163 research outputs found
Towards a Framework for Developing Mobile Agents for Managing Distributed Information Resources
No full textDistributed information management tools allow users to author, disseminate, discover and manage information within large-scale networked environments, such as the Internet. Agent technology provides the flexibility and scalability necessary to develop such distributed information management applications. We present a layered organisation that is shared by the specific applications that we build. Within this organisation we describe an architecture where mobile agents can move across distributed environments, integrate with local resources and other mobile agents, and communicate their results back to the user
Unifying Distributed Processing and Open Hypertext through a Heterogeneous Communication Model
No full textA successful distributed open hypermedia system can be characterised by a scaleable architecture which is inherently distributed. While the architects of distributed hypermedia systems have addressed the issues of providing and retrieving distributed resources, they have often neglected to design systems with the inherent capability to exploit the distributed processing of this information. The research presented in this paper describes the construction and use of an open hypermedia system concerned equally with both of these facets
An Open Framework for Integrating Widely Distributed Hypermedia Resources
No full textThe success of the WWW has served as an illustration of how hypermedia functionality can enhance access to large amounts of distributed information. However, the WWW and many other distributed hypermedia systems offer very simple forms of hypermedia functionality which are not easily applied to existing applications and data formats, and cannot easily incorporate alternative functions which would aid hypermedia navigation to and from existing documents that have not been developed with hypermedia access in mind. This paper describes the extension to a distributed environment of the open hypermedia functionality of the Microcosm system, which is designed to support the provision of hypermedia access to a wide range of source material and application, and to offer straightforward extension of the system to incorporate new forms of information access
Assessing and Analyzing Stakeholder Perceptions of School Climate: Discovering Perceptual Congruence to Inform School Improvement
No full textAlthough research indicates the establishment and sustainability of a positive school climate contribute to school improvement, school leaders do not always assess and properly analyze the perceptions of its stakeholders. When school districts are void of proper assessment and data analysis methods, school leaders may inadvertently ignore conflicting stakeholder perceptions. If this gap in perceptual congruence among stakeholders is not addressed, districts can make uninformed educational decisions, which can lead to a poor school climate. In contrast, if these discrepancies are properly identified through a systematic method of data collection and analysis by which all stakeholders' perceptions are accounted for and valued, school leaders can move forward with a plan of action for school improvement. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to identify and analyze the perceptual congruence that existed among stakeholder groups when assessing dimensions of school climate, so that it could inform district leaders of next-step school improvement efforts. The researcher identified perceptual discrepancies that exist between groups of students, staff, parents, and administrators when considering certain dimensions of school climate by analyzing survey data. Once discrepancies were discovered, focus groups comprised of the various stakeholder groups were asked to reflect on the survey data results and provide further insight on the findings. Data was collected after the administration of a school climate survey and through the facilitation of several stakeholder focus groups. The participants represented four buildings within a small, rural school district in Pennsylvania. Subjects included school staff, students, parents, and administrators. By discussing and questioning the gap in perceptual congruence among stakeholder groups, the school organization could begin to acknowledge the areas for improvement in their educational climate.Ed.D., Educational Leadership and Management -- Drexel University, 201
Mapping Prices into Productivity in Multisector Growth Models
No full textTwo issues related to mapping a multi-sector model into a reduced-form value-added model are often neglected: the composition of intermediate goods, and the distinction between value added productivity and gross output productivity. We demonstrate their quantitative significance for the case of the well known model of Greenwood, Hercowitz and Krusell (1997), who find that about 60% of economic growth can be attributed to investment-specific technical change (ISTC). When we recalibrate their model to allow for even a small equipment share of intermediates, we find that ISTC accounts for almost the entirety of postwar US growth.Intermediate goods, investment-specific technical change, growth accounting, gross output, multisector growth models
Determinants of diarrheal disease in Jakarta
No full textIn this report, the authors develop and estimate a model of household defensive behavior and illness. Using cross-section data from a household survey in Jakarta, they observe defensive behavior (washing hands after using the toilet) consistent with expectations: defensive effort intensifies with exposure to contamination, and with income and education. Variables associated with the cost of defensive behavior - such as interruptions in the water supply - reduce defensive behavior. The data suggest that wealthier households are no less vulnerable to illness. The water sources that supply the wealthy (the water company and private wells) are disrupted more often, interfering with their defensive behavior. There is also evidence, although weak, to support findings by van der Slice and Briscoe (1993): that pathogens within a household are less harmful to household members than are pathogens originating from other households. Given the opportunity and knowledge, individuals try to modify the effect of contamination on the incidence of diarrhea. But diarrhea's inccidence is also affected by decisions and problems outside the realm of the household, including the performance of the water company.Water Conservation,Water and Industry,Health Economics&Finance,Environmental Economics&Policies,Sanitation and Sewerage,Town Water Supply and Sanitation,Water and Industry,Water Supply and Sanitation Governance and Institutions,Water Conservation,Health Economics&Finance
The 'true use of reading' : Sarah Fielding and mid eighteenth-century literary strategies.
No full textPhDThe aim of this thesis is to explore, by examining her life and
works, how Sarah Fielding (1710-68) established her identity as an author.
The definition of her role involves her notions of the functions of
writing and reading.
Sarah Fielding attempts to invite readers to form a sense of ties
by tacit understanding of her messages. As she believes that a work
of literature is produced through collaboration between the writer and
the reader, it is an important task in her view to show her attentiveness
toward reading practice. In her consideration of reading, she has two
distinct, even opposite views of her audience: on the one hand a familiar
and limited circle of readers with shared moral and cultural values and
on the other potential readers among the unknown mass of people. The
dual targets direct her to devise various strategies. She tries to
appeal to those who can endorse and appreciate her moral values as well
as her learning. Her writings and letters testify that she is sensitive
to the demands of the literary market, trying to lead the taste of readers
by inventing new forms.
The thesis opens with an overview of Sarah Fielding's career,
followed by a consideration of her critical attention to the roles of
reading. I go on to examine the narrative structures and strategies
she deploys, with a particular emphasis on her use of the epistolary
method. The following chapter deals with her attention to the reading
of the moral message tangibly embodied in her educational writing. It
is followed by an analysis of the activity which earned her a reputation
as a learned woman. Various as the forms of her works are, they invariably
reflect her attempt to balance herself between the two demands of
inventiveness and familiarity
Automated ground maintenance and health management for autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles
No full textThesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2007.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-101).Automated ground maintenance is a necessity for multi-UAV systems. Without such automation, these systems will become more of a burden than a benefit as human operators struggle to contend with maintenance operations for large numbers of vehicles. By creating autonomous UAV systems that can take care of themselves, human operators will be free to concentrate on higher level tasks such as using the information gathered by the system to direct future mission activities. This thesis describes the design, testing, construction, and usage of the first fully autonomous recharge system for small, battery-powered UAVs. This system was used to perform the first fully-autonomous quadrotor UAV long-term flight tests and to conduct multi-UAV mission management research. In addition, this thesis describes, to the best of our knowledge, the first landing and recharge of a UAV on a mobile recharge platform.by Daniel R. Dale.M.Eng
Sarah Fielding: Satire and Subversion in the Eighteenth-Century Novel
No full textThis study of Sarah Fielding (1710―68) is an original contribution to Fielding scholarship that has a dual purpose: to support those who are striving to re-introduce her to the modern literary landscape in an effort to restore her eighteenth-century literary standing, and to firmly establish Fielding as an early feminist writer. It is argued here that throughout her oeuvre Fielding challenged prevailing traditions that denied women a choice, particularly in education, employment and marriage. These themes are also considered in the political treatises of Mary Astell (1666―1731) and Mary Wollstonecraft (1759―97), who are now widely recognised as feminist writers.
It is further argued that Fielding’s subversion in fiction of the English patriarchal system is underscored by her unorthodox performance in the literary arena. This is fully explored alongside her use of sentimentalism as a literary tool with which she challenges her seemingly inhumane society. Fielding’s interest in ‘the Labyrinths of the Mind’ (in modern terms, human psychology) will also be addressed as will her placement in the history of feminism and her placement in the sentimental novel tradition. Fielding’s performance as a literary critic will be compared with the few female authors who, like her, dared to publish literary criticism during her writing career. Accordingly, extracts from Fielding’s novels and her two critical pamphlets will be thoroughly examined.
An updated biography of Fielding that is also included here will provide evidence for a further claim, that her fiction is autobiographical in part. A comprehensive account of Fielding’s performance as a literary critic forms the final chapter of this work. It is the first full-length examination of her contribution to the genre and includes an appraisal of her recently unearthed critical pamphlet entitled A Comparison Between the Horace of Corneille and The Roman Father of Mr. Whitehead (1750) that is yet to be formerly attributed to her. Ultimately this study of Fielding will go far beyond what has previously been written about this remarkable eighteenth-century author, particularly regarding her feminist activity
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