Simulation is one approach to analyze and model the real world complex problems. Multi-agent based systems provide a platform to develop simulations based on the concept of agent-oriented programming. In multi-agent systems, the local interaction between agents contributes to the emergence of the global phenomena by getting the result of the simulation runs. In MABS systems, interaction is one common aspect for all agents to perform their tasks. To interact with each other the agents require yellow page services from the platform to search for other agents. As more and more agents perform searches on this yellow page directory, there is a decrease in the performance due to a central bottleneck. In this thesis, we have investigated multiple solutions for this problem. The most promising solution is to integrate distributed shared memory with the directory systems. With our proposed solution, empirical analysis shows a statistically significant increase in performance of the directory service. We expect this result to make a considerable contribution to the state of the art in multiagent platforms.

In this thesis paper, I will document and analyze the process of making my graduate thesis film, Just Like Wild Pete. I will start by stating my overall thesis statement, then move into each specific area of the filmmaking process. I will translate my learning at the University of New Orleans Film and Theatre program into real life situations with this film, as well as detail my successes and struggles throughout the process. I will analyze my own work, and constantly look to how I can improve in the future. In the end, I will determine if my thesis proves true, and if I was successful in the individual aspects of filmmaking, as well as the thesis film as a whole.

This thesis investigates southern China as a part of dynamic and extensive interregional networks from the third to the first millennium BC and explores the changing roles of different southern regions within the interregional relationships. This was an important transitional period for southern China as it was the time when several prominent and farreaching innovations of technologies and material culture were made or adopted in the area. Four key sets of materials – rice, bronze, ceramics and jade – are examined with a World-system perspective to reveal interregional contacts in different directions and of different nature between southern China and a number of neighbouring regions. By stressing on local responses towards different technologies and material culture in different period, an alternative narrative to that stemmed from Chinese historiography is, therefore, suggested. Instead of being a passive and 'backward' periphery in the traditional sense, southern China presents diversification of material culture over time. Many of the mechanisms of transmission and circulation in the south are characterised by 'leaked' technologies and designs, as well as 'selective adoption' and local redevelopment of material culture.

The thesis examines representations of the matriarch in three Chinese Canadian texts: SKY Lee's Disappearing Moon Cafe, Wayson Choy's The Jade Peony, and Denise Chong's The Concubine's Children. The matriarch is the female head of the Chinese household who is able to gain substantial power by manipulating the assets granted to her in a patriarchal system. Dislocated from her home in China, she serves in these texts as the focal point for the collision between the New World, Canada, and the Old World, China. Confronted by a new environment, the matriarch must decide whether she will choose conformity or identity experimentation. The thesis is concerned with the way Chinese Canadian writers negotiate multiple identities through narrators who must come to terms with the divided loyalties of the women of the past. The analysis of the matriarch's identity shifts is informed by the work of the feminist theorists, Elspeth Probyn and Moira Gatens, who explore the productive potentials of rebelling against binary codes. The thesis is divided into three chapters that discuss how the texts come close to embracing identity fluidity, but cannot overcome the need to reach a coherent representation of the matriarch. The first chapter is devoted to Disappearing Moon Cafe, and argues that Lee's narrator sacrifices her female characters, albeit reluctantly, in order to privilege feminism over her Chinese heritage. The second chapter turns to The Jade Peony and discusses how Choy's child narrators give in to binary thinking by relegating Poh-Poh, the Old One, to the realm of memories to make room for the New Ways. The final chapter on The Concubine's Children explores Chong's desire to redeem a grandmother who wreaked havoc on the family when she defied traditional gender roles. The thesis concludes by determining that Lee, Choy, and Chong are reaching for a multi-voiced reading of the past, but cannot yet articulate a way out. The uncertainty of their representations of the matriarch signals their efforts to move beyond binaries to a state of coexisting identity categories. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

This thesis discusses the basics of software agents and the way they form the multiagent coalitions. Genetic algorithms are introduced as one of the methods of solving the coalition formation problem. MAPC 2018 competition is introduced, which inspired the final design and implementation of the solution by using the tools described. A demo project was created, in which agents communicate with the MASSim server and gather data which is then used as an input into the genetic algorithm. Its purpose is to assign the agents to the tasks based on the input data, so that the tasks can be accomplished in the most effective manner possible. The results of this algorithm are evaluated in experiments which are focused on the quality of the solutions found as well as the time required for the calculation.

Jade Montserrat ist eine britische Performerin und bildende Künstlerin, die sich im Rahmen ihres künstlerischen PhD mit Josephine Bakers Performances auseinandersetzt. Sie performt geloopte Choreographien, die aus überlieferten Aufzeichnungen von Baker abgeleitet sind und setzt sich auch in Zeichnungen und Installationen mit Baker auseinander. Der Beitrag verortet diese Arbeiten in den Debatten von Performance und Blackness und beschreibt Montserrats Performanceverfahren selbst als Forschungsmethode. Daraus leiten sich neue Formen der Archivierung und Auseinandersetzung mit Performance-Geschichte ab.

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Engenheiros têm introduzido um melhor suporte para procedimentos de monitoramento de condições complexas através da aplicação de sistemas descentralizados inteligentes usando uma variedade de técnicas de inteligência artificial. Agora é largamente reconhecido que estes problemas decorrentes da complexidade funcional do monitoramento de condições podem ser resolvidos com arquiteturas que contenham muitos módulos distribuídos e inteligentes, que interajam dinamicamente, os quais são chamados de agentes inteligentes. A tecnologia baseada em agentes tem gerado muita agitação nos últimos anos por causa da promessa de ser um novo paradigma na hora de definir os conceitos para modelar e implementar sistemas de controle. O objetivo do presente estudo é implantar esta tecnologia no controle de uma caldeira de recuperação com a finalidade de gerenciar e integrar produção, qualidade e segurança no processo. A caldeira de recuperação tem dois objetivos bem definidos, cada um com suas restrições operacionais: (1) geração de vapor vivo a ser utilizado no processo, e, (2) redução de reagentes inorgânicos para recuperar sulfeto e carbonato de sódio, necessários no ciclo do processo de fabricação de celulose. Cada um destes objetivos é um sistema com funções independentes dentro da caldeira, mas que, no entanto tem seus desempenhos interligados entre si através das variáveis comuns existentes no processo. Esta é exatamente a definição de um sistema agente, ou melhor, de um Sistema Multi-Agente (SMA), no qual não existe uma otimização e sim a busca de uma solução possível. O modelo dinâmico da Caldeira foi simulado em Matlab(TM) Simulink(TM) baseado no modelo matemático da caldeira de recuperação de licor negro B&W (Babcock&Wilcox). O SMA foi desenvolvido utilizando a linguagem de programação JAVA e a plataforma de agentes JADE. / Engineers have been introducing better support for procedures of monitoring complex conditions through the application of intelligent decentralized systems, implementing a variety of artificial intelligent techniques. Nowadays it is vastly known that these problems that are consequence of the functional complexity of monitoring conditioning can be solved trough architectures, built by many intelligent distributed modules, which interact dynamically, known as intelligent agents. Technology based on agents have been creating excitement over the last years because of its promise of being a new paradigm that can be used to define modeling and implementing concepts for control systems. The goal of this thesis is to implement this new technology on controlling a recovery boiler, aiming to manage and integrate production, quality and security to the process. The operation of the recovery boiler has two well defined objectives, each one with its operational constraints: (1) steam production, an important asset in the pulp and paper process, and, (2) reduction of inorganic reagents to recover sulfate and sodium carbonates, the necessary chemicals in the Kraft pulp production. Each one of these functions, is an independent system inside the recovery boiler, however they have their performances connected to each other by common variables present in the process. This is exactly the definition of an agent system, in other words, a definition of a Multi-Agent System (MAS), for which there is not an optimization, but the search for the best possible outcome. The recovery boiler dynamic model was simulated using Matlab(TM) Simulink(TM) based on the mathematic model of B&W (Babcock&Wilcox) recovery boiler of black liquor. The MAS was implemented using JAVA(TM) programming language and JADE(TM) agent platform.

This study focuses on the Internet auction in the market of jade from Ming or Ch¡¦ing dynasty. Yahoo/Kimo auction, which is the biggest net auction site in Taiwan, has been selected as the research site in the project. Jade from Ming or Ch¡¦ing dynasty is the major goods in this research because of its distinguishable characteristics and reasonable price in the market. ¡§Case studies¡¨ have been chosen as the methodology of this research. Interviews with six jade sellers, trading records of consumers, and observation from the researcher have become methods of data collection. This study attempts to discover workable strategists for jade sellers in the Internet auction. The main research questions are: (1)Why do sellers choose Yahoo/Kimo auction as the site to sell jade of Ming or Ch¡¦ing dynasty¡H(2)How do sellers manipulate perception of consumers to influence their decision making¡H(3)How does rating and feedback work in marketing jade¡H(4)How to pricing¡HHow to satisfy different marketing segmentation¡H Three conclusions have been summarized as following: In Taiwan, Yahoo/Kimo auction site is a suitable site for jade trading because the site is user friendly, with huge size of pictures showing the characteristics of jade, with fast searching engine, low running cost, and highly security system. If a seller wants to run a stylish store, he/she is suggested to design the website by himself/herself. Generally speaking, most consumers in Internet auction are lack of understanding of jade. Therefore, enriching the description and pictures of goods and lowering the price become key points to influence consumers¡¦ decision making. Another fact found in the study is that the rating and feedback system is useful for convincing consumers at the beginning time; however, it plays less and less important role especially for consumers to make their final decisions. Selling with low-price is unable to reach the exceptional profits, but is considered as a way to clean out stocks. High-price jade is hardly to market through Internet auction because it needs a real site to sell it. ¡§Under the table¡¨ bargaining is commonly seen in Internet auction. In the future, the researcher suggests jade sellers in Internet to specialize jade items, to demonstrate in a theme or a style when marketing.

Engenheiros têm introduzido um melhor suporte para procedimentos de monitoramento de condições complexas através da aplicação de sistemas descentralizados inteligentes usando uma variedade de técnicas de inteligência artificial. Agora é largamente reconhecido que estes problemas decorrentes da complexidade funcional do monitoramento de condições podem ser resolvidos com arquiteturas que contenham muitos módulos distribuídos e inteligentes, que interajam dinamicamente, os quais são chamados de agentes inteligentes. A tecnologia baseada em agentes tem gerado muita agitação nos últimos anos por causa da promessa de ser um novo paradigma na hora de definir os conceitos para modelar e implementar sistemas de controle. O objetivo do presente estudo é implantar esta tecnologia no controle de uma caldeira de recuperação com a finalidade de gerenciar e integrar produção, qualidade e segurança no processo. A caldeira de recuperação tem dois objetivos bem definidos, cada um com suas restrições operacionais: (1) geração de vapor vivo a ser utilizado no processo, e, (2) redução de reagentes inorgânicos para recuperar sulfeto e carbonato de sódio, necessários no ciclo do processo de fabricação de celulose. Cada um destes objetivos é um sistema com funções independentes dentro da caldeira, mas que, no entanto tem seus desempenhos interligados entre si através das variáveis comuns existentes no processo. Esta é exatamente a definição de um sistema agente, ou melhor, de um Sistema Multi-Agente (SMA), no qual não existe uma otimização e sim a busca de uma solução possível. O modelo dinâmico da Caldeira foi simulado em Matlab(TM) Simulink(TM) baseado no modelo matemático da caldeira de recuperação de licor negro B&W (Babcock&Wilcox). O SMA foi desenvolvido utilizando a linguagem de programação JAVA e a plataforma de agentes JADE. / Engineers have been introducing better support for procedures of monitoring complex conditions through the application of intelligent decentralized systems, implementing a variety of artificial intelligent techniques. Nowadays it is vastly known that these problems that are consequence of the functional complexity of monitoring conditioning can be solved trough architectures, built by many intelligent distributed modules, which interact dynamically, known as intelligent agents. Technology based on agents have been creating excitement over the last years because of its promise of being a new paradigm that can be used to define modeling and implementing concepts for control systems. The goal of this thesis is to implement this new technology on controlling a recovery boiler, aiming to manage and integrate production, quality and security to the process. The operation of the recovery boiler has two well defined objectives, each one with its operational constraints: (1) steam production, an important asset in the pulp and paper process, and, (2) reduction of inorganic reagents to recover sulfate and sodium carbonates, the necessary chemicals in the Kraft pulp production. Each one of these functions, is an independent system inside the recovery boiler, however they have their performances connected to each other by common variables present in the process. This is exactly the definition of an agent system, in other words, a definition of a Multi-Agent System (MAS), for which there is not an optimization, but the search for the best possible outcome. The recovery boiler dynamic model was simulated using Matlab(TM) Simulink(TM) based on the mathematic model of B&W (Babcock&Wilcox) recovery boiler of black liquor. The MAS was implemented using JAVA(TM) programming language and JADE(TM) agent platform.