Multi-agent collaboration for decision support in shared zones of intelligent buildings

In domain of intelligent buildings, saving energy in buildings and increasing preferences of occupants are two important factors. These factors are the important keys for evaluating the performance of work environment. In recent years, many researchers combine these areas to create the system that can change from original to the modern work environment called intelligent work environment. Due to advance of agent technology, it has received increasing attention in the area of intelligent pervasive environments. In this paper, we review several issues in intelligent buildings, with respect to the implementation of control system for intelligent buildings via multi-agent systems. Furthermore, we present the MASBO (Multi-Agent System for Building cOntrol) that has been implemented for controlling the building facilities to reach the balancing between energy efficiency and occupant’s comfort. In addition to enhance the MASBO system, the collaboration through negotiation among agents is presented.

Analytic approximations for multi-asset option pricing

We derive general analytic approximations for pricing European basket and rainbow options on N assets. The key idea is to express the option’s price as a sum of prices of various compound exchange options, each with different pairs of subordinate multi- or single-asset options. The underlying asset prices are assumed to follow lognormal processes, although our results can be extended to certain other price processes for the underlying. For some multi-asset options a strong condition holds, whereby each compound exchange option is equivalent to a standard single-asset option under a modified measure, and in such cases an almost exact analytic price exists. More generally, approximate analytic prices for multi-asset options are derived using a weak lognormality condition, where the approximation stems from making constant volatility assumptions on the price processes that drive the prices of the subordinate basket options. The analytic formulae for multi-asset option prices, and their Greeks, are defined in a recursive framework. For instance, the option delta is defined in terms of the delta relative to subordinate multi-asset options, and the deltas of these subordinate options with respect to the underlying assets. Simulations test the accuracy of our approximations, given some assumed values for the asset volatilities and correlations. Finally, a calibration algorithm is proposed and illustrated.

European storminess and associated circulation weather types: future changes deduced from a multi-model ensemble of GCM simulations

A range of possible changes in the frequency and characteristics of European wind storms under future climate conditions was investigated on the basis of a multi-model ensemble of 9 coupled global climate model (GCM) simulations for the 20th and 21st centuries following the IPCC SRES A1B scenario. A multi-model approach allowed an estimation of the (un)certainties of the climate change signals. General changes in large-scale atmospheric flow were analysed, the occurrence of wind storms was quantified, and atmospheric features associated with wind storm events were considered. Identified storm days were investigated according to atmospheric circulation, associated pressure patterns, cyclone tracks and wind speed patterns. Validation against reanalysis data revealed that the GCMs are in general capable of realistically reproducing characteristics of European circulation weather types (CWTs) and wind storms. Results are given with respect to frequency of occurrence, storm-associated flow conditions, cyclone tracks and specific wind speed patterns. Under anthropogenic climate change conditions (SRES A1B scenario), increased frequency of westerly flow during winter is detected over the central European investigation area. In the ensemble mean, the number of detected wind storm days increases between 19 and 33% for 2 different measures of storminess, only 1 GCM revealed less storm days. The increased number of storm days detected in most models is disproportionately high compared to the related CWT changes. The mean intensity of cyclones associated with storm days in the ensemble mean increases by about 10 (±10)% in the Eastern Atlantic, near the British Isles and in the North Sea. Accordingly, wind speeds associated with storm events increase significantly by about 5 (±5)% over large parts of central Europe, mainly on days with westerly flow. The basic conclusions of this work remain valid if different ensemble contructions are considered, leaving out an outlier model or including multiple runs of one particular model.

Analysis of frequency and intensity of European winter storm events from a multi-model perspective, at synoptic and regional scales

This study focuses on the analysis of winter (October-November-December-January-February-March; ONDJFM) storm events and their changes due to increased anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations over Europe. In order to assess uncertainties that are due to model formulation, 4 regional climate models (RCMs) with 5 high resolution experiments, and 4 global general circulation models (GCMs) are considered. Firstly, cyclone systems as synoptic scale processes in winter are investigated, as they are a principal cause of the occurrence of extreme, damage-causing wind speeds. This is achieved by use of an objective cyclone identification and tracking algorithm applied to GCMs. Secondly, changes in extreme near-surface wind speeds are analysed. Based on percentile thresholds, the studied extreme wind speed indices allow a consistent analysis over Europe that takes systematic deviations of the models into account. Relative changes in both intensity and frequency of extreme winds and their related uncertainties are assessed and related to changing patterns of extreme cyclones. A common feature of all investigated GCMs is a reduced track density over central Europe under climate change conditions, if all systems are considered. If only extreme (i.e. the strongest 5%) cyclones are taken into account, an increasing cyclone activity for western parts of central Europe is apparent; however, the climate change signal reveals a reduced spatial coherency when compared to all systems, which exposes partially contrary results. With respect to extreme wind speeds, significant positive changes in intensity and frequency are obtained over at least 3 and 20% of the European domain under study (35–72°N and 15°W–43°E), respectively. Location and extension of the affected areas (up to 60 and 50% of the domain for intensity and frequency, respectively), as well as levels of changes (up to +15 and +200% for intensity and frequency, respectively) are shown to be highly dependent on the driving GCM, whereas differences between RCMs when driven by the same GCM are relatively small.

Future changes of wind energy potentials over Europe in a large CMIP5 multi-model ensemble

A statistical-dynamical downscaling method is used to estimate future changes of wind energy output (Eout) of a benchmark wind turbine across Europe at the regional scale. With this aim, 22 global climate models (GCMs) of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) ensemble are considered. The downscaling method uses circulation weather types and regional climate modelling with the COSMO-CLM model. Future projections are computed for two time periods (2021–2060 and 2061–2100) following two scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). The CMIP5 ensemble mean response reveals a more likely than not increase of mean annual Eout over Northern and Central Europe and a likely decrease over Southern Europe. There is some uncertainty with respect to the magnitude and the sign of the changes. Higher robustness in future changes is observed for specific seasons. Except from the Mediterranean area, an ensemble mean increase of Eout is simulated for winter and a decreasing for the summer season, resulting in a strong increase of the intra-annual variability for most of Europe. The latter is, in particular, probable during the second half of the 21st century under the RCP8.5 scenario. In general, signals are stronger for 2061–2100 compared to 2021–2060 and for RCP8.5 compared to RCP4.5. Regarding changes of the inter-annual variability of Eout for Central Europe, the future projections strongly vary between individual models and also between future periods and scenarios within single models. This study showed for an ensemble of 22 CMIP5 models that changes in the wind energy potentials over Europe may take place in future decades. However, due to the uncertainties detected in this research, further investigations with multi-model ensembles are needed to provide a better quantification and understanding of the future changes.

O agente comunitário de saúde frente ao processo de trabalho em equipe: facilidades e dificuldades

O estudo propõe-se a analisar as dificuldades e facilidades dos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde (ACS) frente ao trabalho em equipe. A análise pautou-se na perspectiva hermenêutica-dialética, tendo como referência os princípios do método de interpretação dos sentidos. As dificuldades e facilidades apontadas por eles revelam que trabalhar em equipe demanda relações efetivas, com ênfase na comunicação, respeito e cooperação, sendo as reuniões de equipe estratégia importante para isso. Depreende-se a necessidade de constantes investimentos nas relações entre os membros da equipe.

Multi-criteria spatial decision analysis for demarcation of greenway: A case study of the city of Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil

Concern regarding hydrological resources has been a theme of growing importance in Brazil, associating the development of new management policies and maintenance of natural areas related to rivers. An efficient way to maintain natural areas around rivers has been the development of greenways, and some cites have already adopted specific legislation in this respect. Following this growing evolution in the treatment of hydrological resources, this study was carried out to demarcate a greenway along the Corumbatai River in the state of São Paulo, Using multi-criteria analysis in a GIS environment. First, thematic maps were elaborated based on Landsat 7 satellite, aerial photographs and digital topographic base, Supported by field activities. With the use of multi-criteria analysis, for which ad hoe consultations were conducted to attribute weights to the thematic maps, a suitability map was elaborated for the allocation of the greenway. Sites that should be included in the greenway were also selected, such as areas appropriate for leisure activities, and ecologically important areas. Based on the suitability map, a pathway analysis was done, connecting the relevant points of interest, thus generating a greenway that runs along the Corumbatai River, with the aim of contributing to the conservation of this important hydrological resource. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A identidade do agente comunitário de saúde: Uma abordagem fenomenológica

The structure of Brazil's National Health System (SUS) is being firmed up through programs adding a new element to its multi-professional healthcare teams: Community Healthcare Agents. This study examines psycho-social factors that are significant for the construction of this identity, from the standpoint of these Community Healthcare Agents, using the hermeneutic phenomenology of Paul Ricoeur as its reference methodology. The subjects of this survey were seven Community Healthcare Agents who were asked during interviews (with informed consent and after approval by the Research Ethics Committee) to: 'Tell me about your experience as Community Healthcare Agent'. The analysis of their replies indicated the following topics: previous experience; capacity-building for the job; bonding; building up expertise; gratifying experience; feelings of power(lessness); communications; daily work routines, personal growth; criticisms of the institution; user-agent experiences; and insertion into the social reality. The overall analysis disclosed the phenomenon through the convergence and divergence of the grouping of these topics, viewed from the standpoint of these Community Healthcare Agents and the psycho-social aspects constructing their identity.

Search for neutral higgs bosons in Multi-b-Jet events in pp̄ collisions at s=1.96TeV

Data recorded by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider are analyzed to search for neutral Higgs bosons produced in association with b quarks. This production mode can be enhanced in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). The search is performed in the three b quark channel using multijet triggered events corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1fb-1. No statistically significant excess of events with respect to the predicted background is observed and limits are set in the MSSM parameter space. © 2008 The American Physical Society.

Preservação, caracterização patogênica e molecular de Plasmodiophora brassicae, agente causal da hérnia das crucíferas

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Proteção de Plantas) - FCA

Um modelo bi-nível para o investimento multi-etapa em capacidade de transmissão e geração de energia elétrica em mercados competitivos

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Elétrica - FEIS

Multi-task control strategy for grid-tied inverters based on conservative power theory

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Argumentation and artifacts for intelligent multi-agent systems

Reasoning under uncertainty is a human capacity that in software system is necessary and often hidden. Argumentation theory and logic make explicit non-monotonic information in order to enable automatic forms of reasoning under uncertainty. In human organization Distributed Cognition and Activity Theory explain how artifacts are fundamental in all cognitive process. Then, in this thesis we search to understand the use of cognitive artifacts in an new argumentation framework for an agent-based artificial society.

Ingegneria di sistemi auto‐organizzanti con il paradigma multiagente

Self-organisation is increasingly being regarded as an effective approach to tackle modern systems complexity. The self-organisation approach allows the development of systems exhibiting complex dynamics and adapting to environmental perturbations without requiring a complete knowledge of the future surrounding conditions. However, the development of self-organising systems (SOS) is driven by different principles with respect to traditional software engineering. For instance, engineers typically design systems combining smaller elements where the composition rules depend on the reference paradigm, but typically produce predictable results. Conversely, SOS display non-linear dynamics, which can hardly be captured by deterministic models, and, although robust with respect to external perturbations, are quite sensitive to changes on inner working parameters. In this thesis, we describe methodological aspects concerning the early-design stage of SOS built relying on the Multiagent paradigm: in particular, we refer to the A&A metamodel, where MAS are composed by agents and artefacts, i.e. environmental resources. Then, we describe an architectural pattern that has been extracted from a recurrent solution in designing self-organising systems: this pattern is based on a MAS environment formed by artefacts, modelling non-proactive resources, and environmental agents acting on artefacts so as to enable self-organising mechanisms. In this context, we propose a scientific approach for the early design stage of the engineering of self-organising systems: the process is an iterative one and each cycle is articulated in four stages, modelling, simulation, formal verification, and tuning. During the modelling phase we mainly rely on the existence of a self-organising strategy observed in Nature and, hopefully encoded as a design pattern. Simulations of an abstract system model are used to drive design choices until the required quality properties are obtained, thus providing guarantees that the subsequent design steps would lead to a correct implementation. However, system analysis exclusively based on simulation results does not provide sound guarantees for the engineering of complex systems: to this purpose, we envision the application of formal verification techniques, specifically model checking, in order to exactly characterise the system behaviours. During the tuning stage parameters are tweaked in order to meet the target global dynamics and feasibility constraints. In order to evaluate the methodology, we analysed several systems: in this thesis, we only describe three of them, i.e. the most representative ones for each of the three years of PhD course. We analyse each case study using the presented method, and describe the exploited formal tools and techniques.

Sintesi e coordinazione di leganti Ciclopentadienilici O-Multifunzionalizzati

The introduction of hydroxyl groups into ligands is able to transfer high hydrophilic features to the related metal systems. The atom-economy synthetic procedure adopted which consists in the one-step Cyclopentene-oxide ring opening, quantitatitatively affords stereoselective formation of the multi-hydroxyl rac-1,2,4- C5H2[CH(CH2)3CHOH]3 Cpººº ligand1. Rh complexation of Cpººº gives rise to a novel class of water-soluble complexes (L,L)RhCpººº (LL=NBD 1, COD 2, CH2CH2 3, CO 4) (Scheme 1) characterized by their spectroscopic features (ESI-MS, IR, 2D NMR, n.O.e.). The X-ray diffraction studies of 1a reveal the occurrence of one couple of enantiomeric pairs in the crystal structure, whilst the crystal packing shows an interesting self-organization in chains of dimeric units of 1a, promoted by strong intermolecular hydroxyl H-bonding. This effect has been exploited by performing VT NMR experiments in different solvents (CDCl3, Py, DMSO). Unpredictably, in the absence of chiral tag, 1 exhibits solvent-dependent chiroptical properties (CD, αD^ 25), which are correlated to UV transitions and DFT calculations. The intra/inter molecular H-binding is crucial in driving the equilibrium between the observed atropisomers 1a and 1b, by varying the planar chirality on the two π-complexes.