RANA, a real-time multi-agent system simulator

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Søren Vissing; Demazeau, Yves; Hallam, John

2016-01-01

for individualisation and abstraction while retaining efficiency. Events are managed by the C++ simulator core. Full run state can be recorded for post-processed visualisation or analysis. The new tool is demonstrated in three different cases: a mining robot simulation, which is purely action based; an agent......-based setup that is verifies the high precision exhibited by RANAs simulation core; and a state-based firefly-like agent simulation that models real-time responses to fellow agents' signals, in which event propagation and reception affect the result of the simulation....

Multi-agent based modeling for electric vehicle integration in a distribution network operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hu, Junjie; Morais, Hugo; Lind, Morten

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present a multi-agent based modeling technology for simulating and operating a hierarchical energy management of a power distribution system with focus on EVs integration. The proposed multi-agent system consists of four types of agents: i) Distribution system...... operator (DSO) technical agent and ii) DSO market agents that both belong to the top layer of the hierarchy and their roles are to manage the distribution network by avoiding grid congestions and using congestion prices to coordinate the energy scheduled; iii) Electric vehicle virtual power plant agents...

The application of dynamic micro-simulation model of urban planning based on multi-agent system

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, J.; Shiming, W.

2012-12-01

The dynamic micro-simulation model of urban planning based on multi-agent, is mainly used to measure and predict the impact of the policy on urban land use, employment opportunities and the price of real estate. The representation of the supply and characteristics of land and of real estate development, at a spatial scale. The use of real estate markets as a central organizing focus, with consumer choices and supplier choices explicitly represented, as well as the resulting effects on real estate prices. The relationship of agents to real estate tied to specific locations provided a clean accounting of space and its use. Finally, it will produce a map composited with the dynamic demographic distribution and the dynamic employment transfer by the geographic spatial data. With the data produced by the urban micro-simulation model, it can provide the favorable forecast reference for the scientific urban land use.

Application of Transaction Costs in Analyzing Transport Corridors Using Multi-Agent-Based Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lawrence E. Henesey

2006-03-01

Full Text Available In analyzing the freight transportation systems, such as thetransport of intermodal containers, often direct monetary costsassociated with transportation are used to evaluate or determinethe choice of transport corridor. In forming decisions ontransport co"idor choice, this paper proposes that transactioncosts can be considered as an additional determinant in conductingtransport corridor analysis. The application of transactioncosts theory in analyzing the organizations and the transactionsthat occur, assists in indicating as to which governancestructure results in higher efficiencies. Efficiency is seen as eitherthe minimisation on costs or the maximisation of customerservice levels. The use of multi-agent based simulation for modellingthe organisational structure and mechanisms provides anovel approach in understanding the relationships in a regionaltransport co"idor.

Agent-based Simulation of Reactive, Pro-active, and Social Animal Behaviour

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jonker, C.M.; Treur, J.; Mira, J.

1998-01-01

In this paper it is shown how animal behaviour can be simulated in an agent-based manner. Different models are shown for different types of behaviour, varying from purely reactive behaviour to pro-active and social behaviour. The compositional development method for multi-agent systems DESIRE and

A framework for service enterprise workflow simulation with multi-agents cooperation

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Wenan; Xu, Wei; Yang, Fujun; Xu, Lida; Jiang, Chuanqun

2013-11-01

Process dynamic modelling for service business is the key technique for Service-Oriented information systems and service business management, and the workflow model of business processes is the core part of service systems. Service business workflow simulation is the prevalent approach to be used for analysis of service business process dynamically. Generic method for service business workflow simulation is based on the discrete event queuing theory, which is lack of flexibility and scalability. In this paper, we propose a service workflow-oriented framework for the process simulation of service businesses using multi-agent cooperation to address the above issues. Social rationality of agent is introduced into the proposed framework. Adopting rationality as one social factor for decision-making strategies, a flexible scheduling for activity instances has been implemented. A system prototype has been developed to validate the proposed simulation framework through a business case study.

Integrated control of lateral and vertical vehicle dynamics based on multi-agent system

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chen; Chen, Long; Yun, Chaochun; Jiang, Haobin; Chen, Yuexia

2014-03-01

The existing research of the integrated chassis control mainly focuses on the different evaluation indexes and control strategy. Among the different evaluation indexes, the comprehensive properties are usually not considered based on the non-linear superposition principle. But, the control strategy has some shortages on tyre model with side-slip angle, road adhesion coefficient, vertical load and velocity. In this paper, based on belief, desire and intention(BDI)-agent model framework, the TYRE agent, electric power steering(EPS) agent and active suspension system(ASS) agent are proposed. In the system(SYS) agent, the coordination mechanism is employed to manage interdependences and conflicts among other agents, so as to improve the flexibility, adaptability, and robustness of the global control system. Due to the existence of the simulation demand of dynamic performance, the vehicle multi-body dynamics model is established by SIMPACK. And then the co-simulation analysis is conducted to evaluate the proposed multi-agent system(MAS) controller. The simulation results demonstrate that the MAS has good effect on the performance of EPS and ASS. Meantime, the better road feeling for the driver is provided considering the multiple and complex driving traffic. Finally, the MAS rapid control prototyping is built to conduct the real vehicle test. The test results are consistent to the simulation results, which verifies the correctness of simulation. The proposed research ensures the driving safety, enhances the handling stability, and improves the ride comfort.

Artificial force fields for multi-agent simulations of maritime traffic and risk estimation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Xiao, F.; Ligteringen, H.; Van Gulijk, C.; Ale, B.J.M.

2012-01-01

A probabilistic risk model is designed to estimate probabilities of collisions for shipping accidents in busy waterways. We propose a method based on multi-agent simulation that uses an artificial force field to model ship maneuvers. The artificial force field is calibrated by AIS data (Automatic

Consensus of heterogeneous multi-agent systems based on sampled data with a small sampling delay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Na; Wu Zhi-Hai; Peng Li

2014-01-01

In this paper, consensus problems of heterogeneous multi-agent systems based on sampled data with a small sampling delay are considered. First, a consensus protocol based on sampled data with a small sampling delay for heterogeneous multi-agent systems is proposed. Then, the algebra graph theory, the matrix method, the stability theory of linear systems, and some other techniques are employed to derive the necessary and sufficient conditions guaranteeing heterogeneous multi-agent systems to asymptotically achieve the stationary consensus. Finally, simulations are performed to demonstrate the correctness of the theoretical results. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

A Multi-Agent Approach to the Simulation of Robotized Manufacturing Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Foit, K.; Gwiazda, A.; Banaś, W.

2016-08-01

The recent years of eventful industry development, brought many competing products, addressed to the same market segment. The shortening of a development cycle became a necessity if the company would like to be competitive. Because of switching to the Intelligent Manufacturing model the industry search for new scheduling algorithms, while the traditional ones do not meet the current requirements. The agent-based approach has been considered by many researchers as an important way of evolution of modern manufacturing systems. Due to the properties of the multi-agent systems, this methodology is very helpful during creation of the model of production system, allowing depicting both processing and informational part. The complexity of such approach makes the analysis impossible without the computer assistance. Computer simulation still uses a mathematical model to recreate a real situation, but nowadays the 2D or 3D virtual environments or even virtual reality have been used for realistic illustration of the considered systems. This paper will focus on robotized manufacturing system and will present the one of possible approaches to the simulation of such systems. The selection of multi-agent approach is motivated by the flexibility of this solution that offers the modularity, robustness and autonomy.

Multi-agent simulation of competitive electricity markets: Autonomous systems cooperation for European market modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Gabriel; Pinto, Tiago; Morais, Hugo; Sousa, Tiago M.; Pereira, Ivo F.; Fernandes, Ricardo; Praça, Isabel; Vale, Zita

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Definition of an ontology allowing the communication between multi-agents systems. • Social welfare evaluation in different electricity markets. • Demonstration of the use of the proposed ontology between two multi-agents systems. • Strategic biding in electricity markets. • European electricity markets comparison. - Abstract: The electricity market restructuring, and its worldwide evolution into regional and even continental scales, along with the increasing necessity for an adequate integration of renewable energy sources, is resulting in a rising complexity in power systems operation. Several power system simulators have been developed in recent years with the purpose of helping operators, regulators, and involved players to understand and deal with this complex and constantly changing environment. The main contribution of this paper is given by the integration of several electricity market and power system models, respecting to the reality of different countries. This integration is done through the development of an upper ontology which integrates the essential concepts necessary to interpret all the available information. The continuous development of Multi-Agent System for Competitive Electricity Markets platform provides the means for the exemplification of the usefulness of this ontology. A case study using the proposed multi-agent platform is presented, considering a scenario based on real data that simulates the European Electricity Market environment, and comparing its performance using different market mechanisms. The main goal is to demonstrate the advantages that the integration of various market models and simulation platforms have for the study of the electricity markets’ evolution

Multi-issue Agent Negotiation Based on Fairness

Science.gov (United States)

Zuo, Baohe; Zheng, Sue; Wu, Hong

Agent-based e-commerce service has become a hotspot now. How to make the agent negotiation process quickly and high-efficiently is the main research direction of this area. In the multi-issue model, MAUT(Multi-attribute Utility Theory) or its derived theory usually consider little about the fairness of both negotiators. This work presents a general model of agent negotiation which considered the satisfaction of both negotiators via autonomous learning. The model can evaluate offers from the opponent agent based on the satisfaction degree, learn online to get the opponent's knowledge from interactive instances of history and negotiation of this time, make concessions dynamically based on fair object. Through building the optimal negotiation model, the bilateral negotiation achieved a higher efficiency and fairer deal.

Fast Conflict Resolution Based on Reinforcement Learning in Multi-agent System

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

PIAOSonghao; HONGBingrong; CHUHaitao

2004-01-01

In multi-agent system where each agen thas a different goal (even the team of agents has the same goal), agents must be able to resolve conflicts arising in the process of achieving their goal. Many researchers presented methods for conflict resolution, e.g., Reinforcement learning (RL), but the conventional RL requires a large computation cost because every agent must learn, at the same time the overlap of actions selected by each agent results in local conflict. Therefore in this paper, we propose a novel method to solve these problems. In order to deal with the conflict within the multi-agent system, the concept of potential field function based Action selection priority level (ASPL) is brought forward. In this method, all kinds of environment factor that may have influence on the priority are effectively computed with the potential field function. So the priority to access the local resource can be decided rapidly. By avoiding the complex coordination mechanism used in general multi-agent system, the conflict in multi-agent system is settled more efficiently. Our system consists of RL with ASPL module and generalized rules module. Using ASPL, RL module chooses a proper cooperative behavior, and generalized rule module can accelerate the learning process. By applying the proposed method to Robot Soccer, the learning process can be accelerated. The results of simulation and real experiments indicate the effectiveness of the method.

Multi-agent and complex systems

CERN Document Server

Ren, Fenghui; Fujita, Katsuhide; Zhang, Minjie; Ito, Takayuki

2017-01-01

This book provides a description of advanced multi-agent and artificial intelligence technologies for the modeling and simulation of complex systems, as well as an overview of the latest scientific efforts in this field. A complex system features a large number of interacting components, whose aggregate activities are nonlinear and self-organized. A multi-agent system is a group or society of agents which interact with others cooperatively and/or competitively in order to reach their individual or common goals. Multi-agent systems are suitable for modeling and simulation of complex systems, which is difficult to accomplish using traditional computational approaches.

An Intelligent Fleet Condition-Based Maintenance Decision Making Method Based on Multi-Agent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Sun

2012-01-01

Full Text Available According to the demand for condition-based maintenance online decision making among a mission oriented fleet, an intelligent maintenance decision making method based on Multi-agent and heuristic rules is proposed. The process of condition-based maintenance within an aircraft fleet (each containing one or more Line Replaceable Modules based on multiple maintenance thresholds is analyzed. Then the process is abstracted into a Multi-Agent Model, a 2-layer model structure containing host negotiation and independent negotiation is established, and the heuristic rules applied to global and local maintenance decision making is proposed. Based on Contract Net Protocol and the heuristic rules, the maintenance decision making algorithm is put forward. Finally, a fleet consisting of 10 aircrafts on a 3-wave continuous mission is illustrated to verify this method. Simulation results indicate that this method can improve the availability of the fleet, meet mission demands, rationalize the utilization of support resources and provide support for online maintenance decision making among a mission oriented fleet.

Simulation based on intelligent agents of the process of negotiation of the electric power market in Colombia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pastrana David, Maria Marcela; Guzman Luna, Jaime A; Ovalle Carranza, Demetrio Arturo

2005-01-01

The aim of this paper is describing the phases of analyzing, designing, building and validation of a multi-agent system to simulate the negotiation process of Colombian electric energy market. This project intent to exhibit advantages of multi-agent systems to model simulation processes. Analysis and design phases use MAS-common KADS rnethodology, which is one of the well known for agent-based system modeling. For this purpose, it is modeled the part of negotiation process among market human agents, which is representing by energy buying and selling among energy generators, commercial agents, and consumers

Multi-target consensus circle pursuit for multi-agent systems via a distributed multi-flocking method

Science.gov (United States)

Pei, Huiqin; Chen, Shiming; Lai, Qiang

2016-12-01

This paper studies the multi-target consensus pursuit problem of multi-agent systems. For solving the problem, a distributed multi-flocking method is designed based on the partial information exchange, which is employed to realise the pursuit of multi-target and the uniform distribution of the number of pursuing agents with the dynamic target. Combining with the proposed circle formation control strategy, agents can adaptively choose the target to form the different circle formation groups accomplishing a multi-target pursuit. The speed state of pursuing agents in each group converges to the same value. A Lyapunov approach is utilised to analyse the stability of multi-agent systems. In addition, a sufficient condition is given for achieving the dynamic target consensus pursuit, and which is then analysed. Finally, simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.

Distributed-observer-based cooperative control for synchronization of linear discrete-time multi-agent systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Hongjing; Zhang, Huaguang; Wang, Zhanshan

2015-11-01

This paper considers output synchronization of discrete-time multi-agent systems with directed communication topologies. The directed communication graph contains a spanning tree and the exosystem as its root. Distributed observer-based consensus protocols are proposed, based on the relative outputs of neighboring agents. A multi-step algorithm is presented to construct the observer-based protocols. In light of the discrete-time algebraic Riccati equation and internal model principle, synchronization problem is completed. At last, numerical simulation is provided to verify the effectiveness of the theoretical results. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling, Simulation, and Characterization of Distributed Multi-agent Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reed F. Young

2012-04-01

Full Text Available A strategy is described that utilizes a novel application of a potential-force function that includes the tuning of coefficients to control mobile robots orchestrated as a distributed multiagent system. Control system parameters are manipulated methodically via simulation and hardware experimentation to gain a better understanding of their impact upon mission performance of the multi-agent system as applied to a predetermined task of area exploration and mapping. Also included are descriptions of experiment infrastructure components that afford convenient solutions to research challenges. These consist of a surrogate localization (position and orientation function utilizing a novel MATLAB executable (MEX function and a user datagram protocol (UDP-based communications protocol that facilitates communication among network-based control computers.

A Two-Stage Multi-Agent Based Assessment Approach to Enhance Students' Learning Motivation through Negotiated Skills Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Chadli, Abdelhafid; Bendella, Fatima; Tranvouez, Erwan

2015-01-01

In this paper we present an Agent-based evaluation approach in a context of Multi-agent simulation learning systems. Our evaluation model is based on a two stage assessment approach: (1) a Distributed skill evaluation combining agents and fuzzy sets theory; and (2) a Negotiation based evaluation of students' performance during a training…

Simulating the conversion of rural settlements to town land based on multi-agent systems and cellular automata.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yaolin; Kong, Xuesong; Liu, Yanfang; Chen, Yiyun

2013-01-01

Rapid urbanization in China has triggered the conversion of land from rural to urban use, particularly the conversion of rural settlements to town land. This conversion is the result of the joint effects of the geographic environment and agents involving the government, investors, and farmers. To understand the dynamic interaction dominated by agents and to predict the future landscape of town expansion, a small town land-planning model is proposed based on the integration of multi-agent systems (MAS) and cellular automata (CA). The MAS-CA model links the decision-making behaviors of agents with the neighbor effect of CA. The interaction rules are projected by analyzing the preference conflicts among agents. To better illustrate the effects of the geographic environment, neighborhood, and agent behavior, a comparative analysis between the CA and MAS-CA models in three different towns is presented, revealing interesting patterns in terms of quantity, spatial characteristics, and the coordinating process. The simulation of rural settlements conversion to town land through modeling agent decision and human-environment interaction is very useful for understanding the mechanisms of rural-urban land-use change in developing countries. This process can assist town planners in formulating appropriate development plans.

Experimental Evaluation of Suitability of Selected Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods for Large-Scale Agent-Based Simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Tučník, Petr; Bureš, Vladimír

2016-01-01

Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) can be formally implemented by various methods. This study compares suitability of four selected MCDM methods, namely WPM, TOPSIS, VIKOR, and PROMETHEE, for future applications in agent-based computational economic (ACE) models of larger scale (i.e., over 10 000 agents in one geographical region). These four MCDM methods were selected according to their appropriateness for computational processing in ACE applications. Tests of the selected methods were conducted on four hardware configurations. For each method, 100 tests were performed, which represented one testing iteration. With four testing iterations conducted on each hardware setting and separated testing of all configurations with the-server parameter de/activated, altogether, 12800 data points were collected and consequently analyzed. An illustrational decision-making scenario was used which allows the mutual comparison of all of the selected decision making methods. Our test results suggest that although all methods are convenient and can be used in practice, the VIKOR method accomplished the tests with the best results and thus can be recommended as the most suitable for simulations of large-scale agent-based models.

Modelling and Simulating of Risk Behaviours in Virtual Environments Based on Multi-Agent and Fuzzy Logic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linqin Cai

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Due to safety and ethical issues, traditional experimental approaches to modelling underground risk behaviours can be costly, dangerous and even impossible to realize. Based on multi-agent technology, a virtual coalmine platform for risk behaviour simulation is presented to model and simulate the human-machine-environment related risk factors in underground coalmines. To reveal mine workers' risk behaviours, a fuzzy emotional behaviour model is proposed to simulate underground miners' responding behaviours to potential hazardous events based on cognitive appraisal theories and fuzzy logic techniques. The proposed emotion model can generate more believable behaviours for virtual miners according to personalized emotion states, internal motivation needs and behaviour selection thresholds. Finally, typical accident cases of underground hazard spotting and locomotive transport were implemented. The behaviour believability of virtual miners was evaluated with a user assessment method. Experimental results show that the proposed models can create more realistic and reasonable behaviours in virtual coalmine environments, which can improve miners' risk awareness and further train miners' emergent decision-making ability when facing unexpected underground situations.

Autonomous Formations of Multi-Agent Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Dhali, Sanjana; Joshi, Suresh M.

2013-01-01

Autonomous formation control of multi-agent dynamic systems has a number of applications that include ground-based and aerial robots and satellite formations. For air vehicles, formation flight ("flocking") has the potential to significantly increase airspace utilization as well as fuel efficiency. This presentation addresses two main problems in multi-agent formations: optimal role assignment to minimize the total cost (e.g., combined distance traveled by all agents); and maintaining formation geometry during flock motion. The Kuhn-Munkres ("Hungarian") algorithm is used for optimal assignment, and consensus-based leader-follower type control architecture is used to maintain formation shape despite the leader s independent movements. The methods are demonstrated by animated simulations.

Plan Validation Using DES and Agent-based Simulation

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Wong, Teck H; Ong, Kim S

2008-01-01

.... This thesis explores the possibility of using a multi-agent system (MAS) to generate the aggressor's air strike plans, which could be coupled with a low resolution Discrete Event Simulation (DES...

Design of a multi-agent hydroeconomic model to simulate a complex human-water system: Early insights from the Jordan Water Project

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, J.; Klassert, C. J. A.; Lachaut, T.; Selby, P. D.; Knox, S.; Gorelick, S.; Rajsekhar, D.; Tilmant, A.; Avisse, N.; Harou, J. J.; Gawel, E.; Klauer, B.; Mustafa, D.; Talozi, S.; Sigel, K.

2015-12-01

Our work focuses on development of a multi-agent, hydroeconomic model for purposes of water policy evaluation in Jordan. The model adopts a modular approach, integrating biophysical modules that simulate natural and engineered phenomena with human modules that represent behavior at multiple levels of decision making. The hydrologic modules are developed using spatially-distributed groundwater and surface water models, which are translated into compact simulators for efficient integration into the multi-agent model. For the groundwater model, we adopt a response matrix method approach in which a 3-dimensional MODFLOW model of a complex regional groundwater system is converted into a linear simulator of groundwater response by pre-processing drawdown results from several hundred numerical simulation runs. Surface water models for each major surface water basin in the country are developed in SWAT and similarly translated into simple rainfall-runoff functions for integration with the multi-agent model. The approach balances physically-based, spatially-explicit representation of hydrologic systems with the efficiency required for integration into a complex multi-agent model that is computationally amenable to robust scenario analysis. For the multi-agent model, we explicitly represent human agency at multiple levels of decision making, with agents representing riparian, management, supplier, and water user groups. The agents' decision making models incorporate both rule-based heuristics as well as economic optimization. The model is programmed in Python using Pynsim, a generalizable, open-source object-oriented code framework for modeling network-based water resource systems. The Jordan model is one of the first applications of Pynsim to a real-world water management case study. Preliminary results from a tanker market scenario run through year 2050 are presented in which several salient features of the water system are investigated: competition between urban and

Simulating the Conversion of Rural Settlements to Town Land Based on Multi-Agent Systems and Cellular Automata

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yaolin; Kong, Xuesong; Liu, Yanfang; Chen, Yiyun

2013-01-01

Rapid urbanization in China has triggered the conversion of land from rural to urban use, particularly the conversion of rural settlements to town land. This conversion is the result of the joint effects of the geographic environment and agents involving the government, investors, and farmers. To understand the dynamic interaction dominated by agents and to predict the future landscape of town expansion, a small town land-planning model is proposed based on the integration of multi-agent systems (MAS) and cellular automata (CA). The MAS-CA model links the decision-making behaviors of agents with the neighbor effect of CA. The interaction rules are projected by analyzing the preference conflicts among agents. To better illustrate the effects of the geographic environment, neighborhood, and agent behavior, a comparative analysis between the CA and MAS-CA models in three different towns is presented, revealing interesting patterns in terms of quantity, spatial characteristics, and the coordinating process. The simulation of rural settlements conversion to town land through modeling agent decision and human-environment interaction is very useful for understanding the mechanisms of rural-urban land-use change in developing countries. This process can assist town planners in formulating appropriate development plans. PMID:24244472

Ontology-based multi-agent systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hadzic, Maja; Wongthongtham, Pornpit; Dillon, Tharam; Chang, Elizabeth [Digital Ecosystems and Business Intelligence Institute, Perth, WA (Australia)

2009-07-01

The Semantic web has given a great deal of impetus to the development of ontologies and multi-agent systems. Several books have appeared which discuss the development of ontologies or of multi-agent systems separately on their own. The growing interaction between agents and ontologies has highlighted the need for integrated development of these. This book is unique in being the first to provide an integrated treatment of the modeling, design and implementation of such combined ontology/multi-agent systems. It provides clear exposition of this integrated modeling and design methodology. It further illustrates this with two detailed case studies in (a) the biomedical area and (b) the software engineering area. The book is, therefore, of interest to researchers, graduate students and practitioners in the semantic web and web science area. (orig.)

Simulation and evaluation of urban rail transit network based on multi-agent approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiangming Yao

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Urban rail transit is a complex and dynamic system, which is difficult to be described in a global mathematical model for its scale and interaction. In order to analyze the spatial and temporal characteristics of passenger flow distribution and evaluate the effectiveness of transportation strategies, a new and comprehensive method depicted such dynamic system should be given. This study therefore aims at using simulation approach to solve this problem for subway network. Design/methodology/approach: In this thesis a simulation model based on multi-agent approach has been proposed, which is a well suited method to design complex systems. The model includes the specificities of passengers’ travelling behaviors and takes into account of interactions between travelers and trains. Findings: Research limitations/implications: We developed an urban rail transit simulation tool for verification of the validity and accuracy of this model, using real passenger flow data of Beijing subway network to take a case study, results show that our simulation tool can be used to analyze the characteristic of passenger flow distribution and evaluate operation strategies well. Practical implications: The main implications of this work are to provide decision support for traffic management, making train operation plan and dispatching measures in emergency. Originality/value: A new and comprehensive method to analyze and evaluate subway network is presented, accuracy and computational efficiency of the model has been confirmed and meet with the actual needs for large-scale network.

Multi-agent simulations for emergency situations in an airport scenario

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Cristina BICHARRA

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Normal 0 21 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;} This paper presents a multi-agent framework using Net- Logo to simulate human and collective behaviors during emergency evacuations. Emergency situation appears when an unexpected event occurs. In indoor emergency situation, evacuation plans defined by facility manager explain procedure and safety ways to follow in an emergency situation. A critical and public scenario is an airportwhere there is an everyday transit of thousands of people. In this scenario the importance is related with incidents statistics regarding overcrowding and crushing in public buildings. Simulation has the objective of evaluating building layouts considering several possible configurations. Agents could be based on reactive behavior like avoid danger or follow other agent, or in deliberative behavior based on BDI model. This tool provides decision support in a real emergency scenario like an airport, analyzing alternative solutions to the evacuation process.

Multi-agent simulations for emergency situations in an airport scenario

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Manuel MOLINA

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Normal 0 21 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;} This paper presents a multi-agent framework using Net- Logo to simulate human and collective behaviors during emergency evacuations. Emergency situation appears when an unexpected event occurs. In indoor emergency situation, evacuation plans defined by facility manager explain procedure and safety ways to follow in an emergency situation. A critical and public scenario is an airport where there is an everyday transit of thousands of people. In this scenario the importance is related with incidents statistics regarding overcrowding and crushing in public buildings. Simulation has the objective of evaluating building layouts considering several possible configurations. Agents could be based on reactive behavior like avoid danger or follow other agent, or in deliberative behavior based on BDI model. This tool provides decision support in a real emergency scenario like an airport, analyzing alternative solutions to the evacuation process.

Emergency First Response to a Crisis Event: A Multi-Agent Simulation Approach

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Roginski, Jonathan W

2006-01-01

.... This process led to the development of a multi-agent simulation methodology for emergency first response specifically applied to analyze a notional vehicle bomb attack during a festival in the Baltimore Inner Harbor...

An Agent-Based Monetary Production Simulation Model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bruun, Charlotte

2006-01-01

An Agent-Based Simulation Model Programmed in Objective Borland Pascal. Program and source code is downloadable......An Agent-Based Simulation Model Programmed in Objective Borland Pascal. Program and source code is downloadable...

A Multi Agent Based Model for Airport Service Planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W.H. Ip

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Aviation industry is highly dynamic and demanding in nature that time and safety are the two most important factors while one of the major sources of delay is aircraft on ground because of it complexity, a lot of machinery like vehicles are involved and lots of communication are involved. As one of the aircraft ground services providers in Hong Kong International Airport, China Aircraft Services Limited (CASL aims to increase competitiveness by better its service provided while minimizing cost is also needed. One of the ways is to optimize the number of maintenance vehicles allocated in order to minimize chance of delay and also operating costs. In the paper, an agent-based model is proposed for support decision making in vehicle allocation. The overview of the aircrafts ground services procedures is firstly mentioned with different optimization methods suggested by researchers. Then, the agent-based approach is introduced and in the latter part of report and a multi-agent system is built and proposed which is decision supportive for CASL in optimizing the maintenance vehicles' allocation. The application provides flexibility for inputting number of different kinds of vehicles, simulation duration and aircraft arrival rate in order to simulation different scenarios which occurs in HKIA.

Towards Agent-Based Simulation of Emerging and Large-Scale Social Networks. Examples of the Migrant Crisis and MMORPGs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schatten, Markus

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Large-scale agent based simulation of social networks is described in the context of the migrant crisis in Syria and the EU as well as massively multi-player on-line role playing games (MMORPG. The recipeWorld system by Terna and Fontana is proposed as a possible solution to simulating large-scale social networks. The initial system has been re-implemented using the Smart Python multi-Agent Development Environment (SPADE and Pyinteractive was used for visualization. We present initial models of simulation that we plan to develop further in future studies. Thus this paper is research in progress that will hopefully establish a novel agent-based modelling system in the context of the ModelMMORPG project.

9th KES Conference on Agent and Multi-Agent Systems : Technologies and Applications

CERN Document Server

Howlett, Robert; Jain, Lakhmi

2015-01-01

Agents and multi-agent systems are related to a modern software paradigm which has long been recognized as a promising technology for constructing autonomous, complex and intelligent systems. The topics covered in this volume include agent-oriented software engineering, agent co-operation, co-ordination, negotiation, organization and communication, distributed problem solving, specification of agent communication languages, agent privacy, safety and security, formalization of ontologies and conversational agents. The volume highlights new trends and challenges in agent and multi-agent research and includes 38 papers classified in the following specific topics: learning paradigms, agent-based modeling and simulation, business model innovation and disruptive technologies, anthropic-oriented computing, serious games and business intelligence, design and implementation of intelligent agents and multi-agent systems, digital economy, and advances in networked virtual enterprises. Published p...

A Multi Agent Based Approach for Prehospital Emergency Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Safdari, Reza; Shoshtarian Malak, Jaleh; Mohammadzadeh, Niloofar; Danesh Shahraki, Azimeh

2017-07-01

To demonstrate an architecture to automate the prehospital emergency process to categorize the specialized care according to the situation at the right time for reducing the patient mortality and morbidity. Prehospital emergency process were analyzed using existing prehospital management systems, frameworks and the extracted process were modeled using sequence diagram in Rational Rose software. System main agents were identified and modeled via component diagram, considering the main system actors and by logically dividing business functionalities, finally the conceptual architecture for prehospital emergency management was proposed. The proposed architecture was simulated using Anylogic simulation software. Anylogic Agent Model, State Chart and Process Model were used to model the system. Multi agent systems (MAS) had a great success in distributed, complex and dynamic problem solving environments, and utilizing autonomous agents provides intelligent decision making capabilities.  The proposed architecture presents prehospital management operations. The main identified agents are: EMS Center, Ambulance, Traffic Station, Healthcare Provider, Patient, Consultation Center, National Medical Record System and quality of service monitoring agent. In a critical condition like prehospital emergency we are coping with sophisticated processes like ambulance navigation health care provider and service assignment, consultation, recalling patients past medical history through a centralized EHR system and monitoring healthcare quality in a real-time manner. The main advantage of our work has been the multi agent system utilization. Our Future work will include proposed architecture implementation and evaluation of its impact on patient quality care improvement.

A Lookahead Behavior Model for Multi-Agent Hybrid Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mei Yang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In the military field, multi-agent simulation (MAS plays an important role in studying wars statistically. For a military simulation system, which involves large-scale entities and generates a very large number of interactions during the runtime, the issue of how to improve the running efficiency is of great concern for researchers. Current solutions mainly use hybrid simulation to gain fewer updates and synchronizations, where some important continuous models are maintained implicitly to keep the system dynamics, and partial resynchronization (PR is chosen as the preferable state update mechanism. However, problems, such as resynchronization interval selection and cyclic dependency, remain unsolved in PR, which easily lead to low update efficiency and infinite looping of the state update process. To address these problems, this paper proposes a lookahead behavior model (LBM to implement a PR-based hybrid simulation. In LBM, a minimal safe time window is used to predict the interactions between implicit models, upon which the resynchronization interval can be efficiently determined. Moreover, the LBM gives an estimated state value in the lookahead process so as to break the state-dependent cycle. The simulation results show that, compared with traditional mechanisms, LBM requires fewer updates and synchronizations.

Output variability caused by random seeds in a multi-agent transport simulation model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paulsen, Mads; Rasmussen, Thomas Kjær; Nielsen, Otto Anker

2018-01-01

Dynamic transport simulators are intended to support decision makers in transport-related issues, and as such it is valuable that the random variability of their outputs is as small as possible. In this study we analyse the output variability caused by random seeds of a multi-agent transport...... simulator (MATSim) when applied to a case study of Santiago de Chile. Results based on 100 different random seeds shows that the relative accuracies of estimated link loads tend to increase with link load, but that relative errors of up to 10 % do occur even for links with large volumes. Although...

A Multi-Agent-Based Intelligent Sensor and Actuator Network Design for Smart House and Home Automation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fei Hu

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The smart-house technology aims to increase home automation and security with reduced energy consumption. A smart house consists of various intelligent sensors and actuators operating on different platforms with conflicting objectives. This paper proposes a multi-agent system (MAS design framework to achieve smart house automation. The novelties of this work include the developments of (1 belief, desire and intention (BDI agent behavior models; (2 a regulation policy-based multi-agent collaboration mechanism; and (3 a set of metrics for MAS performance evaluation. Simulations of case studies are performed using the Java Agent Development Environment (JADE to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method.

Performance Evaluation of Bidding-Based Multi-Agent Scheduling Algorithms for Manufacturing Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Gordillo

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Artificial Intelligence techniques have being applied to many problems in manufacturing systems in recent years. In the specific field of manufacturing scheduling many studies have been published trying to cope with the complexity of the manufacturing environment. One of the most utilized approaches is (multi agent-based scheduling. Nevertheless, despite the large list of studies reported in this field, there is no resource or scientific study on the performance measure of this type of approach under very common and critical execution situations. This paper focuses on multi-agent systems (MAS based algorithms for task allocation, particularly in manufacturing applications. The goal is to provide a mechanism to measure the performance of agent-based scheduling approaches for manufacturing systems under key critical situations such as: dynamic environment, rescheduling, and priority change. With this mechanism it will be possible to simulate critical situations and to stress the system in order to measure the performance of a given agent-based scheduling method. The proposed mechanism is a pioneering approach for performance evaluation of bidding-based MAS approaches for manufacturing scheduling. The proposed method and evaluation methodology can be used to run tests in different manufacturing floors since it is independent of the workshop configuration. Moreover, the evaluation results presented in this paper show the key factors and scenarios that most affect the market-like MAS approaches for manufacturing scheduling.

Multi-Agent Systems for E-Commerce

OpenAIRE

Solodukha, T. V.; Sosnovskiy, O. A.; Zhelezko, B. A.

2009-01-01

The article focuses on multi-agent systems (MAS) and domains that can benefit from multi-agent technology. In the last few years, the agent based modeling (ABM) community has developed several practical agent based modeling toolkits that enable individuals to develop agent-based applications. The comparison of agent-based modeling toolkits is given. Multi-agent systems are designed to handle changing and dynamic business processes. Any organization with complex and distributed business pro...

A Multi-context BDI Recommender System: from Theory to Simulation

OpenAIRE

Ben Othmane , Amel; Tettamanzi , Andrea G. B.; Villata , Serena; Le Thanh , Nhan

2016-01-01

International audience; In this paper, a simulation of a multi-agent recommender system is presented and developed in the NetLogo platform. The specification of this recommender system is based on the well known Belief-Desire-Intention agent architecture applied to multi-context systems, extended with contexts foradditional reasoning abilities, especially social ones. The main goal of this simulation study is, besides illustrating the usefulness and feasibility of our agent-based recommender ...

Multi-Agent Simulation of Allocating and Routing Ambulances Under Condition of Street Blockage after Natural Disaster

Science.gov (United States)

Azimi, S.; Delavar, M. R.; Rajabifard, A.

2017-09-01

In response to natural disasters, efficient planning for optimum allocation of the medical assistance to wounded as fast as possible and wayfinding of first responders immediately to minimize the risk of natural disasters are of prime importance. This paper aims to propose a multi-agent based modeling for optimum allocation of space to emergency centers according to the population, street network and number of ambulances in emergency centers by constraint network Voronoi diagrams, wayfinding of ambulances from emergency centers to the wounded locations and return based on the minimum ambulances travel time and path length implemented by NSGA and the use of smart city facilities to accelerate the rescue operation. Simulated annealing algorithm has been used for minimizing the difference between demands and supplies of the constrained network Voronoi diagrams. In the proposed multi-agent system, after delivering the location of the wounded and their symptoms, the constraint network Voronoi diagram for each emergency center is determined. This process was performed simultaneously for the multi-injuries in different Voronoi diagrams. In the proposed multi-agent system, the priority of the injuries for receiving medical assistance and facilities of the smart city for reporting the blocked streets was considered. Tehran Municipality District 5 was considered as the study area and during 3 minutes intervals, the volunteers reported the blocked street. The difference between the supply and the demand divided to the supply in each Voronoi diagram decreased to 0.1601. In the proposed multi-agent system, the response time of the ambulances is decreased about 36.7%.

An Intelligent Fleet Condition-Based Maintenance Decision Making Method Based on Multi-Agent

OpenAIRE

Bo Sun; Qiang Feng; Songjie Li

2012-01-01

According to the demand for condition-based maintenance online decision making among a mission oriented fleet, an intelligent maintenance decision making method based on Multi-agent and heuristic rules is proposed. The process of condition-based maintenance within an aircraft fleet (each containing one or more Line Replaceable Modules) based on multiple maintenance thresholds is analyzed. Then the process is abstracted into a Multi-Agent Model, a 2-layer model structure containing host negoti...

Fault-Tolerant Consensus of Multi-Agent System With Distributed Adaptive Protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Shun; Ho, Daniel W C; Li, Lulu; Liu, Ming

2015-10-01

In this paper, fault-tolerant consensus in multi-agent system using distributed adaptive protocol is investigated. Firstly, distributed adaptive online updating strategies for some parameters are proposed based on local information of the network structure. Then, under the online updating parameters, a distributed adaptive protocol is developed to compensate the fault effects and the uncertainty effects in the leaderless multi-agent system. Based on the local state information of neighboring agents, a distributed updating protocol gain is developed which leads to a fully distributed continuous adaptive fault-tolerant consensus protocol design for the leaderless multi-agent system. Furthermore, a distributed fault-tolerant leader-follower consensus protocol for multi-agent system is constructed by the proposed adaptive method. Finally, a simulation example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis.

An Interactive Tool for Creating Multi-Agent Systems and Interactive Agent-based Games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Henrik Hautop; Pagliarini, Luigi

2011-01-01

Utilizing principles from parallel and distributed processing combined with inspiration from modular robotics, we developed the modular interactive tiles. As an educational tool, the modular interactive tiles facilitate the learning of multi-agent systems and interactive agent-based games...

Modeling of a production system using the multi-agent approach

Science.gov (United States)

Gwiazda, A.; Sękala, A.; Banaś, W.

2017-08-01

The method that allows for the analysis of complex systems is a multi-agent simulation. The multi-agent simulation (Agent-based modeling and simulation - ABMS) is modeling of complex systems consisting of independent agents. In the case of the model of the production system agents may be manufactured pieces set apart from other types of agents like machine tools, conveyors or replacements stands. Agents are magazines and buffers. More generally speaking, the agents in the model can be single individuals, but you can also be defined as agents of collective entities. They are allowed hierarchical structures. It means that a single agent could belong to a certain class. Depending on the needs of the agent may also be a natural or physical resource. From a technical point of view, the agent is a bundle of data and rules describing its behavior in different situations. Agents can be autonomous or non-autonomous in making the decision about the types of classes of agents, class sizes and types of connections between elements of the system. Multi-agent modeling is a very flexible technique for modeling and model creating in the convention that could be adapted to any research problem analyzed from different points of views. One of the major problems associated with the organization of production is the spatial organization of the production process. Secondly, it is important to include the optimal scheduling. For this purpose use can approach multi-purposeful. In this regard, the model of the production process will refer to the design and scheduling of production space for four different elements. The program system was developed in the environment NetLogo. It was also used elements of artificial intelligence. The main agent represents the manufactured pieces that, according to previously assumed rules, generate the technological route and allow preprint the schedule of that line. Machine lines, reorientation stands, conveyors and transport devices also represent the

Agent Based Fuzzy T-S Multi-Model System and Its Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaopeng Zhao

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Based on the basic concepts of agent and fuzzy T-S model, an agent based fuzzy T-S multi-model (ABFT-SMM system is proposed in this paper. Different from the traditional method, the parameters and the membership value of the agent can be adjusted along with the process. In this system, each agent can be described as a dynamic equation, which can be seen as the local part of the multi-model, and it can execute the task alone or collaborate with other agents to accomplish a fixed goal. It is proved in this paper that the agent based fuzzy T-S multi-model system can approximate any linear or nonlinear system at arbitrary accuracy. The applications to the benchmark problem of chaotic time series prediction, water heater system and waste heat utilizing process illustrate the viability and the efficiency of the mentioned approach. At the same time, the method can be easily used to a number of engineering fields, including identification, nonlinear control, fault diagnostics and performance analysis.

Towards a multi-agent system for visualising simulated behaviour within the built environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkstra, J.; Timmermans, H.J.P.; Vries, de B.; Timmermans, H.J.P.; Vries, de B.

2000-01-01

This paper describes the outline of a multi-agent system approach for visualising simulated user behaviour within a building. This system can be used to support the assessment of design performance. Visualisation is of critical importance in improving the readability of design representations.

Carbon emissions trading scheme exploration in China: A multi-agent-based model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, Ling; Wu, Jiaqian; Yu, Lean; Bao, Qin

2015-01-01

To develop a low-carbon economy, China launched seven pilot programs for carbon emissions trading (CET) in 2011 and plans to establish a nationwide CET mechanism in 2015. This paper formulated a multi-agent-based model to investigate the impacts of different CET designs in order to find the most appropriate one for China. The proposed bottom-up model includes all main economic agents in a general equilibrium framework. The simulation results indicate that (1) CET would effectively reduce carbon emissions, with a certain negative impact on the economy, (2) as for allowance allocation, the grandfathering rule is relatively moderate, while the benchmarking rule is more aggressive, (3) as for the carbon price, when the price level in the secondary CET market is regulated to be around RMB 40 per metric ton, a satisfactory emission mitigation effect can be obtained, (4) the penalty rate is suggested to be carefully designed to balance the economy development and mitigation effect, and (5) subsidy policy for energy technology improvement can effectively reduce carbon emissions without an additional negative impact on the economy. The results also indicate that the proposed novel model is a promising tool for CET policy making and analyses. -- Highlights: •A multi-agent-based model is proposed for carbon emissions trading (CET) in China. •Three agents are included: government, firms in different sectors and households. •The impacts of CET on the economy and environment in China are analyzed. •Different CET designs are simulated to find an appropriate policy for China. •Results confirm the effectiveness of the model and give helpful insights into CET design

Modeling Multi-Mobile Agents System Based on Coalition Signature Mechanism Using UML

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

SUNZhixin; HUANGHaiping; WANGRuchuan

2004-01-01

With the development of electronic commerce and agent techniques, multi-mobile agents cooperation can not only improve the efficiency of electronic business trade, but more importantly, it has a comprehensive applicative value in solving the security issues of mobile agent system. This paper firstly describes the mechanism of multi-mobile agents coalition signature aiming at the system security. Subsequently it brings forward a basic architecture of Multi-mobile agents system (MMAS) based on the design pattern of multi-mobile agents. The paper uses the diagrs_rn of UML, such as use case diagram, class diagram and sequence diagram to build the detailed model of the coalition signature and multi-mobile agents cooperation results. Through security analysis, we find that multimobile agents cooperation and interaction can solve some security problems of mobile agents in transfer, and also it can improve the efficiency of business trade. These results indicate that MMAS has a high security performance and can be widely used in E-commerce trade.

Adaptive Synchronization for Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Systems with Switching Topologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Ridho Rosa

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This work provides a multi-agent extension of output-feedback model reference adaptive control (MRAC, designed to synchronize a network of heterogeneous uncertain agents. The implementation of this scheme is based on multi-agent matching conditions. The practical advantage of the proposed MRAC is the possibility of handling the case of the unknown dynamics of the agents only by using the output and the control input of its neighbors. In addition, it is reasonable to consider the case when the communication topology is time-varying. In this work, the time-varying communication leads to a switching control structure that depends on the number of the predecessor of the agents. By using the switching control structure to handle the time-varying topologies, we show that synchronization can be achieved. The multi-agent adaptive switching controller is first analyzed, and numerical simulations based on formation control of simplifier quadcopter dynamics are provided.

Modeling and simulation of complex systems a framework for efficient agent-based modeling and simulation

CERN Document Server

Siegfried, Robert

2014-01-01

Robert Siegfried presents a framework for efficient agent-based modeling and simulation of complex systems. He compares different approaches for describing structure and dynamics of agent-based models in detail. Based on this evaluation the author introduces the "General Reference Model for Agent-based Modeling and Simulation" (GRAMS). Furthermore he presents parallel and distributed simulation approaches for execution of agent-based models -from small scale to very large scale. The author shows how agent-based models may be executed by different simulation engines that utilize underlying hard

Evaluation of CO2 free electricity trading market in Japan by multi-agent simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sichao, Kan; Yamamoto, Hiromi; Yamaji, Kenji

2010-01-01

As of November 2008, a new market, the CO 2 free electricity market, started pilot trading within the Japan Electric Power Exchange (JEPX). The electricity in this market comes from renewable resources, nuclear or fossil thermal power with CDM credits. The demanders of the CO 2 free electricity are supposed to be the power companies with high emission rates. In this paper, we analyzed the effects of the new market by using a multi-agent based model to simulate the markets. From our simulation results, we found that the demander, under strict CO 2 emission regulations, tends to buy more electricity from the new CO 2 free market even though the price of this market is higher than that of the normal power exchange market. Suppliers with hydro or nuclear power plants only sell their electricity to the CO 2 free market, and suppliers with coal power plants also enter this market (with CDM credits). The media and peak demands in the normal market are met mainly by electricity from LNG power plants. We also compared the results from the multi-agent approach with those from the least-cost planning approach and found that the results of the two methods were similar. (author)

Multi-Agent System-Based Microgrid Operation Strategy for Demand Response

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hee-Jun Cha

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The microgrid and demand response (DR are important technologies for future power grids. Among the variety of microgrid operations, the multi-agent system (MAS has attracted considerable attention. In a microgrid with MAS, the agents installed on the microgrid components operate optimally by communicating with each other. This paper proposes an operation algorithm for the individual agents of a test microgrid that consists of a battery energy storage system (BESS and an intelligent load. A microgrid central controller to manage the microgrid can exchange information with each agent. The BESS agent performs scheduling for maximum benefit in response to the electricity price and BESS state of charge (SOC through a fuzzy system. The intelligent load agent assumes that the industrial load performs scheduling for maximum benefit by calculating the hourly production cost. The agent operation algorithm includes a scheduling algorithm using day-ahead pricing in the DR program and a real-time operation algorithm for emergency situations using emergency demand response (EDR. The proposed algorithm and operation strategy were implemented both by a hardware-in-the-loop simulation test using OPAL-RT and an actual hardware test by connecting a new distribution simulator.

Consensus pursuit of heterogeneous multi-agent systems under a directed acyclic graph

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Jing; Guan, Xin-Ping; Luo, Xiao-Yuan

2011-04-01

This paper is concerned with the cooperative target pursuit problem by multiple agents based on directed acyclic graph. The target appears at a random location and moves only when sensed by the agents, and agents will pursue the target once they detect its existence. Since the ability of each agent may be different, we consider the heterogeneous multi-agent systems. According to the topology of the multi-agent systems, a novel consensus-based control law is proposed, where the target and agents are modeled as a leader and followers, respectively. Based on Mason's rule and signal flow graph analysis, the convergence conditions are provided to show that the agents can catch the target in a finite time. Finally, simulation studies are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Organization of the secure distributed computing based on multi-agent system

Science.gov (United States)

Khovanskov, Sergey; Rumyantsev, Konstantin; Khovanskova, Vera

2018-04-01

Nowadays developing methods for distributed computing is received much attention. One of the methods of distributed computing is using of multi-agent systems. The organization of distributed computing based on the conventional network computers can experience security threats performed by computational processes. Authors have developed the unified agent algorithm of control system of computing network nodes operation. Network PCs is used as computing nodes. The proposed multi-agent control system for the implementation of distributed computing allows in a short time to organize using of the processing power of computers any existing network to solve large-task by creating a distributed computing. Agents based on a computer network can: configure a distributed computing system; to distribute the computational load among computers operated agents; perform optimization distributed computing system according to the computing power of computers on the network. The number of computers connected to the network can be increased by connecting computers to the new computer system, which leads to an increase in overall processing power. Adding multi-agent system in the central agent increases the security of distributed computing. This organization of the distributed computing system reduces the problem solving time and increase fault tolerance (vitality) of computing processes in a changing computing environment (dynamic change of the number of computers on the network). Developed a multi-agent system detects cases of falsification of the results of a distributed system, which may lead to wrong decisions. In addition, the system checks and corrects wrong results.

VigilAgent for the development of agent-based multi-robot surveillance systems

OpenAIRE

Gascueña Noheda, José Manuel; Navarro Martínez, Elena María; Fernández Caballero, Antonio

2011-01-01

Usually, surveillance applications are developed following an ad-hoc approach instead of using a methodology to guide stakeholders in achieving quality standards expected from commercial software. To solve this gap, our conjecture is that surveillance applications can be fully developed from their initial design stages by means of agent-based methodologies. Specifically, this paper describes the experience and the results of using a multi-agent systems approach according to the process provid...

Research of negotiation in network trade system based on multi-agent

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Jun; Wang, Guozheng; Wu, Haiyan

2009-07-01

A construction and implementation technology of network trade based on multi-agent is described in this paper. First, we researched the technology of multi-agent, then we discussed the consumer's behaviors and the negotiation between purchaser and bargainer which emerges in the traditional business mode and analysed the key technology to implement the network trade system. Finally, we implement the system.

An adaptive multi-agent-based approach to smart grids control and optimization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carvalho, Marco [Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL (United States); Perez, Carlos; Granados, Adrian [Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Ocala, FL (United States)

2012-03-15

In this paper, we describe a reinforcement learning-based approach to power management in smart grids. The scenarios we consider are smart grid settings where renewable power sources (e.g. Photovoltaic panels) have unpredictable variations in power output due, for example, to weather or cloud transient effects. Our approach builds on a multi-agent system (MAS)-based infrastructure for the monitoring and coordination of smart grid environments with renewable power sources and configurable energy storage devices (battery banks). Software agents are responsible for tracking and reporting power flow variations at different points in the grid, and to optimally coordinate the engagement of battery banks (i.e. charge/idle/discharge modes) to maintain energy requirements to end-users. Agents are able to share information and coordinate control actions through a parallel communications infrastructure, and are also capable of learning, from experience, how to improve their response strategies for different operational conditions. In this paper we describe our approach and address some of the challenges associated with the communications infrastructure for distributed coordination. We also present some preliminary results of our first simulations using the GridLAB-D simulation environment, created by the US Department of Energy (DoE) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). (orig.)

A Novel Secondary Control for Microgrid Based on Synergetic Control of Multi-Agent System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhiwen Yu

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In power systems, the secondary control is a very useful way to restore the system frequency and voltage to the rated value. This paper tries to propose a secondary frequency and voltage control of islanded microgrids based on the distributed synergetic control of multi-agent systems. In the proposed control, since each distributed generation only requires its own information and that of the neighbors, the secondary control is fully distributed. The system is more reliable because the central controller and complex communication network are reduced in the distributed structure. Based on multi-agent systems, the dynamic model is established, and distributed synergetic control algorithms are given to design the secondary control of the islanded microgrid. Meanwhile, the system has globally asymptotic stability under the proposed control, which is proved by the direct Lyapunov method. Simulation results about a test microgrid are given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control.

Distributed Market-Based Algorithms for Multi-Agent Planning with Shared Resources

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-01

1 Introduction 1 2 Distributed Market-Based Multi-Agent Planning 5 2.1 Problem Formulation...over the deterministic planner, on the “test set” of scenarios with changing economies. . . 50 xi xii Chapter 1 Introduction Multi-agent planning is...representation of the objective (4.2.1). For example, for the supply chain mangement problem, we assumed a sequence of Bernoulli coin flips, which seems

Multi-agent system-based event-triggered hybrid control scheme for energy internet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dou, Chunxia; Yue, Dong; Han, Qing Long

2017-01-01

This paper is concerned with an event-triggered hybrid control for the energy Internet based on a multi-agent system approach with which renewable energy resources can be fully utilized to meet load demand with high security and well dynamical quality. In the design of control, a multi-agent system...

Agent-based model with multi-level herding for complex financial systems

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jun-Jie; Tan, Lei; Zheng, Bo

2015-02-01

In complex financial systems, the sector structure and volatility clustering are respectively important features of the spatial and temporal correlations. However, the microscopic generation mechanism of the sector structure is not yet understood. Especially, how to produce these two features in one model remains challenging. We introduce a novel interaction mechanism, i.e., the multi-level herding, in constructing an agent-based model to investigate the sector structure combined with volatility clustering. According to the previous market performance, agents trade in groups, and their herding behavior comprises the herding at stock, sector and market levels. Further, we propose methods to determine the key model parameters from historical market data, rather than from statistical fitting of the results. From the simulation, we obtain the sector structure and volatility clustering, as well as the eigenvalue distribution of the cross-correlation matrix, for the New York and Hong Kong stock exchanges. These properties are in agreement with the empirical ones. Our results quantitatively reveal that the multi-level herding is the microscopic generation mechanism of the sector structure, and provide new insight into the spatio-temporal interactions in financial systems at the microscopic level.

Multi-agent control system with information fusion based comfort model for smart buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zhu; Wang, Lingfeng; Dounis, Anastasios I.; Yang, Rui

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Proposed a model to manage indoor energy and comfort for smart buildings. ► Developed a control system to maximize comfort with minimum energy consumption. ► Information fusion with ordered weighted averaging aggregation is used. ► Multi-agent technology and heuristic intelligent optimization are deployed in developing the control system. -- Abstract: From the perspective of system control, a smart and green building is a large-scale dynamic system with high complexity and a huge amount of information. Proper combination of the available information and effective control of the overall building system turns out to be a big challenge. In this study, we proposed a building indoor energy and comfort management model based on information fusion using ordered weighted averaging (OWA) aggregation. A multi-agent control system with heuristic intelligent optimization is developed to achieve a high level of comfort with the minimum power consumption. Case studies and simulation results are presented and discussed in this paper.

Developing an Agent-Based Simulation System for Post-Earthquake Operations in Uncertainty Conditions: A Proposed Method for Collaboration among Agents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Navid Hooshangi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Agent-based modeling is a promising approach for developing simulation tools for natural hazards in different areas, such as during urban search and rescue (USAR operations. The present study aimed to develop a dynamic agent-based simulation model in post-earthquake USAR operations using geospatial information system and multi agent systems (GIS and MASs, respectively. We also propose an approach for dynamic task allocation and establishing collaboration among agents based on contract net protocol (CNP and interval-based Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS methods, which consider uncertainty in natural hazards information during agents’ decision-making. The decision-making weights were calculated by analytic hierarchy process (AHP. In order to implement the system, earthquake environment was simulated and the damage of the buildings and a number of injuries were calculated in Tehran’s District 3: 23%, 37%, 24% and 16% of buildings were in slight, moderate, extensive and completely vulnerable classes, respectively. The number of injured persons was calculated to be 17,238. Numerical results in 27 scenarios showed that the proposed method is more accurate than the CNP method in the terms of USAR operational time (at least 13% decrease and the number of human fatalities (at least 9% decrease. In interval uncertainty analysis of our proposed simulated system, the lower and upper bounds of uncertain responses are evaluated. The overall results showed that considering uncertainty in task allocation can be a highly advantageous in the disaster environment. Such systems can be used to manage and prepare for natural hazards.

Multi-Agent Modeling in Managing Six Sigma Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Y. Chau

2009-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a multi-agent model is proposed for considering the human resources factor in decision making in relation to the six sigma project. The proposed multi-agent system is expected to increase the acccuracy of project prioritization and to stabilize the human resources service level. A simulation of the proposed multiagent model is conducted. The results show that a multi-agent model which takes into consideration human resources when making decisions about project selection and project team formation is important in enabling efficient and effective project management. The multi-agent modeling approach provides an alternative approach for improving communication and the autonomy of six sigma projects in business organizations.

Event-triggered hybrid control based on multi-Agent systems for Microgrids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dou, Chun-xia; Liu, Bin; Guerrero, Josep M.

2014-01-01

This paper is focused on a multi-agent system based event-triggered hybrid control for intelligently restructuring the operating mode of an microgrid (MG) to ensure the energy supply with high security, stability and cost effectiveness. Due to the microgrid is composed of different types...... of distributed energy resources, thus it is typical hybrid dynamic network. Considering the complex hybrid behaviors, a hierarchical decentralized coordinated control scheme is firstly constructed based on multi-agent sys-tem, then, the hybrid model of the microgrid is built by using differential hybrid Petri...

Agent-Based Smart Grid Market Simulation with Connection to Real Infrastructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santos, Gabriel; Pinto, Tiago; Gomes, Luis

2015-01-01

The consensus behind Smart Grids (SG) as one of the most promising solutions for the massive integration of renewable energy sources in power systems has led to the practical implementation of several prototypes and pilots that aim at testing and validating SG methodologies. The urgent need...... to accommodate such resources of distributed and intermittent nature and the impact that a deficient management of energy sources has on the global population require that alternative solutions are experimented. This paper presents a multi-agent based SG simulation platform that is connected to physical...

Second-Order Controllability of Multi-Agent Systems with Multiple Leaders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Bo; Han Xiao; Shi Yun-Tao; Su Hou-Sheng

2016-01-01

This paper proposes a new second-order continuous-time multi-agent model and analyzes the controllability of second-order multi-agent system with multiple leaders based on the asymmetric topology. This paper considers the more general case: velocity coupling topology is different from location coupling topology. Some sufficient and necessary conditions are presented for the controllability of the system with multiple leaders. In addition, the paper studies the controllability of the system with velocity damping gain. Simulation results are given to illustrate the correctness of theoretical results. (paper)

Agent Behavior-Based Simulation Study on Mass Collaborative Product Development Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuo Zhang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Mass collaborative product development (MCPD benefits people by high innovation products with lower cost and shorter lead time due to quick development of group innovation, Internet-based customization, and prototype manufacturing. Simulation is an effective way to study the evolution process and therefore to guarantee the success of MCPD. In this paper, an agent behavior-based simulation approach of MCPD is developed, which models the MCPD process as the interactive process of design agents and the environment objects based on Complex Adaptive System (CAS theory. Next, the structure model of design agent is proposed, and the modification and collaboration behaviors are described. Third, the agent behavior-based simulation flow of MCPD is designed. At last, simulation experiments are carried out based on an engineering case of mobile phone design. The experiment results show the following: (1 the community scale has significant influence on MCPD process; (2 the simulation process can explicitly represent the modification and collaboration behaviors of design agents; (3 the community evolution process can be observed and analyzed dynamically based on simulation data.

iCrowd: agent-based behavior modeling and crowd simulator

Science.gov (United States)

Kountouriotis, Vassilios I.; Paterakis, Manolis; Thomopoulos, Stelios C. A.

2016-05-01

Initially designed in the context of the TASS (Total Airport Security System) FP-7 project, the Crowd Simulation platform developed by the Integrated Systems Lab of the Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications at N.C.S.R. Demokritos, has evolved into a complete domain-independent agent-based behavior simulator with an emphasis on crowd behavior and building evacuation simulation. Under continuous development, it reflects an effort to implement a modern, multithreaded, data-oriented simulation engine employing latest state-of-the-art programming technologies and paradigms. It is based on an extensible architecture that separates core services from the individual layers of agent behavior, offering a concrete simulation kernel designed for high-performance and stability. Its primary goal is to deliver an abstract platform to facilitate implementation of several Agent-Based Simulation solutions with applicability in several domains of knowledge, such as: (i) Crowd behavior simulation during [in/out] door evacuation. (ii) Non-Player Character AI for Game-oriented applications and Gamification activities. (iii) Vessel traffic modeling and simulation for Maritime Security and Surveillance applications. (iv) Urban and Highway Traffic and Transportation Simulations. (v) Social Behavior Simulation and Modeling.

A Multi-Agent Based Energy Management Solution for Integrated Buildings and Microgrid System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Anvari-Moghaddam, Amjad; Rahimi-Kian, Ashkan; Mirian, Maryam S.

2017-01-01

-reflex to complex learning agents are designed and implemented to cooperate with each other to reach an optimal operating strategy for the mentioned integrated energy system (IES) while meeting the system’s objectives and related constraints. The optimization process for the EMS is defined as a coordinated......In this paper, an ontology-driven multi-agent based energy management system (EMS) is proposed for monitoring and optimal control of an integrated homes/buildings and microgrid system with various renewable energy resources (RESs) and controllable loads. Different agents ranging from simple...... distributed generation (DG) and demand response (DR) management problem within the studied environment and is solved by the proposed agent-based approach utilizing cooperation and communication among decision agents. To verify the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed multi-agent based EMS, several...

Dynamical Consensus Algorithm for Second-Order Multi-Agent Systems Subjected to Communication Delay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Chenglin; Liu Fei

2013-01-01

To solve the dynamical consensus problem of second-order multi-agent systems with communication delay, delay-dependent compensations are added into the normal asynchronously-coupled consensus algorithm so as to make the agents achieve a dynamical consensus. Based on frequency-domain analysis, sufficient conditions are gained for second-order multi-agent systems with communication delay under leaderless and leader-following consensus algorithms respectively. Simulation illustrates the correctness of the results. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

Hybrid Multi-Agent Control in Microgrids: Framework, Models and Implementations Based on IEC 61850

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaobo Dou

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Operation control is a vital and complex issue for microgrids. The objective of this paper is to explore the practical means of applying decentralized control by using a multi agent system in actual microgrids and devices. This paper presents a hierarchical control framework (HCF consisting of local reaction control (LRC level, local decision control (LDC level, horizontal cooperation control (HCC level and vertical cooperation control (VCC level to meet different control requirements of a microgrid. Then, a hybrid multi-agent control model (HAM is proposed to implement HCF, and the properties, functionalities and operating rules of HAM are described. Furthermore, the paper elaborates on the implementation of HAM based on the IEC 61850 Standard, and proposes some new implementation methods, such as extended information models of IEC 61850 with agent communication language and bidirectional interaction mechanism of generic object oriented substation event (GOOSE communication. A hardware design and software system are proposed and the results of simulation and laboratory tests verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategies, models and implementations.

An Immune Agent for Web-Based AI Course

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Tao; Cai, Zixing

2006-01-01

To overcome weakness and faults of a web-based e-learning course such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), an immune agent was proposed, simulating a natural immune mechanism against a virus. The immune agent was built on the multi-dimension education agent model and immune algorithm. The web-based AI course was comprised of many files, such as HTML…

Distributed multi-agent scheme for reactive power management with renewable energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, M.S.; Mahmud, M.A.; Pota, H.R.; Hossain, M.J.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A distributed multi-agent scheme is proposed to enhance the dynamic voltage stability. • A control agent is designed where control actions are performed through PI controller. • Proposed scheme is compared with the conventional approach with DSTATCOM. • Proposed scheme adapts the capability of estimation and control under various operating conditions. - Abstract: This paper presents a new distributed multi-agent scheme for reactive power management in smart coordinated distribution networks with renewable energy sources (RESs) to enhance the dynamic voltage stability, which is mainly based on controlling distributed static synchronous compensators (DSTATCOMs). The proposed control scheme is incorporated in a multi-agent framework where the intelligent agents simultaneously coordinate with each other and represent various physical models to provide information and energy flow among different physical processes. The reactive power is estimated from the topology of distribution networks and with this information, necessary control actions are performed through the proposed proportional integral (PI) controller. The performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated on a 8-bus distribution network under various operating conditions. The performance of the proposed scheme is validated through simulation results and these results are compared to that of conventional PI-based DSTATCOM control scheme. From simulation results, it is found that the distributed MAS provides excellence performance for improving voltage profiles by managing reactive power in a smarter way

Optimized Sensor Network and Multi-Agent Decision Support for Smart Traffic Light Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz-Piris, Luis; Rivera, Diego; Fernandez, Susel; Marsa-Maestre, Ivan

2018-02-02

One of the biggest challenges in modern societies is to solve vehicular traffic problems. Sensor networks in traffic environments have contributed to improving the decision-making process of Intelligent Transportation Systems. However, one of the limiting factors for the effectiveness of these systems is in the deployment of sensors to provide accurate information about the traffic. Our proposal is using the centrality measurement of a graph as a base to locate the best locations for sensor installation in a traffic network. After integrating these sensors in a simulation scenario, we define a Multi-Agent Systems composed of three types of agents: traffic light management agents, traffic jam detection agents, and agents that control the traffic lights at an intersection. The ultimate goal of these Multi-Agent Systems is to improve the trip duration for vehicles in the network. To validate our solution, we have developed the needed elements for modelling the sensors and agents in the simulation environment. We have carried out experiments using the Simulation of Urban MObility (SUMO) traffic simulator and the Travel and Activity PAtterns Simulation (TAPAS) Cologne traffic scenario. The obtained results show that our proposal allows to reduce the sensor network while still obtaining relevant information to have a global view of the environment. Finally, regarding the Multi-Agent Systems, we have carried out experiments that show that our proposal is able to improve other existing solutions such as conventional traffic light management systems (static or dynamic) in terms of reduction of vehicle trip duration and reduction of the message exchange overhead in the sensor network.

On the formal analysis of the dynamics of simulated agent societies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Popova, V.; Eiben, A.E.; Jonker, C.M.; Schut, M.C.

2007-01-01

To analyze emergent behavior, a formal framework is needed to characterize the structure and dynamics of complex interaction-based multi-agent systems. We introduce an extension of an existing agent testbed for artificial societies making it possible to formally analyze the dynamics of the simulated

Learning Natural Selection in 4th Grade with Multi-Agent-Based Computational Models

Science.gov (United States)

Dickes, Amanda Catherine; Sengupta, Pratim

2013-01-01

In this paper, we investigate how elementary school students develop multi-level explanations of population dynamics in a simple predator-prey ecosystem, through scaffolded interactions with a multi-agent-based computational model (MABM). The term "agent" in an MABM indicates individual computational objects or actors (e.g., cars), and these…

MATT: Multi Agents Testing Tool Based Nets within Nets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Kerraoui

2016-12-01

As part of this effort, we propose a model based testing approach for multi agent systems based on such a model called Reference net, where a tool, which aims to providing a uniform and automated approach is developed. The feasibility and the advantage of the proposed approach are shown through a short case study.

10th International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems

CERN Document Server

Pérez, Javier; Golinska, Paulina; Giroux, Sylvain; Corchuelo, Rafael; Trends in Practical Applications of Agents and Multiagent Systems

2012-01-01

PAAMS, the International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems is an evolution of the International Workshop on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. PAAMS is an international yearly tribune to present, to discuss, and to disseminate the latest developments and the most important outcomes related to real-world applications. It provides a unique opportunity to bring multi-disciplinary experts, academics and practitioners together to exchange their experience in the development of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems.   This volume presents the papers that have been accepted for the 2012 in the workshops: Workshop on Agents for Ambient Assisted Living, Workshop on Agent-Based Solutions for Manufacturing and Supply Chain and Workshop on Agents and Multi-agent systems for Enterprise Integration.

On-lattice agent-based simulation of populations of cells within the open-source Chaste framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Figueredo, Grazziela P; Joshi, Tanvi V; Osborne, James M; Byrne, Helen M; Owen, Markus R

2013-04-06

Over the years, agent-based models have been developed that combine cell division and reinforced random walks of cells on a regular lattice, reaction-diffusion equations for nutrients and growth factors; and ordinary differential equations for the subcellular networks regulating the cell cycle. When linked to a vascular layer, this multiple scale model framework has been applied to tumour growth and therapy. Here, we report on the creation of an agent-based multi-scale environment amalgamating the characteristics of these models within a Virtual Physiological Human (VPH) Exemplar Project. This project enables reuse, integration, expansion and sharing of the model and relevant data. The agent-based and reaction-diffusion parts of the multi-scale model have been implemented and are available for download as part of the latest public release of Chaste (Cancer, Heart and Soft Tissue Environment; http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/chaste/), part of the VPH Toolkit (http://toolkit.vph-noe.eu/). The environment functionalities are verified against the original models, in addition to extra validation of all aspects of the code. In this work, we present the details of the implementation of the agent-based environment, including the system description, the conceptual model, the development of the simulation model and the processes of verification and validation of the simulation results. We explore the potential use of the environment by presenting exemplar applications of the 'what if' scenarios that can easily be studied in the environment. These examples relate to tumour growth, cellular competition for resources and tumour responses to hypoxia (low oxygen levels). We conclude our work by summarizing the future steps for the expansion of the current system.

On-lattice agent-based simulation of populations of cells within the open-source Chaste framework

KAUST Repository

Figueredo, G. P.

2013-02-21

Over the years, agent-based models have been developed that combine cell division and reinforced random walks of cells on a regular lattice, reaction-diffusion equations for nutrients and growth factors; and ordinary differential equations for the subcellular networks regulating the cell cycle. When linked to a vascular layer, this multiple scale model framework has been applied to tumour growth and therapy. Here, we report on the creation of an agent-based multi-scale environment amalgamating the characteristics of these models within a Virtual Physiological Human (VPH) Exemplar Project. This project enables reuse, integration, expansion and sharing of the model and relevant data. The agent-based and reaction-diffusion parts of the multi-scale model have been implemented and are available for download as part of the latest public release of Chaste (Cancer, Heart and Soft Tissue Environment; http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/chaste/), part of the VPH Toolkit (http://toolkit.vph-noe.eu/). The environment functionalities are verified against the original models, in addition to extra validation of all aspects of the code. In this work, we present the details of the implementation of the agent-based environment, including the system description, the conceptual model, the development of the simulation model and the processes of verification and validation of the simulation results. We explore the potential use of the environment by presenting exemplar applications of the \\'what if\\' scenarios that can easily be studied in the environment. These examples relate to tumour growth, cellular competition for resources and tumour responses to hypoxia (low oxygen levels). We conclude our work by summarizing the future steps for the expansion of the current system.

Agent-based simulation of animal behaviour

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C.M. Jonker (Catholijn); J. Treur

1998-01-01

textabstract In this paper it is shown how animal behaviour can be simulated in an agent-based manner. Different models are shown for different types of behaviour, varying from purely reactive behaviour to pro-active, social and adaptive behaviour. The compositional development method for

Carbon allowance auction design of China's emissions trading scheme: A multi-agent-based approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, Ling; Wu, Jiaqian; Yu, Lean; Bao, Qin

2017-01-01

In this paper, a multi-agent-based ETS simulation model is proposed for carbon allowance auction design in China. In the proposed model, two main agents, i.e., the government (the ETS implementer) and the firms in different sectors (the ETS targets), are considered. Under the ETS policy, all agents make various decisions individually according to their own goals, and interact with each other through three main markets: the commodity market, the primary carbon auction market and the secondary carbon trading market. Different popular auction designs are introduced into the ETS formulation to offer helpful insights into China's ETS design. (1) Generally, the ETS would lead to positive effects on China's carbon mitigation and energy structure improvement, but a negative impact on economy. (2) As for auction forms, the uniform-price design is relatively moderate, while the discriminative-price design is quite aggressive in both economic damage and emissions reduction. (3) As for carbon price, the uniform-price auction might generate a slightly higher market clearing price than the discriminative-price auction, and the prices under two auction rules fluctuate about RMB 40 per metric ton. (4) As for carbon cap, the total allowances in the carbon auction market should be carefully set to well balance economic growth and mitigation effect. - Highlights: • A multi-agent-based model is proposed for China's emissions trading scheme (ETS). • Two main economic agents are included: government and firms in different sectors. • Auction-based allocation for initial carbon allowances is especially investigated. • Economic and environmental impacts of different auction designs are analyzed. • Results confirm the validity of the model and give helpful insights into ETS design.

Model of interaction in Smart Grid on the basis of multi-agent system

Science.gov (United States)

Engel, E. A.; Kovalev, I. V.; Engel, N. E.

2016-11-01

This paper presents model of interaction in Smart Grid on the basis of multi-agent system. The use of travelling waves in the multi-agent system describes the behavior of the Smart Grid from the local point, which is being the complement of the conventional approach. The simulation results show that the absorption of the wave in the distributed multi-agent systems is effectively simulated the interaction in Smart Grid.

Optimized Sensor Network and Multi-Agent Decision Support for Smart Traffic Light Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Cruz-Piris

2018-02-01

Full Text Available One of the biggest challenges in modern societies is to solve vehicular traffic problems. Sensor networks in traffic environments have contributed to improving the decision-making process of Intelligent Transportation Systems. However, one of the limiting factors for the effectiveness of these systems is in the deployment of sensors to provide accurate information about the traffic. Our proposal is using the centrality measurement of a graph as a base to locate the best locations for sensor installation in a traffic network. After integrating these sensors in a simulation scenario, we define a Multi-Agent Systems composed of three types of agents: traffic light management agents, traffic jam detection agents, and agents that control the traffic lights at an intersection. The ultimate goal of these Multi-Agent Systems is to improve the trip duration for vehicles in the network. To validate our solution, we have developed the needed elements for modelling the sensors and agents in the simulation environment. We have carried out experiments using the Simulation of Urban MObility (SUMO traffic simulator and the Travel and Activity PAtterns Simulation (TAPAS Cologne traffic scenario. The obtained results show that our proposal allows to reduce the sensor network while still obtaining relevant information to have a global view of the environment. Finally, regarding the Multi-Agent Systems, we have carried out experiments that show that our proposal is able to improve other existing solutions such as conventional traffic light management systems (static or dynamic in terms of reduction of vehicle trip duration and reduction of the message exchange overhead in the sensor network.

Apports de la simulation multi-agents à l’étude des processus de diffusion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric Daudé

2004-02-01

Full Text Available Cet article présente les principaux apports d’une approche individu-centrée pour modéliser et simuler les processus de diffusion dans l’espace géographique. L’intérêt d’une telle approche est discuté au regard des limites d’une modélisation d'échelle macro-géographique traditionnellement employée pour décrire de tels phénomènes. L’équation logistique est présentée comme un exemple représentatif de cette catégorie de modèle. Les modèles de simulation à base d’agents représentent une alternative possible à une approche macro-géographique des phénomènes de diffusion. Associés aux théories de l’auto-organisation, on postule que les phénomènes observés à un certain niveau sont le résultat des nombreuses interactions qui se produisent à un ou plusieurs niveaux inférieurs. En tant qu’outil de simulation prédisposé à l’analyse de telles dynamiques, les systèmes multi-agents sont brièvement présentés. Cet article se termine par une application, la modélisation et la simulation de la diffusion d’une innovation agricole (le modèle d'Hägerstrand revisité.

Multi-agent simulation of the von Thunen model formation mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Haiyan; Li, Xia; Chen, Xiaoxiang; Deng, Chengbin

2008-10-01

This research tries to explain the internal driving forces of circular structure formation in urban geography via the simulation of interaction between individual behavior and market. On the premise of single city center, unchanged scale merit and complete competition, enterprise migration theory as well, an R-D algorithm, that has agents searched the best behavior rules in some given locations, is introduced with agent-based modeling technique. The experiment conducts a simulation on Swarm platform, whose result reflects and replays the formation process of Von Thünen circular structure. Introducing and considering some heterogeneous factors, such as traffic roads, the research verifies several landuse models and discusses the self-adjustment function of price mechanism.

An Agent Based Modelling Approach for Multi-Stakeholder Analysis of City Logistics Solutions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Anand, N.

2015-01-01

This thesis presents a comprehensive framework for multi-stakeholder analysis of city logistics solutions using agent based modeling. The framework describes different stages for the systematic development of an agent based model for the city logistics domain. The framework includes a

Adaptive tracking control of leader-following linear multi-agent systems with external disturbances

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Hanquan; Wei, Qinglai; Liu, Derong; Ma, Hongwen

2016-10-01

In this paper, the consensus problem for leader-following linear multi-agent systems with external disturbances is investigated. Brownian motions are used to describe exogenous disturbances. A distributed tracking controller based on Riccati inequalities with an adaptive law for adjusting coupling weights between neighbouring agents is designed for leader-following multi-agent systems under fixed and switching topologies. In traditional distributed static controllers, the coupling weights depend on the communication graph. However, coupling weights associated with the feedback gain matrix in our method are updated by state errors between neighbouring agents. We further present the stability analysis of leader-following multi-agent systems with stochastic disturbances under switching topology. Most traditional literature requires the graph to be connected all the time, while the communication graph is only assumed to be jointly connected in this paper. The design technique is based on Riccati inequalities and algebraic graph theory. Finally, simulations are given to show the validity of our method.

Agent Based Modelling for Social Simulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, S.K.; Ubink, E.M.; Vecht, B. van der; Langley, D.J.

2013-01-01

This document is the result of an exploratory project looking into the status of, and opportunities for Agent Based Modelling (ABM) at TNO. The project focussed on ABM applications containing social interactions and human factors, which we termed ABM for social simulation (ABM4SS). During the course

Multi-dimensional information diffusion and balancing market supply: an agent-based approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Osinga, S.A.; Kramer, M.R.; Hofstede, G.J.; Beulens, A.J.M.

2013-01-01

This agent-based information management model is designed to explore how multi-dimensional information, spreading through a population of agents (for example farmers) affects market supply. Farmers make quality decisions that must be aligned with available markets. Markets distinguish themselves by

Agent-Based Collaborative Traffic Flow Management, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose agent-based game-theoretic approaches for simulation of strategies involved in multi-objective collaborative traffic flow management (CTFM). Intelligent...

Service orientation in holonic and multi-agent manufacturing

CERN Document Server

Thomas, André; Trentesaux, Damien

2015-01-01

This volume gathers the peer reviewed papers presented at the 4th edition of the International Workshop “Service Orientation in Holonic and Multi-agent Manufacturing – SOHOMA’14” organized and hosted on November 5-6, 2014 by the University of Lorraine, France in collaboration with the CIMR Research Centre of the University Politehnica of Bucharest and the TEMPO Laboratory of the University of Valenciennes and Hainaut-Cambrésis.   The book is structured in six parts, each one covering a specific research line which represents a trend in future manufacturing: (1) Holonic and Agent-based Industrial Automation Systems; (2) Service-oriented Management and Control of Manufacturing Systems; (3) Distributed Modelling for Safety and Security in Industrial Systems; (4) Complexity, Big Data and Virtualization in Computing-oriented Manufacturing; (5) Adaptive, Bio-inspired and Self-organizing Multi-Agent Systems for Manufacturing, and (6) Physical Internet Simulation, Modelling and Control.   There is a clear ...

10th KES Conference on Agent and Multi-Agent Systems : Technologies and Applications

CERN Document Server

Chen-Burger, Yun-Heh; Howlett, Robert; Jain, Lakhmi

2016-01-01

The modern economy is driven by technologies and knowledge. Digital technologies can free, shift and multiply choices, often intruding on the space of other industries, by providing new ways of conducting business operations and creating values for customers and companies. The topics covered in this volume include software agents, multi-agent systems, agent modelling, mobile and cloud computing, big data analysis, business intelligence, artificial intelligence, social systems, computer embedded systems and nature inspired manufacturing, etc. that contribute to the modern Digital Economy. This volume highlights new trends and challenges in agent, new digital and knowledge economy research and includes 28 papers classified in the following specific topics: business process management, agent-based modeling and simulation, anthropic-oriented computing, learning paradigms, business informatics and gaming, digital economy, and advances in networked virtual enterprises. Published papers were selected for presentatio...

Agent based Particle Swarm Optimization for Load Frequency Control of Distribution Grid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cha, Seung-Tae; Saleem, Arshad; Wu, Qiuwei

2012-01-01

This paper presents a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) based on multi-agent controller. Real-time digital simulator (RTDS) is used for modelling the power system, while a PSO based multi-agent LFC algorithm is developed in JAVA for communicating with resource agents and determines the scenario...... to stabilize the frequency and voltage after the system enters into the islanding operation mode. The proposed algorithm is based on the formulation of an optimization problem using agent based PSO. The modified IEEE 9-bus system is employed to illustrate the performance of the proposed controller via RTDS...

Regulated open multi-agent systems (ROMAS) a multi-agent approach for designing normative open systems

CERN Document Server

Garcia, Emilia; Botti, Vicente

2015-01-01

Addressing the open problem of engineering normative open systems using the multi-agent paradigm, normative open systems are explained as systems in which heterogeneous and autonomous entities and institutions coexist in a complex social and legal framework that can evolve to address the different and often conflicting objectives of the many stakeholders involved. Presenting  a software engineering approach which covers both the analysis and design of these kinds of systems, and which deals with the open issues in the area, ROMAS (Regulated Open Multi-Agent Systems) defines a specific multi-agent architecture, meta-model, methodology and CASE tool. This CASE tool is based on Model-Driven technology and integrates the graphical design with the formal verification of some properties of these systems by means of model checking techniques. Utilizing tables to enhance reader insights into the most important requirements for designing normative open multi-agent systems, the book also provides a detailed and easy t...

Modelling and Simulating Complex Systems in Biology: introducing NetBioDyn : A Pedagogical and Intuitive Agent-Based Software

OpenAIRE

Ballet, Pascal; Rivière, Jérémy; Pothet, Alain; Théron, Michaël; Pichavant, Karine; Abautret, Frank; Fronville, Alexandra; Rodin, Vincent

2017-01-01

International audience; Modelling and teaching complex biological systems is a difficult process. Multi-Agent Based Simulations (MABS) have proved to be an appropriate approach both in research and education when dealing with such systems including emergent, self-organizing phenomena. This chapter presents NetBioDyn, an original software aimed at biologists (students, teachers, researchers) to easily build and simulate complex biological mechanisms observed in multicellular and molecular syst...

Exploring complex dynamics in multi agent-based intelligent systems: Theoretical and experimental approaches using the Multi Agent-based Behavioral Economic Landscape (MABEL) model

Science.gov (United States)

Alexandridis, Konstantinos T.

This dissertation adopts a holistic and detailed approach to modeling spatially explicit agent-based artificial intelligent systems, using the Multi Agent-based Behavioral Economic Landscape (MABEL) model. The research questions that addresses stem from the need to understand and analyze the real-world patterns and dynamics of land use change from a coupled human-environmental systems perspective. Describes the systemic, mathematical, statistical, socio-economic and spatial dynamics of the MABEL modeling framework, and provides a wide array of cross-disciplinary modeling applications within the research, decision-making and policy domains. Establishes the symbolic properties of the MABEL model as a Markov decision process, analyzes the decision-theoretic utility and optimization attributes of agents towards comprising statistically and spatially optimal policies and actions, and explores the probabilogic character of the agents' decision-making and inference mechanisms via the use of Bayesian belief and decision networks. Develops and describes a Monte Carlo methodology for experimental replications of agent's decisions regarding complex spatial parcel acquisition and learning. Recognizes the gap on spatially-explicit accuracy assessment techniques for complex spatial models, and proposes an ensemble of statistical tools designed to address this problem. Advanced information assessment techniques such as the Receiver-Operator Characteristic curve, the impurity entropy and Gini functions, and the Bayesian classification functions are proposed. The theoretical foundation for modular Bayesian inference in spatially-explicit multi-agent artificial intelligent systems, and the ensembles of cognitive and scenario assessment modular tools build for the MABEL model are provided. Emphasizes the modularity and robustness as valuable qualitative modeling attributes, and examines the role of robust intelligent modeling as a tool for improving policy-decisions related to land

Research on monitoring system of water resources in irrigation region based on multi-agent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, T H; Wang, D S

2012-01-01

Irrigation agriculture is the basis of agriculture and rural economic development in China. Realizing the water resource information of irrigated area will make full use of existing water resource and increase benefit of irrigation agriculture greatly. However, the water resource information system of many irrigated areas in our country is not still very sound at present, it lead to the wasting of a lot of water resources. This paper has analyzed the existing water resource monitoring system of irrigated areas, introduced the Multi-Agent theories, and set up a water resource monitoring system of irrigated area based on multi-Agent. This system is composed of monitoring multi-Agent federal, telemetry multi-Agent federal, and the Communication Network GSM between them. It can make full use of good intelligence and communication coordination in the multi-Agent federation interior, improve the dynamic monitoring and controlling timeliness of water resource of irrigated area greatly, provide information service for the sustainable development of irrigated area, and lay a foundation for realizing high information of water resource of irrigated area.

Spatio-temporal Dynamics of Land-use and Land-cover Change: A Multi-agent Simulation Model and Its Application to an Upland Watershed in Central Vietnam

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Q.; Vlek, P. L.; Park, S.

2005-12-01

Land-use and land-cover change (LUCC) is an essential environmental process that should be monitored and prognosticated to provide a basis for better land management policy. However, LUCC modeling is a challenge due to the complex nature and unexpected behavior of both human drivers and natural constraints. This paper presents a multi-agent-based model to simulate spatio-temporal land-use changes and the interdependent socio-economic dynamics emerging from the complex socio-ecological interactions at micro levels resulting from land-use policy interventions. The model provides land-use scenarios under alternative policy to support decisions on land management for improved rural livelihoods while protecting the environment. In the multi-agent simulation model, the human community is represented by household agents (heterogeneous farming households) with their profiles and decision-making mechanisms about land use. The household profile defines the five asset dimensions of household livelihood (e.g., social, human, financial, natural and physical assets). The land-use decision-making program works by taking inputs from the household profile, perceived spatial environmental attributes, and introduced policies. The decision-making program is a logical procedure that combines a land-use choice model (multi-nominal logistic choices) and anthropological rules. The landscape environment is represented by landscape agents (congruent land patches of 30mx30m) with their state variables and ecological response mechanisms to environmental changes and human interventions. State variables of landscape agents correspond to spatial GIS-raster layers of biophysical, economic, and institutional variables. Ecological mechanisms of landscape agents are represented by internal sub-models of agricultural and forest productivity dynamics, which work in response to the current state, history, and spatial neighbourhood of the landscape agents. A multi-agent based protocol coordinates the

Dynamic Energy Consumption and Emission Modelling of Container Terminal based on Multi Agents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hou Jue

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Environmental protection and energy saving pressure press the increasing attention of container terminal operators. In order to comply with the more and more strict environmental regulation, reducing energy consumption and air pollution emissions, meanwhile, optimizing the operation efficiency, which, is an urgent problem to container terminal operator of China. This paper based on the characteristic of Container Terminal Operation System (CTOS, which includes several sections of container product processes, consist of berth allocation problem, truck dispatching problem, yard allocation problem and auxiliary process. Dynamic energy consumption and emissions characteristic of each equipment and process is modelled, this paper presents the architecture of CTOS based on the multi agent system with early-warning model, which is based on multi-class support vector machines (SVM. A simulation on container terminal is built on the JADE platform to support the decision-making of container terminal, which can reduce energy consumption and air pollution emissions, allows the container terminal operator to be more flexible in their decision to meet the Emission Control Area regulation and Green Port Plan of China.

Multi-Agent Cooperative Target Search

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinwen Hu

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses a vision-based cooperative search for multiple mobile ground targets by a group of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs with limited sensing and communication capabilities. The airborne camera on each UAV has a limited field of view and its target discriminability varies as a function of altitude. First, by dividing the whole surveillance region into cells, a probability map can be formed for each UAV indicating the probability of target existence within each cell. Then, we propose a distributed probability map updating model which includes the fusion of measurement information, information sharing among neighboring agents, information decay and transmission due to environmental changes such as the target movement. Furthermore, we formulate the target search problem as a multi-agent cooperative coverage control problem by optimizing the collective coverage area and the detection performance. The proposed map updating model and the cooperative control scheme are distributed, i.e., assuming that each agent only communicates with its neighbors within its communication range. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms is illustrated by simulation.

Predicting the impact of combined therapies on myeloma cell growth using a hybrid multi-scale agent-based model.

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Zhiwei; Su, Jing; Wu, Dan; Peng, Huiming; Zhao, Weiling; Nlong Zhao, Brian; Zhou, Xiaobo

2017-01-31

Multiple myeloma is a malignant still incurable plasma cell disorder. This is due to refractory disease relapse, immune impairment, and development of multi-drug resistance. The growth of malignant plasma cells is dependent on the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment and evasion of the host's anti-tumor immune response. Hence, we hypothesized that targeting tumor-stromal cell interaction and endogenous immune system in BM will potentially improve the response of multiple myeloma (MM). Therefore, we proposed a computational simulation of the myeloma development in the complicated microenvironment which includes immune cell components and bone marrow stromal cells and predicted the effects of combined treatment with multi-drugs on myeloma cell growth. We constructed a hybrid multi-scale agent-based model (HABM) that combines an ODE system and Agent-based model (ABM). The ODEs was used for modeling the dynamic changes of intracellular signal transductions and ABM for modeling the cell-cell interactions between stromal cells, tumor, and immune components in the BM. This model simulated myeloma growth in the bone marrow microenvironment and revealed the important role of immune system in this process. The predicted outcomes were consistent with the experimental observations from previous studies. Moreover, we applied this model to predict the treatment effects of three key therapeutic drugs used for MM, and found that the combination of these three drugs potentially suppress the growth of myeloma cells and reactivate the immune response. In summary, the proposed model may serve as a novel computational platform for simulating the formation of MM and evaluating the treatment response of MM to multiple drugs.

Agent-Based Modeling of Taxi Behavior Simulation with Probe Vehicle Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saurav Ranjit

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Taxi behavior is a spatial–temporal dynamic process involving discrete time dependent events, such as customer pick-up, customer drop-off, cruising, and parking. Simulation models, which are a simplification of a real-world system, can help understand the effects of change of such dynamic behavior. In this paper, agent-based modeling and simulation is proposed, that describes the dynamic action of an agent, i.e., taxi, governed by behavior rules and properties, which emulate the taxi behavior. Taxi behavior simulations are fundamentally done for optimizing the service level for both taxi drivers as well as passengers. Moreover, simulation techniques, as such, could be applied to another field of application as well, where obtaining real raw data are somewhat difficult due to privacy issues, such as human mobility data or call detail record data. This paper describes the development of an agent-based simulation model which is based on multiple input parameters (taxi stay point cluster; trip information (origin and destination; taxi demand information; free taxi movement; and network travel time that were derived from taxi probe GPS data. As such, agent’s parameters were mapped into grid network, and the road network, for which the grid network was used as a base for query/search/retrieval of taxi agent’s parameters, while the actual movement of taxi agents was on the road network with routing and interpolation. The results obtained from the simulated taxi agent data and real taxi data showed a significant level of similarity of different taxi behavior, such as trip generation; trip time; trip distance as well as trip occupancy, based on its distribution. As for efficient data handling, a distributed computing platform for large-scale data was used for extracting taxi agent parameter from the probe data by utilizing both spatial and non-spatial indexing technique.

Vehicle-based interactive management with multi-agent approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yee Ming Chen

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Under the energy crisis and global warming, mass transportation becomes more important than before. The disadvantages of mass transportation, plus the high flexibility and efficiency of taxi and with the revolution of technology, electric-taxi is the better transportation choice for metropolis. On the other hand, among the many taxi service types, dial-a-ride (DAR service system is the better way for passenger and taxi. However the electricity replenishing of electric-taxi is the biggest shortage and constraint for DAR operation system. In order to more effectively manage the electric-taxi DAR operation system and the lots of disadvantages of physical system and observe the behaviors and interactions of simulation system, multi-agent simulation technique is the most suitable simulation technique. Finally, we use virtual data as the input of simulation system and analyze the simulation result. We successfully obtain two performance measures: average waiting time and service rate. Result shows the average waiting time is only 3.93 seconds and the service rate (total transport passenger number / total passenger number is 37.073%. So these two performance measures can support us to make management decisions. The multiagent oriented model put forward in this article is the subject of an application intended in the long term to supervise the user information system of an urban transport network.

Stochastic bounded consensus tracking of leader-follower multi-agent systems with measurement noises based on sampled data with general sampling delay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Zhi-Hai; Peng Li; Xie Lin-Bo; Wen Ji-Wei

2013-01-01

In this paper we provide a unified framework for consensus tracking of leader-follower multi-agent systems with measurement noises based on sampled data with a general sampling delay. First, a stochastic bounded consensus tracking protocol based on sampled data with a general sampling delay is presented by employing the delay decomposition technique. Then, necessary and sufficient conditions are derived for guaranteeing leader-follower multi-agent systems with measurement noises and a time-varying reference state to achieve mean square bounded consensus tracking. The obtained results cover no sampling delay, a small sampling delay and a large sampling delay as three special cases. Last, simulations are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

Emerging medical informatics with case-based reasoning for aiding clinical decision in multi-agent system.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Ying; Colloc, Joël; Jacquet-Andrieu, Armelle; Lei, Kai

2015-08-01

This research aims to depict the methodological steps and tools about the combined operation of case-based reasoning (CBR) and multi-agent system (MAS) to expose the ontological application in the field of clinical decision support. The multi-agent architecture works for the consideration of the whole cycle of clinical decision-making adaptable to many medical aspects such as the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, therapeutic monitoring of gastric cancer. In the multi-agent architecture, the ontological agent type employs the domain knowledge to ease the extraction of similar clinical cases and provide treatment suggestions to patients and physicians. Ontological agent is used for the extension of domain hierarchy and the interpretation of input requests. Case-based reasoning memorizes and restores experience data for solving similar problems, with the help of matching approach and defined interfaces of ontologies. A typical case is developed to illustrate the implementation of the knowledge acquisition and restitution of medical experts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The institutional stance in agent-based simulations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sileno, G.; Boer, A.; van Engers, T.; Filipe, J.; Fred, A.L.N.

2013-01-01

This paper presents a multi-agent framework intended to animate scenarios of compliance and non-compliance in a normative system. With the purpose of describing social human behaviour, we choose to reduce social complexity by creating models of the involved agents starting from stories, and

Multi-agent robotic systems and applications for satellite missions

Science.gov (United States)

Nunes, Miguel A.

A revolution in the space sector is happening. It is expected that in the next decade there will be more satellites launched than in the previous sixty years of space exploration. Major challenges are associated with this growth of space assets such as the autonomy and management of large groups of satellites, in particular with small satellites. There are two main objectives for this work. First, a flexible and distributed software architecture is presented to expand the possibilities of spacecraft autonomy and in particular autonomous motion in attitude and position. The approach taken is based on the concept of distributed software agents, also referred to as multi-agent robotic system. Agents are defined as software programs that are social, reactive and proactive to autonomously maximize the chances of achieving the set goals. Part of the work is to demonstrate that a multi-agent robotic system is a feasible approach for different problems of autonomy such as satellite attitude determination and control and autonomous rendezvous and docking. The second main objective is to develop a method to optimize multi-satellite configurations in space, also known as satellite constellations. This automated method generates new optimal mega-constellations designs for Earth observations and fast revisit times on large ground areas. The optimal satellite constellation can be used by researchers as the baseline for new missions. The first contribution of this work is the development of a new multi-agent robotic system for distributing the attitude determination and control subsystem for HiakaSat. The multi-agent robotic system is implemented and tested on the satellite hardware-in-the-loop testbed that simulates a representative space environment. The results show that the newly proposed system for this particular case achieves an equivalent control performance when compared to the monolithic implementation. In terms on computational efficiency it is found that the multi-agent

14th International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems : Special Sessions

CERN Document Server

Escalona, María; Corchuelo, Rafael; Mathieu, Philippe; Vale, Zita; Campbell, Andrew; Rossi, Silvia; Adam, Emmanuel; Jiménez-López, María; Navarro, Elena; Moreno, María

2016-01-01

PAAMS, the International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems is an evolution of the International Workshop on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. PAAMS is an international yearly tribune to present, to discuss, and to disseminate the latest developments and the most important outcomes related to real-world applications. It provides a unique opportunity to bring multi-disciplinary experts, academics and practitioners together to exchange their experience in the development of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. This volume presents the papers that have been accepted for the 2016 in the special sessions: Agents Behaviours and Artificial Markets (ABAM); Advances on Demand Response and Renewable Energy Sources in Agent Based Smart Grids (ADRESS); Agents and Mobile Devices (AM); Agent Methodologies for Intelligent Robotics Applications (AMIRA); Learning, Agents and Formal Languages (LAFLang); Multi-Agent Systems and Ambient Intelligence (MASMAI); Web Mining and ...

Distributed MPC based consensus for single-integrator multi-agent systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Zhaomeng; Fan, Ming-Can; Zhang, Hai-Tao

2015-09-01

This paper addresses model predictive control schemes for consensus in multi-agent systems (MASs) with discrete-time single-integrator dynamics under switching directed interaction graphs. The control horizon is extended to be greater than one which endows the closed-loop system with extra degree of freedom. We derive sufficient conditions on the sampling period and the interaction graph to achieve consensus by using the property of infinite products of stochastic matrices. Consensus can be achieved asymptotically if the sampling period is selected such that the interaction graph among agents has a directed spanning tree jointly. Significantly, if the interaction graph always has a spanning tree, one can select an arbitrary large sampling period to guarantee consensus. Finally, several simulations are conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Agent-based simulation of a financial market

Science.gov (United States)

Raberto, Marco; Cincotti, Silvano; Focardi, Sergio M.; Marchesi, Michele

2001-10-01

This paper introduces an agent-based artificial financial market in which heterogeneous agents trade one single asset through a realistic trading mechanism for price formation. Agents are initially endowed with a finite amount of cash and a given finite portfolio of assets. There is no money-creation process; the total available cash is conserved in time. In each period, agents make random buy and sell decisions that are constrained by available resources, subject to clustering, and dependent on the volatility of previous periods. The model proposed herein is able to reproduce the leptokurtic shape of the probability density of log price returns and the clustering of volatility. Implemented using extreme programming and object-oriented technology, the simulator is a flexible computational experimental facility that can find applications in both academic and industrial research projects.

A multi-agent based intelligent configuration method for aircraft fleet maintenance personnel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feng Qiang

2014-04-01

Full Text Available A multi-agent based fleet maintenance personnel configuration method is proposed to solve the mission oriented aircraft fleet maintenance personnel configuration problem. The maintenance process of an aircraft fleet is analyzed first. In the process each aircraft contains multiple parts, and different parts are repaired by personnel with different majors and levels. The factors and their relationship involved in the process of maintenance are analyzed and discussed. Then the whole maintenance process is described as a 3-layer multi-agent system (MAS model. A communication and reasoning strategy among the agents is put forward. A fleet maintenance personnel configuration algorithm is proposed based on contract net protocol (CNP. Finally, a fleet of 10 aircraft is studied for verification purposes. A mission type with 3 waves of continuous dispatch is imaged. Compared with the traditional methods that can just provide configuration results, the proposed method can provide optimal maintenance strategies as well.

Distributed Cooperative Control of Nonlinear and Non-identical Multi-agent Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bidram, Ali; Lewis, Frank; Davoudi, Ali

2013-01-01

This paper exploits input-output feedback linearization technique to implement distributed cooperative control of multi-agent systems with nonlinear and non-identical dynamics. Feedback linearization transforms the synchronization problem for a nonlinear and heterogeneous multi-agent system...... for electric power microgrids. The effectiveness of the proposed control is verified by simulating a microgrid test system....

Implementing a Multi-Agent System in Python with an Auction-Based Agreement Approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ettienne, Mikko Berggren; Vester, Steen; Villadsen, Jørgen

2012-01-01

We describe the solution used by the Python-DTU team in the Multi-Agent Programming Contest 2011, where the scenario was called Agents on Mars. We present our auction-based agreement algorithm and discuss our chosen strategy and our choice of technology used for implementing the system. Finally, we...

An Online Q-learning Based Multi-Agent LFC for a Multi-Area Multi-Source Power System Including Distributed Energy Resources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Shayeghi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an online two-stage Q-learning based multi-agent (MA controller for load frequency control (LFC in an interconnected multi-area multi-source power system integrated with distributed energy resources (DERs. The proposed control strategy consists of two stages. The first stage is employed a PID controller which its parameters are designed using sine cosine optimization (SCO algorithm and are fixed. The second one is a reinforcement learning (RL based supplementary controller that has a flexible structure and improves the output of the first stage adaptively based on the system dynamical behavior. Due to the use of RL paradigm integrated with PID controller in this strategy, it is called RL-PID controller. The primary motivation for the integration of RL technique with PID controller is to make the existing local controllers in the industry compatible to reduce the control efforts and system costs. This novel control strategy combines the advantages of the PID controller with adaptive behavior of MA to achieve the desired level of robust performance under different kind of uncertainties caused by stochastically power generation of DERs, plant operational condition changes, and physical nonlinearities of the system. The suggested decentralized controller is composed of the autonomous intelligent agents, who learn the optimal control policy from interaction with the system. These agents update their knowledge about the system dynamics continuously to achieve a good frequency oscillation damping under various severe disturbances without any knowledge of them. It leads to an adaptive control structure to solve LFC problem in the multi-source power system with stochastic DERs. The results of RL-PID controller in comparison to the traditional PID and fuzzy-PID controllers is verified in a multi-area power system integrated with DERs through some performance indices.

Invariance and universality in social agent-based simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Cioffi-Revilla, Claudio

2002-01-01

Agent-based simulation models have a promising future in the social sciences, from political science to anthropology, economics, and sociology. To realize their full scientific potential, however, these models must address a set of key problems, such as the number of interacting agents and their geometry, network topology, time calibration, phenomenological calibration, structural stability, power laws, and other substantive and methodological issues. This paper discusses and highlights these problems and outlines some solutions. PMID:12011412

Agent-based modeling and simulation Part 3 : desktop ABMS.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Macal, C. M.; North, M. J.; Decision and Information Sciences

2007-01-01

Agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) is a new approach to modeling systems comprised of autonomous, interacting agents. ABMS promises to have far-reaching effects on the way that businesses use computers to support decision-making and researchers use electronic laboratories to support their research. Some have gone so far as to contend that ABMS 'is a third way of doing science,' in addition to traditional deductive and inductive reasoning (Axelrod 1997b). Computational advances have made possible a growing number of agent-based models across a variety of application domains. Applications range from modeling agent behavior in the stock market, supply chains, and consumer markets, to predicting the spread of epidemics, the threat of bio-warfare, and the factors responsible for the fall of ancient civilizations. This tutorial describes the theoretical and practical foundations of ABMS, identifies toolkits and methods for developing agent models, and illustrates the development of a simple agent-based model of shopper behavior using spreadsheets.

Coordination between Generation and Transmission Maintenance Scheduling by Means of Multi-agent Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Nagata, Takeshi; Tao, Yasuhiro; Utatani, Masahiro; Sasaki, Hiroshi; Fujita, Hideki

This paper proposes a multi-agent approach to maintenance scheduling in restructured power systems. The restructuring of electric power industry has resulted in market-based approaches for unbundling a multitude of service provided by self-interested entities such as power generating companies (GENCOs), transmission providers (TRANSCOs) and distribution companies (DISCOs). The Independent System Operator (ISO) is responsible for the security of the system operation. The schedule submitted to ISO by GENCOs and TRANSCOs should satisfy security and reliability constraints. The proposed method consists of several GENCO Agents (GAGs), TARNSCO Agents (TAGs) and a ISO Agent(IAG). The IAG’s role in maintenance scheduling is limited to ensuring that the submitted schedules do not cause transmission congestion or endanger the system reliability. From the simulation results, it can be seen the proposed multi-agent approach could coordinate between generation and transmission maintenance schedules.

Based on a multi-agent system for multi-scale simulation and application of household's LUCC: a case study for Mengcha village, Mizhi county, Shaanxi province.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hai; Liang, Xiaoying; Li, Rui

2013-01-01

Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) offer a conceptual approach to include multi-actor decision making into models of land use change. Through the simulation based on the MAS, this paper tries to show the application of MAS in the micro scale LUCC, and reveal the transformation mechanism of difference scale. This paper starts with a description of the context of MAS research. Then, it adopts the Nested Spatial Choice (NSC) method to construct the multi-scale LUCC decision-making model. And a case study for Mengcha village, Mizhi County, Shaanxi Province is reported. Finally, the potentials and drawbacks of the following approach is discussed and concluded. From our design and implementation of the MAS in multi-scale model, a number of observations and conclusions can be drawn on the implementation and future research directions. (1) The use of the LUCC decision-making and multi-scale transformation framework provides, according to us, a more realistic modeling of multi-scale decision making process. (2) By using continuous function, rather than discrete function, to construct the decision-making of the households is more realistic to reflect the effect. (3) In this paper, attempts have been made to give a quantitative analysis to research the household interaction. And it provides the premise and foundation for researching the communication and learning among the households. (4) The scale transformation architecture constructed in this paper helps to accumulate theory and experience for the interaction research between the micro land use decision-making and the macro land use landscape pattern. Our future research work will focus on: (1) how to rational use risk aversion principle, and put the rule on rotation between household parcels into model. (2) Exploring the methods aiming at researching the household decision-making over a long period, it allows us to find the bridge between the long-term LUCC data and the short-term household decision-making. (3) Researching the

An Agent-Based Co-Evolutionary Multi-Objective Algorithm for Portfolio Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafał Dreżewski

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Algorithms based on the process of natural evolution are widely used to solve multi-objective optimization problems. In this paper we propose the agent-based co-evolutionary algorithm for multi-objective portfolio optimization. The proposed technique is compared experimentally to the genetic algorithm, co-evolutionary algorithm and a more classical approach—the trend-following algorithm. During the experiments historical data from the Warsaw Stock Exchange is used in order to assess the performance of the compared algorithms. Finally, we draw some conclusions from these experiments, showing the strong and weak points of all the techniques.

Modeling Impulse and Non-Impulse Store Choice Processes in a Multi-Agent Simulation of Pedestrian Activity in Shopping Environments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkstra, J.; Timmermans, H.J.P.; Vries, de B.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

2009-01-01

This chapter presents a multi-agent approach for modeling impulse and non-impulse store choice processes of pedestrian activity in shopping environments. The pedestrian simulation context will be discussed as well as the behavioral principles underlying the store choice processes. For these

A Trading Agent for a Multi-Issue Clearing House

Science.gov (United States)

Debenham, John

The potential size of the electronic business market offers great incentives to trading agents that can bargain, bid in auctions and trade in exchanges. Much of business negotiation is multi-issue. A generic 'information-based' agent is proposed for multi-issue negotiation. Successful negotiation depends on shrewd strategies driven by the right information. This agent has machinery to value information and to manage its integrity. A multi-issue, many-to-many clearing house, and an agent to trade in it, are proposed.

Mansion, A Distributed Multi-Agent System

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van t Noordende, G.; Brazier, F.M.; Tanenbaum, A.S.

2001-01-01

In this position summary we present work in progress on a worldwide, scalable multi-agent system, based on a paradigm of hyperlinked rooms. The framework offers facilities for managing distribution, security and mobility aspects for both active elements (agents) and passive elements (objects) in the

Agent-based simulation of electricity markets : a literature review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sensfuss, F.; Genoese, M.; Genoese, M.; Most, D.

2007-01-01

The electricity sector in Europe and North America is undergoing considerable changes as a result of deregulation, issues related to climate change, and the integration of renewable resources within the electricity grid. This article reviewed agent-based simulation methods of analyzing electricity markets. The paper provided an analysis of research currently being conducted on electricity market designs and examined methods of modelling agent decisions. Methods of coupling long term and short term decisions were also reviewed. Issues related to single and multiple market analysis methods were discussed, as well as different approaches to integrating agent-based models with models of other commodities. The integration of transmission constraints within agent-based models was also discussed, and methods of measuring market efficiency were evaluated. Other topics examined in the paper included approaches to integrating investment decisions, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) trading, and renewable support schemes. It was concluded that agent-based models serve as a test bed for the electricity sector, and will help to provide insights for future policy decisions. 74 refs., 6 figs

Agent Based Modelling for Social Simulation

OpenAIRE

Smit, S.K.; Ubink, E.M.; Vecht, B. van der; Langley, D.J.

2013-01-01

This document is the result of an exploratory project looking into the status of, and opportunities for Agent Based Modelling (ABM) at TNO. The project focussed on ABM applications containing social interactions and human factors, which we termed ABM for social simulation (ABM4SS). During the course of this project two workshops were organized. At these workshops, a wide range of experts, both ABM experts and domain experts, worked on several potential applications of ABM. The results and ins...

Robust Consensus of Multi-Agent Systems with Uncertain Exogenous Disturbances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Hong-Yong; Guo Lei; Han Chao

2011-01-01

The objective of this paper is to investigate the consensus of the multi-agent systems with nonlinear coupling function and external disturbances. The disturbance includes two parts, one part is supposed to be generated by an exogenous system, which is not required to be neutrally stable as in the output regulation theory, the other part is the modeling uncertainty in the exogenous disturbance system. A novel composite disturbance observer based control (DOBC) and H ∞ control scheme is presented so that the disturbance with the exogenous system can be estimated and compensated and the consensus of the multi-agent systems with fixed and switching graph can be reached by using H ∞ control law. Simulations demonstrate the advantages of the proposed DOBC and H ∞ control scheme. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

Multi-Agent Framework for Virtual Learning Spaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheremetov, Leonid; Nunez, Gustavo

1999-01-01

Discussion of computer-supported collaborative learning, distributed artificial intelligence, and intelligent tutoring systems focuses on the concept of agents, and describes a virtual learning environment that has a multi-agent system. Describes a model of interactions in collaborative learning and discusses agents for Web-based virtual…

Multi-agent: a technique to implement geo-visualization of networked virtual reality

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Zhiyong; Li, Wenjing; Meng, Lingkui

2007-06-01

Networked Virtual Reality (NVR) is a system based on net connected and spatial information shared, whose demands cannot be fully meet by the existing architectures and application patterns of VR to some extent. In this paper, we propose a new architecture of NVR based on Multi-Agent framework. which includes the detailed definition of various agents and their functions and full description of the collaboration mechanism, Through the prototype system test with DEM Data and 3D Models Data, the advantages of Multi-Agent based Networked Virtual Reality System in terms of the data loading time, user response time and scene construction time etc. are verified. First, we introduce the characters of Networked Virtual Realty and the characters of Multi-Agent technique in Section 1. Then we give the architecture design of Networked Virtual Realty based on Multi-Agent in Section 2.The Section 2 content includes the rule of task division, the multi-agent architecture design to implement Networked Virtual Realty and the function of agents. Section 3 shows the prototype implementation according to the design. Finally, Section 4 discusses the benefits of using Multi-Agent to implement geovisualization of Networked Virtual Realty.

A multi-agent design for a pressurized water reactor (P.W.R.) control system; Modelisation multi-agents pour la conduite d'un reacteur a eau sous pression (REP)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aimar-Lichtenberger, M. [Paris-11 Univ., 91 - Orsay (France)

1999-01-01

This PhD work is in keeping with the complex industrial process control. The starting point is the analysis of control principles in a Pressurized Water Reactor (P.W.R). In order to cope with the limits of the present control procedures, a new control organisation by objectives and means is defined. This functional organisation is based on the state approach and is characterized by the parallel management of control functions to ensure the continuous control of the installation essential variables. With regard to this complex system problematic, we search the most adapted computer modeling. We show that a multi-agent system approach brings an interesting answer to manage the distribution and parallelism of control decisions and tasks. We present a synthetic study of multi-agent systems and their application fields.The choice of a multi-agent approach proceeds with the design of an agent model. This model gains experiences from other applications. This model is implemented in a computer environment which combines the mechanisms of an object language with Prolog. We propose in this frame a multi-agent modeling of the control system where each function is represented by an agent. The agents are structured in a hierarchical organisation and deal with different abstraction levers of the problem. Following a prototype process, the validation is realized by an implementation and by a coupling to a reactor simulator. The essential contributions of an agent approach turn on the mastery of the system complexity, the openness, the robustness and the potentialities of human-machine cooperation. (author)

Realization on the interactive remote video conference system based on multi-Agent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng Yan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available To make people at different places participate in the same conference, speak and discuss freely, the interactive remote video conferencing system is designed and realized based on multi-Agent collaboration. FEC (forward error correction and tree P2P technology are firstly used to build a live conference structure to transfer audio and video data; then the branch conference port can participate to speak and discuss through the application of becoming a interactive focus; the introduction of multi-Agent collaboration technology improve the system robustness. The experiments showed that, under normal network conditions, the system can support 350 branch conference node simultaneously to make live broadcasting. The audio and video quality is smooth. It can carry out large-scale remote video conference.

A Multi-Agent Architecture for an Intelligent Website in Insurance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jonker, C.M.; Lam, R.A.; Treur, J.

1999-01-01

In this paper a multi-agent architecture for intelligent Websites is presented and applied in insurance. The architecture has been designed and implemented using the compositional development method for multi-agent systems DESIRE. The agents within this architecture are based on a generic broker

Finite-time consensus for leader-following multi-agent systems over switching network topologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Feng-Lan; Zhu Wei

2013-01-01

Finite-time consensus problem of the leader-following multi-agent system under switching network topologies is studied in this paper. Based on the graph theory, matrix theory, homogeneity with dilation, and LaSalle's invariance principle, the control protocol of each agent using local information is designed, and the detailed analysis of the leader-following finite-time consensus is provided. Some examples and simulation results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained theoretical results

Stochastic bounded consensus of second-order multi-agent systems in noisy environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren Hong-Wei; Deng Fei-Qi

2017-01-01

This paper investigates the stochastic bounded consensus of leader-following second-order multi-agent systems in a noisy environment. It is assumed that each agent received the information of its neighbors corrupted by noises and time delays. Based on the graph theory, stochastic tools, and the Lyapunov function method, we derive the sufficient conditions under which the systems would reach stochastic bounded consensus in mean square with the protocol we designed. Finally, a numerical simulation is illustrated to check the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms. (paper)

Cognitive Modeling for Agent-Based Simulation of Child Maltreatment

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xiaolin; Puddy, Richard

This paper extends previous work to develop cognitive modeling for agent-based simulation of child maltreatment (CM). The developed model is inspired from parental efficacy, parenting stress, and the theory of planned behavior. It provides an explanatory, process-oriented model of CM and incorporates causality relationship and feedback loops from different factors in the social ecology in order for simulating the dynamics of CM. We describe the model and present simulation results to demonstrate the features of this model.

Fairness in multi-agent systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jong, de S.; Tuyls, K.P.; Verbeeck, K.

2008-01-01

Multi-agent systems are complex systems in which multiple autonomous entities, called agents, cooperate in order to achieve a common or personal goal. These entities may be computer software, robots, and also humans. In fact, many multi-agent systems are intended to operate in cooperation with or as

Use of agent based simulation for traffic safety assessment

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Conradie, Dirk CU

2008-07-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the development of an agent based Computational Building Simulation (CBS) tool, termed KRONOS that is being used to work on advanced research questions such as traffic safety assessment and user behaviour in buildings...

Toward Simulating Realistic Pursuit-Evasion Using a Roadmap-Based Approach

KAUST Repository

Rodriguez, Samuel; Denny, Jory; Zourntos, Takis; Amato, Nancy M.

2010-01-01

In this work, we describe an approach for modeling and simulating group behaviors for pursuit-evasion that uses a graph-based representation of the environment and integrates multi-agent simulation with roadmap-based path planning. We demonstrate

Anticipatory vehicle routing using delegate multi-agent systems

OpenAIRE

Weyns, Danny; Holvoet, Tom; Helleboogh, Alexander

2007-01-01

This paper presents an agent-based approach, called delegate multi-agent systems, for anticipatory vehicle routing to avoid traffic congestion. In this approach, individual vehicles are represented by agents, which themselves issue light-weight agents that explore alternative routes in the environment on behalf of the vehicles. Based on the evaluation of the alternatives, the vehicles then issue light-weight agents for allocating road segments, spreading the vehicles’ intentions and coordi...

Relay tracking control for second-order multi-agent systems with damaged agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Lijing; Li, Jing; Liu, Qin

2017-11-01

This paper investigates a situation where smart agents capable of sensory and mobility are deployed to monitor a designated area. A preset number of agents start tracking when a target intrudes this area. Some of the tracking agents are possible to be out of order over the tracking course. Thus, we propose a cooperative relay tracking strategy to ensure the successful tracking with existence of damaged agents. Relay means that, when a tracking agent quits tracking due to malfunction, one of the near deployed agents replaces it to continue the tracking task. This results in jump of tracking errors and dynamic switching of topology of the multi-agent system. Switched system technique is employed to solve this specific problem. Finally, the effectiveness of proposed tracking strategy and validity of the theoretical results are verified by conducting a numerical simulation. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A hybrid agent-based approach for modeling microbiological systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Zaiyi; Sloot, Peter M A; Tay, Joc Cing

2008-11-21

Models for systems biology commonly adopt Differential Equations or Agent-Based modeling approaches for simulating the processes as a whole. Models based on differential equations presuppose phenomenological intracellular behavioral mechanisms, while models based on Multi-Agent approach often use directly translated, and quantitatively less precise if-then logical rule constructs. We propose an extendible systems model based on a hybrid agent-based approach where biological cells are modeled as individuals (agents) while molecules are represented by quantities. This hybridization in entity representation entails a combined modeling strategy with agent-based behavioral rules and differential equations, thereby balancing the requirements of extendible model granularity with computational tractability. We demonstrate the efficacy of this approach with models of chemotaxis involving an assay of 10(3) cells and 1.2x10(6) molecules. The model produces cell migration patterns that are comparable to laboratory observations.

Multi-Agent Framework in Visual Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. M. Molina

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The recent interest in the surveillance of public, military, and commercial scenarios is increasing the need to develop and deploy intelligent and/or automated distributed visual surveillance systems. Many applications based on distributed resources use the so-called software agent technology. In this paper, a multi-agent framework is applied to coordinate videocamera-based surveillance. The ability to coordinate agents improves the global image and task distribution efficiency. In our proposal, a software agent is embedded in each camera and controls the capture parameters. Then coordination is based on the exchange of high-level messages among agents. Agents use an internal symbolic model to interpret the current situation from the messages from all other agents to improve global coordination.

Consensus for linear multi-agent system with intermittent information transmissions using the time-scale theory

Science.gov (United States)

Taousser, Fatima; Defoort, Michael; Djemai, Mohamed

2016-01-01

This paper investigates the consensus problem for linear multi-agent system with fixed communication topology in the presence of intermittent communication using the time-scale theory. Since each agent can only obtain relative local information intermittently, the proposed consensus algorithm is based on a discontinuous local interaction rule. The interaction among agents happens at a disjoint set of continuous-time intervals. The closed-loop multi-agent system can be represented using mixed linear continuous-time and linear discrete-time models due to intermittent information transmissions. The time-scale theory provides a powerful tool to combine continuous-time and discrete-time cases and study the consensus protocol under a unified framework. Using this theory, some conditions are derived to achieve exponential consensus under intermittent information transmissions. Simulations are performed to validate the theoretical results.

Data Provenance for Agent-Based Models in a Distributed Memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delmar B. Davis

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Agent-Based Models (ABMs assist with studying emergent collective behavior of individual entities in social, biological, economic, network, and physical systems. Data provenance can support ABM by explaining individual agent behavior. However, there is no provenance support for ABMs in a distributed setting. The Multi-Agent Spatial Simulation (MASS library provides a framework for simulating ABMs at fine granularity, where agents and spatial data are shared application resources in a distributed memory. We introduce a novel approach to capture ABM provenance in a distributed memory, called ProvMASS. We evaluate our technique with traditional data provenance queries and performance measures. Our results indicate that a configurable approach can capture provenance that explains coordination of distributed shared resources, simulation logic, and agent behavior while limiting performance overhead. We also show the ability to support practical analyses (e.g., agent tracking and storage requirements for different capture configurations.

A Participatory Agent-Based Simulation for Indoor Evacuation Supported by Google Glass

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesús M. Sánchez

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Indoor evacuation systems are needed for rescue and safety management. One of the challenges is to provide users with personalized evacuation routes in real time. To this end, this project aims at exploring the possibilities of Google Glass technology for participatory multiagent indoor evacuation simulations. Participatory multiagent simulation combines scenario-guided agents and humans equipped with Google Glass that coexist in a shared virtual space and jointly perform simulations. The paper proposes an architecture for participatory multiagent simulation in order to combine devices (Google Glass and/or smartphones with an agent-based social simulator and indoor tracking services.

Advances on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems 10th International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems

CERN Document Server

Müller, Jörg; Rodríguez, Juan; Pérez, Javier

2012-01-01

Research on Agents and Multi-Agent Systems has matured during the last decade and many effective applications of this technology are now deployed. PAAMS provides an international forum to present and discuss the latest scientific developments and their effective applications, to assess the impact of the approach, and to facilitate technology transfer. PAAMS started as a local initiative, but has since grown to become THE international yearly platform to present, to discuss, and to disseminate the latest developments and the most important outcomes related to real-world applications. It provides a unique opportunity to bring multi-disciplinary experts, academics and practitioners together to exchange their experience in the development and deployment of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. PAAMS intends to bring together researchers and developers from industry and the academic world to report on the latest scientific and technical advances on the application of multi-agent systems, to discuss and debate the major ...

Highlights on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems 10th International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems

CERN Document Server

Sánchez, Miguel; Mathieu, Philippe; Rodríguez, Juan; Adam, Emmanuel; Ortega, Alfonso; Moreno, María; Navarro, Elena; Hirsch, Benjamin; Lopes-Cardoso, Henrique; Julián, Vicente

2012-01-01

Research on Agents and Multi-Agent Systems has matured during the last decade and many effective applications of this technology are now deployed. PAAMS provides an international forum to present and discuss the latest scientific developments and their effective applications, to assess the impact of the approach, and to facilitate technology transfer. PAAMS started as a local initiative, but has since grown to become THE international yearly platform to present, to discuss, and to disseminate the latest developments and the most important outcomes related to real-world applications. It provides a unique opportunity to bring multi-disciplinary experts, academics and practitioners together to exchange their experience in the development and deployment of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. PAAMS intends to bring together researchers and developers from industry and the academic world to report on the latest scientific and technical advances on the application of multi-agent systems, to discuss and debate the major ...

Toward Simulating Realistic Pursuit-Evasion Using a Roadmap-Based Approach

KAUST Repository

Rodriguez, Samuel

2010-01-01

In this work, we describe an approach for modeling and simulating group behaviors for pursuit-evasion that uses a graph-based representation of the environment and integrates multi-agent simulation with roadmap-based path planning. We demonstrate the utility of this approach for a variety of scenarios including pursuit-evasion on terrains, in multi-level buildings, and in crowds. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Normative multi-agent programs and their logics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dastani, M.; Grossi, D.; Meyer, J.-J.C.; Tinnemeier, N.

2009-01-01

Multi-agent systems are viewed as consisting of individual agents whose behaviors are regulated by an organization artefact. This paper presents a simplified version of a programming language that is designed to implement norm-based artefacts. Such artefacts are specified in terms of norms being

Continuum deformation of multi-agent systems

CERN Document Server

Rastgoftar, Hossein

2016-01-01

This monograph presents new algorithms for formation control of multi-agent systems (MAS) based on principles of continuum mechanics. Beginning with an overview of traditional methods, the author then introduces an innovative new approach whereby agents of an MAS are considered as particles in a continuum evolving in ℝn whose desired configuration is required to satisfy an admissible deformation function. The necessary theory and its validation on a mobile-agent-based swarm test bed are considered for two primary tasks: homogeneous transformation of the MAS and deployment of a random distribution of agents on a desired configuration. The framework for this model is based on homogeneous transformations for the evolution of an MAS under no inter-agent communication, local inter-agent communication, and intelligent perception by agents. Different communication protocols for MAS evolution, the robustness of tracking of a desired motion by an MAS evolving in ℝn, and the effect of communication delays in an MAS...

Multi-Agent System based Event-Triggered Hybrid Controls for High-Security Hybrid Energy Generation Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dou, Chun-Xia; Yue, Dong; Guerrero, Josep M.

2017-01-01

This paper proposes multi-agent system based event- triggered hybrid controls for guaranteeing energy supply of a hybrid energy generation system with high security. First, a mul-ti-agent system is constituted by an upper-level central coordi-nated control agent combined with several lower......-level unit agents. Each lower-level unit agent is responsible for dealing with internal switching control and distributed dynamic regula-tion for its unit system. The upper-level agent implements coor-dinated switching control to guarantee the power supply of over-all system with high security. The internal...

Simulating classroom lessons : an agent-based attempt

OpenAIRE

Ingram, Fred; Brooks, Roger John

2018-01-01

This is an interim report on a project to construct an agent-based simulation that reproduces some of the interactions between students and their teacher in classroom lessons. In a pilot study, the activities of 67 students and 7 teachers during 40 lessons were recorded using a data collection instrument that currently captures 17 student states and 15 teacher states. These data enabled various conceptual models to be explored, providing empirical values and distributions for the model parame...

6th Workshop on Service Orientation in Holonic and Multi-Agent Manufacturing

CERN Document Server

Trentesaux, Damien; Thomas, André; Leitão, Paulo; Oliveira, José

2017-01-01

The book offers an integrated vision on Cloud and HPC, Big Data, Analytics and virtualization in computing-oriented manufacturing, combining information and communication technologies, service-oriented control of holonic architectures as well as enterprise integration solutions based on SOA principles. It is structured in eight parts, each one grouping research and trends in digital manufacturing and service oriented manufacturing control: Cloud and Cyber-Physical Systems for Smart Manufacturing, Reconfigurable and Self-organized Multi-Agent Systems for Industry and Service, Sustainability Issues in Intelligent Manufacturing Systems, Holonic and Multi-agent System Design for Industry and Service, Should Intelligent Manufacturing Systems be Dependable and Safe?, Service-oriented Management and Control of Manufacturing Systems, Engineering and Human Integration in Flexible and Reconfigurable Industrial Systems,Virtualization and Simulation in Computing-oriented Industry and Service.

An Agent-Based Model for Studying Child Maltreatment and Child Maltreatment Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xiaolin; Puddy, Richard W.

This paper presents an agent-based model that simulates the dynamics of child maltreatment and child maltreatment prevention. The developed model follows the principles of complex systems science and explicitly models a community and its families with multi-level factors and interconnections across the social ecology. This makes it possible to experiment how different factors and prevention strategies can affect the rate of child maltreatment. We present the background of this work and give an overview of the agent-based model and show some simulation results.

A novel multi-agent decentralized win or learn fast policy hill-climbing with eligibility trace algorithm for smart generation control of interconnected complex power grids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xi, Lei; Yu, Tao; Yang, Bo; Zhang, Xiaoshun

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Proposing a decentralized smart generation control scheme for the automatic generation control coordination. • A novel multi-agent learning algorithm is developed to resolve stochastic control problems in power systems. • A variable learning rate are introduced base on the framework of stochastic games. • A simulation platform is developed to test the performance of different algorithms. - Abstract: This paper proposes a multi-agent smart generation control scheme for the automatic generation control coordination in interconnected complex power systems. A novel multi-agent decentralized win or learn fast policy hill-climbing with eligibility trace algorithm is developed, which can effectively identify the optimal average policies via a variable learning rate under various operation conditions. Based on control performance standards, the proposed approach is implemented in a flexible multi-agent stochastic dynamic game-based smart generation control simulation platform. Based on the mixed strategy and average policy, it is highly adaptive in stochastic non-Markov environments and large time-delay systems, which can fulfill automatic generation control coordination in interconnected complex power systems in the presence of increasing penetration of decentralized renewable energy. Two case studies on both a two-area load–frequency control power system and the China Southern Power Grid model have been done. Simulation results verify that multi-agent smart generation control scheme based on the proposed approach can obtain optimal average policies thus improve the closed-loop system performances, and can achieve a fast convergence rate with significant robustness compared with other methods

Implementing a Multi-Agent System in Python

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ettienne, Mikko Berggren; Vester, Steen; Villadsen, Jørgen

2012-01-01

We describe the solution used by the Python-DTU team in the Multi-Agent Programming Contest 2011, where the scenario was called Agents on Mars. We present our auction-based agreement, area controlling and pathfinding algorithms and discuss our chosen strategy and our choice of technology used...

Argumentation and Multi-Agent Decision Making

OpenAIRE

Parsons, S.; Jennings, N. R.

1998-01-01

This paper summarises our on-going work on mixed- initiative decision making which extends both classical decision theory and a symbolic theory of decision making based on argumentation to a multi-agent domain.

Efficient graph-based dynamic load-balancing for parallel large-scale agent-based traffic simulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Xu, Y.; Cai, W.; Aydt, H.; Lees, M.; Tolk, A.; Diallo, S.Y.; Ryzhov, I.O.; Yilmaz, L.; Buckley, S.; Miller, J.A.

2014-01-01

One of the issues of parallelizing large-scale agent-based traffic simulations is partitioning and load-balancing. Traffic simulations are dynamic applications where the distribution of workload in the spatial domain constantly changes. Dynamic load-balancing at run-time has shown better efficiency

Semiotics, Multi-Agent Systems and Organizations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gazendam, H.W.M.; Jorna, René J.

1998-01-01

Multi-agent systems are promising as models of organization because they are based on the idea that most work in human organizations is done based on intelligence, communication, cooperation, and massive parallel processing. They offer an alternative for system theories of organization, which are

A decentralised multi-agent approach to enhance the stability of smart microgrids with renewable energy

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, M. S.; Pota, H. R.; Mahmud, M. A.; Hossain, M. J.

2016-05-01

This paper presents the impact of large penetration of wind power on the transient stability through a dynamic evaluation of the critical clearing times (CCTs) by using intelligent agent-based approach. A decentralised multi-agent-based framework is developed, where agents represent a number of physical device models to form a complex infrastructure for computation and communication. They enable the dynamic flow of information and energy for the interaction between the physical processes and their activities. These agents dynamically adapt online measurements and use the CCT information for relay coordination to improve the transient stability of power systems. Simulations are carried out on a smart microgrid system for faults at increasing wind power penetration levels and the improvement in transient stability using the proposed agent-based framework is demonstrated.

Analysis of Bullying in Cooperative Multi-agent Systems’ Communications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Celia Gutiérrez

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Cooperative Multi-agent Systems frameworks do not include modules to test communications yet. The proposed framework incorporates robust analysis tools using IDKAnalysis2.0 to evaluate bullying effect in communications. The present work is based on ICARO-T. This platform follows the Adaptive Multi-agent Systems paradigm. Experimentation with ICARO-T includes two deployments: the equitative and the authoritative. Results confirm the usefulness of the analysis tools when exporting to Cooperative Multi-agent Systems that use different configurations. Besides, ICARO-T is provided with new functionality by a set of tools for communication analysis.

Building Multi-Agent Systems Using Jason

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boss, Niklas Skamriis; Jensen, Andreas Schmidt; Villadsen, Jørgen

2010-01-01

We provide a detailed description of the Jason-DTU system, including the used methodology, tools as well as team strategy. We also discuss the experience gathered in the contest. In spring 2009 the course “Artificial Intelligence and Multi- Agent Systems” was held for the first time...... on the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). A part of this course was a short introduction to the multi-agent framework Jason, which is an interpreter for AgentSpeak, an agent-oriented programming language. As the final project in this course a solution to the Multi-Agent Programming Contest from 2007, the Gold...

Study on collaborative optimization control of ventilation and radon reduction system based on multi-agent technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai Jianyong; Meng Lingcong; Zou Shuliang

2015-01-01

According to the radioactive safety features such as radon and its progeny, combined with the theory of ventilation system, structure of multi-agent system for ventilation and radon reduction system is constructed with the application of multi agent technology. The function attribute of the key agent and the connection between the nodes in the multi-agent system are analyzed to establish the distributed autonomous logic structure and negotiation mechanism of multi agent system of ventilation and radon reduction system, and thus to implement the coordination optimization control of the multi-agent system. The example analysis shows that the system structure of the multi-agent system of ventilation and reducing radon system and its collaborative mechanism can improve and optimize the radioactive pollutants control, which provides a theoretical basis and important application prospect. (authors)

Feedback mechanisms between water availability and water use in a semi-arid river basin: a geographically explicit multi-agent simulation approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Oel, P.R.; Krol, Martinus S.; Hoekstra, Arjen Ysbert; Taddei, Renzo R.

2010-01-01

Understanding the processes responsible for the distribution of water availability over space and time is of great importance to spatial planning in a semi-arid river basin. In this study the usefulness of a multi-agent simulation (MAS) approach for representing these processes is discussed. A MAS

2015 Special Sessions of the 13th International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems

CERN Document Server

Hernández, Josefa; Mathieu, Philippe; Campbell, Andrew; Fernández-Caballero, Antonio; Moreno, María; Julián, Vicente; Alonso-Betanzos, Amparo; Jiménez-López, María; Botti, Vicente; Trends in Practical Applications of Agents, Multi-Agent Systems and Sustainability : the PAAMS Collection

2015-01-01

This volume presents the papers that have been accepted for the 2015 special sessions of the 13th International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, held at University of Salamanca, Spain, at 3rd-5th June, 2015: Agents Behaviours and Artificial Markets (ABAM); Agents and Mobile Devices (AM); Multi-Agent Systems and Ambient Intelligence (MASMAI); Web Mining and Recommender systems (WebMiRes); Learning, Agents and Formal Languages (LAFLang); Agent-based Modeling of Sustainable Behavior and Green Economies (AMSBGE); Emotional Software Agents (SSESA) and Intelligent Educational Systems (SSIES). The volume also includes the paper accepted for the Doctoral Consortium in PAAMS 2015. PAAMS, the International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems is an evolution of the International Workshop on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. PAAMS is an international yearly tribune to present, to discuss, and to disseminate the latest develo...

Switching dynamics of multi-agent learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vrancx, P.; Tuyls, K.P.; Westra, R.

2008-01-01

This paper presents the dynamics of multi-agent reinforcement learning in multiple state problems. We extend previous work that formally modelled the relation between reinforcement learning agents and replicator dynamics in stateless multi-agent games. More precisely, in this work we use a

Multi-Agent System-Based Microgrid Operation Strategy for Demand Response

OpenAIRE

Cha, Hee-Jun; Won, Dong-Jun; Kim, Sang-Hyuk; Chung, Il-Yop; Han, Byung-Moon

2015-01-01

The microgrid and demand response (DR) are important technologies for future power grids. Among the variety of microgrid operations, the multi-agent system (MAS) has attracted considerable attention. In a microgrid with MAS, the agents installed on the microgrid components operate optimally by communicating with each other. This paper proposes an operation algorithm for the individual agents of a test microgrid that consists of a battery energy storage system (BESS) and an intelligent load. A...

A Coupled Simulation Architecture for Agent-Based/Geohydrological Modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Jaxa-Rozen, M.

2016-12-01

The quantitative modelling of social-ecological systems can provide useful insights into the interplay between social and environmental processes, and their impact on emergent system dynamics. However, such models should acknowledge the complexity and uncertainty of both of the underlying subsystems. For instance, the agent-based models which are increasingly popular for groundwater management studies can be made more useful by directly accounting for the hydrological processes which drive environmental outcomes. Conversely, conventional environmental models can benefit from an agent-based depiction of the feedbacks and heuristics which influence the decisions of groundwater users. From this perspective, this work describes a Python-based software architecture which couples the popular NetLogo agent-based platform with the MODFLOW/SEAWAT geohydrological modelling environment. This approach enables users to implement agent-based models in NetLogo's user-friendly platform, while benefiting from the full capabilities of MODFLOW/SEAWAT packages or reusing existing geohydrological models. The software architecture is based on the pyNetLogo connector, which provides an interface between the NetLogo agent-based modelling software and the Python programming language. This functionality is then extended and combined with Python's object-oriented features, to design a simulation architecture which couples NetLogo with MODFLOW/SEAWAT through the FloPy library (Bakker et al., 2016). The Python programming language also provides access to a range of external packages which can be used for testing and analysing the coupled models, which is illustrated for an application of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES).

A multi-agent design for a pressurized water reactor (P.W.R.) control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aimar-Lichtenberger, M.

1999-01-01

This PhD work is in keeping with the complex industrial process control. The starting point is the analysis of control principles in a Pressurized Water Reactor (P.W.R). In order to cope with the limits of the present control procedures, a new control organisation by objectives and means is defined. This functional organisation is based on the state approach and is characterized by the parallel management of control functions to ensure the continuous control of the installation essential variables. With regard to this complex system problematic, we search the most adapted computer modeling. We show that a multi-agent system approach brings an interesting answer to manage the distribution and parallelism of control decisions and tasks. We present a synthetic study of multi-agent systems and their application fields.The choice of a multi-agent approach proceeds with the design of an agent model. This model gains experiences from other applications. This model is implemented in a computer environment which combines the mechanisms of an object language with Prolog. We propose in this frame a multi-agent modeling of the control system where each function is represented by an agent. The agents are structured in a hierarchical organisation and deal with different abstraction levers of the problem. Following a prototype process, the validation is realized by an implementation and by a coupling to a reactor simulator. The essential contributions of an agent approach turn on the mastery of the system complexity, the openness, the robustness and the potentialities of human-machine cooperation. (author)

Towards a standard model for research in agent-based modeling and simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nuno Fachada

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Agent-based modeling (ABM is a bottom-up modeling approach, where each entity of the system being modeled is uniquely represented as an independent decision-making agent. ABMs are very sensitive to implementation details. Thus, it is very easy to inadvertently introduce changes which modify model dynamics. Such problems usually arise due to the lack of transparency in model descriptions, which constrains how models are assessed, implemented and replicated. In this paper, we present PPHPC, a model which aims to serve as a standard in agent based modeling research, namely, but not limited to, conceptual model specification, statistical analysis of simulation output, model comparison and parallelization studies. This paper focuses on the first two aspects (conceptual model specification and statistical analysis of simulation output, also providing a canonical implementation of PPHPC. The paper serves as a complete reference to the presented model, and can be used as a tutorial for simulation practitioners who wish to improve the way they communicate their ABMs.

Incremental Design of Perishable Goods Markets through Multi-Agent Simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kazuo Miyashita

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In current markets of perishable goods such as fish and vegetables, sellers are typically in a weak bargaining position, since perishable products cannot be stored for long without losing their value. To avoid the risk of spoiling products, sellers have few alternatives other than selling their goods at the prices offered by buyers in the markets. The market mechanism needs to be reformed in order to resolve unfairness between sellers and buyers. Double auction markets, which collect bids from both sides of the trades and match them, allow sellers to participate proactively in the price-making process. However, in perishable goods markets, sellers have an incentive to discount their bid gradually for fear of spoiling unsold goods. Buyers can take advantage of sellers’ discounted bids to increase their profit by strategic bidding. To solve the problem, we incrementally improve an online double auction mechanism for perishable goods markets, which promotes buyers’ truthful bidding by penalizing their failed bids without harming their individual rationality. We evaluate traders’ behavior under several market conditions using multi-agent simulations and show that the developed mechanism achieves fair resource allocation among traders.

Concepts and theoretical specifications of a Coastal Vulnerability Dynamic Simulator (COVUDS): A multi-agent system for simulating coastal vulnerability towards management of coastal ecosystem services

Science.gov (United States)

Orencio, P. M.; Endo, A.; Taniguchi, M.

2014-12-01

Disaster-causing natural hazards such as floods, erosions, earthquakes or slope failures were particularly observed to be concentrated in certain geographical regions. In the Asia-pacific region, coastal ecosystems were suffering because of perennial threats driven by chronic fluctuations in climate variability (e.g., typhoons, ENSO), or by dynamically occurring events (e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis). Among the many people that were found prone to such a risky condition were the ones inhabiting near the coastal areas. Characteristically, aside from being located at the forefront of these events, the coastal communities have impacted the resource by the kind of behavioral patterns they exhibited, such as overdependence and overexploitation to achieve their wellbeing. In this paper, we introduce the development of an approach to an assessment of the coupled human- environment using a multi- agent simulation (MAS) model known as Coastal Vulnerability Dynamic Simulator (COVUDS). The COVUDS comprised a human- environmental platform consisting multi- agents with corresponding spatial- based dynamic and static variables. These variables were used to present multiple hypothetical future situations that contribute to the purpose of supporting a more rational management of the coastal ecosystem and their environmental equities. Initially, we present the theoretical and conceptual components that would lead to the development of the COVUDS. These consisted of the human population engaged in behavioral patterns affecting the conditions of coastal ecosystem services; the system of the biophysical environment and changes in patches brought by global environment and local behavioral variations; the policy factors that were important for choosing area- specific interventions; and the decision- making mechanism that integrates the first three components. To guide a future scenario-based application that will be undertaken in a coastal area in the Philippines, the components of the

Agent Based Simulation of Group Emotions Evolution and Strategy Intervention in Extreme Events

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Agent based simulation method has become a prominent approach in computational modeling and analysis of public emergency management in social science research. The group emotions evolution, information diffusion, and collective behavior selection make extreme incidents studies a complex system problem, which requires new methods for incidents management and strategy evaluation. This paper studies the group emotion evolution and intervention strategy effectiveness using agent based simulation method. By employing a computational experimentation methodology, we construct the group emotion evolution as a complex system and test the effects of three strategies. In addition, the events-chain model is proposed to model the accumulation influence of the temporal successive events. Each strategy is examined through three simulation experiments, including two make-up scenarios and a real case study. We show how various strategies could impact the group emotion evolution in terms of the complex emergence and emotion accumulation influence in extreme events. This paper also provides an effective method of how to use agent-based simulation for the study of complex collective behavior evolution problem in extreme incidents, emergency, and security study domains.

Nonlinear multi-analysis of agent-based financial market dynamics by epidemic system

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Yunfan; Wang, Jun; Niu, Hongli

2015-10-01

Based on the epidemic dynamical system, we construct a new agent-based financial time series model. In order to check and testify its rationality, we compare the statistical properties of the time series model with the real stock market indices, Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index and Shenzhen Stock Exchange Component Index. For analyzing the statistical properties, we combine the multi-parameter analysis with the tail distribution analysis, the modified rescaled range analysis, and the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis. For a better perspective, the three-dimensional diagrams are used to present the analysis results. The empirical research in this paper indicates that the long-range dependence property and the multifractal phenomenon exist in the real returns and the proposed model. Therefore, the new agent-based financial model can recurrence some important features of real stock markets.

Agent-Based Optimization

CERN Document Server

Jędrzejowicz, Piotr; Kacprzyk, Janusz

2013-01-01

This volume presents a collection of original research works by leading specialists focusing on novel and promising approaches in which the multi-agent system paradigm is used to support, enhance or replace traditional approaches to solving difficult optimization problems. The editors have invited several well-known specialists to present their solutions, tools, and models falling under the common denominator of the agent-based optimization. The book consists of eight chapters covering examples of application of the multi-agent paradigm and respective customized tools to solve  difficult optimization problems arising in different areas such as machine learning, scheduling, transportation and, more generally, distributed and cooperative problem solving.

A Secured Cognitive Agent based Multi-strategic Intelligent Search System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neha Gulati

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Search Engine (SE is the most preferred information retrieval tool ubiquitously used. In spite of vast scale involvement of users in SE’s, their limited capabilities to understand the user/searcher context and emotions places high cognitive, perceptual and learning load on the user to maintain the search momentum. In this regard, the present work discusses a Cognitive Agent (CA based approach to support the user in Web-based search process. The work suggests a framework called Secured Cognitive Agent based Multi-strategic Intelligent Search System (CAbMsISS to assist the user in search process. It helps to reduce the contextual and emotional mismatch between the SE’s and user. After implementation of the proposed framework, performance analysis shows that CAbMsISS framework improves Query Retrieval Time (QRT and effectiveness for retrieving relevant results as compared to Present Search Engine (PSE. Supplementary to this, it also provides search suggestions when user accesses a resource previously tagged with negative emotions. Overall, the goal of the system is to enhance the search experience for keeping the user motivated. The framework provides suggestions through the search log that tracks the queries searched, resources accessed and emotions experienced during the search. The implemented framework also considers user security. Keywords: BDI model, Cognitive Agent, Emotion, Information retrieval, Intelligent search, Search Engine

The elaboration of a manufacturing flow connectivity model, based on Multi Agent System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fahhama Lamyae

2017-01-01

The aim of this paper was to establish a model of the industrial flow connectivity; Afterward, we’ve detailed a network configuration model based on the multi-agents systems, to study the interactions between all the actors and give a more realistic vision onto manufacturing coordination in the supply chain.

The Dynamic Optimization of the Departure Times of Metro Users during Rush Hour in an Agent-Based Simulation: A Case Study in Shenzhen, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuliang Xi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available As serious traffic problems have increased throughout the world, various types of studies, especially traffic simulations, have been conducted to investigate this issue. Activity-based traffic simulation models, such as MATSim (Multi-Agent Transport Simulation, are intended to identify optimal combinations of activities in time and space. It is also necessary to examine commuting-based traffic simulations. Such simulations focus on optimizing travel times by adjusting departure times, travel modes or travel routes to present travel suggestions to the public. This paper examines the optimal departure times of metro users during rush hour using a newly developed simulation tool. A strategy for identifying relatively optimal departure times is identified. This study examines 103,637 person agents (passengers in Shenzhen, China, and reports their average departure time, travel time and travel utility, as well as the numbers of person agents who are late and miss metro trips in every iteration. The results demonstrate that as the number of iterations increases, the average travel time of these person agents decreases by approximately 4 min. Moreover, the latest average departure time with no risk of being late when going to work is approximately 8:04, and the earliest average departure time with no risk of missing metro trips when getting off work is approximately 17:50.

Nondestructive Intervention to Multi-Agent Systems through an Intelligent Agent

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Jing; Wang, Lin

2013-01-01

For a given multi-agent system where the local interaction rule of the existing agents can not be re-designed, one way to intervene the collective behavior of the system is to add one or a few special agents into the group which are still treated as normal agents by the existing ones. We study how to lead a Vicsek-like flocking model to reach synchronization by adding special agents. A popular method is to add some simple leaders (fixed-headings agents). However, we add one intelligent agent, called ‘shill’, which uses online feedback information of the group to decide the shill's moving direction at each step. A novel strategy for the shill to coordinate the group is proposed. It is strictly proved that a shill with this strategy and a limited speed can synchronize every agent in the group. The computer simulations show the effectiveness of this strategy in different scenarios, including different group sizes, shill speed, and with or without noise. Compared to the method of adding some fixed-heading leaders, our method can guarantee synchronization for any initial configuration in the deterministic scenario and improve the synchronization level significantly in low density groups, or model with noise. This suggests the advantage and power of feedback information in intervention of collective behavior. PMID:23658695

Nondestructive intervention to multi-agent systems through an intelligent agent.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Han

Full Text Available For a given multi-agent system where the local interaction rule of the existing agents can not be re-designed, one way to intervene the collective behavior of the system is to add one or a few special agents into the group which are still treated as normal agents by the existing ones. We study how to lead a Vicsek-like flocking model to reach synchronization by adding special agents. A popular method is to add some simple leaders (fixed-headings agents. However, we add one intelligent agent, called 'shill', which uses online feedback information of the group to decide the shill's moving direction at each step. A novel strategy for the shill to coordinate the group is proposed. It is strictly proved that a shill with this strategy and a limited speed can synchronize every agent in the group. The computer simulations show the effectiveness of this strategy in different scenarios, including different group sizes, shill speed, and with or without noise. Compared to the method of adding some fixed-heading leaders, our method can guarantee synchronization for any initial configuration in the deterministic scenario and improve the synchronization level significantly in low density groups, or model with noise. This suggests the advantage and power of feedback information in intervention of collective behavior.

Logics for Intelligent Agents and Multi-Agent Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meyer, John-Jules Charles

2014-01-01

This chapter presents the history of the application of logic in a quite popular paradigm in contemporary computer science and artificial intelligence, viz. the area of intelligent agents and multi-agent systems. In particular we discuss the logics that have been used to specify single agents, the

Multi-agent Negotiation Mechanisms for Statistical Target Classification in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheng Wang

2007-10-01

Full Text Available The recent availability of low cost and miniaturized hardware has allowedwireless sensor networks (WSNs to retrieve audio and video data in real worldapplications, which has fostered the development of wireless multimedia sensor networks(WMSNs. Resource constraints and challenging multimedia data volume makedevelopment of efficient algorithms to perform in-network processing of multimediacontents imperative. This paper proposes solving problems in the domain of WMSNs fromthe perspective of multi-agent systems. The multi-agent framework enables flexible networkconfiguration and efficient collaborative in-network processing. The focus is placed ontarget classification in WMSNs where audio information is retrieved by microphones. Todeal with the uncertainties related to audio information retrieval, the statistical approachesof power spectral density estimates, principal component analysis and Gaussian processclassification are employed. A multi-agent negotiation mechanism is specially developed toefficiently utilize limited resources and simultaneously enhance classification accuracy andreliability. The negotiation is composed of two phases, where an auction based approach isfirst exploited to allocate the classification task among the agents and then individual agentdecisions are combined by the committee decision mechanism. Simulation experiments withreal world data are conducted and the results show that the proposed statistical approachesand negotiation mechanism not only reduce memory and computation requi

Agent-Based Coordination Model for Designing Transportation Applications

OpenAIRE

BADEIG, F; BALBO, F; SCEMAMA, G; ZARGAYOUNA, M

2008-01-01

This paper presents an environment-centered approach to design multi-agent solutions to transportation problems. Based on the Property-based Coordination Principle (PbC), the objective of our approach is to solve three recurrent issues in the design of these solutions: the knowledge problem, the space-time dimension and the dynamics of the real environment. To demonstrate the benefits of our approach, two completely different applications, a demand-responsive transportation system and a simul...

Multi-agent Negotiation Mechanisms for Statistical Target Classification in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xue; Bi, Dao-wei; Ding, Liang; Wang, Sheng

2007-01-01

The recent availability of low cost and miniaturized hardware has allowed wireless sensor networks (WSNs) to retrieve audio and video data in real world applications, which has fostered the development of wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs). Resource constraints and challenging multimedia data volume make development of efficient algorithms to perform in-network processing of multimedia contents imperative. This paper proposes solving problems in the domain of WMSNs from the perspective of multi-agent systems. The multi-agent framework enables flexible network configuration and efficient collaborative in-network processing. The focus is placed on target classification in WMSNs where audio information is retrieved by microphones. To deal with the uncertainties related to audio information retrieval, the statistical approaches of power spectral density estimates, principal component analysis and Gaussian process classification are employed. A multi-agent negotiation mechanism is specially developed to efficiently utilize limited resources and simultaneously enhance classification accuracy and reliability. The negotiation is composed of two phases, where an auction based approach is first exploited to allocate the classification task among the agents and then individual agent decisions are combined by the committee decision mechanism. Simulation experiments with real world data are conducted and the results show that the proposed statistical approaches and negotiation mechanism not only reduce memory and computation requirements in WMSNs but also significantly enhance classification accuracy and reliability. PMID:28903223

Multi-agent system for energy resource scheduling of integrated microgrids in a distributed system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Logenthiran, T.; Srinivasan, Dipti; Khambadkone, Ashwin M.

2011-01-01

This paper proposes a multi-agent system for energy resource scheduling of an islanded power system with distributed resources, which consists of integrated microgrids and lumped loads. Distributed intelligent multi-agent technology is applied to make the power system more reliable, efficient and capable of exploiting and integrating alternative sources of energy. The algorithm behind the proposed energy resource scheduling has three stages. The first stage is to schedule each microgrid individually to satisfy its internal demand. The next stage involves finding the best possible bids for exporting power to the network and compete in a whole sale energy market. The final stage is to reschedule each microgrid individually to satisfy the total demand, which is the addition of internal demand and the demand from the results of the whole sale energy market simulation. The simulation results of a power system with distributed resources comprising three microgrids and five lumped loads show that the proposed multi-agent system allows efficient management of micro-sources with minimum operational cost. The case studies demonstrate that the system is successfully monitored, controlled and operated by means of the developed multi-agent system. (author)

Multi-agent system for energy resource scheduling of integrated microgrids in a distributed system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Logenthiran, T.; Srinivasan, Dipti; Khambadkone, Ashwin M. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117576 (Singapore)

2011-01-15

This paper proposes a multi-agent system for energy resource scheduling of an islanded power system with distributed resources, which consists of integrated microgrids and lumped loads. Distributed intelligent multi-agent technology is applied to make the power system more reliable, efficient and capable of exploiting and integrating alternative sources of energy. The algorithm behind the proposed energy resource scheduling has three stages. The first stage is to schedule each microgrid individually to satisfy its internal demand. The next stage involves finding the best possible bids for exporting power to the network and compete in a whole sale energy market. The final stage is to reschedule each microgrid individually to satisfy the total demand, which is the addition of internal demand and the demand from the results of the whole sale energy market simulation. The simulation results of a power system with distributed resources comprising three microgrids and five lumped loads show that the proposed multi-agent system allows efficient management of micro-sources with minimum operational cost. The case studies demonstrate that the system is successfully monitored, controlled and operated by means of the developed multi-agent system. (author)

A multi-agent based distributed energy management scheme for smart grid applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radhakrishnan, Bharat Menon; Srinivasan, Dipti

2016-01-01

A multi-agent system based distributed EMS (energy management system) is proposed in this paper to perform optimal energy allocation and management for grids comprising of renewables, storage and distributed generation. The reliable and efficient operation of smart grids is slackened due to the presence of intermittent renewables. As the load demand and renewables are uncertain throughout the day, an energy management system is essential to ensure grid stability and achieve reductions in operation costs and CO_2 emissions. The main objectives of the proposed algorithm is to maintain power balance in the system and to ensure long cycle life for storage units by controlling their SOC (state of charge). The proposed EMS scheme is tested and validated on a practical test system, which replicates a small-scale smart grid with a variety of distributed sources, storage devices, loads, power electronic converters, and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system. This system is also connected to the utility grid and the power exchange is controlled with the help of a battery system through a fuzzy based decision-making framework. The proposed algorithm is also extensively verified and tested using a series of sensitivity analyses and benchmarking with existing algorithms. - Highlights: • An agent-based decentralized algorithm is proposed to perform energy management. • The multi-agent system approach eliminates the possibility of single point failures. • Adaptive fuzzy systems make the decision making more reliable, flexible and robust. • The algorithm is extensively tested and validated using sensitivity and verification analyses.

Solution of partial differential equations by agent-based simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szilagyi, Miklos N

2014-01-01

The purpose of this short note is to demonstrate that partial differential equations can be quickly solved by agent-based simulation with high accuracy. There is no need for the solution of large systems of algebraic equations. This method is especially useful for quick determination of potential distributions and demonstration purposes in teaching electromagnetism. (letters and comments)

Applications of Multi-Agent Technology to Power Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Nagata, Takeshi

Currently, agents are focus of intense on many sub-fields of computer science and artificial intelligence. Agents are being used in an increasingly wide variety of applications. Many important computing applications such as planning, process control, communication networks and concurrent systems will benefit from using multi-agent system approach. A multi-agent system is a structure given by an environment together with a set of artificial agents capable to act on this environment. Multi-agent models are oriented towards interactions, collaborative phenomena, and autonomy. This article presents the applications of multi-agent technology to the power systems.

Achieving semantic interoperability in multi-agent systems: A dialogue-based approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Diggelen, J. van

2007-01-01

Software agents sharing the same ontology can exchange their knowledge fluently as their knowledge representations are compatible with respect to the concepts regarded as relevant and with respect to the names given to these concepts. However, in open heterogeneous multi-agent systems, this scenario

An agent-based method for simulating porous fluid-saturated structures with indistinguishable components

Science.gov (United States)

Kashani, Jamal; Pettet, Graeme John; Gu, YuanTong; Zhang, Lihai; Oloyede, Adekunle

2017-10-01

Single-phase porous materials contain multiple components that intermingle up to the ultramicroscopic level. Although the structures of the porous materials have been simulated with agent-based methods, the results of the available methods continue to provide patterns of distinguishable solid and fluid agents which do not represent materials with indistinguishable phases. This paper introduces a new agent (hybrid agent) and category of rules (intra-agent rule) that can be used to create emergent structures that would more accurately represent single-phase structures and materials. The novel hybrid agent carries the characteristics of system's elements and it is capable of changing within itself, while also responding to its neighbours as they also change. As an example, the hybrid agent under one-dimensional cellular automata formalism in a two-dimensional domain is used to generate patterns that demonstrate the striking morphological and characteristic similarities with the porous saturated single-phase structures where each agent of the ;structure; carries semi-permeability property and consists of both fluid and solid in space and at all times. We conclude that the ability of the hybrid agent to change locally provides an enhanced protocol to simulate complex porous structures such as biological tissues which could facilitate models for agent-based techniques and numerical methods.

FY1995 distributed control of man-machine cooperative multi agent systems; 1995 nendo ningen kyochogata multi agent kikai system no jiritsu seigyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-03-01

In the near future, distributed autonomous systems will be practical in many situations, e.g., interactive production systems, hazardous environments, nursing homes, and individual houses. The agents which consist of the distributed system must not give damages to human being and should be working economically. In this project man-machine cooperative multi agent systems are studied in many kind of respects, and basic design technology, basic control technique are developed by establishing fundamental theories and by constructing experimental systems. In this project theoretical and experimental studies are conducted in the following sub-projects: (1) Distributed cooperative control in multi agent type actuation systems (2) Control of non-holonomic systems (3) Man-machine Cooperative systems (4) Robot systems learning human skills (5) Robust force control of constrained systems In each sub-project cooperative nature between machine agent systems and human being, interference between artificial multi agents and environment and new function emergence in coordination of the multi agents and the environment, robust force control against for the environments, control methods for non-holonomic systems, robot systems which can mimic and learn human skills were studied. In each sub-project, some problems were hi-lighted and solutions for the problems have been given based on construction of experimental systems. (NEDO)

Cloud-based multi-agent architecture for effective planning and scheduling of distributed manufacturing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mishra, Nishikant; Singh, Akshit; Kumari, Sushma

2016-01-01

at distinct locations are being assembled in a plant to develop the final product. In this complex scenario, manufacturing firms have to be responsive enough to cope with the fluctuating demand of customers. To accomplish it, there is a need to develop an integrated, dynamic and autonomous system....... In this article, a self-reactive cloud-based multi-agent architecture for distributed manufacturing system is developed. The proposed architecture will assist manufacturing industry to establish real-time information exchange between the autonomous agents, clients, suppliers and manufacturing unit. The mechanism...

Research on e-commerce transaction networks using multi-agent modelling and open application programming interface

Science.gov (United States)

Piao, Chunhui; Han, Xufang; Wu, Harris

2010-08-01

We provide a formal definition of an e-commerce transaction network. Agent-based modelling is used to simulate e-commerce transaction networks. For real-world analysis, we studied the open application programming interfaces (APIs) from eBay and Taobao e-commerce websites and captured real transaction data. Pajek is used to visualise the agent relationships in the transaction network. We derived one-mode networks from the transaction network and analysed them using degree and betweenness centrality. Integrating multi-agent modelling, open APIs and social network analysis, we propose a new way to study large-scale e-commerce systems.

A flocking algorithm for multi-agent systems with connectivity preservation under hybrid metric-topological interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Chenlong; Feng, Zuren; Ren, Zhigang

2018-01-01

In this paper, we propose a connectivity-preserving flocking algorithm for multi-agent systems in which the neighbor set of each agent is determined by the hybrid metric-topological distance so that the interaction topology can be represented as the range-limited Delaunay graph, which combines the properties of the commonly used disk graph and Delaunay graph. As a result, the proposed flocking algorithm has the following advantages over the existing ones. First, range-limited Delaunay graph is sparser than the disk graph so that the information exchange among agents is reduced significantly. Second, some links irrelevant to the connectivity can be dynamically deleted during the evolution of the system. Thus, the proposed flocking algorithm is more flexible than existing algorithms, where links are not allowed to be disconnected once they are created. Finally, the multi-agent system spontaneously generates a regular quasi-lattice formation without imposing the constraint on the ratio of the sensing range of the agent to the desired distance between two adjacent agents. With the interaction topology induced by the hybrid distance, the proposed flocking algorithm can still be implemented in a distributed manner. We prove that the proposed flocking algorithm can steer the multi-agent system to a stable flocking motion, provided the initial interaction topology of multi-agent systems is connected and the hysteresis in link addition is smaller than a derived upper bound. The correctness and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm are verified by extensive numerical simulations, where the flocking algorithms based on the disk and Delaunay graph are compared.

A flocking algorithm for multi-agent systems with connectivity preservation under hybrid metric-topological interactions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chenlong He

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a connectivity-preserving flocking algorithm for multi-agent systems in which the neighbor set of each agent is determined by the hybrid metric-topological distance so that the interaction topology can be represented as the range-limited Delaunay graph, which combines the properties of the commonly used disk graph and Delaunay graph. As a result, the proposed flocking algorithm has the following advantages over the existing ones. First, range-limited Delaunay graph is sparser than the disk graph so that the information exchange among agents is reduced significantly. Second, some links irrelevant to the connectivity can be dynamically deleted during the evolution of the system. Thus, the proposed flocking algorithm is more flexible than existing algorithms, where links are not allowed to be disconnected once they are created. Finally, the multi-agent system spontaneously generates a regular quasi-lattice formation without imposing the constraint on the ratio of the sensing range of the agent to the desired distance between two adjacent agents. With the interaction topology induced by the hybrid distance, the proposed flocking algorithm can still be implemented in a distributed manner. We prove that the proposed flocking algorithm can steer the multi-agent system to a stable flocking motion, provided the initial interaction topology of multi-agent systems is connected and the hysteresis in link addition is smaller than a derived upper bound. The correctness and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm are verified by extensive numerical simulations, where the flocking algorithms based on the disk and Delaunay graph are compared.

A Composite Agent Architecture for Multi-Agent Simulations

OpenAIRE

VanPutte, Michael; Osborn, Brian; Hiles, John

2002-01-01

CGF Computer Generated Forces and Behavioral Representation The MOVES Institute’s Computer-Generated Autonomy Group has focused on a research goal of modeling complex and adaptive behavior while at the same time making the behavior easier to create and control. This research has led to several techniques for agent construction, that includes a social and organization relationship management engine, a composite agent architecture, an agent goal apparatus, a structure for capturi...

Capturing multi-stage fuzzy uncertainties in hybrid system dynamics and agent-based models for enhancing policy implementation in health systems research.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shiyong; Triantis, Konstantinos P; Zhao, Li; Wang, Youfa

2018-01-01

In practical research, it was found that most people made health-related decisions not based on numerical data but on perceptions. Examples include the perceptions and their corresponding linguistic values of health risks such as, smoking, syringe sharing, eating energy-dense food, drinking sugar-sweetened beverages etc. For the sake of understanding the mechanisms that affect the implementations of health-related interventions, we employ fuzzy variables to quantify linguistic variable in healthcare modeling where we employ an integrated system dynamics and agent-based model. In a nonlinear causal-driven simulation environment driven by feedback loops, we mathematically demonstrate how interventions at an aggregate level affect the dynamics of linguistic variables that are captured by fuzzy agents and how interactions among fuzzy agents, at the same time, affect the formation of different clusters(groups) that are targeted by specific interventions. In this paper, we provide an innovative framework to capture multi-stage fuzzy uncertainties manifested among interacting heterogeneous agents (individuals) and intervention decisions that affect homogeneous agents (groups of individuals) in a hybrid model that combines an agent-based simulation model (ABM) and a system dynamics models (SDM). Having built the platform to incorporate high-dimension data in a hybrid ABM/SDM model, this paper demonstrates how one can obtain the state variable behaviors in the SDM and the corresponding values of linguistic variables in the ABM. This research provides a way to incorporate high-dimension data in a hybrid ABM/SDM model. This research not only enriches the application of fuzzy set theory by capturing the dynamics of variables associated with interacting fuzzy agents that lead to aggregate behaviors but also informs implementation research by enabling the incorporation of linguistic variables at both individual and institutional levels, which makes unstructured linguistic data

Learning in engineered multi-agent systems

Science.gov (United States)

Menon, Anup

Consider the problem of maximizing the total power produced by a wind farm. Due to aerodynamic interactions between wind turbines, each turbine maximizing its individual power---as is the case in present-day wind farms---does not lead to optimal farm-level power capture. Further, there are no good models to capture the said aerodynamic interactions, rendering model based optimization techniques ineffective. Thus, model-free distributed algorithms are needed that help turbines adapt their power production on-line so as to maximize farm-level power capture. Motivated by such problems, the main focus of this dissertation is a distributed model-free optimization problem in the context of multi-agent systems. The set-up comprises of a fixed number of agents, each of which can pick an action and observe the value of its individual utility function. An individual's utility function may depend on the collective action taken by all agents. The exact functional form (or model) of the agent utility functions, however, are unknown; an agent can only measure the numeric value of its utility. The objective of the multi-agent system is to optimize the welfare function (i.e. sum of the individual utility functions). Such a collaborative task requires communications between agents and we allow for the possibility of such inter-agent communications. We also pay attention to the role played by the pattern of such information exchange on certain aspects of performance. We develop two algorithms to solve this problem. The first one, engineered Interactive Trial and Error Learning (eITEL) algorithm, is based on a line of work in the Learning in Games literature and applies when agent actions are drawn from finite sets. While in a model-free setting, we introduce a novel qualitative graph-theoretic framework to encode known directed interactions of the form "which agents' action affect which others' payoff" (interaction graph). We encode explicit inter-agent communications in a directed

Analysis of Customer Behaviour and Online Retailers Strategies Using the Agent-Based Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sava Čavoški

2015-02-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the application of ABMS – agent-based modelling and simulation in the analysis of customer behaviour on B2C e-commerce websites as well as in the analysis of various business decisions upon the effects of on-line sales. By linking the areas of modelling based on agents and electronic commerce, this paper addresses the new opportunities for a quality assessment of consumer behaviour and reasons explaining this behaviour in e-commerce. The interactions of agents that make up this model are sublimated in the utility function that provides the basis for decision-making in the model. The rules of behaviour and interactions, included in the model through the utility function, denote the complexity of the decision-making process which occurs in evaluation and purchase of products in the part of B2C e-commerce. The simulation model implemented in the software NetLogo enables the monitoring of all interactions between the consumers (ConsumerAgents, seller-Internet sites (SellerAgents and advertisement agents (BannerAgents by generating the indicators of B2C site business performance.

Modeling and simulating human teamwork behaviors using intelligent agents

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Xiaocong; Yen, John

2004-12-01

Among researchers in multi-agent systems there has been growing interest in using intelligent agents to model and simulate human teamwork behaviors. Teamwork modeling is important for training humans in gaining collaborative skills, for supporting humans in making critical decisions by proactively gathering, fusing, and sharing information, and for building coherent teams with both humans and agents working effectively on intelligence-intensive problems. Teamwork modeling is also challenging because the research has spanned diverse disciplines from business management to cognitive science, human discourse, and distributed artificial intelligence. This article presents an extensive, but not exhaustive, list of work in the field, where the taxonomy is organized along two main dimensions: team social structure and social behaviors. Along the dimension of social structure, we consider agent-only teams and mixed human-agent teams. Along the dimension of social behaviors, we consider collaborative behaviors, communicative behaviors, helping behaviors, and the underpinning of effective teamwork-shared mental models. The contribution of this article is that it presents an organizational framework for analyzing a variety of teamwork simulation systems and for further studying simulated teamwork behaviors.

Large-scale agent-based social simulation : A study on epidemic prediction and control

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhang, M.

2016-01-01

Large-scale agent-based social simulation is gradually proving to be a versatile methodological approach for studying human societies, which could make contributions from policy making in social science, to distributed artificial intelligence and agent technology in computer science, and to theory

A multi-agent based intelligent configuration method for aircraft fleet maintenance personnel

OpenAIRE

Feng, Qiang; Li, Songjie; Sun, Bo

2014-01-01

A multi-agent based fleet maintenance personnel configuration method is proposed to solve the mission oriented aircraft fleet maintenance personnel configuration problem. The maintenance process of an aircraft fleet is analyzed first. In the process each aircraft contains multiple parts, and different parts are repaired by personnel with different majors and levels. The factors and their relationship involved in the process of maintenance are analyzed and discussed. Then the whole maintenance...

A Distributed Framework for Real Time Path Planning in Practical Multi-agent Systems

KAUST Repository

Abdelkader, Mohamed

2017-10-19

We present a framework for distributed, energy efficient, and real time implementable algorithms for path planning in multi-agent systems. The proposed framework is presented in the context of a motivating example of capture the flag which is an adversarial game played between two teams of autonomous agents called defenders and attackers. We start with the centralized formulation of the problem as a linear program because of its computational efficiency. Then we present an approximation framework in which each agent solves a local version of the centralized linear program by communicating with its neighbors only. The premise in this work is that for practical multi-agent systems, real time implementability of distributed algorithms is more crucial then global optimality. Thus, instead of verifying the proposed framework by performing offline simulations in MATLAB, we run extensive simulations in a robotic simulator V-REP, which includes a detailed dynamic model of quadrotors. Moreover, to create a realistic scenario, we allow a human operator to control the attacker quadrotor through a joystick in a single attacker setup. These simulations authenticate that the proposed framework is real time implementable and results in a performance that is comparable with the global optimal solution under the considered scenarios.

Real-Time Agent-Based Modeling Simulation with in-situ Visualization of Complex Biological Systems: A Case Study on Vocal Fold Inflammation and Healing.

Science.gov (United States)

Seekhao, Nuttiiya; Shung, Caroline; JaJa, Joseph; Mongeau, Luc; Li-Jessen, Nicole Y K

2016-05-01

We present an efficient and scalable scheme for implementing agent-based modeling (ABM) simulation with In Situ visualization of large complex systems on heterogeneous computing platforms. The scheme is designed to make optimal use of the resources available on a heterogeneous platform consisting of a multicore CPU and a GPU, resulting in minimal to no resource idle time. Furthermore, the scheme was implemented under a client-server paradigm that enables remote users to visualize and analyze simulation data as it is being generated at each time step of the model. Performance of a simulation case study of vocal fold inflammation and wound healing with 3.8 million agents shows 35× and 7× speedup in execution time over single-core and multi-core CPU respectively. Each iteration of the model took less than 200 ms to simulate, visualize and send the results to the client. This enables users to monitor the simulation in real-time and modify its course as needed.

Multi-agent Water Resources Management

Science.gov (United States)

Castelletti, A.; Giuliani, M.

2011-12-01

Increasing environmental awareness and emerging trends such as water trading, energy market, deregulation and democratization of water-related services are challenging integrated water resources planning and management worldwide. The traditional approach to water management design based on sector-by-sector optimization has to be reshaped to account for multiple interrelated decision-makers and many stakeholders with increasing decision power. Centralized management, though interesting from a conceptual point of view, is unfeasible in most of the modern social and institutional contexts, and often economically inefficient. Coordinated management, where different actors interact within a full open trust exchange paradigm under some institutional supervision is a promising alternative to the ideal centralized solution and the actual uncoordinated practices. This is a significant issue in most of the Southern Alps regulated lakes, where upstream hydropower reservoirs maximize their benefit independently form downstream users; it becomes even more relevant in the case of transboundary systems, where water management upstream affects water availability downstream (e.g. the River Zambesi flowing through Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique or the Red River flowing from South-Western China through Northern Vietnam. In this study we apply Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) theory to design an optimal management in a decentralized way, considering a set of multiple autonomous agents acting in the same environment and taking into account the pay-off of individual water users, which are inherently distributed along the river and need to coordinate to jointly reach their objectives. In this way each real-world actor, representing the decision-making entity (e.g. the operator of a reservoir or a diversion dam) can be represented one-to-one by a computer agent, defined as a computer system that is situated in some environment and that is capable of autonomous action in this environment in

A Systematic Review of Agent-Based Modelling and Simulation Applications in the Higher Education Domain

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, X.; Blackmore, K. L.

2015-01-01

This paper presents the results of a systematic review of agent-based modelling and simulation (ABMS) applications in the higher education (HE) domain. Agent-based modelling is a "bottom-up" modelling paradigm in which system-level behaviour (macro) is modelled through the behaviour of individual local-level agent interactions (micro).…

A Decentralized Multi-Agent-Based Approach for Low Voltage Microgrid Restoration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ebrahim Rokrok

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Although a well-organized power system is less subject to blackouts, the existence of a proper restoration plan is nevertheless still essential. The goal of a restoration plan is to bring the power system back to its normal operating conditions in the shortest time after a blackout occurs and to minimize the impact of the blackout on society. This paper presents a decentralized multi-agent system (MAS-based restoration method for a low voltage (LV microgrid (MG. In the proposed method, the MG local controllers are assigned to the specific agents who interact with each other to achieve a common decision in the restoration procedure. The evaluation of the proposed decentralized technique using a benchmark low-voltage MG network demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed restoration plan.

ModelforAnalyzing Human Communication Network Based onAgent-Based Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuyama, Shinako; Terano, Takao

This paper discusses dynamic properties of human communications networks, which appears as a result of informationexchanges among people. We propose agent-based simulation (ABS) to examine implicit mechanisms behind the dynamics. The ABS enables us to reveal the characteristics and the differences of the networks regarding the specific communicationgroups. We perform experiments on the ABS with activity data from questionnaires survey and with virtual data which isdifferent from the activity data. We compare the difference between them and show the effectiveness of the ABS through theexperiments.

An Automated Negotiation-based Framework via Multi-Agent System for the Construction Domain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moamin Mahmoud

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose an automated multi-agent negotiation framework for decision making in the construction domain. It enables software agents to conduct negotiations and autonomously make decisions. The proposed framework consists of two types of components, internal and external. Internal components are integrated into the agent architecture while the external components are blended within the environment to facilitate the negotiation process. The internal components are negotiation algorithm, negotiation style, negotiation protocol, and solution generators. The external components are the negotiation base and the conflict resolution algorithm. We also discuss the decision making process flow in such system. There are three main processes in decision making for specific projects, which are propose solutions, negotiate solutions and handling conflict outcomes (conflict resolution. We finally present the proposed architecture that enables software agents to conduct automated negotiation in the construction domain.

A Novel Architecture for Real-time Operation of Multi-Agent Based Coordination of Demand and Supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hommelberg, M.P.F.; Warmer, C.J.; Kamphuis, I.G.; Kok, J.K.; Van der Velde, B.J.

2009-01-01

The ECN-developed PowerMatcher concept has proven its value in the coordination of demand and supply of electricity in different settings with respect to distributed generation and accommodation of renewable energy resources. The concept has been applied in several field tests and simulations at various levels in the power system. The agent based technology on which the PowerMatcher is built has a number of advantages above other approaches such as the flexibility of the concept to accommodate a large variety of business scenarios, the autonomy of the agents, the standardization of communication through bids and allocation, the hiding of process information, etc. Yet the field tests also have identified a number of enhancements that may lead to improved behavior of the PowerMatcher in real life circumstances. Also discussions within the power system agent community as laid down in two White Papers from the IEEE Multi-Agent Systems Working Group have convinced us to focus on an architecture that enables close cooperation with other research groups in order to gain momentum for real applications. This paper will introduce a number of requirements for the next phase of development that enable the PowerMatcher to cope with new, future scenarios. The requirements lead to a number of architectural decisions that will support a more open software development trajectory

Distributed optimization-based control of multi-agent networks in complex environments

CERN Document Server

Zhu, Minghui

2015-01-01

This book offers a concise and in-depth exposition of specific algorithmic solutions for distributed optimization based control of multi-agent networks and their performance analysis. It synthesizes and analyzes distributed strategies for three collaborative tasks: distributed cooperative optimization, mobile sensor deployment and multi-vehicle formation control. The book integrates miscellaneous ideas and tools from dynamic systems, control theory, graph theory, optimization, game theory and Markov chains to address the particular challenges introduced by such complexities in the environment as topological dynamics, environmental uncertainties, and potential cyber-attack by human adversaries. The book is written for first- or second-year graduate students in a variety of engineering disciplines, including control, robotics, decision-making, optimization and algorithms and with backgrounds in aerospace engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and operations research. Resea...

Agent-based Modeling with MATSim for Hazards Evacuation Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, J. M.; Ng, P.; Henry, K.; Peters, J.; Wood, N. J.

2015-12-01

Hazard evacuation planning requires robust modeling tools and techniques, such as least cost distance or agent-based modeling, to gain an understanding of a community's potential to reach safety before event (e.g. tsunami) arrival. Least cost distance modeling provides a static view of the evacuation landscape with an estimate of travel times to safety from each location in the hazard space. With this information, practitioners can assess a community's overall ability for timely evacuation. More information may be needed if evacuee congestion creates bottlenecks in the flow patterns. Dynamic movement patterns are best explored with agent-based models that simulate movement of and interaction between individual agents as evacuees through the hazard space, reacting to potential congestion areas along the evacuation route. The multi-agent transport simulation model MATSim is an agent-based modeling framework that can be applied to hazard evacuation planning. Developed jointly by universities in Switzerland and Germany, MATSim is open-source software written in Java and freely available for modification or enhancement. We successfully used MATSim to illustrate tsunami evacuation challenges in two island communities in California, USA, that are impacted by limited escape routes. However, working with MATSim's data preparation, simulation, and visualization modules in an integrated development environment requires a significant investment of time to develop the software expertise to link the modules and run a simulation. To facilitate our evacuation research, we packaged the MATSim modules into a single application tailored to the needs of the hazards community. By exposing the modeling parameters of interest to researchers in an intuitive user interface and hiding the software complexities, we bring agent-based modeling closer to practitioners and provide access to the powerful visual and analytic information that this modeling can provide.

Multi-agent simulation of competitive electricity markets: Autonomous systems cooperation for European market modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santos, Gabriel; Pinto, Tiago; Morais, Hugo

2015-01-01

The electricity market restructuring, and its worldwide evolution into regional and even continental scales, along with the increasing necessity for an adequate integration of renewable energy sources, is resulting in a rising complexity in power systems operation. Several power system simulators...... have been developed in recent years with the purpose of helping operators, regulators, and involved players to understand and deal with this complex and constantly changing environment. The main contribution of this paper is given by the integration of several electricity market and power system models......, respecting to the reality of different countries. This integration is done through the development of an upper ontology which integrates the essential concepts necessary to interpret all the available information. The continuous development of Multi-Agent System for Competitive Electricity Markets platform...

Agent-based modeling and simulation of clean heating system adoption in Norway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sopha, Bertha Maya

2011-03-15

A sound climate policy encouraging clean energy investment is important to mitigate global warming. Previous research has demonstrated that consumer choice indeed plays an important role in adoption of sustainable technologies. This thesis strives to gain a better understanding of consumers' decision-making on heating systems and to explore the potential application of agent-based modeling (ABM) in exploring mechanism underlying adoption in which heating system adoption by Norwegian households is taken up as a case study. An interdisciplinary approach, applying various established theories including those of psychology, is applied to create a model for consumer behavior and implement this behavior in an Agent-Based Model (ABM) to simulate heating technology diffusion. A mail-survey, carried out in autumn 2008, is a means to collect information for parameterizing the agent-based model, for gaining empirical facts, and for validating the developed model at micro-level. Survey sample consisted of 1500 Norwegian households drawn from population register and 1500 wood pellet users in Norway. The response rates were 10.3% and 34.6% for population sample and wood pellet sample respectively. This study is divided into two parts; empirical analysis and agent-based simulation. The empirical analysis aims at fully understanding the important aspects of adoption decision and their implications, in order to assist simulation. The analysis particularly contributes to the identification of differences/similarities between adopters and non adopters of wood pellet heating with respects to some key points of adoption derived from different theories, psychological factors underlying the adoption-decision of wood pellet heating, and the rationales underlying Norwegian households' decisions regarding their future heating system. The simulation study aims at exploring the mechanism of heterogeneous household decision-making giving rise to the diffusion of heating systems, and

Adaptive Droop Control for Microgrids Based on the Synergetic Control of Multi-Agent Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhiwen Yu

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a distributed synergetic control based on multi-agent systems is proposed to solve the problems of frequency and voltage errors, system stability and power sharing accuracy in the traditional droop control of microgrids. Starting with power flow equations, we build the secondary-order dynamic model of DG, which consists of three parts: (1 active power allocation; (2 active power-frequency; and (3 reactive power-voltage droop control. Considering time-delays in communication networks, a leaderless synergetic control algorithm is proposed to allocate the active power in inverse proportion to the droop coefficient, and the synergetic control with a virtual leader is proposed to control the system frequency and voltage to keep at the expected value. Besides, the direct Lyapunov method is introduced to verify the globally asymptotical stability. Moreover, the impacts of communication disturbance are also discussed from the aspects of control precision and system stability. Finally, based on a test microgrid, numerous cases are designed as illustration, and the simulation results validate the proposed method.

Multi-Agent Software Engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohamed, A.H.

2014-01-01

This paper proposed an alarm-monitoring system for people based on multi-agent using maps. The system monitors the users physical context using their mobile phone. The agents on the mobile phones are responsible for collecting, processing and sending data to the server. They can determine the parameters of their environment by sensors. The data are processed and sent to the server. On the other side, a set of agents on server can store this data and check the preconditions of the restrictions associated with the user, in order to trigger the appropriate alarms. These alarms are sent not only to the user who is alarmed to avoid the appeared restriction, but also to his supervisor. The proposed system is a general purpose alarm system that can be used in different critical application areas. It has been applied for monitoring the workers of radiation sites. However, these workers can do their activity tasks in the radiation environments safely

Agent-based modeling of the energy network for hybrid cars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez de Durana, José María; Barambones, Oscar; Kremers, Enrique; Varga, Liz

2015-01-01

Highlights: • An approach to represent and calculate multicarrier energy networks has been developed. • It provides a modeling method based on agents, for multicarrier energy networks. • It allows the system representation on a single sheet. • Energy flows circulating in the system can be observed dynamically during simulation. • The method is technology independent. - Abstract: Studies in complex energy networks devoted to the modeling of electrical power grids, were extended in previous work, where a computational multi-layered ontology, implemented using agent-based methods, was adopted. This structure is compatible with recently introduced Multiplex Networks which using Multi-linear Algebra generalize some of classical results for single-layer networks, to multilayer networks in steady state. Static results do not assist overly in understanding dynamic networks in which the values of the variables in the nodes and edges can change suddenly, driven by events, and even where new nodes or edges may appear or disappear, also because of other events. To address this gap, a computational agent-based model is developed to extend the multi-layer and multiplex approaches. In order to demonstrate the benefits of a dynamical extension, a model of the energy network in a hybrid car is presented as a case study

Introduction of an agent-based multi-scale modular architecture for dynamic knowledge representation of acute inflammation.

Science.gov (United States)

An, Gary

2008-05-27

One of the greatest challenges facing biomedical research is the integration and sharing of vast amounts of information, not only for individual researchers, but also for the community at large. Agent Based Modeling (ABM) can provide a means of addressing this challenge via a unifying translational architecture for dynamic knowledge representation. This paper presents a series of linked ABMs representing multiple levels of biological organization. They are intended to translate the knowledge derived from in vitro models of acute inflammation to clinically relevant phenomenon such as multiple organ failure. ABM development followed a sequence starting with relatively direct translation from in-vitro derived rules into a cell-as-agent level ABM, leading on to concatenated ABMs into multi-tissue models, eventually resulting in topologically linked aggregate multi-tissue ABMs modeling organ-organ crosstalk. As an underlying design principle organs were considered to be functionally composed of an epithelial surface, which determined organ integrity, and an endothelial/blood interface, representing the reaction surface for the initiation and propagation of inflammation. The development of the epithelial ABM derived from an in-vitro model of gut epithelial permeability is described. Next, the epithelial ABM was concatenated with the endothelial/inflammatory cell ABM to produce an organ model of the gut. This model was validated against in-vivo models of the inflammatory response of the gut to ischemia. Finally, the gut ABM was linked to a similarly constructed pulmonary ABM to simulate the gut-pulmonary axis in the pathogenesis of multiple organ failure. The behavior of this model was validated against in-vivo and clinical observations on the cross-talk between these two organ systems. A series of ABMs are presented extending from the level of intracellular mechanism to clinically observed behavior in the intensive care setting. The ABMs all utilize cell-level agents

Land-use change arising from rural land exchange : an agent-based simulation model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bakker, Martha M.; Alam, Shah Jamal; van Dijk, Jerry|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/29612642X; Rounsevell, Mark D. A.

Land exchange can be a major factor driving land-use change in regions with high pressure on land, but is generally not incorporated in land-use change models. Here we present an agent-based model to simulate land-use change arising from land exchange between multiple agent types representing

OWL model of multi-agent Smart-system of distance learning for people with vision disabilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Galina A. Samigulina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study is to develop an ontological model of multiagent smart-system of distance learning for visually impaired people based on Java Agent Development Framework for obtaining high-quality engineering education in laboratories of join use on modern equipment.Materials and methods of research. In developing multi-agent smart-system of distance learning, using various agents based on cognitive, ontological, statistical and intellectual methods is important. It is more convenient to implement this task in the form of software using multi-agent approach and Java Agent Development Framework. The main advantages of the platform are stability of operation, clear interface, simplicity of creating agents and extensive user database. In multi-agent systems, the solution is obtained automatically as result of interaction of many independent, purposeful agents. Each agent can perform certain tasks and pursue specified goals. Intellectual multi-agent systems and practical applications in distance learning based on them are considered.Results. The structural diagram of functioning of smart system distance learning for visually impaired people using various agents based on the system approach and the multi-agent platform Java Agent Development Framework is developed. The complex approach of distance learning of visually impaired people for obtaining highquality engineering education in laboratories of joint use on modern equipment is offered.The ontological model of multi-agent smart-system with a detailed description of the functions of following agents is created: personal, manager, ontological, cognitive, statistical, intellectual, shared laboratory agent, health agent, assistant to the agent and state agent. These agents execute their individual functions and provide a quality environment for learning.Conclusion. Thus, the proposed smart-system of distance learning for visually impaired people can significantly improve effectiveness and

An analysis of multi-agent diagnosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roos, Nico; Ten Teije, Annette; Bos, André; Witteveen, Cees; Castelfranchi, C.; Johnson, W.L.

2002-01-01

This paper analyzes the use of a Multi-Agent System for Model-Based Diagnosis. In a large dynamical system, it is often infeasible or even impossible to maintain a model of the whole system. Instead, several incomplete models of the system have to be used to establish a diagnosis and to detect

Agent-Based Simulation and Assessment of NAS Security and Safety, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The key innovation proposed here is the use of agent-based modeling and simulation to evaluate the safety of the National Airspace under crisis operations and...

Combining patient journey modelling and visual multi-agent computer simulation: a framework to improving knowledge translation in a healthcare environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Curry, Joanne; Fitzgerald, Anneke; Prodan, Ante; Dadich, Ann; Sloan, Terry

2014-01-01

This article focuses on a framework that will investigate the integration of two disparate methodologies: patient journey modelling and visual multi-agent simulation, and its impact on the speed and quality of knowledge translation to healthcare stakeholders. Literature describes patient journey modelling and visual simulation as discrete activities. This paper suggests that their combination and their impact on translating knowledge to practitioners are greater than the sum of the two technologies. The test-bed is ambulatory care and the goal is to determine if this approach can improve health services delivery, workflow, and patient outcomes and satisfaction. The multidisciplinary research team is comprised of expertise in patient journey modelling, simulation, and knowledge translation.

Improving Multi-Agent Systems Using Jason

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vester, Steen; Boss, Niklas Skamriis; Jensen, Andreas Schmidt

2011-01-01

We describe the approach used to develop the multi-agent system of herders that competed as the Jason-DTU team at the Multi-Agent Programming Contest 2010. We also participated in 2009 with a system developed in the agentoriented programming language Jason which is an extension of AgentSpeak. We ...... used the implementation from 2009 as a foundation and therefore much of the work done this year was on improving that implementation. We present a description which includes design and analysis of the system as well as the main features of our agent team strategy. In addition we discuss...

The Simulation of Financial Markets by Agent-Based Mix-Game Models

OpenAIRE

Chengling Gou

2006-01-01

This paper studies the simulation of financial markets using an agent-based mix-game model which is a variant of the minority game (MG). It specifies the spectra of parameters of mix-game models that fit financial markets by investigating the dynamic behaviors of mix-game models under a wide range of parameters. The main findings are (a) in order to approach efficiency, agents in a real financial market must be heterogeneous, boundedly rational and subject to asymmetric information; (b) an ac...

An Agent-Based Simulation for Investigating the Impact of Stereotypes on Task-Oriented Group Formation

Science.gov (United States)

Maghami, Mahsa; Sukthankar, Gita

In this paper, we introduce an agent-based simulation for investigating the impact of social factors on the formation and evolution of task-oriented groups. Task-oriented groups are created explicitly to perform a task, and all members derive benefits from task completion. However, even in cases when all group members act in a way that is locally optimal for task completion, social forces that have mild effects on choice of associates can have a measurable impact on task completion performance. In this paper, we show how our simulation can be used to model the impact of stereotypes on group formation. In our simulation, stereotypes are based on observable features, learned from prior experience, and only affect an agent's link formation preferences. Even without assuming stereotypes affect the agents' willingness or ability to complete tasks, the long-term modifications that stereotypes have on the agents' social network impair the agents' ability to form groups with sufficient diversity of skills, as compared to agents who form links randomly. An interesting finding is that this effect holds even in cases where stereotype preference and skill existence are completely uncorrelated.

Cooperative heuristic multi-agent planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Weerdt, M.M.; Tonino, J.F.M.; Witteveen, C.

2001-01-01

In this paper we will use the framework to study cooperative heuristic multi-agent planning. During the construction of their plans, the agents use a heuristic function inspired by the FF planner (l3l). At any time in the process of planning the agents may exchange available resources, or they may

Agent-based model of angiogenesis simulates capillary sprout initiation in multicellular networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Walpole, J; Chappell, J C; Cluceru, J G; Mac Gabhann, F; Bautch, V L; Peirce, S M

2015-09-01

Many biological processes are controlled by both deterministic and stochastic influences. However, efforts to model these systems often rely on either purely stochastic or purely rule-based methods. To better understand the balance between stochasticity and determinism in biological processes a computational approach that incorporates both influences may afford additional insight into underlying biological mechanisms that give rise to emergent system properties. We apply a combined approach to the simulation and study of angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels from existing networks. This complex multicellular process begins with selection of an initiating endothelial cell, or tip cell, which sprouts from the parent vessels in response to stimulation by exogenous cues. We have constructed an agent-based model of sprouting angiogenesis to evaluate endothelial cell sprout initiation frequency and location, and we have experimentally validated it using high-resolution time-lapse confocal microscopy. ABM simulations were then compared to a Monte Carlo model, revealing that purely stochastic simulations could not generate sprout locations as accurately as the rule-informed agent-based model. These findings support the use of rule-based approaches for modeling the complex mechanisms underlying sprouting angiogenesis over purely stochastic methods.

Construction of multi-agent mobile robots control system in the problem of persecution with using a modified reinforcement learning method based on neural networks

Science.gov (United States)

Patkin, M. L.; Rogachev, G. N.

2018-02-01

A method for constructing a multi-agent control system for mobile robots based on training with reinforcement using deep neural networks is considered. Synthesis of the management system is proposed to be carried out with reinforcement training and the modified Actor-Critic method, in which the Actor module is divided into Action Actor and Communication Actor in order to simultaneously manage mobile robots and communicate with partners. Communication is carried out by sending partners at each step a vector of real numbers that are added to the observation vector and affect the behaviour. Functions of Actors and Critic are approximated by deep neural networks. The Critics value function is trained by using the TD-error method and the Actor’s function by using DDPG. The Communication Actor’s neural network is trained through gradients received from partner agents. An environment in which a cooperative multi-agent interaction is present was developed, computer simulation of the application of this method in the control problem of two robots pursuing two goals was carried out.

Capacity Analysis for Parallel Runway through Agent-Based Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Peng

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Parallel runway is the mainstream structure of China hub airport, runway is often the bottleneck of an airport, and the evaluation of its capacity is of great importance to airport management. This study outlines a model, multiagent architecture, implementation approach, and software prototype of a simulation system for evaluating runway capacity. Agent Unified Modeling Language (AUML is applied to illustrate the inbound and departing procedure of planes and design the agent-based model. The model is evaluated experimentally, and the quality is studied in comparison with models, created by SIMMOD and Arena. The results seem to be highly efficient, so the method can be applied to parallel runway capacity evaluation and the model propose favorable flexibility and extensibility.

An agent-based simulation model to study accountable care organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Pai; Wu, Shinyi

2016-03-01

Creating accountable care organizations (ACOs) has been widely discussed as a strategy to control rapidly rising healthcare costs and improve quality of care; however, building an effective ACO is a complex process involving multiple stakeholders (payers, providers, patients) with their own interests. Also, implementation of an ACO is costly in terms of time and money. Immature design could cause safety hazards. Therefore, there is a need for analytical model-based decision-support tools that can predict the outcomes of different strategies to facilitate ACO design and implementation. In this study, an agent-based simulation model was developed to study ACOs that considers payers, healthcare providers, and patients as agents under the shared saving payment model of care for congestive heart failure (CHF), one of the most expensive causes of sometimes preventable hospitalizations. The agent-based simulation model has identified the critical determinants for the payment model design that can motivate provider behavior changes to achieve maximum financial and quality outcomes of an ACO. The results show nonlinear provider behavior change patterns corresponding to changes in payment model designs. The outcomes vary by providers with different quality or financial priorities, and are most sensitive to the cost-effectiveness of CHF interventions that an ACO implements. This study demonstrates an increasingly important method to construct a healthcare system analytics model that can help inform health policy and healthcare management decisions. The study also points out that the likely success of an ACO is interdependent with payment model design, provider characteristics, and cost and effectiveness of healthcare interventions.

ActivitySim: large-scale agent based activity generation for infrastructure simulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gali, Emmanuel [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Eidenbenz, Stephan [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Mniszewski, Sue [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Cuellar, Leticia [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Teuscher, Christof [PORTLAND STATE UNIV

2008-01-01

The United States' Department of Homeland Security aims to model, simulate, and analyze critical infrastructure and their interdependencies across multiple sectors such as electric power, telecommunications, water distribution, transportation, etc. We introduce ActivitySim, an activity simulator for a population of millions of individual agents each characterized by a set of demographic attributes that is based on US census data. ActivitySim generates daily schedules for each agent that consists of a sequence of activities, such as sleeping, shopping, working etc., each being scheduled at a geographic location, such as businesses or private residences that is appropriate for the activity type and for the personal situation of the agent. ActivitySim has been developed as part of a larger effort to understand the interdependencies among national infrastructure networks and their demand profiles that emerge from the different activities of individuals in baseline scenarios as well as emergency scenarios, such as hurricane evacuations. We present the scalable software engineering principles underlying ActivitySim, the socia-technical modeling paradigms that drive the activity generation, and proof-of-principle results for a scenario in the Twin Cities, MN area of 2.6 M agents.

Personalised learning object based on multi-agent model and learners’ learning styles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noppamas Pukkhem

2011-09-01

Full Text Available A multi-agent model is proposed in which learning styles and a word analysis technique to create a learning object recommendation system are used. On the basis of a learning style-based design, a concept map combination model is proposed to filter out unsuitable learning concepts from a given course. Our learner model classifies learners into eight styles and implements compatible computational methods consisting of three recommendations: i non-personalised, ii preferred feature-based, and iii neighbour-based collaborative filtering. The analysis of preference error (PE was performed by comparing the actual preferred learning object with the predicted one. In our experiments, the feature-based recommendation algorithm has the fewest PE.

A practical approach for active camera coordination based on a fusion-driven multi-agent system

Science.gov (United States)

Bustamante, Alvaro Luis; Molina, José M.; Patricio, Miguel A.

2014-04-01

In this paper, we propose a multi-agent system architecture to manage spatially distributed active (or pan-tilt-zoom) cameras. Traditional video surveillance algorithms are of no use for active cameras, and we have to look at different approaches. Such multi-sensor surveillance systems have to be designed to solve two related problems: data fusion and coordinated sensor-task management. Generally, architectures proposed for the coordinated operation of multiple cameras are based on the centralisation of management decisions at the fusion centre. However, the existence of intelligent sensors capable of decision making brings with it the possibility of conceiving alternative decentralised architectures. This problem is approached by means of a MAS, integrating data fusion as an integral part of the architecture for distributed coordination purposes. This paper presents the MAS architecture and system agents.

Flocking in Multi-Agent Systems with Multiple Virtual Leaders Based Only on Position Measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su Housheng

2012-01-01

Most existing flocking algorithms assume one single virtual leader and rely on information on both relative positions and relative velocities among neighboring agents. In this paper, the problem of controlling a flock of mobile autonomous agents to follow multiple virtual leaders is investigated by using only position information in the sense that agents with the same virtual leader asymptotically attain the same velocity and track the corresponding virtual leader based on only position measurements. A flocking algorithm is proposed under which every agent asymptotically attains its desired velocity, collision between agents can be avoided, and the final tight formation minimizes all agents' global potentials. A simulation example is presented to verify and illustrate the theoretical results. (general)

Debugging and Event Tracing for Multi-Agent Systems, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Large-scale agent systems have become key tools in modeling and simulation tools such as NASA's Airspace Concept Evaluation System (ACES), an agent-based simulation...

Optimal control in microgrid using multi-agent reinforcement learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Fu-Dong; Wu, Min; He, Yong; Chen, Xin

2012-11-01

This paper presents an improved reinforcement learning method to minimize electricity costs on the premise of satisfying the power balance and generation limit of units in a microgrid with grid-connected mode. Firstly, the microgrid control requirements are analyzed and the objective function of optimal control for microgrid is proposed. Then, a state variable "Average Electricity Price Trend" which is used to express the most possible transitions of the system is developed so as to reduce the complexity and randomicity of the microgrid, and a multi-agent architecture including agents, state variables, action variables and reward function is formulated. Furthermore, dynamic hierarchical reinforcement learning, based on change rate of key state variable, is established to carry out optimal policy exploration. The analysis shows that the proposed method is beneficial to handle the problem of "curse of dimensionality" and speed up learning in the unknown large-scale world. Finally, the simulation results under JADE (Java Agent Development Framework) demonstrate the validity of the presented method in optimal control for a microgrid with grid-connected mode. Copyright © 2012 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pricing and Timing Strategies for New Product Using Agent-Based Simulation of Behavioural Consumers

OpenAIRE

Keeheon Lee; Hoyeop Lee; Chang Ouk Kim

2014-01-01

In this study, we are interested in the problem of determining the pricing and timing strategies of a new product by developing an agent-based product diffusion simulation. In the proposed simulation model, agents imitate behavioural consumers, who are reference dependent and risk averse in the evaluation of new products and whose interactions create word-of-mouth regarding new products. Pricing and timing strategies involve the timing of a new product release, the timing of providing a disco...

Planning of Autonomous Multi-agent Intersection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viksnin Ilya I.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a traffic management system with agents acting on behalf autonomous vehicle at the crossroads. Alternatively to existing solutions based on usage of semiautonomous control systems with the control unit, proposed in this paper algorithm apply the principles of decentralized multi-agent control. Agents during their collaboration generate intersection plan and determinate the optimal order of road intersection for a given criterion based on the exchange of information about them and their environment. The paper contains optimization criteria for possible routes selection and experiments that perform in order to estimate the proposed model. Experiment results show that this model can significantly reduce traffic density compared to the traditional traffic management systems. Moreover, the proposed algorithm efficiency increases with road traffic density. Furthermore, the availability of control unit in the system significantly reduces the negative impact of possible failures and hacker attacks.

Method for distributed agent-based non-expert simulation of manufacturing process behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Ivezic, Nenad; Potok, Thomas E.

2004-11-30

A method for distributed agent based non-expert simulation of manufacturing process behavior on a single-processor computer comprises the steps of: object modeling a manufacturing technique having a plurality of processes; associating a distributed agent with each the process; and, programming each the agent to respond to discrete events corresponding to the manufacturing technique, wherein each discrete event triggers a programmed response. The method can further comprise the step of transmitting the discrete events to each agent in a message loop. In addition, the programming step comprises the step of conditioning each agent to respond to a discrete event selected from the group consisting of a clock tick message, a resources received message, and a request for output production message.

Stationary average consensus protocol for a class of heterogeneous high-order multi-agent systems with application for aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Rezaei, Mohammad Hadi; Menhaj, Mohammad Bagher

2018-01-01

This paper investigates the stationary average consensus problem for a class of heterogeneous-order multi-agent systems. The goal is to bring the positions of agents to the average of their initial positions while letting the other states converge to zero. To this end, three different consensus protocols are proposed. First, based on the auxiliary variables information among the agents under switching directed networks and state-feedback control, a protocol is proposed whereby all the agents achieve stationary average consensus. In the second and third protocols, by resorting to only measurements of relative positions of neighbouring agents under fixed balanced directed networks, two control frameworks are presented with two strategies based on state-feedback and output-feedback control. Finally, simulation results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed protocols.

Game-theoretic learning and distributed optimization in memoryless multi-agent systems

CERN Document Server

Tatarenko, Tatiana

2017-01-01

This book presents new efficient methods for optimization in realistic large-scale, multi-agent systems. These methods do not require the agents to have the full information about the system, but instead allow them to make their local decisions based only on the local information, possibly obtained during scommunication with their local neighbors. The book, primarily aimed at researchers in optimization and control, considers three different information settings in multi-agent systems: oracle-based, communication-based, and payoff-based. For each of these information types, an efficient optimization algorithm is developed, which leads the system to an optimal state. The optimization problems are set without such restrictive assumptions as convexity of the objective functions, complicated communication topologies, closed-form expressions for costs and utilities, and finiteness of the system’s state space. .

Multi-Agent System Based Special Protection and Emergency Control Scheme against Cascading Events in Power System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Zhou

relay operations due to low voltage or overload state in the post stage of N-1 (or N-k) contingency. If such state could be sensed and adjusted appropriately before those relay actions, the system stability might be sustained. So it is of great significance to develop a suitable protection scheme...... the proposed protection strategy in this thesis, a real time simulation platform based on Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) and LabVIEW is built. In this platform, the cases of cascaded blackouts are simulated on the test system simplified from the East Denmark power system. For the MAS based control system......, the distributed power system agents are set up in RTDS, while the agents in higher level are designed by LabVIEW toolkits. The case studies and simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of real time application of the proposed MAS based special protection and emergency control scheme against the cascaded...

TOWARDS A MULTI-SCALE AGENT-BASED PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE METHODOLOGY.

Science.gov (United States)

Somogyi, Endre; Hagar, Amit; Glazier, James A

2016-12-01

Living tissues are dynamic, heterogeneous compositions of objects , including molecules, cells and extra-cellular materials, which interact via chemical, mechanical and electrical process and reorganize via transformation, birth, death and migration processes . Current programming language have difficulty describing the dynamics of tissues because: 1: Dynamic sets of objects participate simultaneously in multiple processes, 2: Processes may be either continuous or discrete, and their activity may be conditional, 3: Objects and processes form complex, heterogeneous relationships and structures, 4: Objects and processes may be hierarchically composed, 5: Processes may create, destroy and transform objects and processes. Some modeling languages support these concepts, but most cannot translate models into executable simulations. We present a new hybrid executable modeling language paradigm, the Continuous Concurrent Object Process Methodology ( CCOPM ) which naturally expresses tissue models, enabling users to visually create agent-based models of tissues, and also allows computer simulation of these models.

Research and application of multi-agent genetic algorithm in tower defense game

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Shaohua

2018-04-01

In this paper, a new multi-agent genetic algorithm based on orthogonal experiment is proposed, which is based on multi-agent system, genetic algorithm and orthogonal experimental design. The design of neighborhood competition operator, orthogonal crossover operator, Son and self-learning operator. The new algorithm is applied to mobile tower defense game, according to the characteristics of the game, the establishment of mathematical models, and finally increases the value of the game's monster.

Distributed Research Project Scheduling Based on Multi-Agent Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Constanta Nicoleta Bodea

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Different project planning and scheduling approaches have been developed. The Operational Research (OR provides two major planning techniques: CPM (Critical Path Method and PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique. Due to projects complexity and difficulty to use classical methods, new approaches were developed. Artificial Intelligence (AI initially promoted the automatic planner concept, but model-based planning and scheduling methods emerged later on. The paper adresses the project scheduling optimization problem, when projects are seen as Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS. Taken into consideration two different approaches for project scheduling optimization: TCPSP (Time- Constrained Project Scheduling and RCPSP (Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling, the paper focuses on a multiagent implementation in MATLAB for TCSP. Using the research project as a case study, the paper includes a comparison between two multi-agent methods: Genetic Algorithm (GA and Ant Colony Algorithm (ACO.

Introduction of an agent-based multi-scale modular architecture for dynamic knowledge representation of acute inflammation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

An Gary

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background One of the greatest challenges facing biomedical research is the integration and sharing of vast amounts of information, not only for individual researchers, but also for the community at large. Agent Based Modeling (ABM can provide a means of addressing this challenge via a unifying translational architecture for dynamic knowledge representation. This paper presents a series of linked ABMs representing multiple levels of biological organization. They are intended to translate the knowledge derived from in vitro models of acute inflammation to clinically relevant phenomenon such as multiple organ failure. Results and Discussion ABM development followed a sequence starting with relatively direct translation from in-vitro derived rules into a cell-as-agent level ABM, leading on to concatenated ABMs into multi-tissue models, eventually resulting in topologically linked aggregate multi-tissue ABMs modeling organ-organ crosstalk. As an underlying design principle organs were considered to be functionally composed of an epithelial surface, which determined organ integrity, and an endothelial/blood interface, representing the reaction surface for the initiation and propagation of inflammation. The development of the epithelial ABM derived from an in-vitro model of gut epithelial permeability is described. Next, the epithelial ABM was concatenated with the endothelial/inflammatory cell ABM to produce an organ model of the gut. This model was validated against in-vivo models of the inflammatory response of the gut to ischemia. Finally, the gut ABM was linked to a similarly constructed pulmonary ABM to simulate the gut-pulmonary axis in the pathogenesis of multiple organ failure. The behavior of this model was validated against in-vivo and clinical observations on the cross-talk between these two organ systems Conclusion A series of ABMs are presented extending from the level of intracellular mechanism to clinically observed behavior

Validation techniques of agent based modelling for geospatial simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Darvishi

2014-10-01

Full Text Available One of the most interesting aspects of modelling and simulation study is to describe the real world phenomena that have specific properties; especially those that are in large scales and have dynamic and complex behaviours. Studying these phenomena in the laboratory is costly and in most cases it is impossible. Therefore, Miniaturization of world phenomena in the framework of a model in order to simulate the real phenomena is a reasonable and scientific approach to understand the world. Agent-based modelling and simulation (ABMS is a new modelling method comprising of multiple interacting agent. They have been used in the different areas; for instance, geographic information system (GIS, biology, economics, social science and computer science. The emergence of ABM toolkits in GIS software libraries (e.g. ESRI’s ArcGIS, OpenMap, GeoTools, etc for geospatial modelling is an indication of the growing interest of users to use of special capabilities of ABMS. Since ABMS is inherently similar to human cognition, therefore it could be built easily and applicable to wide range applications than a traditional simulation. But a key challenge about ABMS is difficulty in their validation and verification. Because of frequent emergence patterns, strong dynamics in the system and the complex nature of ABMS, it is hard to validate and verify ABMS by conventional validation methods. Therefore, attempt to find appropriate validation techniques for ABM seems to be necessary. In this paper, after reviewing on Principles and Concepts of ABM for and its applications, the validation techniques and challenges of ABM validation are discussed.

Validation techniques of agent based modelling for geospatial simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Darvishi, M.; Ahmadi, G.

2014-10-01

One of the most interesting aspects of modelling and simulation study is to describe the real world phenomena that have specific properties; especially those that are in large scales and have dynamic and complex behaviours. Studying these phenomena in the laboratory is costly and in most cases it is impossible. Therefore, Miniaturization of world phenomena in the framework of a model in order to simulate the real phenomena is a reasonable and scientific approach to understand the world. Agent-based modelling and simulation (ABMS) is a new modelling method comprising of multiple interacting agent. They have been used in the different areas; for instance, geographic information system (GIS), biology, economics, social science and computer science. The emergence of ABM toolkits in GIS software libraries (e.g. ESRI's ArcGIS, OpenMap, GeoTools, etc) for geospatial modelling is an indication of the growing interest of users to use of special capabilities of ABMS. Since ABMS is inherently similar to human cognition, therefore it could be built easily and applicable to wide range applications than a traditional simulation. But a key challenge about ABMS is difficulty in their validation and verification. Because of frequent emergence patterns, strong dynamics in the system and the complex nature of ABMS, it is hard to validate and verify ABMS by conventional validation methods. Therefore, attempt to find appropriate validation techniques for ABM seems to be necessary. In this paper, after reviewing on Principles and Concepts of ABM for and its applications, the validation techniques and challenges of ABM validation are discussed.

Consensus of Multi-Agent Systems with Prestissimo Scale-Free Networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Hongyong; Lu Lan; Cao Kecai; Zhang Siying

2010-01-01

In this paper, the relations of the network topology and the moving consensus of multi-agent systems are studied. A consensus-prestissimo scale-free network model with the static preferential-consensus attachment is presented on the rewired link of the regular network. The effects of the static preferential-consensus BA network on the algebraic connectivity of the topology graph are compared with the regular network. The robustness gain to delay is analyzed for variable network topology with the same scale. The time to reach the consensus is studied for the dynamic network with and without communication delays. By applying the computer simulations, it is validated that the speed of the convergence of multi-agent systems can be greatly improved in the preferential-consensus BA network model with different configuration. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

A Cross-Cultural Multi-agent Model of Opportunism in Trade

Science.gov (United States)

Hofstede, Gert Jan; Jonker, Catholijn M.; Verwaart, Tim

According to transaction cost economics, contracts are always incomplete and offer opportunities to defect. Some level of trust is a sine qua non for trade. If the seller is better informed about product quality than the buyer, the buyer has to rely on information the seller provides or has to check the information by testing the product or tracing the supply chain processes, thus incurring extra transaction cost. An opportunistic seller who assumes the buyer to trust, may deliver a lower quality product than agreed upon. In human decisions to deceive and to show trust or distrust, issues like mutual expectations, shame, self-esteem, personality, and reputation are involved. These factors depend in part on traders' cultural background. This paper proposes an agent model of deceit and trust and describes a multi-agent simulation where trading agents are differentiated according to Hofstede's dimensions of national culture. Simulations of USA and Dutch trading situations are compared.

Discrete-Event Simulation with Agents for Modeling of Dynamic Asymmetric Threats in Maritime Security

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ng, Chee W

2007-01-01

.... Discrete-event simulation (DES) was used to simulate a typical port-security, local, waterside-threat response model and to test the adaptive response of asymmetric threats in reaction to port-security procedures, while a multi-agent system (MAS...

An Agent-Based Labor Market Simulation with Endogenous Skill-Demand

Science.gov (United States)

Gemkow, S.

This paper considers an agent-based labor market simulation to examine the influence of skills on wages and unemployment rates. Therefore less and highly skilled workers as well as less and highly productive vacancies are implemented. The skill distribution is exogenous whereas the distribution of the less and highly productive vacancies is endogenous. The different opportunities of the skill groups on the labor market are established by skill requirements. This means that a highly productive vacancy can only be filled by a highly skilled unemployed. Different skill distributions, which can also be interpreted as skill-biased technological change, are simulated by incrementing the skill level of highly skilled persons exogenously. This simulation also provides a microeconomic foundation of the matching function often used in theoretical approaches.

A novel model and behavior analysis for a swarm of multi-agent systems with finite velocity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Liang-Shun; Wu Zhi-Hai

2014-01-01

Inspired by the fact that in most existing swarm models of multi-agent systems the velocity of an agent can be infinite, which is not in accordance with the real applications, we propose a novel swarm model of multi-agent systems where the velocity of an agent is finite. The Lyapunov function method and LaSalle's invariance principle are employed to show that by using the proposed model all of the agents eventually enter into a bounded region around the swarm center and finally tend to a stationary state. Numerical simulations are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

High performance cellular level agent-based simulation with FLAME for the GPU.

Science.gov (United States)

Richmond, Paul; Walker, Dawn; Coakley, Simon; Romano, Daniela

2010-05-01

Driven by the availability of experimental data and ability to simulate a biological scale which is of immediate interest, the cellular scale is fast emerging as an ideal candidate for middle-out modelling. As with 'bottom-up' simulation approaches, cellular level simulations demand a high degree of computational power, which in large-scale simulations can only be achieved through parallel computing. The flexible large-scale agent modelling environment (FLAME) is a template driven framework for agent-based modelling (ABM) on parallel architectures ideally suited to the simulation of cellular systems. It is available for both high performance computing clusters (www.flame.ac.uk) and GPU hardware (www.flamegpu.com) and uses a formal specification technique that acts as a universal modelling format. This not only creates an abstraction from the underlying hardware architectures, but avoids the steep learning curve associated with programming them. In benchmarking tests and simulations of advanced cellular systems, FLAME GPU has reported massive improvement in performance over more traditional ABM frameworks. This allows the time spent in the development and testing stages of modelling to be drastically reduced and creates the possibility of real-time visualisation for simple visual face-validation.

Multi-Agent Based Beam Search for Real-Time Production Scheduling and Control Method, Software and Industrial Application

CERN Document Server

Kang, Shu Gang

2013-01-01

The Multi-Agent Based Beam Search (MABBS) method systematically integrates four major requirements of manufacturing production - representation capability, solution quality, computation efficiency, and implementation difficulty - within a unified framework to deal with the many challenges of complex real-world production planning and scheduling problems. Multi-agent Based Beam Search for Real-time Production Scheduling and Control introduces this method, together with its software implementation and industrial applications.  This book connects academic research with industrial practice, and develops a practical solution to production planning and scheduling problems. To simplify implementation, a reusable software platform is developed to build the MABBS method into a generic computation engine.  This engine is integrated with a script language, called the Embedded Extensible Application Script Language (EXASL), to provide a flexible and straightforward approach to representing complex real-world problems. ...

Agent 2003 Conference on Challenges in Social Simulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Margaret Clemmons, ed.

2003-01-01

Welcome to the Proceedings of the fourth in a series of agent simulation conferences cosponsored by Argonne National Laboratory and The University of Chicago. Agent 2003 is the second conference in which three Special Interest Groups from the North American Association for Computational Social and Organizational Science (NAACSOS) have been involved in planning the program--Computational Social Theory; Simulation Applications; and Methods, Toolkits and Techniques. The theme of Agent 2003, Challenges in Social Simulation, is especially relevant, as there seems to be no shortage of such challenges. Agent simulation has been applied with increasing frequency to social domains for several decades, and its promise is clear and increasingly visible. Like any nascent scientific methodology, however, it faces a number of problems or issues that must be addressed in order to progress. These challenges include: (1) Validating models relative to the social settings they are designed to represent; (2) Developing agents and interactions simple enough to understand but sufficiently complex to do justice to the social processes of interest; (3) Bridging the gap between empirically spare artificial societies and naturally occurring social phenomena; (4) Building multi-level models that span processes across domains; (5) Promoting a dialog among theoretical, qualitative, and empirical social scientists and area experts, on the one hand, and mathematical and computational modelers and engineers, on the other; (6) Using that dialog to facilitate substantive progress in the social sciences; and (7) Fulfilling the aspirations of users in business, government, and other application areas, while recognizing and addressing the preceding challenges. Although this list hardly exhausts the challenges the field faces, it does identify topics addressed throughout the presentations of Agent 2003. Agent 2003 is part of a much larger process in which new methods and techniques are applied to

The Simulation of Financial Markets by an Agent-Based Mix-Game Model

OpenAIRE

Chengling Gou

2006-01-01

This paper studies the simulation of financial markets using an agent-based mix-game model which is a variant of the minority game (MG). It specifies the spectra of parameters of mix-game models that fit financial markets by investigating the dynamic behaviors of mix-game models under a wide range of parameters. The main findings are (a) in order to approach efficiency, agents in a real financial market must be heterogeneous, boundedly rational and subject to asymmetric information; (b) an ac...

Designing of Roaming Protocol for Bluetooth Equipped Multi Agent Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Subhan, Fazli; Hasbullah, Halabi B.

Bluetooth is an established standard for low cost, low power, wireless personal area network. Currently, Bluetooth does not support any roaming protocol in which handoff occurs dynamically when a Bluetooth device is moving out of the piconet. If a device is losing its connection to the master device, no provision is made to transfer it to another master. Handoff is not possible in a piconet, as in order to stay within the network, a slave would have to keep the same master. So, by definition intra-handoff is not possible within a piconet. This research mainly focuses on Bluetooth technology and designing a roaming protocol for Bluetooth equipped multi agent systems. A mathematical model is derived for an agent. The idea behind the mathematical model is to know when to initiate the roaming process for an agent. A desired trajectory for the agent is calculated using its x and y coordinates system, and is simulated in SIMULINK. Various roaming techniques are also studied and discussed. The advantage of designing a roaming protocol is to ensure the Bluetooth enabled roaming devices can freely move inside the network coverage without losing its connection or break of service in case of changing the base stations.

Efficient Allocation of Resources for Defense of Spatially Distributed Networks Using Agent-Based Simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kroshl, William M; Sarkani, Shahram; Mazzuchi, Thomas A

2015-09-01

This article presents ongoing research that focuses on efficient allocation of defense resources to minimize the damage inflicted on a spatially distributed physical network such as a pipeline, water system, or power distribution system from an attack by an active adversary, recognizing the fundamental difference between preparing for natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, or even accidental systems failures and the problem of allocating resources to defend against an opponent who is aware of, and anticipating, the defender's efforts to mitigate the threat. Our approach is to utilize a combination of integer programming and agent-based modeling to allocate the defensive resources. We conceptualize the problem as a Stackelberg "leader follower" game where the defender first places his assets to defend key areas of the network, and the attacker then seeks to inflict the maximum damage possible within the constraints of resources and network structure. The criticality of arcs in the network is estimated by a deterministic network interdiction formulation, which then informs an evolutionary agent-based simulation. The evolutionary agent-based simulation is used to determine the allocation of resources for attackers and defenders that results in evolutionary stable strategies, where actions by either side alone cannot increase its share of victories. We demonstrate these techniques on an example network, comparing the evolutionary agent-based results to a more traditional, probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) approach. Our results show that the agent-based approach results in a greater percentage of defender victories than does the PRA-based approach. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Graceful Failure and Societal Resilience Analysis Via Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Schopf, P. S.; Cioffi-Revilla, C.; Rogers, J. D.; Bassett, J.; Hailegiorgis, A. B.

2014-12-01

Agent-based social modeling is opening up new methodologies for the study of societal response to weather and climate hazards, and providing measures of resiliency that can be studied in many contexts, particularly in coupled human and natural-technological systems (CHANTS). Since CHANTS are complex adaptive systems, societal resiliency may or may not occur, depending on dynamics that lack closed form solutions. Agent-based modeling has been shown to provide a viable theoretical and methodological approach for analyzing and understanding disasters and societal resiliency in CHANTS. Our approach advances the science of societal resilience through computational modeling and simulation methods that complement earlier statistical and mathematical approaches. We present three case studies of social dynamics modeling that demonstrate the use of these agent based models. In Central Asia, we exmaine mutltiple ensemble simulations with varying climate statistics to see how droughts and zuds affect populations, transmission of wealth across generations, and the overall structure of the social system. In Eastern Africa, we explore how successive episodes of drought events affect the adaptive capacity of rural households. Human displacement, mainly, rural to urban migration, and livelihood transition particularly from pastoral to farming are observed as rural households interacting dynamically with the biophysical environment and continually adjust their behavior to accommodate changes in climate. In the far north case we demonstrate one of the first successful attempts to model the complete climate-permafrost-infrastructure-societal interaction network as a complex adaptive system/CHANTS implemented as a ``federated'' agent-based model using evolutionary computation. Analysis of population changes resulting from extreme weather across these and other cases provides evidence for the emergence of new steady states and shifting patterns of resilience.

Distributed event-triggered consensus tracking of second-order multi-agent systems with a virtual leader

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao Jie; Wu Zhi-Hai; Peng Li

2016-01-01

This paper investigates the consensus tracking problems of second-order multi-agent systems with a virtual leader via event-triggered control. A novel distributed event-triggered transmission scheme is proposed, which is intermittently examined at constant sampling instants. Only partial neighbor information and local measurements are required for event detection. Then the corresponding event-triggered consensus tracking protocol is presented to guarantee second-order multi-agent systems to achieve consensus tracking. Numerical simulations are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. (paper)

Application of multi-agent simulation to evaluate the influence of reservoir operation strategies on the distribution of water availability in the semi-arid Jaguaribe basin, Brazil

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Oel, P.R.; Krol, Martinus S.; Hoekstra, Arjen Ysbert

2012-01-01

Studying the processes responsible for the distribution of water resources in a river basin over space and time is of great importance for spatial planning. In this study a multi-agent simulation approach is applied for exploring the influence of alternative reservoir operation strategies on water

Study on the E-commerce platform based on the agent

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Ruixue; Qin, Lishuan; Gao, Yinmin

2011-10-01

To solve problem of dynamic integration in e-commerce, the Multi-Agent architecture of electronic commerce platform system based on Agent and Ontology has been introduced, which includes three major types of agent, Ontology and rule collection. In this architecture, service agent and rule are used to realize the business process reengineering, the reuse of software component, and agility of the electronic commerce platform. To illustrate the architecture, a simulation work has been done and the results imply that the architecture provides a very efficient method to design and implement the flexible, distributed, open and intelligent electronic commerce platform system to solve problem of dynamic integration in ecommerce. The objective of this paper is to illustrate the architecture of electronic commerce platform system, and the approach how Agent and Ontology support the electronic commerce platform system.

Theories about architecture and performance of multi-agent systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gazendam, Henk W.M.; Jorna, René J.

1998-01-01

Multi-agent systems are promising as models of organization because they are based on the idea that most work in human organizations is done based on intelligence, communication, cooperation, and massive parallel processing. They offer an alternative for system theories of organization, which are

Bridging the Gap between ABM and MAS: A Disaster-Rescue Simulation Using Jason and NetLogo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wulfrano Arturo Luna-Ramirez

2018-04-01

Full Text Available An agent is an autonomous computer system situated in an environment to fulfill a design objective. Multi-Agent Systems aim to solve problems in a flexible and robust way by assembling sets of agents interacting in cooperative or competitive ways for the sake of possibly common objectives. Multi-Agent Systems have been applied to several domains ranging from many industrial sectors, e-commerce, health and even entertainment. Agent-Based Modeling, a sort of Multi-Agent Systems, is a technique used to study complex systems in a wide range of domains. A natural or social system can be represented, modeled and explained through a simulation based on agents and interactions. Such a simulation can comprise a variety of agent architectures like reactive and cognitive agents. Despite cognitive agents being highly relevant to simulate social systems due their capability of modelling aspects of human behaviour ranging from individuals to crowds, they still have not been applied extensively. A challenging and socially relevant domain are the Disaster-Rescue simulations that can benefit from using cognitive agents to develop a realistic simulation. In this paper, a Multi-Agent System applied to the Disaster-Rescue domain involving cognitive agents based on the Belief–Desire–Intention architecture is presented. The system aims to bridge the gap in combining Agent-Based Modelling and Multi-Agent Systems approaches by integrating two major platforms in the field of Agent-Based Modeling and Belief-Desire Intention multi-agent systems, namely, NetLogo and Jason.

Opportunities of creating multi-agent systems in the service sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shatsky A.A.

2017-03-01

Full Text Available the paper seeks to examine opportunities to create multi-agent systems (MAS in the service sector. Using methods of theoretical analysis and synthesis, the author attempts to apply a multi-agent technology to description of the socio-economic system, such as the service sector. As a result, the author identifies three types of MAS in the service sector based on different types of architecture of intelligent information systems. The research shows that the problem posed by the author requires further study and clarification of results

A SIMULATION OF CONTRACT FARMING USING AGENT BASED MODELING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuanita Handayati

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This study aims to simulate the effects of contract farming and farmer commitment to contract farming on supply chain performance by using agent based modeling as a methodology. Supply chain performance is represented by profits and service levels. The simulation results indicate that farmers should pay attention to customer requirements and plan their agricultural activities in order to fulfill these requirements. Contract farming helps farmers deal with demand and price uncertainties. We also find that farmer commitment is crucial to fulfilling contract requirements. This study contributes to this field from a conceptual as well as a practical point of view. From the conceptual point of view, our simulation results show that different levels of farmer commitment have an impact on farmer performance when implementing contract farming. From a practical point of view, the uncertainty faced by farmers and the market can be managed by implementing cultivation and harvesting scheduling, information sharing, and collective learning as ways of committing to contract farming.

Multi-agents Based Modelling for Distribution Network Operation with Electric Vehicle Integration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hu, Junjie; Morais, Hugo; Zong, Yi

2014-01-01

Electric vehicles (EV) can become integral part of a smart grid because instead of just consuming power they are capable of providing valuable services to power systems. To integrate EVs smoothly into the power systems, a multi-agents system (MAS) with hierarchical organization structure...... and its role is to manage the distribution network safely by avoiding grid congestions and using congestion prices to coordinate the energy schedule of VPPs. VPP agents belong to the middle level and their roles are to manage the charge periods of the EVs. EV agents sit in the bottom level...

An Embedded Multi-Agent Systems Based Industrial Wireless Sensor Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Taboun, Mohammed S; Brennan, Robert W

2017-09-14

With the emergence of cyber-physical systems, there has been a growing interest in network-connected devices. One of the key requirements of a cyber-physical device is the ability to sense its environment. Wireless sensor networks are a widely-accepted solution for this requirement. In this study, an embedded multi-agent systems-managed wireless sensor network is presented. A novel architecture is proposed, along with a novel wireless sensor network architecture. Active and passive wireless sensor node types are defined, along with their communication protocols, and two application-specific examples are presented. A series of three experiments is conducted to evaluate the performance of the agent-embedded wireless sensor network.

Recent advances in agent-based complex automated negotiation

CERN Document Server

Ito, Takayuki; Zhang, Minjie; Fujita, Katsuhide; Robu, Valentin

2016-01-01

This book covers recent advances in Complex Automated Negotiations as a widely studied emerging area in the field of Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. The book includes selected revised and extended papers from the 7th International Workshop on Agent-Based Complex Automated Negotiation (ACAN2014), which was held in Paris, France, in May 2014. The book also includes brief introductions about Agent-based Complex Automated Negotiation which are based on tutorials provided in the workshop, and brief summaries and descriptions about the ANAC'14 (Automated Negotiating Agents Competition) competition, where authors of selected finalist agents explain the strategies and the ideas used by them. The book is targeted to academic and industrial researchers in various communities of autonomous agents and multi-agent systems, such as agreement technology, mechanism design, electronic commerce, related areas, as well as graduate, undergraduate, and PhD students working in those areas or having interest in them.

Reviewing Microgrids from a Multi-Agent Systems Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge J. Gomez-Sanz

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The construction of Smart Grids leads to the main question of what kind of intelligence such grids require and how to build it. Some authors choose an agent based solution to realize this intelligence. However, there may be some misunderstandings in the way this technology is being applied. This paper exposes some considerations of this subject, focusing on the Microgrid level, and shows a practical example through INGENIAS methodology, which is a methodology for the development of Agent Oriented systems that applies Model Driven Development techniques to produce fully functional Multi-Agent Systems.

Sampled-Data Consensus of Linear Multi-agent Systems With Packet Losses.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wenbing; Tang, Yang; Huang, Tingwen; Kurths, Jurgen

In this paper, the consensus problem is studied for a class of multi-agent systems with sampled data and packet losses, where random and deterministic packet losses are considered, respectively. For random packet losses, a Bernoulli-distributed white sequence is used to describe packet dropouts among agents in a stochastic way. For deterministic packet losses, a switched system with stable and unstable subsystems is employed to model packet dropouts in a deterministic way. The purpose of this paper is to derive consensus criteria, such that linear multi-agent systems with sampled-data and packet losses can reach consensus. By means of the Lyapunov function approach and the decomposition method, the design problem of a distributed controller is solved in terms of convex optimization. The interplay among the allowable bound of the sampling interval, the probability of random packet losses, and the rate of deterministic packet losses are explicitly derived to characterize consensus conditions. The obtained criteria are closely related to the maximum eigenvalue of the Laplacian matrix versus the second minimum eigenvalue of the Laplacian matrix, which reveals the intrinsic effect of communication topologies on consensus performance. Finally, simulations are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed results.In this paper, the consensus problem is studied for a class of multi-agent systems with sampled data and packet losses, where random and deterministic packet losses are considered, respectively. For random packet losses, a Bernoulli-distributed white sequence is used to describe packet dropouts among agents in a stochastic way. For deterministic packet losses, a switched system with stable and unstable subsystems is employed to model packet dropouts in a deterministic way. The purpose of this paper is to derive consensus criteria, such that linear multi-agent systems with sampled-data and packet losses can reach consensus. By means of the Lyapunov function

A reusable multi-agent architecture for active intelligent websites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jonker, C.M.; Lam, R.A.; Treur, J.

In this paper a reusable multi-agent architecture for intelligent Websites is presented and illustrated for an electronic department store. The architecture has been designed and implemented using the compositional design method for multi-agent systems DESIRE. The agents within this architecture are

A Hybrid Three Layer Architecture for Fire Agent Management in Rescue Simulation Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alborz Geramifard

2005-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new architecture called FAIS for implementing intelligent agents cooperating in a special Multi Agent environment, namely the RoboCup Rescue Simulation System. This is a layered architecture which is customized for solving fire extinguishing problem. Structural decision making algorithms are combined with heuristic ones in this model, so it's a hybrid architecture.

Multi-agent Cooperation in a Planning Framework

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Weerdt, M.M.; Bos, A.; Tonino, J.F.M.; Witteveen, C.

2000-01-01

The promise of multi-agent systems is that multiple agents can solve problems more efficiently than single agents can. In this paper we propose a method to implement cooperation between agents in the planning phase, in order to achive more cost-effective solutions than without cooperation. Two

Controllability of multi-agent systems with time-delay in state and switching topology

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Zhijian; Wang, Zidong; Lin, Hai; Wang, Zhen

2010-02-01

In this article, the controllability issue is addressed for an interconnected system of multiple agents. The network associated with the system is of the leader-follower structure with some agents taking leader role and others being followers interconnected via the neighbour-based rule. Sufficient conditions are derived for the controllability of multi-agent systems with time-delay in state, as well as a graph-based uncontrollability topology structure is revealed. Both single and double integrator dynamics are considered. For switching topology, two algebraic necessary and sufficient conditions are derived for the controllability of multi-agent systems. Several examples are also presented to illustrate how to control the system to shape into the desired configurations.

Understanding coupled natural and human systems on fire prone landscapes: integrating wildfire simulation into an agent based planning system.

Science.gov (United States)

Barros, Ana; Ager, Alan; Preisler, Haiganoush; Day, Michelle; Spies, Tom; Bolte, John

2015-04-01

Agent-based models (ABM) allow users to examine the long-term effects of agent decisions in complex systems where multiple agents and processes interact. This framework has potential application to study the dynamics of coupled natural and human systems where multiple stimuli determine trajectories over both space and time. We used Envision, a landscape based ABM, to analyze long-term wildfire dynamics in a heterogeneous, multi-owner landscape in Oregon, USA. Landscape dynamics are affected by land management policies, actors decisions, and autonomous processes such as vegetation succession, wildfire, or at a broader scale, climate change. Key questions include: 1) How are landscape dynamics influenced by policies and institutions, and 2) How do land management policies and actor decisions interact to produce intended and unintended consequences with respect to wildfire on fire-prone landscapes. Applying Envision to address these questions required the development of a wildfire module that could accurately simulate wildfires on the heterogeneous landscapes within the study area in terms of replicating historical fire size distribution, spatial distribution and fire intensity. In this paper we describe the development and testing of a mechanistic fire simulation system within Envision and application of the model on a 3.2 million fire prone landscape in central Oregon USA. The core fire spread equations use the Minimum Travel Time algorithm developed by M Finney. The model operates on a daily time step and uses a fire prediction system based on the relationship between energy release component and historical fires. Specifically, daily wildfire probabilities and sizes are generated from statistical analyses of historical fires in relation to daily ERC values. The MTT was coupled with the vegetation dynamics module in Envision to allow communication between the respective subsystem and effectively model fire effects and vegetation dynamics after a wildfire. Canopy and

Multi-period mean–variance portfolio optimization based on Monte-Carlo simulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

F. Cong (Fei); C.W. Oosterlee (Kees)

2016-01-01

htmlabstractWe propose a simulation-based approach for solving the constrained dynamic mean– variance portfolio managemen tproblem. For this dynamic optimization problem, we first consider a sub-optimal strategy, called the multi-stage strategy, which can be utilized in a forward fashion. Then,

Meredys, a multi-compartment reaction-diffusion simulator using multistate realistic molecular complexes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Le Novère Nicolas

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Most cellular signal transduction mechanisms depend on a few molecular partners whose roles depend on their position and movement in relation to the input signal. This movement can follow various rules and take place in different compartments. Additionally, the molecules can form transient complexes. Complexation and signal transduction depend on the specific states partners and complexes adopt. Several spatial simulator have been developed to date, but none are able to model reaction-diffusion of realistic multi-state transient complexes. Results Meredys allows for the simulation of multi-component, multi-feature state molecular species in two and three dimensions. Several compartments can be defined with different diffusion and boundary properties. The software employs a Brownian dynamics engine to simulate reaction-diffusion systems at the reactive particle level, based on compartment properties, complex structure, and hydro-dynamic radii. Zeroth-, first-, and second order reactions are supported. The molecular complexes have realistic geometries. Reactive species can contain user-defined feature states which can modify reaction rates and outcome. Models are defined in a versatile NeuroML input file. The simulation volume can be split in subvolumes to speed up run-time. Conclusions Meredys provides a powerful and versatile way to run accurate simulations of molecular and sub-cellular systems, that complement existing multi-agent simulation systems. Meredys is a Free Software and the source code is available at http://meredys.sourceforge.net/.

Distributed multi-agent based coordinated power management and control strategy for microgrids with distributed energy resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, M.S.; Oo, A.M.T.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Agent-based energy management and control scheme is designed for power sharing. • Distributed agent communication topology is formed by the graph theory. • Proposed scheme is capable of dynamically adapt to the change in system conditions. • Multi-agent coordination is achieved through information exchange. • Proposed power sharing strategy ensures the reliability of energy supply. - Abstract: In this paper, a distributed peer-to-peer multi-agent framework is proposed for managing the power sharing in microgrids with power electronic inverter-interfaced distributed energy resources (DERs). Recently, the introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) has gained much popularity by offering vehicle-to-home (V2H) technologies to support the sustainable operation of microgrids. Since microgrids often exhibit volatile characteristics due to natural intermittency and uncertainty, it is necessary to maintain the balancing of generation and demand through the proper management of power sharing. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to design an agent-based control framework to ensure the coordinated power management within the microgrids through effective utilization of EVs. The required agent communication framework is adhered to the graph theory where the control agents interact with each other using local as well as neighboring information and their distributed coordination effectively steers the proportional sharing of real and reactive powers among the inverter-interfaced EVs to maintain the stability of microgrids. The well known Ziegler-Nichols method is used to tune the proportional-integral (PI) controller of the inner current control loop within each individual control agent to perform necessary shared control tasks. A microgrid with solar photovoltaic (PV) and V2H systems is chosen to illustrate the results and it is seen that the proposed scheme improves the system performance in a smarter way through information exchange. Furthermore

Trends in practical applications of heterogeneous multi-agent systems : the PAAMS collection

CERN Document Server

Rodríguez, Juan; Mathieu, Philippe; Campbell, Andrew; Ortega, Alfonso; Adam, Emmanuel; Navarro, Elena; Ahrndt, Sebastian; Moreno, María; Julián, Vicente

2014-01-01

PAAMS, the International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems is an evolution of the International Workshop on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. PAAMS is an international yearly tribune to present, to discuss, and to disseminate the latest developments and the most important outcomes related to real-world applications. It provides a unique opportunity to bring multi-disciplinary experts, academics and practitioners together to exchange their experience in the development of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. This volume presents the papers that have been accepted for the 2014 special sessions: Agents Behaviours and Artificial Markets (ABAM), Agents and Mobile Devices (AM), Bio-Inspired and Multi-Agents Systems: Applications to Languages (BioMAS), Multi-Agent Systems and Ambient Intelligence (MASMAI), Self-Explaining Agents (SEA), Web Mining and Recommender systems (WebMiRes) and Intelligent Educational Systems (SSIES).

Simulating the Reproductive Behavior of a Region’s Population with an Agent-Based Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valeriy Leonidovich Makarov

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The research analyses the impact of the inequality of demographic transition on socio-demographic characteristics of the regional population and on the dynamics of these characteristics. The study was conducted with the help of computer-based experiments (simulations, which was run on the original agent-based model. The model is an artificial society, and personal characteristics of its members are set so that they could represent age-demographic structure of a simulate region. The agents are divided into two subgroups, which differ in their reproductive strategy. The first group has traditional strategy with high birth rate. The second group has considerably lower birth rate, observed in the modern developed societies. The model uses stochastic approaches to imitate the principle processes of population growth: mortality and morbidity. Mortality is set according to age-sex specific mortality coefficients, which do not differ across the population as a whole. New agents (child births appear as a choice of agents – women of reproductive age, and the choice depends on the subgroup. The overall age and social structure of the region is aggregated across individual agents. A number of experiments has been carried out with the model utilization. This allowed forecasting the size and structure of the population of a given region. The results of the experiments have revealed that despite its simplicity, the developed agent-based model well predicts the initial conditions in the region (e.g. age-demographic and social structure. The model shows good fit in terms of estimating the dynamics of major characteristics of the population.

An Embedded Multi-Agent Systems Based Industrial Wireless Sensor Network

Science.gov (United States)

Brennan, Robert W.

2017-01-01

With the emergence of cyber-physical systems, there has been a growing interest in network-connected devices. One of the key requirements of a cyber-physical device is the ability to sense its environment. Wireless sensor networks are a widely-accepted solution for this requirement. In this study, an embedded multi-agent systems-managed wireless sensor network is presented. A novel architecture is proposed, along with a novel wireless sensor network architecture. Active and passive wireless sensor node types are defined, along with their communication protocols, and two application-specific examples are presented. A series of three experiments is conducted to evaluate the performance of the agent-embedded wireless sensor network. PMID:28906452

A GIS-Based 3D Simulation for Occupant Evacuation in a Building

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

TANG Fangqin; ZHANG Xin

2008-01-01

The evacuation efficiency of building plans is of obvious importance to the public safety.The cem- plexity of building plans,however,makes it difficult for the efficiency evaluation.This paper presents a com- putational model AutoEscape,which can simulate the evacuation process for any given occupant distribu. Uon in buildings.Designed as an extensible multi-level structure, the model constructs the geometry level and occupant level and establishes the interactions between levels.The GIS-based environmental analysis is realized to automatically generate the geometric representation and formulate the cognition of agents. The multi-agent based technology is employed to simulate the crowd behaviom with autonomously acting individuals.A visualization component,which provides 3D free observations for the simulation process,is developed on the platform of OGRE and integrated into the system interface in form of ActiveX control.Fi- nally,a case study has been conducted and the results have been compared with the results of an existing model to show the reliability and capacity of AutoEscape simulation.

A Hybrid Three Layer Architecture for Fire Agent Management in Rescue Simulation Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alborz Geramifard

2008-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new architecture called FAIS for imple- menting intelligent agents cooperating in a special Multi Agent environ- ment, namely the RoboCup Rescue Simulation System. This is a layered architecture which is customized for solving fire extinguishing problem. Structural decision making algorithms are combined with heuristic ones in this model, so it's a hybrid architecture.

Simulating Transport and Land Use Interdependencies for Strategic Urban Planning—An Agent Based Modelling Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nam Huynh

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Agent based modelling has been widely accepted as a promising tool for urban planning purposes thanks to its capability to provide sophisticated insights into the social behaviours and the interdependencies that characterise urban systems. In this paper, we report on an agent based model, called TransMob, which explicitly simulates the mutual dynamics between demographic evolution, transport demands, housing needs and the eventual change in the average satisfaction of the residents of an urban area. The ability to reproduce such dynamics is a unique feature that has not been found in many of the like agent based models in the literature. TransMob, is constituted by six major modules: synthetic population, perceived liveability, travel diary assignment, traffic micro-simulator, residential location choice, and travel mode choice. TransMob is used to simulate the dynamics of a metropolitan area in South East of Sydney, Australia, in 2006 and 2011, with demographic evolution. The results are favourably compared against survey data for the area in 2011, therefore validating the capability of TransMob to reproduce the observed complexity of an urban area. We also report on the application of TransMob to simulate various hypothetical scenarios of urban planning policies. We conclude with discussions on current limitations of TransMob, which serve as suggestions for future developments.

Multi-agent modeling for the simulation of a simple smart microgrid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kremers, Enrique; Gonzalez de Durana, Jose; Barambones, Oscar

2013-01-01

Highlights: • We created a systemic modular model for a microgrid with a load flow calculation. • The model is modular and besides the power devices includes also a communication layer. • An agent-based approach allows to include intelligent strategies on every node of the system. • First feasibility simulations were run to show the possible outcomes of generator and load management strategies. - Abstract: The smart grid is a highly complex system that is being formed from the traditional power grid, adding new and sophisticated communication and control devices. This will enable integrating new elements for distributed power generation and also achieving an increasingly automated operation so for actions of the utilities as for customers. In order to model such systems, a bottom-up method is followed, using only a few basic elements which are structured into two layers: a physical layer for the electrical power transmission and one logical layer for element communication. A simple case study is presented to analyze the possibilities of simulation. It shows a microgrid model with dynamic load management and an integrated approach that can process both electrical and communication flows

Real-time Distributed Economic Dispatch forDistributed Generation Based on Multi-Agent System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luo, Kui; Wu, Qiuwei; Nielsen, Arne Hejde

2015-01-01

The distributed economic dispatch for distributed generation is formulated as a optimization problem with equality and inequality constraints. An effective distributed approach based on multi-agent system is proposed for solving the economic dispatch problem in this paper. The proposed approach...... consists of two stages. In the first stage, an adjacency average allocation algorithm is proposed to ensure the generation-demand equality. In the second stage, a local replicator dynamics algorithm is applied to achieve nash equilibrium for the power dispatch game. The approach is implemented in a fully...

Indistinguishability Operators Applied to Task Allocation Problems in Multi-Agent Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Guerrero

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper we show an application of indistinguishability operators to model response functions. Such functions are used in the mathematical modeling of the task allocation problem in multi-agent systems when the stimulus, perceived by the agent, to perform a task is assessed by means of the response threshold model. In particular, we propose this kind of operators to represent a response function when the stimulus only depends on the distance between the agent and a determined task, since we prove that two celebrated response functions used in the literature can be reproduced by appropriate indistinguishability operators when the stimulus only depends on the distance to each task that must be carried out. Despite the fact there is currently no systematic method to generate response functions, this paper provides, for the first time, a theoretical foundation to generate them and study their properties. To validate the theoretical results, the aforementioned indistinguishability operators have been used to simulate, with MATLAB, the allocation of a set of tasks in a multi-robot system with fuzzy Markov chains.

A quantum-classical simulation of a multi-surface multi-mode ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Multi surface multi mode quantum dynamics; parallelized quantum classical approach; TDDVR method. 1. ... cal simulation on molecular system is a great cha- llenge for ..... on a multiple core cluster with shared memory using. OpenMP based ...

Diagnosis of multi-agent systems and its application to public administration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boer, A.; van Engers, T.; Abramowicz, W.; Maciaszek, L.; Węcel, K.

2011-01-01

In this paper we present a model-based diagnosis view on the complex social systems in which large public administration organizations operate. The purpose of diagnosis as presented in this paper is to identify agent role instances that are not conforming to expectations in a multi-agent system

L{sup 1} group consensus of multi-agent systems with switching topologies and stochastic inputs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shang, Yilun, E-mail: shylmath@hotmail.com [Institute for Cyber Security, University of Texas at San Antonio, TX 78249 (United States); SUTD-MIT International Design Center, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore 138682 (Singapore)

2013-10-01

Understanding how interacting subsystems of an overall system lead to cluster/group consensus is a key issue in the investigation of multi-agent systems. In this Letter, we study the L{sup 1} group consensus problem of discrete-time multi-agent systems with external stochastic inputs. Based on ergodicity theory and matrix analysis, L{sup 1} group consensus criteria are obtained for multi-agent systems with switching topologies. Some numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the theoretical results.

An Approach for Simulating Soil Loss from an Agro-Ecosystem Using Multi-Agent Simulation: A Case Study for Semi-Arid Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Biola K. Badmos

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Soil loss is not limited to change from forest or woodland to other land uses/covers. It may occur when there is agricultural land-use/cover modification or conversion. Soil loss may influence loss of carbon from the soil, hence implication on greenhouse gas emission. Changing land use could be considered actually or potentially successful in adapting to climate change, or may be considered maladaptation if it creates environmental degradation. In semi-arid northern Ghana, changing agricultural practices have been identified amongst other climate variability and climate change adaptation measures. Similarly, some of the policies aimed at improving farm household resilience toward climate change impact might necessitate land use change. The heterogeneity of farm household (agents cannot be ignored when addressing land use/cover change issues, especially when livelihood is dependent on land. This paper therefore presents an approach for simulating soil loss from an agro-ecosystem using multi-agent simulation (MAS. We adapted a universal soil loss equation as a soil loss sub-model in the Vea-LUDAS model (a MAS model. Furthermore, for a 20-year simulation period, we presented the impact of agricultural land-use adaptation strategy (maize cultivation credit i.e., maize credit scenario on soil loss and compared it with the baseline scenario i.e., business-as-usual. Adoption of maize as influenced by maize cultivation credit significantly influenced agricultural land-use change in the study area. Although there was no significant difference in the soil loss under the tested scenarios, the incorporation of human decision-making in a temporal manner allowed us to view patterns that cannot be seen in single step modeling. The study shows that opening up cropland on soil with a high erosion risk has implications for soil loss. Hence, effective measures should be put in place to prevent the opening up of lands that have high erosion risk.

TACtic- A Multi Behavioral Agent for Trading Agent Competition

Science.gov (United States)

Khosravi, Hassan; Shiri, Mohammad E.; Khosravi, Hamid; Iranmanesh, Ehsan; Davoodi, Alireza

Software agents are increasingly being used to represent humans in online auctions. Such agents have the advantages of being able to systematically monitor a wide variety of auctions and then make rapid decisions about what bids to place in what auctions. They can do this continuously and repetitively without losing concentration. To provide a means of evaluating and comparing (benchmarking) research methods in this area the trading agent competition (TAC) was established. This paper describes the design, of TACtic. Our agent uses multi behavioral techniques at the heart of its decision making to make bidding decisions in the face of uncertainty, to make predictions about the likely outcomes of auctions, and to alter the agent's bidding strategy in response to the prevailing market conditions.

Multi-Agent Information Classification Using Dynamic Acquaintance Lists.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukhopadhyay, Snehasis; Peng, Shengquan; Raje, Rajeev; Palakal, Mathew; Mostafa, Javed

2003-01-01

Discussion of automated information services focuses on information classification and collaborative agents, i.e. intelligent computer programs. Highlights include multi-agent systems; distributed artificial intelligence; thesauri; document representation and classification; agent modeling; acquaintances, or remote agents discovered through…

Biomorphic Multi-Agent Architecture for Persistent Computing

Science.gov (United States)

Lodding, Kenneth N.; Brewster, Paul

2009-01-01

A multi-agent software/hardware architecture, inspired by the multicellular nature of living organisms, has been proposed as the basis of design of a robust, reliable, persistent computing system. Just as a multicellular organism can adapt to changing environmental conditions and can survive despite the failure of individual cells, a multi-agent computing system, as envisioned, could adapt to changing hardware, software, and environmental conditions. In particular, the computing system could continue to function (perhaps at a reduced but still reasonable level of performance) if one or more component( s) of the system were to fail. One of the defining characteristics of a multicellular organism is unity of purpose. In biology, the purpose is survival of the organism. The purpose of the proposed multi-agent architecture is to provide a persistent computing environment in harsh conditions in which repair is difficult or impossible. A multi-agent, organism-like computing system would be a single entity built from agents or cells. Each agent or cell would be a discrete hardware processing unit that would include a data processor with local memory, an internal clock, and a suite of communication equipment capable of both local line-of-sight communications and global broadcast communications. Some cells, denoted specialist cells, could contain such additional hardware as sensors and emitters. Each cell would be independent in the sense that there would be no global clock, no global (shared) memory, no pre-assigned cell identifiers, no pre-defined network topology, and no centralized brain or control structure. Like each cell in a living organism, each agent or cell of the computing system would contain a full description of the system encoded as genes, but in this case, the genes would be components of a software genome.

Agent-based models of financial markets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samanidou, E [Department of Economics, University of Kiel, Olshausenstrasse 40, D-24118 Kiel (Germany); Zschischang, E [HSH Nord Bank, Portfolio Mngmt. and Inv., Martensdamm 6, D-24103 Kiel (Germany); Stauffer, D [Institute for Theoretical Physics, Cologne University, D-50923 Koeln (Germany); Lux, T [Department of Economics, University of Kiel, Olshausenstrasse 40, D-24118 Kiel (Germany)

2007-03-15

This review deals with several microscopic ('agent-based') models of financial markets which have been studied by economists and physicists over the last decade: Kim-Markowitz, Levy-Levy-Solomon, Cont-Bouchaud, Solomon-Weisbuch, Lux-Marchesi, Donangelo-Sneppen and Solomon-Levy-Huang. After an overview of simulation approaches in financial economics, we first give a summary of the Donangelo-Sneppen model of monetary exchange and compare it with related models in economics literature. Our selective review then outlines the main ingredients of some influential early models of multi-agent dynamics in financial markets (Kim-Markowitz, Levy-Levy-Solomon). As will be seen, these contributions draw their inspiration from the complex appearance of investors' interactions in real-life markets. Their main aim is to reproduce (and, thereby, provide possible explanations) for the spectacular bubbles and crashes seen in certain historical episodes, but they lack (like almost all the work before 1998 or so) a perspective in terms of the universal statistical features of financial time series. In fact, awareness of a set of such regularities (power-law tails of the distribution of returns, temporal scaling of volatility) only gradually appeared over the nineties. With the more precise description of the formerly relatively vague characteristics (e.g. moving from the notion of fat tails to the more concrete one of a power law with index around three), it became clear that financial market dynamics give rise to some kind of universal scaling law. Showing similarities with scaling laws for other systems with many interacting sub-units, an exploration of financial markets as multi-agent systems appeared to be a natural consequence. This topic has been pursued by quite a number of contributions appearing in both the physics and economics literature since the late nineties. From the wealth of different flavours of multi-agent models that have appeared up to now, we

Agent-based models of financial markets

Science.gov (United States)

Samanidou, E.; Zschischang, E.; Stauffer, D.; Lux, T.

2007-03-01

This review deals with several microscopic ('agent-based') models of financial markets which have been studied by economists and physicists over the last decade: Kim-Markowitz, Levy-Levy-Solomon, Cont-Bouchaud, Solomon-Weisbuch, Lux-Marchesi, Donangelo-Sneppen and Solomon-Levy-Huang. After an overview of simulation approaches in financial economics, we first give a summary of the Donangelo-Sneppen model of monetary exchange and compare it with related models in economics literature. Our selective review then outlines the main ingredients of some influential early models of multi-agent dynamics in financial markets (Kim-Markowitz, Levy-Levy-Solomon). As will be seen, these contributions draw their inspiration from the complex appearance of investors' interactions in real-life markets. Their main aim is to reproduce (and, thereby, provide possible explanations) for the spectacular bubbles and crashes seen in certain historical episodes, but they lack (like almost all the work before 1998 or so) a perspective in terms of the universal statistical features of financial time series. In fact, awareness of a set of such regularities (power-law tails of the distribution of returns, temporal scaling of volatility) only gradually appeared over the nineties. With the more precise description of the formerly relatively vague characteristics (e.g. moving from the notion of fat tails to the more concrete one of a power law with index around three), it became clear that financial market dynamics give rise to some kind of universal scaling law. Showing similarities with scaling laws for other systems with many interacting sub-units, an exploration of financial markets as multi-agent systems appeared to be a natural consequence. This topic has been pursued by quite a number of contributions appearing in both the physics and economics literature since the late nineties. From the wealth of different flavours of multi-agent models that have appeared up to now, we discuss the Cont

Agent-based models of financial markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samanidou, E; Zschischang, E; Stauffer, D; Lux, T

2007-01-01

This review deals with several microscopic ('agent-based') models of financial markets which have been studied by economists and physicists over the last decade: Kim-Markowitz, Levy-Levy-Solomon, Cont-Bouchaud, Solomon-Weisbuch, Lux-Marchesi, Donangelo-Sneppen and Solomon-Levy-Huang. After an overview of simulation approaches in financial economics, we first give a summary of the Donangelo-Sneppen model of monetary exchange and compare it with related models in economics literature. Our selective review then outlines the main ingredients of some influential early models of multi-agent dynamics in financial markets (Kim-Markowitz, Levy-Levy-Solomon). As will be seen, these contributions draw their inspiration from the complex appearance of investors' interactions in real-life markets. Their main aim is to reproduce (and, thereby, provide possible explanations) for the spectacular bubbles and crashes seen in certain historical episodes, but they lack (like almost all the work before 1998 or so) a perspective in terms of the universal statistical features of financial time series. In fact, awareness of a set of such regularities (power-law tails of the distribution of returns, temporal scaling of volatility) only gradually appeared over the nineties. With the more precise description of the formerly relatively vague characteristics (e.g. moving from the notion of fat tails to the more concrete one of a power law with index around three), it became clear that financial market dynamics give rise to some kind of universal scaling law. Showing similarities with scaling laws for other systems with many interacting sub-units, an exploration of financial markets as multi-agent systems appeared to be a natural consequence. This topic has been pursued by quite a number of contributions appearing in both the physics and economics literature since the late nineties. From the wealth of different flavours of multi-agent models that have appeared up to now, we discuss the Cont

Specification of Behavioural Requirements within Compositional Multi-Agent System Design

OpenAIRE

Herlea, D.E.; Jonker, C.M.; Treur, J.; Wijngaards, N.J.E.

1999-01-01

In this paper it is shown how informal and formal specification of behavioural requirements and scenarios for agents and multi-agent systems can be integrated within multi-agent system design. In particular, it is addressed how a compositional

Smart: sistemas multi-agente robótico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JOVANI ALBERTO JIMÉNEZ BUILES

2008-01-01

Full Text Available El siguiente artículo busca dar una visión global de los Sistemas Multi-Agentes Robóticos (MARS mediante una explicación de las áreas relacionadas con el tema para luego presentar el Sistema Multi-Agente Robótico (SMART. SMART es un enjambre inteligente conformado por un robot nodriza y tres robot tipo baliza (guías que navegan de manera colaborativa un escenario estructurado.

Simulating the influence of life trajectory events on transport mode behavior in an agent-based system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhoeven, M.; Arentze, T.A.; Timmermans, H.J.P.; Waerden, van der P.J.H.J.

2007-01-01

this paper describes the results of a study on the impact of lifecycle or life trajectory events on activity-travel decisions. This lifecycle trajectory of individual agents can be easily incorporated in an agent-based simulation system. This paper focuses on two lifecycle events, change in

Simulation-optimization framework for multi-site multi-season hybrid stochastic streamflow modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastav, Roshan; Srinivasan, K.; Sudheer, K. P.

2016-11-01

A simulation-optimization (S-O) framework is developed for the hybrid stochastic modeling of multi-site multi-season streamflows. The multi-objective optimization model formulated is the driver and the multi-site, multi-season hybrid matched block bootstrap model (MHMABB) is the simulation engine within this framework. The multi-site multi-season simulation model is the extension of the existing single-site multi-season simulation model. A robust and efficient evolutionary search based technique, namely, non-dominated sorting based genetic algorithm (NSGA - II) is employed as the solution technique for the multi-objective optimization within the S-O framework. The objective functions employed are related to the preservation of the multi-site critical deficit run sum and the constraints introduced are concerned with the hybrid model parameter space, and the preservation of certain statistics (such as inter-annual dependence and/or skewness of aggregated annual flows). The efficacy of the proposed S-O framework is brought out through a case example from the Colorado River basin. The proposed multi-site multi-season model AMHMABB (whose parameters are obtained from the proposed S-O framework) preserves the temporal as well as the spatial statistics of the historical flows. Also, the other multi-site deficit run characteristics namely, the number of runs, the maximum run length, the mean run sum and the mean run length are well preserved by the AMHMABB model. Overall, the proposed AMHMABB model is able to show better streamflow modeling performance when compared with the simulation based SMHMABB model, plausibly due to the significant role played by: (i) the objective functions related to the preservation of multi-site critical deficit run sum; (ii) the huge hybrid model parameter space available for the evolutionary search and (iii) the constraint on the preservation of the inter-annual dependence. Split-sample validation results indicate that the AMHMABB model is

New Trends in Agent-Based Complex Automated Negotiations

CERN Document Server

Zhang, Minjie; Robu, Valentin; Fatima, Shaheen; Matsuo, Tokuro

2012-01-01

Complex Automated Negotiations represent an important, emerging area in the field of Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. Automated negotiations can be complex, since there are a lot of factors that characterize such negotiations. These factors include the number of issues, dependencies between these issues,  representation of utilities, the negotiation protocol, the number of parties in the negotiation (bilateral or multi-party), time constraints, etc. Software agents can support automation or simulation of such complex negotiations on the behalf of their owners, and can provide them with efficient bargaining strategies. To realize such a complex automated negotiation, we have to incorporate advanced Artificial Intelligence technologies includes search, CSP, graphical utility models, Bayes nets, auctions, utility graphs, predicting and learning methods. Applications could include e-commerce tools, decision-making support tools, negotiation support tools, collaboration tools, etc. This book aims to pro...

Proposed Methodology for Application of Human-like gradual Multi-Agent Q-Learning (HuMAQ) for Multi-robot Exploration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ray, Dip Narayan; Majumder, Somajyoti

2014-01-01

Several attempts have been made by the researchers around the world to develop a number of autonomous exploration techniques for robots. But it has been always an important issue for developing the algorithm for unstructured and unknown environments. Human-like gradual Multi-agent Q-leaming (HuMAQ) is a technique developed for autonomous robotic exploration in unknown (and even unimaginable) environments. It has been successfully implemented in multi-agent single robotic system. HuMAQ uses the concept of Subsumption architecture, a well-known Behaviour-based architecture for prioritizing the agents of the multi-agent system and executes only the most common action out of all the different actions recommended by different agents. Instead of using new state-action table (Q-table) each time, HuMAQ uses the immediate past table for efficient and faster exploration. The proof of learning has also been established both theoretically and practically. HuMAQ has the potential to be used in different and difficult situations as well as applications. The same architecture has been modified to use for multi-robot exploration in an environment. Apart from all other existing agents used in the single robotic system, agents for inter-robot communication and coordination/ co-operation with the other similar robots have been introduced in the present research. Current work uses a series of indigenously developed identical autonomous robotic systems, communicating with each other through ZigBee protocol

A simulation-based optimization approach for free distributed repairable multi-state availability-redundancy allocation problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Attar, Ahmad; Raissi, Sadigh; Khalili-Damghani, Kaveh

2017-01-01

A simulation-based optimization (SBO) method is proposed to handle multi-objective joint availability-redundancy allocation problem (JARAP). Here, there is no emphasis on probability distributions of time to failures and repair times for multi-state multi-component series-parallel configuration under active, cold and hot standby strategies. Under such conditions, estimation of availability is not a trivial task. First, an efficient computer simulation model is proposed to estimate the availability of the aforementioned system. Then, the estimated availability values are used in a repetitive manner as parameter of a two-objective joint availability-redundancy allocation optimization model through SBO mechanism. The optimization model is then solved using two well-known multi-objective evolutionary computation algorithms, i.e., non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), and Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm (SPEA2). The proposed SBO approach is tested using non-exponential numerical example with multi-state repairable components. The results are presented and discussed through different demand scenarios under cold and hot standby strategies. Furthermore, performance of NSGA-II and SPEA2 are statistically compared regarding multi-objective accuracy, and diversity metrics. - Highlights: • A Simulation-Based Optimization (SBO) procedure is introduced for JARAP. • The proposed SBO works for any given failure and repair times. • An efficient simulation procedure is developed to estimate availability. • Customized NSGA-II and SPEA2 are proposed to solve the bi-objective JARAP. • Statistical analysis is employed to test the performance of optimization methods.

Agent and multi-Agent systems in distributed systems digital economy and e-commerce

CERN Document Server

Hartung, Ronald

2013-01-01

Information and communication technology, in particular artificial intelligence, can be used to support economy and commerce using digital means. This book is about agents and multi-agent distributed systems applied to digital economy and e-commerce to meet, improve, and overcome challenges in the digital economy and e-commerce sphere. Agent and multi-agent solutions are applied in implementing real-life, exciting developments associated with the need to eliminate problems of distributed systems.   The book presents solutions for both technology and applications, illustrating the possible uses of agents in the enterprise domain, covering design and analytic methods, needed to provide a solid foundation required for practical systems. More specifically, the book provides solutions for the digital economy, e-sourcing clusters in network economy, and knowledge exchange between agents applicable to online trading agents, and security solutions to both digital economy and e-commerce. Furthermore, it offers soluti...

Multi agent gathering waste system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Álvaro LOZANO MURCIEGO

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Along this paper, we present a new multi agent-based system to gather waste on cities and villages. We have developed a low cost wireless sensor prototype to measure the volume level of the containers. Furthermore a route system is developed to optimize the routes of the trucks and a mobile application has been developed to help drivers in their working days. In order to evaluate and validate the proposed system a practical case study in a real city environment is modeled using open data available and with the purpose of identifying limitations of the system.

Agent-based simulation of electricity markets. A literature review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sensfuss, F.; Ragwitz, M. [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Systemtechnik und Innovationsforschung (ISI), Karlsruhe (Germany); Genoese, M.; Moest, D. [Karlsruhe Univ. (T.H.) (Germany). Inst. fuer Industriebetriebslehre und Industrielle Produktion

2007-07-01

Liberalisation, climate policy and promotion of renewable energy are challenges to players of the electricity sector in many countries. Policy makers have to con-sider issues like market power, bounded rationality of players and the appear-ance of fluctuating energy sources in order to provide adequate legislation. Fur-thermore the interactions between markets and environmental policy instru-ments become an issue of increasing importance. A promising approach for the scientific analysis of these developments is the field of agent-based simulation. The goal of this article is to provide an overview of the current work applying this methodology to the analysis of electricity markets. (orig.)

Research on monitoring system of water resources in Shiyang River Basin based on Multi-agent

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, T. H.; Yin, Z.; Song, Y. Z.

2012-11-01

The Shiyang River Basin is the most populous, economy relatively develop, the highest degree of development and utilization of water resources, water conflicts the most prominent, ecological environment problems of the worst hit areas in Hexi inland river basin in Gansu province. the contradiction between people and water is aggravated constantly in the basin. This text combines multi-Agent technology with monitoring system of water resource, the establishment of a management center, telemetry Agent Federation, as well as the communication network between the composition of the Shiyang River Basin water resources monitoring system. By taking advantage of multi-agent system intelligence and communications coordination to improve the timeliness of the basin water resources monitoring.

Research on monitoring system of water resources in Shiyang River Basin based on Multi-agent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, T h; Yin, Z; Song, Y Z

2012-01-01

The Shiyang River Basin is the most populous, economy relatively develop, the highest degree of development and utilization of water resources, water conflicts the most prominent, ecological environment problems of the worst hit areas in Hexi inland river basin in Gansu province. the contradiction between people and water is aggravated constantly in the basin. This text combines multi-Agent technology with monitoring system of water resource, the establishment of a management center, telemetry Agent Federation, as well as the communication network between the composition of the Shiyang River Basin water resources monitoring system. By taking advantage of multi-agent system intelligence and communications coordination to improve the timeliness of the basin water resources monitoring.

A meta-ontological framework for multi-agent systems design

OpenAIRE

Sokolova, Marina; Fernández Caballero, Antonio

2007-01-01

The paper introduces an approach to using a meta-ontology framework for complex multi-agent systems design, and illustrates it in an application related to ecological-medical issues. The described shared ontology is pooled from private sub-ontologies, which represent a problem area ontology, an agent ontology, a task ontology, an ontology of interactions, and the multi-agent system architecture ontology.

Debugging and Event Tracing for Multi-Agent Systems, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Large-scale agent systems have become a key part of in modeling and simulation tools such as NASA's Airspace Concept Evaluation System (ACES), an agent-based...

11th International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems

CERN Document Server

Hermoso, Ramon; Moreno, María; Rodríguez, Juan; Hirsch, Benjamin; Mathieu, Philippe; Campbell, Andrew; Suarez-Figueroa, Mari; Ortega, Alfonso; Adam, Emmanuel; Navarro, Elena

2013-01-01

Research on Agents and Multi-agent Systems has matured during the last decade and many effective applications of this technology are now deployed. PAAMS provides an international forum to presents and discuss the latest scientific developments and their effective applications, to assess the impact of the approach, and to facilitate technology transfer. PAAMS started as a local initiative, but since grown to become the international yearly platform to present, to discuss, and to disseminate the latest developments and the most important outcomes related to real-world applications. It provides a unique opportunity to bring multi-disciplinary experts, academics and practitioners together to Exchange their experience in the development and deployment of Agents and Multiagents systems. PAAMS intends to bring together researchers and developers from industry and the academic world to report on the latest scientific and technical advances on the application of multi-agent systems, to discuss and debate the major iss...

Next frontier in agent-based complex automated negotiation

CERN Document Server

Ito, Takayuki; Zhang, Minjie; Robu, Valentin

2015-01-01

This book focuses on automated negotiations based on multi-agent systems. It is intended for researchers and students in various fields involving autonomous agents and multi-agent systems, such as e-commerce tools, decision-making and negotiation support systems, and collaboration tools. The contents will help them to understand the concept of automated negotiations, negotiation protocols, negotiating agents’ strategies, and the applications of those strategies. In this book, some negotiation protocols focusing on the multiple interdependent issues in negotiations are presented, making it possible to find high-quality solutions for the complex agents’ utility functions. This book is a compilation of the extended versions of the very best papers selected from the many that were presented at the International Workshop on Agent-Based Complex Automated Negotiations.

Perception Modelling of Visitors in Vargas Museum Using Agent-Based Simulation and Visibility Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Carcellar, B. G., III

2017-10-01

Museum exhibit management is one of the usual undertakings of museum facilitators. Art works must be strategically placed to achieve maximum viewing from the visitors. The positioning of the artworks also highly influences the quality of experience of the visitors. One solution in such problems is to utilize GIS and Agent-Based Modelling (ABM). In ABM, persistent interacting objects are modelled as agents. These agents are given attributes and behaviors that describe their properties as well as their motion. In this study, ABM approach that incorporates GIS is utilized to perform analyticcal assessment on the placement of the artworks in the Vargas Museum. GIS serves as the backbone for the spatial aspect of the simulation such as the placement of the artwork exhibits, as well as possible obstructions to perception such as the columns, walls, and panel boards. Visibility Analysis is also done to the model in GIS to assess the overall visibility of the artworks. The ABM is done using the initial GIS outputs and GAMA, an open source ABM software. Visitors are modelled as agents, moving inside the museum following a specific decision tree. The simulation is done in three use cases: the 10 %, 20 %, and 30 % chance of having a visitor in the next minute. For the case of the said museum, the 10 % chance is determined to be the closest simulation case to the actual and the recommended minimum time to achieve a maximum artwork perception is 1 hour and 40 minutes. Initial assessment of the results shows that even after 3 hours of simulation, small parts of the exhibit show lack of viewers, due to its distance from the entrance. A more detailed decision tree for the visitor agents can be incorporated to have a more realistic simulation.

Data Mining Process Optimization in Computational Multi-agent Systems

OpenAIRE

Kazík, O.; Neruda, R. (Roman)

2015-01-01

In this paper, we present an agent-based solution of metalearning problem which focuses on optimization of data mining processes. We exploit the framework of computational multi-agent systems in which various meta-learning problems have been already studied, e.g. parameter-space search or simple method recommendation. In this paper, we examine the effect of data preprocessing for machine learning problems. We perform the set of experiments in the search-space of data mining processes which is...

Quadratic stabilisability of multi-agent systems under switching topologies

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Yongqiang; Ji, Zhijian; Zhang, Lin; Wang, Long

2014-12-01

This paper addresses the stabilisability of multi-agent systems (MASs) under switching topologies. Necessary and/or sufficient conditions are presented in terms of graph topology. These conditions explicitly reveal how the intrinsic dynamics of the agents, the communication topology and the external control input affect stabilisability jointly. With the appropriate selection of some agents to which the external inputs are applied and the suitable design of neighbour-interaction rules via a switching topology, an MAS is proved to be stabilisable even if so is not for each of uncertain subsystem. In addition, a method is proposed to constructively design a switching rule for MASs with norm-bounded time-varying uncertainties. The switching rules designed via this method do not rely on uncertainties, and the switched MAS is quadratically stabilisable via decentralised external self-feedback for all uncertainties. With respect to applications of the stabilisability results, the formation control and the cooperative tracking control are addressed. Numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed results.

Intelligent control and maintenance of management integrated system based on multi-agents for coal preparation plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meng, F.; Wang, Y. [China University of Mining and technology, Xuzhou (China). School of Information and Electrical Engineering

2006-06-15

This paper discusses the progress of computer integrated processing (CIPS) of coal preparation and then presents an intelligence controlled production process, device-maintenance and production-management system of coal preparation based on multi-agents (IICMMS-CP). The construction of the IICMMS-CP, the distributed network control system based on live intelligence control stations and the strategy of implementing a distributed intelligence control system are studied in order to overcome the disadvantages brought about by the wide use of the PLC system by coal preparation plants. The software frame, based on a Multi-Agent Intelligence Control and Maintenance Management integrated system, is studied and the implementation methods of IICMMS-CP are discussed. The characteristics of distributed architecture, cooperation and parallel computing meet the needs of integrated control of coal preparation plants with large-scale spatial production distribution, densely-related processes and complex systems. Its application further improves the reliability and precision of process control, accuracy of fault identification and intelligence of production adjustment, establishes a technical basis for system integration and flexible production. The main function of the system has been tested in a coal preparation plant to good effect in stabilizing product quality, improving efficiency and reducing consumption. 17 refs., 4 figs.

Identification of walking human model using agent-based modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Shahabpoor, Erfan; Pavic, Aleksandar; Racic, Vitomir

2018-03-01

The interaction of walking people with large vibrating structures, such as footbridges and floors, in the vertical direction is an important yet challenging phenomenon to describe mathematically. Several different models have been proposed in the literature to simulate interaction of stationary people with vibrating structures. However, the research on moving (walking) human models, explicitly identified for vibration serviceability assessment of civil structures, is still sparse. In this study, the results of a comprehensive set of FRF-based modal tests were used, in which, over a hundred test subjects walked in different group sizes and walking patterns on a test structure. An agent-based model was used to simulate discrete traffic-structure interactions. The occupied structure modal parameters found in tests were used to identify the parameters of the walking individual's single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) mass-spring-damper model using 'reverse engineering' methodology. The analysis of the results suggested that the normal distribution with the average of μ = 2.85Hz and standard deviation of σ = 0.34Hz can describe human SDOF model natural frequency. Similarly, the normal distribution with μ = 0.295 and σ = 0.047 can describe the human model damping ratio. Compared to the previous studies, the agent-based modelling methodology proposed in this paper offers significant flexibility in simulating multi-pedestrian walking traffics, external forces and simulating different mechanisms of human-structure and human-environment interaction at the same time.

Memoryless cooperative graph search based on the simulated annealing algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hou Jian; Yan Gang-Feng; Fan Zhen

2011-01-01

We have studied the problem of reaching a globally optimal segment for a graph-like environment with a single or a group of autonomous mobile agents. Firstly, two efficient simulated-annealing-like algorithms are given for a single agent to solve the problem in a partially known environment and an unknown environment, respectively. It shows that under both proposed control strategies, the agent will eventually converge to a globally optimal segment with probability 1. Secondly, we use multi-agent searching to simultaneously reduce the computation complexity and accelerate convergence based on the algorithms we have given for a single agent. By exploiting graph partition, a gossip-consensus method based scheme is presented to update the key parameter—radius of the graph, ensuring that the agents spend much less time finding a globally optimal segment. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

Perturbation of Fractional Multi-Agent Systems in Cloud Entropy Computing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rabha W. Ibrahim

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A perturbed multi-agent system is a scheme self-possessed of multiple networking agents within a location. This scheme can be used to discuss problems that are impossible or difficult for a specific agent to solve. Intelligence cloud entropy management systems involve functions, methods, procedural approaches, and algorithms. In this study, we introduce a new perturbed algorithm based on the fractional Poisson process. The discrete dynamics are suggested by using fractional entropy and fractional type Tsallis entropy. Moreover, we study the algorithm stability.

A Comparison of Organization-Centered and Agent-Centered Multi-Agent Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Andreas Schmidt; Villadsen, Jørgen

2013-01-01

Whereas most classical multi-agent systems have the agent in center, there has recently been a development towards focusing more on the organization of the system, thereby allowing the designer to focus on what the system goals are, without considering how the goals should be fulfilled. We have d...

The architectural foundations for agent-based shop floor control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langer, Gilad; Bilberg, Arne

1998-01-01

simulation and cell controlenabling technologies. In order to continuethis research effortnew concepts and theories for shop floor control are investigated.This paper reviews the multi-agent concept aimed at investigatingits potential use in shop floor control systems. The paper willalso include a survey...

A Multi-task Principal Agent Model for Knowledge Contribution of Enterprise Staff

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chengyi LE

2016-10-01

Full Text Available According to the different behavior characteristics of knowledge contribution of enterprise employees, a multi-task principal-agent relationship of knowledge contribution between enterprise and employees is established based on principal-agent theory, analyzing staff’s knowledge contribution behavior of knowledge creation and knowledge participation. Based on this, a multi-task principal agent model for knowledge contribution of enterprise staff is developed to formulate the asymmetry of information in knowledge contribution Then, a set of incentive measures are derived from the theoretic model, aiming to prompt the knowledge contribution in enterprise. The result shows that staff’s knowledge creation behavior and positive participation behavior can influence and further promote each other Enterprise should set up respective target levels of both knowledge creation contribution and knowledge participation contribution and make them irreplaceable to each other. This work contributes primarily to the development of the literature on knowledge management and principal-agent theory. In addition, the applicability of the findings will be improved by further empirical analysis.

Multi-Agent-Based Controller for Voltage Enhancement in AC/DC Hybrid Microgrid Using Energy Storages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmadali Khatibzadeh

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Development of renewable energies and DC loads have led microgrids toward the creation of DC networks. The predictions show that the hybrid microgrids will be used widely in the future. This article has studied the voltage stability in the presence of sources of energy storage in AC/DC hybrid networks. However, because the different dynamics of hybrid networks applying centralized and distributed controllers will be faced with different problems, in this study, a multi-agent control for the microgrid has been used. A new structure referred to here as an event-driven microgrid control management (EDMCM has been developed to control the microgrid. This method increases response speed and accuracy of decision making. Hybrid Network Simulation results confirm the validity of the developed model.

Automation of multi-agent control for complex dynamic systems in heterogeneous computational network

Science.gov (United States)

Oparin, Gennady; Feoktistov, Alexander; Bogdanova, Vera; Sidorov, Ivan

2017-01-01

The rapid progress of high-performance computing entails new challenges related to solving large scientific problems for various subject domains in a heterogeneous distributed computing environment (e.g., a network, Grid system, or Cloud infrastructure). The specialists in the field of parallel and distributed computing give the special attention to a scalability of applications for problem solving. An effective management of the scalable application in the heterogeneous distributed computing environment is still a non-trivial issue. Control systems that operate in networks, especially relate to this issue. We propose a new approach to the multi-agent management for the scalable applications in the heterogeneous computational network. The fundamentals of our approach are the integrated use of conceptual programming, simulation modeling, network monitoring, multi-agent management, and service-oriented programming. We developed a special framework for an automation of the problem solving. Advantages of the proposed approach are demonstrated on the parametric synthesis example of the static linear regulator for complex dynamic systems. Benefits of the scalable application for solving this problem include automation of the multi-agent control for the systems in a parallel mode with various degrees of its detailed elaboration.

Technological progress and effects of (supra) regional innovation and production collaboration. An agent-based model simulation study.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vermeulen, B.; Pyka, A.; Serguieva, A.; Maringer, D.; Palade, V.; Almeida, R.J.

2014-01-01

We provide a novel technology development model in which economic agents search for transformations to build artifacts. Using this technology development model, we conduct an agent-based model simulation study on the effect of (supra-)regional collaboration in production and innovation on

A MultiAgent Architecture for Collaborative Serious Game applied to Crisis Management Training: Improving Adaptability of Non Player Characters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M’hammed Ali Oulhaci

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Serious Games (SG are more and more used for training, as in the crisis management domain, where several hundred stakeholders can be involved, causing various organizational difficulties on field exercises. SGs specific benefits include player immersion and detailed players’ actions tracking during a virtual exercise. Moreover, Non Player Characters (NPC can adapt the crisis management exercise perimeter to the available stakeholders or to specific training objectives. In this paper we present a Multi-Agent System architecture supporting behavioural simulation as well as monitoring and assessment of human players. A NPC is enacted by a Game Agent which reproduces the behaviour of a human actor, based on a deliberative model (Belief Desire Intention. To facilitate the scenario design, an Agent editor allows a designer to configure agents’behaviours. The behaviour simulation was implemented within the pre-existing SIMFOR project, a serious game for training in crisis management.

Multi-agent search for source localization in a turbulent medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajieghrary, Hadi; Hsieh, M. Ani; Schwartz, Ira B.

2016-01-01

We extend the gradient-less search strategy referred to as “infotaxis” to a distributed multi-agent system. “Infotaxis” is a search strategy that uses sporadic sensor measurements to determine the source location of materials dispersed in a turbulent medium. In this work, we leverage the spatio-temporal sensing capabilities of a mobile sensing agents to optimize the time spent finding and localizing the position of the source using a multi-agent collaborative search strategy. Our results suggest that the proposed multi-agent collaborative search strategy leverages the team's ability to obtain simultaneous measurements at different locations to speed up the search process. We present a multi-agent collaborative “infotaxis” strategy that uses the relative entropy of the system to synthesize a suitable search strategy for the team. The result is a collaborative information theoretic search strategy that results in control actions that maximize the information gained by the team, and improves estimates of the source position. - Highlights: • We extend the gradient-less infotaxis search strategy to a distributed multi-agent system. • Leveraging the spatio-temporal sensing capabilities of a team of mobile sensing agents speeds up the search process. • The resulting information theoretic search strategy maximizes the information gained and improves the estimate of the source position.

Evaluation of water security in Jordan using a multi-agent, hydroeconomic model: Initial model results from the Jordan Water Project

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, J.; Klassert, C. J. A.; Lachaut, T.; Selby, P. D.; Knox, S.; Gorelick, S.; Rajsekhar, D.; Tilmant, A.; Avisse, N.; Harou, J. J.; Medellin-Azuara, J.; Gawel, E.; Klauer, B.; Mustafa, D.; Talozi, S.; Sigel, K.; Zhang, H.

2016-12-01

Our work focuses on development of a multi-agent, hydroeconomic model for water policy evaluation in Jordan. Jordan ranks among the most water-scarce countries in the world, a situation exacerbated due to a recent influx of refugees escaping the ongoing civil war in neighboring Syria. The modular, multi-agent model is used to evaluate interventions for enhancing Jordan's water security, integrating biophysical modules that simulate natural and engineered phenomena with human modules that represent behavior at multiple levels of decision making. The hydrologic modules are developed using spatially-distributed groundwater and surface water models, which are translated into compact simulators for efficient integration into the multi-agent model. For the multi-agent model, we explicitly account for human agency at multiple levels of decision making, with agents representing riparian, management, supplier, and water user groups. Human agents are implemented as autonomous entities in the model that make decisions in relation to one another and in response to hydrologic and socioeconomic conditions. The integrated model is programmed in Python using Pynsim, a generalizable, open-source object-oriented software framework for modeling network-based water resource systems. The modeling time periods include historical (2006-2014) and future (present-2050) time spans. For the historical runs, the model performance is validated against historical data for several observations that reflect the interacting dynamics of both the hydrologic and human components of the system. A historical counterfactual scenario is also constructed to isolate and identify the impacts of the recent Syrian civil war and refugee crisis on Jordan's water system. For the future period, model runs are conducted to evaluate potential supply, demand, and institutional interventions over a wide range of plausible climate and socioeconomic scenarios. In addition, model sensitivity analysis is conducted

A Multi-Agent Modelling Approach to Simulate Dynamic Activity-Travel Patterns

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Han, Q.; Arentze, T.A.; Timmermans, H.J.P.; Janssens, D.; Wets, G.; Bazzan, A.L.C.; Klügl, F.

2009-01-01

Contributing to the recent interest in the dynamics of activity-travel patterns, this chapter discusses a framework of an agent-based modeling approach focusing on the dynamic formation of (location) choice sets. Individual travelers are represented as agents, each with their cognition of the

Simulation of Distance Relay for Load Encroachment Alleviation with Agent Based Supervision of Zone3

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Badr

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Cascaded tripping of power lines due to mal-operation of zone-3 distance relays has been one of the main causes of many previous blackouts worldwide. Encroachment of load into zone-3 characteristics during stressed system operation conditions is a basic factor for such mal-operation of the relays. By improving the operation of zone-3, it is possible to prevent mal-operations so that cascaded line tripping can be avoided. For proper study of the behavior of distance relay during faults and load encroachment phenomenon, we must build a model of distance relay, so in this paper a modeling study of distance relay is implemented using MATLAB/Simulink program. However, this model is distinguished from previous models that, examines in detail the third zone of distance relay. Many cases are simulated with changing line loading and fault location to ensure the capability of the relay to detect the fault and thus the maximum load ability limit of distance relay is obtained. In order to prevent cascading events caused by hidden failures in zone-3 relays, agent based relay architectures have been suggested in the recent past. In such architectures each zone-3 relay contains agents that require communication with other agents at various relevant relays in order to distinguish a real zone-3 event from a temporary overload. In this paper, a local master agent is consulted by all zone-3 agents before a tripping decision is made. The master agent maintains a rule base which is updated based on the local topology of the network and real time monitoring of the status of other relays and circuit breakers. Cisco Packet Tracer program is used for running communication network simulations. The result of the simulation indicate that the time estimated to send and receive a packet data unit (PDU message between one relay to anther can satisfy the communication requirement for the proposed scheme with fiber media.

Decentralized control of multi-agent aerial transportation system

KAUST Repository

Toumi, Noureddine

2017-04-01

Autonomous aerial transportation has multiple potential applications including emergency cases and rescue missions where ground intervention may be difficult. In this context, the following work will address the control of multi-agent Vertical Take-off and Landing aircraft (VTOL) transportation system. We develop a decentralized method. The advantage of such a solution is that it can provide better maneuverability and lifting capabilities compared to existing systems. First, we consider a cooperative group of VTOLs transporting one payload. The main idea is that each agent perceive the interaction with other agents as a disturbance while assuming a negotiated motion model and imposing certain magnitude bounds on each agent. The theoretical model will be then validated using a numerical simulation illustrating the interesting features of the presented control method. Results show that under specified disturbances, the algorithm is able to guarantee the tracking with a minimal error. We describe a toolbox that has been developed for this purpose. Then, a system of multiple VTOLs lifting payloads will be studied. The algorithm assures that the VTOLs are coordinated with minimal communication. Additionally, a novel gripper design for ferrous objects is presented that enables the transportation of ferrous objects without a cable. Finally, we discuss potential connections to human in the loop transportation systems.

Multi-agent target tracking using particle filters enhanced with context data

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Claessens, R

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The proposed framework for Multi-Agent Target Tracking supports i) tracking of objects and ii) search and rescue based on the fusion of very heterogeneous data. The system is based on a novel approach to fusing sensory observations, intelligence...

A desirability-based multi objective approach for the virtual screening discovery of broad-spectrum anti-gastric cancer agents.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunierkis Perez-Castillo

Full Text Available Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide and despite advances in prevention, diagnosis and therapy, it is still regarded as a global health concern. The efficacy of the therapies for gastric cancer is limited by a poor response to currently available therapeutic regimens. One of the reasons that may explain these poor clinical outcomes is the highly heterogeneous nature of this disease. In this sense, it is essential to discover new molecular agents capable of targeting various gastric cancer subtypes simultaneously. Here, we present a multi-objective approach for the ligand-based virtual screening discovery of chemical compounds simultaneously active against the gastric cancer cell lines AGS, NCI-N87 and SNU-1. The proposed approach relays in a novel methodology based on the development of ensemble models for the bioactivity prediction against each individual gastric cancer cell line. The methodology includes the aggregation of one ensemble per cell line using a desirability-based algorithm into virtual screening protocols. Our research leads to the proposal of a multi-targeted virtual screening protocol able to achieve high enrichment of known chemicals with anti-gastric cancer activity. Specifically, our results indicate that, using the proposed protocol, it is possible to retrieve almost 20 more times multi-targeted compounds in the first 1% of the ranked list than what is expected from a uniform distribution of the active ones in the virtual screening database. More importantly, the proposed protocol attains an outstanding initial enrichment of known multi-targeted anti-gastric cancer agents.

Offensive Strategy in the 2D Soccer Simulation League Using Multi-Group Ant Colony Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shengbing Chen

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The 2D soccer simulation league is one of the best test beds for the research of artificial intelligence (AI. It has achieved great successes in the domain of multi-agent cooperation and machine learning. However, the problem of integral offensive strategy has not been solved because of the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the environment. In this paper, we present a novel offensive strategy based on multi-group ant colony optimization (MACO-OS. The strategy uses the pheromone evaporation mechanism to count the preference value of each attack action in different environments, and saves the values of success rate and preference in an attack information tree in the background. The decision module of the attacker then selects the best attack action according to the preference value. The MACO-OS approach has been successfully implemented in our 2D soccer simulation team in RoboCup competitions. The experimental results have indicated that the agents developed with this strategy, along with related techniques, delivered outstanding performances.

Agent-based Modeling Simulation Analysis on the Regulation of Institutional Investor's Encroachment Behavior in Stock Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Li

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This study explores the effective regulation of institutional investor's encroachment behavior in stock market. Given the theoretical and practical importance, the present study examines the effect of the self-adaptive regulation strategy (adjusting the regulation factors such as punishment and the probability of investigating successfully in time for the sake of the small & medium-sized investor protection.Design/methodology/approach: This study was carried out through game theory and agent-based modeling simulation. Firstly, a dynamic game model was built to search the core factors of regulation and the equilibrium paths. Secondly, an agent-based modeling simulation model was built in Swarm to extend the game model. Finally, a simulation experiment (using virtual parameter values was performed to examine the effect of regulation strategy obtained form game model.Findings: The results of this study showed that the core factors of avoiding the institutional investor's encroachment behavior are the punishment and the probability of investigating successfully of the regulator. The core factors embody as the self-adaptability and the capability of regulator. If the regulator can adjust the regulation factors in time, the illegal behaviors will be avoided effectively.Research limitations/implications: The simulation experiment in this paper was performed with virtual parameter values. Although the results of experiment showed the effect of self-adaptive regulation, there are still some differences between simulation experiment and real market situation.Originality/value: The purpose of this study is to investigate an effective regulation strategy of institutional investor's encroachment behavior in stock market in order to maintain market order and protect the benefits of investors. Base on the game model and simulation model, a simulation experiment was preformed and the result showed that the self-adaptive regulation would be effective

Comparing methods of targeting obesity interventions in populations: An agent-based simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Beheshti, Rahmatollah; Jalalpour, Mehdi; Glass, Thomas A

2017-12-01

Social networks as well as neighborhood environments have been shown to effect obesity-related behaviors including energy intake and physical activity. Accordingly, harnessing social networks to improve targeting of obesity interventions may be promising to the extent this leads to social multiplier effects and wider diffusion of intervention impact on populations. However, the literature evaluating network-based interventions has been inconsistent. Computational methods like agent-based models (ABM) provide researchers with tools to experiment in a simulated environment. We develop an ABM to compare conventional targeting methods (random selection, based on individual obesity risk, and vulnerable areas) with network-based targeting methods. We adapt a previously published and validated model of network diffusion of obesity-related behavior. We then build social networks among agents using a more realistic approach. We calibrate our model first against national-level data. Our results show that network-based targeting may lead to greater population impact. We also present a new targeting method that outperforms other methods in terms of intervention effectiveness at the population level.

An Intelligent Agent based Architecture for Visual Data Mining

OpenAIRE

Hamdi Ellouzi; Hela Ltifi; Mounir Ben Ayed

2016-01-01

the aim of this paper is to present an intelligent architecture of Decision Support System (DSS) based on visual data mining. This architecture applies the multi-agent technology to facilitate the design and development of DSS in complex and dynamic environment. Multi-Agent Systems add a high level of abstraction. To validate the proposed architecture, it is implemented to develop a distributed visual data mining based DSS to predict nosocomial infectionsoccurrence in intensive care units. Th...

Diffusion dynamics and concentration of toxic materials from quantum dots-based nanotechnologies: an agent-based modeling simulation framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agusdinata, Datu Buyung, E-mail: bagusdinata@niu.edu; Amouie, Mahbod [Northern Illinois University, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering and Environment, Sustainability, & Energy Institute (United States); Xu, Tao [Northern Illinois University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (United States)

2015-01-15

Due to their favorable electrical and optical properties, quantum dots (QDs) nanostructures have found numerous applications including nanomedicine and photovoltaic cells. However, increased future production, use, and disposal of engineered QD products also raise concerns about their potential environmental impacts. The objective of this work is to establish a modeling framework for predicting the diffusion dynamics and concentration of toxic materials released from Trioctylphosphine oxide-capped CdSe. To this end, an agent-based model simulation with reaction kinetics and Brownian motion dynamics was developed. Reaction kinetics is used to model the stability of surface capping agent particularly due to oxidation process. The diffusion of toxic Cd{sup 2+} ions in aquatic environment was simulated using an adapted Brownian motion algorithm. A calibrated parameter to reflect sensitivity to reaction rate is proposed. The model output demonstrates the stochastic spatial distribution of toxic Cd{sup 2+} ions under different values of proxy environmental factor parameters. With the only chemistry considered was oxidation, the simulation was able to replicate Cd{sup 2+} ion release from Thiol-capped QDs in aerated water. The agent-based method is the first to be developed in the QDs application domain. It adds both simplicity of the solubility and rate of release of Cd{sup 2+} ions and complexity of tracking of individual atoms of Cd at the same time.

Diffusion dynamics and concentration of toxic materials from quantum dots-based nanotechnologies: an agent-based modeling simulation framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agusdinata, Datu Buyung; Amouie, Mahbod; Xu, Tao

2015-01-01

Due to their favorable electrical and optical properties, quantum dots (QDs) nanostructures have found numerous applications including nanomedicine and photovoltaic cells. However, increased future production, use, and disposal of engineered QD products also raise concerns about their potential environmental impacts. The objective of this work is to establish a modeling framework for predicting the diffusion dynamics and concentration of toxic materials released from Trioctylphosphine oxide-capped CdSe. To this end, an agent-based model simulation with reaction kinetics and Brownian motion dynamics was developed. Reaction kinetics is used to model the stability of surface capping agent particularly due to oxidation process. The diffusion of toxic Cd 2+ ions in aquatic environment was simulated using an adapted Brownian motion algorithm. A calibrated parameter to reflect sensitivity to reaction rate is proposed. The model output demonstrates the stochastic spatial distribution of toxic Cd 2+ ions under different values of proxy environmental factor parameters. With the only chemistry considered was oxidation, the simulation was able to replicate Cd 2+ ion release from Thiol-capped QDs in aerated water. The agent-based method is the first to be developed in the QDs application domain. It adds both simplicity of the solubility and rate of release of Cd 2+ ions and complexity of tracking of individual atoms of Cd at the same time

Validation techniques of agent based modelling for geospatial simulations

OpenAIRE

Darvishi, M.; Ahmadi, G.

2014-01-01

One of the most interesting aspects of modelling and simulation study is to describe the real world phenomena that have specific properties; especially those that are in large scales and have dynamic and complex behaviours. Studying these phenomena in the laboratory is costly and in most cases it is impossible. Therefore, Miniaturization of world phenomena in the framework of a model in order to simulate the real phenomena is a reasonable and scientific approach to understand the world. Agent...

Fuzzy-probabilistic multi agent system for breast cancer risk assessment and insurance premium assignment.

Science.gov (United States)

Tatari, Farzaneh; Akbarzadeh-T, Mohammad-R; Sabahi, Ahmad

2012-12-01

In this paper, we present an agent-based system for distributed risk assessment of breast cancer development employing fuzzy and probabilistic computing. The proposed fuzzy multi agent system consists of multiple fuzzy agents that benefit from fuzzy set theory to demonstrate their soft information (linguistic information). Fuzzy risk assessment is quantified by two linguistic variables of high and low. Through fuzzy computations, the multi agent system computes the fuzzy probabilities of breast cancer development based on various risk factors. By such ranking of high risk and low risk fuzzy probabilities, the multi agent system (MAS) decides whether the risk of breast cancer development is high or low. This information is then fed into an insurance premium adjuster in order to provide preventive decision making as well as to make appropriate adjustment of insurance premium and risk. This final step of insurance analysis also provides a numeric measure to demonstrate the utility of the approach. Furthermore, actual data are gathered from two hospitals in Mashhad during 1 year. The results are then compared with a fuzzy distributed approach. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Econophysics of agent-based models

CERN Document Server

Aoyama, Hideaki; Chakrabarti, Bikas; Chakraborti, Anirban; Ghosh, Asim

2014-01-01

The primary goal of this book is to present the research findings and conclusions of physicists, economists, mathematicians and financial engineers working in the field of "Econophysics" who have undertaken agent-based modelling, comparison with empirical studies and related investigations. Most standard economic models assume the existence of the representative agent, who is “perfectly rational” and applies the utility maximization principle when taking action. One reason for this is the desire to keep models mathematically tractable: no tools are available to economists for solving non-linear models of heterogeneous adaptive agents without explicit optimization. In contrast, multi-agent models, which originated from statistical physics considerations, allow us to go beyond the prototype theories of traditional economics involving the representative agent. This book is based on the Econophys-Kolkata VII Workshop, at which many such modelling efforts were presented. In the book, leading researchers in the...

An Agent-Based Model of New Venture Creation: Conceptual Design for Simulating Entrepreneurship

Science.gov (United States)

Provance, Mike; Collins, Andrew; Carayannis, Elias

2012-01-01

There is a growing debate over the means by which regions can foster the growth of entrepreneurial activity in order to stimulate recovery and growth of their economies. On one side, agglomeration theory suggests the regions grow because of strong clusters that foster knowledge spillover locally; on the other side, the entrepreneurial action camp argues that innovative business models are generated by entrepreneurs with unique market perspectives who draw on knowledge from more distant domains. We will show you the design for a novel agent-based model of new venture creation that will demonstrate the relationship between agglomeration and action. The primary focus of this model is information exchange as the medium for these agent interactions. Our modeling and simulation study proposes to reveal interesting relationships in these perspectives, offer a foundation on which these disparate theories from economics and sociology can find common ground, and expand the use of agent-based modeling into entrepreneurship research.

Concurrent Learning of Control in Multi agent Sequential Decision Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

2018-04-17

Concurrent Learning of Control in Multi-agent Sequential Decision Tasks The overall objective of this project was to develop multi-agent reinforcement... learning (MARL) approaches for intelligent agents to autonomously learn distributed control policies in decentral- ized partially observable... learning of policies in Dec-POMDPs, established performance bounds, evaluated these algorithms both theoretically and empirically, The views

Data-driven Travel Demand Modelling and Agent-based Traffic Simulation in Amsterdam Urban Area

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Melnikov, V.R.; Krzhizhanovskaya, V.V.; Lees, M.H.; Boukhanovsky, A.V.

2016-01-01

The goal of this project is the development of a large-scale agent-based traffic simulation system for Amsterdam urban area, validated on sensor data and adjusted for decision support in critical situations and for policy making in sustainable city development, emission control and electric car

Linking Bayesian and agent-based models to simulate complex social-ecological systems in semi-arid regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aloah J Pope

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Interdependencies of ecologic, hydrologic, and social systems challenge traditional approaches to natural resource management in semi-arid regions. As a complex social-ecological system, water demands in the Sonoran Desert from agricultural and urban users often conflicts with water needs for its ecologically-significant riparian corridors. To explore this system, we developed an agent-based model to simulate complex feedbacks between human decisions and environmental conditions in the Rio Sonora Watershed. Cognitive mapping in conjunction with stakeholder participation produced a Bayesian model of conditional probabilities of local human decision-making processes resulting to changes in water demand. Probabilities created in the Bayesian model were incorporated into the agent-based model, so that each agent had a unique probability to make a positive decision based on its perceived environment at each point in time and space. By using a Bayesian approach, uncertainty in the human decision-making process could be incorporated. The spatially-explicit agent-based model simulated changes in depth-to-groundwater by well pumping based on an agent’s water demand. Changes in depth-to-groundwater feedback to influence agent behavior, as well as determine unique vegetation classes within the riparian corridor. Each vegetation class then provides varying stakeholder-defined quality values of ecosystem services. Using this modeling approach allowed us to examine effects on both the ecological and social system of semi-arid riparian corridors under various scenarios. The insight provided by the model contributes to understanding how specific interventions may alter the complex social-ecological system in the future.

Cooperative learning neural network output feedback control of uncertain nonlinear multi-agent systems under directed topologies

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, W.; Wang, D.; Peng, Z. H.

2017-09-01

Without assuming that the communication topologies among the neural network (NN) weights are to be undirected and the states of each agent are measurable, the cooperative learning NN output feedback control is addressed for uncertain nonlinear multi-agent systems with identical structures in strict-feedback form. By establishing directed communication topologies among NN weights to share their learned knowledge, NNs with cooperative learning laws are employed to identify the uncertainties. By designing NN-based κ-filter observers to estimate the unmeasurable states, a new cooperative learning output feedback control scheme is proposed to guarantee that the system outputs can track nonidentical reference signals with bounded tracking errors. A simulation example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.

Adaptive hierarchical multi-agent organizations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ghijsen, M.; Jansweijer, W.N.H.; Wielinga, B.J.; Babuška, R.; Groen, F.C.A.

2010-01-01

In this chapter, we discuss the design of adaptive hierarchical organizations for multi-agent systems (MAS). Hierarchical organizations have a number of advantages such as their ability to handle complex problems and their scalability to large organizations. By introducing adaptivity in the

Design and Development a Control and Monitoring System for Greenhouse Conditions Based-On Multi Agent System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyed Hamidreza Kasaei

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The design of a multi-agent system for integrated management of greenhouse production is described. The model supports the integrated greenhouse production, with targets set to quality and quantity of produce with the minimum possible cost in resources and environmental consequences.
In this paper, we propose a real time and robust system for monitoring and control of the greenhouse condition which can automatically control of greenhouse temperature, lights, humidity, CO2 concentration, sunshine, pH, salinity, water available, soil temperature and soil nutrient for efficient production. We will propose a multi-agent methodology for integrated management systems in greenhouses. In this regards wireless sensor networks play a vital role to monitor
greenhouse and environment parameters. Each control process of the greenhouse environment is modeled as an autonomous agent with its own inputs, outputs and its own interactions with the other agents. Each agent acts autonomously, as it knows a priori the desired environmental setpoints. Many researchers have been making attempts to develop the greenhouse environment management system. The existing environment management systems are bulky, very costly and difficult to maintain. In the last years, Multi Agent Systems and Wireless Sensor Networks are becoming important solutions to this problem. This paper describes the implementation and
configuration of the wireless sensor network to monitor and control various parameter of greenhouse. The developed system is simple, cost effective, and easily installable.

Agent-Based Simulation to Support the Effectiveness, Procurement, and Employment of Non-Lethal Weapon Systems

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-01

INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK xv LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ABS Agent-Based Simulation AQ Al Qaeda CMC Commandant of the Marine Corps DES Discrete -Event...instilling in me the work ethic to accomplish anything I put my mind to. Jake and Jordan, thank you for listening to me complain about math and...used within the DOD, with two of the most common being discrete -event simulation (DES) and ABS. The DOD uses simulation models in support of

Strategic farsighted learning in competitive multi-agent games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

t Hoen, P.J.; Bohté, S.M.; Poutré, la J.A.; Brewka, G.; Coradeschi, S.; Perini, A.

2006-01-01

We describe a generalized Q-learning type algorithm for reinforcement learning in competitive multi-agent games. We make the observation that in a competitive setting with adaptive agents an agent's actions will (likely) result in changes in the opponents policies. In addition to accounting for the

Tree Based Decision Strategies and Auctions in Computational Multi-Agent Systems

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šlapák, M.; Neruda, Roman

2017-01-01

Roč. 38, č. 4 (2017), s. 335-342 ISSN 0257-4306 Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : auction systems * decision making * genetic programming * multi-agent system * task distribution Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science OBOR OECD: Computer sciences, information science, bioinformathics (hardware development to be 2.2, social aspect to be 5.8) http://rev-inv-ope.univ-paris1.fr/fileadmin/rev-inv-ope/files/38417/38417-04.pdf

Simulating GenCo bidding strategies in electricity markets with an agent-based model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Botterud, Audun; Thimmapuram, Prakash R.; Yamakado, Malo

2005-01-01

In this paper we use an agent-based simulation model, EMCAS, to analyze market power in electricity markets. We focus on the effect of congestion management on the ability of generating companies (GenCos) to raise prices beyond competitive levels. An 11-node test power system is used to compare a market design based on locational marginal pricing with a market design that uses system marginal pricing and congestion management by counter trading. Bidding strategies based on both physical and economic withholding are compared to a base case with production cost bidding. The results show that unilateral market power is exercised under both pricing mechanisms. However, the largest changes in consumer costs and GenCo profits due to strategic bidding occur under the locational marginal pricing scheme. The analysis also illustrates that agent-based modeling can contribute important insights into the complex interactions between the participants in transmission-constrained electricity markets. (Author)

FeGA: A feedback-generating agent

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heuvelink, A.; Mioch, T.

2008-01-01

In current simulation-based training of knowledgeintensive tasks, human instructors are needed to evaluate a student's task performance. This paper reports a study into the development of a multi-agent-based training system that evaluates student behavior at the result-level (quality of performance)

Multi-Agent Pathfinding with n Agents on Graphs with n Vertices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Förster, Klaus-Tycho; Groner, Linus; Hoefler, Torsten

2017-01-01

We investigate the multi-agent pathfinding (MAPF) problem with $n$ agents on graphs with $n$ vertices: Each agent has a unique start and goal vertex, with the objective of moving all agents in parallel movements to their goal s.t.~each vertex and each edge may only be used by one agent at a time....... We give a combinatorial classification of all graphs where this problem is solvable in general, including cases where the solvability depends on the initial agent placement. Furthermore, we present an algorithm solving the MAPF problem in our setting, requiring O(n²) rounds, or O(n³) moves...... of individual agents. Complementing these results, we show that there are graphs where Omega(n²) rounds and Omega(n³) moves are required for any algorithm....

A Multi-Agent Environment for Negotiation

Science.gov (United States)

Hindriks, Koen V.; Jonker, Catholijn M.; Tykhonov, Dmytro

In this chapter we introduce the System for Analysis of Multi-Issue Negotiation (SAMIN). SAMIN offers a negotiation environment that supports and facilitates the setup of various negotiation setups. The environment has been designed to analyse negotiation processes between human negotiators, between human and software agents, and between software agents. It offers a range of different agents, different domains, and other options useful to define a negotiation setup. The environment has been used to test and evaluate a range of negotiation strategies in various domains playing against other negotiating agents as well as humans. We discuss some of the results obtained by means of these experiments.

Agent-based simulation in entrepreneurship research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yang, S.-J.S.; Chandra, Y.

2009-01-01

Agent-based modeling (ABM) has wide applications in natural and social sciences yet it has not been widely applied in entrepreneurship research. We discuss the nature of ABM, its position among conventional methodologies and then offer a roadmap for developing, testing and extending theories of

Design of a Mobile Agent-Based Adaptive Communication Middleware for Federations of Critical Infrastructure Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Görbil, Gökçe; Gelenbe, Erol

The simulation of critical infrastructures (CI) can involve the use of diverse domain specific simulators that run on geographically distant sites. These diverse simulators must then be coordinated to run concurrently in order to evaluate the performance of critical infrastructures which influence each other, especially in emergency or resource-critical situations. We therefore describe the design of an adaptive communication middleware that provides reliable and real-time one-to-one and group communications for federations of CI simulators over a wide-area network (WAN). The proposed middleware is composed of mobile agent-based peer-to-peer (P2P) overlays, called virtual networks (VNets), to enable resilient, adaptive and real-time communications over unreliable and dynamic physical networks (PNets). The autonomous software agents comprising the communication middleware monitor their performance and the underlying PNet, and dynamically adapt the P2P overlay and migrate over the PNet in order to optimize communications according to the requirements of the federation and the current conditions of the PNet. Reliable communications is provided via redundancy within the communication middleware and intelligent migration of agents over the PNet. The proposed middleware integrates security methods in order to protect the communication infrastructure against attacks and provide privacy and anonymity to the participants of the federation. Experiments with an initial version of the communication middleware over a real-life networking testbed show that promising improvements can be obtained for unicast and group communications via the agent migration capability of our middleware.

Passenger Sharing of the High-Speed Railway from Sensitivity Analysis Caused by Price and Run-time Based on the Multi-Agent System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ma Ning

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Nowadays, governments around the world are active in constructing the high-speed railway. Therefore, it is significant to make research on this increasingly prevalent transport.Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, we simulate the process of the passenger’s travel mode choice by adjusting the ticket fare and the run-time based on the multi-agent system (MAS.Findings: From the research we get the conclusion that increasing the run-time appropriately and reducing the ticket fare in some extent are effective ways to enhance the passenger sharing of the high-speed railway.Originality/value: We hope it can provide policy recommendations for the railway sectors in developing the long-term plan on high-speed railway in the future.

Integrating macro and micro scale approaches in the agent-based modeling of residential dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Saeedi, Sara

2018-06-01

With the advancement of computational modeling and simulation (M&S) methods as well as data collection technologies, urban dynamics modeling substantially improved over the last several decades. The complex urban dynamics processes are most effectively modeled not at the macro-scale, but following a bottom-up approach, by simulating the decisions of individual entities, or residents. Agent-based modeling (ABM) provides the key to a dynamic M&S framework that is able to integrate socioeconomic with environmental models, and to operate at both micro and macro geographical scales. In this study, a multi-agent system is proposed to simulate residential dynamics by considering spatiotemporal land use changes. In the proposed ABM, macro-scale land use change prediction is modeled by Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and deployed as the agent environment and micro-scale residential dynamics behaviors autonomously implemented by household agents. These two levels of simulation interacted and jointly promoted urbanization process in an urban area of Tehran city in Iran. The model simulates the behavior of individual households in finding ideal locations to dwell. The household agents are divided into three main groups based on their income rank and they are further classified into different categories based on a number of attributes. These attributes determine the households' preferences for finding new dwellings and change with time. The ABM environment is represented by a land-use map in which the properties of the land parcels change dynamically over the simulation time. The outputs of this model are a set of maps showing the pattern of different groups of households in the city. These patterns can be used by city planners to find optimum locations for building new residential units or adding new services to the city. The simulation results show that combining macro- and micro-level simulation can give full play to the potential of the ABM to understand the driving

An agent-based simulation model for Clostridium difficile infection control.

Science.gov (United States)

Codella, James; Safdar, Nasia; Heffernan, Rick; Alagoz, Oguzhan

2015-02-01

Control of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is an increasingly difficult problem for health care institutions. There are commonly recommended strategies to combat CDI transmission, such as oral vancomycin for CDI treatment, increased hand hygiene with soap and water for health care workers, daily environmental disinfection of infected patient rooms, and contact isolation of diseased patients. However, the efficacy of these strategies, particularly for endemic CDI, has not been well studied. The objective of this research is to develop a valid, agent-based simulation model (ABM) to study C. difficile transmission and control in a midsized hospital. We develop an ABM of a midsized hospital with agents such as patients, health care workers, and visitors. We model the natural progression of CDI in a patient using a Markov chain and the transmission of CDI through agent and environmental interactions. We derive input parameters from aggregate patient data from the 2007-2010 Wisconsin Hospital Association and published medical literature. We define a calibration process, which we use to estimate transition probabilities of the Markov model by comparing simulation results to benchmark values found in published literature. In a comparison of CDI control strategies implemented individually, routine bleach disinfection of CDI-positive patient rooms provides the largest reduction in nosocomial asymptomatic colonization (21.8%) and nosocomial CDIs (42.8%). Additionally, vancomycin treatment provides the largest reduction in relapse CDIs (41.9%), CDI-related mortalities (68.5%), and total patient length of stay (21.6%). We develop a generalized ABM for CDI control that can be customized and further expanded to specific institutions and/or scenarios. Additionally, we estimate transition probabilities for a Markov model of natural CDI progression in a patient through calibration. © The Author(s) 2014.

Dynamic clustering scheme based on the coordination of management and control in multi-layer and multi-region intelligent optical network

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Xiaoliang; Yuan, Fen; Huang, Shanguo; Guo, Bingli; Gu, Wanyi

2011-12-01

A Dynamic clustering scheme based on coordination of management and control is proposed to reduce network congestion rate and improve the blocking performance of hierarchical routing in Multi-layer and Multi-region intelligent optical network. Its implement relies on mobile agent (MA) technology, which has the advantages of efficiency, flexibility, functional and scalability. The paper's major contribution is to adjust dynamically domain when the performance of working network isn't in ideal status. And the incorporation of centralized NMS and distributed MA control technology migrate computing process to control plane node which releases the burden of NMS and improves process efficiently. Experiments are conducted on Multi-layer and multi-region Simulation Platform for Optical Network (MSPON) to assess the performance of the scheme.

Adapting an Agent-Based Model of Socio-Technical Systems to Analyze System and Security Failures

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-09

develop frameworks assisting in collaborative design[6], to built platforms for col- lecting feedback from patients for researchers in healthcare ...cyber security with simulated humans. In Proceedings of the Twenty-Third Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence Conference, 2011. [3] L...Conference, 2015. [6] J. D. Faus and F. Grimaldo. Infraworld, a multi-agent based framework to assist in civil infrastructure collaborative design. In

Agent-Based Simulation of Mass Shootings: Determining How to Limit the Scale of a Tragedy

OpenAIRE

Roy Hayes; Reginald Hayes

2014-01-01

An agent-based simulation was created to examine key parameters in mass shootings. The goal of the simulation was to examine the potential effectiveness of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) assault weapons and high-capacity magazines bill. Based on the analysis, the proposed law would have a negligible effect on the number of people shot during mass shootings. The assault weapons portion of the proposed bill will have no effect on the number of people killed or wounded in a mass shootin...

BrahmVE platform for design and test of Large Scale Multi-agent Human-centric Mission Concepts, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This Phase I proposal seeks support to extend the BrahmsVE architecture to support a multi-agent human-centric simulation of a hypothetical future ISS which is...

Agent-Based Framework for Personalized Service Provisioning in Converged IP Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Podobnik, Vedran; Matijasevic, Maja; Lovrek, Ignac; Skorin-Kapov, Lea; Desic, Sasa

In a global multi-service and multi-provider market, the Internet Service Providers will increasingly need to differentiate in the service quality they offer and base their operation on new, consumer-centric business models. In this paper, we propose an agent-based framework for the Business-to-Consumer (B2C) electronic market, comprising the Consumer Agents, Broker Agents and Content Agents, which enable Internet consumers to select a content provider in an automated manner. We also discuss how to dynamically allocate network resources to provide end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) for a given consumer and content provider.

Exploring policy options for a transition to sustainable heating system diffusion using an agent-based simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maya Sopha, Bertha; Kloeckner, Christian A.; Hertwich, Edgar G.

2011-01-01

Change in home heating to more efficient and renewable systems is important for a sound climate policy. The present paper aims to identify potential interventions for the uptake of wood-pellet heating in Norway using an agent-based model (ABM). The theoretically based, empirically founded, agent-based simulation demonstrates that financial support, i.e., a stable wood-pellet price, and technical development, i.e., functional reliability improvement, have to be established all at the same time for a successful wood-pellet market to start. Furthermore, a soft intervention through persuading households to use environmentally beneficial heating system is not a promising driver for wood-pellet diffusion. Limitations and suggestions for future work are also discussed. - Research highlights: → The theoretically based, empirically founded, agent-based simulation is applied to investigate potential policy options toward diffusion of wood-pellet heating in Norway. → Relative advantages are necessary for wood-pellet heating to be adopted, consistent with Diffusion of Innovation theory (). → Simultaneous development is also required for further uptake of wood-pellet heating, supporting the existing empirical hypothesis by . → Persuading households to use environmentally friendly heating system is not a promising driver, in line with empirical finding of , who investigated psychological factors underlying the adoption of wood-pellet heating.

Exploring policy options for a transition to sustainable heating system diffusion using an agent-based simulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maya Sopha, Bertha, E-mail: bertha.sopha@ntnu.n [Industrial Ecology Programme and Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim (Norway); Kloeckner, Christian A. [Department of Psychology, Section for Risk Psychology, Environment and Safety (RIPENSA), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim (Norway); Hertwich, Edgar G. [Industrial Ecology Programme and Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim (Norway)

2011-05-15

Change in home heating to more efficient and renewable systems is important for a sound climate policy. The present paper aims to identify potential interventions for the uptake of wood-pellet heating in Norway using an agent-based model (ABM). The theoretically based, empirically founded, agent-based simulation demonstrates that financial support, i.e., a stable wood-pellet price, and technical development, i.e., functional reliability improvement, have to be established all at the same time for a successful wood-pellet market to start. Furthermore, a soft intervention through persuading households to use environmentally beneficial heating system is not a promising driver for wood-pellet diffusion. Limitations and suggestions for future work are also discussed. - Research highlights: {yields} The theoretically based, empirically founded, agent-based simulation is applied to investigate potential policy options toward diffusion of wood-pellet heating in Norway. {yields} Relative advantages are necessary for wood-pellet heating to be adopted, consistent with Diffusion of Innovation theory (). {yields} Simultaneous development is also required for further uptake of wood-pellet heating, supporting the existing empirical hypothesis by . {yields} Persuading households to use environmentally friendly heating system is not a promising driver, in line with empirical finding of , who investigated psychological factors underlying the adoption of wood-pellet heating.

Intelligent agents in data-intensive computing

CERN Document Server

Correia, Luís; Molina, José

2016-01-01

This book presents new approaches that advance research in all aspects of agent-based models, technologies, simulations and implementations for data intensive applications. The nine chapters contain a review of recent cross-disciplinary approaches in cloud environments and multi-agent systems, and important formulations of data intensive problems in distributed computational environments together with the presentation of new agent-based tools to handle those problems and Big Data in general. This volume can serve as a reference for students, researchers and industry practitioners working in or interested in joining interdisciplinary work in the areas of data intensive computing and Big Data systems using emergent large-scale distributed computing paradigms. It will also allow newcomers to grasp key concepts and potential solutions on advanced topics of theory, models, technologies, system architectures and implementation of applications in Multi-Agent systems and data intensive computing. .

Designing multi-targeted agents: An emerging anticancer drug discovery paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Rong-Geng; Sun, Yuan; Sheng, Wen-Bing; Liao, Duan-Fang

2017-08-18

The dominant paradigm in drug discovery is to design ligands with maximum selectivity to act on individual drug targets. With the target-based approach, many new chemical entities have been discovered, developed, and further approved as drugs. However, there are a large number of complex diseases such as cancer that cannot be effectively treated or cured only with one medicine to modulate the biological function of a single target. As simultaneous intervention of two (or multiple) cancer progression relevant targets has shown improved therapeutic efficacy, the innovation of multi-targeted drugs has become a promising and prevailing research topic and numerous multi-targeted anticancer agents are currently at various developmental stages. However, most multi-pharmacophore scaffolds are usually discovered by serendipity or screening, while rational design by combining existing pharmacophore scaffolds remains an enormous challenge. In this review, four types of multi-pharmacophore modes are discussed, and the examples from literature will be used to introduce attractive lead compounds with the capability of simultaneously interfering with different enzyme or signaling pathway of cancer progression, which will reveal the trends and insights to help the design of the next generation multi-targeted anticancer agents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The Adaptive Multi-scale Simulation Infrastructure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tobin, William R. [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)

2015-09-01

The Adaptive Multi-scale Simulation Infrastructure (AMSI) is a set of libraries and tools developed to support the development, implementation, and execution of general multimodel simulations. Using a minimal set of simulation meta-data AMSI allows for minimally intrusive work to adapt existent single-scale simulations for use in multi-scale simulations. Support for dynamic runtime operations such as single- and multi-scale adaptive properties is a key focus of AMSI. Particular focus has been spent on the development on scale-sensitive load balancing operations to allow single-scale simulations incorporated into a multi-scale simulation using AMSI to use standard load-balancing operations without affecting the integrity of the overall multi-scale simulation.

Multi-Equilibria Regulation Agent-Based Model of Opinion Dynamics in Social Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas Koulouris

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This article investigates the Multiple Equilibria Regulation (MER model, i.e., an agent-based simulation model, to represent opinion dynamics in social networks. It relies on a small set of micro-prerequisites (intra-individual balance and confidence bound, leading to emergence of (nonstationary macro-outcomes. These outcomes may refer to consensus, polarization or fragmentation of opinions about taxation (e.g., congestion pricing or other policy measures, according to the way communication is structured. In contrast with other models of opinion dynamics, it allows for the impact of both the regulation of intra-personal discrepancy and the interpersonal variability of opinions on social learning and network dynamics. Several simulation experiments are presented to demonstrate, through the MER model, the role of different network structures (complete, star, cellular automata, small-world and random graphs on opinion formation dynamics and the overall evolution of the system. The findings can help to identify specific topological characteristics, such as density, number of neighbourhoods and critical nodes-agents, that affect the stability and system dynamics. This knowledge can be used to better organize the information diffusion and learning in the community, enhance the predictability of outcomes and manage possible conflicts. It is shown that a small-world organization, which depicts more realistic aspects of real-life and virtual social systems, provides increased predictability and stability towards a less fragmented and more manageable grouping of opinions, compared to random networks. Such macro-level organizations may be enhanced with use of web-based technologies to increase the density of communication and public acceptability of policy measures.

Reimplementing a Multi-Agent System in Python

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Villadsen, Jørgen; Jensen, Andreas Schmidt; Ettienne, Mikko Berggren

2012-01-01

We provide a brief description of our Python-DTU system, including the overall design, the tools and the algorithms that we used in the Multi-Agent Programming Contest 2012, where the scenario was called Agents on Mars like in 2011. Our solution is an improvement of our Python-DTU system from last...

Reimplementing a Multi-Agent System in Python

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Villadsen, Jørgen; Jensen, Andreas Schmidt; Ettienne, Mikko Berggren

2013-01-01

We provide a brief description of our Python-DTU system, including the overall design, the tools and the algorithms that we used in the Multi-Agent Programming Contest 2012, where the scenario was called Agents on Mars like in 2011. Our solution is an improvement of our Python-DTU system from last...

Development and evaluation of multi-agent models predicting Twitter trends in multiple domains

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Attema, T.; Maanen, P.P. van; Meeuwissen, E.

2015-01-01

This paper concerns multi-agent models predicting Twitter trends. We use a step-wise approach to develop a novel agent-based model with the following properties: (1) it uses individual behavior parameters for a set of Twitter users and (2) it uses a retweet graph to model the underlying social

An Agent-Based Model of Farmer Decision Making in Jordan

Science.gov (United States)

Selby, Philip; Medellin-Azuara, Josue; Harou, Julien; Klassert, Christian; Yoon, Jim

2016-04-01

We describe an agent based hydro-economic model of groundwater irrigated agriculture in the Jordan Highlands. The model employs a Multi-Agent-Simulation (MAS) framework and is designed to evaluate direct and indirect outcomes of climate change scenarios and policy interventions on farmer decision making, including annual land use, groundwater use for irrigation, and water sales to a water tanker market. Land use and water use decisions are simulated for groups of farms grouped by location and their behavioural and economic similarities. Decreasing groundwater levels, and the associated increase in pumping costs, are important drivers for change within Jordan'S agricultural sector. We describe how this is considered by coupling of agricultural and groundwater models. The agricultural production model employs Positive Mathematical Programming (PMP), a method for calibrating agricultural production functions to observed planted areas. PMP has successfully been used with disaggregate models for policy analysis. We adapt the PMP approach to allow explicit evaluation of the impact of pumping costs, groundwater purchase fees and a water tanker market. The work demonstrates the applicability of agent-based agricultural decision making assessment in the Jordan Highlands and its integration with agricultural model calibration methods. The proposed approach is designed and implemented with software such that it could be used to evaluate a variety of physical and human influences on decision making in agricultural water management.

Cooperative control of multi-agent systems optimal and adaptive design approaches

CERN Document Server

Lewis, Frank L; Hengster-Movric, Kristian; Das, Abhijit

2014-01-01

Task complexity, communication constraints, flexibility and energy-saving concerns are all factors that may require a group of autonomous agents to work together in a cooperative manner. Applications involving such complications include mobile robots, wireless sensor networks, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), spacecraft, and so on. In such networked multi-agent scenarios, the restrictions imposed by the communication graph topology can pose severe problems in the design of cooperative feedback control systems.  Cooperative control of multi-agent systems is a challenging topic for both control theorists and practitioners and has been the subject of significant recent research. Cooperative Control of Multi-Agent Systems extends optimal control and adaptive control design methods to multi-agent systems on communication graphs.  It develops Riccati design techniques for general linear dynamics for cooperative state feedback design, cooperative observer design, and cooperative dynamic output feedback design.  B...

Dynamic Allocation of a Domestic Heating Task to Gas-Based and Heatpump-Based Heating Agents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Treur, J.

2013-01-01

In this paper a multi-agent model for a domestic heating task is introduced and analysed. The model includes two alternative heating agents (for gas-based heating and for heatpump-based heating), and a third allocation agent which determines the most economic allocation of the heating task to these

Assurance in Agent-Based Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gilliom, Laura R.; Goldsmith, Steven Y.

1999-05-10

Our vision of the future of information systems is one that includes engineered collectives of software agents which are situated in an environment over years and which increasingly improve the performance of the overall system of which they are a part. At a minimum, the movement of agent and multi-agent technology into National Security applications, including their use in information assurance, is apparent today. The use of deliberative, autonomous agents in high-consequence/high-security applications will require a commensurate level of protection and confidence in the predictability of system-level behavior. At Sandia National Laboratories, we have defined and are addressing a research agenda that integrates the surety (safety, security, and reliability) into agent-based systems at a deep level. Surety is addressed at multiple levels: The integrity of individual agents must be protected by addressing potential failure modes and vulnerabilities to malevolent threats. Providing for the surety of the collective requires attention to communications surety issues and mechanisms for identifying and working with trusted collaborators. At the highest level, using agent-based collectives within a large-scale distributed system requires the development of principled design methods to deliver the desired emergent performance or surety characteristics. This position paper will outline the research directions underway at Sandia, will discuss relevant work being performed elsewhere, and will report progress to date toward assurance in agent-based systems.

Assurance in Agent-Based Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilliom, Laura R.; Goldsmith, Steven Y.

1999-01-01

Our vision of the future of information systems is one that includes engineered collectives of software agents which are situated in an environment over years and which increasingly improve the performance of the overall system of which they are a part. At a minimum, the movement of agent and multi-agent technology into National Security applications, including their use in information assurance, is apparent today. The use of deliberative, autonomous agents in high-consequence/high-security applications will require a commensurate level of protection and confidence in the predictability of system-level behavior. At Sandia National Laboratories, we have defined and are addressing a research agenda that integrates the surety (safety, security, and reliability) into agent-based systems at a deep level. Surety is addressed at multiple levels: The integrity of individual agents must be protected by addressing potential failure modes and vulnerabilities to malevolent threats. Providing for the surety of the collective requires attention to communications surety issues and mechanisms for identifying and working with trusted collaborators. At the highest level, using agent-based collectives within a large-scale distributed system requires the development of principled design methods to deliver the desired emergent performance or surety characteristics. This position paper will outline the research directions underway at Sandia, will discuss relevant work being performed elsewhere, and will report progress to date toward assurance in agent-based systems

An Agent-Based Model for the Role of Short-Term Memory Enhancement in the Emergence of Grammatical Agreement.

Science.gov (United States)

Vera, Javier

2018-01-01

What is the influence of short-term memory enhancement on the emergence of grammatical agreement systems in multi-agent language games? Agreement systems suppose that at least two words share some features with each other, such as gender, number, or case. Previous work, within the multi-agent language-game framework, has recently proposed models stressing the hypothesis that the emergence of a grammatical agreement system arises from the minimization of semantic ambiguity. On the other hand, neurobiological evidence argues for the hypothesis that language evolution has mainly related to an increasing of short-term memory capacity, which has allowed the online manipulation of words and meanings participating particularly in grammatical agreement systems. Here, the main aim is to propose a multi-agent language game for the emergence of a grammatical agreement system, under measurable long-range relations depending on the short-term memory capacity. Computer simulations, based on a parameter that measures the amount of short-term memory capacity, suggest that agreement marker systems arise in a population of agents equipped at least with a critical short-term memory capacity.

MODELLING TEMPORAL SCHEDULE OF URBAN TRAINS USING AGENT-BASED SIMULATION AND NSGA2-BASED MULTIOBJECTIVE OPTIMIZATION APPROACHES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Sahelgozin

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Increasing distances between locations of residence and services leads to a large number of daily commutes in urban areas. Developing subway systems has been taken into consideration of transportation managers as a response to this huge amount of travel demands. In developments of subway infrastructures, representing a temporal schedule for trains is an important task; because an appropriately designed timetable decreases Total passenger travel times, Total Operation Costs and Energy Consumption of trains. Since these variables are not positively correlated, subway scheduling is considered as a multi-criteria optimization problem. Therefore, proposing a proper solution for subway scheduling has been always a controversial issue. On the other hand, research on a phenomenon requires a summarized representation of the real world that is known as Model. In this study, it is attempted to model temporal schedule of urban trains that can be applied in Multi-Criteria Subway Schedule Optimization (MCSSO problems. At first, a conceptual framework is represented for MCSSO. Then, an agent-based simulation environment is implemented to perform Sensitivity Analysis (SA that is used to extract the interrelations between the framework components. These interrelations is then taken into account in order to construct the proposed model. In order to evaluate performance of the model in MCSSO problems, Tehran subway line no. 1 is considered as the case study. Results of the study show that the model was able to generate an acceptable distribution of Pareto-optimal solutions which are applicable in the real situations while solving a MCSSO is the goal. Also, the accuracy of the model in representing the operation of subway systems was significant.

Multi-scale multi-physics computational chemistry simulation based on ultra-accelerated quantum chemical molecular dynamics method for structural materials in boiling water reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyamoto, Akira; Sato, Etsuko; Sato, Ryo; Inaba, Kenji; Hatakeyama, Nozomu

2014-01-01

In collaboration with experimental experts we have reported in the present conference (Hatakeyama, N. et al., “Experiment-integrated multi-scale, multi-physics computational chemistry simulation applied to corrosion behaviour of BWR structural materials”) the results of multi-scale multi-physics computational chemistry simulations applied to the corrosion behaviour of BWR structural materials. In macro-scale, a macroscopic simulator of anode polarization curve was developed to solve the spatially one-dimensional electrochemical equations on the material surface in continuum level in order to understand the corrosion behaviour of typical BWR structural material, SUS304. The experimental anode polarization behaviours of each pure metal were reproduced by fitting all the rates of electrochemical reactions and then the anode polarization curve of SUS304 was calculated by using the same parameters and found to reproduce the experimental behaviour successfully. In meso-scale, a kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulator was applied to an actual-time simulation of the morphological corrosion behaviour under the influence of an applied voltage. In micro-scale, an ultra-accelerated quantum chemical molecular dynamics (UA-QCMD) code was applied to various metallic oxide surfaces of Fe 2 O 3 , Fe 3 O 4 , Cr 2 O 3 modelled as same as water molecules and dissolved metallic ions on the surfaces, then the dissolution and segregation behaviours were successfully simulated dynamically by using UA-QCMD. In this paper we describe details of the multi-scale, multi-physics computational chemistry method especially the UA-QCMD method. This method is approximately 10,000,000 times faster than conventional first-principles molecular dynamics methods based on density-functional theory (DFT), and the accuracy was also validated for various metals and metal oxides compared with DFT results. To assure multi-scale multi-physics computational chemistry simulation based on the UA-QCMD method for

Distributed robust adaptive control of high order nonlinear multi agent systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Hashemi, Mahnaz; Shahgholian, Ghazanfar

2018-03-01

In this paper, a robust adaptive neural network based controller is presented for multi agent high order nonlinear systems with unknown nonlinear functions, unknown control gains and unknown actuator failures. At first, Neural Network (NN) is used to approximate the nonlinear uncertainty terms derived from the controller design procedure for the followers. Then, a novel distributed robust adaptive controller is developed by combining the backstepping method and the Dynamic Surface Control (DSC) approach. The proposed controllers are distributed in the sense that the designed controller for each follower agent only requires relative state information between itself and its neighbors. By using the Young's inequality, only few parameters need to be tuned regardless of NN nodes number. Accordingly, the problems of dimensionality curse and explosion of complexity are counteracted, simultaneously. New adaptive laws are designed by choosing the appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals. The proposed approach proves the boundedness of all the closed-loop signals in addition to the convergence of the distributed tracking errors to a small neighborhood of the origin. Simulation results indicate that the proposed controller is effective and robust. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Agent Architecture for Multi-Attribute Negotiation Using Incomplete Preference Information

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jonker, C.M.; Robu, V.; Treur, J.

2007-01-01

A component-based generic agent architecture for multi-attribute (integrative) negotiation is introduced and its application is described in a prototype system for negotiation about cars, developed in cooperation with, among others, Dutch Telecom KPN. The approach can be characterized as cooperative

Simulating the elimination of sleeping sickness with an agent-based model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grébaut Pascal

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Although Human African Trypanosomiasis is largely considered to be in the process of extinction today, the persistence of human and animal reservoirs, as well as the vector, necessitates a laborious elimination process. In this context, modeling could be an effective tool to evaluate the ability of different public health interventions to control the disease. Using the Cormas® system, we developed HATSim, an agent-based model capable of simulating the possible endemic evolutions of sleeping sickness and the ability of National Control Programs to eliminate the disease. This model takes into account the analysis of epidemiological, entomological, and ecological data from field studies conducted during the last decade, making it possible to predict the evolution of the disease within this area over a 5-year span. In this article, we first present HATSim according to the Overview, Design concepts, and Details (ODD protocol that is classically used to describe agent-based models, then, in a second part, we present predictive results concerning the evolution of Human African Trypanosomiasis in the village of Lambi (Cameroon, in order to illustrate the interest of such a tool. Our results are consistent with what was observed in the field by the Cameroonian National Control Program (CNCP. Our simulations also revealed that regular screening can be sufficient, although vector control applied to all areas with human activities could be significantly more efficient. Our results indicate that the current model can already help decision-makers in planning the elimination of the disease in foci.

An agent-based hydroeconomic model to evaluate water policies in Jordan

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, J.; Gorelick, S.

2014-12-01

Modern water systems can be characterized by a complex network of institutional and private actors that represent competing sectors and interests. Identifying solutions to enhance water security in such systems calls for analysis that can adequately account for this level of complexity and interaction. Our work focuses on the development of a hierarchical, multi-agent, hydroeconomic model that attempts to realistically represent complex interactions between hydrologic and multi-faceted human systems. The model is applied to Jordan, one of the most water-poor countries in the world. In recent years, the water crisis in Jordan has escalated due to an ongoing drought and influx of refugees from regional conflicts. We adopt a modular approach in which biophysical modules simulate natural and engineering phenomena, and human modules represent behavior at multiple scales of decision making. The human modules employ agent-based modeling, in which agents act as autonomous decision makers at the transboundary, state, organizational, and user levels. A systematic nomenclature and conceptual framework is used to characterize model agents and modules. Concepts from the Unified Modeling Language (UML) are adopted to promote clear conceptualization of model classes and process sequencing, establishing a foundation for full deployment of the integrated model in a scalable object-oriented programming environment. Although the framework is applied to the Jordanian water context, it is generalizable to other regional human-natural freshwater supply systems.

An adaptive multi-spline refinement algorithm in simulation based sailboat trajectory optimization using onboard multi-core computer systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dębski Roman

2016-06-01

Full Text Available A new dynamic programming based parallel algorithm adapted to on-board heterogeneous computers for simulation based trajectory optimization is studied in the context of “high-performance sailing”. The algorithm uses a new discrete space of continuously differentiable functions called the multi-splines as its search space representation. A basic version of the algorithm is presented in detail (pseudo-code, time and space complexity, search space auto-adaptation properties. Possible extensions of the basic algorithm are also described. The presented experimental results show that contemporary heterogeneous on-board computers can be effectively used for solving simulation based trajectory optimization problems. These computers can be considered micro high performance computing (HPC platforms-they offer high performance while remaining energy and cost efficient. The simulation based approach can potentially give highly accurate results since the mathematical model that the simulator is built upon may be as complex as required. The approach described is applicable to many trajectory optimization problems due to its black-box represented performance measure and use of OpenCL.

Multi-Algorithm Particle Simulations with Spatiocyte.

Science.gov (United States)

Arjunan, Satya N V; Takahashi, Koichi

2017-01-01

As quantitative biologists get more measurements of spatially regulated systems such as cell division and polarization, simulation of reaction and diffusion of proteins using the data is becoming increasingly relevant to uncover the mechanisms underlying the systems. Spatiocyte is a lattice-based stochastic particle simulator for biochemical reaction and diffusion processes. Simulations can be performed at single molecule and compartment spatial scales simultaneously. Molecules can diffuse and react in 1D (filament), 2D (membrane), and 3D (cytosol) compartments. The implications of crowded regions in the cell can be investigated because each diffusing molecule has spatial dimensions. Spatiocyte adopts multi-algorithm and multi-timescale frameworks to simulate models that simultaneously employ deterministic, stochastic, and particle reaction-diffusion algorithms. Comparison of light microscopy images to simulation snapshots is supported by Spatiocyte microscopy visualization and molecule tagging features. Spatiocyte is open-source software and is freely available at http://spatiocyte.org .

A multi-agent approach to intelligent monitoring in smart grids

Science.gov (United States)

Vallejo, D.; Albusac, J.; Glez-Morcillo, C.; Castro-Schez, J. J.; Jiménez, L.

2014-04-01

In this paper, we propose a scalable multi-agent architecture to give support to smart grids, paying special attention to the intelligent monitoring of distribution substations. The data gathered by multiple sensors are used by software agents that are responsible for monitoring different aspects or events of interest, such as normal voltage values or unbalanced intensity values that can end up blowing fuses and decreasing the quality of service of end consumers. The knowledge bases of these agents have been built by means of a formal model for normality analysis that has been successfully used in other surveillance domains. The architecture facilitates the integration of new agents and can be easily configured and deployed to monitor different environments. The experiments have been conducted over a power distribution network.

Serious games experiment toward agent-based simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Wein, Anne; Labiosa, William