it shows how larger structures guide such processes. Second, it sheds light on the multi-dimensionality of citizenship. I argue that citizenship includes multiple layers, and each of its layers must be perceived as an arena where citizenship interacts with another structure. Not only are these layers dynamic, but they shape the symbolic boundaries of citizenship. Last, I argue that the micro-level claims-making process depends on these layers as the structural interactions activate specific definitions and restrict others. Thus, whether someone can deploy a symbol or definition to claim citizenship depends on structural interactions

Key Curriculum for Developing World-Class Patient Centered Care Teams

According to the National Coalition on Health Care (2007), the health care industry is in a state of crisis. It is not as safe as it could be, it is not affordable for many people, and it is full of waste. There seems to be a consensus that reform is needed. One option for transforming health care is to focus on and develop the small units of people who actually do the work (Quinn, 1992 and Nelson et al, 2007). This Leadership Application Project addresses the question: what are the key curriculum elements needed to transform, develop, and sustain a group of people into a world-class patient centered team? To address this question, data were gathered from brainstorming sessions and direct observation of world-class teams in their natural setting. Data display and reduction were achieved by using four management tools. Following data reduction, all key elements were arranged into six team developmental modules

A first-hand experience for a second-hand product : the success of online luxury resellers

The purpose of this research is to understand how luxury resellers successful create value-added propositions within the online context, posing a challenge to the exclusivity inherent to the luxury reality. We used a qualitative approach to analyse three online second-hand players and drew our conclusions on the Business Model Canvas. The findings of the present research show that the success of luxury online resellers is built on (1) a diversified, personalised and curated luxury assortment, (2) wider customer reach enabled by online, (3) trusted authentication processes, (4) powerful network effect, (5) proprietary technology and in-house skilled staff. These are assets difficult to replicate which raises barriers to entry and are further complemented with offline expansion and partnerships with luxury brands. This research is relevant for both incumbent companies and new entrants alike, as well as luxury companies to better understand the value of the second-hand luxury market.O objetivo da presente tese é compreender como os revendedores de luxo são bem-sucedidos a criar propostas de valor acrescentado no contexto online, colocando um desafio à exclusividade inerente à realidade do luxo. Utilizámos uma abordagem qualitativa para analisar três operadores de segunda mão online e chegámos às conclusões com base no modelo Business Model Canvas. Os resultados da presente pesquisa mostram que o sucesso dos revendedores de luxo online se baseia (1) numa oferta de produtos de luxo variada e personalizada, (2) maior alcance de clientes viabilizado pelo online, (3) processos de autenticação fidedignos, (4) poderoso efeito de rede, (5) tecnologia própria e equipa interna qualificada. Estes ativos são difíceis de reproduzir, o que levanta obstáculos à entrada de concorrentes, e são reforçados com a expansão offline, assim como parcerias com marcas de luxo. Esta pesquisa é relevante tanto para empresas estabelecidas como novas no mercado e também para empresas de luxo, de modo a se compreender melhor o valor do mercado de luxo em segunda mão