Linking is one of the challenges for theories of the syntax-semantics interface. In this new approach, the author explores the hypothesis that the positions of syntactic arguments are strictly determined by lexical argument geometry. Through careful argumentation and original analysis, her study provides a framework for explaining the linking patterns of a range of verb classes, leading to a number of insights about lexical structure and a radical rethinking of many verb classes.
Autonomous agents have become a vibrant research and development topic in recent years attracting activity and attention from various areas. The basic agent concept incorporates proactive autonomous units with goal-directed-behaviour and communication capabilities. The book focuses on autonomous agents that can act in a goal directed manner under real time constraints and incomplete knowledge, being situated in a dynamic environment where resources may be restricted. To satisfy such complex requirements, the author improves, combines, and applies results from areas like planning, constraint programming, and local search. The formal framework developed is evaluated by application to the field of computer games, which fit the problem context very well since most of them are played in real time and provide a highly interactive environment where environmental situations are changing rapidly.
This book presents selected tutorial lectures given at the summer school on Multi-Agent Systems and Their Applications held in Prague, Czech Republic, in July 2001 under the sponsorship of ECCAI and Agent Link. The 20 lectures by leading researchers in the field presented in the book give a competent state-of-the-art account of research and development in the field of multi-agent systems and advanced applications. The book offers parts on foundations of MAS; social behaviour, meta-reasoning, and learning; and applications.
Object-Process Methodology (OPM) is an intuitive approach to systems engineering. This book presents the theory and practice of OPM with examples from various industry segments and engineering disciplines, as well as daily life. OPM is a generic, domain independent approach that is applicable almost anywhere in systems engineering.
It is now no longer necessary to argue the importance of agent technology. Be- des numerous conferences and workshops on speci c aspects of agent technology there are also many companies that are exploring its exploitation possibilities. In the light of these developments and in order to foster the transfer of agent technology from research labs to business, the EU has funded a \network of exc- lence" devoted to agent technology. This network of excellence, called AgentLink (http://www. agentlink. org/), aims at bringing together research groups from d- ferent countries and industrial developers. The ultimate goal is to create synergy among the di erent projects and groups to improve the competence of European industry and the excellence of academia. In order to achieve this goal, Agent- Link organises educational activities (summer schools), builds agent-related - terature repositories, and facilitates collaboration between member nodes. One of the main activities related to the last point are the regular meetings of \S- cial Interest Groups" (SIGs). At this moment six SIGs are functioning, focusing on topics ranging from agent based social simulation to intelligent agents for telecommunications applications and telematics. The current book combines two results from the activities of the SIG on \Agent Mediated Electronic Commerce". This SIG gathers the main research groups and industrial partners interested in the use of agent technology in el- tronic commerce. First and foremost the book contains a roadmap of research and current technological developments in the area of agent-mediated electronic commerce.
This book captures the essence of the current state of research in active media technology and identifies the new changes and opportunities ? both current and future ? in the field. Distinguished researchers such as Prof Ning Zhong from the Maebashi Institute of Technology, Prof John Yen from the Pennsylvania State University, and Prof Sanker K Pal from the Indian Statistical Institute present their research papers.
Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), which tackles architecting and design of complex systems through the use of formal models, is emerging as the most critical component of systems engineering. This textbook specifies the two leading conceptual modeling languages, OPM—the new ISO 19450, composed primarily by the author of this book, and OMG SysML. It provides essential insights into a domain-independent, discipline-crossing methodology of developing or researching complex systems of any conceivable kind and size. Combining theory with a host of industrial, biological, and daily life examples, the book explains principles and provides guidelines for architecting complex, multidisciplinary systems, making it an indispensable resource for systems architects and designers, engineers of any discipline, executives at all levels, project managers, IT professional, systems scientists, and engineering students.
Advances in computer technology in general and computer networks in particular have significantly affected the requirements of modern applications, where the need to operate in decentralised environments is of primary importance. The conceptual models of the applications are also becoming complex and semantically rich.A promising technology towards the design and development of systems of such domains is agent based systems. Agents, having a knowledge component, act and interact with other agents and information sources in order to achieve some goals. Platforms intended for supporting the development of such systems should offer a number of features, including communication, concurrency, mobility, high level data structures, object orientation etc.This book describes the design and implementation of such a language platform called April++ and its use on a number of applications. Methodologically, in designing and implementing the language, a layered approach has been adopted. April++ has been developed as a series of macro defined layers on top of the relatively primitive features of a pre-existing language called April.On top of April++, an agent layer has been built (as a set of pre-defined classes) for constructing agent based systems. This layer has been customised for specific application domains considered. This includes a mobile agent application, a distributed database application and a network management one.
This proceedings volume contains selected papers presented at the 2014 International Conference on Future Mechatronics and Automation, held in Beijing, China. Contributions cover the latest developments and advances in the field of Mechatronics and Automation.
