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This paper aims to present a distributed Bayesian approach with connectivity maintenance to manage a multi-agent network search for a target on a two-dimensional plane.

The Bayesian framework is used to compute the local probability density functions (PDFs) of the target and obtain the global PDF with the consensus algorithm. An inverse power iteration algorithm is introduced to estimate the algebraic connectivity λ₂ of the network. Based on the estimated λ₂, the authors design a potential field for the connectivity maintenance. Then, based on the detection probability function, the authors design a potential field for the search target. The authors combine the two potential fields and design a distributed gradient-based control for the agents.

The inverse power iteration algorithm can distributed estimate the algebraic connectivity by the agents. The agents can efficient search the target with connectivity maintenance with the designed distributed gradient-based search algorithm.

Previous study has paid little attention to the multi-agent search problem with connectivity maintenance. Our algorithm guarantees that the strongly connected graph of the multi-agent communication topology is always established while performing the distributed target search problem.

This study aims to understand the role of technology in relationship maintenance among romantic partners.

It takes a qualitative, inductive approach and collected data from in-depth interviews with 20 individuals who are married or in cohabiting relationships.

This study supports the extension of relationship maintenance typology derived from face-to-face relationship studies to technology-mediated communication, but highlights how technology use transforms the implementation of maintenance behaviors. Technology helps couples coordinate tasks and keep in touch with friends and families. Although technology-mediated communication cannot replace face-to-face interactions in relationship talk and sharing in-depth feelings, it plays an important role in redefining the ways in which couples interact positively, maintain mutual understanding, and secure the future of the relationship. Moreover, this study identifies a new maintenance behavior, communication coordination. These maintenance behaviors reflect a tension between maintaining connectivity and managing the boundary between work and home and between the public and private spheres.

This study builds on previous work on technology use and relationship maintenance, but takes a different qualitative, inductive approach to address the limitations in the survey research dominant in the literature. It helps us understand the advantages and challenges in maintaining relationships in the digital age and also explores the factors that influence the patterns of technology use in relationship maintenance.

Sensing coverage is a critical issue in sensor network deployments. The paper aims to propose a novel scheme to maintain the sensing coverage in sensor networks, which is termed coverage‐aware self‐scheduling (CASS).

The paper describes a generic unifying framework to incorporate different connectivity and coverage maintenance schemes. Simulations are carried out under the framework by integrating CASS with an existing connectivity maintenance scheme ‐ the low‐energy adaptive clustering hierarchy.

Different from the existing work on coverage maintenance, CASS probabilistically schedules sensing activities according to the sensor's contribution to the sensing coverage of the whole sensor network. CASS reduces the number of active sensors to maintain certain coverage. Besides the sensing coverage, the connectivity of the network topologies is required for the purpose of communicating among sensors to collect sensing data. Simulation results show that CASS can considerably improve the energy efficiency of sensing coverage with low communication and computation overhead.

The paper shows that CASS is designed to allow sensors with higher coverage contribution to have more chance to sense.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology to evaluate the annual maintenance budget (AMB) for a plant system as a percentage of its asset replacement value (ARV).

Variables influencing the budget for the plant system are identified and modeled in terms of a plant maintenance Budget digraph. The nodes in the digraph represent the function of budget influencing variables and edges represent the degree of influence among these. The plant maintenance budget function is derived from the equivalent matrix of the plant maintenance budget digraph and is used to evaluate the AMB for the plant system as a percentage of its ARV. The presented model is illustrated with an example.

The proposed methodology enables the maintenance managers and practicing engineers to evaluate the AMB for maintenance tasks based on plant specific variables that can vary from one plant to another, without resorting to general rules-of-thumb method of budgeting or to expert judgment.

The methodology suggested does not claim to cover all aspects of budgeting and is confined to direct maintenance costs.

A fair estimation of AMB for a plant system gives an appropriate direction to maintenance actions and ensures that the assets will be kept in healthy and reliable state. This is desirable because it will ensure that maintenance resources are appropriately benchmarked and the resources are utilized judiciously. This ensures maintenance effectiveness.

The paper presents a structural approach to budgeting for maintenance tasks. This approach is valuable for plant managers, with ease in implementation.

A wearable expert system (WES) is an expert system designed and implemented to obtain input from and give outputs to wearable devices. Among its distinguishing features are the direct cooperation between domain experts and users, and the interaction with a knowledge maintenance system devoted to dynamically update the knowledge base taking care of the evolving scenario. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The WES development method is based on the Knowledge Acquisition Framework based on Knowledge Artifact (KAFKA) framework. KAFKA employs multiple knowledge artifacts, each devoted to the acquisition and management of a specific kind of knowledge. The KAFKA framework is introduced from both the conceptual and computational points of view. An example is given which demonstrates the interaction, within this framework, of taxonomies, Bayesian networks and rule-based systems. An experimental assessment of the framework usability is also given.

The most interesting characteristic of WESs is their capability to evolve over time, due both to the measurement of new values for input variables and to the detection of new input events, that can be used to modify, extend and maintain knowledge bases and to represent domains characterized by variability over time.

WES is a new and challenging concept, dealing with the possibility for a user to develop his/her own decision support systems and update them according to new events when they arise from the environment. The system fully supports domain experts and users with no particular skills in knowledge engineering methodologies, to create, maintain and exploit their expert systems, everywhere and when necessary.

Using data from The 1997 National Survey of US Public Libraries and the Internet, listserv postings, and the author’s own research and consulting experiences, explores the current financing of US public library Internet connectivity and services. Asserts that analyzing the costs of Internet services in libraries is different from any previous services offered by libraries. Begins to establish a concise vocabulary and framework for understanding Internet costs in libraries.

Higher education institutions around the world have increasingly come to see information and communication technology (ICT) as vital to the business of teaching and learning. Institutions invest a considerable amount of time and resources to erecting the appropriate institutional infrastructure, creating policy and practice, instituting strategy, training faculty, and building the capacity of technology staff. However, in under-resourced regions of the world, such as Africa, ICT, the availability and use of, has several challenges to overcome: a lack of institutional infrastructure, sufficient bandwidth, and limited capacity to employ ICT in the research process or the classroom. Universities report inadequate funding, poor management and infrastructure, resistance to change, inadequate training, and high costs associated with effective ICT use. Moreover, critiques of Western technopositivism surface misgivings related to the performance outcomes and appropriateness of ICT adoption in Africa. In this chapter, the author will explore the work of international organizations and regional and national research and education networks in the diffusion of ICT discourse, consider on-the-ground adoptions and innovation at universities in Nigeria, and reflect on the suitability and sustainability of technology adoption, all within an ICT for development (ICT4D) framework that lenses the evolution of technological applications in higher education. This chapter is significant in that it connects African higher education to ICT4D and frames the various discourses, policy landscapes and practice arenas, as they relate to international actors, continental initiatives, networks, universities, and faculty.

Libraries in the university environment in Eastern and Southern Africa are making efforts to join and participate effectively in the information revolution. However, these efforts continue to be hampered by many problems both internal and external. This paper reviews information technology (IT) developments in the university environment in Eastern and Southern Africa, and illustrates what university libraries can do to meet user expectations and remain relevant. The current scene in the region is assessed and analysed through selected literature reviews, the author’s personal experience working in the region, visits to some universities, other key institutions such as the Telkom telecommunications and Eskom electricity companies of South Africa, and discussions with professional colleagues in national seminars and regional conferences.

This paper reports findings on the significance of management communication strategies to telecommuting, based on a survey of telecommuters at IBM Australia. With increased adoption of telecommuting, many strategies have been proffered to ensure that telecommuters have appreciable levels of job satisfaction. Low levels of job satisfaction can lead to unduly rapid employee turnover that is detrimental to business operation. The objective of this paper is to ascertain the perceptions of telecommuters at IBM Australia on a number of telecommuting practice measures, and to suggest how job satisfaction can be improved and maintained at high levels by giving greater attention to particular communication management strategies in Australia. Although the management communication strategies proffered in the literature appear to apply generally, this study concludes that a few aspects are distinctively applicable to the Australian environment. Those aspects should be specifically noted by those interested in benefiting from telecommuting practice.

This paper aims to assess the usage pattern of telecentres, how rural women frame telecentres and barriers that limit use of telecentres. Further, the study examined the effects of demographic characteristics and location on telecentre usage.

The study used a sequential mixed research design in three rural districts surrounding telecentres: Kongwa, Sengerema and Kilosa districts. The study population comprised rural women who were users and non-users of telecentres. The study conducted six focus group discussions (FGDs) with 37 users and six FGDs with 36 non-users in the first phase of the study in 2014; questionnaires were administered to 90 users and 90 non-users in the second phase of the study in 2015.

The primary use of telecentres among users was to access internet (71.4 per cent, n = 60), followed by information and communication technology (ICT) training courses (63.1 per cent, n = 53) and secretarial purposes (63.1 per cent, n = 53). Rural women used internet for educational purposes, followed by news, information on health issues, job opportunities, social and entertainment issues. Rural women currently using internet were more likely to be better educated (ß = 1.926, p = 0.001) and have higher incomes (ß = 5.318, p = 0.021) at both bivariate and multivariate analysis. Users indicated that they faced the following barriers towards using telecentre: short duration of ICT training, frequent power outages, low speed of internet and few computers at the telecentres. Non-users were not using telecentres because of lack of ICT skills and language barriers.

This study provides empirical evidence to telecentres, libraries and other rural ICT initiatives to design rural ICT services that are gender-sensitive and demand-driven.