Team Composition in PES2018 using Submodular Function Optimization

With the development of computer game technologies, gameplay becomes very realistic in many sports games, therefore providing appealing play experience to game players. To get the victory in a football pitch, the team composition is pretty important. There is little research on the automatic team composition in sports games particularly in a popular game of Pro Evolution Soccer (PES). In this paper, we consider the team composition as one team player recommendation problem since a team is composed of several players in a game. Subsequently, we aim to recommend a list of sufficiently good football players to game players. We convert the team player recommendation into one optimization problem and resort to the greedy algorithm-based solutions. We propose a coverage function that quantifies the degree of soccer skills to be covered by the selected players. In addition, we prove the submodularity of the coverage function and improve a greedy algorithm to solve the function optimization problem. We demonstrate the performance of our techniques in PES2018.</p

Essays on Asymmetries in Contest

This thesis is concerned with the effects of asymmetries in ability and social preferences in contests and conflict networks. Standard models find that asymmetries monotonically decrease total and individual efforts. I demonstrate that this result does not necessarily hold when players are embedded in complex networks, have preferencesregardingthefairnessofthecontestortheoutcomesofothers, and when real subjects play these games in the lab. Chapter 1 formulates a network of bilateral contests in which locally unique equilibria always exist, and global uniqueness is possible. I find that an increase of one player’s ability can increase her effort and the effort of the entire network. If one player targets a specific opponent, other players follow. Chapter 2 imposes a budget constraint on this model. Most findings are robust to this modelling choice. This allows an investigation of topics like the effects of heterogeneity on team performance and the effect of asymmetries in the number of conflicts a player and her rivals are involved in. Chapter 3 documents that there exists no agreed way for implementing social preferences in contests. I derive four possible versions and critically assess their properties. When costs are considered, the magnitude of predicted overspreading and overbidding is reduced. Mild asymmetry can result in higher effort from the high ability player. In chapter 4, I present a pilot experiment in which social identities, with and without a hierarchy, are induced. We find that identities with such a hierarchy can trigger more aggressive play. To structure these findings, I suggest a foundational model of social preferences that relates them to social identity, where ‘close’ players are treated with altruism and ‘distant’ players are treated with spite

A Survey of Smart Parking Solutions

International audienceConsidering the increase of urban population and traffic congestion, smart parking is always a strategic issue to work on, not only in the research field but also from economic interests. Thanks to information and communication technology evolution, drivers can more efficiently find satisfying parking spaces with smart parking services. The existing and ongoing works on smart parking are complicated and transdisciplinary. While deploying a smart parking system, cities, as well as urban engineers, need to spend a very long time to survey and inspect all the possibilities. Moreover, many varied works involve multiple disciplines, which are closely linked and inseparable. To give a clear overview, we introduce a smart parking ecosystem and propose a comprehensive and thoughtful classification by identifying their functionalities and problematic focuses. We go through the literature over the period of 2000-2016 on parking solutions as they were applied to smart parking development and evolution, and propose three macro-themes: information collection, system deployment, and service dissemination. In each macro-theme, we explain and synthesize the main methodologies used in the existing works and summarize their common goals and visions to solve current parking difficulties. Lastly, we give our engineering insights and show some challenges and open issues. Our survey gives an exhaustive study and a prospect in a multidisciplinary approach. Besides, the main findings of the current state-of-the-art throw out recommendations for future research on smart cities and the Internet architecture

On the application of artificial intelligence and human computation to the automation of agile software task effort estimation

Software effort estimation (SEE), as part of the wider project planning and product road mapping process, occurs throughout a software development life cycle. A variety of effort estimation methods have been proposed in the literature, including algorithmic methods, expert based methods, and more recently, methods based on techniques drawn from machine learning and natural language processing. In general, the consensus in the literature is that expert-based methods such as Planning Poker are more reliable than automated effort estimation. However, these methods are labour intensive and difficult to scale to large-scale projects. To address this limitation, this thesis investigates the feasibility of using human computation techniques to coordinate crowds of inexpert workers to predict expert-comparable effort estimates for a given software development task. The research followed an empirical methodology and used four different methods: literature review, replication, a series of laboratory experiments, and ethnography. The literature uncovered the lack of suitable datasets that include the attributes of descriptive text (corpus), actual cost, and expert estimates for a given software development task. Thus, a new dataset was developed to meet the necessary requirements. Next, effort estimation based on recent natural language processing advancements was evaluated and compared with expert estimates. The results suggest that there was no significant improvement, and the automated approach was still outperformed by expert estimates. Therefore, the feasibility of scaling the Planning Poker effort estimation method by using human computation in a micro-task crowdsourcing environment was explored. A series of pilot experiments were conducted to find the proper design for adapting Planning Poker to a crowd environment. This resulted in designing a new estimation method called Crowd Planning Poker (CPP). The pilot experiments revealed that a significant proportion of the crowd submitted poor quality assignments. Therefore, an approach to actively managing the quality of SEE work was proposed and evaluated before being integrated into the CPP method. A substantial overall evaluation was then conducted. The results demonstrated that crowd workers were able to discriminate between tasks of varying complexity and produce estimates that were comparable with those of experts and at substantially reduced cost compared with small teams of domain experts. It was further noted in the experiments that crowd workers provide useful insights as to the resolution of the task. Therefore, as a final step, fine-grained details about crowd workers’ behaviour, including actions taken and artifacts reviewed, were used in an ethnographic study to understand how crowd effort estimation takes place in a crowd. Four persona archetypes were developed to describe the crowd behaviours, and the results of the behaviour analysis were confirmed by surveying the crowd workers

Demand response performance and uncertainty: A systematic literature review

The present review has been carried out, resorting to the PRISMA methodology, analyzing 218 published articles. A comprehensive analysis has been conducted regarding the consumer's role in the energy market. Moreover, the methods used to address demand response uncertainty and the strategies used to enhance performance and motivate participation have been reviewed. The authors find that participants will be willing to change their consumption pattern and behavior given that they have a complete awareness of the market environment, seeking the optimal decision. The authors also find that a contextual solution, giving the right signals according to the different behaviors and to the different types of participants in the DR event, can improve the performance of consumers' participation, providing a reliable response. DR is a mean of demand-side management, so both these concepts are addressed in the present paper. Finally, the pathways for future research are discussed.This article is a result of the project RETINA (NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000062), supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). We also acknowledge the work facilities and equipment provided by GECAD research center (UIDB/00760/2020) to the project team, and grants CEECIND/02887/2017 and SFRH/BD/144200/2019.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Exploring distributed collaboration and the potential of blockchain as an enabling technology

Since the emergence of the internet, the growth and development of communication technologies have presented new opportunities for collaboration. Practitioners in almost every industry can now collaborate with the skilled personnel across a range of fields, regardless of their geographic location. This contemporary working arrangement is referred to as Distributed Collaboration, which I define as the pursuit of a shared objective by groups that include non-proximate members, whose participation is facilitated by ICT. However, Distributed Collaboration is not without drawbacks. The dispersed and volatile nature of numerous participants makes these groups vulnerable to many challenges, primarily, free-riding, production blocking, evaluation apprehension, and perceptions of fairness. Meanwhile, Blockchain technology has emerged over the last decade, initially to facilitate the cryptocurrency market. However, research interest has recently focused on its potential to support non-financial use-cases such as the ability to track assets, both digital and physical, in a secure, transparent, and immutable manner. These technological capabilities of Blockchain would suggest it has the potential to support Distributed Collaboration by tracking individual contributions across a distributed ledger. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to explore Distributed Collaboration and the potential of Blockchain as an enabling technology. This research was initiated by examining the potential of Blockchain to enable Distributed Collaboration from a macro-level perspective through the lens of the cryptocurrency market. The market can be considered a network of distributed participants, communicating to evaluate Blockchain as a technology. The findings show that in the absence of established factors and methods to evaluate cryptocurrencies, market participants rely on social cues to evaluate the assets. Next, I conducted a first iteration of Design Science Research (DSR) by exploring the potential for Blockchain to address the issue of free-riding in cross-functional groups. This endeavour found that there was potential. However, a more comprehensive understanding of the components of this research was required in order to extract theoretical and practical contributions. Therefore, a systematic literature review was performed to synthesise a comprehensive definition of Distributed Collaboration, as well as developing an understanding of the factors which lead to the success of these groups. Following this, qualitative interview data were gathered and analysed from practitioners operating in Distributed Collaboration to develop an understanding of the challenges faced when operating in this environment and the necessary components for a potential system to alleviate these issues. Finally, I completed a second iteration of DSR to rigorously investigate the potential of Blockchain to support Distributed Collaboration. A Blockchain-enabled system was developed, implementing the design construct of Creative Ancestry to improve perceptions of fairness in Distributed Collaboration. Findings show that Blockchain increases perceptions of fairness and thus improves overall collaboration. My research has implications for theory, practice, and future research. I provide a core model for successful Distributed Collaboration and detail how to implement a Blockchain-enabled system that addresses key issues. I also illustrate the presence of herding behaviour in the cryptocurrency market and how market participants are prone to amplified reactions to changes in the price of assets. These findings and their implications are discussed at length in the final chapter

Pursuing fit: a grounded theory of e-recruitment in Namibia – an integrated jobseeker and agency perspective

The purpose of this study was to identify the main concern of jobseekers and recruitment agencies in electronic recruitment (e-recruitment) and determine how it was resolved. The country of Namibia was chosen for the study because many of its jobseekers and recruitment agencies are adopting e-recruitment to overcome challenges in their recruitment context. In order to meet the purpose of the study, Classic Grounded Theory Methodology (classic-GTM) was used. Through the application of classic-GTM it emerged that jobseekers' and recruitment agencies' perspectives on e-recruitment are varied and shifting, which together with the dynamics in information technology bring many possibilities and fluidity of stakeholders' behaviour. Therefore, jobseekers and recruitment agencies are mainly concerned about Fit or lack thereof between their conceptualizations of Objects of Concern (namely information technology, jobseekers, job providers (recruitment agencies and employers) and jobs) in such a dynamic environment. Pursuing Fit emerged as the core variable (core category) representing how the participants continuously resolved their main concern. Two sub-categories constituting Pursuing Fit are Interpreting Fit and Positioning for Fit and they explain how stakeholders interpret e-recruitment concepts and position themselves and other Objects of Concern based on interpretation. Recruitment is likely to take place when Objects of Concern relate in a desirable (fitting) manner. The study's contribution to knowledge is through the theory of Pursuing Fit that suggests a systematic way of understanding e-recruitment and of conceptualizing information technology in e-recruitment to increase chances of recruitment. Implications common for both jobseekers and recruitment agencies are context awareness and flexibility. Context awareness allows stakeholders to interpret Objects of Concern based on the context and flexibility makes it possible to change from a previously held position. The study can be used as the foundation for research involving multiple stakeholders in e-recruitment. In conclusion, e-recruitment is a process of meaning creation in which stakeholders interpret concepts and based on the meanings relate the concepts with each other

Interactions of Actors and Local Institutions in Policy Process - From Patriotic Health Campaign to Healthy City in Shanghai

The majority of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and more and more people are migrating to urban areas. However, the health hazards of urban life affect the population as well. They often suffer from non-communicable diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and psychosocial problems. To address the increasing concerns about urban health, the WHO developed health promotion initiatives, known as the Healthy Cities programmes in 1986, which aim to place health high on the agendas of decision-makers and to promote comprehensive local strategies for health promotion and sustainable development. It successfully engages local governments in health development from thousands of cities worldwide in both developed and developing countries, including China. In 1994, China started to develop Healthy City pilot projects in the name of Healthy Cities with the suggestion of the WHO. However, the Chinese government started related activities about the environment and health long before WHO introduced the concept of Healthy Cities. The Patriotic Health Campaign was launched in 1952; despite it being a social movement that was not exclusively oriented to urban areas, it paved the way for Healthy Cities programmes in China. Since 1984, the National Government developed more than 40 policies and National Hygienic Cities to improve the urban environment and support Healthy Cities-related activities. However, the implementation of national policies depends on local level actions where collaboration across sectors is problematic, especially since different ministries tend to work separately according to their own prioritized programme. Shanghai is the first mega-city in China to initiate the action for Healthy City development. It was successful in raising high standards for the health status of the population and improving the urban environment in a quantitative way. However, institutional change, especially intersectoral collaboration remains a big challenge for the implementation. Therefore, it would be interesting to know how the local actors develop the Healthy City programme in the specific context of China. However, there is a lack of empirical studies on the Healthy City programme, and few studies focus on intersectoral relationships in Healthy City development; some researches only include limited actors, and some fail to identify the local institutional settings and connect with the international context. On this background, it looks into the policy making processes of making different programmes at different stages as well as the respective modes of policy implementation. This research aims to unfold how local actors develop the Healthy City programme in Shanghai. Two propositions are guiding the analysis: first, whereas policies in China are mainly developed on a national level where everyday challenges of individual local level entities do not play a decisive role, Healthy City policies are implemented on the local level (of cities or city districts) where municipal specificities and local conditions heavily influence the action potentials and actions of authorities and other stakeholders. Second, whereas Healthy City-oriented policies are comprehensive in nature, their implementation is rather fragmented and sectoral. The study applies an approach that is influenced by the discussion about actor-centered institutionalism. The interpretive lens of actor-centered institutionalism is taken to identify the main actors, analyse how they interact with each other, and the underlying institutional settings that are crucial to interpreting policy making and policy implementation. The study will also find out whether the actor-centered institutionalism approach is fully applicable under the conditions of China, or whether certain modifications are to be made. The research follows a qualitative approach, collecting data from multiple sources such as documents, including historic documents in archives, and interviews, combining a variety of research methods including stakeholder analysis, discourse analysis and network analysis. Shanghai is used as a case study as it has the longest experience with the implementation of Healthy City programmes in China, and was also the first to issue a Healthy City Action Plan in 2003. It established the first municipal committee for health promotion in 2005. Whereas the older programmes are analysed based on documents, the latest Healthy City programme is scrutinised by employing document analysis and interviews of different stakeholders in order to get an in-depth understanding of the policy making and implementation processes. This thesis aspires to contribute to the empirical knowledge of the development of public policies, the understanding of actors and actor constellations in Healthy City programmes with reference to specific institutional settings in China, and examining the compatibility and limitations of this interpretive lens in the Chinese context. Moreover, policy recommendations related to practice in Shanghai are provided as further motivation and commitment to Healthy City development in China