Logic Of Cooperation Research Articles

Cooperative STBC with fuzzy election applied to surveillance wireless video sensor networks

Wireless video sensor networks (WVSN) have been envisioned for a wide range of important applications such as video surveillance, emergency response, environmental and habitat monitoring. Transmitting video over WVSN requires large bandwidth as well as lifetime of sensor nodes long enough to fulfill the application requirements. This paper proposes an integrated system for WVSN (mainly used for surveillance) that combines the use of adaptive cooperative diversity and fuzzy logic. The cooperative spacetime block codes (STBC) are used to achieve full diversity with a simple maximum-likelihood decoding algorithm in order to enhance the performance of the considered WVSN. The performance comparison between the proposed system and a non-cooperative scheme is presented based on network lifetime, quality of transmitted videos, and required number of retransmissions under varying propagation scenarios in a WVSN. Simulation results show better performance for the proposed system, presenting greater lifetime, higher peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) values of transmitted videos and lower propagation delay.

Rational theory of international politics: the logic of competition and cooperation

Preface ix Chapter One: Introduction 1 Chapter Two: Setting Up the Theory 23 Chapter Three: The Theory 51 Chapter Four: Extensions of the Theory 93 Chapter Five: Counterarguments 127 Chapter Six: Placing the Theory in the IR Theory Landscape 148 Chapter Seven: Evaluating the Theory from Within 172 Chapter Eight: Evaluating the Theory--Important Cases and Useful Comparisons 206 Chapter Nine: Applying the Theory to Arms Races Testing It with Counterfactuals 228 Chapter Ten: Summary and Policy Implications 269 Bibliography 283 Index 305

Early birds: Special interests and the strategic logic of international cooperation

I propose that special interests are particularly influential in international cooperation because they are able to enact pressure on the government already during the negotiations while the issue is not yet salient for the general public. In my formal model, special interests can offer political support to the government in exchange for a discriminatory implementation commitment that benefits them. The government colludes with the special interests if the value of political support exceeds the cost. However, if the government colludes with special interests in country A, the payoff to the government and special interests in country B also decreases because the probability of successful international cooperation decreases. In equilibrium, special interests create a collective-action problem that complicates international cooperation. In addition to providing a new explanation for the power of special interests in international cooperation, the article illuminates how international negotiations and domestic treaty implementation interact. The analysis also reveals a new dimension of flexibility in international cooperation.

Comparing Two Logics of Interlocal Cooperation: The Cases of France and Germany

In this article the interaction and cooperation of local level actors is conceived as being premised on two organizational logics, that is, on the territorialitybased general purpose elected local government form and on institutionalized functionality-based single-purpose non-elected intermunicipal cooperation. Drawing on the work by Hooghe and Marks the two variants are identified as “type I” and “type II” institutional arrangements. Germany and France are treated as comparative cases in point.In Germany the institutional development resulted, with federalism-typical variance between the Länder, in a mono structure of type I local government in some and in a dual structure with type II intermunicipal bodies in others, whereas in France the dual structure with a multitude of type II intermuncipal bodies (intercommunalité) has prevailed. Recently a new wave of territorial reforms in East German Länder has extended the coverage of type I local government and reduced that of type II intermunicipal bodies, while in France the introduction of the type II communautés bears traces of the type I local government form. In both countries these reform moves have been triggered largely by mounting criticism of the operational (conflict and transaction) costs and democratic deficits of the dual structure with type II intermuncipal bodies. These advances of the type I local government form concur with local level territorial reforms put into effect in a growing number of other European countries. Finally the article interprets the findings by drawing on and applying the conceptual government/governance scheme.

21-Month-olds understand the cooperative logic of requests

Human communication rests on a basic assumption of partner cooperativeness, including even requesting. In the current study, an adult made an ambiguous request for an object to 21-month-old infants, with one potential referent being right in front of her and the other being across the room. In a normal situation (Hands-Free), infants interpreted the request as referring to the distant object—the one the adult needed help fetching. In contrast, in a situation in which the adult was constrained so that fetching either object herself would be difficult (Hands-Occupied), infants selected the far object much less often. These results suggest that infants just beginning to acquire language already understand something of the cooperative logic of requests.

The value of standardisation in public administration services: The Italian corporate banking experience

The Public Administration (PA) plays a key role in fostering the competitiveness of the European economy and financial market. Consequently, different stakeholder categories have recently registered new interest in cooperating to support the PA’s modernisation. In Italy, the Government has launched an institutional programme, the ‘e2012-innovation strategies’, marking some fundamental steps in the PA innovation process, as demonstrated by the introduction of the e-invoicing obligation for suppliers of PA. The banking system plays a core role in the concrete implementation of the mentioned objectives, thanks to a widespread presence over the territory, the availability of multiple channels and great knowledge of innovation and technology. The Italian banking system holds a further relevant asset, based on cooperation logics: the CBI Service, managed by the CBI Consortium, demonstrates best practice in the field of the innovation and standardisation of corporate banking services. In line with trends and the institutional commitment towards PA efficiency, the CBI Consortium is currently supporting the development of new models of interaction between the banking system and the Central Public Administration, and the implementation of innovative electronic services (documents, payments, reporting), interoperable with international standards, for the public sector.

THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF DEFINING THE PARTICIPATORY, CO-OPERATIVE, SUSTAINABLE INFORMATION SOCIETY

The task of this paper is to provide a comparative and theoretically grounded discussion of the notions of sustainability, inclusion, and participation in the information society discourse. A theoretical model of society as dialectical system is introduced, in which the economic base and the political–cultural superstructure are mutually shaping each other. Based on a distinction between reductionistic, holistic, dualistic, and dialectical worldviews, four different theoretical approaches on defining the sustainable information society are distinguished, which are based on how the relationship between base and superstructure is conceived. Reductionistic approaches see ecological, technological, or economic changes as the sole driving forces of a sustainable information society. Projectionistic approaches see superstructures (polity and/or culture) as the determining forces of a sustainable information society. They are the least frequently found approaches in the literature. Dualistic approaches define multiple goals and dimensions of a sustainable information society, but do not consider if these goals are compatible and if and how they are causally linked. Dualistic models are the ones that can be found most frequently in the literature. As an alternative to these three models, the dialectical notion of the participatory, co-operative, sustainable information society (PCSIS) is introduced. Co-operation is based on an inclusive logic that establishes social systems, in which all involved actors benefit. The logic of co-operation is the binding force of a progressive society that connects its various dimensions.

Is it all a ‘game’? Analysing academic leadership through a Bourdieuian practice lens

Much contemporary educational research draws upon Bourdieuian concepts such as field and the metaphor of the game for its inspiration. Yet his theory of practice remains an under-explored concept in educational leadership. Perhaps this is because the preceding concepts are better equipped to perform the required conceptual labour compared to earlier Bourdieuian theories of practice. However, an alternative possibility is that the emphasis on field and the analogy of the game has obscured subaltern readings of leadership practice. This paper draws on Alan Warde's argument for a ‘reconfigured’ notion of Bourdieuian practice, based upon Alasdair MacIntyre's differentiation between the competitive logic of practice of a field and the cooperative logic of practice. Drawing on an autobiographical academic leadership story, the paper examines how an analysis of the characteristics of these overlapping but conceptually distinct logics of practice may expand understandings of academic leadership practice, and of practice per se.

Verification of Games in the Game Description Language

The Game Description Language (GDL) is a special purpose declarative language for defining games. GDL is used in the AAAI General Game Playing Competition, which tests the ability of computer programs to play games in general, rather than just the ability to play a specific game. Participants in the competition are provided with a previously unknown game specified in GDL, and are required to dynamically and autonomously determine how best to play this game. Recently, there has been much interest in the use of strategic cooperation logics for reasoning about game-like scenarios—the Alternating-time Temporal Logic (ATL) of Alur, Henzinger, and Kupferman is perhaps the best known example. Such logics are specifically intended to support reasoning about game-theoretic properties of multi-agent systems. In short, the aim of this article is to make a concrete link between ATL and GDL, with the ultimate goal of using ATL to reason about GDL-specified games. We make the following contributions. First, we demonstrate that GDL can be understood as a specification language for ATL models, and prove that the problem of interpreting ATL formulae over propositional GDL descriptions is EXPTIME-complete. Second, we use ATL to characterize a class of ‘fair playability’ conditions, which might or might not hold of various games.

Alternating-time temporal logic with strong and weak exceptions

Most application systems of artificial intelligence may face the problem of non-monotonic reasoning,so do multi-agent systems.Based on our former work on agent BDI logic,multi-agent cooperation logics and multi-agent cooperative problem solving process modeling,as well as the work of Baral et al.on non-monotonic temporal logics,strong and weak exceptions were introduced to Alternating-time Temporal Logic(ATL) that was the primogenitor of multi-agent cooperation logics.As a result,non-monotonic alternating-time temporal logic was developed,and its syntax and semantics were proposed.As far as we know,the work presented in this paper was the first attempt of non-monotonic extending of multi-agent cooperation logics.Non-monotonic alternating-time temporal logic can be adopted as a theoretical tool to model multi-agent mental states and their dynamic revision mechanism.

Os dilemas da economia solidária: um estudo acerca da dificuldade de inserção dos indivíduos na lógica cooperativista

Este artigo tem como objetivo contribuir para o debate na área da Economia Solidária. Fundamentando-se nas idéias de Guerreiro Ramos e Maurício Tragtenberg, buscou-se analisar as dificuldades encontradas pelos indivíduos para se inserirem na lógica cooperativista. Para isso, realizou-se um estudo de caso na COOPETEX, no qual foram analisados aspectos como a vivência dos princípios cooperativistas, a participação e a autogestão, bem como a presença dos valores e práticas características do modelo capitalista de produção. Foi possível identificar uma desvalorização dos princípios que norteiam o movimento cooperativista e que a autogestão existe apenas enquanto discurso. Constatou-se também que os valores e métodos capitalistas são amplamente utilizados, o que torna a cooperativa uma reprodução das empresas convencionais. A partir dos resultados obtidos foi possível observar o quanto a mudança de postura dos cooperados é vital para que a cooperativa funcione de forma legítima.

Экономические аспекты российско-прибалтийских отношений в 2007—2008 годах

The influence of the events related to the transfer of the remains and the monument to Soviet soldiers in central Tallinn on the Russian cargo transit flows through the Baltic Sea region is described. The author shows that there has been a redistribution of Russian cargoes and their shipment through the ports of Latvia and Lithuania lately. According to the author, the positive dynamics of Russian-Latvian and Russian-Lithuanian relations should be sustained, proceeding from the assumption that sooner or later, the logic of economic cooperation may prove stronger than political considerations.

Unipolarity, State Behavior, and Systemic Consequences

The United States emerged from the 1990s as an unrivaled global power to become a “unipolar” state. This extraordinary imbalance has triggered global debate. Governments and peoples around the world are struggling to understand to how an American-centered unipolar system operates—and to respond to it. What is the character of domination in a unipolar distribution? To what extent can a unipolar state translate its formidable capabilities into meaningful influence? Will a unipolar world be built around rules and institutions or be based more on the unilateral exercise of unipolar power? Scholars too are asking these basic questions about unipolarity and international relations theory. The individual contributions develop hypotheses and explore the impact of unipolarity on the behavior of the dominant state, on the reactions of other states, and on the properties of the international system. Collectively, they find that unipolarity does have a profound impact on international politics. international relations under conditions of unipolarity force a rethinking of conventional and received understandings about the operation of the balance of power, the meaning of alliance partnerships, the logic of international economic cooperation, the relationship between power and legitimacy, and the behavior of satisfied and revisionist states.

The establishment of Heung-a Association in Manchuria in the latter half of 1930s and the logic of cooperation with Japan

The establishment of Heung-a Association in Manchuria in the latter half of 1930s and the logic of cooperation with Japan

What We Need to Learn to Save the Planet

The author argues that education, as we see it today, is more a part of sustainable development's (SD) problem than a part of its solution because it reinforces the principles and values of an unsustainable lifestyle and economy. He argues for an economy that is not centred on free market and profit, and which circulates wealth with a logic of cooperation rather than competition. Solidarity economy has incorporated the principles of inclusion and social emancipation. Sustainability and solidarity are emergent and convergent themes. Gadotti proposes that without social mobilisation against the current economic model, education for sustainable development (ESD) will not reach its goals. In addition, education for a sustainable life—not only for a sustainable development—is required. The Decade of Education for Sustainable Development is an opportunity for formal education to construct a new quality of education, a social-environmental quality, to replace the current education model that has been eroding the planet since the nineteenth century.

South Africa and the Logic of Regional Cooperation, James J. Hentz

<i>South Africa and the Logic of Regional Cooperation</i>, James J. Hentz

Manufacturing execution systems for customized production

Mass customised manufacturing is a current tendency in many production sectors. In this scenario, the client details the desired product often using informatics means and respecting available options. This customisation context imposes systemic integration and co-operations between the concerned manufacturing entities to explore their capabilities, aiming at adaptability to the product heterogeneity. An integration element of the management system and systems related to the shop floor is the manufacturing execution system (MES). A conceivable way to allow MES supporting this customised e-manufacturing is the concept of smart-product, where each product “drives ” its own production, allowing a decoupling between production and order dispatching, as well as the consistency between physical and informational flows. A smart-product requests services from manufacturing resources and it can compete for them. These resources must co-operate based on their features and based on some established flexible co-operation logic, aiming to carry out smart-products requests. However, this is by itself another issue, firstly due to the heterogeneity of factory resources. Looking for homogenisation and integration of this diversity, resources and also smart-products may be “encapsulated” inside of communicating entities called “holons ”. However, the composition of holonic MES (H-MES) is not trivial, because of the dynamic between all holons may be complex. Previous studies presented the organisation of resource-HLs co-operation carried out by computational entities called “rules”. In this paper, it is proposed a conceptual solution of a meta-model for rules-oriented and product-driven H-MES and its application for the holonification of a design and simulation tool.

The Biological and Evolutionary Logic of Human Cooperation

Abstract Human cooperation is held to be an evolutionary puzzle because people voluntarily engage in costly cooperation, and costly punishment of non-cooperators, even among anonymous strangers they will never meet again. The costs of such cooperation cannot be recovered through kin-selection, reciprocal altruism, indirect reciprocity, or costly signaling. A number of recent authors label this behavior ‘strong reciprocity’, and argue that it is: (a) a newly documented aspect of human nature, (b) adaptive, and (c) evolved by group selection. We argue exactly the opposite; that the phenomenon is: (a) not new, (b) maladaptive, and (c) evolved by individual selection. In our perspective, the apparent puzzle disappears to reveal a biological and evolutionary logic to human cooperation. Group selection may play a role in theory, but it is neither necessary nor sufficient to explain human cooperation. Our alternative solution is simpler, makes fewer assumptions, and is more parsimonious with the empirical data.

On the logic of cooperation and propositional control

Cooperation logics have recently begun to attract attention within the multi-agent systems community. Using a cooperation logic, it is possible to represent and reason about the strategic powers of agents and coalitions of agents in game-like multi-agent systems. These powers are generally assumed to be implicitly defined within the structure of the environment, and their origin is rarely discussed. In this paper, we study a cooperation logic in which agents are each assumed to control a set of propositional variables—the powers of agents and coalitions then derive from the allocation of propositions to agents. The basic modal constructs in this Coalition Logic of Propositional Control ( cl-pc) allow us to express the fact that a group of agents can cooperate to bring about a certain state of affairs. After motivating and introducing cl-pc, we provide a complete axiom system for the logic, investigate the issue of characterising control in cl-pc with respect to the underlying power structures of the logic, and formally investigate the relationship between cl-pc and Pauly's Coalition Logic. We then show that the model checking and satisfiability problems for cl-pc are both pspace-complete, and conclude by discussing our results and how cl-pc sits in relation to other logics of cooperation.

Constructing Cooperative Logic Problems

As teachers of mathematics, we spend hours searching for good examples of mathematics problems to use in the classroom. We often seek problems that will grab students' attention, that are relevant to their interests, and that demonstrate the mathematical concepts that we hope to teach. Although we rely on many sources for these problems—such as textbooks, workbooks, journals, colleagues, and the Internet—we also spend a good deal of time constructing our own problems, whether they be for lectures, class work, homework, or tests. Designing problems is typically a task for teachers; however, this process can also be a valuable experience for our students. In this article, I describe the complexities involved in writing mathematics problems and suggest a cooperative learning activity that gives students the challenge of writing mathematical logic problems for their peers.