3,151 research outputs found
Image scoring in ad-hoc networks : an investigation on realistic settings
Encouraging cooperation in distributed Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) remains an open problem. Emergent application domains such as Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs) are characterised by constraints including sparse connectivity and a lack of direct interaction history. Image scoring, a simple model of reputation proposed by Nowak and Sigmund, exhibits low space and time complexity and promotes cooperation through indirect reciprocity, in which an agent can expect cooperation in the future without repeat interactions with the same partners. The low overheads of image scoring make it a promising technique for ad-hoc networking domains. However, the original investigation of Nowak and Sigmund is limited in that it (i) used a simple idealised setting, (ii) did not consider the effects of incomplete information on the mechanism’s efficacy, and (iii) did not consider the impact of the network topology connecting agents. We address these limitations by investigating more realistic values for the number of interactions agents engage in, and show that incomplete information can cause significant errors in decision making. As the proportion of incorrect decisions rises, the efficacy of image scoring falls and selfishness becomes more dominant. We evaluate image scoring on three different connection topologies: (i) completely connected, which closely approximates Nowak and Sigmund’s original setup, (ii) random, with each pair of nodes connected with a constant probability, and (iii) scale-free, which is known to model a number of real world environments including MANETs
Supporting cooperation and coordination in open multi-agent systems
Cooperation and coordination between agents are fundamental processes for increasing
aggregate and individual benefit in open Multi-Agent Systems (MAS).
The increased ubiquity, size, and complexity of open MAS in the modern world
has prompted significant research interest in the mechanisms that underlie cooperative
and coordinated behaviour. In open MAS, in which agents join and
leave freely, we can assume the following properties: (i) there are no centralised
authorities, (ii) agent authority is uniform, (iii) agents may be heterogeneously
owned and designed, and may consequently have con
icting intentions and inconsistent
capabilities, and (iv) agents are constrained in interactions by a complex
connecting network topology. Developing mechanisms to support cooperative
and coordinated behaviour that remain effective under these assumptions
remains an open research problem.
Two of the major mechanisms by which cooperative and coordinated behaviour
can be achieved are (i) trust and reputation, and (ii) norms and conventions.
Trust and reputation, which support cooperative and coordinated
behaviour through notions of reciprocity, are effective in protecting agents from
malicious or selfish individuals, but their capabilities can be affected by a lack of
information about potential partners and the impact of the underlying network structure. Regarding conventions and norms, there are still a wide variety of
open research problems, including: (i) manipulating which convention or norm
a population adopts, (ii) how to exploit knowledge of the underlying network
structure to improve mechanism efficacy, and (iii) how conventions might be
manipulated in the middle and latter stages of their lifecycle, when they have
become established and stable.
In this thesis, we address these issues and propose a number of techniques
and theoretical advancements that help ensure the robustness and efficiency
of these mechanisms in the context of open MAS, and demonstrate new techniques
for manipulating convention emergence in large, distributed populations.
Specfically, we (i) show that gossiping of reputation information can mitigate
the detrimental effects of incomplete information on trust and reputation and reduce
the impact of network structure, (ii) propose a new model of conventions
that accounts for limitations in existing theories, (iii) show how to manipulate
convention emergence using small groups of agents inserted by interested
parties, (iv) demonstrate how to learn which locations in a network have the
greatest capacity to in
uence which convention a population adopts, and (v)
show how conventions can be manipulated in the middle and latter stages of
the convention lifecycle
Thermodynamic behaviour and structural properties of an aqueous sodium chloride solution upon supercooling
We present the results of a molecular dynamics simulation study of
thermodynamic and structural properties upon supercooling of a low
concentration sodium chloride solution in TIP4P water and the comparison with
the corresponding bulk quantities. We study the isotherms and the isochores for
both the aqueous solution and bulk water. The comparison of the phase diagrams
shows that thermodynamic properties of the solution are not merely shifted with
respect to the bulk. Moreover, from the analysis of the thermodynamic curves,
both the spinodal line and the temperatures of maximum density curve can be
calculated. The spinodal line appears not to be influenced by the presence of
ions at the chosen concentration, while the temperatures of maximum density
curve displays both a mild shift in temperature and a shape modification with
respect to bulk. Signatures of the presence of a liquid-liquid critical point
are found in the aqueous solution. By analysing the water-ion radial
distribution functions of the aqueous solution we observe that upon changing
density, structural modifications appear close to the spinodal. For low
temperatures additional modifications appear also for densities close to that
corresponding to a low density configurational energy minimum.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figures, 2 tables. To be published in J. Chem. Phy
Isoperimetric Inequalities for Minimal Submanifolds in Riemannian Manifolds: A Counterexample in Higher Codimension
For compact Riemannian manifolds with convex boundary, B.White proved the
following alternative: Either there is an isoperimetric inequality for minimal
hypersurfaces or there exists a closed minimal hypersurface, possibly with a
small singular set. There is the natural question if a similar result is true
for submanifolds of higher codimension. Specifically, B.White asked if the
non-existence of an isoperimetric inequality for k-varifolds implies the
existence of a nonzero, stationary, integral k-varifold. We present examples
showing that this is not true in codimension greater than two. The key step is
the construction of a Riemannian metric on the closed four-dimensional ball B
with the following properties: (1) B has strictly convex boundary. (2) There
exists a complete nonconstant geodesic. (3) There does not exist a closed
geodesic in B.Comment: 11 pages, We changed the title and added a section that exhibits the
relation between our example and the question posed by Brian White concerning
isoperimetric inequalities for minimal submanifold
Molecular architecture of softwood revealed by solid-state NMR
Economically important softwood from conifers is mainly composed of the polysaccharides cellulose, galactoglucomannan and xylan, and the phenolic polymer, lignin. The interactions between these polymers lead to wood mechanical strength and must be overcome in biorefining. Here, we use 13C multidimensional solid-state NMR to analyse the polymer interactions in never-dried cell walls of the softwood, spruce. In contrast to some earlier softwood cell wall models, most of the xylan binds to cellulose in the two-fold screw conformation. Moreover, galactoglucomannan alters its conformation by intimately binding to the surface of cellulose microfibrils in a semi-crystalline fashion. Some galactoglucomannan and xylan bind to the same cellulose microfibrils, and lignin is associated with both of these cellulose-bound polysaccharides. We propose a model of softwood molecular architecture which explains the origin of the different cellulose environments observed in the NMR experiments. Our model will assist strategies for improving wood usage in a sustainable bioeconomy
Global surfaces of section in the planar restricted 3-body problem
The restricted planar three-body problem has a rich history, yet many
unanswered questions still remain. In the present paper we prove the existence
of a global surface of section near the smaller body in a new range of energies
and mass ratios for which the Hill's region still has three connected
components. The approach relies on recent global methods in symplectic geometry
and contrasts sharply with the perturbative methods used until now.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figur
Relationships between the El-Niño Southern Oscillation and spate flows in southern Africa and Australia
International audienceThe flow records of arid zone rivers are characterised by a high degree of seasonal variability, being dominated by long periods of very low or zero flow. Discrete flow events in these rivers are influenced by aseasonal factors such as global climate forcings. The atmospheric circulations of the El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) have been shown to influence climate regimes across many parts of the world. Strong teleconnections between changing ENSO regimes and discharges are likely to be observed in highly variable arid zones. In this paper, the influence of ENSO mechanisms on the flow records of two arid zone rivers in each of Australia and Southern Africa are identified. ENSO signals, together with multi-decadal variability in their impact as identified through seasonal values of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) index, are shown to influence both the rate of occurrence and the size of discrete flow episodes in these rivers. Keywords: arid zones, streamflow, spates, climate variability, ENSO, Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation, IP
Previously Associated Type 2 Diabetes Variants May Interact With Physical Activity to Modify the Risk of Impaired Glucose Regulation and Type 2 Diabetes: A Study of 16,003 Swedish Adults
OBJECTIVE-Recent advances in type 2 diabetes genetics have culminated in the discovery and confirmation of multiple risk variants. Two important, and largely unanswered questions are whether this information can be used to identify individuals most susceptible to the adverse consequences of sedentary behavior and to predict their response to lifestyle intervention; such evidence Would be mechanistically informative and provide a rationale for targeting genetically susceptible subgroups of the population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-Gene X physical activity interactions were assessed for 17 polymorphisms ill a prospective population-based cohort of initially nondiabetic middle-aged adults. Outcomes were 1) impaired glucose regulation (IGR) versus normal glucose regulation determined with either fasting or 2-h plasma glucose concentrations (n = 16,003), 2) glucose intolerance (in mmol/l, n = 8,860), or 3) incident, type 2 diabetes (n = 2,063 events). RESULTS-Tests of gene X physical activity interactions oil IGR risk for 3 of the 17 polymorphisms were nominally statistically significant: CDKNT2A/B rs10811661 (P-interaction = 0.015), HNF1B rs4430796 (P-interaction = 0.026), and PPARG rs1801282 (P-interaction = 0.04). Consistent interactions were observed for the CDKN2A/B (P-interaction = 0.013) and HNF1B (P-interaction = 0.0009) variants on 2-h glucose concentrations. Where type 2 diabetes was the outcome, only one statistically significant interaction effect was observed, and this was for the HNF1B rs4430796 variant, (P-interaction = 0.0004). The interaction effects for HNF1B on IGR risk and incident diabetes remained significant after correction for multiple testing (P-interaction = 0.015 and 0.0068, respectively). CONCLUSIONS-Our observations suggest that the genetic predisposition to hyperglycemia is partially dependent on a person's lifestyle. Diabetes 58:1411-1418, 200
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