Negotiation in Multi-Agent Systems

In systems composed of multiple autonomous agents, negotiation is a key form of interaction that enables groups of agents to arrive at a mutual agreement regarding some belief, goal or plan, for example. Particularly because the agents are autonomous and cannot be assumed to be benevolent, agents must influence others to convince them to act in certain ways, and negotiation is thus critical for managing such inter-agent dependencies. The process of negotiation may be of many different forms, such as auctions, protocols in the style of the contract net, and argumentation, but it is unclear just how sophisticated the agents or the protocols for interaction must be for successful negotiation in different contexts. All these issues were raised in the panel session on negotiation

Resonant tunneling of light through thin metal films via strongly localized surface plasmons

W.-C. Tan, T. W. Preist, and J. Roy Sambles, Physical Review B, Vol. 62, pp. 11134-11138 (2000). "Copyright © 2000 by the American Physical Society."We present a theoretical model of the optical response of a silver film having narrow-grooved zero-order gratings on both sides. It is found that incident p-polarized photons can resonantly tunnel through such a metal film via exciting standing-wave surface plasmon-polariton (SPP) modes localized in the grooves of the two opposite surfaces. This leads to strong transmission peaks in the visible and ultraviolet regions, while for s-polarized photons the film acts as a nearly perfect mirror

Weight filtration on the cohomology of complex analytic spaces

We extend Deligne's weight filtration to the integer cohomology of complex analytic spaces (endowed with an equivalence class of compactifications). In general, the weight filtration that we obtain is not part of a mixed Hodge structure. Our purely geometric proof is based on cubical descent for resolution of singularities and Poincar\'e-Verdier duality. Using similar techniques, we introduce the singularity filtration on the cohomology of compactificable analytic spaces. This is a new and natural analytic invariant which does not depend on the equivalence class of compactifications and is related to the weight filtration.Comment: examples added + minor correction

Design Considerations for the Integrated Delivery of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression: A User-Centered Design Study

Background: Adherence to computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT) programs in real-world settings can be poor, and in the absence of therapist support, effects are modest and short term. Moreover, because cCBT systems tend toward limited support and thus low-intensity treatment, they are typically most appropriate for people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties. Blended therapy, that is, combining direct therapist contact with cCBT or psychoeducational materials, has been identified as one possible approach to address these limitations and widen access to individual CBT for depression. Building on the initial success of blended therapy, we explore an integrated approach that seeks to seamlessly combine face-to-face contact, electronic contact, and between-session activities. Integration also considers how the technology can support therapists’ workflow and integrate with broader health care systems. The ultimate aim is to provide a structure within which therapists can deliver high-intensity treatments, while also greatly reducing face-to-face contact. Objective: The research aimed to explore patients’ and therapists’ views on using a system for the delivery of individual treatment for depression that integrates face-to-face therapist contact with access to online resources and with synchronous online therapy sessions that allow collaborative exercises, and to establish design requirements and thus key design considerations for integrated systems that more seamlessly combine different modes of communication. Methods: We conducted a series of four user-centered design studies. This included four design workshops and seven prototype testing sessions with 18 people who had received CBT for depression in the past, and 11 qualitative interviews and three role-play sessions with 12 CBT therapists experienced in the treatment of depression. Studies took place between July and December 2017 in Bristol, United Kingdom. Results: Workshops and prototyping sessions with people who had received CBT identified three important requirements for integrated platforms delivering CBT therapy for depression as follows: (1) features that help to overcome depression-related barriers, (2) features that support engagement, and (3) features that reinforce learning and support the development of new skills. Research with therapists highlighted the importance of the therapist and client working together, the impact of technology on therapists’ workflow and workload, challenges and opportunities related to the use of online resources, and the potential of technology to support patient engagement. We use these findings to inform 12 design considerations for developing integrated therapy systems. Conclusions: To meet clients’ and therapists’ needs, integrated systems need to help retain the personal connection, support both therapist- and patient-led activities, and provide access to materials and the ability to monitor progress. However, developers of such systems should be mindful of their capacity to disrupt current work practices and increase therapists’ workload. Future research should evaluate the impact of integrated systems on patients and therapists in a real-world context

Integrating the Digital and the Traditional to Deliver Therapy for Depression: Lessons from a Pragmatic Study

Traditional approaches to psychotherapy emphasise face-to-face contact between patients and therapists. In contrast, current computerised approaches tend to minimise this contact. This can limit the range of mental health difficulties for which computerised approaches are effective. Here, we explore an alternative approach that integrates face-to-face contact, electronic contact, online collaboration, and support for between-session activities. Our discussion is grounded in the design of a platform to deliver psychotherapy for depression. We report findings of an 11-month pragmatic study in which 17 patients received treatment for depression via the platform. Results show how design decisions had a significant impact on the dynamics of therapeutic sessions and the establishment of patient-therapist relationships. For example, the use of instant messaging for synchronous, in-session contact slowed communication, but also provided a valuable space for reflection and helped to maintain session focus. We discuss the impact of flexibility and the potential of integrated approaches to both enhance and reduce patient engagement

Double-period zero-order metal gratings as effective selective absorbers

W.-C. Tan, J. Roy Sambles, and T. W. Preist, Physical Review B, Vol. 61, pp. 13177-13182 (2000). "Copyright © 2000 by the American Physical Society."The electromagnetic response of a zero-order metal grating having a primary deep short-period component and a shallow long-period component is modeled. It is found that such a metal grating has an unusual surface-plasmon-polariton band structure and exhibits strong selective absorption of incident radiation. This opens up potential for designing metal surfaces with specific optical response features

Finite conductance governs the resonance transmission of thin metal slits at microwave frequencies

James R. Suckling, Alastair P. Hibbins, Matthew J. Lockyear, T. W. Preist, J. Roy Sambles, and Christopher R. Lawrence, Physical Review Letters, Vol. 92, article 147401 (2004). "Copyright © 2004 by the American Physical Society."Fabry-Perot–like resonant transmission of microwave radiation through a single subwavelength slit in a thick aluminum plate is quantified for a range of slit widths. Surprisingly, and in contrast to previous studies [e.g., Y. Takakura, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 5601 (2001)], the resonant frequency exhibits a maximum as a function of slit width, decreasing as the slit width is reduced to less than 2% of the incident wavelength. This result accords with a new model based on coupled surface plasmon theory taking into account the finite conductivity, and hence permittivity, of the metal. This is contrary to a common assumption that metals can be treated as infinitely conducting in this regime

Supporting the role of universities in leading individual and societal transformation through education for sustainable development

There is growing recognition of the value of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for all learners, and of the unique role that universities play in the transformation of individuals, institutions and societies towards more sustainable futures. Universities engage and even lead in several areas: education, research and community engagement, all of which are essential in this transformation. Further, given their focus and influence, universities are pivotal to action needed to realise the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but, to date, UK university integration of ESD and engagement with the SDGs is relatively limited. In recognition that a more urgent and meaningful response is needed to deliver the 2030 targeted socio-economic transformation outlined by the SDGs, the UK ESD Guidance has been comprehensively revised to support universities to deliver education which enables students to acquire sustainability competencies, equipping them to play leadership roles in an increasingly uncertain world. In this case study, we critically analyse the role of universities and explore why ESD needs to be more urgently integrated in teaching and learning. We review the barriers to achieving ESD in UK universities at political and institutional levels. Finally, we explore the policy-practice interface and outline how the new UK ESD Guidance can support universities in leading individual and societal transformation through ESD and act as a stimulus for embedding ESD in university curricula in both UK and international contexts. We conclude that universities have as yet unfulfilled potential to explore and facilitate ESD for sustainability leadership

Ranking Services Using Fuzzy HEX Programs

Abstract. The need to reason with knowledge expressed in both Logic Program-ming (LP) and Description Logics (DLs) paradigms on the Semantic Web lead to several integrating formalisms, e.g., Description Logic programs (dl-programs) allow a logic program to retrieve results from and feed results to a DL knowledge base. Two functional extensions of dl-programs are HEX programs and fuzzy dl-programs. The former abstract away from DLs, allowing for general exter-nal queries, the latter deal with the uncertain, vague, and inconsistent nature of knowledge on the Web by means of fuzzy logic mechanisms. In this paper, we generalize both HEX programs and fuzzy dl-programs to fuzzy HEX programs: a LP-based paradigm, supporting both fuzziness as well as reasoning with exter-nal sources. We define basic syntax and semantics and analyze the framework semantically, e.g., by investigating the complexity. Additionally, we provide a translation from fuzzy HEX programs to HEX programs, enabling an implementa-tion via the dlvhex reasoner. Finally, we illustrate the use of fuzzy HEX programs for ranking services by using them to model non-functional properties of services and user preferences.