828 research outputs found

    Correction to: Decisional Balance Inventory (DBI) Adolescent Form for Smoking: Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version

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    Correction After publication of the article [1], it has been brought to our attention that the first and last names of the third author were transposed in the original article. The author was published as “Ponnet Koen” where in fact the correct name is “Koen Ponnet”. The original article has been revised to reflect this

    Acceptance conditions in automated negotiation

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    In every negotiation with a deadline, one of the negotiating parties has to accept an offer to avoid a break off. A break off is usually an undesirable outcome for both parties, therefore it is important that a negotiator employs a proficient mechanism to decide under which conditions to accept. When designing such conditions one is faced with the acceptance dilemma: accepting the current offer may be suboptimal, as better offers may still be presented. On the other hand, accepting too late may prevent an agreement from being reached, resulting in a break off with no gain for either party. Motivated by the challenges of bilateral negotiations between automated agents and by the results and insights of the automated negotiating agents competition (ANAC), we classify and compare state-of-the-art generic acceptance conditions. We focus on decoupled acceptance conditions, i.e. conditions that do not depend on the bidding strategy that is used. We performed extensive experiments to compare the performance of acceptance conditions in combination with a broad range of bidding strategies and negotiation domains. Furthermore we propose new acceptance conditions and we demonstrate that they outperform the other conditions that we study. In particular, it is shown that they outperform the standard acceptance condition of comparing the current offer with the offer the agent is ready to send out. We also provide insight in to why some conditions work better than others and investigate correlations between the properties of the negotiation environment and the efficacy of acceptance conditions.MediamaticsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc

    Measuring Safety Culture Using an Integrative Approach: The Development of a Comprehensive Conceptual Framework and an Applied Safety Culture Assessment Instrument

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    An exponential amount of academic research has been dedicated to the safety culture concept, but still, no consensus has been reached on its definition and content. In general, safety culture research lacks an interdisciplinary approach. Furthermore, although the concept of safety culture is characterised by complexity and multifacetedness, the safety culture concept has been characterised by reductionism, where models and theories simplify the concept in order to better grasp it, leading to confined approaches. In this article, the multifacetedness of safety culture is acknowledged, and the topic is addressed from a safety science perspective, combining insights from multiple academic disciplines. An integrative and comprehensive conceptual framework to assess safety culture in organisations is developed, taking into account the limitations of existing models, as well as the needs of the work field. This conceptual framework is called the ‘Integrated Safety Culture Assessment’ (ISCA), where the ‘assessment’ refers to its practical usability. The practical rendition of ISCA can be used to map the safety culture of an organisation and to formulate recommendations in this regard, with the ultimate goal of bringing about a change towards a positive safety culture. The comprehensiveness of ISCA lies in the inclusion of technological factors, organisational or contextual factors and human factors interacting and interrelating with each other, and in considering both observable or objective safety-related aspects in an organisation, and non-observable or subjective safety-related aspects. When using ISCA, organisational safety culture is assessed in an integrative way by using a variety of research methods involving the entire organisation, and by taking into account the specific context of the organisation

    Nudging as a crime prevention strategy: the use of nudges to improve cyclists’ locking behavior and reduce the opportunities for bicycle theft

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    As policy makers are developing new alternative strategies to prevent bicycle theft, a nudging approach could provide useful insights in this field. In the current study, two different nudges were implemented at a selection of bicycle parking facilities in the neighborhood of a Belgian university campus. To measure the effectiveness of the nudges, a multi-method approach was used with a combination of observations (n = 3963) and questionnaires (n = 197). The results showed that both nudges had a positive impact on cyclists’ locking behavior. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that nudging can be a rather cheap and easy way to improve secure behavior. However, concerns such as the limitations of increased awareness on behavior and the excessive focus on the victim need to be taken into account when implementing nudges in the field of security.Safety and Security Scienc

    Saishin Toyohara shigai meisaizu /

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    Map of Toyohara-shi (known as Vladimirovka (NQwLADÍMIROWKA) 1882-1905; Bsince 1946 known as Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (NQ`VNO-sAHALÍNSK)), Bthe capital of the Japan's Karafuto prefecture 1905-1946. The city is now capital of the Russia's Sakhalin Oblast.; Issued in envelope cover.; Also available online http://nla.gov.au/nla.map-vn6490259. 880-05 Hokkaido Karafuto renraku tetsudo kotsu oyobi nidai kokuritsu koen annaizu (1:3,000,000).880-03 On the map : Toyohara shigai chiz

    Tot den arme:de afstand verbreken

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    The role of education in the prevention of radicalization and violent extremism in developing countries

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    Abstract: Only since the beginning of this century, the prevention of radicalization has become an important topic in debates about terrorism and sustainable development in developing countries. Research has shown that radicalized individuals are not uneducated, but have often completed secondary or tertiary education. Additionally, it became clear that some extremist groups consider the school environment as an attractive recruitment place. These findings led to a new approach where the education sector is considered as a prominent partner in preventing and combating the radicalization of young individuals. In this article, the potential limitations of the role of the education sector in developing countries are exposed. Based on previous research, three bottlenecks in the education sector were found: unequal access to education, poor quality of education and the relationship between education and employment. In order to strengthen the role of education for sustainable development in developing countries, it is recommended that equal access to education is improved, that schools invest in the creation of safe spaces for their students, that not only secondary but also primary and tertiary education are involved in policy strategies regarding radicalization, and that the job market is adjusted to the educational level of graduated students

    Analyse van technische installaties in meergezinswoningen

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    Technische installaties hebben een groot aandeel in het energieverbruik van gebouwen, waardoor ze aan wettelijke normen onderworpen zijn. Tijdens de ontwerpfase wordt onderzocht welk type ventilatiesysteem, productiewijze van sanitair warm water en verwarmingsinstallatie het beste presteert op vlak van energieverbruik en comfort, binnen de randvoorwaarden van het project. Gezien de vele beschikbare commerciële oplossingen heeft deze thesis als doelstelling ondersteuning te bieden bij de ontwerpkeuze van technische installaties in residentiële projecten. Dit op basis van een literatuurstudie en drie case studies. Concreet worden resultaten uit eerdere rapporten over de energieprestatie en het comfort van verschillende installaties vergeleken, met een focus op ventilatiesystemen. Een berekening van het geluidsdrukniveau toont aan dat een ingestort, in vergelijking met een opgehangen, ventilatiesysteem D akoestisch beter presteert omwille van de massa van de vloer, reflectiedemping in de collectoren en een verminderd risico op overspraak. Vervolgens is de invloed van de technische installaties op de dimensionering van technische schachten en bergingen aan de hand van drie case studies geanalyseerd. De ventilatie aanvoer- en retourkanalen zijn maatgevend voor de dimensionering van schachten gezien de toenemende diameter in functie van het debiet. Overigens leiden collectieve verwarmingsinstallaties niet noodzakelijk tot een kleinere individuele berging
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