Measuring Sustainable Development: The Use of Computable General Equilibrium Models

This paper advocates computable general equilibrium models as a methodological tool that is particularly suitable for measuring the impacts of policy interference on the three dimensions of sustainable development, i.e. environmental quality, economic performance (gross efficiency) and equity. These dimensions are inherently intertwined and subject to trade-offs. Computable general equilibrium models can incorporate various important sustainable development indicators in a single consistent framework and allow for a systematic quantitative trade-off analysis. --computable general equilibrium modeling (CGE),sustainability impact assessment (SIA),sustainable development (SD)

When the goal is to generate a series of activities: A self-organized simulated robot arm

Behavior is characterized by sequences of goal-oriented conducts, such as food uptake, socializing and resting. Classically, one would define for each task a corresponding satisfaction level, with the agent engaging, at a given time, in the activity having the lowest satisfaction level. Alternatively, one may consider that the agent follows the overarching objective to generate sequences of distinct activities. To achieve a balanced distribution of activities would then be the primary goal, and not to master a specific task. In this setting, the agent would show two types of behaviors, task-oriented, and task-searching phases, with the latter interseeding the former. We study the emergence of autonomous task switching for the case of a simulated robot arm. Grasping one of several moving objects corresponds in this setting to a specific activity. Overall, the arm should follow a given object temporarily and then move away, in order to search for a new target and reengage. We show that this behavior can be generated robustly when modeling the arm as an adaptive dynamical system. The dissipation function is in this approach time dependent. The arm is in a dissipative state when searching for a nearby object, dissipating energy on approach. Once close, the dissipation function starts to increase, with the eventual sign change implying that the arm will take up energy and wander off. The resulting explorative state ends when the dissipation function becomes again negative and the arm selects a new target. We believe that our approach may be generalized to generate self-organized sequences of activities in general.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Multi-Agent Systems, Simulation and Nanotechnology

Multi-agent systems (MAS) are used in investigations with different purposes, mainly in computational simulations. These systems are composed of autonomous software entities, named agents, that act and interact in a shared environment, changing the state of the environment. Simulation environments for nanostructures can be considered essentially reactive, that is, suitable for reactive agent architectures. A significant feature in agent-oriented theory is autonomy, which also exists in small-scale structures such as atoms and molecules, despite the strong interaction. Regarding the organisation of a reactive or cognitive multi-agent system, there are events, constraints and interactions that occur in a nanoscale environment. So, MAS paradigm has methodologies and tools that could guarantee simulations of Brownian motion, at the nanoscale, generating and monitoring collision systems. Experiments for the nanocapsule production and characterisation should be supported by computational simulations, mainly to reduce experiment time, equipment wear and material waste. Therefore, this paper presents how MAS can increase the investigations in nanoscience through simulations of moving bodies

Integrated methodological frameworks for modelling agent-based advanced supply chain planning systems: a systematic literature review

Purpose: The objective of this paper is to provide a systematic literature review of recent developments in methodological frameworks for the modelling and simulation of agent-based advanced supply chain planning systems. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review is provided to identify, select and make an analysis and a critical summary of all suitable studies in the area. It is organized into two blocks: the first one covers agent-based supply chain planning systems in general terms, while the second one specializes the previous search to identify those works explicitly containing methodological aspects. Findings: Among sixty suitable manuscripts identified in the primary literature search, only seven explicitly considered the methodological aspects. In addition, we noted that, in general, the notion of advanced supply chain planning is not considered unambiguously, that the social and individual aspects of the agent society are not taken into account in a clear manner in several studies and that a significant part of the works are of a theoretical nature, with few real-scale industrial applications. An integrated framework covering all phases of the modelling and simulation process is still lacking in the literature visited. Research limitations/implications: The main research limitations are related to the period covered (last four years), the selected scientific databases, the selected language (i.e. English) and the use of only one assessment framework for the descriptive evaluation part. Practical implications: The identification of recent works in the domain and discussion concerning their limitations can help pave the way for new and innovative researches towards a complete methodological framework for agent-based advanced supply chain planning systems. Originality/value: As there are no recent state-of-the-art reviews in the domain of methodological frameworks for agent-based supply chain planning, this paper contributes to systematizing and consolidating what has been done in recent years and uncovers interesting research gaps for future studies in this emerging fieldPeer Reviewe

Synthesizing and standardizing criteria for the evaluation of sustainability indicators in the water sector

This is a pre-print of an article published in Environment, Development and Sustainability. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-019-00508-zIndicators are one of the tools available in planning and management projects that aid in the decision-making process and the monitoring of those decisions on the path to sustainable use and management of water and natural resources. However, the quality and trustworthiness of the indicators depend on the constant improvement in the means to assess and design criteria sets. The identification of criteria to evaluate indicators and its subsequence selection are not an ordinary task. The research identified a proliferation of unconsolidated criteria in use in the sustainability and water resource management domains. In response, a process of synthesis and consolidation was undertaken in order to reduce the level of redundancies and to identify possible candidates for “core criteria” that are identified as being a relevant part of most evaluation frameworks. A representative collection of sources from the specialized literature was screened for evaluation criteria. Altogether, 74 sources were assessed, comprising 346 mentions of criteria applied for indicator assessment. A detailed synthesis was performed to organize the criteria and identify possible redundancies. The analysis allowed a reduction from the 346 initial criteria to 60 unique criteria. The study offers a standard title and description for each criterion, contributing to improve clarity and avoid ambiguity. The criteria were also ranked to identify which criteria were in more systemic use. Of the 60 criteria found, the 12 most cited were identified as possible core criteria for framework development. Also, in order to facilitate the design of indicator sets, all 60 criteria were divided into two approaches (scientific/top-down or end-use/bottom-up). This study identified significant redundancies and a lack of standardization in the use of criteria, and it also ranked criteria to facilitate multi-method framework development. Thus, it is essential that indicator designers not only consider criteria that have some level of standardization to be able to compare and communicate with other agencies and communities but also consider how to utilize core criteria in the design of indicator sets.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Top-Down & Bottom-Up Approaches to Robot Design

This thesis presents a study of different engineering design methodologies and demonstrates their effectiveness and limitations in actual robot designs. Some of these methods were blended together with focus on providing an easily interpreted project design flow while implementing more bottom-up, or feedback, elements into the design methodology. Typically design methods are learned through experience, and design taught in academia aims to shape and formalize previous experience. Usually, inexperienced engineers are taught approaches resembling the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI) 2221 process. This method presented by the Association of German Engineers in 2006 is regarded as the general system design process. This introductory process is largely left open to interpretation, and it is often unclear when to implement feedback in the design process. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the roles of top-down and bottom-up processes, and how to integrate them in the robot design methodology. The proposed approach utilizes several components from existing design methods. There are three main conditional loops within the proposed approach. The first loop focuses on defining the problem in a top-down manner through logical decomposition, defining technical requirements, researching solutions, and conducting a trade study. These four steps are done iteratively until reaching the bottom of the system, the most primitive components. This is followed by a modeling and analysis loop. This works from the bottom to the top of the design in preparation for manufacturing and validation. The final loop of the proposed approach focuses on validation and verification. The testing and manufacturing involved allows for alterations to the design to fulfill the original technical requirements. These three loops occur until a proof of concept is achieved. The proposed method is intended to be applied iteratively. The first pass of the method results in a proof of concept, while the second results in a preproduction prototype, and the third in a production model. This assembly of design elements provides a project flow that leaves little to be interpreted and is suitable for small design teams while still flexible enough to be applied to diverse robotics projects. This thesis provides three case studies analyzing the application of the hybrid design approach mentioned above to robotic system development. The first study showcases a complicated system design with a small development team. The second case is of simpler construction with a smaller developer team. This simpler case better demonstrates the benefits of this hybrid approach in robotic system development due to the comparatively higher speed at which the system matures. The third case study shows how this same proposed approach can be applied to the design of a bottom-up controlled swarm. These case studies are for future designers to reference as examples of the hybrid design methodology in application, and what can happen when there is a lack of feedback in design. This proposed hybrid design method can encourage design practices in new engineers that translate better to industrial applications, and therefore encourage faster integration of new engineers into established design engineering practices

Multi-level agent-based modeling - A literature survey

During last decade, multi-level agent-based modeling has received significant and dramatically increasing interest. In this article we present a comprehensive and structured review of literature on the subject. We present the main theoretical contributions and application domains of this concept, with an emphasis on social, flow, biological and biomedical models.Comment: v2. Ref 102 added. v3-4 Many refs and text added v5-6 bibliographic statistics updated. v7 Change of the name of the paper to reflect what it became, many refs and text added, bibliographic statistics update