A group learning management method for intelligent tutoring systems

In this paper we propose a group management specification and execution method that seeks a compromise between simple course design and complex adaptive group interaction. This is achieved through an authoring method that proposes predefined scenarios to the author. These scenarios already include complex learning interaction protocols in which student and group models use and update are automatically included. The method adopts ontologies to represent domain and student models, and object Petri nets to specify the group interaction protocols. During execution, the method is supported by a multi-agent architecture

Introduction to Collaborative Technology for Coordinating Crisis Management (CT2CM) track

International audienceThis is the foreword introduction to the special Wetice Track about Coordination in Crisis Management and its support technology

Flexible and Emergent Workflows using Adaptive Agents

International audienceMost of existing workflow systems are rigid since they require to completely specify processes before their enactment and they also lack flexibility during their execution. This work proposes to view a workflow as a set of cooperative and adaptive agents interleaving its design and its execution leading to an emergent workflow. We use the theory of Adaptive Multi-Agent Systems (AMAS) to provide agents with adaptive capabilities and the whole multi-agent system with emergent "feature". We provide a meta-model linking workflow and AMAS concepts, and the specification of agent behavior and the resulting collaborations. A simulator has been implemented with the Make Agent Yourself platform

An Anticipative Effects-Based Approach (AEBA) for analyzing collaborative crisis management process

This paper aims at presenting an Anticipative Effects-Based Approach (AEBA) to evaluate the potential effects of a collaborative crisis management process response on the different elements concerned by the crisis evolution. This approach provides several concepts, model and reasoning mechanisms presented and illustrated in this paper. AEBA is currently developed within the French ISYCRI1 Project. It focuses on crisis occurring suddenly and unpredictably. Long time crisis such as famine, pandemic, enduring civilian wars, etc. are not taken into account

A Framework for an adaptive grid scheduling: an organizational perspective

Grid systems are complex computational organizations made of several interacting components evolving in an unpredictable and dynamic environment. In such context, scheduling is a key component and should be adaptive to face the numerous disturbances of the grid while guaranteeing its robustness and efficiency. In this context, much work remains at low-level focusing on the scheduling component taken individually. However, thinking the scheduling adaptiveness at a macro level with an organizational view, through its interactions with the other components, is also important. Following this view, in this paper we model a grid system as an agent-based organization and scheduling as a cooperative activity. Indeed, agent technology provides high level organizational concepts (groups, roles, commitments, interaction protocols) to structure, coordinate and ease the adaptation of distributed systems efficiently. More precisely, we make the following contributions. We provide a grid conceptual model that identifies the concepts and entities involved in the cooperative scheduling activity. This model is then used to define a typology of adaptation including perturbing events and actions to undertake in order to adapt. Then, we provide an organizational model, based on the Agent Group Role (AGR) meta-model of Freber, to support an adaptive scheduling at the organizational level. Finally, a simulator and an experimental evaluation have been realized to demonstrate the feasibility of our approach

Developing the first generally-available openEHR archetypes and templates for physiotherapy: an example of building clinical models and modelling capacity via student-led academic–industrial collaboration

Given the clear assertions in published literature that physiotherapy needs, and will benefit from, electronic health records, it was surprising that the international repository for clinical models for the openEHR record architecture (the Clinical Knowledge Manager or CKM at openehr.org/ckm ) made no reference to physiotherapy, and that other published modelling work had not used formalisms that provided for easy re-use. We set out to explore what would be involved in changing this

Scoliosis Follow-Up Using Noninvasive Trunk Surface Acquisition

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a musculoskeletal pathology. It is a complex spinal curvature in a 3-D space that also affects the appearance of the trunk. The clinical follow-up of AIS is decisive for its management. Currently, the Cobb angle, which is measured from full spine radiography, is the most common indicator of the scoliosis progression. However, cumulative exposure to X-rays radiation increases the risk for certain cancers. Thus, a noninvasive method for the identification of the scoliosis progression from trunk shape analysis would be helpful. In this study, a statistical model is built from a set of healthy subjects using independent component analysis and genetic algorithm. Based on this model, a representation of each scoliotic trunk from a set of AIS patients is computed and the difference between two successive acquisitions is used to determine if the scoliosis has progressed or not. This study was conducted on 58 subjects comprising 28 healthy subjects and 30 AIS patients who had trunk surface acquisitions in upright standing posture. The model detects 93% of the progressive cases and 80% of the nonprogressive cases. Thus, the rate of false negatives, representing the proportion of undetected progressions, is very low, only 7%. This study shows that it is possible to perform a scoliotic patient's follow-up using 3-D trunk image analysis, which is based on a noninvasive acquisition technique.IRSC / CIH

The Portevin-Le Chatelier effect in the Continuous Time Random Walk framework

We present a continuous time random walk model for the Portevin-Le Chatelier (PLC) effect. From our result it is shown that the dynamics of the PLC band can be explained in terms of the Levy Walk