Open distributed multi-agent systems featuring autonomous components demand coordination mechanisms for both functional and non-functional properties. Heterogeneity of requirements regarding interaction means and paradigms, stemming from the diverse nature of components, should not affect the effectiveness of coordination. Along this line, in this paper we share our pragmatical experience in the integration of objective and subjective, synchronous and asynchronous, reactive and pro-active coordination approaches within two widely-adopted agent-oriented technologies (JADE and Jason), enabling coordinating components to dynamically adapt their interaction means based on static preference or run-time contingencies.
Facilitating digital research in the humanities: from local services to Europ...Sally Chambers
This presentation was given as part of the 'Séminaire Européen de l’Ecole doctorale' on 'Les Infrastructures de la recherché, quels enjeux pour les humanités numériques ?' held at the University of Lille on 3 March 2016, see:
http://geriico.recherche.univ-lille3.fr/index.php?page=annee-2015---2016
Partners in research: outside the library, inside the infrastructureSally Chambers
Presentation by Saskia Scheltjens and Sally Chambers exploring the role of libraries in digital scholarship, digital humanities and research infrastructures
Facilitating digital research in the humanities: from local services to Europ...Sally Chambers
This presentation was given as part of the 'Séminaire Européen de l’Ecole doctorale' on 'Les Infrastructures de la recherché, quels enjeux pour les humanités numériques ?' held at the University of Lille on 3 March 2016, see:
http://geriico.recherche.univ-lille3.fr/index.php?page=annee-2015---2016
Partners in research: outside the library, inside the infrastructureSally Chambers
Presentation by Saskia Scheltjens and Sally Chambers exploring the role of libraries in digital scholarship, digital humanities and research infrastructures
TuCSoN Coordination for MAS Situatedness: Towards a MethodologyAndrea Omicini
Agent-based technologies embed solutions for critical issues in agent-oriented software engineering. In this paper we describe the coordination-based approach to MAS situatedness as promoted by the TuCSoN middleware, by sketching the steps of an agent-oriented methodology from the TuCSoN meta-model down to the TuCSoN programming environment.
Coordination in Situated Systems: Engineering MAS Environment in TuCSoNAndrea Omicini
Multi-agent systems (MAS) provide a well-founded approach to the engineering of situated systems, where governing the interaction of a multiplicity of autonomous, distributed components with the environment represents one of the most critical issues. By interpreting situatedness as a coordination issue, in this paper we describe the TuCSoN coordination architecture for situated MAS, and show how the corresponding TuCSoN coordination technology can be effectively used for engineering MAS environment.
[Talk @ IDCS 2014 – Calabria, Italy, 23/9/2014]
Event-Based vs. Multi-Agent Systems: Towards a Unified Conceptual FrameworkAndrea Omicini
Event-based systems (EBS) are nowadays the most viable sources of technologies and solutions for large-scale distributed applications. On the other hand, multi-agent systems (MAS) apparently provide the most viable abstractions and coherent methods to deal with complex distributed systems, in particular when advanced features – such as mobility, autonomy, symbolic reasoning, knowledge management, situation recognition – are required. In this talk we discuss how the core concepts of EBS and MAS can in principle be matched and integrated, providing a sound conceptual ground for a coherent discipline for the engineering of complex software systems.
[Keynote Speech @ IEEE CSCWD 2015, May 6, 2015, Calabria, Italy]
Blending Event-Based and Multi-Agent Systems around Coordination AbstractionsAndrea Omicini
While event-based architectural style has become prevalent for large-scale distributed applications, multi-agent systems seemingly provide the most viable abstractions to deal with complex distributed systems. In this talk we discuss the role of coordination abstractions as a basic brick for a unifying conceptual framework for agent-based and event-based systems, which could work as the foundation of a principled discipline for the engineering of complex software systems.
[Talk by Stefano Mariani @ COORDINATION 2015, 3/6/3015, Grenoble, France]
Novel Opportunities for Tuple-based Coordination: XPath, the Blockchain, and ...Andrea Omicini
The increasing maturity of some well-established technologies – such as XPath – along with the sharp rise of brand-new ones – i.e. the blockchain – presents new opportunities to researchers in the field of multi-agent coordination. In this talk we briefly discuss a few technologies which, once suitably interpreted and integrated, have the potential to impact the very roots of tuple-based coordination as it stems from the archetypal LINDA model.
The paper deals with distributed planning in a Mult
i-Agent System (MAS) constituted by several
intelligent agents each one has to interact with th
e other autonomous agents. The problem faced
is how to ensure a distributed planning through the
cooperation in our multi-agent system.
To do so, we propose the use of fuzzy logic to repr
esent the response of the agent in case of
interaction with the other. Finally, we use JADE p
latform to create agents and ensure the
communication between them.
A Benchmark Production System is used as a running
example to explain our contribution.
Event-Based vs. Multi-Agent Systems: Towards a Unified Conceptual Framework. ...Andrea Omicini
Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) and Event-Based Systems (EBS) are two fundamental paradigms for the engineering of complex software systems. In this talk, we summarise the most important features of the MAS and EBS, and discuss how they could be integrated within a unified conceptual framework. The resulting framework could work as the foundation of a principled discipline for the engineering of complex software systems, by promoting a coherent integration of agent-based and event-based abstractions, languages, technologies, and methods.
Event-driven Programming for Situated MAS with ReSpecT Tuple CentresStefano Mariani
We advocate the role of tuple-based coordination languages as effective tools for event-driven programming of situated multi-agent systems (MAS). By focussing on logic-based coordination artefacts, we discuss the benefits of exploiting ReSpecT tuple centres as event-driven abstractions for MAS coordination.
Coordination for Situated MAS: Towards an Event-driven ArchitectureAndrea Omicini
Complex software systems modelled as multi-agent systems (MAS) are characterised by activities that are generated either by agents, or by the environment in its most general acceptation — that is, environmental resources and the spatio-temporal fabric. Modelling and engineering complex MAS – such as pervasive, adaptive, and situated MAS – requires then to properly handle diverse classes of events: agent operations, resource events, spatio-temporal situation. In this talk we first devise out the requirements and sketch a software architecture for an agent middleware based on boundary artefacts such as agent coordination contexts, resource transducers, and space-time transducers. Then we discuss its system architecture exploiting agent, environment & space-time managers, and show some examples of a concrete architecture based on the TuCSoN middleware for MAS coordination.
Towards Logic Programming as a Service: Experiments in tuPrologAndrea Omicini
In this talk we explore the perspective of Logic Programming as a Service (LPaaS), with a broad notion of “service” going beyond the mere handling of the logic engine lifecycle, knowledge base management, reasoning queries execution, etc. In particular, we present tuProlog as-a-service, a Prolog engine based on the tuProlog core made available as an encapsulated service to effectively support the spreading of intelligence in pervasive systems—mainly, Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications scenarios. So, after recalling the main features of tuProlog technology, we discuss the design and implementation of tuProlog as-a-service, focussing in particular on the iOS platform because of the many supported smart devices (phones, watches, etc.), the URL-based communication support among apps, and the multi-language resulting scenarios.
Models of Autonomy and Coordination: Integrating Subjective & Objective Appro...Stefano Mariani
Objective and subjective approaches to coordination constitute two complementary approaches, which, being both essential in MAS engineering, require to be suitably integrated. In this paper, we (i) observe that a successful integration depends on the models of autonomy and coordination promoted by agent technologies, (ii) suggest that ignoring the two models may hinder agent autonomy, (iii) provide an example of “autonomy-preserving” integration by discussing TuCSoN4Jade.
TuCSoN Coordination for MAS Situatedness: Towards a MethodologyAndrea Omicini
Agent-based technologies embed solutions for critical issues in agent-oriented software engineering. In this paper we describe the coordination-based approach to MAS situatedness as promoted by the TuCSoN middleware, by sketching the steps of an agent-oriented methodology from the TuCSoN meta-model down to the TuCSoN programming environment.
Coordination in Situated Systems: Engineering MAS Environment in TuCSoNAndrea Omicini
Multi-agent systems (MAS) provide a well-founded approach to the engineering of situated systems, where governing the interaction of a multiplicity of autonomous, distributed components with the environment represents one of the most critical issues. By interpreting situatedness as a coordination issue, in this paper we describe the TuCSoN coordination architecture for situated MAS, and show how the corresponding TuCSoN coordination technology can be effectively used for engineering MAS environment.
[Talk @ IDCS 2014 – Calabria, Italy, 23/9/2014]
Event-Based vs. Multi-Agent Systems: Towards a Unified Conceptual FrameworkAndrea Omicini
Event-based systems (EBS) are nowadays the most viable sources of technologies and solutions for large-scale distributed applications. On the other hand, multi-agent systems (MAS) apparently provide the most viable abstractions and coherent methods to deal with complex distributed systems, in particular when advanced features – such as mobility, autonomy, symbolic reasoning, knowledge management, situation recognition – are required. In this talk we discuss how the core concepts of EBS and MAS can in principle be matched and integrated, providing a sound conceptual ground for a coherent discipline for the engineering of complex software systems.
[Keynote Speech @ IEEE CSCWD 2015, May 6, 2015, Calabria, Italy]
Blending Event-Based and Multi-Agent Systems around Coordination AbstractionsAndrea Omicini
While event-based architectural style has become prevalent for large-scale distributed applications, multi-agent systems seemingly provide the most viable abstractions to deal with complex distributed systems. In this talk we discuss the role of coordination abstractions as a basic brick for a unifying conceptual framework for agent-based and event-based systems, which could work as the foundation of a principled discipline for the engineering of complex software systems.
[Talk by Stefano Mariani @ COORDINATION 2015, 3/6/3015, Grenoble, France]
Novel Opportunities for Tuple-based Coordination: XPath, the Blockchain, and ...Andrea Omicini
The increasing maturity of some well-established technologies – such as XPath – along with the sharp rise of brand-new ones – i.e. the blockchain – presents new opportunities to researchers in the field of multi-agent coordination. In this talk we briefly discuss a few technologies which, once suitably interpreted and integrated, have the potential to impact the very roots of tuple-based coordination as it stems from the archetypal LINDA model.
The paper deals with distributed planning in a Mult
i-Agent System (MAS) constituted by several
intelligent agents each one has to interact with th
e other autonomous agents. The problem faced
is how to ensure a distributed planning through the
cooperation in our multi-agent system.
To do so, we propose the use of fuzzy logic to repr
esent the response of the agent in case of
interaction with the other. Finally, we use JADE p
latform to create agents and ensure the
communication between them.
A Benchmark Production System is used as a running
example to explain our contribution.
Event-Based vs. Multi-Agent Systems: Towards a Unified Conceptual Framework. ...Andrea Omicini
Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) and Event-Based Systems (EBS) are two fundamental paradigms for the engineering of complex software systems. In this talk, we summarise the most important features of the MAS and EBS, and discuss how they could be integrated within a unified conceptual framework. The resulting framework could work as the foundation of a principled discipline for the engineering of complex software systems, by promoting a coherent integration of agent-based and event-based abstractions, languages, technologies, and methods.
Event-driven Programming for Situated MAS with ReSpecT Tuple CentresStefano Mariani
We advocate the role of tuple-based coordination languages as effective tools for event-driven programming of situated multi-agent systems (MAS). By focussing on logic-based coordination artefacts, we discuss the benefits of exploiting ReSpecT tuple centres as event-driven abstractions for MAS coordination.
Coordination for Situated MAS: Towards an Event-driven ArchitectureAndrea Omicini
Complex software systems modelled as multi-agent systems (MAS) are characterised by activities that are generated either by agents, or by the environment in its most general acceptation — that is, environmental resources and the spatio-temporal fabric. Modelling and engineering complex MAS – such as pervasive, adaptive, and situated MAS – requires then to properly handle diverse classes of events: agent operations, resource events, spatio-temporal situation. In this talk we first devise out the requirements and sketch a software architecture for an agent middleware based on boundary artefacts such as agent coordination contexts, resource transducers, and space-time transducers. Then we discuss its system architecture exploiting agent, environment & space-time managers, and show some examples of a concrete architecture based on the TuCSoN middleware for MAS coordination.
Towards Logic Programming as a Service: Experiments in tuPrologAndrea Omicini
In this talk we explore the perspective of Logic Programming as a Service (LPaaS), with a broad notion of “service” going beyond the mere handling of the logic engine lifecycle, knowledge base management, reasoning queries execution, etc. In particular, we present tuProlog as-a-service, a Prolog engine based on the tuProlog core made available as an encapsulated service to effectively support the spreading of intelligence in pervasive systems—mainly, Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications scenarios. So, after recalling the main features of tuProlog technology, we discuss the design and implementation of tuProlog as-a-service, focussing in particular on the iOS platform because of the many supported smart devices (phones, watches, etc.), the URL-based communication support among apps, and the multi-language resulting scenarios.
Models of Autonomy and Coordination: Integrating Subjective & Objective Appro...Stefano Mariani
Objective and subjective approaches to coordination constitute two complementary approaches, which, being both essential in MAS engineering, require to be suitably integrated. In this paper, we (i) observe that a successful integration depends on the models of autonomy and coordination promoted by agent technologies, (ii) suggest that ignoring the two models may hinder agent autonomy, (iii) provide an example of “autonomy-preserving” integration by discussing TuCSoN4Jade.
Human Computer Interaction Chapter 4 Implementation Support and Evaluation Te...VijiPriya Jeyamani
Implementation Support:
Introduction
Elements of windowing systems
Programming the application
User interface management systems
4.2 Evaluation Techniques
What is evaluation?
Goals of evaluation
Choosing an evaluation method
TuCSoN on Cloud: An Event-driven Architecture for Embodied / Disembodied Coor...Andrea Omicini
The next generation of computational systems is going to mix up pervasive scenarios with cloud computing, with both intelligent and non-intelligent agents working as the reference component abstractions. A uniform set of MAS abstractions expressive enough to deal with both embodied and disembodied computation is required, in particular when dealing with the complexity of interaction. Along this line, in this paper we define an event-driven coordination architecture, along with a coherent event model, and test it upon the TuCSoN model and technology for MAS coordination.
Fundamentals of object orientation, objects, classes, classification and object models delivered to post-graduate students of Object Oriented Software Engineering.
You have probably heard of the Lean management concept and its growing popularity in the business world. But don’t worry if you didn’t. In the next few paragraphs, you will get familiar with the Lean methodology.
Actually, there is no surprise that Lean management is now widespread across industries. Thanks to its core values and positive impact on companies’ overall performance, the Lean concept appears to be a universal management tool.
You can apply the concept of Lean in any business or production process, from manufacturing to marketing and software development.
The Lean methodology relies on 3 very simple ideas:
deliver value from your customer’s perspective
eliminate waste (things that don’t bring value to the end product)
continuous improvement
So now, when you know the core idea, let’s dig deeper and get to know the basic principles of Lean management and where it comes from.
What is Lean Management, and How Did It Start?
Before you start with the basic Lean principles, you need to realize that the Lean methodology is about continuously improving work processes, purposes, and people.
Instead of holding total control of work processes and keeping the spotlight, Lean management encourages shared responsibility and shared leadership.
This is why the two main pillars of the Lean methodology are:
Respect for people
Continuous improvements
lean pillars"The Lean Pillars"
After all, a good idea or initiative can be born at any level of the hierarchy, and Lean trusts the people who are doing the job to say how it should be done.
Currently, Lean management is a concept that is widely adopted across various industries. However, it has actually derived from the Toyota Production System, established around 70 years ago.
The Birth of Lean
In the late 1940s, when Toyota put the foundations of Lean manufacturing, they aimed to reduce processes that don’t bring value to the end product.
By doing so, they succeeded in achieving significant improvements in productivity, efficiency, cycle time, and cost-efficiency.
Thanks to this notable impact, Lean thinking has spread across many industries and evolved to 5 basic Lean management principles as described by the Lean Management Institute.
Indeed, the term Lean was made up by John Krafcik (currently CEO of Google’s self-driving car project Waymo) in his 1988 article “Triumph of the Lean Production System”.
Lean software development
In 2003, Mary and Tom Poppendieck published their book “Lean software development: an Agile Toolkit”. The book describes how you can apply the initial principles of the Lean methodology to software development.
At the end of the day, Lean software development comes down to 7 principles. In the beginning, it didn’t gain popularity, but a few years later, it became one of the most popular software development methods.
10 Years Kanban Experience In 1 Free Book:
Project Manager's Guide to Kanban
Promoting Space-Aware Coordination: ReSpecT as a Spatial Computing Virtual Ma...Stefano Mariani
Situatedness is a fundamental requirement for to- day’s complex software systems—as well as for the computation models and programming languages used to build them. Spatial situatedness, in particular, is an essential feature for coordination models and languages, as they represent the most effective approach to face the critical issues of interaction. Following some seminal works [1], [2], [3], in this paper we try to bring some novel results from the Coordination field into the Spatial Computing perspective, by identifying a minimal set of primitives that could be used to build a virtual machine for a space-aware coordination language, using ReSpecT as our reference example.
Monitoring and Visualisation Approach for Collaboration Production Line Envir...Waqas Tariq
In this paper, a tool, called SPMonitor, to monitor and visualize of run-time execution productive processes is proposed. SPMonitor enables dynamically visualizing and monitoring workflows running in a system. It displays versatile information about currently executed workflows providing better understanding about processes and the general functionality of the domain. Moreover, SPMonitor enhances cooperation between different stakeholders by offering extensive communication and problem solving features that allow actors concerned to react more efficiently to different anomalies that may occur during a workflow execution. The ideas discussed are validated through the study of real case related to airbus assembly lines.
Similar to Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS (20)
Explainable Pervasive Intelligence with Self-explaining AgentsAndrea Omicini
Pervasiveness of ICT resources along with the promise of ubiquitous intelligence is pushing hard both our demand and our fears of AI: demand mandates for the ability to inject intelligence ubiquitously; fears compel the behaviour of intelligent systems to be observable, explainable, and accountable. Whereas the first wave of the new "AI Era" was mostly heralded by sub-symbolic approaches, features like explainability are better provided by symbolic techniques. In particular, the notion of explanation should be regarded as a core notion for intelligent systems, rather than just an add-on to make them understandable to humans. Based on symbolic AI techniques to match intuitive and rational cognition, explanation should then be regarded as a fundamental tool for inter-agent communication among heterogeneous intelligent agents in open multi-agent systems. More generally, self-explaining agents should work as the basic components in the engineering of intelligent systems integrating both symbolic and sub-/non-symbolic AI techniques.
On the Integration of Symbolic and Sub-symbolic – Explaining by DesignAndrea Omicini
The more intelligent systems based on sub-symbolic techniques pervade our everyday lives, the less human can understand them. This is why symbolic approaches are getting more and more attention in the general effort to make AI interpretable, explainable, and trustable. Understanding the current state of the art of AI techniques integrating symbolic and sub-symbolic approaches is then of paramount importance, nowadays—in particular in the XAI perspective. In this talk we first provides an overview of the main symbolic/sub-symbolic integration techniques, focussing in particular on those targeting explainable AI systems. Then we expand the notion of “explainability by design” to the realm of multi-agent systems, where XAI techniques can play a key role in the engineering of intelligent systems.
Not just for humans: Explanation for agent-to-agent communicationAndrea Omicini
Once precisely defined so as to include just the explanation’s act, the notion of explanation should be regarded as a central notion in the engineering of intelligent system—not just as an add-on to make them understandable to humans. Based on symbolic AI techniques to match intuitive and rational cognition, explanation should be exploited as a fundamental tool for inter-agent communication among heterogeneous agents in open multi-agent systems. More generally, explanation-ready agents should work as the basic components in the engineering of intelligent systems integrating both symbolic and sub-/non-symbolic AI techniques.
Presented by Andrea Omicini @ AIxIA 2020 Discussion Paper Workshop
Blockchain for Intelligent Systems: Research PerspectivesAndrea Omicini
We summarise and compare features of MAS and BCT, and discuss how they could be fruitfully integrated in the engineering of intelligent systems by adopting a long-term research perspective.
Injecting (Micro)Intelligence in the IoT: Logic-based Approaches for (M)MASAndrea Omicini
Pervasiveness of ICT resources along with the promise of ubiquitous intelligence is pushing hard both our demand and our fears of AI: demand mandates for the ability to inject (micro) intelligence ubiquitously, fears compel the behaviour of intelligent systems to be observable, explainable, and accountable.
Whereas the first wave of the new "AI Era" was mostly heralded by non-symbolic approaches, features like explainability are better provided by symbolic techniques.
In this talk we focus on logic-based approaches, and discuss their potential in pervasive scenarios like the IoT and open (M)MAS along with our latest results in the field.
Andrea Omicini, Roberta Calegari
Invited Talk
MMAS 2018, Stockholm, Sweden, 14 July 2018
Complexity in computational systems: the coordination perspectiveAndrea Omicini
In this talk we discuss the role of coordination models and technologies in the engineering of complex computational systems.
Complex Systems Physics Meeting IMT-UNIBO
Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna
Bologna, Italy, 15/02/2018
Nature-inspired Coordination: Current Status and Research TrendsAndrea Omicini
Tutorial @WI 2017, Leipzig, 23 August 2017
Andrea Omicini & Stefano Mariani, Lecturers
Originating from closed parallel systems, coordination models and technologies gained in expressive power so as to deal with complex distributed systems. In particular, nature-inspired models of coordination emerged in the last decade as the most effective approaches to tackle the complexity of pervasive, intelligent, and self-* systems.
In the first part of the tutorial we introduce the basic notions of coordination and coordination model, and relate them to the notions of interaction and complexity. Then, the most relevant nature-inspired coordination (NIC) models are discussed, along with their relationship with the many facets of tuple-based models. In the third part we discuss the main open issues and explore the trends for future development of NIC. Finally, as a case study, we focus on MoK (Molecules of Knowledge), a NIC model for knowledge self-organisation, where data and information autonomously aggregate and spread toward knowledge prosumers.
Micro-intelligence for the IoT: Teaching the Old Logic Dog New Programming Tr...Andrea Omicini
New application scenarios for pervasive intelligent systems open novel perspectives for logic-based approaches, in particular when coupled with agent-based technologies and methods. In this explorative talk we provide some examples of how logic programming and its extensions can work as sources of micro-intelligence for the IoT, at both the individual and the collective level, along with an overall architectural view of IoT systems exploiting logic-based technologies.
Logic Programming as a Service (LPaaS): Intelligence for the IoTAndrea Omicini
Talk @ ICNSC 2017, Calabria, Italy, 16 May 2017
Abstract: The widespread diffusion of low-cost computing devices, such as Arduino boards and Raspberry Pi, along with improvements of Cloud computing platforms, are paving the way towards a whole new set of opportunities for Internet of Things (IoT) applications and services. Varying degrees of intelligence are often required for supporting adaptation and self-management—yet, they should be provided in a light-weight, easy to use and customise, highly-interoperable way. Accordingly, in this paper we explore the idea of Logic Programming as a Service (LPaaS) as a novel and promising re-interpretation of distributed logic programming in the IoT era. After introducing the reference context and motivating scenarios of LPaaS as a key enabling technology for intelligent IoT, we define the LPaaS general system architecture. Then, we present a prototype implementation built on top of the tuProlog system, which provides the required interoperability and customisation. We showcase the LPaaS potential through a case study designed as a simplification of the motivating scenarios.
Privacy through Anonymisation in Large-scale Socio-technical Systems: The BIS...Andrea Omicini
Large-scale socio-technical systems (STS) inextricably inter-connect individual – e.g., the right to privacy –, social – e.g., the effectiveness of organisational processes –, and technology issues —e.g., the software engineering process. As a result, the design of the complex software infrastructure involves also non-technological aspects such as the legal ones—so that, e.g., law-abidingness can be ensured since the early stages of the software engineering process. By focussing on contact centres (CC) as relevant examples of knowledge-intensive STS, we elaborate on the articulate aspects of anonymisation: there, individual and organisational needs clash, so that only an accurate balancing between legal and technical aspects could possibly ensure the system efficiency while preserving the individual right to privacy. We discuss first the overall legal framework, then the general theme of anonymisation in CC. Finally we overview the technical process developed in the context of the BISON project.
Project presentation @ DMI, Università di Catania, Italy, 25 July 2016
The impact of mobile technologies on healthcare is particularly evident in the case of self-management of chronic diseases, where they can decrease spending and improve the patient quality of life. In this talk we propose the adoption of agent-based modelling and simulation techniques as built-in tools to dynamically monitor patient health state and provide feedbacks for self-management. To demonstrate the feasibility of our proposal we focus on Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus as our case study, and provide some preliminary simulation results.
Game Engines to Model MAS: A Research RoadmapAndrea Omicini
Game engines are gaining increasing popularity in various computational research areas, and in particular in the context of Multi-Agent Systems (MAS)—for instance, to render augmented reality environments, improve immersive simulation infrastructures, and so on. Existing examples of successful integration between game engines and MAS still focus on specific technology-level goals, rather than on shaping a general-purpose game-based agent-oriented infrastructure. In this roadmap talk, we point out the conceptual issues to be faced to exploit game engines as agent-oriented infrastructures, and outline a possible research roadmap to follow, backed up by some early experiments involving the Unity3D engine.
The huge availability of geographical and spatial data, along with the impulse from ubiquitous and pervasive application scenarios, has pushed the boundaries of complex system engineering towards spatial computing. There, space (in any of the many possible acceptations of the term) represents at the same time the physical container of distributed pervasive applications, the source of a huge amount of data, information, and knowledge, and the target of both epistemic and practical actions.
Agents – as the basic abstraction for distributed computing –, rational agents – as the basic units for encapsulating intelligence –, and multi-agent systems (MAS) – as the social abstraction for collective behaviours – represent the most likely candidates for providing an original framework for spatial computing coherehtly covering conceptual, technical, and methodological issues.
In this survey tutorial we elaborate on the state-of-the art of spatial computing, and show how the classical ontological foundation for MAS (agents, societies, and environment) can coherently capture the essential aspects of spatial computing, also providing for original perspectives and research directions in the novel field of "Spatial MAS".
Introductory tutorial on the foundations of agents and multi-agent systems at the 18th European Agent Systems Summer School (EASSS 2016) – 25 July 2016, Catania, Italy
Academic Publishing in the Digital Era: A Couple of Issues (Open Access—Well,...Andrea Omicini
Open Access is the new frontier for academic publishing: however, some non-trivial issues are yet to be addressed.
Meeting “The (r)evolution of academic publication”
Istituti di Studi Avanzati (ISA), Università di Bologna, Italy, 10/05/2016
Self-organisation of Knowledge in Socio-technical Systems: A Coordination Per...Andrea Omicini
Some of the most peculiar traits of socio-technical systems (STS) in knowledge-intensive environments (KIE) – such as unpredictability of agents’ behaviour, ever-growing amount of information to manage, fast-paced production/consumption – tangle coordination of agents as well as coordination of information, by affecting, e.g., reachability by knowledge prosumers and manageability by the IT infrastructure. In this seminar we describe a novel approach to coordination of STS in KIE, grounded on the MoK (Molecules of Knowledge) model for knowledge self-organisation, and inspired to key concepts from the cognitive theory of BIC (behavioural implicit communication).
Anticipatory Coordination in Socio-technical Knowledge-intensive Environments...Andrea Omicini
ome of the most peculiar traits of socio-technical KIE (knowledge-intensive environments) -- such as unpredictability of agents' behaviour, ever-growing amount of information to manage, fast-paced production/consumption -- tangle coordination of information, by affecting, e.g., reachability by knowledge prosumers and manageability by the IT infrastructure.
Here, we propose a novel approach to coordination in KIE, by extending the MoK model for knowledge self-organisation with key concepts from the cognitive theory of BIC (behavioural implicit communication).
The Distributed Autonomy. Software Abstractions and Technologies for Autonomo...Andrea Omicini
In this short talk, we elaborate on the software issues of autonomous systems, by focussing on their interpretation as multi-agent systems. We suggest that a notion of distributed autonomy needs to be investigated – in particular in the area of (L)AWS – for its potential implications in terms of uncertainty of responsibility and liability.
Professional air quality monitoring systems provide immediate, on-site data for analysis, compliance, and decision-making.
Monitor common gases, weather parameters, particulates.
Deep Behavioral Phenotyping in Systems Neuroscience for Functional Atlasing a...Ana Luísa Pinho
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) provides means to characterize brain activations in response to behavior. However, cognitive neuroscience has been limited to group-level effects referring to the performance of specific tasks. To obtain the functional profile of elementary cognitive mechanisms, the combination of brain responses to many tasks is required. Yet, to date, both structural atlases and parcellation-based activations do not fully account for cognitive function and still present several limitations. Further, they do not adapt overall to individual characteristics. In this talk, I will give an account of deep-behavioral phenotyping strategies, namely data-driven methods in large task-fMRI datasets, to optimize functional brain-data collection and improve inference of effects-of-interest related to mental processes. Key to this approach is the employment of fast multi-functional paradigms rich on features that can be well parametrized and, consequently, facilitate the creation of psycho-physiological constructs to be modelled with imaging data. Particular emphasis will be given to music stimuli when studying high-order cognitive mechanisms, due to their ecological nature and quality to enable complex behavior compounded by discrete entities. I will also discuss how deep-behavioral phenotyping and individualized models applied to neuroimaging data can better account for the subject-specific organization of domain-general cognitive systems in the human brain. Finally, the accumulation of functional brain signatures brings the possibility to clarify relationships among tasks and create a univocal link between brain systems and mental functions through: (1) the development of ontologies proposing an organization of cognitive processes; and (2) brain-network taxonomies describing functional specialization. To this end, tools to improve commensurability in cognitive science are necessary, such as public repositories, ontology-based platforms and automated meta-analysis tools. I will thus discuss some brain-atlasing resources currently under development, and their applicability in cognitive as well as clinical neuroscience.
Introduction:
RNA interference (RNAi) or Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing (PTGS) is an important biological process for modulating eukaryotic gene expression.
It is highly conserved process of posttranscriptional gene silencing by which double stranded RNA (dsRNA) causes sequence-specific degradation of mRNA sequences.
dsRNA-induced gene silencing (RNAi) is reported in a wide range of eukaryotes ranging from worms, insects, mammals and plants.
This process mediates resistance to both endogenous parasitic and exogenous pathogenic nucleic acids, and regulates the expression of protein-coding genes.
What are small ncRNAs?
micro RNA (miRNA)
short interfering RNA (siRNA)
Properties of small non-coding RNA:
Involved in silencing mRNA transcripts.
Called “small” because they are usually only about 21-24 nucleotides long.
Synthesized by first cutting up longer precursor sequences (like the 61nt one that Lee discovered).
Silence an mRNA by base pairing with some sequence on the mRNA.
Discovery of siRNA?
The first small RNA:
In 1993 Rosalind Lee (Victor Ambros lab) was studying a non- coding gene in C. elegans, lin-4, that was involved in silencing of another gene, lin-14, at the appropriate time in the
development of the worm C. elegans.
Two small transcripts of lin-4 (22nt and 61nt) were found to be complementary to a sequence in the 3' UTR of lin-14.
Because lin-4 encoded no protein, she deduced that it must be these transcripts that are causing the silencing by RNA-RNA interactions.
Types of RNAi ( non coding RNA)
MiRNA
Length (23-25 nt)
Trans acting
Binds with target MRNA in mismatch
Translation inhibition
Si RNA
Length 21 nt.
Cis acting
Bind with target Mrna in perfect complementary sequence
Piwi-RNA
Length ; 25 to 36 nt.
Expressed in Germ Cells
Regulates trnasposomes activity
MECHANISM OF RNAI:
First the double-stranded RNA teams up with a protein complex named Dicer, which cuts the long RNA into short pieces.
Then another protein complex called RISC (RNA-induced silencing complex) discards one of the two RNA strands.
The RISC-docked, single-stranded RNA then pairs with the homologous mRNA and destroys it.
THE RISC COMPLEX:
RISC is large(>500kD) RNA multi- protein Binding complex which triggers MRNA degradation in response to MRNA
Unwinding of double stranded Si RNA by ATP independent Helicase
Active component of RISC is Ago proteins( ENDONUCLEASE) which cleave target MRNA.
DICER: endonuclease (RNase Family III)
Argonaute: Central Component of the RNA-Induced Silencing Complex (RISC)
One strand of the dsRNA produced by Dicer is retained in the RISC complex in association with Argonaute
ARGONAUTE PROTEIN :
1.PAZ(PIWI/Argonaute/ Zwille)- Recognition of target MRNA
2.PIWI (p-element induced wimpy Testis)- breaks Phosphodiester bond of mRNA.)RNAse H activity.
MiRNA:
The Double-stranded RNAs are naturally produced in eukaryotic cells during development, and they have a key role in regulating gene expression .
THE IMPORTANCE OF MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE SAMPLE RETURN.Sérgio Sacani
The return of a sample of near-surface atmosphere from Mars would facilitate answers to several first-order science questions surrounding the formation and evolution of the planet. One of the important aspects of terrestrial planet formation in general is the role that primary atmospheres played in influencing the chemistry and structure of the planets and their antecedents. Studies of the martian atmosphere can be used to investigate the role of a primary atmosphere in its history. Atmosphere samples would also inform our understanding of the near-surface chemistry of the planet, and ultimately the prospects for life. High-precision isotopic analyses of constituent gases are needed to address these questions, requiring that the analyses are made on returned samples rather than in situ.
A brief information about the SCOP protein database used in bioinformatics.
The Structural Classification of Proteins (SCOP) database is a comprehensive and authoritative resource for the structural and evolutionary relationships of proteins. It provides a detailed and curated classification of protein structures, grouping them into families, superfamilies, and folds based on their structural and sequence similarities.
This presentation explores a brief idea about the structural and functional attributes of nucleotides, the structure and function of genetic materials along with the impact of UV rays and pH upon them.
Slide 1: Title Slide
Extrachromosomal Inheritance
Slide 2: Introduction to Extrachromosomal Inheritance
Definition: Extrachromosomal inheritance refers to the transmission of genetic material that is not found within the nucleus.
Key Components: Involves genes located in mitochondria, chloroplasts, and plasmids.
Slide 3: Mitochondrial Inheritance
Mitochondria: Organelles responsible for energy production.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA): Circular DNA molecule found in mitochondria.
Inheritance Pattern: Maternally inherited, meaning it is passed from mothers to all their offspring.
Diseases: Examples include Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and mitochondrial myopathy.
Slide 4: Chloroplast Inheritance
Chloroplasts: Organelles responsible for photosynthesis in plants.
Chloroplast DNA (cpDNA): Circular DNA molecule found in chloroplasts.
Inheritance Pattern: Often maternally inherited in most plants, but can vary in some species.
Examples: Variegation in plants, where leaf color patterns are determined by chloroplast DNA.
Slide 5: Plasmid Inheritance
Plasmids: Small, circular DNA molecules found in bacteria and some eukaryotes.
Features: Can carry antibiotic resistance genes and can be transferred between cells through processes like conjugation.
Significance: Important in biotechnology for gene cloning and genetic engineering.
Slide 6: Mechanisms of Extrachromosomal Inheritance
Non-Mendelian Patterns: Do not follow Mendel’s laws of inheritance.
Cytoplasmic Segregation: During cell division, organelles like mitochondria and chloroplasts are randomly distributed to daughter cells.
Heteroplasmy: Presence of more than one type of organellar genome within a cell, leading to variation in expression.
Slide 7: Examples of Extrachromosomal Inheritance
Four O’clock Plant (Mirabilis jalapa): Shows variegated leaves due to different cpDNA in leaf cells.
Petite Mutants in Yeast: Result from mutations in mitochondrial DNA affecting respiration.
Slide 8: Importance of Extrachromosomal Inheritance
Evolution: Provides insight into the evolution of eukaryotic cells.
Medicine: Understanding mitochondrial inheritance helps in diagnosing and treating mitochondrial diseases.
Agriculture: Chloroplast inheritance can be used in plant breeding and genetic modification.
Slide 9: Recent Research and Advances
Gene Editing: Techniques like CRISPR-Cas9 are being used to edit mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA.
Therapies: Development of mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) for preventing mitochondrial diseases.
Slide 10: Conclusion
Summary: Extrachromosomal inheritance involves the transmission of genetic material outside the nucleus and plays a crucial role in genetics, medicine, and biotechnology.
Future Directions: Continued research and technological advancements hold promise for new treatments and applications.
Slide 11: Questions and Discussion
Invite Audience: Open the floor for any questions or further discussion on the topic.
This pdf is about the Schizophrenia.
For more details visit on YouTube; @SELF-EXPLANATORY;
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAiarMZDNhe1A3Rnpr_WkzA/videos
Thanks...!
Seminar of U.V. Spectroscopy by SAMIR PANDASAMIR PANDA
Spectroscopy is a branch of science dealing the study of interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter.
Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy refers to absorption spectroscopy or reflect spectroscopy in the UV-VIS spectral region.
Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy is an analytical method that can measure the amount of light received by the analyte.
1. Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS
Integrating Heterogeneous Coordination Approaches in
MAS Technologies
Stefano Mariani Andrea Omicini
{s.mariani, andrea.omicini}@unibo.it
Dipartimento di Informatica – Scienza e Ingegneria (DISI)
Alma Mater Studiorum – Universit`a di Bologna
XVII Workshop “From Objects to Agents” (WOA 2016)
Catania, Italy, 30 July 2016
Mariani & Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 1 / 37
4. Motivation & Goal
Motivation & Goal I
multi-agent systems (MAS) impose heterogeneous requirements on
the interaction means and paradigms
e.g., message-passing vs. shared space, synchronous vs. asynchronous,
proactive vs. reactive, etc.
e.g., software agents vs. physical devices
coordination approaches can be classified according to diverse criteria
means of interaction—e.g. messages vs. tuples
synchronism of interaction primitives—synchronous vs. asynchronous
programming style—e.g. reactive (actors), vs. pro-active (agents)
objective or subjective [OO03], depending on who is responsible for the
“burden of coordination”—agents themselves or a third-party
Mariani & Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 4 / 37
5. Motivation & Goal
Motivation & Goal II
respecting agents’ autonomy is a foremost issue in design of
coordination models for MAS
! reactive programming styles often lead to inversion of control
! synchronous semantics without adequate uncoupling leads agents to
passively withstand the outcomes of coordination
Goal
provide MAS designers with seamless support to multi-paradigm
coordination while preserving autonomy of agents
agents deliberatively adapt coordination paradigm and interaction means
based on static preference or run-time contingencies
such a choice does not affect negatively other agents’ activities
⇒ focus on JADE [BPR99], Jason [BHW07], and TuCSoN [OZ99]
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 5 / 37
7. State-of-Art Agent-oriented Frameworks JADE
JADE in a Nutshell I
JADE
JADE [BPR99] is a Java-based framework and infrastructure to develop
and deploy agent-based distributed applications in compliance with FIPA
standard specifications for interoperable MAS
autonomy of agents is supported by the behaviour abstraction
! Java objects executed pseudo-concurrently within a single thread by a
hidden non-preemptive round-robin scheduler
! behaviours switch only at completion—in the meanwhile no other
behaviour can execute
! behaviours execute from the beginning every time—no way to
“stop-then-resume” a behaviour at arbitrary statements
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 7 / 37
8. State-of-Art Agent-oriented Frameworks JADE
JADE in a Nutshell II
coordination adopts the subjective stance through the agent
communication channel (ACC), providing asynchronous
message-passing
agents have a mailbox where incoming communications wait to be
pro-actively considered
receive() vs. blockingReceive() for (a)synchronously retrieving
messages
! “block-then-resume” pattern to avoid hindering autonomy of agents
with blockingReceive()—blockingReceive() suspends the agent
as a whole, method block() suspends only the caller behaviour,
automatically resumed by JADE upon reception of any message
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 8 / 37
9. State-of-Art Agent-oriented Frameworks JADE
JADE in a Nutshell III
. . . on top of which FIPA protocols (e.g. Contract Net [Smi80] and
Achieve Rational Effect [Fou02]) are designed and provided as
callback frameworks
callback methods correspond to each interaction step (message to be
received or sent)
promote a reactive programming style, where agents synchronously
wait for messages
internally implemented abiding to the block-then-resume pattern to
keep responsiveness to other interactions
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 9 / 37
10. State-of-Art Agent-oriented Frameworks Jason
Jason in a Nutshell I
Jason
Jason [BHW07] is a development framework and runtime system for BDI
agents implemented in a dialect of AgentSpeak [Rao96]
autonomy of agents is supported by the plan / intention BDI
abstractions
a plan is scheduled as soon as a triggering event occurs
not directly executed “as is” but instantiated as an intention
! intentions are pseudo-concurrently executed one action each according
to a single-threaded round-robin scheduler
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 10 / 37
11. State-of-Art Agent-oriented Frameworks Jason
Jason in a Nutshell II
coordination adopts the subjective stance through an asynchronous
message passing layer
no explicit receive primitive involved, nor a mailbox to monitor:
depending on illocutionary force of messages, reception causes different
events triggering execution of plans
tell primitive to add a belief to the belief base of receiver agent,
causing a belief addition event handled by plans starting with +b clause
head—thus messages can be either re-actively or pro-actively
considered
asynchronous vs. synchronous askOne primitive to query another
agent’s belief base—caller intention only (not the whole agent) is
suspended, then automatically resumed when possible
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 11 / 37
12. State-of-Art Agent-oriented Frameworks TuCSoN
TuCSoN in a Nutshell I
TuCSoN
TuCSoN [OZ99] is a Java-based, (logic) tuple-based coordination model
and infrastructure for open, distributed MAS, providing objective
coordination as service through ReSpecT tuple centres [OD01]
TuCSoN preserves autonomy of agents through agent coordination
contexts (ACC) [Omi02] . . .
assigned to agents as they enter a TuCSoN-coordinated MAS, for
uncoupling synchronism of coordination operations invocation from
suspensive semantics of coordination primitives
mapping operations to events asynchronously dispatched to ReSpecT
tuple centres
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 12 / 37
13. State-of-Art Agent-oriented Frameworks TuCSoN
TuCSoN in a Nutshell II
. . . and “two-phases” execution of coordination operations
invocation vs. completion phase: in the former, operation request is
dispatched to the target tuple centre; in the latter, its response is sent
back to the invoker
! synchronism of invocation (un)couples the fate of the coordination
operation w.r.t. that of the invoker agent—e.g. a suspensive Linda in
[Gel85]
! if (a)synchronous invocation is deliberatively chosen by agents, they
(do not) get suspended, too, if the operation gets suspended
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 13 / 37
15. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination TuCSoN4JADE: Objective Coordination for JADE
TuCSoN4JADE in a Nutshell
autonomy-preserving integration presented in [MOS14]
! main issue is making TuCSoN synchronous invocation mode
compatible with JADE concurrency model based on behaviours
direct API access hinders agents autonomy: control flow is coupled to
that of coordination operations, which is harmful in case of
synchronous invocation [ORV+04]
⇒ TuCSoN4JADE: bridge component suitably suspending / resuming
caller behaviours depending on outcome of coordination operations
http://apice.unibo.it/xwiki/bin/view/TuCSoN/4JADE
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 15 / 37
16. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination TuCSoN4Jason: Objective Coordination for Jason
TuCSoN4Jason in a Nutshell
! main integration issue is making TuCSoN synchronous invocation
semantics compatible with Jason concurrency model based on
intentions
direct API access – trough Jason internal actions – hinders agents
autonomy as in the case of JADE
⇒ TuCSoN4Jason: fine-grained integration of TuCSoN two-phases
execution with Jason intention suspension mechanism, properly
suspending / resuming caller intentions depending on outcome of
coordination operations
http://apice.unibo.it/xwiki/bin/view/TuCSoN/4Jason
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 16 / 37
17. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination TuCSoN4Jason: Objective Coordination for Jason
TuCSoN4Jason: Architecture I
1 custom agent architecture enabling customisation of the BDI engine
hidden behind each Jason agent
dispatches operation requests and responses
tracks pending and completed operations
2 operation completion listener enabling TuCSoN to couple its
invocation semantics with Jason intention suspension mechanism
dispatches notifications of operation completion
(automatically) resumes suspended intentions when their result
becomes available
3 custom internal actions enabling Jason agents to request TuCSoN
coordination services and inspect operations outcome
provides Jason agents coordination primitives
primitive getResult handles (automatic) intention suspension when
result of a getter primitive (such as in) is not yet available
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 17 / 37
18. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination TuCSoN4Jason: Objective Coordination for Jason
TuCSoN4Jason: Architecture II
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 18 / 37
19. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination TuCSoN4Jason: Objective Coordination for Jason
TuCSoN4Jason: Flow of Interactions I
1 upon internal action call the custom agent architecture (T4JnArch)
asynchronously dispatches operation request to TuCSoN
2 then it tracks pending state of operation and spawns a dedicated
completion handler (TucsonResultsHandler)
3 upon operation completion the handler is notified by TuCSoN with
the result
4 state of the operation is changed from “pending” to “completed”
5 if needed, the suspended intention within which getResult() was
called is resumed
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 19 / 37
20. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination TuCSoN4Jason: Objective Coordination for Jason
TuCSoN4Jason: Flow of Interactions II
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 20 / 37
21. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination TuCSoN4Jason: Objective Coordination for Jason
TuCSoN4Jason: Implementation I
Behind the scenes
! any TuCSoN4Jason internal action has an asynchronous invocation
semantics, so that agents are free to choose when to risk suspension
(of the caller intention only) by calling getResult()
⇒ when doing so, TuCSoN4Jason checks if operation result is available
if it is, the current intention can proceed
otherwise the intention gets suspended
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 21 / 37
22. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination TuCSoN4Jason: Objective Coordination for Jason
TuCSoN4Jason: Implementation II
...
// result NOT available
if (!( results. containsKey (actionId ))) {
Circumstance c = ts.getC ();
// suspend calling intention
Intention i = c. getSelectedIntention ();
this. suspendIntention = true;
i. setSuspended (true );
c. addPendingIntention (
jason.stdlib.suspend. SELF_SUSPENDED_INT
+ i.getId (), i);
// track suspended intention
arch. getSuspendedIntentions (). put(actionId , i);
mutex.unlock (); // thread -safety
return true;
}
...
Figure: Intention suspension when getResult() is called with no result available
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 22 / 37
23. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination TuCSoN4Jason: Objective Coordination for Jason
TuCSoN4Jason: Implementation III
// corresponding action caused suspension
if (this. suspendedIntentions .containsKey(this.actionId )) {
Intention suspendedIntention = this. suspendedIntentions
.remove(this.actionId );
this.mutex.unlock (); // thread -safety
... // parse result
Circumstance c = this.ts.getC ();
Iterator String ik = c. getPendingIntentions (). keySet (). iterator ();
while (ik.hasNext ()) { // scan pending intentions
String k = ik.next ();
if (k.startsWith(suspend. SUSPENDED_INT )) {
Intention i = c. getPendingIntentions (). get(k);
if (i.equals( suspendedIntention )) { // find intention
i. setSuspended (false );
ik.remove ();
... // other reasoner -related stuff
c. resumeIntention (i);
Figure: Resuming a suspended intention when its result becomes available
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 23 / 37
24. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination TuCSoN4Jason: Objective Coordination for Jason
TuCSoN4Jason: Wrap Up
TuCSoN4Jason lets Jason agents simultaneously adopt different
coordination paradigms and means, depending on run-time needs, without
them hindering each other nor any other ongoing interaction activities
subjective coordination =⇒ Jason asynchronous message
passing—handled, e.g., reactively through belief addition events (+b )
objective coordination =⇒ TuCSoN4Jason facilities
synchronous TuCSoN operations =⇒ follow an operation invocation
with immediate call to getResult()
asynchronous TuCSoN operations
pro-active programming style =⇒ call getResult() in the Jason plan
when the information is needed
reactive programming style =⇒ call getResult() in a parallel plan
dedicated to handling operation result
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 24 / 37
25. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination Multi-paradigm Coordination at Work
Multi-paradigm ContractNet: Scenario
contract net protocol (CNP) [Smi80] re-interpreted in a
multi-paradigm coordination setting
! a single call-for-proposals (CFP) tuple in a shared contract-net space is
more efficient than messaging each seller =⇒ tuple-based CFP
! purchase is typically a 1-to-1 interaction =⇒ message-based purchase
Book trading scenario
n seller agents advertise their catalogue of books
m buyer agents browse such catalogues looking for books
buyers start a CFP
sellers reply with actual proposals
buyers choose which one to accept
! concurrency property =⇒ sellers should stay reactive to CFPs in the
middle of a purchase transaction—besides multiple CFPs or purchases
Paradigmatic example of practical relevance of preserving autonomy
while enabling multi-paradigm coordination
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 25 / 37
26. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination Multi-paradigm Coordination at Work
Multi-paradigm ContractNet: Naive Approach I
no TuCSoN4Jason =⇒ just call TuCSoN API
! while the seller replies to CFPs, or carries on purchase orders, waiting
for further CFPs causes suspension of the intention—due getter
primitives suspensive semantics
this is fine: it is exactly for this suspensive semantics that the Linda
model works—thus, TuCSoN
what is not-so-fine is that being the getter operation stuck, the caller
agent as a whole is stuck too, and cannot schedule other intentions in
the meanwhile
Concurrency property is lost =⇒ autonomy of agents hindered
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 26 / 37
27. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination Multi-paradigm Coordination at Work
Multi-paradigm ContractNet: Naive Approach II
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 27 / 37
28. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination Multi-paradigm Coordination at Work
Multi-paradigm ContractNet: TuCSoN4Jason Approach I
TuCSoN4Jason =⇒ call TuCSoN4Jason API
! while the seller replies to CFPs, or carries on purchase orders,
. . . same as before :)
again, this is fine: as before :)
what is now fixed is that suspensive semantics is confined to the caller
intention, by the bridge
⇒ only the caller intention is suspended, whereas other activities can
carry on in the meanwhile
Concurrency property holds =⇒ autonomy of agents preserved, too
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 28 / 37
29. Enabling Multi-paradigm Coordination Multi-paradigm Coordination at Work
Multi-paradigm ContractNet: TuCSoN4Jason Approach II
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 29 / 37
31. Conclusive Remarks
Which Impact?
Enabling multi-paradigm coordination along a number of orthogonal
dimensions of coordination
objective vs. subjective stance
synchronous vs. asynchronous invocation
pro-active vs. reactive programming style
brings about many requirements, especially whenever coordinables are
allowed to change coordination paradigm and means at run-time
Technologies like TuCSoN4Jason and TuCSoN4JADE are key-enablers for
applications featuring distributed and heterogeneous components which
depend on communication and coordination to carry out their duties
require diverse coordination means depending on both their own
capabilities and run-time contingencies
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 31 / 37
32. References
References I
Rafael H. Bordini, Jomi F. H¨ubner, and Michael J. Wooldridge.
Programming Multi-Agent Systems in AgentSpeak using Jason.
John Wiley Sons, Ltd, October 2007.
Fabio Luigi Bellifemine, Agostino Poggi, and Giovanni Rimassa.
JADE–a FIPA-compliant agent framework.
In 4th International Conference and Exhibition on the Practical Application of Intelligent
Agents and Multi-Agent Technology (PAAM-99), pages 97–108, London, UK, 19–21 April
1999. The Practical Application Company Ltd.
Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents.
FIPA Communicative Act Library Specification.
http://www.fipa.org/specs/fipa00037/, 6 December 2002.
David Gelernter.
Generative communication in Linda.
ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems, 7(1):80–112, January 1985.
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 32 / 37
33. References
References II
Stefano Mariani, Andrea Omicini, and Luca Sangiorgi.
Models of autonomy and coordination: Integrating subjective objective approaches in
agent development frameworks.
In Lars Braubach, David Camacho, and Salvatore Venticinque, editors, Intelligent
Distributed Computing VIII, volume 570 of Studies in Computational Intelligence, pages
69–79. Springer, 2014.
8th International Symposium on Intelligent Distributed Computing (IDC 2014), Madrid,
Spain, 3-5 September 2014. Proceedings.
Andrea Omicini and Enrico Denti.
From tuple spaces to tuple centres.
Science of Computer Programming, 41(3):277–294, November 2001.
Andrea Omicini.
Towards a notion of agent coordination context.
In Dan C. Marinescu and Craig Lee, editors, Process Coordination and Ubiquitous
Computing, chapter 12, pages 187–200. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, October 2002.
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 33 / 37
34. References
References III
Andrea Omicini and Sascha Ossowski.
Objective versus subjective coordination in the engineering of agent systems.
In Matthias Klusch, Sonia Bergamaschi, Peter Edwards, and Paolo Petta, editors,
Intelligent Information Agents: An AgentLink Perspective, volume 2586 of Lecture Notes
in Computer Science, pages 179–202. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2003.
Andrea Omicini, Alessandro Ricci, Mirko Viroli, Marco Cioffi, and Giovanni Rimassa.
Multi-agent infrastructures for objective and subjective coordination.
Applied Artificial Intelligence, 18(9-10):815–831, 2004.
Andrea Omicini and Franco Zambonelli.
Coordination for Internet application development.
Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, 2(3):251–269, September 1999.
Special Issue: Coordination Mechanisms for Web Agents.
Anand S. Rao.
AgentSpeak(L): BDI agents speak out in a logical computable language.
In Walter Van de Velde and John W. Perram, editors, Agents Breaking Away, volume 1038
of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 42–55. Springer, 1996.
7th European Workshop on Modelling Autonomous Agents in a Multi-Agent World
(MAAMAW’96), Eindhoven, The Netherlands, 22-25 January 1996, Proceedings.
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 34 / 37
35. References
References IV
Reid G. Smith.
The Contract Net Protocol: High-level communication and control in a distributed
problem solver.
IEEE Transactions on Computers, C-29(12):1104–1113, 1980.
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 35 / 37
36. Extras
URLs
Slides
on APICe
→ http://apice.unibo.it/xwiki/bin/view/Talks/MulticoordWoa2016
on SlideShare
→ http://www.slideshare.net/andreaomicini/
multiparadigm-coordination-for-mas
Paper
on APICe
→ http://apice.unibo.it/xwiki/bin/view/Publications/MulticoordWoa2016
on CEUR
→ http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-????/paper ?.pdf
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 36 / 37
37. Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS
Integrating Heterogeneous Coordination Approaches in
MAS Technologies
Stefano Mariani Andrea Omicini
{s.mariani, andrea.omicini}@unibo.it
Dipartimento di Informatica – Scienza e Ingegneria (DISI)
Alma Mater Studiorum – Universit`a di Bologna
XVII Workshop “From Objects to Agents” (WOA 2016)
Catania, Italy, 30 July 2016
Mariani Omicini (UniBo) Multi-paradigm Coordination for MAS WOA 2016, 30/07/2016 37 / 37