Sharing scarce resources is a key challenge in multi-agent interaction, especially when individual agents are uncertain about their future consumption. We present new auction mechanism for preallocating multi-unit among agents, while limiting the chance of resource violations. By planning constraint, we strike balance between worst-case approaches, which under-utilise resources, and expected-ca...

This paper shows the actual state of development of the manual annotation tool ELAN. It presents usage requirements from three different groups of users and how one annotation model and a number of generic design principles guided the choices made during the development process of ELAN. Introduction At the Max-Planck-Institute for Psycholinguistics (MPI) software development on annotation tools...

In this paper, we present an automated multi-agent multi-issue negotiation solution to solve a resource allocation problem. We use a multilateral negotiation model, by which three agents bid sequentially in consecutive rounds till some deadline. Two issues are bundled and negotiated concurrently, so winwin opportunities can be generated as trade-offs exist between issues. We develop negotiation...

PURPOSE To investigate (a) differences in work characteristics and (b) determinants of job satisfaction among employees in different age groups. METHODS A cross-sectional questionnaire was filled in by 1,112 university employees, classified into four age groups. (a) Work characteristics were analysed with ANOVA while adjusting for sex and job classification. (b) Job satisfaction was regressed...

Learning to perform a complex motor task requires the optimization of specific behavioral features to cope with task constraints. We show that when mice learn a novel motor paradigm they differentially refine specific behavioral features. Animals trained to perform progressively faster sequences of lever presses to obtain reinforcement reduced variability in sequence frequency, but increased va...

This paper describes a multi-methodology approach used to reveal feedback dynamics operating in supply of, and demand for, skilled information and communications technology (ICT) employees. It describes how a large public service organization has had difficulty in adapting to rapid technological change, and how this has been exacerbated by employee shortages. The impacts of changing demographic...

The GMA committee for dentistry of the German Society for Medical Education (GMA) considers its' main purpose the representation and interconnection of all aspects of dentistry with and within the GMA. Teaching and assessing practical skills during training is traditionally of great importance in dental education. This is also reflected in the National Competence Based Catalogue of Learning Obj...

Abstract: This paper describes the architecture of a scalable Internet-based teaching and learning system (SKILL) currently developed at the University of Essen, Germany. The system will be developed first with the focus to the department Information Systems and Software Technologies, but is designed as a scalable architecture for a much wider scope. The primary objective of SKILL is to provide...