Adaptive Load Balancing: A Study in Multi-Agent Learning

We study the process of multi-agent reinforcement learning in the context of load balancing in a distributed system, without use of either central coordination or explicit communication. We first define a precise framework in which to study adaptive load balancing, important features of which are its stochastic nature and the purely local information available to individual agents. Given this framework, we show illuminating results on the interplay between basic adaptive behavior parameters and their effect on system efficiency. We then investigate the properties of adaptive load balancing in heterogeneous populations, and address the issue of exploration vs. exploitation in that context. Finally, we show that naive use of communication may not improve, and might even harm system efficiency.Comment: See http://www.jair.org/ for any accompanying file

Open versus blind peer review: is anonymity better than transparency?

Peer review is widely accepted as essential to ensuring scientific quality in academic journals, yet little training is provided in the specifics of how to conduct peer review. In this article we describe the different forms of peer review, with a particular focus on the differences between single-blind, double-blind and open peer review, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. These illustrate some of the challenges facing the community of authors, editors, reviewers and readers in relation to the process of peer review. We also describe other forms of peer review, such as post-publication review, transferable review and collaborative review, and encourage clinicians and academics at all training stages to engage in the practice of peer review as part of continuing professional development

Challenges in conducting and publishing research on the Middle East and Africa in leading journals

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the reasons for the lack of research attention paid to the Middle East (ME) and Africa regions. In particular, this study seeks to identify the reasons for and implications of the paucity of ME- and Africa-based studies in high-quality international journals in the marketing field with a specific focus on the challenges in conducting and publishing research on these regions. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a systematic review of the literature on the ME and Africa regions to identify papers published in 23 high-quality marketing, international business, and advertising journals. This search resulted in 301 articles, among which 125 articles were based on primary or secondary data collected from a local source in those regions. The authors of these 125 articles constitute the Delphi study sample. These academics provided input in an effort to reach a consensus regarding the two proposed models of academic research in both regions. Findings – This paper differs from previous studies, where academic freedom emerged as the most important inhibitor to conducting and publishing research. The most frequently mentioned challenges in conducting research in Africa were access to data, data collection issues, diversity of the region, and lack of research support infrastructure. For the ME, the most often described challenges included validity and reliability of data, language barriers, data collection issues, and availability of a network of researchers. Editors’ and reviewers’ low interest and limited knowledge were ranked high in both regions. South Africa, Israel, and Turkey emerged as outliers, in which research barriers were less challenging than in the rest of the two regions. The authors attribute this difference to the high incidence of US-trained or US-based scholars originating from these countries. Originality/value – To the best of the knowledge, no marketing studies have discussed the problems of publishing in high-quality international journals of marketing, international business, and advertising for either region. Thus, most of the issues the authors discuss in this paper offer new insightful results while supplementing previous research on the challenges of conducting and publishing research on specific world regions

The Measurement of Movements on the Conformity-Deviance Continuum as an Auxiliary Tool for Action-Research

MESURE DES TENDANCESSUR L'ECHELLE « CONFORMITE-DEVIANCE » :INSTRUMENT DE RECHERCHE ACTIVEBut de l'etude. Cette recherche entreprise par le ministere de l'Education dans certains bas-quartiers d'Israel a pour origine la theorie sociologique selon laquelle la deviance et la delinquance sont associees aux conflits de l'enfant qui appartient a des groupes divers. Le traitement vise a arreter ces pressions diverses en utilisant l'appartenance de l'enfant au groupe comme agent de traitement, et c'est pourquoi les travailleurs sociaux ont du s'integrer au groupe pour tenter de changer son systeme normatif. Ce rapport traitedes problemes d'evaluation et de mesure objective des resultats obtenus par les efforts de correction et de prevention des travailleurs sociaux.Apercu theorique sur un schema pour l'etude de la delinquance en Israel. Dans un pays ou l'on denombre plus de 70 groupes ethniques, les conflits de normes peuvent etre hautement significatifs pour expliquer la genese du crime et de la delinquance. Ce probleme majeur de conflit de culture qui nait avec la deuxieme generation n'est cependant qu'un facteur predisposant dans un ensemble plus vaste. Le schema propose synchronise deux types d'explications causales : une configuration de facteurs predisposants ; une chaine de pressions dynamiques qui conduisent un individu donne a s'associer a des groupes criminels et a adopter leur type de conduite.Schema des {acteurs sociaux de conduite criminelle applique hypothe-tiquement a l'etiologie du crime et de la delinquance en Israel. Pour l'ensemble predisposant sont envisages les points suivants : cellule familiale ; facteurs ecologiques ; facteurs economiques ; conflit de culture. Le processus dynamique d'association considere les points suivants : solutions delinquantes de situations conflictuelles ; identification differentielle ; stigmate social ; sous-culture criminelle.Methode. Deux groupes ont ete choisis pour definir empiriquement le continuum mesure. Apres interview, les deux groupes ont ete compares en utilisant le test Mann-Whitney et le test x2. Les principaux points de distinction entre groupe delinquant et groupe non delinquant ont ensuite ete analyses afin d'etablir leur contribution relative.Questionnaire. Dans une premiere partie, le questionnaire comprend differentes questions concernant le passe socio-economique de l'enfant et de sa famille. La deuxieme partie est un ensemble d'inventaires eprouves anterieurement. La troisieme partie groupe les points concernant la conscience qu'ont les jeunes de la structure differentielle et du processus de stigmatisation.Resultats. On a tente de maintenir stables les variables des facteurs demographiques. L'anomie a ete consideree comme facteur predisposant. Apres verification, il ne semble pas que l'anomie soit un facteur significatif de la delinquance. Les differents points des inventaires qui differencient veritablement les delinquants des non-delinquants ont ensuite ete analyses et les plus significatifs sont indiques dans chaque inventaire.Identification dynamique et processus d'association. Les principes d'association differentielle ont ete largement verifies par cette etude et formules sous forme de probabilite. Cette etude a aussi verifie la theorie de la desorganisation familiale et du conflit de culture lie a l'immigration familiale. Le concept de norme viciee conduisant a une socialisation precoce est crucial pour le concept global de la delinquance.MEDIDA DE TENDENCIASEN LA ESCALA « CONFORMIDAD-CONDUCTA DESVIANTE > :INSTRUMENTO DE INVESTIGACION ACTIVAObjeto del estudio. La investigacion emprendida por el ministerio de Educacion en algunos barrios bajos de Israel se basa en la teoria sociologica segun la cual tanto la conducta desviante como la delincuencia juvenil estan asociadas con los conflictos del nino perteneciente a varios grupos. El tratamiento tiende a suprimir taies presiones, utilizando como agente de tratamiento la pertenencia del nino al grupo ; por ello los trabajadores sociales han tenido que integrarse al grupo, con el fin de intentar cambiar su sistema normative. El presente trabajo trata de los problemas de evaluacion y medida objetiva de los resultados obtenidos por los esfuerzos penales y pre-ventivos de dichos trabajadores sociales.Resumen teorico de un modelo para el estudio de la delincuencia juvenil en Israel. En un pais donde pueden contarse mas de 70 grupos etnicos, los conflictos de normas pueden ser extremadamente relevantes para comprender la genesis del crimen y de la delincuencia. Sin embargo, este problema mayor de conflicto de culturas, que surge en la segunda generacion, no es mas que un factor predisponente en un conjunto de factores mucho mas vasto. Elesquema propuesto sincroniza dos tipos de explicaciones causales : una configuracion de factores predisponentes ; una serie de presiones dinamicas que conducen a un individuo dado a asociarse con grupos criminales y adoptar sus tipos de conducta.Esquema de ?actores sociales de conducta criminal aplicado hipoteticamente a la etiologia del crimen y de la delincuencia en Israel. Los puntos siguientes son considerados para el conjunto de factores predisponentes : unidad familiar ; factores ecologicos ; factores economicos ; conflicto de culturas. El proceso dinamico de asociacion tiene en cuenta los puntos siguientes : soluciones delincuentes de las situaciones de conflicto ; identificacion diferencial ; estigma social ; sub-cultura criminal.Metodo. Para definir empiricamente el continuum medido, se han escogido dos grupos. Despues de haber sido interviuvados, los dos grupos fueron comparados, utilizandose para ello los tests Mann-Whitney y x2-Los puntos que distinguian significativamente el grupo delincuente y el no delincuente fueron entonces analizados con el fin de determinar su contribucion relativa.Cuestionario. La primera parte comprendia varias cuestiones referentes a los antecedentes socio-economicos del nino y de su familia ; la segunda, un conjunto de inventarios experimentados previamente ; la tercera, los puntos relativos al conocimiento que tienen los jovenes de la estructura diferencial y del proceso de estigmatizacion.Resultados. Se ha intentado mantener constantes las variables de los factores demograficos, considerandose la anomia como factor predisponente. Despues de haberse efectuado la correspondiente comprobacion, parece ser que la anomia no predispone de manera significativa a la delincuencia. Los diversos puntos de los inventarios que permiten distinguir verdaderamente a los delincuentes de los no delincuentes fueron seguidamente analizados, indicandose en cada inventario los mas significativos.Identificacion dinamica y proceso de asociacion. Los principios de asociacion diferencial han sido ampliamente verificados por este estudio y formulados en forma de probabilidad. Tambien se han comprobado las teorias de la desorganizacion familiar y del conflicto de culturas unido a la inmigracion familiar. El concepto de norma viciada conduciendo a una socializacion precoz es crucial para el concepto general de delincuencia.MESSUNG DER TENDENZENAUF DER EBENE« KONFORMES-ABWEICHENDES VERHALTEN » :AKTIVES FORSCHUNGSINSTRUMENTZiel der Untersuchung. Diese Untersuchung, die vom Erziehungsministerium in einigen israelischen Elendsquartieren unternommen worden ist, hat die soziologische Theorie zur Grundlage, nach der abweichendes Verhalten und Kriminalitaet mit den Konflikten des Kindes eng verbunden sind, das verschiedenen Gruppen angehoert. Die Behandlung versucht, diese verschiedenartigen Pressionen aufzuhalten, indem sie die Zugehoerigkeit des Kindes zur Gruppe als Behandlungsmittel benuetzt ; deshalb haben sich die Sozialarbeiter der Gruppe anpassen muessen, um zu versuchen, sein normatives System zu veraendern. Dieser Bericht eroertert die Probleme, die sich durch die Besserungs— und Praeventiwersuche der Sozialarbeiter bei der Analyse und objektiven Auswertung der erhaltenen Resultate ergeben haben.Kurzer Abriss eines Schemas fuer die Forschung der Delinquenz in Israel. In einem Land, in dem 70 ethnische Gruppen vorherrschen, koennen die Normkonflikte ueberaus bedeutsam fuer die Genesis des Verbrechens und der Delinquenz sein. Dieses wichtige Problem des Kulturkonfliktes, das mit der zweiten Generation entsteht, ist hingegen nur ein vorherrschender Faktor in einem viel umfangreicheren Gesamten. Das vorgeschlagene Schema verdeutlicht zwei Typen kausaler Erklaerungen : ~- ein Zusammenwirken praedisponierender Faktoren ; eine Kette von dynamischen Pressionen, die ein gegebenes Individuum dazu fuehren, sich Gruppen von Verbrechern anzuschliessen und deren Verhalten zu uebernehmen.Schema der sozialen Faktoren kriminellen Verhaltens, das hypothetisch auf die Verbrechensethiologie und die Delinquenz in Israel angewendet wird. Fuer das praedispositive Gesamte werden die folgenden Punkte ins Auge gefasst : die Zelle der Familie ; ekologische Faktoren ; oekonomische Faktoren ; Kulturkonflikt. Der dynamische Prozess der Sich-Annaeherung betrachtet die folgenden Punkte : Loesungen von Konfliktssituationen durch delinquentes Verhalten; differenzierte Identifikation; soziales Stigma; kriminelle Subkultur.Methode. Zwei Gruppen wurden ausgewaehlt, um empirisch das gemessene Kontinuum zu bestimmen. Nach dem Interview wurden die beiden Gruppen miteinander verglichen, wobei der Mann-Whitney und der %2 Test angewandt wurden. Ehe vorwiegenden Unterscheidungspunkte zwischen der delinquenten und nicht delinquenten Gruppe wurden daraufhin analysiert, um ihren dementsprechenden Beitrag zu bestimmen.Fragebogen. In einem ersten Teil umfasst der Fragebogen verschiedene Fragen, die die sozio-oekonomische Vergangenheit des Kindes und seiner Familie betreffen. Der zweite Teil stellt eine Gesamtheit schon vorher geprueften und bewiesenen Materials dar. Der dritte Teil befasst sich mit den Punkten, die Aufschluss geben ueber das Bewusstsein, das die Jungen von der differenzierten Struktur und dem Stigmatisierungsprozess haben.Resultate. Man hat versucht, die Variablen der demographischen Faktoren im Gleichgewicht zu halten. Die Anomie ist hierbei als vorwiegender Faktor betrachtet worden. Nach der Analyse scheint es nicht so zu sein, dass sich die Anomie wesentlich der Delinquenz beugt. Die verschiedenen Gesichtspunkte des gegebenen Materials, die wesentlich die Delinquenten von den Nicht-Delinquenten unterscheiden, wurden daraufhin analysiert und die bedeutsamsten von ihnen im entsprechenden Inventar verzeichnet.Dynamische Identifikation und Prozess des Sich'Anschliessens. Die Grundsaetze differenzierten Anschlusses haben sich durch diese Untersuchung deutlich bestaetigt und sind in der Form von Wahrscheinlichkeit (probability) ausgedrueckt worden. Die Studie hat ebenfalls die Theorie von der Familienzersplitterung und des Kulturkonfliktes, der mit der Immigration zusammenhaengt, gestuetzt. Das Konzept der verkannten Norm, das zu einer fruehzeitigen Sozialisierung fuehrt, ist von groesster Bedeutung fuer das gesamte Konzept der Delinquenz

Expressiveness and Completeness in Abstraction

We study two notions of expressiveness, which have appeared in abstraction theory for model checking, and find them incomparable in general. In particular, we show that according to the most widely used notion, the class of Kripke Modal Transition Systems is strictly less expressive than the class of Generalised Kripke Modal Transition Systems (a generalised variant of Kripke Modal Transition Systems equipped with hypertransitions). Furthermore, we investigate the ability of an abstraction framework to prove a formula with a finite abstract model, a property known as completeness. We address the issue of completeness from a general perspective: the way it depends on certain abstraction parameters, as well as its relationship with expressiveness.Comment: In Proceedings EXPRESS/SOS 2012, arXiv:1208.244

Multistable attractors in a network of phase oscillators with three-body interaction

Three-body interactions have been found in physics, biology, and sociology. To investigate their effect on dynamical systems, as a first step, we study numerically and theoretically a system of phase oscillators with three-body interaction. As a result, an infinite number of multistable synchronized states appear above a critical coupling strength, while a stable incoherent state always exists for any coupling strength. Owing to the infinite multistability, the degree of synchrony in asymptotic state can vary continuously within some range depending on the initial phase pattern.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Variability Abstraction and Refinement for Game-Based Lifted Model Checking of Full CTL

One of the most promising approaches to fighting the configuration space explosion problem in lifted model checking are variability abstractions. In this work, we define a novel game-based approach for variability-specific abstraction and refinement for lifted model checking of the full CTL, interpreted over 3-valued semantics. We propose a direct algorithm for solving a 3-valued (abstract) lifted model checking game. In case the result of model checking an abstract variability model is indefinite, we suggest a new notion of refinement, which eliminates indefinite results. This provides an iterative incremental variability-specific abstraction and refinement framework, where refinement is applied only where indefinite results exist and definite results from previous iterations are reused. The practicality of this approach is demonstrated on several variability models

A Game of Attribute Decomposition for Software Architecture Design

Attribute-driven software architecture design aims to provide decision support by taking into account the quality attributes of softwares. A central question in this process is: What architecture design best fulfills the desirable software requirements? To answer this question, a system designer needs to make tradeoffs among several potentially conflicting quality attributes. Such decisions are normally ad-hoc and rely heavily on experiences. We propose a mathematical approach to tackle this problem. Game theory naturally provides the basic language: Players represent requirements, and strategies involve setting up coalitions among the players. In this way we propose a novel model, called decomposition game, for attribute-driven design. We present its solution concept based on the notion of cohesion and expansion-freedom and prove that a solution always exists. We then investigate the computational complexity of obtaining a solution. The game model and the algorithms may serve as a general framework for providing useful guidance for software architecture design. We present our results through running examples and a case study on a real-life software project.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, a shorter version to appear at 12th International Colloquium on Theoretical Aspects of Computing (ICTAC 2015

Constraint rule-based programming of norms for electronic institutions

Peer reviewedPostprin

Unravelling the “Black Box”: Treatment-Staff Perceptions of Hermon Prison’s Drug-Rehabilitation Program

This current qualitative study analyzed treatment-staff perceptions of the advantages and weaknesses of Israeli’s primary prison-based drug rehabilitation program, as implemented in Hermon Prison in Israel. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 social workers and recovery mentors who worked as therapists in Hermon Prison during the research period. The analysis showed that the main advantages described were that the program was varied (included psychotherapy, education, vocational training, and work) and required a 1-year stay in a therapeutic community setting, with intensive exposure to eclectic psychotherapy methods and was delivered in a prison that is organizationally and architecturally designed to serve treatment goals. The primary weaknesses that the therapists perceived were shortages of treatment staff (staff turnover was high), individual psychological therapy and of follow-up treatment in the community. The research suggests that reducing these deficiencies may improve the program’s effectiveness, and it offers an initial theoretical model for creating an effective drug rehabilitation program