403,640 research outputs found
A framework for proving the self-organization of dynamic systems
This paper aims at providing a rigorous definition of self- organization, one
of the most desired properties for dynamic systems (e.g., peer-to-peer systems,
sensor networks, cooperative robotics, or ad-hoc networks). We characterize
different classes of self-organization through liveness and safety properties
that both capture information re- garding the system entropy. We illustrate
these classes through study cases. The first ones are two representative P2P
overlays (CAN and Pas- try) and the others are specific implementations of
\Omega (the leader oracle) and one-shot query abstractions for dynamic
settings. Our study aims at understanding the limits and respective power of
existing self-organized protocols and lays the basis of designing robust
algorithm for dynamic systems
Modeling dyadic child-peer interactions:sociometric status, emotional expressions and instrumental actions during play
The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of interaction (-patterns) of children of different sociometric statuses in dyadic child-peer interaction. The first major question in this thesis is: Can a dynamic systems model help in expanding our understanding of interaction patterns of children, and if so, what is the empirical validity of such a model? The second major question in this thesis is: What does the model teach us about differences and similarities in interaction patterns of children of different sociometric statuses? To answer these questions, two dynamic systems models of short-term interaction were built and an empirical study was conducted, in which dyads of children were videotaped during a ten-minute play session
The Development of Social Cognition in Adolescence: An Integrated Perspective
Social cognitive processes are critical in navigating complex social interactions and are associated with a network of brain areas termed the 'social brain'. Here, we describe the development of social cognition, and the structural and functional changes in the social brain during adolescence, a period of life characterised by extensive changes in social behaviour and environments. Neuroimaging and behavioural studies have demonstrated that the social brain and social cognition undergo significant development in human adolescence. Development of social cognition and the social brain are discussed in the context of developments in other neural systems, such as those implicated in motivational-affective and cognitive control processes. Successful transition to adulthood requires the rapid refinement and integration of these processes and many adolescent-typical behaviours, such as peer influence and sensitivity to social exclusion, involve dynamic interactions between these systems. Considering these interactions, and how they vary between individuals and across development, could increase our understanding of adolescent brain and behavioural development
Reconfiguring Household Management in Times of Discontinuity as an Open System: The Case of Agro-food Chains
The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.This article is based upon a heterodox approach to economics that rejects the
oversimplification made by closed economic models and the mainstream concept
of âexternality.â This approach re-imagines economics as a holistic evaluation of
resources versus human needs, which requires judgement based on understanding
of the complexity generated by the dynamic relations between different systems.
One re-imagining of the economic model is as a holistic and systemic evaluation of
agri-food systemsâ sustainability that was performed through the multi-dimensional
Governance Assessment Matrix Exercise (GAME). This is based on the five capitals
model of sustainability, and the translation of qualitative evaluations into quantitative
scores. This is based on the triangulation of big data from a variety of sources. To
represent quantitative interactions, this article proposes a provisional translation of
GAMEâs qualitative evaluation into a quantitative form through the identification of
measurement units that can reflect the different capital dimensions. For instance, a
post-normal, ecological accounting method, Emergy is proposed to evaluate the natural
capital. The revised GAME re-imagines economics not as the âdismal science,â but
as one that has potential leverage for positive, adaptive and sustainable ecosystemic
analyses and global âhouseholdâ management. This article proposes an explicit
recognition of economics nested within the social spheres of human and social capital
which are in turn nested within the ecological capital upon which all life rests and is
truly the bottom line. In this article, the authors make reference to an on-line retailer of
local food and drink to illustrate the methods for evaluation of the five capitals model
What Can We Learn From the Existing Evidence of the Business Case for Investments in Nursing Care: Importance of Content, Context, and Policy Environment
Decisions of health care institutions to invest in nursing care are often guided by mixed and conflicting evidence of effects of the investments on organizational function and sustainability. This paper uses new evidence generated through Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative (INQRI)-funded research and published in peer-reviewed journals, to illustrate where the business case for nursing investments stands and to discuss factors that may limit the existing evidence and its transferability into clinical practice. We conclude that there are 3 limiting factors: (1) the existing business case for nursing investments is likely understated due to the inability of most studies to capture spillover and long-run dynamic effects, thus causing organizations to forfeit potentially viable nursing investments that may improve long-term financial stability; (2) studies rarely devote sufficient attention to describing the content and the organization-specific contextual factors, thus limiting generalizability; and (3) fragmentation of the current health care delivery and payment systems often leads to the financial benefits of investments in nursing care accruing outside of the organization incurring the costs, thus making potentially quality-improving and cost-saving interventions financially unattractive from the organization\u27s perspective. The payment reform, with its emphasis on high-quality affordable patient-centered care, is likely to strengthen the business case for investments in nursing care. Methodologically rigorous approaches that focus on broader societal implications of investments in nursing care, combined with a thorough understanding of potential barriers and facilitators of nursing change, should be an integral part of future research and policy efforts
Conceptual modelling to assess how the interplay of hydrological connectivity, catchment storage and tracer dynamics controls nonstationary water age estimates
Acknowledgements We would like to gratefully acknowledge the data provided by SEPA, Iain Malcolm. Mark Speed, Susan Waldron and many MSS staff helped with sample collection and lab analysis. We thank the European Research Council (project GA 335910 VEWA) for funding and are grateful for the constructive comments provided by three anonymous reviewers.Peer reviewedPostprin
Forman-Ricci flow for change detection in large dynamic data sets
We present a viable solution to the challenging question of change detection
in complex networks inferred from large dynamic data sets. Building on Forman's
discretization of the classical notion of Ricci curvature, we introduce a novel
geometric method to characterize different types of real-world networks with an
emphasis on peer-to-peer networks. Furthermore we adapt the classical Ricci
flow that already proved to be a powerful tool in image processing and
graphics, to the case of undirected and weighted networks. The application of
the proposed method on peer-to-peer networks yields insights into topological
properties and the structure of their underlying data.Comment: Conference paper, accepted at ICICS 2016. (Updated version
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