Semiotic dynamics and computational evolutionary musicology literature investigate emergence and evolution of linguistic and musical conventions by using computational multi-agent complex adaptive system models. This thesis proposes a new computational evolutionary musicology model, by altering previous models of familiarity based musical interactions that try to capture evolution of songs as a co-evolutionary process through mate selection. The proposed modified familiarity game models a closed community of agents, where individuals of the society interact with each other just by using their musical expectations. With this novel methodology, it is found that constituent agents can form a musical agreement by agreeing on a shared bi-gram musical expectation scheme. This convergence is attained in a self-organizing fashion and throughout this process significant usage of n-gram melodic lines become observable. Furthermore, modified familiarity game dynamics are investigated and it is concluded that convergence trends are dependent on simulation parameters.

ABSTRACT CULTURAL LEADERSHIP AND PEACE: AN EDUCATIONAL RESPONSE TO RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE by B. David Rowe This study is a philosophical inquiry into violence as the consequence of dysfunctional meaning-making processes. It establishes a theory of leadership development which requires, catalyzes, and sustains a reinvigorated relationship between education and religion in order to create more pacific ways of making meaning on interpersonal, organizational, institutional, societal, and global levels. The inquiry articulates an understanding of leadership as drawing on educative and religious processes for the deployment of power in order to make meaning with or on behalf of groups of people at various levels of social complexity. The analysis demonstrates that leadership is informed by and can inform institutional patterns of behavior and signification. Examination of leadership style on a developmental continuum of more and less violent modes of deploying power simultaneously offers insight into the origin of violent social relationships and into a process for creating more pacific ways of making meaning. Therefore, providing a path of personal cognitive and moral development along this continuum for organizational, institutional, societal, and global leaders offers one approach to influencing the development of social institutions which, in turn, influence the development of other leaders, along a mutually formative path toward interpersonal and global peace. The examination of leadership as energy deployment for the purpose of making meaning offers an opportunity to consider religion as an institution which encodes meaning making processes for society and individuals alike and to consider education as an institution which encodes behavior and norms attendant to the explication of reality. Rehabilitating religion and education in order to play these respective social roles more effectively requires more sophisticated leaders who deploy energy in less violent ways. Conversely, leadership development is constrained and empowered by these institutions which are in need of such growth themselves. This philosophical inquiry, therefore, synthesizes a new theory capable of framing new questions for leadership development and institutional growth with personal, organizational, societal, and global implications. The theory creates the category of Cultural Leadership which becomes a model for making meaning in less violent ways while providing a pathway for personal and social growth toward sustainable peace.

Main reason of this study is to set forth the internal paradox of the basic approach of the artificial intelligence in the medical field to by discussing on the theoretical and application levels and to suggest solutions in theory and practice against that. In order to rule out the internal paradox in the medical decision support systematic, a new medical model is suggested and based on this, concepts such as disease, health, etiology, diagnosis and treatment are questioned. Meanwhile, with the current scientific data, a simple application sample based on how a decision making system which was set up by fuzzy logic and which is based on the perception of human as a complex adaptive system has been explained. Finally, results of the research about accuracy and validity of this application, current improvements based on the current model and the location on the artificial intelligence theory is discussed.

The overarching research objective is to address the tightly-coupled interactions between the demand-side and supply-side components of the United States Commercial Air Transportation System (CATS) in a time-variant environment. A system-of-system perspective is adopted, where the scope is extended beyond the National Airspace System (NAS) level to the National Transportation System (NTS) level to capture the intermodal and multimodal relationships between NTS stakeholders. The Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation technique is employed where the NTS/NAS is treated as an integrated Multi-Agent System comprising of consumer and service provider agents representing the demand-side and supply-side components respectively. Successful calibration and validation of both model components against the observable real world data provided a CATS simulation tool where the aviation demand is estimated from socioeconomic and demographic properties of the population instead of merely based on enplanement growth multipliers. This valuable achievement enabled a 20-year outlook simulation study to investigate the implications of a global fuel price hike on the airline industry and the U.S. CATS at large. Simulation outcomes revealed insights into the airline competitive behaviors and the subsequent responses from transportation consumers.

Population growth, urbanization and climate change threaten urban water systems. The rise of demands caused by growing urban areas and the potential decrease of water availability caused by the increase of frequency and severity of droughts challenge the continued well-being of society. Due to increasing environmental and financial constraints, water management paradigms have shifted from supply augmentation to demand management, and water conservation initiatives may efficiently decrease water demands to more sustainable levels. To provide reliable assessment of the efficiencies of different demand management strategies, new modeling techniques are needed that can simulate decentralized decisions of consumers and their interactions with the water system. An integrated simulation-optimization framework, based on the paradigm of Complex Adaptive Systems, is developed here to model dynamic interactions and adaptations within social, built, and natural components of urban water systems. The framework goes beyond tradition engineering simulations by incorporating decentralized, heterogeneous and autonomous agents, and by simulating dynamic feedback loops among modeling components. The framework uses modeling techniques including System Dynamics, Cellular Automata, and Agent-based Modeling to simulate housing and population growth, a land use change, residential water consumption, the hydrologic cycle, reservoir operation, and a policy/decision maker. This research demonstrates the applicability of the proposed framework through a series of studies applied to a water supply system of a large metropolitan region that is located in a semi-arid region and suffers recurrently from severe droughts. A set of adaptive demand management strategies, that apply contingency restrictions, land use planning, and water conservation technologies, such as rainwater harvesting systems, are evaluated. A multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithm is coupled with the CAS simulation framework to identify optimal strategies and explore conflicting objectives within a water system. The results demonstrate the benefits of adaptive management by updating management decisions to changing conditions. This research develops a new hydrologic sustainability metric, developed to quantify the stormwater impacts of urbanization. The Hydrologic Footprint Residence captures temporal and spatial hydrologic characteristics of a flood wave passing through a stream segment and is used to assess stormwater management scenarios, including Best Management Practices and Low Impact Development.

A pesquisa em Atrito linguístico de L1 tem testemunhado um desenvolvimento desde os anos 80. No entanto, ainda são poucos os estudos acerca do português brasileiro (PB) e imigrantes brasileiros em comunidades de L2 dominante. Assim, partindo de uma visão da linguagem como um Sistema Adaptativo Complexo (CAS) (e.g., LARSENFREEMAN; CAMERON, 2008; BECKNER et al. 2009;. MERCER, 2013), este estudo investigou a produção das plosivas surdas do PB-L1 e do Standard Southern British English-L2 (SSBE) por imigrantes adultos do Sul do Brasil residentes em Londres, testando os efeitos dos primeiros dez anos (tempo de residência - LOR) na comunidade britânica. Usando um desenho transversal, este estudo explorou a produção de plosivas surdas em posição inicial de palavra de trinta e dois participantes, com idades entre 18-40: imigrantes brasileiros que viviam em Londres durante períodos de tempo variados (chegada no Reino Unido com idade > 18 anos), monolíngues do SSBE e monolíngues do BP. Os alvos do BP /p/, /t/ e /k/ foram apresentados na frase-veículo “Eu Diria _______”. Os alvos para o SSBE foram apresentados na frase “I would say_______”. Os alvos em posição inicial de palavra foram gravados aleatoriamente três vezes por cada participantes. Para a produção SSBE-L2, os resultados mostraram que falantes com um LOR entre zero e três anos diferem dos controles SSBE (p <0,05) para todas as três plosivas surdas inglês britânico. Imigrantes com um LOR entre quatro e sete anos também diferem dos controles (p<0,05) para [p] e [t], mas não divergem para [k] (p>0,05). Aqueles que residem em Londres entre oito e onze anos não apresentaram diferenças em relação aos monolíngues do inglês britânico (p>0,05), e apresentaram os maiores valores médios de VOT. Em relação à produção do VOT para o PB-L1, a produção dos participantes com o menor período de tempo em Londres não era diferente da dos monolíngues do PB. Por outro lado, imigrantes com um LOR entre quatro e sete anos produziram valores de VOT diferentes dos produzidos pelos controles para [t] e [k], apresentando valores médios mais elevados (p <0,001), mas não para a [p] (p>0,05). Finalmente, os imigrantes que eram residentes em Londres entre oito e onze anos revelaram diferenças em relação aos controles do PB, apresentando os maiores valores de VOT (p <0,001) para todos os sons plosivos considerados. Esses resultados fornecem evidência para o atrito linguístico de L1 enfrentado pelos falantes nativos do PB (shortlag VOT) imersos em uma comunidade de L2 dominante (long-lag VOT), bem como para o efeito de LOR, já que os valores de VOT tendem a aumentar em função do tempo de residência. Esses dados confirmam, como previsto por uma visão da linguagem como um CAS, que o sistema de L1 não é rígido e pode mudar durante o tempo de vida de um falante. Nossos resultados sugerem que as línguas naturais dependem de uma variedade de agentes, além de serem adaptativas e sujeitas a constantes mudanças. / The study of L1 attrition has witnessed some development since the 1980s; however, there are still few studies on Brazilian Portuguese (BP) and on Brazilian immigrants in L2-dominant communities. Thus, departing from a view of language as a Complex, Adaptive System (CAS) (e.g. LARSEN-FREEMAN; CAMERON, 2008; BECKNER et al., 2009; MERCER, 2013), this study investigated the production of BP-L1 and Standard Southern British English-L2 (SSBE) voiceless plosives by Southern Brazilian adult immigrants in London, testing the effects of the first ten years (length of residence - LOR) in the British community. Using a cross-sectional design, this study explored the production of voiceless plosives in word initial position by thirty-two participants, aged 18-40: Brazilian immigrants that had been living in London for differing lengths of time (arrival in UK aged > 18 years), monolingual SSBE controls, and monolingual BP controls. BP target sounds /p/, /t/ and /k/ were presented in the carrier sentence Eu diria _______. SSBE targets were presented in the sentence I would say_______. Targets were elicited in word-initial position, and were randomly recorded three times by the participants. For SSBE-L2 production, the results showed that speakers with a LOR between zero and three years differ from the SSBE controls (p<.05) for all three voiceless British English plosives. Immigrants with a LOR between four and seven years differ from the controls (p<.05) for [p] and [t], but do not diverge from them for [k] (p>.05). Those residing in London between eight and eleven years do not present differences from the British English monolinguals (p.>05), and presented the highest mean values. With regard to BP-L1 VOT production, the production by participants with a shorter period of time in London was not different from the BP monolingual controls. On the other hand, immigrants with a LOR between four and seven years yielded different VOT values from those produced by the controls for [t] and [k], presenting higher mean values (p<.001), but not for [p] (p>.05). Finally, immigrants that had been residing in London between eight and eleven years revealed differences from the BP controls, presenting the highest VOT values (p<.001) for all the plosives. These findings provide evidence for first language attrition faced by short-lag VOT speakers immersed in long-lag VOT L2- dominant communities, as well as for the effect of LOR, as values tend to increase through time. These data confirm, as predicted by a view of language as a CAS, that the L1 system is not rigid and might change during the life span. Our results suggest that language depends on a variety of agents and is also adaptive, being subject to constant change.

BARBOZA, Clerton Luiz Felix. Efeitos da palatização das oclusivas alveolares do português brasileiro no percurso de construção do inglês língua estrangeira. 2013. 265f. – Tese (Doutorado) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Departamento de Letras Vernáculas, Programa de Pós-graduação em Linguística, Fortaleza (CE), 2013. / Submitted by Márcia Araújo (marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2014-06-05T15:14:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_tese_clfbarboza.pdf: 6370628 bytes, checksum: c76036efade6aa5b57e60817e128ceed (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Márcia Araújo(marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2014-06-06T12:28:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_tese_clfbarboza.pdf: 6370628 bytes, checksum: c76036efade6aa5b57e60817e128ceed (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-06T12:28:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_tese_clfbarboza.pdf: 6370628 bytes, checksum: c76036efade6aa5b57e60817e128ceed (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / This study had as its main objective to reflect upon alveolar stop palatalization /t, d/ → [tʃ, dʒ] phenomenon, characteristic of many Brazilian Portuguese (BP) dialects, in the construction of the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) phonology. Grounded on the ideas proposed by Usage-Based Phonology (BYBEE, 2001), Exemplar Models (PIERREHUMBERT, 2001), as well as on the view of language as a Complex Adaptive System (LARSEN-FREEMAN; CAMERON, 2008), the basic hypothesis stated Brazilian EFL learners follow different construction pathways of the EFL phonology, depending on their regional dialect. This was an experimental research, following both a cross-sectional and longitudinal design. It had two research fields, Fortaleza-CE and Mossoró-RN, which differed on their BP dialect, the former a palatalizing dialect and the latter a non-palatalizing one. Subjects were also controlled by sex and EFL proficiency level. Lexical items which were susceptible to palatalization in both BP and EFL were selected, aiming to control token frequency, phonotactics and syllable stress. 5 experiments were used to collect data. For BP, P1 involved a picture-induced conversation, while P2 used a carrier-sentence reading procedure. For EFL, I1 involved the repetition of distorted audio tokens associated to pictures, I2 used a carrier-sentence reading procedure and I3 focused on a memory game. BP cross-sectional results relating to the emergence of palatalization in both regions emphasized non-categorical realization of the phenomenon: palatalized tokens were observed in RN and non-palatalized ones were found in CE. EFL cross-sectional data analysis indicated: a) the variable origin as an important factor of bigger or smaller palatalization emergence, as CE learners consistently tended to higher palatalization levels; b) the alveolar stop voicing pattern, as voiceless sounds tended to palatalize more frequently; c) the individual, as subjects from the same area and proficiency level realized the phenomenon with different patterns; d) the word, as lexical items with the same phonotactic structure allowed higher or smaller palatalization emergence; and e)phonotactic structure, as a few words allowed similar palatalization emergence in both study regions. Some variables were not so relevant for the emergence of the phenomenon, like sex, proficiency level and syllable stress. Finally, token frequency was not relevant at all in the EFL cross-sectional data. As regards longitudinal results, it was observed RN subjects tended to a low Palatalization Index (PI) as longitudinal data collection took place. CE subjects had distinct behavior. FM1 had great variation on his PI, with higher PI values than RN informants. FM3 had a relatively stable PI realization, with the highest palatalization level. Longitudinal data reinforced the value of variables such as the origin, the individual and the word on the emergence of EFL palatalization of Brazilian learners. Additionally, significant PI reduction during longitudinal data collection was not observed. Having these evidences in mind, it was concluded Brazilian learners follow through different EFL phonology construction pathways, depending on their regional dialect. / Este estudo teve por objetivo geral refletir sobre a palatalização das oclusivas alveolares /t, d/ → [tʃ, dʒ], característico de muitos falares do Português Brasileiro (PB), na construção da fonologia do Inglês Língua Estrangeira (ILE). Baseados nos preceitos da Fonologia de Uso (BYBEE, 2001), do Modelo de Exemplares (PIERREHUMBERT, 2001) e na visão de língua enquanto Sistema Adaptativo Complexo (LARSEN-FREEMAN; CAMERON, 2008), tivemos por hipótese básica que aprendizes brasileiros apresentam percursos diferenciados de construção da fonologia do ILE, a depender de seu falar regional. Este estudo foi uma pesquisa experimental, de cunho concomitantemente transversal-longitudinal. Selecionamos dois campos de pesquisa, Fortaleza-CE e Mossoró-RN, distintos quanto ao falar regional do PB, sendo o primeiro palatalizador das oclusivas alveolares e o segundo não-palatalizador. Os informantes foram controlados ainda quanto ao sexo e ao nível de proficiência no ILE. Selecionamos itens lexicais propícios à emergência da palatalização no PB e no ILE, buscando o controle da frequência de ocorrência, do contexto fonotático e da tonicidade silábica. Fizemos uso de 5 Experimentos de coletas de dados. No PB, P1 envolveu uma conversa sobre algumas figuras, enquanto P2 utilizou a leitura de diversas frases-veículo. No ILE, I1 envolveu a repetição de áudio distorcido associado a algumas figuras, I2 utilizou a leitura de diversas frases-veículo e I3 usou um jogo da memória em sua aplicação. Os resultados do estudo transversal envolvendo a emergência da palatalização das oclusivas alveolares do PB enfatizaram o caráter não-categórico de fenômeno em ambas as regiões: a palatalização foi observada no falar do RN, e oclusivas alveolares não-palatalizadas foram observadas no falar do CE. A análise dos dados transversais do ILE apontou: a) a variável origem como fator importante para determinar a maior ou menor emergência da palatalização, aprendizes do CE tenderam a uma maior palatalização; b) o tipo de vozeamento da oclusiva alveolar, com as desvozeadas mais propensas à palatalização; c) o indivíduo, sujeitos da mesma região e nível de proficiência realizaram o fenômeno de forma distinta, d) a palavra, itens lexicais com a mesma sequência fonotática apresentaram comportamentos divergentes; e e) o tipo fonotático, alguns tipos apresentaram percentuais semelhantes na realização da palatalização em ambas as regiões. Algumas variáveis mostraram influência relativa na realização do fenômeno, como o sexo, o nível de proficiência e a tonicidade silábica. Por fim, a frequência de ocorrência dos itens lexicais mostrou-se irrelevante na análise de dados transversais do ILE. Em se tratando dos resultados do estudo longitudinal, observamos que os informantes do RN tenderam a uma pequena realização do Índice de Palatalização (IP) com o passar das coletas de dados longitudinais. Os informantes do CE presentaram comportamentos distintos. FM1 apresentou grande variação em sua realização do IP, com palatalização mais alta que os informantes do RN. FM3 apresentou uma realização relativamente estável de seu IP individual, com forte palatalização, bem mais recorrente que seus colegas. Os dados do estudo longitudinal reforçaram a relevância de variáveis como a origem, o indivíduo e a palavra na emergência da palatalização no ILE de aprendizes brasileiros. Adicionalmente, durante o período de coleta de dados longitudinais não encontramos indícios significativos de redução do IP no ILE com o desenrolar das coletas de dados longitudinais. Tendo em vista tais evidências, tomamos por confirmada a hipótese básica que aprendizes brasileiros apresentam percursos diferenciados de construção da fonologia do ILE, a depender de seu falar regional.

abstract: Energy poverty is pervasive in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria, located in sub-Saharan West Africa, is the world's seventh largest oil exporting country and is a resource-rich nation. It however experiences the same levels of energy poverty as most of its neighboring countries. Attributing this paradox only to corruption or the "Dutch Disease", where one sector booms at the expense of other sectors of the economy, is simplistic and enervates attempts at reform. In addition, data on energy consumption is aggregated at the national level via estimates, disaggregated data is virtually non-existent. Finally, the wave of decentralization of vertically integrated national utilities sweeping the developing world has caught on in sub-Saharan Africa. However, little is known of the economic and social implications of these transitions within the unique socio-technical system of the region's electricity sector, especially as it applies to energy poverty. This dissertation proposes a complex systems approach to measuring and mitigating energy poverty in Nigeria due to its multi-dimensional nature. This is done via a three-fold approach: the first section of the study delves into causation by examining the governance institutions that create and perpetuate energy poverty; the next section proposes a context-specific minimum energy poverty line based on field data collected on energy consumption; and the paper concludes with an indicator-based transition management framework encompassing institutional, economic, social, and environmental themes of sustainable transition within the electricity sector. This work contributes to intellectual discourse on systems-based mitigation strategies for energy poverty that are widely applicable within the sub-Saharan region, as well as adds to the knowledge-base of decision-support tools for addressing energy poverty in its complexity. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Sustainability 2015

A pesquisa em Atrito linguístico de L1 tem testemunhado um desenvolvimento desde os anos 80. No entanto, ainda são poucos os estudos acerca do português brasileiro (PB) e imigrantes brasileiros em comunidades de L2 dominante. Assim, partindo de uma visão da linguagem como um Sistema Adaptativo Complexo (CAS) (e.g., LARSENFREEMAN; CAMERON, 2008; BECKNER et al. 2009;. MERCER, 2013), este estudo investigou a produção das plosivas surdas do PB-L1 e do Standard Southern British English-L2 (SSBE) por imigrantes adultos do Sul do Brasil residentes em Londres, testando os efeitos dos primeiros dez anos (tempo de residência - LOR) na comunidade britânica. Usando um desenho transversal, este estudo explorou a produção de plosivas surdas em posição inicial de palavra de trinta e dois participantes, com idades entre 18-40: imigrantes brasileiros que viviam em Londres durante períodos de tempo variados (chegada no Reino Unido com idade > 18 anos), monolíngues do SSBE e monolíngues do BP. Os alvos do BP /p/, /t/ e /k/ foram apresentados na frase-veículo “Eu Diria _______”. Os alvos para o SSBE foram apresentados na frase “I would say_______”. Os alvos em posição inicial de palavra foram gravados aleatoriamente três vezes por cada participantes. Para a produção SSBE-L2, os resultados mostraram que falantes com um LOR entre zero e três anos diferem dos controles SSBE (p <0,05) para todas as três plosivas surdas inglês britânico. Imigrantes com um LOR entre quatro e sete anos também diferem dos controles (p<0,05) para [p] e [t], mas não divergem para [k] (p>0,05). Aqueles que residem em Londres entre oito e onze anos não apresentaram diferenças em relação aos monolíngues do inglês britânico (p>0,05), e apresentaram os maiores valores médios de VOT. Em relação à produção do VOT para o PB-L1, a produção dos participantes com o menor período de tempo em Londres não era diferente da dos monolíngues do PB. Por outro lado, imigrantes com um LOR entre quatro e sete anos produziram valores de VOT diferentes dos produzidos pelos controles para [t] e [k], apresentando valores médios mais elevados (p <0,001), mas não para a [p] (p>0,05). Finalmente, os imigrantes que eram residentes em Londres entre oito e onze anos revelaram diferenças em relação aos controles do PB, apresentando os maiores valores de VOT (p <0,001) para todos os sons plosivos considerados. Esses resultados fornecem evidência para o atrito linguístico de L1 enfrentado pelos falantes nativos do PB (shortlag VOT) imersos em uma comunidade de L2 dominante (long-lag VOT), bem como para o efeito de LOR, já que os valores de VOT tendem a aumentar em função do tempo de residência. Esses dados confirmam, como previsto por uma visão da linguagem como um CAS, que o sistema de L1 não é rígido e pode mudar durante o tempo de vida de um falante. Nossos resultados sugerem que as línguas naturais dependem de uma variedade de agentes, além de serem adaptativas e sujeitas a constantes mudanças. / The study of L1 attrition has witnessed some development since the 1980s; however, there are still few studies on Brazilian Portuguese (BP) and on Brazilian immigrants in L2-dominant communities. Thus, departing from a view of language as a Complex, Adaptive System (CAS) (e.g. LARSEN-FREEMAN; CAMERON, 2008; BECKNER et al., 2009; MERCER, 2013), this study investigated the production of BP-L1 and Standard Southern British English-L2 (SSBE) voiceless plosives by Southern Brazilian adult immigrants in London, testing the effects of the first ten years (length of residence - LOR) in the British community. Using a cross-sectional design, this study explored the production of voiceless plosives in word initial position by thirty-two participants, aged 18-40: Brazilian immigrants that had been living in London for differing lengths of time (arrival in UK aged > 18 years), monolingual SSBE controls, and monolingual BP controls. BP target sounds /p/, /t/ and /k/ were presented in the carrier sentence Eu diria _______. SSBE targets were presented in the sentence I would say_______. Targets were elicited in word-initial position, and were randomly recorded three times by the participants. For SSBE-L2 production, the results showed that speakers with a LOR between zero and three years differ from the SSBE controls (p<.05) for all three voiceless British English plosives. Immigrants with a LOR between four and seven years differ from the controls (p<.05) for [p] and [t], but do not diverge from them for [k] (p>.05). Those residing in London between eight and eleven years do not present differences from the British English monolinguals (p.>05), and presented the highest mean values. With regard to BP-L1 VOT production, the production by participants with a shorter period of time in London was not different from the BP monolingual controls. On the other hand, immigrants with a LOR between four and seven years yielded different VOT values from those produced by the controls for [t] and [k], presenting higher mean values (p<.001), but not for [p] (p>.05). Finally, immigrants that had been residing in London between eight and eleven years revealed differences from the BP controls, presenting the highest VOT values (p<.001) for all the plosives. These findings provide evidence for first language attrition faced by short-lag VOT speakers immersed in long-lag VOT L2- dominant communities, as well as for the effect of LOR, as values tend to increase through time. These data confirm, as predicted by a view of language as a CAS, that the L1 system is not rigid and might change during the life span. Our results suggest that language depends on a variety of agents and is also adaptive, being subject to constant change.

abstract: The main objective of this research is to develop an integrated method to study emergent behavior and consequences of evolution and adaptation in engineered complex adaptive systems (ECASs). A multi-layer conceptual framework and modeling approach including behavioral and structural aspects is provided to describe the structure of a class of engineered complex systems and predict their future adaptive patterns. The approach allows the examination of complexity in the structure and the behavior of components as a result of their connections and in relation to their environment. This research describes and uses the major differences of natural complex adaptive systems (CASs) with artificial/engineered CASs to build a framework and platform for ECAS. While this framework focuses on the critical factors of an engineered system, it also enables one to synthetically employ engineering and mathematical models to analyze and measure complexity in such systems. In this way concepts of complex systems science are adapted to management science and system of systems engineering. In particular an integrated consumer-based optimization and agent-based modeling (ABM) platform is presented that enables managers to predict and partially control patterns of behaviors in ECASs. Demonstrated on the U.S. electricity markets, ABM is integrated with normative and subjective decision behavior recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The approach integrates social networks, social science, complexity theory, and diffusion theory. Furthermore, it has unique and significant contribution in exploring and representing concrete managerial insights for ECASs and offering new optimized actions and modeling paradigms in agent-based simulation. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Industrial Engineering 2013