Showing papers in "Advances in Computers in 2006"

Self-Image and Delinquency: A Contribution to the Study of Female Criminality and Woman’s Image

Abstract: IMAGE DE SOI ET CRIMINALITECet article represente la seconde partie d'une etude en deux tranches du phenomene de la delinquance et de la criminalite feminines au Canada, aux Etats-Unis, en France et en Belgique, intitulee: Self-Image and Social Representations of Female Offenders, du meme auteur.La premiere partie s'attache a la valeur de « representation sociale » de la criminalite. On y etudie le volume relatif de la criminalite des femmes, la nature specifique des delits et crimes qu'elles commettent et pour lesquels elles sont arretees et inculpees, le traitement qu'on leur fait subir, compare aux dispositions prises a l'endroit des criminels de sexe masculin trouves coupablesdes memes mefaits, les dispositions particulieres des codes criminels qui, en plusieurs cas, prevoient des delits limites aux femmes mais aussi les excluent comme auteurs possibles de plusieurs crimes. Ce sont la des indices des roles assignes aux femmes dans une societe donnee.Les representations sociales ainsi analysees nous ont suggere que non seulement les lois et les sanctions prevues, mais aussi le choix des penalites imposees au moment du prononce de la sentence offrent la meilleure explication de ce taux comparativement tres bas et relativement constant de la criminalite feminine a travers le monde. Ces representations sociales sont des renforcements de roles precedemment prescrits a la femme. Ainsi, la theorie du role (role theory) nous semble la meilleure base d'explication de cet ecart entre la criminalite masculine et la criminalite feminine.La seconde partie, dont le present article est tire, resume une recherche empirique qui a dure pres d'une annee (aout 1966, juin 1967).InstrumentPour mesurer la perception de soi, nous avons utilise un questionnaire bref et direct compose essentiellement de quatre parties. La premiere partie fait appel, chez le repondant, a des donnees conscientes, en l'amenant a decrire la decision la plus importante qu'il juge avoir prise au cours des quelques dernieres annees et les motifs qui ont inspire cette decision. La deuxieme et la troisieme parties referent a du materiel psychologique (intra-psychique) preconscient ou inconscient, par mode de projection, c'est-a-dire que le repondant choisit de nommer les « grandes figures » de bienfaiteur (personnel ou non personnel) et de malfaiteur, resume les «grands gestes» qu'il leur attribue et donne sa perception de leur motivation. La derniere partie est constituee par une fiche bio-socio-psycho-educationnelle ou petite histoire de cas en resume.Rationnel de l'instrument: cet instrument d'analyse est base sur une polarite bien decrite dans l'oeuvre du psychologue et psychanalyste Erikson (1964). Il s'agit d'un continuum allant de la notion d'agent a celle de patient: « agens vs patiens ». Cette polarite est reprise dans les travaux de R.R. Korn (1966) dans les termes suivants: «agent-acteur vs object-spectateur ».Quelle est la signification precise des categories ainsi nommees ? XJagent est, pour Erikson et pour Korn, celui qui se percoit comme capable d influencer le monde, les evenements, les personnes. Il a une prise sur sa vie. Il ne se sent pas « brise » dans ses elans (« unbroken in initiative »). L'objet est celui a qui les choses arrivent («to whom things happen»), celui qui se sent pousse par des forces, internes ou externes, a poser des gestes qui lui paraissent inevitables.Hypotheses: nous avons choisi cet instrument a cause de nos deux grandes hypotheses de depart, l'une etant la condition sociale faite a la femme dans les societes dominees par l'homme (condition d'instrument, d'objet), l'autre etant la position sociale de la femme criminelle et de la jeune fille delinquante dans les societes structurees, position determinee par les codes penaux et par l'organisation repressive, mais aussi par la culture qui privilegie certaines valeurs et fait de la femme leur gardienne (position d'instrument mais aussi de victime). La condition sociale de la femme normale et la position sociale de la femme criminelle sont des « miroirs » (« looking-glass self »), selon la theorie de G.H. Mead, « miroirs » dans lesquels la femme normale et la delinquante trouvent une image d'elles-memes.ResultatsNos resultats peuvent se resumer comme suit: Premiere hypothese: « Les femmes adultes normales d'une societe donnee se percoivent moins que les hommes de la meme couche socio-economique et du meme groupe d'age, comme des agents. » Cette hypothese ne s'est pas verifiee en ce qui touche les Canadiennes francaises. La difference entre hommes et femmes n'est pas significative dans ce groupe. Notre hypothese s'est verifiee chez les Canadiens anglais mais a un niveau de signification peu eleve (x2:0.20). Seconde hypothese: «Les femmes adultes criminelles se percoivent plus comme desobjets et des victimes que les non criminelles d'une part et que les hommes criminels d'autre part. » Cette hypothese s'est verifiee statistiquement et la difference est tres significative dans le premier cas (0.01) et un peu moins dans le second (0.10).Il ressort que si la femme non delinquante, suivant le test « agent-objet », ne se percoit pas de facon sensiblement differente de l'homme non delinquant, par contre la femme criminelle, elle, se percoit nettement comme un objet-spectateur, comme une victime, plus que l'homme criminel et beaucoup plus que la femme non delinquante.

Computational Grand Challenges in Assembling the Tree of Life: Problems and Solutions

Abstract: The computation of ever larger as well as more accurate phylogenetic (evolutionary) trees with the ultimate goal to compute the tree of life represents one of the grand challenges in High Performance Computing (HPC) Bioinformatics. Unfortunately, the size of trees which can be computed in reasonable time based on elaborate evolutionary models is limited by the severe computational cost inherent to these methods. There exist two orthogonal research directions to overcome this challenging computational burden: First, the development of novel, faster, and more accurate heuristic algorithms and second, the application of high performance computing techniques. The goal of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive introduction to the field of computational evolutionary biology to an audience with computing background, interested in participating in research and/or commercial applications of this field. Moreover, we will cover leading-edge technical and algorithmic developments in the field and discuss open problems and potential solutions.

An Operational Model for the FIPA-ACL Semantics

Abstract: Despite the effort made to standardize agent communication languages, almost no tool has been developed to implement agents' conformance to their semantics. In this paper, we review the formal principles supporting the FIPA-ACL semantics and propose an operational model facilitating their implementation. This model has been implemented upon the JADE platform, resulting in more flexible agents, avoiding intensive use of rigid protocols.

Towards the Measurement of Criminality in Canada: A Replication Study

Abstract: MESURE DE LA DELINQUANCE AU CANADA« Mesure de la delinquance au Canada > presente les resultats definitifs d'une replique methodologique de l'etude de T. Sellin et M.E. Wolfgang qui ont valide, il y a quelques annees, un indice de la criminalite pour les Etats-Unis. Le but de la presente recherche vise a mettre au point un indice semblable pour le Canada.Le Bureau federal de la statistique est responsable de la compilation des statistiques criminelles canadiennes. Ces statistiques sont basees sur les rapports annuels des differents corps de police du Canada et la classification des crimes est semblable, dans l'ensemble, au systeme americain communement appele Uniform Crime Reporting.Ce systeme ne tient pas compte, toutefois, de la gravite relative des differentes violations de la loi. Cette carence biaise toute analyse de l'etendue et de la nature de la criminalite dans le temps et dans l'espace. C'est ce qui determina Sellin et Wolfgang, ainsi que les auteurs de la presente etude, a y remedier.L'objectif principal de la recherche est la quantification des elements qualitatifs inherents aux evenements criminels. Aux Etats-Unis, un systeme pondere, fruit de l'analyse des attitudes caracterisant des echantillons d'etudiants universitaires, de policiers et de juges de la Cour juvenile, servit a cette fin.La strategie de la presente etude repose sur un « modele de replique minimum ». Ce modele, legitime par la validite des resultats, des interpretations et des conclusions de la recherche de Sellin et Wolfgang, reprend le dernier stade — qui est aussi le plus essentiel — de l'etude originale. Quatorze versions de delits criminels sont alors retenues afin de developper l'indice final.Les postulats de base qui sous-tendent cet indice sont les suivants:1 ) La mesure de la criminalite et de la delinquance juvenile doit etre fondee sur une echelle de gravite qui reflete les sentiments de la communaute sur la gravite relative des differents delits criminels.2) L'indice doit etre elabore a partir de renseignements detailles, tires des rapports de police et non a partir des etiquettes legales qui sont apposees aux evenements criminels.3) En ce qui concerne la delinquance juvenile: a) les delits commis par les jeunes delinquants le sont independamment du type de cours ou de procedes qui menent a leur jugement; b) l'indice ne doit tenir compte que des violations qui seraient considerees comme criminelles si ces jeunes delinquants etaient des adultes.4) L'indice doit etre fonde sur les delits criminels qui sont de nature a amener rapidement les victimes ou leurs proches a rapporter lesdits evenements a la police.5) L'indice doit etre fonde sur les delits qui sont rapportes d'une facon un tant soit peu constante et qui causent un prejudice explicite aux membres de la communaute, tels que les blessures corporelles, le vol et la perte des biens ou les dommages a la propriete. L'indice exclut: a) les delits impliquant le consentement de la victime et la conspiration; b) les delits dont la decouverte depend surtout de l'activite de la police; c) les delits qui ne sont que des attentats ne produisant aucun dommage corporel ou materiel.6) L'unite de compilation doit etre l'« evenement » pris dans sa totalite et non un seul element, si important soit-il.7) Une echelle de proportions (ratio) est la plus appropriee, particulierement a cause de la qualite cumulative d'une telle echelle.8) Des variables supposement importantes — telles que le type d'armes ou la legalite de la presence du coupable .— n'accroissent pas la gravite des delits et n'entrent donc pas en ligne de compte.L'echantillon canadien est de 2 738 sujets. Des etudiants, des juges, des policiers et des employes de bureau ont participe a cette etude.Les methodes et les techniques employees furent empruntees au domaine de la psychophysique, particulierement aux travaux de S.S. Stevens, de l'Universite de Harvard. Ces travaux etablissent une relation mathematique entre « stimulus » et « perception ».Chaque sujet recut les quatorze descriptions de delits criminels auxquels il attacha des poids numeriques variant selon ses attitudes particulieres. Ces resultats numeriques furent compiles a l'aide de la moyenne geometrique et analyses par les methodes de correlation (r) et de regression (b).Les hypotheses majeures de Sellin et Wolfgang, sur la base de ces resultats, furent reformulees de la facon suivante:Expectative minimumSi les indices de gravite des delits tires de deux populations (sexe, culture, pays) sont confrontes, la relation qui existe entre eux doit etre une fonction ayant la forme Y = aXb (les points traces graphiquement sur papier log-log se placent sur une ligne droite). Il est evident que cette expectative ne s'applique qu'aux delits choisis par Sellin et Wolfgang.Expectative maximumSi les indices de gravite des delits tires d'un grand nombre de populations ou de sous-populations (specialement a l'interieur d'un pays) sont mis en rapport, la relation qui se forme entre eux est une fonction ayant la forme Y = aXb (les points traces graphiquement sur papier log-log se placent sur une ligne droite); de plus, a mesure que le nombre de groupes dans l'echantillon augmente, la pente tend vers 1. De nouveau, ceci ne s'applique qu'aux delits choisis.Les resultats de cette etude confirment la fiabilite et la stabilite de l'indice de Sellin et Wolfgang. Ils permettent l'elaboration d'un indice canadien de gravite des delits qui constitue une mesure raffinee de la criminalite et de la delinquance juvenile, capable de remplacer avantageusement celle utilisee presentement au Canada.

Web Testing for Reliability Improvement

Abstract: In this chapter, we characterize problems for web applications, examine existing testing techniques that are potentially applicable to the web environment, and introduce a strategy for web testing aimed at improving web software reliability by reducing web problems closely identified with web source contents and navigations Using information about web accesses and related failures extracted from existing web server logs, we build testing models that focus on the high-usage, high-leverage subsets of web pages for effective problem detection and reliability improvement Related data are also used to evaluate web site operational reliability in providing the requested pages as well as the potential for reliability growth under effective testing Case studies applying this approach to the web sites wwwseassmuedu and wwwkdeorg are included to demonstrate its viability and effectiveness We also outline extensions to our approach to address testing, defect analysis, and reliability improvement issues for the constantly evolving web as a whole by analyzing the dynamic web contents and other information sources not covered in our current case studies

Calculating Software Process Improvement’s Return on Investment

Abstract: Many organizations and firms invest in software process improvement (SPI). They do this in order to satisfy business goals for customer satisfaction, time-to-market, cost, quality, and reliability. Return on investment (ROI) is a traditional approach for measuring the business or monetary value of an investment. As such, it can be used for measuring the economic benefit of investing in SPI. Measuring the ROI of SPI is still in its early infancy, in spite of the fact that ROI has been around for many decades and the discipline of SPI itself has also been popular for at least 20 years. It is important to note that ROI is a metric that can be used before and after an investment in SPI. ROI can be used to evaluate (a priori) investment opportunities and make a proper selection and ROI can be used to evaluate (a posteriori) the extent to which an investment was legitimate. Although the value of using ROI for SPI calculations seems self evident, using ROI in practice often proves difficult. In this chapter we provide an overview of how to apply ROI calculations to enhance decision making processes involving SPI. We approach these calculations from two dimensions: modelling and measuring. For each of these dimensions we provide pragmatic approaches for real-life decision making, all illustrated with actual case studies. The chapter contains guidelines, approaches, and experiences on how to do this in practice. It supports making simple but sound financial evaluations when using SPI to improve organizational performance. The main message of this chapter is that ROI can and must be calculated for most SPI investment decisions as a means of ultimately satisfying business goals and objectives. ROI can and should be an explicit part of software management and engineering decision making processes when it comes to SPI, which can minimize effort, costs, and financial investments. Software managers and engineers should include financial considerations such as ROI in their decisions, as well as technical ones, in order to satisfy business goals and objectives for SPI.

Violence and Robbery: A case Study

Abstract: VIOLENCE ET VOL QUALIFIE : ETUDE DE CASCette etude est une recherche empirique de nature sociologique sur un type de criminalite : le vol qualifie ou vol avec violence. Le vol qualifie est un delit ou l'usage de la violence physique ou une intimidation a cet effet est deploye par le criminel afin de prendre illegalement l'argent ou un objet qui appartient a la victime.Plus de 350 000 vols qualifies ont lieu chaque annee en Amerique du Nord. Toutefois, jusqu'a tout dernierement aucune recherche phenomenologique n'avait ete entreprise sur le vol qualifie. La recherche qui est presentee dans cette monographie essaie donc de decrire les elements criminologiques qui sont associes au vol qualifie. La situation du vol qualifie dans une grande ville nord-americaine, c'est-a-dire la ville de Philadelphie, U.S.A., est presentee. Il s'agit de l'analyse de 1 722 evenements de vols qualifies (un echantillon de 10 pour cent) survenus a Philadelphie de 1960 a 1966. Cette recherche a essaye de saisir les tendances et les modeles (patterns) du vol qualifie dans le temps et dans l'espace. Le modele statistique utilise etait celui de l'indice de gravite de Sellin et Wolfgang (1964). Le modele theorique utilise etait celui de Wolfgang et Ferracuti (1967).Voici quelques conclusions pertinentes : a) L'indice de gravite de Sellin et Wolfgang donne une vision plus juste des tendances et des profils du vol qualifie par rapport aux statistiques policieres ordinaires, b) Cet indice de gravite a revele, par exemple, que les vols qualifies commis par des jeunes sont aussi graves que ceux perpetres par les adultes, c) Le vol qualifie execute au sein de bandes organisees augmente chaque annee. d) Plus de la moitie des vols qualifies ne comportent aucune violence physique effective, e) Plus de 85 pour cent des vols qualifies sont commis a l'egard de victimes completement inconnues des agresseurs, f) Les chances pour un voleur de ne pas etre pris par la police sont tres bonnes, g) Le vol qualifie est surtout commis par les jeunes qui sont issus de milieux defavorises. .h) Le vol qualifie est surtout lie aux commerces et aux maisons d'affaires plutot qu'a des particuliers, i) La distance qui separe les lieux de residencede l'agresseur, de la victime, et l'endroit ou se produit le vol est semblable aux distances constatees dans l'etude des migrations, des diffusions de messages et des choix maritaux. ;') L'alcool est rarement present autant chez l'agresseur que chez la victime, sauf pour environ 12 pour cent des cas. k) La victime contribue quelquefois a sa propre victimisation, soit environ 11 pour cent des cas. /) La theorie d'une sous-culture du vol plutot que celle d'une sous-culture de violence peut expliquer le comportement du voleur, m) II n'y a pas de discrimination raciale au niveau des sentences, n) Tout compte fait, le vol qualifie a plutot les caracteristiques des crimes contre la propriete que des crimes contre la personne.

On the Study of Negotiation Strategies

Abstract: The basic idea behind a negotiation is that the agents make offers that they judge "good" and respond to the offers made to them until a compromise is reached. The choice of the offer to propose at a given step in a negotiation dialogue is a strategicmatter. In most works on negotiation dialogues, the agents are supposed to be rational, and thus propose and accept only the offers which satisfy all their goals. This strategy is very restrictive since in everyday life, it is difficult to find an offer which satisfies all the agent's goals. The aim of this paper is to propose less restrictive strategies than the one used in the literature. Those strategies are based not only on the goalsand beliefs of the agents but also on their rejections. A three-layered setting is proposed. The properties of each strategy are given as well as a comparative study between these strategies.

L’indemnisation des victimes d’actes criminels : Étude comparative

Abstract: COMPENSATION TO VICTIMS OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES The system of composition, which was developed during the Middle Ages, especially under Germanic penal law, represents not only an abatement of the system of collective vengeance characteristic of this era, but also the first step towards the principle of compensation to victims of criminal offences. With the development and consolidation of a strong central power, the State asked for a share of these transactions either in the form of sanction or as a price for its intervention. W^hen at last the central government obtained the full and exclusive right to inflict punishment and when private justice gave way to public justice, the State's share of compensation increased progressively and took the form of fines, while the victim's share gradually diminished and withdrew little by little from the penal system to become civil compensation for damages. Nevertheless, the total separation between public action, whose aim is to ensure punishment, and civil action, whose main object is to secure compensation to the victim, did not materialize until very recently. This principle of total separation, which was adopted by the classical school of criminal law, resulted in a complete overlooking of the victim's right to compensation, in daily legal practice. New solutions were therefore proposed to remedy this deficiency in the penal systems, the most original and daring being those to be found in the Spanish Penal Codes of 1822 and 1848 which compel the State to compensate victims of criminal offences when the wrong-doers or other responsible persons are unable to do so. This idea of compensation by the State to victims of crime, although taken lip and elaborated several years later by Bentham and the Italian Positivist School, had absolutely no repercussions as far as practice was concerned. It was only in the second half of the XXth Century that an Englishwoman, Margaret Fry, drew the attention to this problem. Inspired by her compatriot Bentham, Margaret Fry proclaimed that compensation for harm caused to victims of criminal violence should be assumed by the State. This was the starting point of a considerable development in the study of compensation to the victim. During the last ten years, not only were many papers and conferences devoted to the subject, but also many legislations adopted the progressive solution of conferring upon the State the task of compensating the victim of criminal offences. In most contemporary penal legislations, the dissociation between public and civil action has resulted in relegating the subject of compensation solely to the civil domain. A certain number of penal systems (France, Belgium, Germany, etc.), while accepting in principle the civil character of this matter, nevertheless offer the injured party the possibility of bringing his action for damages before criminal courts. A last group of systems (Spain, Italy, Switzerland) treat this problem within the framework of the criminal code, although in most cases they do nothing but repeat analogous paragraphs of the civil code. Upon examining these different methods of coping with the problem of compensating the victim for damages caused by criminal violence, we find that certain reforms were put into effect but that they chiefly hinge upon one preliminary question ~— the means available to the victim for bringing his case before the criminal courts and of engaging in the criminal procedure, to obtain recognition of his rights by the Court. However, it often happens that once the sentence has been passed, the victim is obliged to act on his own to recover the sum of the indemnity. Modern penal law, progressive and innovating as it is in certain respects, often neglects the victim of crime. Certain solutions were proposed and even introduced into positive penal legislations, in view of securing for the injured party, as much as possible, the recovery of the compensation decided upon by the courts in his favour, especially in cases where the offender is destitute. Among such solutions, one should stress legal solidarity between co-delinquents, priority accorded to the compensation debt, accessory imprisonment, compulsory work in prison and in liberty, compulsory insurance and the creation of a compensation fund. Similar proposals tend to consider compensation to the victim as an indispensable condition for the obtainment of certain privileges (pardon, parole, probation, legal rehabilitation, etc.). Due to the insufficiency of the classical systems and of the solutions destinated to secure compensation of the victim by the offender, one again began to wonder whether the State should not undertake the charge of repairing damages caused by crime. The main argument offered in favour of this system is the State's failure in preventing crime and in protecting its citiiens against felonious acts. Despite the numerous criticisms concerning the essentially judicial composition of the courts in charge of the application of the system as well as of the procedure to be followed, the infractions to be compensated, the amount to be paid and the total cost of the system, some countries have recognized the right of the victim to be compensated and consequently adopted measures to enforce this principle (New Zealand, 1963; Great Britain, 1964; States of California and New York, 1966; the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, 1967).

Combining Normal Communication with Ontology Alignment

Abstract: This paper considers the combination of agent communication and ontology alignment within a group of heterogeneous agents The agents align their ontologies by constructing a shared communication vocabulary Because ontology alignment is not a goal in itself, the agents refrain from it unless they believe it to be inevitable We discuss three protocols that all implement lazy ontology alignment, although they give rise to different communication vocabularies

Interprétations psycho-culturelles de l’inadaptation juvénile dans la société de masse contemporaine

Abstract: A PSYCHO-CULTURAL INTERPRETATION OF JUVENILE MALADJUSTMENT IN MASS SOCIETY Juvenile maladjustment in the post-industrial societies has not only augmented alarmingly but has also taken on a new dimension. The number and seriousness of offences as well as their obvious wantonness are increasing. This article is an attempt to understand the forces which engender this phenomenon. A first experiment in measuring some of the elements which constitute the moral fact is also described here. A culture conflict Maladjustment of the young in the mass society can be looked at in the perspective of a culture conflict, that is, the confrontation of morals between adult and youth in a society undergoing an historical acceleration not only of its technology but also of its institutions and culture. The dialectic, youth versus adult, is due to the fact that each group has a particular position in society which, therefore, implies different morals or different normative systems. The credo of the adult is founded upon a numerous variety of experiences marked by success or failure. This traditional morality will shift in direct proportion to the degree of evolution within the existing society. The morals of youth are founded upon its involvement in new experiences. Youth uses the technology of its era, rebels against old-fashioned morals and reformulates its ethical needs. This type of questioning leads the adult to ambiguity of values, to uncertainty of moral judgment and to a wavering in fundamental choices; it leads the young into contesting adult order, truth and conviction. The integration of youth into mass society has to be made in the light of « neotenistic » mechanisms of adjustment to innovation. It must also be examined in the light of « misoneism » — resistance to change .— as well as of stability of social relationships and institutions. The young, new citizens of a mass society and trustees of mass culture, have to cope with the institutions, ideologies, controls and rules forged by a society of production. Psycho-cultural pressures Recent social transformations have generated a new type of society known as the « mass society » which in turn has generated a « mass culture ». The interaction between culture and society creates, for the individual, new problems of adjustment which merit careful study. The relative freedom from the pressures of mechanization coincides with the increase of psycho-cultural pressures due to the means of mass communication. We require a new conceptual plan of analysis adapted to a different type of society. The theories based on culture conflicts, the concepts of subcultures and contracultures have attempted to explain these new phenomena. Today, external pressure has increased the possibility of choice for the individual. We might suggest therefore, that if the maladjustments of the past were due to the hide-bound socio-economic laws, those which characterize the mass society would be due to an extreme degree of freedom to make these numberless choices. Obligation: first foundation of morals Psycho-cultural analysis achieves its entire meaning when we study morals or the moral fact. In other words, the obligation to accomplish one act or another constitutes the main springboard for interaction within a social system. The moral fact, in its objective and subjective aspects, constitutes the core of the problem: how to explain that the very foundation of moral order is being radically and universally questioned ? To answer this, we must use an analysis of mechanisms and procedures which take precedence in internalizing moral values in different cultures. The questions asked are as follows : a) What is the content and meaning of obligation to the youth of today ? b) What is the relationship between its aspirations and those of the preceding generations ? c) Are these aspirations the same for the youth of different classes ? d) Do they then engender cultures, subcultures and contracultures ? Psycho-cultural analysis is the meeting point of questions asked by the sociology of knowledge and of socialization and by contemporary social psychology. The moral fact seems to be an integral part of the problem of man's maladjustment to the civilization he has created, and its study becomes necessary in order to find the key to certain paradoxes in the human condition. Measurement of the moral fact Psycho-cultural interpretation seeks to isolate maladjustment, regarding it essentially as a type of moral behaviour. If we accept the following postulate — adjustment or deviance results at the limit of conformity or non-conformity to values .— how do we measure this obligation ? What are the variables necessary to isolate this idea of obligation ? What are the instruments capable of measuring them ? In the context of our work, obligation is envisaged, on the one hand, as a normative system related to the position of an individual, of a collectivity or of a category of individuals, in the social structure. On the other hand, it is regarded as a physical function, representing the internal controls of the subject, who is submitted to a system of impulses and motivations. Two theories seem pertinent in explaining obligation: the theory of « moral conscience », related to subjective motivations, and the theory of « social character », related to substantive or group motivations. According to Erick Fromm (1949), every society and every social structure within the society forms the type of man it needs and transmits values, attitudes and motivations necessary for the individual to act out the role it expects him to. It accomplishes this by giving the individual a « social character » adapted to its demands and which enables the subject to behave in the manner called for by the social system. The hypothesis showing that the social character is formed by the role the individual plays in his own culture and that he reflects collective obligations individually, enables us to connect this problem of adjustment with socio-cultural controls. Thus we can suppose that the normative aspects of adolescent subcultures and contracultures, where they exist, form a social character in these young people, and so constitute a different source of orientation or obligation from that of the adult culture. This article gives an account of the construction and validity of scales of moral attitudes and of an implement capable of measuring certain aspects of the moral conscience. Their function is to isolate this idea of obligation. Five scales of moral attitudes were established and verified with the help of factoral analysis .— moral attitudes of authority, of conformity to peers, of aspiration, of hedonist anxiety and of self-evaluation. This scale discriminates between the socio-economic milieux of the working class and the leisure class and weighs the variables .— age and delinquency. If social character is the cultural counterpart of obligation, then moral conscience is the psychological counterpart. Whereas social character depends on the position of a group in the social structure, moral conscience is conditioned by interprofessional relationships. Seen in this light, moral conscience becomes a psychic function, the fruit of identification within a succession of values presented by parents, teachers and peers. Since it is almost impossible to measure moral conscience directly and experimentally by objective tests, we thought it best to measure the psychological procedures of transmission and internalization of moral values, that is, by perception and identification. The Role Construction Repertory Test of George A. Kelly (1955) seems to answer this problem because it is based on these two psychological mechanisms as well as on « role playing ». This test enables us to find out with which persons and what values adolescents identify, whether or not they are well adjusted to life in society. It also enables us, with the help of the construction analysis, to pin-point the image young people have of themselves and of those who make up their phenomenal or experimental universe. These instruments, tested on adjusted or maladjusted adolescents from different socio-economic milieux, will enable us to verify certain hypothesis resulting from psycho-cultural analysis.

Adaptiveness in Agent Communication: Application and Adaptation of Conversation Patterns

Abstract: Communication in multi-agent systems (MASs) is usually governed by agent communication languages (ACLs) and communication protocols carrying a clear cut semantics. With an increasing degree of openness, however, the need arises for more flexible models of communication that can handle the uncertainty associated with the fact that adherence to a supposedly agreed specification of possible conversations cannot be ensured on the side of other agents. In this paper, we argue for adaptivenessin agent communication. We present a particular approach that combines conversation patternsas a generic way of describing the available means of communication in a MAS with a decisiontheoretic framework and various different machine learning techniques for applyingthese patterns in and adaptingthem from actual conversations.

Broadcasting a Means to Disseminate Public Data in a Wireless Environment— Issues and Solutions

Abstract: In today's heavily networked society, there is an increasing demand for fast and reliable access to information. It is believed that for many application domains, the information superhighway contains much of the needed information and is capable of delivering it at extremely high speeds. However, the information may not be available at the users' fingertips. In other words, we no longer need to question the availability of information; however, the information is not readily accessible. What needed are means to: • Locate the relevant information intelligently, efficiently, and transparently; • Extract, process, and integrate relevant information efficiently and securely; and • Interpret the processed information intelligently and efficiently. Within this infrastructure, two types of services are available to the user: on-demand base services and broadcast-based services. Private and shared data are usually subject of on-demand-based services, while public data can be most effectively disseminated using broadcasting. In the mobile computing environment, the characteristics of mobile devices and limitations of wireless communication technology pose challenges on broadcasting strategy as well as methods to retrieve data. Major issues of concern include reducing power consumption, reducing access latency, and disseminating relevant data of interest to the public user. User profiling, monitoring the access patterns, application of indexing, broadcasting over parallel channels, data distribution and replication strategy, conflict resolution, and scheduling of data retrieval are solutions to these issues that have advanced in the literature. This chapter is intended to review and analyze these solutions. Comprehensive simulation results to demonstrate the effectiveness of each solution based on performance metrics such as access time and power consumption are presented and analyzed.

The PERFECT Approach to Experience-Based Process Evolution

Abstract: Improvement game plans—carefully defined, organized and managed sequences of process change activities based on standards, maturity models and best practices—are critical to a company’s success. Also critical is the ability to evolve processes in response to precipitous, unpredictable changes to critical business-context factors such as financial goals, customer desires, personnel availability, and available process performance support technology. This chapter describes an approach—PERFECT—to process evolution resulting from many decades of experience in helping companies—of a variety of sizes and in many industry sectors—rationally, rapidly and incrementally evolve their processes, often but not necessarily in the context of an overall improvement game plan. The approach is based on a framework—PEDAL—identifying twelve categories of activities comprising process evolution. Three Case Studies introduce the framework and process evolution approach and show their application across a wide variety of situations to evolving a company’s processes through narrowly focused, short, overlapping process evolution exercises each addressing a set of tightly inter-related processes. Several important lessons learned are discussed, followed by a description of a variety of simple techniques and tools allowing process change agents to rationally describe, understand, learn from, plan and manage process evolution exercises. The chapter ends with a discussion of various improvements that should be made to the PERFECT process evolution approach and its underlying PEDAL framework.

Introducing Preferences into Commitment Protocols

Abstract: Commitment protocols enable flexibility in agent interactions by utilizing the semantics of commitments to develop succinct declarative specifications for protocols that allow a large number of executions. As a consequence, commitment protocols enable agents to accommodate varying local policies and respond to exceptions. A consequent weakness of such protocols is that commitment protocols thus fail to distinguish between possible executions that are normal and those that may be allowed but are not ideal. This paper develops an approach for specifying preferencesamong executions that are allowed by a protocol. It captures sets of executions via a simple language and gives them a denotational characterization based on branching-time models. It shows how to incorporate the specifications into rulesets, thereby giving the specifications a natural operational characterization. The rulesets embed into a recent practical framework for protocols called OWL-P. The paper shows that the operational and denotational characterizations coincide.

Vers une nouvelle conception des valeurs : Apport de la psychologie à la criminologie des valeurs

Abstract: TOWARD A NEW CONCEPT OF VALUES : PSYCHOLOGY'S CONTRIBUTION TO VALUE CONCEPTS IN CRIMINOLOGYThe present article introduces a new style of presentation to our review. It was not written by a team, but is the beginning of a dialogue between authors. Part Three by Christian Debuyst is a commentary on the first two sections written by Francyne Goyer-Michaud, which bear on values in psychology and on the elaboration of a new concept of values and its application to juvenile delinquency.Using the guiding theory developed by Spranger and Allport, in which values are defined as the motivations which predispose behaviour, a new concept of values is established — « motivational » values. There would be intermediary values between the individual and the world of values to which he adheres which induce both his values and his non-values, and which receive their power to do so from one of the well-known motivations — anxiety. It became possible, then, to attach to motivating values a typology based on anxiety. In this way, we infer that there are four types of motivating values resulting from anxiety : hedonistic anxiety where behaviour is guided by both the search for pleasure and escape from unpleasantness ; other-directed anxiety which is the fear of losing the love of one's peers ; authority-oriented anxiety, which is fear of the disapproval of authority figures ; and last, integral anxiety, where one fears a lowering of self-esteem. A study of the characteristics of young delinquents made it possible to establish the hypothesis that, in comparison with their socially integrated peers, they were more susceptible than the latter to the first two types of anxiety, and less susceptible to the other two.Along with the formulation of this new concept, the various methods used in measuring the values were studied to select the one that seemed the most suitable for the problem in question.Christian Debuyst bases his critical view of the study of values on four questions that came to mind after reading the text of Francyne Goyer-Michaud. The first concerns the concept of values itself. He believes a differentiation must be made between functional values and true values, and that the motivational values developed by Francyne Goyer-Michaud apply only to the first. He next reflects on anxiety as a source of values, advancing the theory that fear constitutes the motivation of a rather elementary morality which, though it never completely disappears, must eventually be replaced by a higher morality where others are seen as a value.After thinking about the concepts of personality which underly the type of adherence to values, he recognizes two presuppositions in the theory of the personality serving as the basis for the idea of values proposed by Francyne Goyer-Michaud : psychic economy leading to a reduction of tension, a completely Freudian concept, and a very sociological definition of the socialization process. What we have learned from the study of animal psychology, however, leads him to believe that everything cannot be explained by the search to reduce tension. We must therefore reach a theory of personality in which the attitude which an individual adopts towards a valued object is not dictated by the group nor by its sanction, but derives directly from the link that is established with the object he perceives to be a value.Finally, discussing the importance of this in its relation to criminology, he arrives at the three following conclusions : 1) the delinquent act cannot be looked upon as solely the breaking of a rule, but as the realization of a value — in this case the group, which is very demanding and requires submission. 2) Most of the time, delinquents show deficientattachment to values and that attachment is merely functional. 3) At the treatment level, in order to have delinquents adhere to true values, we must give them access to experiences that are significant and motivating.

La réaction sociale à la délinquance juvénile : Une analyse stigmatique

Abstract: JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AND SOCIAL REACTIONThe object of this research is to define the process of social reaction to juvenile delinquency, as well as the criteria used by the agencies of social control in deciding what factors brand the adolescent a delinquent. Starting with self-reported delinquency, we follow its course within the system of social regulations practised by the public, the police and the courts.The data concern self-reported delinquency (measured by the questionnaire of Nye and Short on self-reported delinquency), delinquency officially known to the police, and the decisions taken by the police and judges with regard to delinquent acts. These data were gathered in five districts in Montreal, representing five social strata.The analysis of the stigma of delinquency showed that there is more chance of working-class subjects entering the juvenile justice system, above all where acquisitive and rebellious delinquency is concerned, especially in relation to the community, the family and sex. Among the middle and upper classes the stigma of delinquency is attached more to aggression and rebellion connected with automobiles and vandalism.As to the origins of social reaction ¦— the way in which an adolescent is admitted to the juvenile justice system .— the citizen reports offences against his person and property, while the police record offences against public order and morals.At the police level, the adolescent is returned to his home if it is a question of rebellion committed by a group between the ages of 12 and 15, whereas he is taken to court if his offence, reported by the citizen, is repeated and of a more serious nature. In the case of those taken to court, the adolescent is detained if he is a recidivist, and receives a summons if it is his first offence.The judges favor special measures in the case of rebelliousness, and no action at all (postponement sine die) in the case of aggression or theft by adolescents of the working class. A recidivist will be institutionalized for a serious infraction and treated within the community in the case of a less serious offence. Re-education in the community is given if the adolescent has been detained, and a fine if he has received a summons.The results clearly show that the characteristics of the delinquent acts are more important than the socioeconomic milieu in determining whatdecisions are taken. However, the socioeconomic milieu does influence admission into the juvenile justice system, as well as judicial reaction. Working-class subjects are given less attention than those from the middle and upper classes, postponement sine die is more often used in the working-class milieu, and fines, re-education within the community and institu-tionalization are more often applied to subjects of the middle and upper classes. Moreover, the margin of discretionary powers in decision making is, on the whole, rather narrow, which means that in the majority of cases, decisions can be explained by no other factors than the characteristics of the delinquent acts. This discretionary margin in decision making is narrow, both at the police and judicial levels, when a choice between particular measures must be made ; on the other hand, there is some leeway, since the judge must choose between postponement sine die and a particular measure. Finally, the course of the offence within the juvenile justice system reinforces the previous decisions through a process of amplification, which, as a consequence, penalizes working-class subjects to some extent.In short, delinquency is an adolescent phenomenon in general, but only a minority of infractions enter and continue to circulate within the juvenile justice system. The criteria for decision making are indeed socio-economic, but more often relate to the past history of the delinquent and the nature of his offence.

Models and Methods in Comparative Genomics

Abstract: Comparative genomics is the analysis and comparison of genomes from different species. In recent years, in conjunction with the growing number of available sequenced genomes, this field has undergone a rapid expansion. In the current survey, we review models and methods associated with four important research topics in this area that have interesting computational and statistical components: genome rearrangements, gene duplication, phylogenetic networks and positional gene clustering. The survey aims at balancing between presenting classical results and promising new developments.

Criminal Law and its Influence upon Normative Integration

Abstract: INFLUENCE DE LA JUSTICE CRIMINELLE SUR L'INTEGRATION NORMATIVECe document est separe en trois parties : 1) la theorie de la peine ; 2) l'aspect psychologique de l'integration normative ; 3) l'aspect sociologique de l'integration normative. Il trace les grandes lignes des propositions suivantes.1. L'ordre social engendre l'anomie, si la structure sociale et la conscience sociale dominante ne correspondent pas au degre de developpement de la societe.2. L'anomie affecte la societe dans son ensemble, mais l'intensite du processus anomique varie selon les divergences entre les interets d'une strate sociale particuliere et les interets representes par la justice criminelle.3. Le processus anomique demontre la necessite du changement dans la structure normative de la societe. Il ne reussit pas cependant a faire la difference entre les normes socialement utiles et celles qui ne le sont pas.4. La structure sociale normative dominante est un systeme fortement articule. Comme tel il ne peut changer que dans son ensemble et non pas de facon partielle. Le choix doit etre fait, soit de la defendre comme un tout, ou de ne pas la defendre du tout.5. La structure normative, a ce moment doit etre defendue en tant que tout, particulierement parce que le processus anomique l'attaque en tant que tout.6. Le droit penal influence les sentiments collectifs a travers la peine. Plus le sentiment collectif est intense plus il est renforce par la punition. Si cette intensite n'est pas assez forte, la peine ne fera que dissimuler l'anomie ou meme catalysera le processus anomique.7. L'influence de la peine n'est pertinente qu'en fonction des citoyens qui respectent les lois, parce que c'est la que le sentiment collectif est suffisamment intense.8. Le manque d'identification au systeme normatif dominant a affecte la theorie sociale et ceux qui sont charges de faire respecter la loi. Cette tendance liee a la concentration de l'attention sur des delinquants, produit ou tend a produire une application de la justice criminelle moralement neutre.9. Si nous voulons que la peine ait une influence positive sur l'integration normative, si nous voulons que la peine soutienne le sentiment collectif il faudrait que sa connotation morale soit preservee.10. Toutefois, la peine n'est pas une solution au probleme de l'anomie. Dans le systeme de justice actuel, elle peut le diriger vers differents secteurs de la vie sociale ou le forcer a changer. Devant les besoins toujours plus grands de changement des valeurs et structures sociales, ses buts devraient etre de defendre les valeurs sociales de base qui expriment les besoins de la societe entiere. Cependant elle ne peut defendre ces valeurs qu'en defendant le systeme normatif dans son entier, l'anomie ne pouvant se developper dans certains secteurs sans affecter les points vitaux de la structure normative.11. En consequence l'application de la justice criminelle aura necessairement un effet ambivalent : elle intensifiera l'integration normative de certaines normes a l'interieur de certains secteurs de la societe, et en meme temps elle augmentera Panomie de certaines normes dans d'autres strates sociales.

Academic Electronic Journals: Past, Present, and Future

Abstract: Although the use of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) in academic publishing advanced since the early 1990s, the growth of electronic journals proved neither as rapid nor as significant as was initially expected. Exploratory work by information and library scientists predicted the demise of the traditional academic publishing system. The Internet and electronic journals (e-journals) were expected to change the way academia approaches scholarship and publishing. As in many other industries, immediately after the introduction of the WWW, a large number of e-journals were established, followed by a high mortality rate. The resulting dominant design for academic publishing is a continuation of existing paper journals, many with an electronic presence. A competing design is the electronic replica of a paper journal. These e-journals rarely use the full “electronicity” afforded by the Internet and usually look and feel like a paper journal. In this chapter, we investigate the rationale behind the slow adoption of e-journals by academia. The chapter examines the benefits and challenges introduced by e-journals vis-a-vis the objectives of academic scholarship. We conclude that all three forms of e-journals solve many of the economic and technical issues facing academic publishing such as reduced production and distribution costs, reduced time lag, increased available space and new formats. However, e-journals raise some fundamental social, political and institutional dilemmas such as the ability to control the quality of the published material, long term sustainability, institutional resistance, increased work for editors, reviewers and authors and backwards compatibility. Institutional resistance to e-journals increases in direct proportion to the level of electronicity used by these journals. These conflicts are difficult to resolve and will require a cultural change and power shift. 1

Flexible Conversations Using Social Commitments and a Performatives Hierarchy

Abstract: In this research, we re-arrange FIPA's ACL performatives to form a subsumption lattice (ontology) and apply a theory of social commitments to achieve a simplified and observable model of agent behaviour. Using this model, we have implemented agent interaction through social commitments (or obligations) based solely on observation of messages passed between the agents (such observation is supported by the cooperation domainmechanism in our agent infrastructure system). Moreover, because the performatives are in a subsumption lattice, it is relatively easy for an observer to infer social commitment relationships even if the observer does not understand the details of messages or even the exact performatives used (so long as the observer has access to the performatives ontology). Our social commitment model can be used in agent implementation to simplify the specification and observation of agent behaviour even if the agents themselves are not implementedusing social commitments. This is accomplished through the use of commitment operatorsattached to the performatives (as policies) in the subsumption lattice. In this work, we show how FIPA's performatives can be interpreted in a theory of social commitment to allow observable social behaviour and conformance to social norms.

Quality Problem in Software Measurement Data

Abstract: An approach to enhance the quality of software measurement data is introduced in this chapter Using poor-quality data during the training of software quality models can have costly consequences in software quality engineering By removing such noisy entries, ie, by filtering the training dataset, the accuracy of software quality classification models can be significantly improved The Ensemble-Partitioning Filter functions by splitting the training dataset into subsets and inducing multiple learners on each subset The predictions are then combined to identify an instance as noisy if it is misclassified by a given number of learners The conservativeness of the Ensemble-Partitioning Filter depends on the filtering level and the number of iterations The filter generalizes some commonly used filtering techniques in the literature, namely the Classification, the Ensemble, the Multiple-Partitioning, and the Iterative-Partitioning Filters This chapter also formulates an innovative and practical technique to compare filters using real-world data We use an empirical case study of a high assurance software project to analyze the performance of the different filters obtained from the specialization of the Ensemble-Partitioning Filter These results allow us to provide a practical guide for selecting the appropriate filter for a given software quality classification problem The use of several base classifiers as well as performing several iterations with a conservative filtering scheme can improve the efficiency of the filtering scheme

Le criminel et l’autre : analyse des relations interpersonnelles de l’homme criminel

Abstract: THE CRIMINAL AND HIS RELATIONS WITH OTHERS : AN ANALYSIS OF INTERPERSONAL PROCESSESThis research is concerned with the problem of persistent criminal behaviour. An attempt is made to find its underlying causes and to identify characteristics which remain constant among all criminals. More specifically, these characteristics are looked for in the ways criminals communicate and interact with other people.The research uses the interpersonal conflict approach. A first hypothesis stipulates that the functions by which an individual relates to others are seriously damaged among criminals. Furthermore, the hypothesis of a precise genetic process involving the deterioration of the capacity to relate to others is formulated. A method of measurement is worked out and applied using the principles and the technique of Kelly's personal constructs theory.The study is a comparative one and is based on the differential approach. 214 subjects, of whom 121 are criminals and 93 well-adjusted, are tested. The measurement is aimed at the effectiveness of their perceptive reactions toward others. W^ith each group of criminals (recidivists, episodic criminals and juvenile delinquents), a control group is tested for purposes of comparison.The results are conclusive. At the root of persistent criminal behaviour, the presence of an incompatibility with others is confirmed. This manifests itself concretely in what is termed the feeling of interpersonal withdrawal. All the criminal groups tested show this feeling of withdrawal toward others. The nature and intensity of interpersonal failure is evaluated over three main areas of inter-action : relationship with others in general, relationship with the family of origin and relationship with antisocial peers.The study attempts to validate a new sociopathology characterizing individuals who have chosen to define themselves by continuous and serious « dissocialized » behaviour.

L’application des règles minima pour le traitement des détenus au Canada

Abstract: ENFORCEMENT OF THE STANDARD MINIMUM RULES FOR THE TREATMENT OF PRISONERS IN CANADA Conditions inside prisons in Canada as elsewhere, have not been beyond reproach from the time detention was instituted as a type of punishment at the beginning of the nineteenth century. This is not surprising, for society took no further interest in a delinquent once he had been handed over to the penitentiary authorities. The Belgian penologist, Paul Cornil, pointed out the striking contrast that exists between the legal guarantees given an accused during his trial and the free hand given the penitentiary authorities when carrying out his punishment. But in 1955, at the First Congress of the United Nations for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Delinquents, Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners were adopted. In 1957, the Economic and Social Council approved these Standard Minimum Rules and asked the governments involved to approve their adoption and enforcement. A study of the legislation concerned with federal penitentiaries and Houses of Detention in the Province of Quebec, lead to the realization that the minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners are usually not protected by laws, regulations or by directives in these penal institutions. On the other hand, prison conditions are in fact consistent with the requirements of the rules. These conditions, however, are due to the good will of the authorities and cannot be controlled ; they are considered privileges rather than rights. As a result of these findings, we believe that the Standard Minimum Rules should be considered the Bill of Rights of all individuals deprived of liberty, convicted or not. To do this : 1) the guarantees provided by the Rules must be incorporated in Canadian law and in that of each province ; 2) a thorough knowledge of the Rules must be given to the services, authorities and other groups involved, including the inmates and the public ; 3) inmates must be given the means to have their rights respected by creating an organization that will control and enforce the Standard Minimum Rules ; 4) an evaluation must be made of the measures necessary for the enforcement of the Rules, the methods to be used and the results obtained. However, ideas on rights and privileges change quickly, especially in the field of corrections. Thus in 1972, the National Council on Crime and Delinquency published an Act to Provide for Minimum Standards for the Protection of Rights of Prisoners. This text is noteworthy because it rests on a principle which, in our opinion, should serve as a cornerstone for the re-evaluation of the rights of prisoners : « A prisoner retains all the rights of an ordinary citizen except those expressly or by necessary implication, taken from him by law. » Recognition of this kind would contribute towards alleviating the secondary effects of penal sentences, of imprisonment and public stigmatiza-tion. It would lead to a more humane, tolerant and responsible attitude towards those who are hardest hit by public censure.

Treatment and Rehabilitation of Delinquent Youth : Some Sociocultural Considerations

Abstract: LE TRAITEMENT ET LA REHABILITATION DU DELINQUANT : QUELQUES CONSIDERATIONS SOCIOCULTURELLESCe rapport s'efforce d'etablir la relation entre certains facteurs socioculturels ( communautaires, institutionnels, « organisationnels », et individuels ) et le traitement ou la rehabilitation du jeune delinquant. Sur le plan communautaire, le choix de mecanismes formels d'intervention qui sont preferes, ou substitues, a des methodes informelles et non officielles, varie selon : 1 ) les perceptions qu'a la communaute de la delinquance et des jeunes delinquants; 2) le statut socio-economique qui prevaut chez les membres de la communaute; 3) le statut socio-economique et l'origine ethnique du jeune delinquant; 4) le degre de concordance entre 2) et 3).L'auteur suggere que les classes moyennes, meme lorsqu'elles adoptent le principe de l'individualisation de la justice et de la rehabilitation pour le juvenile et qu'elles acceptent une politique de reinsertion sociale pour lesjeunes en difficulte et pour les delinquants de la classe moyenne, conservent des stereotypes si negatifs sur le style de vie des classes inferieures qu'il en resulte frequemment une attitude punitive plus forte a l'egard des delinquants de ces classes sociales. Il appert en outre que, dans le cas ou le systeme officiel d'intervention n'est pas compris par la communaute ou s'ecarte suffisamment du sentiment collectif, la communaute non seulement ne soutient pas son action mais va jusqu'a saper celle-ci.L'examen de la structure de fonctionnement des services institutionnels revele de plus un desequilibre entre les ressources sociales et les ressources psychiatriques. Dans les classes sociales inferieures, l'absence relative de programmes de prevention et de services non judiciaires est aggravee par le recours a des criteres selectifs d'admission, par les longues listes d'attente, et par l'absence de ressources therapeutiques appropriees dans les quelques services qui existent, ce qui amene l'utilisation excessive des mecanismes formels d'intervention avec les jeunes, qu'ils soient des delinquants endurcis ou des jeunes aux prises avec de serieux problemes d'adaptation. Le resultat a ete de faire de la cour juvenile un « depotoir » pour les adolescents a problemes, alors que ceux-ci devraient et pourraient etre pris en main plus efficacement par des services commmunautaires n'ayant pas de caractere judiciaire.A l'examen, il est evident que les principes d'organisation du systeme de justice juvenile et de mise en application des politiques dependent pour une large part : 1 ) de la philosophie et de l'orientation en ce qui concerne l'etiologie et la therapeutique de la delinquance juvenile; 2) de leur propre experience avec certains groupes de la population juvenile; 3) de la frequence et de l'intensite des contacts et des communications avec les autres agences dans le systeme; 4) des valeurs, de la formation, de l'experience personnelle et des perceptions individuelles, des attitudes et des autres biais des membres du personnel.Les ideologies et les objectifs contradictoires, les politiques inappropriees et les changements de procedure compromettent frequemment les objectifs theoriques du systeme de justice juvenile qui peuvent etre excellents, en les sacrifiant a des considerations d'efficacite et d'opportunisme. Le resultat est le refus quasi inevitable de dispenser des « soins appropries et un traitement regenerateur » aux jeunes delinquants, tels que stipules dans l'esprit et le texte de la loi.L'effort qui a ete fait pour identifier les elements importants (personnels, sociaux et culturels) sur lesquels reposent les decisions qui concernent l'intervention et le traitement revele : 1) l'absence de consensus sur les caracteristiques significatives qui differencient le delinquant endurci du delinquant primaire ou occasionnel; 2) l'incertitude par rapport a l'importance qui doit etre donnee lors de l'evaluation, a la presence ou a l'absence de certaines caracteristiques; 3) l'incoherence dans la relation entre ces caracteristiques et le choix du traitement.Les modeles d'action bases sur la tradition et sur l'intuition prennent le plus souvent le pas sur ceux qui sont bases sur des criteres scientifiques, si bien que la « maladie » est frequemment assimilee a criminalite ou mechancete. En somme, les jeunes de la classe inferieure ou les jeunes des groupes minoritaires sont le plus souvent desavantages a l'interieur de l'appareil judiciaire, en meme temps qu'est perpetue le mythe de l'individualisation du traitement.Etant donne ces faits, l'auteur souligne l'urgence de l'education des citoyens. Il importe de les amener a une conception plus eclairee du probleme de la delinquance ainsi qu'a une plus grande comprehension et connaissance des objectifs de la prevention et du controle social. La priorite doit etre donnee au support communautaire et a l'acquisition de la responsabilite. Pour ce faire, il faut developper un systeme plus etoffe et tres specifique qui permettrait de s'eloigner de la clinique traditionnelle et de l'approche psychogenetique de la delinquance. Une approche interdisciplinaire eclairee de l'etiologie et des solutions a apporter au comportement criminel s'impose. Un systeme doit etre developpe dans lequel seraient concilies sanscompromis les objectifs de la punition, du controle de la prevention et de la rehabilitation; il servirait a affronter plus efficacement tous les problemes de la jeunesse qui necessitent notre attention.Indubitablement, l'efficacite d'un tel systeme est conditionnee par la philosophie qui l'inspire, par la politique et les procedures qui sont appliquees, par le personnel et par l'appui qu'il recoit de la communaute. Si le delinquant est au depart le produit d'un jugement social, le delinquant rehabilite doit aussi etre un produit de la communaute, donc d'un systeme capable de le servir et de l'aider a resoudre ses problemes. Il importe que chacun de nous puisse souscrire a la realisation de ce traitement individuel et puisse demander l'abandon des pratiques discriminatoires, et non scientifiques, auxquelles la societe fait frequemment appel. Enfin, le principe de l'equite doit remplacer le present systeme d'une justice de classe.

« La délinquance en milieu aisé : un groupe culture d'adeptes de la drogue »

Abstract: DELINQUENCY IN THE MIDDLE CLASS :A GROUP CULTURE OF COMMITTED DRUG USERSAs a first step, this monograph evaluated the literature dealing with middle class delinquency. We were interested in the traditional forms of delinquency — agression, theft, etc., but in new forms as well : the hippie movement and student protest. Our second step was the study of a group culture of young adults, users of the minor drugs, hallucinogenics and psychedelics. This empiric study of the drug phenomenon in the middle class was accomplished by participant observation.The object of analyzing the group culture was to show how the consumption and distribution of drugs condition the structural and cultural aspects of life among a group of drug users. The results showed that the drug consumers studied were not social failures, and that their only consistent manifestation of maladjustment lay in their use of drugs. The group studied was a quasi-group whose activities consisted of sitting around and taking drugs with a background of silence or music. Culturally, much more of a vacuum was to be observed than adherence to an ideological, counter-cultural .— or rather, para-cultural .— support. The most interesting result was the demonstration of the direct relationship between drugs (consumption and/or distribution) and the structural and cultural aspects of the group studied.To interpret this drug phenomenon in the middle class, we advanced a paradigm consisting of four fields of importance : mass society that is alienating and anomic, the place of youth in society, the tolerance toward deviance, and the aimlessness of leisure time. On the basis of these areas of importance, the drug phenomenon exists because of the drift of youth between conformity and deviance.

Strategies for Ontology Negotiation: Finding the Right Level of Generality

Abstract: In heterogeneous multi agent systems, communication is hampered by the lack of shared ontologies. Ontology negotiation is a technique that enables pairs of agents to overcome these difficulties by exchanging parts of their ontologies. As a result of these micro level solutions, a communication vocabulary emerges on a macro level. The goal of this paper is to ensure that this communication vocabulary contains words of the right level of generality, i.e. not overspecific and not overgeneralized. We will propose a number of communication strategies that enable the agents to achieve these goals. Using experimental results, we will compare their performance.

Commitment-Based Policies in Persuasion Dialogues with Defeasible Beliefs

Abstract: We advance a model to express the preconditions for engaging in dialogues in terms of the agents' mental attitudes, in a defeasible logic context (beliefs are divided into strict and defeasible ones). Then, we give a protocol for the persuasion dialogue between two agents, which provides the means of identifying both false premises and logical fallacies. Communicative acts are organized in a hierarchy, and relations between speech acts and social commitments are expressed via policies involving operations on social commitments. Including commitments renders an observable behaviour of the communicating agents.

Integrating Social Commitment-Based Communication in Cognitive Agent Modeling

Abstract: In this paper, we extend the classical BDI architecture for the treatment of social commitments based communication by: (1) linking social commitments and individual intentions, (2) providing a model of the cognitive aspect of communication pragmatics in order to automatize social commitment based communication. In particular, we introduce a general decision-making process leading to attitude change in the appropriate cases.