bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi-Agent Based Social Simulation Applied to Validation of Location Services
Authors: Martínez Jesus J.  , García-Valverde Teresa  , Campuzano Francisco  , Campillo-Sánchez Pablo  , García-Sola Alberto  , Botía Juan A.
Published: February 2025

The main concern of this book chapter is about the software engineering process of developing ubiquitous computing services. The kind of services addressed are those that must operate in complex software environments and in complex scenarios involving many users and different situations in a proactive, intelligent and nonintrusive way. More specifically, this chapter focuses on indoor location services and how to start building them in the lab, as a first phase to a real deployment. The procedure shown is based on agent based social simulation of the environment in which the service works. Simulations are used to test the service, its reliability and its accuracy in a prior phase to work in a real set up. The specific location service used is based on a Bluetooth wireless infrastructure. The proposed location service was tested in a simulated environment showing that this procedure is able to test the service before a final deployment avoiding expensive and annoying tests.
Diagnosis and Screening of Aquatic Environments by Vibrational Spectroscopy
Authors: Akkas Sara B.  , Severcan Feride
Published: February 2025

Vibrational spectroscopy offers ecologists the opportunity to perform sensitive and non-destructive analyses, rapidly. The main purpose of this chapter is to illustrate some of many emerging applications of vibrational spectroscopy in the field of diagnosis and screening of aquatic environments. The sections of this chapter will summarize many innovative studies utilizing vibrational spectroscopy in order to answer ecologically based questions on aquatic species. The advantages of this technique will be presented thoroughly by revealing the diversity of aquatic species investigated with this tool. This summary of the work done in the field will benefit aquatic ecologists trying to go beyond their boundaries.
ALDRO Learning and Mixed Decision Support Method for Mobile Robot
Authors: Orduña Fernando  , Valle Alma  , Dennis Alán  , Rojas Javier  , Muñoz Flavio  , Ramírez Alberto  , Luna Iván  , Vásquez Guadalupe  , Hinojosa Karina
Published: February 2025

This research is aimed to get an intelligent navigation robot, whose functionality is based on the interaction of two agents, a reactive agent and a deliberative agent, where both agents take decisions jointly to achieve a goal. The deliberative agent makes a decision based on the acquired knowledge and determines which way leads to the best result. The reactive agent receives the decision made by the deliberative agent and transforms it into a physical interaction with the environment using line following techniques. This method was implemented successfully into a robot and the tests results were as expected.
Optimization of a fuzzy contrast method for a pattern recognition system
Authors: Lopez Miguel Angel  , Alanis Arnulfo  , Marquez Bogart Yahil  , Romero Karina  , Baltazar Maria del Rosario  , Zamudio Victor Manuel
Published: February 2025

This article develops a method of fuzzy fingerprint pre-processing to apply in a pattern recognition system, in which a neural network is developed with fuzzy response integration for fingerprint recognition. There are also shown neural network training results using Biometrics Laboratory database at the Bologna University and of using a genetic algorithm, as well as the chromosome used in the genetic algorithm development of membership functions optimization of fingerprint pre-processing fuzzy method.
Collaborative Agents Framework for the Internet of Things
Authors: Angulo-Lopez Priscila  , Jimenez-Perez Guillermo
Published: February 2025

The trend towards implementing applications supporting the “Internet of Things” (IoT) concept is allowing the discovery of amazing new opportunities that current technologies could bring to us. Previous efforts have shown the challenges yet to be solved. Research for increasing the capabilities of the IoT is being conducted under various paradigms and analyzing different approaches for finding useful ways to implement valuable applications under the IoT concept. This paper proposes a framework based on a MultiAgent Systems Paradigm, which is an accepted form for modeling and implementing applications that are strongly related real-world concepts. The idea behind the proposal is to simplify the development of applications in the IoT which could perform complex tasks in a distributed environment.
Human-Robot Interface using Face Detection and Recognition, for the Service Robot, “Donaxi”
Authors: Vargas Hector  , Medina Esperanza  , Martinez Daniel  , Olmedo Edson  , Beristain Gerson
Published: February 2025

This paper is in the context of algorithms for detection and face recognition, as well as face tracking, integrating them into service robots at home, this paper was made for service robot “Donaxi”, to the contest in RoboCup. The proposal was to set up a hybrid algorithm with different functional algorithms for the detection, recognition and face tracking, even after losing face. For detection we used the Haar algorithm, for tracking Kalman filter was used, and recognition strategy was used to segment the image into regions weighted, and discriminate against them through a decision tree for possible recognition. The experimental results show that the system is stable when saturated its field of view with many faces or persons, in this case only discriminate which is closer to the robot. It is noteworthy that followed the rules of test “Who's Who” of the category of the RoboCup at Home, this test is still an open problem for the robotics community in the area of Human-Robot Interface.
An Entrepreneurship Model for Future Intelligent Educational Environments
Authors: Callaghan Victor  , Zheng Ping  , Wu Hsuan-Yi
Published: February 2025

In this paper we introduce a novel entrepreneurial model for funding and managing future intelligent educational environments and other academic business enterprise; the Faculty-Cooperative. The goal of this model is to create a business mechanism where academics are both the owners and customers of the IPR they generate, thereby providing synergy to optimize the educational product for the market, provide an embedded sales team and offer a source of investment for the enterprise. Our model is inspired by the cooperative ethos that has historically existed in universities. In addition we draw on parallels with the Western Cooperative movements and Chinese collectives but in a more virtualised form within the university system. To illustrate the Faculty-Cooperative approach we examine how it might be applied to the formation of an academic enterprise, FortiTo (a manufacturer of the technology that underpins intelligent educational environments and a producer of learning tools for students engaged in learning these new technologies). Whilst this paper describes the early stages of the development of an entrepreneurial model for academic enterprise, our hope it that this paper will promote discussion and participation in what we hope will be a successful model for funding and managing entrepreneurial academic enterprise.
Ocular and Craniofacial Trauma Treatment Training System: Overview & Eyelid Laceration Module
Authors: Ottensmeyer Mark P.  , Ahn Bummo  , Cho Moore John  , Munteanu Evgheni  , Iorino Stefano  , de Novi Gianluca  , Bardsley Ryan  , Shah Rajesh  , Neumann Paul  , Langston Dan
Published: February 2025

Eye trauma in combat-related injuries can be devastating. Body armor improvements increase survivability from many injuries, however the face remains relatively unprotected, especially from IED blast and fragments. The number of physicians with significant eye trauma expertise is limited due to lack of teaching opportunities and evolution of surgical techniques away from microsuturing. To provide a non-animal, non-cadaver training system, a hybrid physical/virtual eye trauma simulation system for surgical technique learning and evaluation is being developed. It includes a silicone/polymer head with replaceable eye trauma modules with realistic anatomy. Position/orientation and grasp force/position of surgical instruments are measured, and real time scoring and feedback methods are under development. These elements are integrated with teaching materials presented on-screen and during training scenarios via augmented reality projection. The initial efforts focus on a lacerated eye lid scenario. Developments towards additional trauma modules with animatronic features are discussed.
Consistency in Context-Aware Behavior: a Model Checking Approach
Authors: Preuveneers Davy  , Berbers Yolande
Published: February 2025

Context-aware systems have been in the research epicenter for more than a decade. By sensing, reasoning and acting on various kinds of relevant situational information, context-aware systems can make well-informed decisions and manifest autonomous behavior through pre-defined and user customizable rules that define what to do in particular circumstances. However, there is still a significant gap between deploying such context-aware systems in lab environments under ideal circumstances and deploying them in the real world with non-specialist end-users. These end-users may experience a lack of understanding or frustration when a system does not behave as expected, especially in the presence of unforeseen human interventions, exceptional circumstances and unexpected events. This paper investigates challenges and opportunities of using model checking as an approach for improving the reliability and consistency of smart environment applications whose behavior is driven by context-aware adaptation rules, and reports on initial results with the SPIN model checker.
Using Simulation and Verification to Inform the Development of Intelligent Environments
Authors: Augusto Juan Carlos  , Hornos Miguel J.
Published: February 2025

This paper advocates for a more widespread adoption of Software Engineering techniques aimed at informing the design and development stages of Intelligent Environment systems. Reliability is a fundamental principle of all software systems, and even more of Intelligent Environments, which are meant to support people in real life activities. We present a methodological guide which provides strategies and suggestions on how to model, simulate and verify these types of systems. One of our aims is to encourage their use by colleagues working in this area and gather their feedback in this experience.
Maritime Security Operations and the Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Center of Excellence
Authors: Karagoz Mahmut
Published: February 2025

The maritime environment covers 70% of the earth, so it is evident that to fight the threats on the sea is not an easy task for any one country to accomplish alone. The new security challenges of the 21stcentury are of a different nature since they are not necessarily generated by countries with conventional weapons or geographically limited in certain areas. Globalization is increasing the range, scale and capabilities of the threats and also the likelihood of conflict involving non-state and failed-state actors. Asymmetric tactics such as economic, cyber and proxy actions instead of direct military confrontation will play an increasing part; therefore we must have the capacity to anticipate and protect against changing security challenges, from terrorism, cyberattacks, and the proliferation of CBRN weapons. The key to the success of countering the threats in the maritime environment is the coordinated and integrated efforts on both a national and international level; we have to act collectively to ensure global security and prosperity.
Neuro-Control and its Applications to Electric Vehicle Control
Authors: Omatu Sigeru
Published: February 2025

Neuro-control which adopts neural network architectures to synthesis of control has been summarized and its application to electric vehicle control is developed in this paper. The neuro-control methods adopted here is based on proportional-plus-integral-plus-derivative (PID) control, which has been adopted to solve process control or intelligent control. In Japan about eighty four per cent of the process industries have used the PID control. Using the learning ability of the neural network, we will show the self-tuning PID control scheme (neuro-PID) and the real application to an electric vehicle control.
Population models & data in applied ecology: Surrogate species
Authors: Banks John E.  , Ackleh Azmy  , Stark John D.
Published: February 2025

The use of surrogate species is a tool commonly used to predict the effects of toxicants on endangered/threatened or economically important species. While use of surrogate species has been critized as being overly simplistic, a quantitative measure linking life history traits and population predictions has been sorely missing. We derive here a closed-form expression aimed at determining conditions under which sublethal effects of a toxicant on surrogate species population outcomes will reliably predict responses of species of concern. We derive a simple inequality that allows us to compare critical thresholds in fecundity reduction across species and thereby pinpoint the level below which surrogate species outcomes indicate a positive population growth, while the listed species actually is driven to extinction. We thus establish a means of determining conditions under which we might be prone to making a “type II” error in assessing ecological risk using surrogate species. Finally, we use the derived expression to illustrate two cases studies – one in which we are using several fish species as surrogates for endangered salmonids, and the second in which we are comparing the compatibility of a suite of parasitoid wasps with pesticide use. In both cases we highlight potential pitfalls associated with the use of a “one-size-fits-all” approach to protection of species. We discuss the ramifications of these findings on risk assessment and resource management.
What does Energy Security Mean?
Authors: Çelikpala Mitat
Published: February 2025

Energy security has emerged as an issue of great importance. As well as the traditional aspects of energy security, a myriad of new aspects has emerged and continues to emerge such as tight oil and gas markets, increasing prices, alternative energy sources and their role, the threat of terrorism, instability in some exporting and importing countries, geopolitical rivalries, and the increasing need for energy to fuel economic growth. The concept of energy security is vague. Energy security is an umbrella term that covers many concerns linking energy, economic growth and political power.
Situation Awareness: An Agent-oriented Software Engineering Perspective
Authors: So Raymond  , Sonenberg Liz
Published: February 2025

Situation awareness (SA) is an essential quality for humans performing complex tasks in dynamic environments. This quality has been regarded a useful feature in software agents that can improve agent performance by allowing more informed decisions about the choice of actions to be made. To achieve SA, it is necessary to alter agent behavior in ways such that perceptual attention is directed at the most relevant features of the environment and the decision-making concerning “what to do next” is closely linked to the agent's perceived state of the environment. The engineering effort of implementing SA in software agents can be substantial. It requires making changes to the agent's internal processes and the way agent designers capture a domain expert's knowledge and prescribe agent actions. This article discusses how these changes can be implemented using a software engineering approach, allowing the scope and impact of the changes to be analyzed and evaluated from a system architect's perspective and alongside with other desirable agent capabilities.
Context-Aware Web-Service Coordination for Emergency Response in Smart Environment
Authors: Smirnov Alexander  , Levashova Tatiana  , Kashevnik Alexey  , Shilov Nikolay
Published: February 2025

The present research addresses the problem of the investigation how potentialities of the technologies of smart space environments and Web-services can be exploited in emergency situations. The research purpose is to organize a resource community from an enormous amount of resources embedded in the smart space. The aims of the community members are planning emergency response actions and acting in accordance with the plan. Situation (or context) awareness is one of the major issues when dealing with emergency. In this connection, the research proposes a smart framework that supports organisation of a resource community in a context-aware manner. This framework defines a generic scheme for service-oriented context-aware organization of resource community and service-oriented architecture of smart environment. The framework is applied to three kinds of emergency events: fire, traffic accident, and traffic accident that produced car ignition.
3. Goals and Policies for Home Care
Authors: Turner Kenneth J.  , Campbell Gavin A.  , Wang Feng
Published: February 2025

Since home care systems require a high degree of autonomy, it is desirable to have automated rules that manage their operation. Home care systems also require flexibility and adaptability, but modifying their technology normally needs expert intervention. Policy-based management has been developed as a higher-level, user-friendly way of supporting home care. High-level goals are automatically realised using policies that are executed dynamically. Sample goals and policies are given to illustrate how the system handles a typical scenario. This gives confidence that the approach offers flexibility and practicality in making home care systems more adaptable.
Methodology for Investigation and Provision of Reliability and Safety of Complex Technical Systems
Authors: Berman A.F.
Published: February 2025

The cause of a significant part of technogenic catastrophes is destruction of hazardous objects. This destruction occurs as a result of: catastrophic failures, operator errors, natural influences; terrorist activities. A methodology of modeling and investigation of safety for Complex Technical Systems is proposed. Complex Technical Systems are considered as unique technogenic objects which are designed in one or two instances, implementing extreme technologies and are subjected to influence of mechanical, physical and chemical factors. The generalized cause-and-effect complex and the scenario of violation of reliability and safety for such systems are formulated. Dynamic models related to formation of system's states are grounded – from the initial defectiveness of the construction to the damages, destruction, failure, pre-emergency, -emergency and possible technogenic catastrophe. A concept of an intelligent program system, which is intended for computer-aided investigation of reliability and safety at all stages of existence, has been developed. The results obtained provide for efficient and qualitative investigation of revealing of hazards and grounding techniques and aids for provision of reliability and safety.
Individual life safety risk criteria
Authors: Zielinski P.A.
Published: February 2025

The goal of safety management is to ensure that every infrastructure presents a tolerable level of risk and that such risk be as low as reasonably practicable. This document comments on dam safety decision making, focusing on risk evaluation criteria. More detailed discussion of the philosophy of dam safety decision making is found in Hartford et. al. (2004). The objective of dam safety management is based on the principle that the standard of care should be commensurate with risk and should reflect society's values in allocating resources to protect life and property. ‘Risk’ incorporates both the consequences of an adverse event and the probability of the event occurring, taken here as the product, Risk = [Probability] × [Consequence]. In practice, however, the traditional approach to dam safety management has been to apply classification schemes in which consequences alone are used as a proxy for risk and probability is not considered. Because data are often limited, the assessor tends to be conservative in estimating consequences and the result is a “Maximum Loss” approach unrelated to risk. A quantified risk analysis is preferable to such classification schemes as long as scientific tools are available.
Pandemic Planning & Response
Authors: Vynograd Natalia  , Bakanidze Lela  , Cvitković Ante  , Ivic-Hofman Igor
Published: February 2025

There is a real potential for highly pathogenic and novel strains of pandemic influenza. In this chapter, new data on influenza and on the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of subtypes of viruses (H1N1)pdm09 and HPAI H5N1 are presented. Modern standards of organizing epidemiological surveillance on influenza, corresponding to International Health Regulations (2005) requirements across the pre-pandemic period, phases of pandemics, and post-pandemic period, are shown.
Insulin and Alzheimer's Disease: Untangling the Web
Authors: Craft Suzanne  , Cholerton Brenna  , Baker Laura D.
Published: February 2025

The recognition of Alzheimer's disease (AD) as a heterogeneous disorder that results from incremental pathological changes in dynamic organismic systems is essential to move beyond the unidimensional approaches to prevention and therapy that have proven largely ineffective to date. Biological systems related to insulin metabolism are arguably the most critical regulators of longevity and corporeal aging. Our work has focused on identifying the relationship of the insulin network to brain aging, and determining the mechanisms through which insulin dysregulation promotes AD pathological processes. Candidate mechanisms include the effects of insulin on amyloid-β, cerebral glucose metabolism, vascular function, lipid metabolism, and inflammation/oxidative stress. It is likely that different nodes of the insulin network are perturbed for subgroups of AD patients, or that for some subgroups, pathways independent of insulin are critical pathogenetic factors. New methods from systems network analyses may help to identify these subgroups, which will be critical for devising tailored prevention and treatment strategies. In the following review, we will provide a brief description of the role of insulin in normal brain function, and then focus more closely on recent evidence regarding the mechanisms through which disruption of that role may promote AD pathological processes. Finally, we will discuss the implications of this area for AD therapeutics and prevention.
AASHTO Geotechnical Design Specification Development in the USA
Authors: Allen Tony M.
Published: February 2025

A complete, formal geotechnical design code of practice addressing all aspects of geotechnical engineering really does not exist in the USA at the national level. However, a geotechnical design code has been developed at the national level in response to the needs of the structural engineers as part of the American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) specifications, primarily focusing on structure foundations, buried structures, and retaining walls. Since 1994, AASHTO began migrating from Allowable Stress Design (ASD) to Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD), the USA equivalent to Limit States Design (LSD). AASHTO fully adopted LRFD, at least in the transportation Sector, in 2007, and ceased updating their Allowable Stress Design and Load Factor Design specifications in 2002.
Implementing Eurocode 7 to achieve reliable geotechnical designs
Authors: Orr Trevor
Published: February 2025

This paper examines how the different measures to achieve safe and reliable geotechnical designs are implemented in Eurocode 7. These measures include: use of the concept of geotechnical categories to take account of the complexity of geotechnical designs, procedures for managing the design and execution processes, requirements for the selection of characteristic parameter values, and recommended partial factor values associated with the three Design Approaches. How the consequences and reliability classes, set out in the head Eurocode, EN 1990, are implemented in Eurocode 7 for geotechnical designs is also examined. In additions, the paper presents the results of surveys to investigate how Eurocode 7 is being adopted in the different European countries and the some experiences in those countries with its implementation.
Dealing with uncertainties in EC7 with emphasis on determination of characteristic soil properties
Authors: Schneider Hans R.  , Schneider Mark A.
Published: February 2025

The performance of geotechnical structures is governed by the spatial average soil properties, such as the average shear strength over an appropriate length or area or volume of soil. This is considered in Eurocode by defining the characteristic value as being “a cautious estimate of the value affecting the occurrence of the limit state” and stating that the selection of this value should take account of, among other factors, “the extent of the zone of ground governing the behavior of the geotechnical structure at the limit state being considered”.
The Autism Spectrum: Need for Specific Support, Approaches to Assistive ICT
Authors: Gyori Miklos  , Kanizsai-Nagy Ildikó  , Stefanik Krisztina
Published: February 2025

The primary aim of this chapter is to show how the specific cognitive, behavioral and motivational patterns characterizing individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) lead to very specific needs for support and inclusion, and what are the core approaches to exploit information and communication technology for fulfilling these needs. Accordingly, a short introduction is given to the basic facts about ASDs first. We show that ASDs are human neurocognitive developmental disorders, where biological foundations, in interaction with some other factors, lead to atypical patterns of key human abilities. Consequently, individuals with ASD show often deep difficulties in social engagement, social participation, as well as in daily life management. These difficulties, in turn, give way to a high risk of social isolation and marginalization. We argue that there are no means to eliminate the causes of social and self-management difficulties, due to their complexities, but there exists a set of well-established, partly evidence-based psycho-educational approaches that offer principles and tools to support affected people effectively. In the third part of the chapter we overview of the existing key approaches to using ICT tools for supporting individuals on the autism spectrum, with an emphasis not primarily on technological but on functional aspects. A map of this highly specific but growing field is outlined, with the HANDS system localized on it. Finally, on the basis of previous argumentations and reviews, we summarize a few key requirements for designing digital support systems for individuals with ASD, as well as for monitoring their usage and testing their efficiency.
Persuasive Mobile Technology Developed for Young People with an Autism Diagnosis
Authors: Øhrstrøm Peter
Published: February 2025

The HANDS project suggests the use of Mobile Persuasion in order to support young people with an autism diagnosis and normal or high IQ. The paper offers a description and a discussion of the use in HANDS of ideas from the theory of persuasive technology. It is a survey paper summarizing the major aspects of the theoretical approach used in the HANDS project.
The A/H1N1 Pandemic in Italy: Surveillance, Communication and Formation through the Internet
Authors: Benelli Eva  , Innorta Marina  , Satolli Roberto  , Salmaso Stefania
Published: February 2025

This Chapter is about the use of the Internet and the Web 2.0 media in Italy for the professional and public response to the A/H1N1 virus pandemic. In first place we analyse the role of different surveillance tools, such as the periodic survey Passi or the network of “sentinel” doctors Influnet. All the data collected were immediately communicated to Italian and international professionals and decision makers with existing canals, as the website EpiCentro, or with on line media created on purpose, as the weekly report Flunews. Then we consider the on line formation of doctors and other professionals, implemented specifically for the pandemic emergency, with the course FluFad. Finally, we analyse how the public opinion evolved during the crisis in Italy, with particular attention to the new importance of the Web 2.0 media.
Russia, NATO and the ‘War on Terror’: Competition and Co-operation in Central Asia after 11 September 2001
Authors: Duncan Peter J.S.
Published: February 2025

The paper investigates how co-operation between Russia and NATO in the war in Afghanistan since 2001 has affected security and political relationships in the former Soviet Central Asia. The Central Asian states largely benefit from the competition among Russia, China and the United States in the region. Nevertheless, this competition is not a zero-sum game as all actors have shared interest in enhancing security in Afghanistan and Central Asia. In fact, Russia and NATO's common interests in the ‘war on terror’ led to Russian President Vladimir Putin initially approving the establishment of American bases in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and access to facilities in Tajikistan. Although the security developments in Afghanistan have increased the geopolitical importance of Central Asia for the United States and Russia, the increasing military presence of the United States in Afghanistan and Central Asia has not weakened Russia's security hegemony in the region considerably.
NATO and International Cooperation in the Fight against Terrorism in Afghanistan
Authors: Chitadze Nika
Published: February 2025

This paper analyzes the historical evolution of political processes and security developments in Afghanistan during the periods of the Soviet occupation, the civil war in the early 1990s, the Taliban regime as well as the post-Taliban regime until the present. The paper focuses on the various aspects of the fight against international terrorism on the territory of Afghanistan since the defeat of the Taliban regime with the beginning of the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001. In this respect, the paper explores the roles of NATO and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in promoting international cooperation concerning the stabilization of the security situation in Afghanistan. The paper also evaluates the prospects for the future of Afghanistan's security situation by taking into consideration the current security dynamics in this country.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Fight against Terrorism in and around Central Asia
Authors: Rahimov Khurshed
Published: February 2025

This paper is about the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the role it had and is playing in the security of Central Asian region and around it. The SCO is one of the few security organizations in Central Asia that involves such players as China and Russia, as well as the Central Asia states. The observer status of India, Pakistan, Iran and Mongolia in SCO makes the organization one of the largest entities in the world in terms of its geographical scope. The paper focuses especially on the security developments in Afghanistan as it is a vital point for the security in Central Asia. In fact, Afghanistan borders with three of member states and two observer states of the SCO. In order to enhance regional cooperation, Afghanistan has established a contact group to foster bilateral relations with the SCO in political, economic and security areas in 2005. The aim of the paper is to show that although the SCO has made numerous efforts and adopted many documents on regional security since its establishment in 2001, yet it has done very little in practice for the provision of security in the region.
The Role of the EU and the OSCE in Promoting Security and Cooperation in the South Caucasus and Moldova
Authors: Beachàin Donnacha Ó
Published: February 2025

This article examines the persistence and conflict resolution potential of so-called protracted conflicts in the former Soviet Union, employing all four relevant case studies from the post-Soviet sphere and analyzes the capacity of the EU and OSCE to positively intervene in these conflicts. There currently exists a dearth of both theoretical and empirical research on post-Soviet on de facto states and on the place of the EU and OSCE as actor in the conflicts from which they have evolved. This article makes a modest attempt to address the existing lacunae by providing an analysis based primarily on semi-structured interviews with key personnel involved in the unrecognized/partially recognized states, in the states from which they have de facto seceded and with those in the EU and OSCE responsible for devising and/or implementing policies on the protracted conflicts. The article produces an analysis of intervention involving the EU and OSCE in four case studies, namely Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transnistria.
Resolving the Challenges to Security and Cooperation in the Wider Black Sea Region
Authors: Martin Lenore G.
Published: February 2025

With the end of the Cold War the Black Sea area has seen the proliferation of international organizations while the stalemated security challenges symbolized by the three frozen conflicts remain: Moldova vs. Transniestria; Armenia vs. Azerbaijan; Georgia vs. Abkhazia and Southern Ossetia. Identifying the region as a multi-polar system the chapter explores the dynamics among the major actors as well as between the major and lesser actors. This includes conflicts, negotiations and alliances. Because of the pervading mistrust among the actors the paper concludes that a comprehensive solution to the security issues in the region would be the most likely to produce successful negotiations of the frozen conflicts.
Symbolic Execution and Software Testing
Authors: Păsăreanu Corina S.
Published: February 2025

Symbolic execution is a well-known program analysis technique that executes a program on symbolic inputs which represent all possible concrete program inputs. It systematically explores the program behaviors, while computing the values of conditions and variables in the program as constraints and expressions over the symbolic inputs. Solving the symbolic constraints yields test inputs that guarantee high coverage of the program. Symbolic execution has become very popular in recent years, due to both algorithmic advances and availability of computational power and efficient decision procedures. We review different flavors of symbolic execution, ranging from generalized symbolic execution to dynamic symbolic execution or concolic testing.
Game Based Monitoring and Cognitive Therapy for Elderly
Authors: Navarro Javier  , Zamudio Víctor  , Doctor Faiyaz  , Lino Carlos  , Baltazar Rosario  , Martínez Columba  , Torres Jaime  , Bermúdez Luis  , Gutiérrez Bertha
Published: February 2025

As the proportion of older adults grows, the number of special care provisions to help individuals with declining cognitive abilities needs to also increase. Information Communication Technology (ICT) is beginning to play an increasing role in facilitating the work of specialists to support and monitor individuals with cognitive impairment within their everyday environments. In addition, advances in artificial intelligence and the development of new algorithmic approaches can be used to approximate the computational processes of human behaviour in different circumstances. In this paper, we report on the development of a software system using game based therapies for older adults in Mexico suffering from cognitive impairment, where this system has been deployed in a unique day therapy centre. We further propose an evaluation module based on using AI approaches and affective sensing to monitor and detect significant changes in performance cognation that might indicate a possible cognitive decline.
Integrating game elements for increasing engagement and enhancing User Experience in a smart city context
Authors: Diamantaki Katerina  , Rizopoulos Charalampos  , Tsetsos Vasileios  , Theona Iouliani  , Charitos Dimitris  , Kaimakamis Nikos
Published: February 2025

This paper outlines an ongoing project (MITOS), which aims to customize and deploy a software platform providing advanced transportation services in the city of Santander, Spain. The system will be presented with a focus on the design framework and the rationale for evaluating User Experience in such a framework. Concepts for Future Internet environments, such as participatory sensing, game-inspired practices, and ad hoc social networks, will be employed toward this purpose. A set of experiments will be conducted, aiming to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the deployed system and assess the impact that its services have on the city, on its citizens/commuters, and on their attitudes towards public transportation use. The project is expected to provide methodological insights on the design and evaluation of interactive location-based systems in hybrid urban contexts. The impact of the system will be manifold and fully aligned to all dimensions related to the impact of the SmartSantander project: environmental, transportation, societal and research/technological. The deployed platform will be available to the city for further experimentation and commercial exploitation, thus being a sustainable system that can affect the activities of the citizens even after the end of the SmartSantander project.
Sen-Sys: visualizing real-time user displacement patterns in urban environments
Authors: Correa Patricia  , Romo Alejandra  , Yamada James
Published: February 2025

Understanding the specific qualities of dynamic factors that shape how urban environments work is important to analyzing these environments effectively. Prominent among these factors is the movement of people and the patterns or trends that emerge from that movement over time. In order to better study movement as a dynamic factor in how urban spaces work an academic project titled Sen-Sys (for its use of personal GPS sensors to map dynamic urban systems) was designed and implemented to a limited degree over the course of a semester to produce a movement-based model in which the proportions of urban areas are dynamically distorted to reflect areas of high and low occupation to reflect moment-to-moment spatial behavior and visual elements are generated to reflect recurring trends in movement over of time. This paper provides an overview of Sen-Sys, frames it in relation to similar existing work and discusses it's conceivable strengths, limitations and directions for future development.
Biopolis
Authors: Anagnostopoulos Vasileios  , Sardis Emmanuel  , Doulamis Anastasios  , Varvarigou Theodora
Published: February 2025

The Biopolis takes a radical approach to the long term preservation of digital user content. The system will allow Biopolis enriched User Content to be distributed and redistributed through a set of commercial and non-commercial services (Preservation Services), while ensuring a lasting relationship between the holder and owner of the intellectual content.
Synergetic Tropisms: A case study for a multi-performative design concept
Authors: Kasimati Efthymia  , Panagoulia Eleanna
Published: February 2025

This paper proposes a framework for an integrated, computational design system, by the agency of interdisciplinarity. The proposed design concept is approached through the formation of a holistically structured unit that is organized as an information processing brain. Considering the before-mentioned aspect about interdisciplinarity, the paper will analyze a multi-performative organization, examining networked intelligence and the role of semi-autonomous systems in design. We demonstrate a design method that addresses a multi-disciplinary problem and integrates generative synthesis mechanisms and tools, in order to formulate an effective computational system. The design concept further investigates the correlation between these concepts to architecture and, hence, materiality and structure. In order to examine the implementation of these terms in architecture, we model a case study for a generative mechanism that enacts as open research. It addresses multi-performativity and complexity by performing various functions, such as task recognition and context-aware applications. A distributed system is employed, in which discrete mechanisms assemble a data flow network. This interaction network defines an intelligent mechanism, which is further examined as a design tool. The present paper brings about design technologies that integrate methods of computer-aided architecture; therefore our case study outlines techniques and applications of machine intelligence. Henceforth, it provides the unique chance to converge multiple disciplines that exchange information at all levels, from the analogue to digital and material realm.
A Content-Aware Cloud Platform for Virtual Reality Web Advertising
Authors: Zampoglou Markos  , Malamos Athanasios G.  , Sardis Emmanuel  , Doulamis Anastasios  , Kapetanakis Kostas  , Kontakis Konstantinos  , Moulos Vrettos  , Vafiadis George
Published: February 2025

In this paper we present our work towards a remote, cloud-based, large-scale platform aiming at offering Virtual Reality advertisements to end-users on a wide range of terminal devices. While the remote and distributed nature of the platform allows us to display complex content on lightweight devices, the system architecture can also adapt to high-quality content for high-end displays. More importantly, we implement an extended version of the MPEG-7 standard for VR scenes, which allows us to manage the 3D worlds stored in the cloud in a content-aware manner. The system also integrates the dominant standards in the fields of Web 3D and multimedia broadcasting, in order to achieve maximum extensibility and interoperability, towards a platform that will be able to offer lightweight yet immersive VR marketing experiences within Web-based environments.
ViewPoint: An Augmented Reality Tool for Viewing and Understanding Deep Technology
Authors: Alrashidi Malek  , Callghan Vic  , Gardner Micheal  , Elliott Jennifer B.
Published: February 2025

This paper will explore the use of augmented reality, and its ability to reveal deep technologies (hidden technologies), as a means to create more effective tools for developers or students studying embedded computing, which are typified by topics such as the internet of things, pervasive computing and robotics. This approach aims to enrich the experience for developers and learners by constructing a meaningful view of the invisible things around us. Thus, we will propose and explain a general model, called ViewPoint, which consists of several components such as learning design specification, collaborative environments, augmented reality, physical objects and centralised data. Furthermore, to support the proposed model, we present a 4-dimensional learning activity task (4DLAT) framework which has helped us to structure our research into several phases where we can scale up from single-learner-discrete-task to group-learner sequenced-task, based on the proposed scenario. As a first step towards these lofty ambitions, this study will focus on developing Internet-of-Things systems based on a small self-contained eco-system of networked embedded computers known as Buzz-Boards.
An Introduction to Genetic Profiling
Authors: Davies Marc  , Callaghan Vic
Published: February 2025

This paper highlights the latest stage of an ongoing research project, primarily focussing on generating artificial anthropomorphic behaviour-sets for computer-generated non-player characters (NPCs). Building upon work presented in previous papers, this research highlights the latest results obtained from an investigation evaluating the anthropomorphism, (i.e. human-likeness) of several computer-controlled synthetic humans, controlled using artificial behaviour-sets generated by a new Artificial Intelligence mechanism, ‘Genetic Profiling’. In addition to providing an introduction to the new mechanism, this research also serves to highlight how Genetic Profiling can potentially be applied to investigative scenarios in Computer Science projects outside the recreational games related context largely used by this project.
Putting the Buzz Back into Computer Science Education
Authors: Callaghan Vic  , Lear Malcolm  , Peña-Rios Anasol  , Zamudio Victor  , Zheng Ping
Published: February 2025

This paper describes a rapid-prototyping system, based around a set of modularised electronics, Buzz-Boards, which enable developers to quickly create a wide variety of products ranging from intelligent environments, through robots to smart-phones peripherals to be built and deployed. In this paper we introduce readers to Buzz-Board technology, illustrating its use through three examples, a desktop robot (BuzzBot), a desktop intelligent environment (BuzzBox) and an Internet-of-Things application using a Raspberry Pi adaptor (BuzzBerry). As part of this paper we provide a general overview of Computer Science curriculum developments and explain how Buzz-Boards technology can provide a highly motivating and effective focus for computer science practical assignments. This paper adds to earlier BuzzBoard publications by describing support for Raspberry Pis and intelligent environments, together with reviewing the latest developments in computer science curricula in the USA and UK.
Towards Adjustable Autonomy in Adaptive Course Sequencing
Authors: Alzahrani Abdulkareem  , Callaghan Vic  , Gardner Michael
Published: February 2025

This paper presents adjustable autonomy and its application in adaptive course sequencing. The research aims to explore an adaptive course sequencing system (ACSS) which adapts the sequence of learning objects based on the student's profile and learning behaviour using soft computing techniques. The main contribution of this research is to make ACSS user driven by equipping it with adjustable autonomy mechanisms which allows student, tutor or some automated process to set the desired level of autonomous guidance. In addition, the system enables the teacher to reedit the sequence/guidance rules. Hence, we believe that a student will learn better when he/she learn using such a system, a hypothesis the longer term work of this student will seek to confirm. This paper gives an overview of the research area and presents an initial conceptual model which describes the ACSS's units and the relationship between these units.
Exploring the effect of diverse technologies incorporated in virtual museums on visitors' perceived sense of presence
Authors: Sylaiou Stella  , Mania Katerina  , Paliokas Ioannis  , Killintzis Vassilis  , Liarokapis Fotis  , Patias Petros
Published: February 2025

This paper presents the preliminary results of a research project aimed at exploring the perceived sense of presence incorporated in diverse technologies used in Virtual Museums. It initially presents the selection criteria and the five museum websites involved in the analysis. Then, it describes the evaluation process, in which a group of subjects explored the museums' on-line resources and completed a presence. The results of a double-phased statistical analysis are discussed, which investigated the technological conditions under which a Virtual Museum enhances the visitors' experience of presence.