Synchronization of Local Plans for Cooperative Distributed Decision-Making

In cooperative decision-making, agents locally plan for a subset of all agents. Due to only local system knowledge of the agents, these local plans may be inconsistent to local plans of other agents. This inconsistency leads to infeasibility of the plans. This article introduces an algorithm for synchronizing local plans for cooperative distributed decision-making of multi-agent systems. The algorithm consists of two iterative steps: planning and synchronization. In the local planning step, the agents compute local decisions, referred to as plans. Subsequently, consistency of the local plans across agents is achieved using synchronization. The synchronized plans act as reference decisions to the local planning step in the next iteration. In each iteration, the local planning guarantees locally feasible plans, while the synchronization guarantees globally consistent plans in that iteration. The algorithm converges to globally feasible decisions if the coupling topology is feasible. We introduce requirements for the coupling topology to achieve convergence to globally feasible decisions and present the algorithm using a model predictive control example. Our evaluations with car-like robots show that feasible decisions are achieved.

Synchronization of Local Plans for Cooperative Distributed Decision-Making

In cooperative decision-making, agents locally plan for a subset of all agents. Due to only local system knowledge of the agents, these local plans may be inconsistent to local plans of other agents. This inconsistency leads to infeasibility of the plans. This article introduces an algorithm for synchronizing local plans for cooperative distributed decision-making of multi-agent systems. The algorithm consists of two iterative steps: planning and synchronization. In the local planning step, the agents compute local decisions, referred to as plans. Subsequently, consistency of the local plans across agents is achieved using synchronization. The synchronized plans act as reference decisions to the local planning step in the next iteration. In each iteration, the local planning guarantees locally feasible plans, while the synchronization guarantees globally consistent plans in that iteration. The algorithm converges to globally feasible decisions if the coupling topology is feasible. We introduce requirements for the coupling topology to achieve convergence to globally feasible decisions and present the algorithm using a model predictive control example. Our evaluations with car-like robots show that feasible decisions are achieved.

Walk the Talk—A Sustainability Management System for Social Acceptance in Nordic Mining

The mining industry has experienced increased stakeholder pressure over the last decades, and the legitimacy of the mining industry and its place in society is sometimes questioned. On the other hand, high corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance can lead to an increased social acceptance, which in the end may give the mining company the social license to operate. This article focuses on stakeholder management within management system thinking in order to enhance the social acceptance for mining. The purpose is to describe a mining company’s existing stakeholder management practice and identify areas for improvement using established stakeholder management models to achieve an efficient and effective stakeholder management practice. The purpose is also to describe how conceptual sustainability management system (SMS) frameworks can be usefully applied and, more specifically, whether and how stakeholder management models and the concept of materiality analysis are useful for the planning step in an SMS for social acceptance. The findings show that the used SMS framework fits well in this context, and that a materiality analysis can beneficially be used for the ‘systemization of stakeholder demands’ in the planning step of an SMS.

The Implementation of Village Fund Policy: A Comparative Study in Improving the Public Welfare in Two Villages in Pati Regency, Central Java

This research attempts to describe and analyse the implementation process of Village Fund in two villages in Pati Regency, Central Java. This qualitative research was conducted in Tambakromo Village and Mojomulyo Village. The result shows that the implementation of Village Fund has been in accordance with the substance of rules that underlies the village fund policy, such as how to transfer the fund, the planning, the implementation procedure, the liability, and the monitoring of the village fund. However, in their participation in the implementation of village fund policy, the actors who have big roles in allocating the village fund were the internal bureaucracy actors. Meanwhile, the participation of the local community was low. Ideally, the local community should greatly participate starting from the planning step up to the monitoring of Fund Policy.

Nursing care systematization: perceptions and knowledge of the Brazilian nursing

ABSTRACT Objective: to present the perception and knowledge of Brazilian nursing nurses and academics regarding Nursing Care Systematization. Method: a descriptive study, carried out in the first half of 2018. Results: of the 596 respondents, 86% perceived Nursing Care Systematization as very important, but only 60.9% used it in their care practice. Its use was statistically associated with a higher level of training. Non-utilization was associated with the perception that it is irrelevant and with little knowledge on the Nursing Process, even in the face of recognition of its obligation. Among professionals who wish to learn more about the subject, understanding the application of the process, especially the planning step, is perceived as a necessity. Conclusion: the relevance perception of systematization and levels of knowledge of the professional/academic are directly related to the use or not of Nursing Care Systematization principles.