Robbert-Jan Beun

ANEMONE: an effective minimal ontology negotiation environment

Communication in open heterogeneous multi agent systems is hampered by lack of shared ontologies. To overcome these problems, we propose a layered communication protocol which incorporates techniques for ontology exchange. Using this protocol, the agents gradually build towards a semantically integrated system by establishing minimal and effective shared ontologies. We tested our approach, called ANEMONE, on a number of heterogeneous news agents. We show how these agents successfully exchange information on news articles, despite initial difficulties raised by heterogeneous ontologies.

The DenK-architecture : a fundamental approach to user-interfaces

In this paper we present the basic principles underlying the DenK-system, a generic cooperative interface combining linguistic and visual interaction. The system integrates results from fundamental research in knowledge representation, communication, natural language semantics and pragmatics, and object-oriented animation. Our design incorporates a cooperative and knowledgeable electronic assistant that communicates with a user in natural language, and an application domain, which is presented visually. The assistant, that we call thecooperator, has an information state that is represented in a rich form of Type Theory, a formalism that enables us to model the inherent cognitive dynamics of a dialogue participant. Pragmatic issues in man-machine interaction, concerning the use of natural language and knowledge in cooperative communication, are central to our approach.

Ontological Feedback in Multiagent Systems

In this paper, we present a computational framework for the detection of ontological discrepancies in multiagent systems. The framework is developed as a basis for the generation of feedback utterances at the ontological level. In our method, presuppositions are extracted from the senders message, expressed in a common vocabulary, and compared with the recipients ontology, which is expressed in type theory. Discrepancies are detected by the receiving agent if it notices type conflicts, particular inconsistencies or ontological gaps. Depending on the kind of discrepancy, the agent generates a particular feedback message in order to establish alignment of its private ontology with the ontology of the sender.

Ontology negotiation: goals, requirements and implementation

Communication in heterogeneous Multi-Agent Systems (MASs) is hampered by the lack of shared ontologies. Ontology negotiation offers an integrated approach that enables agents to gradually build towards a semantically integrated system by sharing parts of their ontologies. This solution involves a combination of a normal agent communication protocol with an ontology alignment protocol. For such a combination to be successful, it must satisfy several criteria. This paper discusses the goals and requirements that are important for any ontology negotiation protocol. Furthermore, we will propose some implementations that are constructed according to these criteria.

Multimodal Cooperation with the DENK System

In this chapter we present the DenK project, a long-term effort where the aim is to build a generic cooperative human-computer interface combining multiple input and output modalities. We discuss the view on human-computer interaction that underlies the project and the emerging DenK system. The project integrates results from fundamental research in knowledge representation, communication, natural language semantics and pragmatics, and object-oriented animation. Central stage in the project is occupied by the design of a cooperative and knowledge-able electronic assistant that communicates in natural language and that has internal access to an application domain which is presented visually to the user. The assistant, that we call the Cooperative Assistant, has an information state that is represented in a rich form of type theory, a formalism that enables us to model the inherent cognitive dynamics of a dialogue participant. This formalism is used both for modeling domain knowledge, for representing the current dialogue context, and for implementing a context-change theory of communication.

Persuasive strategies in mobile insomnia therapy: alignment, adaptation, and motivational support

The aim of this paper is to reflect on the underlying principles of insomnia therapy in relation to the use of mobile technology and to present a starting point in the design of computerized insomnia treatment. Three general persuasive strategies are presented for the design of a virtual mobile coach that functions as a first intervention for insomnia treatment in a stepped care context. The presented strategies are based on general principles and methods from cognitive behavior therapy and communication theory. In this paper, it is assumed that the motivation to perform the therapy exercises significantly can be improved by individual tailoring to the characteristics and the circumstances of the user. Two of the presented strategies aim at tailoring the intervention: alignment and adaptation; the third strategy, motivational support, aims at the coach’s communicative activities to take away motivational blockades. Given the characteristics of the insomnia treatment, it is concluded that mobile and ubiquitous systems are promising monitoring and delivery devices in a first intervention, provided that the information is reliable and that obtrusiveness is minimized.

Adherence to technology-mediated insomnia treatment: a meta-analysis, interviews, and focus groups

Background Several technologies have been proposed to support the reduction of insomnia complaints. A user-centered assessment of these technologies could provide insight into underlying factors related to treatment adherence. Objective Gaining insight into adherence to technology-mediated insomnia treatment as a solid base for improving those adherence rates by applying adherence-enhancing strategies. Methods Adherence to technology-mediated sleep products was studied in three ways. First, a meta-analysis was performed to investigate adherence rates in technology-mediated insomnia therapy. Several databases were queried for technology-mediated insomnia treatments. After inclusion and exclusion steps, data from 18 studies were retrieved and aggregated to find an average adherence rate. Next, 15 semistructured interviews about sleep-support technologies were conducted to investigate perceived adherence. Lastly, several scenarios were written about the usage of a virtual sleep coach that could support adherence rates. The scenarios were discussed in six different focus groups consisting of potential users (n=15), sleep experts (n=7), and coaches (n=9). Results From the meta-analysis, average treatment adherence appeared to be approximately 52% (95% CI 43%-61%) for technology-mediated insomnia treatments. This means that, on average, half of the treatment exercises were not executed, suggesting there is a substantial need for adherence and room for improvement in this area. However, the users in the interviews believed they adhered quite well to their sleep products. Users mentioned relying on personal commitment (ie, willpower) for therapy adherence. Participants of the focus groups reconfirmed their belief in the effectiveness of personal commitment, which they regarded as more effective than adherence-enhancing strategies. Conclusions Although adherence rates for insomnia interventions indicate extensive room for improvement, users might not consider adherence to be a problem; they believe willpower to be an effective adherence strategy. A virtual coach should be able to cope with this “adherence bias” and persuade users to accept adherence-enhancing strategies, such as reminders, compliments, and community building.

Cooperative Multimodal Communication

There are obvious ways in which text and diagrams within a document should be coordinated: for instance, the placement of a diagram might influence the wording of the text. However, there is a more subtle interaction between text and diagrams, which has emerged from work on generating technical documents that make extensive use of layout. Constituents that would normally be classified as textual may contain diagrammatic features (e.g., when multiple indenting is used); conversely, non-pictorial diagrams usually contain short strings of text (e.g., labels within boxes). We argue that text and diagrams really lie on a continuum, and that for generating documents of this kind we need a descriptive framework that combines linguistic and graphical features in the same representation.

The recognition of Dutch declarative questions

In this paper I will discuss how questions in Dutch with a declarative sentence type can be recognized in isolation and in natural dialogue. Declarative questions were taken from telephone dialogues where subjects tried to get information from an information clerk at Amsterdam airport. In previous experiments these questions were isolated from the original context and presented on tape to subjects with a number of answers. A disadvantage of this method is that it is impossible to distinguish the influence of prosodic indicators from that of textual ones. Here, an experiment is described where utterances were presented on a screen to eliminate prosodic characteristics and to concentrate on textual indicators only. In the interpretation by the subjects of the declarative as a question the appearance of certain pragmatic particles plays a decisive role. In the following I will present the results of the visual experiment and describe how certain particles contribute to the responses of the subjects.

Optimal communication vocabularies and heterogeneous ontologies

In this paper, we will consider the alignment of heterogeneous ontologies in multi agent systems. We will start from the idea that each individual agent is specialized in solving a particular task and therefore requires its own specialized ontology that is, in principle, not understandable for other agents. This heterogeneity of ontologies, of course, poses problems for the communication between agents. In our framework, we assume that the agents share some minimal common ground which can be used to learn new concepts. We will discuss which concepts of the different ontologies the agents should learn from each other in order to establish a communication vocabulary that enables optimal communication.