Dispersion of nickel and molybdenum from mineralisation in glaciated terrain, S. Norway

Imperial Users onl

A Survey of Agent-Based Modeling Practices (January 1998 to July 2008)

In the 1990s, Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) began gaining popularity and represents a departure from the more classical simulation approaches. This departure, its recent development and its increasing application by non-traditional simulation disciplines indicates the need to continuously assess the current state of ABM and identify opportunities for improvement. To begin to satisfy this need, we surveyed and collected data from 279 articles from 92 unique publication outlets in which the authors had constructed and analyzed an agent-based model. From this large data set we establish the current practice of ABM in terms of year of publication, field of study, simulation software used, purpose of the simulation, acceptable validation criteria, validation techniques and complete description of the simulation. Based on the current practice we discuss six improvements needed to advance ABM as an analysis tool. These improvements include the development of ABM specific tools that are independent of software, the development of ABM as an independent discipline with a common language that extends across domains, the establishment of expectations for ABM that match their intended purposes, the requirement of complete descriptions of the simulation so others can independently replicate the results, the requirement that all models be completely validated and the development and application of statistical and non-statistical validation techniques specifically for ABM.Agent-Based Modeling, Survey, Current Practices, Simulation Validation, Simulation Purpose

Corporate social responsibility with special reference to a life assurance society

Bibliography: pages 373-389.This thesis deals with the topic of corporate social responsibility and represents an effort to treat it as a management issue in the context of a large insurance society. Today we live in a world of increasing complexity, growth and change. Attempts to gain a greater understanding and insight into the functioning of our world have led to the development of an analytical method called the 'systems approach', whereby instead of explaining the whole in terms of its parts, the parts are explained in terms of the whole. The systems approach is a holistic method of analysing systems. The outputs of one system form the inputs to another. The analysis of any system must deal with the twin phenomena of complexity and interrelatedness. Each system is in itself quite complex but nevertheless has many interrelated elements organised to achieve the set objectives of the system. The systems approach is potentially useful when considering the complexities of a modern business organisation. Indeed, the conscious recognition of the business organisation as a dynamic whole brings with it the awareness of the difficulty of the managerial process. Systems thinking compels management to realise that their organisation is only a subsystem of a larger system - the society whose mandate legitimises their organisation's purpose and existence. The organisation's outputs are its inputs to the society, and vice versa. This interrelationship imposes certain obligations and restrictions on the manner in which the organisation conducts its business to ensure the increased well- being of the society as a whole

Tidal Effects on the Habitability of Exoplanets: The Case of GJ 581 d

Tides may be crucial to the habitability of exoplanets. If such planets form around low-mass stars, then those in the circumstellar habitable zone will be close enough to their host stars to experience strong tidal forces. Tides may result in orbital decay and circularization, evolution toward zero obliquity, a fixed rotation rate (not necessarily synchronous), and substantial internal heating. Due to tidal effects, the range of habitable orbital locations may be quite different from that defined by the traditional concept of a habitable zone (HZ) based on stellar insolation, atmospheric effects, and liquid water on a planet's surface. Tidal heating may make locations within the traditional HZ too hot, while planets outside the traditional zone could be rendered quite habitable due to tides. Here we consider these effects on the exoplanet GJ 581 d.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure

Tidal Constraints on Planetary Habitability

We review how tides may impact the habitability of terrestrial-like planets. If such planets form around low-mass stars, then planets in the circumstellar habitable zone will be close enough to their host stars to experience strong tidal forces. We discuss 1) decay of semi-major axis, 2) circularization of eccentric orbits, 3) evolution toward zero obliquity, 4) fixed rotation rates (not necessarily synchronous), and 5) internal heating. We briefly describe these effects using the example of a 0.25 solar mass star with a 10 Earth-mass companion. We suggest that the concept of a habitable zone should be modified to include the effects of tides.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Proceedings submitted to "Pathways Towards Habitable Planets" Symposium (eds.: D. Gelino, V. Coude du Foresto, I. Ribas

Including network routers in forensic investigation

Network forensics concerns the identification and preservation of evidence from an event that has occurred or is likely to occur. The scope of network forensics encompasses the networks, systems and devices associated with the physical and human networks. In this paper we are assessing the forensic potential of a router in investigations. A single router is taken as a case study and analysed to determine its forensic value from both static and live investigation perspectives. In the live investigation, tests using steps from two to seven routers were used to establish benchmark expectations for network variations. We find that the router has many attributes that make it a repository and a site for evidence collection. The implications of this research are for investigators and the inclusion of routers in network forensic investigations

Evaluating the security vulenerabilities of the IP6to4 tunnelling mechanism

The two versions of Internet Protocol (IP) rely on mechanisms that will convert one protocol to the other and vice versa. Version 4 is still prevalent in the Internet backbone and version 6 in most private networks. In this research we focus on the automatic tunnelling mechanism that provides the encapsulation at one end of the transition tunnel and the de-encapsulation at the other end dependant on the direction of transition. In our research we asked: How secure is the automatic tunnelling mechanism? It is a simple question but important given the number of times transition may occur in any communication and the potential for vulnerabilities. To test the capability of the software instance we launched attacks on the inside and the outside of the tunnel; recorded performance variations and noted opportunities for information sniffing. In all instances the results show weaknesses that can be exploited and the potential for an outsider to not only launch for example DoS attacks but to also disrupt the information being managed in the tunnel. How secure is the automatic tunnelling mechanism

Up-dating investigation models for smart phone procedures

The convergence of services in Smart Technologies such as iPhones, Androids and multiple tablet work surfaces challenges the scope of any forensic investigation to include cloud environments, devices and service media. The analysis of current investigation guidelines suggests that each element in an investigation requires an independent procedure to assure the preservation of evidence. However we dispute this view and review the possibility of consolidating current investigation guidelines into a unified best practice guideline. This exploratory research proposes to fill a gap in digital forensic investigation knowledge for smart technologies used in business environments and to propose a better way to approach smart technology investigations