Developing an Intelligent User Manager System for controlling Smart School Network Resources

This paper presents an Intelligent User Manager System (UMAS) for controlling access to network resources in a Smart School network. Network resources, especially in a Smart School, are in short supply and relatively expensive to acquire, therefore a control mechanism should be in place so that available resources can be allocated for legitimate usages only. An intelligent mechanism using Fuzzy Logic is deployed for the purpose of knowledge learning in order to process all the user requests accordingly. A decision of granting a network resource request needs to be based on several data sets that represent the current network state, transmission state and users. The system is analysed and designed using the Tropos Methodology. Tropos was chosen because it covers four stages of development. The proposed system was modelled using Fuzzy Logic algorithms for simulation purposes in order to find the relationship between two fuzzy sets with the computed allocated time

Universal Memory Architectures for Autonomous Machines

We propose a self-organizing memory architecture (UMA) for perceptual experience provably capable of supporting autonomous learning and goal-directed problem solving in the absence of any prior information about the agent’s environment. The architecture is simple enough to ensure (1) a quadratic bound (in the number of available sensors) on space requirements, and (2) a quadratic bound on the time-complexity of the update-execute cycle. At the same time, it is sufficiently complex to provide the agent with an internal representation which is (3) minimal among all representations which account for every sensory equivalence class consistent with the agent’s belief state; (4) capable, in principle, of recovering a topological model of the problem space; and (5) learnable with arbitrary precision through a random application of the available actions. These provable properties — both the trainability and the operational efficacy of an effectively trained memory structure — exploit a duality between weak poc sets — a symbolic (discrete) representation of subset nesting relations — and non-positively curved cubical complexes, whose rich convexity theory underlies the planning cycle of the proposed architecture

Master of Science in Risk Management and Safety Engineering at Lund University, Sweden - Executive Summaries

To obtain a Master of Science in Risk Management and Safety Engineering at Lund University the students must write a master’s thesis based on a final project. The efforts correspond to full-time studies for one semester, i.e. 30 ETCS credits or 20 Swedish credits. The students can choose to write the report in Swedish, i.e. their mother tongue, or in English. In addition to the thesis a student is also required to summarize the work in an executive summary written in English. This report includes the executive summaries written by students for the years 2001 - 2006. A short description of the structure and contents of the Master’s programme is presented in Appendix A

VIRTUAL PLC PLATFORM FOR SECURITY AND FORENSICS OF INDUSTRIAL CONTROL SYSTEMS

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) are vital in managing critical infrastructures, including nuclear power plants and electric grids. With the advent of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), these systems have been integrated into broader networks, enhancing efficiency but also becoming targets for cyberattacks. Central to ICS are Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), which bridge the physical and cyber worlds and are often exploited by attackers. There\u27s a critical need for tools to analyze cyberattacks on PLCs, uncover vulnerabilities, and improve ICS security. Existing tools are hindered by the proprietary nature of PLC software, limiting scalability and efficiency. To overcome these challenges, I developed a Virtual PLC Platform (VPP) for forensic analyses of ICS attacks and vulnerability identification. The VPP employs the packet replay technique, using network traffic to create a PLC template. This template guides the virtual PLC in network communication, mimicking real PLCs. A Protocol Reverse Engineering Engine (PREE) module assists in reverse-engineering ICS protocols and discovering vulnerabilities. The VPP is automated, supporting PLCs from various vendors, and eliminates manual reverse engineering. This dissertation highlights the architecture and applications of the VPP in forensic analysis, reverse engineering, vulnerability discovery, and threat intelligence gathering, all crucial to bolstering the security and integrity of critical infrastructure

Iterated Belief Revision Under Resource Constraints: Logic as Geometry

We propose a variant of iterated belief revision designed for settings with limited computational resources, such as mobile autonomous robots. The proposed memory architecture---called the universal memory architecture (UMA)---maintains an epistemic state in the form of a system of default rules similar to those studied by Pearl and by Goldszmidt and Pearl (systems Z and Z+). A duality between the category of UMA representations and the category of the corresponding model spaces, extending the Sageev-Roller duality between discrete poc sets and discrete median algebras provides a two-way dictionary from inference to geometry, leading to immense savings in computation, at a cost in the quality of representation that can be quantified in terms of topological invariants. Moreover, the same framework naturally enables comparisons between different model spaces, making it possible to analyze the deficiencies of one model space in comparison to others. This paper develops the formalism underlying UMA, analyzes the complexity of maintenance and inference operations in UMA, and presents some learning guarantees for different UMA-based learners. Finally, we present simulation results to illustrate the viability of the approach, and close with a discussion of the strengths, weaknesses, and potential development of UMA-based learners

Computational Theory of Mind for Human-Agent Coordination

In everyday life, people often depend on their theory of mind, i.e., their ability to reason about unobservable mental content of others to understand, explain, and predict their behaviour. Many agent-based models have been designed to develop computational theory of mind and analyze its effectiveness in various tasks and settings. However, most existing models are not generic (e.g., only applied in a given setting), not feasible (e.g., require too much information to be processed), or not human-inspired (e.g., do not capture the behavioral heuristics of humans). This hinders their applicability in many settings. Accordingly, we propose a new computational theory of mind, which captures the human decision heuristics of reasoning by abstracting individual beliefs about others. We specifically study computational affinity and show how it can be used in tandem with theory of mind reasoning when designing agent models for human-agent negotiation. We perform two-agent simulations to analyze the role of affinity in getting to agreements when there is a bound on the time to be spent for negotiating. Our results suggest that modeling affinity can ease the negotiation process by decreasing the number of rounds needed for an agreement as well as yield a higher benefit for agents with theory of mind reasoning.</p

Contrasting perspectives in a hospital merger: The case of the SUS eye clinic

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding for if, and how, different views on efficiency and effectiveness characterized the organisation of the eye clinic in the SUS hospital merger. What presumptions operative efficiencies affected hospital management’s merger decision? What were the expected benefits and what kind of organisational structure would help to achieve these? Finally, did different views on efficiencies affect how groups of individuals believe that the transformation should be carried out? In order to satisfy this purpose, we formulated three constituent objectives for research: (1) How do doctors and managers believe efficiency is and/or should be measured? (2) What do they think is efficient in an organisational change process, such as the SUS hospital merger? (3) What do they believe is efficient in a doctor’s daily work? Methodology: This is a qualitative study where we have adopted an abductive study approach, with an interpretivist/constructivist positioning. Thus we have not tried to identify the absolute truth. Instead we have tried to identify, evaluate and describe the different individuals’ views and perspectives on various aspects. Theoretical perspectives: The theoretical perspectives cover professions and professional bureaucracies, the definitions of effectiveness, efficiency and related concepts, optimal hospital size, quality of care, organizational change and management and merger theory. Empirical foundation: We conducted interviews with six managers from different levels of the vertical hierarchy of the SUS hospital, and eight clinical doctors with different backgrounds and current responsibilities, all working at the Eye clinic. We created and followed a semi-structured interview guide that we used to interview both managers and doctors. During the interviews we focused on open-ended questions that would bring the interviewees to freely express their views on the subject. Conclusions: In response to our research objectives we can conclude that; there is little agreement as to how measurements in healthcare in general, and the SUS hospital in particular, should be defined; there are different views on how to manage organisational change between managers and doctors, where management prefer a top-down approach while doctors believe that they should have more say in how the change is carried out; doctor’s stress the need for customized IT-support, stricter job specialisation, clear patient processes and the possibility to form informal networks and knowledge clusters. It appears that management has a narrow view of what doctor’s feel is necessary for improving efficiency in their daily work since many of these efficiencies have been impaired as a result of the top-down managed merger. In sum, it seems that our initial impression, that different views on efficiencies may cause problems in change processes, still poses a viable correlation between these aspects

e-HRM: unveiling the hidden dimensions of value creation within strategic human resources management using human resources information systems: a case study analysis

In the age of the digital society, a new paradigm of de-materialization crosses all dimensions of the organizations, and to the activities regarding Human Resources Management, this new digital imperative is no exception. Despite extensive theory that shows the financial and operational benefits inherent to the implementation of HR Information Systems, this theoretical research is not that much consistent when it comes to finer dimension of analysis. Starting from a case study approach, within a multinational corporation, operating in Portugal, this study had as its main goal to determine value creation dimensions upon the implementation of HR Information Systems, by crossing both emerging dimensions from existing empirical theory and testing its adherence to what would be reported by the interviewed sample of key stakeholders within the mentioned multinational organization, providing as well a decision model to future implementation projects. For that, several interviews were conducted with strategic stakeholders in the HR Organization, in the observed organization, and the qualitative data analysis procedures followed. The results of this analysis allowed to confirm that the key stakeholders adhered to the six main dimensions that were seen as critical to the organizational stakeholders involved in strategic human resources management policies design, and allowed the suggestion as well of a model for strategical orientation built upon the compliance on those very same strategic focus points.Na era da sociedade digital, um novo paradigma de desmaterialização atravessa todas as dimensões das organizações e para as atividades afetas à Gestão de Recursos Humanos o imperativo digital não é exceção. Apesar da extensa bibliografia acerca dos benefícios financeiros e operacionais inerentes à implementação de Sistemas de Informação de RH, este levantamento não existe de forma tão consistente em dimensões mais finas de análise. Partindo de um estudo de caso de uma empresa multinacional a operar em Portugal, este estudo teve como principal objetivo apurar possíveis dimensões de criação de valor aquando da implementação de sistemas de informação de RH, ao cruzar as dimensões emergentes da teoria e testar a sua aderência empírica, providenciando também um modelo de decisão para futuras implementações. Para isso foram conduzidas entrevistas a stakeholders estratégicos de RH na organização estudada e seguiu-se o posterior tratamento de análise qualitativa de dados. Os resultados permitiram confirmar a aderência a seis dimensões vistas como mais críticas para os stakeholders organizacionais envolvidos no desenho de políticas de gestão estratégica de RH, e sugerir um modelo de orientação estratégica assente na compliance com estes mesmos focos

Business model innovation in multi-sided platforms supported by the increase of trust in b2b relationships: a case study on baby sisters

The virtual era offers new business opportunities, encouraging the creation of multi-sided platforms where resources can be more efficiently used and interactions between “strangers” can be stimulated, contributing to the development of synergies that enrich all actors. Moreover, these interactions are online based which enforces the platform to implement strategies to increase trustworthiness among participants. The research explores, in a case study approach through qualitative interviews, the trust concept in business to business (B2B) markets and how it can influence the process of innovation. The analysis is centred on a childcare platform that was able to build a system trust, founded on solid relationships and new mechanisms, in a sector that was mainly based on interpersonal trust. Nonetheless, the constant contact between the company and its partners creates an environment where both actors can share ideas, enabling the business to improve and explore potential innovation opportunities. The findings of the research, by some means limited to the scope of the study, contribute to the literature by addressing different concepts of trust in order to understand how trust in childcare services can be strengthened in an online B2B context, with effects at the company and sector levels.A era virtual oferece novas oportunidades de negócio, incentivando a criação de plataformas multilaterais, onde os recursos podem ser utilizados com mais eficiência e as interações entre “estranhos” podem ser estimuladas, contribuindo para o desenvolvimento de sinergias que enriquecem todos os atores. Além disso, estas interações ocorrem numa base online, o que força a plataforma a implementar estratégias de modo a que consiga aumentar a confiança entre os participantes. A pesquisa explora, numa abordagem de estudo de caso através de entrevistas qualitativas, o conceito de confiança em mercados business to business (B2B) e a forma como esta pode influenciar o processo de inovação. A análise centra-se numa plataforma de cuidados de crianças que foi capaz de construir confiança sistémica, sustentada em relacionamentos sólidos e novos mecanismos, num setor que se baseia principalmente na confiança interpessoal. Adicionalmente, o contato constante entre a empresa e seus parceiros cria um ambiente em que ambos os intervenientes expõem as suas ideias, permitindo à empresa melhorar o negócio e explorar potenciais oportunidades de inovação. Os resultados da pesquisa, de certa forma limitados ao âmbito do estudo, contribuem para a literatura ao abordar diferentes conceitos relacionados com a confiança, de modo a demonstrar como esta pode ser fortalecida em serviços de cuidado de crianças num contexto B2B online, com efeitos ao nível da empresa e do setor

A Multi-Agent Architecture for An Intelligent Web-Based Educational System

An intelligent educational system must constitute an adaptive system built on multi-agent system architecture. The multi-agent architecture component provides self-organization, self-direction, and other control functionalities that are crucially important for an educational system. On the other hand, the adaptiveness of the system is necessary to provide customization, diversification, and interactional functionalities. Therefore, an educational system architecture that integrates multi-agent functionality [50] with adaptiveness can offer the learner the required independent learning experience. An educational system architecture is a complex structure with an intricate hierarchal organization where the functional components of the system undergo sophisticated and unpredictable internal interactions to perform its function. Hence, the system architecture must constitute adaptive and autonomous agents differentiated according to their functions, called multi-agent systems (MASs). The research paper proposes an adaptive hierarchal multi-agent educational system (AHMAES) [51] as an alternative to the traditional education delivery method. The document explains the various architectural characteristics of an adaptive multi-agent educational system and critically analyzes the system’s factors for software quality attributes