In this paper we introduce a formal model of Socio-Technical Systems (STSs) which makes use of Boolean games, a popular computational framework to model cooperation among autonomous agents, to study stability of the emergent behavior in STSs. We divide a STS into informationally independent organization units which affect system stability, inter-agent communication and information confidentiali...

Background The dearth of health workers in rural settings in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) and other developing countries limits healthcare access and outcomes. In evaluating non-wage financial incentive packages as a potential policy option to attract health workers to rural settings, understanding the expected costs and effects of the various programs ex antecan assist policy-makers ...

..................................................................................................................................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................... 3 TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS .....................

Studies have shown that videoconferences are an effective medium for facilitating communication between parties who are separated by distance. Furthermore, studies reveal that videoconferences are effective when used for distance learning, particularly when learners are engaged in complex collaborative learning tasks. However, as in face-to-face communication, learners benefit most when they re...

background: resistive inspiratory muscle training (rimt) is a well-known technique for rehabilitation of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd). incentive spirometry is another technique with potential viability for this application, but there is limited evidence in support of its efficacy in the rehabilitation of copd patients. aim: the objective of this study was to compar...

We chronicle the use of acknowledgements in twentieth century scholarship by analyzing and classifying more than 4,500 specimens covering a 100-year period. Our results show that the intensity of acknowledgment varies by discipline, reflecting differences in prevailing socio-cognitive structures and work practices. We demonstrate that the acknowledgment has gradually established itself as a con...

A common form of embodied social engagement involves acting as an ensemble, with all participants aware of each other and mutually engaged. In this naturalistic comparative study, we term this kind of triadic socio-cognitive activity ‘fluid collaboration’. Fluid collaboration occurs when participants establish the pace of ensemble activity mutually, with their moves flexibly adjusted and respon...

this study examined the relationship between some socio- demographic variables, medical orientations and utilization of health services of urban in comparison with rural head of households. the data for this study were obtained as part of 1975 health survey of the southern provinces of iran. the finding revealed a significant relationship between the indices used in this study, particularly in ...

the aim of this study was to evaluate the health–related physical fitness status of men aged between 50 and 65 in isfahan. 385 non-athlete men (mean age: 57.73±4.65 years, height: 167.94±6.04 cm, weight: 76.88±9.45 kg) aged between 50 and 65 were randomly selected as the sample. this study used physical fitness standard tests including flexibility test of sit and reach, rockport walking, curl-u...