Decision Making in Complex Environments: an adaptive network approach

In this thesis we investigate decision making in complex environments using adaptive network models. We first focus on the problem of consensus decision making in large animal groups. Each individual has an internal state that models its choice among the possible q alternatives and we assume that each individual updates its internal state using a majority rule, if it is connected to other individuals, or using a probabilistic rule. In this case, if the individual has no information, the choice shall be totally random, otherwise the probabilistic rule shall have a bias toward one of the q choices, measured by a parameter hi. The individuals shall also update their neighbourhood adaptively, which is modelled by a link creation/ link destruction process with an effective rate z . We show that the system, if there are no informed individuals, undergoes a I order phase transition at a give value, 17z , between a disordered phase and a phase were consensus is reached. When the number of informed individuals increases, the first order phase transition remains, until one reaches a critical value of informed individuals above which the system is no more critical. We also prove that, for z in a critical range, the removal of knowledgeable individuals may induce a transition to a phase where the group is no able to reach a consensual decision. We apply these results to interpret some data on seasonal migrations of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna. We, then, build a model to describe the emergence of hierarchical structures in societies of rational self-interested agents. This model constitutes a highly stylised model for human societies. The decision-making problem of the agents, in this situation, is to which other agent to connect itself. We model the preference of agents of that society for connecting to more prominent agents with a parameter \u3b2. We show that there exists a sharp transition between a disordered equalitarian society and an ordered hierarchical society as beta increases. Moreover, we prove that, in a hierarchical society, social mobility is almost impossible, which captures behaviours that have been observed in real societies

Characterising and modeling the co-evolution of transportation networks and territories

The identification of structuring effects of transportation infrastructure on territorial dynamics remains an open research problem. This issue is one of the aspects of approaches on complexity of territorial dynamics, within which territories and networks would be co-evolving. The aim of this thesis is to challenge this view on interactions between networks and territories, both at the conceptual and empirical level, by integrating them in simulation models of territorial systems.Comment: Doctoral dissertation (2017), Universit\'e Paris 7 Denis Diderot. Translated from French. Several papers compose this PhD thesis; overlap with: arXiv:{1605.08888, 1608.00840, 1608.05266, 1612.08504, 1706.07467, 1706.09244, 1708.06743, 1709.08684, 1712.00805, 1803.11457, 1804.09416, 1804.09430, 1805.05195, 1808.07282, 1809.00861, 1811.04270, 1812.01473, 1812.06008, 1908.02034, 2012.13367, 2102.13501, 2106.11996

The cognitive responses to UK railway signals during train driving

When a train driver’s error results in a red, stop signal being passed without authority there is the potential for disaster. These events are termed a “SPAD”, signal passed at danger without authority. Occasionally these incidents have led to tragedies such as the Ladbroke Grove accident in 1999. This accident led to 31 fatalities and over 523 injuries. Investigations of incidents have resulted in safety advancements that decreased the number of incidents and accidents. Despite all these efforts SPADs still occur and very little is known about the cognitive effects that the track-side signalling system has on the driver during normal operational conditions. The motivation for understanding the cognitive and behavioural effects of the routine patterns of railway signalling is to identify potential high and low risk situations. The identification of neural correlates that predict the driver’s state of readiness prior to a potentially dangerous situation. The combination of knowledge of these events and the insights into their causes could allow better systems, operational methods and logistics to be designed. This is an Electroencephalograph, (EEG) study to identify neural correlates that are used to identify high and low risk response and perceptual accuracy situations. The behavioural data is recorded from the keyboard responses and used to guide the EEG analysis. The tools applied to solving the research problem are artefact detection and removal from the EEG data, followed by analysis for patterns and features. The phase-locking functional-connectivity reveals repetition priming, antipriming, and neural precursors to correct and erroneous responses. The phase-locking for certain graph metrics are found to vary significantly prior to response errors. The EEG analysis reveals that multiple cortical region coordinated cognitive activity is required to successfully perform multiple paradigm tasks. Certain channels and regions of the brain are important in creating a cognitive state that facilitated future correct responses. Different states are required to promote response accuracy for different forthcoming events

Inquiry in University Mathematics Teaching and Learning. The Platinum Project

The book presents developmental outcomes from an EU Erasmus+ project involving eight partner universities in seven countries in Europe. Its focus is the development of mathematics teaching and learning at university level to enhance the learning of mathematics by university students. Its theoretical focus is inquiry-based teaching and learning. It bases all activity on a three-layer model of inquiry: (1) Inquiry in mathematics and in the learning of mathematics in lecture, tutorial, seminar or workshop, involving students and teachers; (2) Inquiry in mathematics teaching involving teachers exploring and developing their own practices in teaching mathematics; (3) Inquiry as a research process, analysing data from layers (1) and (2) to advance knowledge inthe field. As required by the Erasmus+ programme, it defines Intellectual Outputs (IOs) that will develop in the project. PLATINUM has six IOs: The Inquiry-based developmental model; Inquiry communities in mathematics learning and teaching; Design of mathematics tasks and teaching units; Inquiry-based professional development activity; Modelling as an inquiry process; Evalutation of inquiry activity with students. The project has developed Inquiry Communities, in each of the partner groups, in which mathematicians and educators work together in supportive collegial ways to promote inquiry processes in mathematics learning and teaching. Through involving students in inquiry activities, PLATINUM aims to encourage students‘ own in-depth engagement with mathematics, so that they develop conceptual understandings which go beyond memorisation and the use of procedures. Indeed the eight partners together have formed an inquiry community, working together to achieve PLATINUM goals within the specific environments of their own institutions and cultures. Together we learn from what we are able to achieve with respect to both common goals and diverse environments, bringing a richness of experience and learning to this important area of education. Inquiry communities enable participants to address the tensions and issues that emerge in developmental processes and to recognise the critical nature of the developmental process. Through engaging in inquiry-based development, partners are enabled and motivated to design activities for their peers, and for newcomers to university teaching of mathematics, to encourage their participation in new forms of teaching, design of teaching, and activities for students. Such professional development design is an important outcome of PLATINUM. One important area of inquiry-based activity is that of „modelling“ in mathematics. Partners have worked together across the project to investigate the nature of modelling activities and their use with students. Overall, the project evaluates its activity in these various parts to gain insights to the sucess of inquiry based teaching, learning and development as well as the issues and tensions that are faced in putting into practice its aims and goals

Inquiry in University Mathematics Teaching and Learning

The book presents developmental outcomes from an EU Erasmus+ project involving eight partner universities in seven countries in Europe. Its focus is the development of mathematics teaching and learning at university level to enhance the learning of mathematics by university students. Its theoretical focus is inquiry-based teaching and learning. It bases all activity on a three-layer model of inquiry: (1) Inquiry in mathematics and in the learning of mathematics in lecture, tutorial, seminar or workshop, involving students and teachers; (2) Inquiry in mathematics teaching involving teachers exploring and developing their own practices in teaching mathematics; (3) Inquiry as a research process, analysing data from layers (1) and (2) to advance knowledge inthe field. As required by the Erasmus+ programme, it defines Intellectual Outputs (IOs) that will develop in the project. PLATINUM has six IOs: The Inquiry-based developmental model; Inquiry communities in mathematics learning and teaching; Design of mathematics tasks and teaching units; Inquiry-based professional development activity; Modelling as an inquiry process; Evalutation of inquiry activity with students. The project has developed Inquiry Communities, in each of the partner groups, in which mathematicians and educators work together in supportive collegial ways to promote inquiry processes in mathematics learning and teaching. Through involving students in inquiry activities, PLATINUM aims to encourage students` own in-depth engagement with mathematics, so that they develop conceptual understandings which go beyond memorisation and the use of procedures. Indeed the eight partners together have formed an inquiry community, working together to achieve PLATINUM goals within the specific environments of their own institutions and cultures. Together we learn from what we are able to achieve with respect to both common goals and diverse environments, bringing a richness of experience and learning to this important area of education. Inquiry communities enable participants to address the tensions and issues that emerge in developmental processes and to recognise the critical nature of the developmental process. Through engaging in inquiry-based development, partners are enabled and motivated to design activities for their peers, and for newcomers to university teaching of mathematics, to encourage their participation in new forms of teaching, design of teaching, and activities for students. Such professional development design is an important outcome of PLATINUM. One important area of inquiry-based activity is that of “modelling” in mathematics. Partners have worked together across the project to investigate the nature of modelling activities and their use with students. Overall, the project evaluates its activity in these various parts to gain insights to the sucess of inquiry based teaching, learning and development as well as the issues and tensions that are faced in putting into practice its aims and goals

Proceedings of the Seventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education

International audienceThis volume contains the Proceedings of the Seventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (ERME), which took place 9-13 February 2011, at Rzeszñw in Poland

Inquiry in university mathematics teaching and learning: The PLATINUM project

This book reports on the work carried out within the Erasmus+ PLATINUM project by eight European universities from seven countries: the University of Agder, in Kristiansand, Norway—the coordinator of the project—the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands, Masaryk University and Brno University of Technology in Czech Republic, Leibniz University Hannover in Germany, the Complutense University of Madrid in Spain, Loughborough University in the UK, and Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University in Ukraine. In this 21st century, projects aimed at studying and disseminating inquiry-based approaches in the teaching of STEM disciplines in primary and secondary education have proliferated in Europe, benefiting from the impulse of the publication of the Rocard’s report in 2007.1 However, university mathematics teaching has remained mainly traditional, especially in the first university years, crucial for the students’ orientation and retention