Efficient Open World Reasoning for Planning

We consider the problem of reasoning and planning with incomplete knowledge and deterministic actions. We introduce a knowledge representation scheme called PSIPLAN that can effectively represent incompleteness of an agent's knowledge while allowing for sound, complete and tractable entailment in domains where the set of all objects is either unknown or infinite. We present a procedure for state update resulting from taking an action in PSIPLAN that is correct, complete and has only polynomial complexity. State update is performed without considering the set of all possible worlds corresponding to the knowledge state. As a result, planning with PSIPLAN is done without direct manipulation of possible worlds. PSIPLAN representation underlies the PSIPOP planning algorithm that handles quantified goals with or without exceptions that no other domain independent planner has been shown to achieve. PSIPLAN has been implemented in Common Lisp and used in an application on planning in a collaborative interface.Comment: 39 pages, 13 figures. to appear in Logical Methods in Computer Scienc

Review: Online Instruction: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Emily Mroczek

Review of Mroczek, E. (2022). Online instruction: A practical guide for librarians. Rowman & Littlefield

Formation of inclusive values as development of democratic values

The article highlights the issues of professional training of future educators using innovative pedagogical approaches, as well as the formation of inclusive competency as part of professional competency. The authors present the views of scholars on such terms as “inclusive education”, “inclusive culture”, “inclusive values”, and “value-based orientations” and demonstrate the importance for teaching staff of basic knowledge and methods of working with children with special educational needs. The article highlights the effectiveness of inclusive education in the training and retraining of teachers, where the formation of inclusive values is one of the objectives. The creation of an inclusive culture in higher education institutions ensures the existence of a safe democratic society that shares the ideas of cooperation and the value of each person in common achievements. This kind of university culture creates shared inclusive values and principles that are common for all faculty and students

Family carers managing personal budgets for adults with learning disabilities or autism

1.1 Background: There are a growing number of people with learning disabilities and autism who access personal budgets in the form of direct payments in England. Although they are often involved in decisions about their support, personal budgets are usually managed by someone else, typically a parent. This study examined the experiences of carers who manage personal budgets for adults with learning disabilities or autism with a particular focus on the challenges of securing suitable support and implications for their own well‐being. 1.2 Methods: This was a qualitative study using a descriptive phenomenological approach to investigate the lived experiences of family carers who manage personal budgets. We conducted semi‐structured interviews with 13 family carers. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed using the framework approach. 1.3 Results: Our analysis identified five main themes. The first theme relates to why carers decide to take up a personal budget in the first place and their initial expectations. The second theme, restricted choice, highlights the difficulties in securing adequate support and services in the context of what are often described as “complex needs.” The third and fourth themes relate to the tasks involved in managing a personal budget and the challenges associated with the dual role of the carer as a parent and a “professional.” The fifth and final theme, mixed emotions, describes the impact on the subjective well‐being of carers. 1.4 Conclusions: Family carers indicated that the benefits of personal budgets outweighed the difficulties and stress inherent in managing them. They need adequate support to ensure that personal budgets deliver personalised and self‐directed support and greater well‐being, and are sustainable arrangements

OncoLog Volume 47, Number 03, March 2002

Largest-Ever Cancer Prevention Study to Examine the Effects of Selenium and Vitamin E on Prostate Cancer Occurrence Protocols: Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials House Call: Understanding Metastasis DiaLog: The Prostate--Specific Antigen Test: Reliability and Recommended Use, by Richard J. Babaian, MD, Professor, Department of Urology Trouble Spots: Early Detection Is Key to the Successful Treatment of Melanomahttps://openworks.mdanderson.org/oncolog/1104/thumbnail.jp