One critical consideration in the design of buildings constructed in the western United States is the weight of settled snow on the roof of the structure. Engineers are tasked with selecting a design snow load that ensures that the building is safe and reliable, without making the construction overly expensive. Western states use historical snow records at weather stations scattered throughout the region to estimate appropriate design snow loads. Various mapping techniques are then used to predict design snow loads between the weather stations. Each state uses different mapping techniques to create their snow load requirements, yet these different techniques have never been compared. In addition, none of the current mapping techniques can account for the uncertainty in the design snow load estimates. We address both issues by formally comparing the existing mapping techniques, as well as creating a new mapping technique that allows the estimated design snow loads to be represented as an interval of values, rather than a single value. In the process, we have improved upon existing methods for creating design snow load requirements and have produced a new tool capable of handling uncertain climate data.

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Prevalence is a valuable epidemiological measure about the burden of disease in a community for planning health services; however, true prevalence is typically underestimated and there exists no reliable method of confirming the estimate of this prevalence in question. This thesis studies imprecise priors for the development of a statistical reasoning framework regarding this epidemiological decision making problem. The concept of imprecise probabilities introduced by Walley (1991) is adopted for the construction of this inferential framework in order to model prior ignorance and quantify the degree of imprecision associated with the inferential process. The study is restricted to the standard and zero-truncated Poisson sampling models that give an exponential family with a canonical log-link function because of the mechanism involved with the estimation of population size. A three-parameter exponential family of posteriors which includes the normal and log-gamma as limiting cases is introduced by applying normal priors on the canonical parameter of the Poisson sampling models. The canonical parameters simplify dealing with families of priors as Bayesian updating corresponds to a translation of the family in the canonical hyperparameter space. The canonical link function creates a linear relationship between regression coefficients of explanatory variables and the canonical parameters of the sampling distribution. Thus, normal priors on the regression coefficients induce normal priors on the canonical parameters leading to a higher-dimensional exponential family of posteriors whose limiting cases are again normal or log-gamma. All of these implementations are synthesized to build the ipeglim package (Lee, 2013) that provides a convenient method for characterizing imprecise probabilities and visualizing their translation, soft-linearity, and focusing behaviours. A characterization strategy for imprecise priors is introduced for instances when there exists a state of complete ignorance. The learning process of an individual intentional unit, the agreement process between several intentional units, and situations concerning prior-data conflict are graphically illustrated. Finally, the methodology is applied for re-analyzing the data collected from the epidemiological disease surveillance of three specific cases – Cholera epidemic (Dahiya, 1973), Down’s syndrome (Zelterman, 1988), and the female users of methamphetamine and heroin (B ̈ ohning, 2009).

無 / In this article, a two-step process is considered to investigate the effects of measurement errors on EWMA and cause-selecting EWMA control charts. At the end of current process, a pair of imprecise measurements of in-coming quality and out-going quality is randomly taken with individual units. The linear relationship between in-coming quality and out-going quality is assumed and four possible states of the process are defined with respective distributions of in-coming and out-going qualities derived. The EWMA control chart with measurement error is then constructed to monitor small-scale shift in mean for the previous process while the cause-selecting control chart, or EWMA control chart based on residuals, including measurement error, is proposed to diagnose the state of current process. Based on sensitivity analysis, the presence of imprecise measurement diminishes the power of both the EWMA and the proposed control charts and affects the detectability of process disturbances. Further, applications of proposed control charts are demonstrated through a numerical example to show some possible misuses of control charts. If the process mean shifts in a small scale when a single assignable cause occurs on each step, the proposed cause-selecting control chart is more sensitive than other control charts. The Hotelling T^2 control chart is also compared to illustrate the diagnostic advantage outweighed by proposed cause-selecting control chart.

Um Jogo Markoviano Alternado (Alternating Markov Game - AMG) é uma extensão de um Processo de Decisão Markoviano (Markov Decision Process - MDP) para ambientes multiagentes. O modelo AMG é utilizado na tomada de decisão sequencial de n agentes quando são conhecidas as probabilidades de transição das ações a serem tomadas por cada agente. Nesse trabalho estamos interessados em AMGs com probabilidades de transição de estados imprecisas, por exemplo, quando elas são dadas na forma de intervalos de probabilidades. Apresentamos um novo modelo de AMG, que chamamos de Jogo Markoviano Alternado com Probabilidades Imprecisas (Alternate Markov Game with Imprecise Probabilities - AMGIP) que permite que as imprecisões nas probabilidades de transições de estados sejam dadas na forma de parâmetros sujeitos a restrições lineares que estende trabalhos anteriores em que a imprecisão é dada por intervalos de probabilidades (AMG-INTERVAL). Dizemos que a imprecisão representa escolhas da Natureza. A imprecisão desses modelos implica no valor do jogo ser dado por uma função intervalar. Existem diversas formas de calcular a solução do jogo, que depende do comportamento da Natureza e dos critérios de preferência dos jogadores diante das escolhas da Natureza. Assim, neste trabalho discutimos diversas soluções para o AMG-IP e AMG-INTERVAL. Também como resultado do estudo das relações existentes entre os MDPs e os AMGs, propomos um novo modelo chamado de AMG-ST (Alternating Markov Game with Set-valued Transition), capaz de modelar a incerteza do modelo MDP-ST (Markovian Decision Process with Set-valued Transition) como um jogo entre o agente e a Natureza, isto é, um jogo em que a Natureza faz o papel de um dos jogadores. / An Alternating Markov Game (AMG) is an extension of a Markov Decision Process (MDP) for multiagent environments. This model is used on sequencial decision making for n agents when we know the state transition probabilities of actions being taken by each agent. In this work we are interested in AMGs with imprecise probabilities on state transition function, for example, when they are given by probabilities intervals. We present a new AMG model, which we call Alternating Markov Game with Imprecise Probabilities (AMG-IP) that allows imprecision on state transition probabilities given by parameters subject to linear constraints that extend previous works which the imprecision is given by probabilities intervals (AMG-INTERVAL). We say that the imprecision represents the Nature choices. The imprecision of these models implies the game value is given by interval function. There are several ways to calculate the solution of the game, that depend on the behavior of the Nature and the preference criteria of the players on the choices of Nature. Therefore, in this work we discuss various solutions to AMG-IP and AMG-INTERVAL. Also from our study on the relationship among the MDPs and AMGs, we propose a new model called Alternating Markov Game with Set-valued Transition (AMG-ST), that can be used to model the uncertainty of an MDP-ST (Markovian Decision Process with Set-valued Transition) as a result of the match between the agent and the Nature, i.e., a game where the Nature is seen as one of the players.

In new economics such as high-tech, knowledge-driven industries, the competitive game changes frequently and dramatically. Two maxims are widely accepted in these markets: 1. it pays to hit the market first. 2. it pays to have superb technology. These industries face a high change and high speed competitive business environment. Information systems of these firms often have to be modified or created based on imprecise requirements or even conceptual ideals. According to past research literature, precise requirement is one of the key success factors for software development outsourcing. Imprecise requirements indicate uncertain project scope and tend to risk. This research of imprecise requirement software development outsourcing base on Adaptive Software Development and Incomplete Contract theory. A case study is used to analyze below imprecise requirement software outsoucing issues issues in a semiconductor foundry MES project: 1. How to deliver a usable system to achieve project goals from imprecise requirements? 2. How to manage frequent change ascribed to imprecise requirements? 3. How to manage project escalation and cost issue ascribed to imprecise requirement?

The problem of finding the convex hull of a set of points in the plane is one of the fundamental and well-studied problems in Computational Geometry. However, for a set of imprecise points, the convex hull problem has not been thoroughly investigated. By imprecise points, we refer to a region in the plane inside which one point may lie. We are particularly interested in finding a minimum perimeter convex hull of a set of imprecise points, where the imprecise points are modelled as line segments. Currently, the best known algorithm that solves the minimum perimeter convex hull problem has an exponential running time in the worst case. It is still unknown whether this problem is NP-hard. We explore several approximation algorithms for this problem. Finally we propose a constant factor approximation algorithm that runs in O(nlogn) time. / Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2008-11-28 14:47:15.169

Um Jogo Markoviano Alternado (Alternating Markov Game - AMG) é uma extensão de um Processo de Decisão Markoviano (Markov Decision Process - MDP) para ambientes multiagentes. O modelo AMG é utilizado na tomada de decisão sequencial de n agentes quando são conhecidas as probabilidades de transição das ações a serem tomadas por cada agente. Nesse trabalho estamos interessados em AMGs com probabilidades de transição de estados imprecisas, por exemplo, quando elas são dadas na forma de intervalos de probabilidades. Apresentamos um novo modelo de AMG, que chamamos de Jogo Markoviano Alternado com Probabilidades Imprecisas (Alternate Markov Game with Imprecise Probabilities - AMGIP) que permite que as imprecisões nas probabilidades de transições de estados sejam dadas na forma de parâmetros sujeitos a restrições lineares que estende trabalhos anteriores em que a imprecisão é dada por intervalos de probabilidades (AMG-INTERVAL). Dizemos que a imprecisão representa escolhas da Natureza. A imprecisão desses modelos implica no valor do jogo ser dado por uma função intervalar. Existem diversas formas de calcular a solução do jogo, que depende do comportamento da Natureza e dos critérios de preferência dos jogadores diante das escolhas da Natureza. Assim, neste trabalho discutimos diversas soluções para o AMG-IP e AMG-INTERVAL. Também como resultado do estudo das relações existentes entre os MDPs e os AMGs, propomos um novo modelo chamado de AMG-ST (Alternating Markov Game with Set-valued Transition), capaz de modelar a incerteza do modelo MDP-ST (Markovian Decision Process with Set-valued Transition) como um jogo entre o agente e a Natureza, isto é, um jogo em que a Natureza faz o papel de um dos jogadores. / An Alternating Markov Game (AMG) is an extension of a Markov Decision Process (MDP) for multiagent environments. This model is used on sequencial decision making for n agents when we know the state transition probabilities of actions being taken by each agent. In this work we are interested in AMGs with imprecise probabilities on state transition function, for example, when they are given by probabilities intervals. We present a new AMG model, which we call Alternating Markov Game with Imprecise Probabilities (AMG-IP) that allows imprecision on state transition probabilities given by parameters subject to linear constraints that extend previous works which the imprecision is given by probabilities intervals (AMG-INTERVAL). We say that the imprecision represents the Nature choices. The imprecision of these models implies the game value is given by interval function. There are several ways to calculate the solution of the game, that depend on the behavior of the Nature and the preference criteria of the players on the choices of Nature. Therefore, in this work we discuss various solutions to AMG-IP and AMG-INTERVAL. Also from our study on the relationship among the MDPs and AMGs, we propose a new model called Alternating Markov Game with Set-valued Transition (AMG-ST), that can be used to model the uncertainty of an MDP-ST (Markovian Decision Process with Set-valued Transition) as a result of the match between the agent and the Nature, i.e., a game where the Nature is seen as one of the players.

The purpose of this dissertation is to develop and demonstrate methods appropriate for the quantification and propagation of uncertainty in large, high-consequence engineering projects. The term "rigorous uncertainty quantification" refers to methods equal to the proposed task. The motivating practical example is uncertainty in a Mars atmosphere model due to the incompletely characterized presence of dust. The contributions made in this dissertation, though primarily mathematical and philosophical, are driven by the immediate needs of engineers applying uncertainty quantification in the field. Arguments are provided to explain how the practical needs of engineering projects like Mars lander missions motivate the use of the objective probability bounds approach, as opposed to the subjectivist theories which dominate uncertainty quantification in many research communities. An expanded formalism for Dempster-Shafer structures is introduced, allowing for the representation of continuous random variables and fuzzy variables as Dempster-Shafer structures. Then, the correctness and incorrectness of probability bounds analysis and the Cartesian product propagation method for Dempster-Shafer structures under certain dependency conditions are proven. It is also conclusively demonstrated that there exist some probability bounds problems in which the best-possible bounds on probability can not be represented using Dempster-Shafer structures. Nevertheless, Dempster-Shafer theory is shown to provide a useful mathematical framework for a wide range of probability bounds problems. The dissertation concludes with the application of these new methods to the problem of propagating uncertainty from the dust parameters in a Mars atmosphere model to uncertainty in that model's prediction of atmospheric density. A thirty-day simulation of the weather at Holden Crater on Mars is conducted using a meso-scale atmosphere model, MRAMS. Although this analysis only addresses one component of Mars atmosphere uncertainty, it demonstrates the applicability of probability bounds methods in practical engineering work. More importantly, the Mars atmosphere uncertainty analysis provides a framework in which to conclusively establish the practical importance of epistemology in rigorous uncertainty quantification. / Ph. D.

<p>With the advance in computer and network technologies, multimedia systems and Internet applications are becoming more popular. As broadband network is prevailing, more clients are able to watch streaming videos or to play multimedia data over the Internet in real-time. Consequently, there is an increasing demand in the Internet for streaming video systems. As the run-time environment of such applications tends to be dynamic, it is imperative to handle transient overloads effectively. The goal of this work is to develop an algorithm that would provide a robust and controlled behavior of the video system so that important data is delivered on time to the video clients. In order to address this problem, we propose a QoS-sensitive approach that is using the technique of imprecise computation and is based on the principle of tuning. Our algorithm is aimed to provide the best possible QoS to the clients in the current available network capacity. As an environment to work with we have used a video system called QMPEGv2. A set of experiments were carried out to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. Through experiments, we show that the system can adapt to dynamic changes in network conditions and provide almost always the best possible QoS to its clients. Guaranteeing a certain minimal QoS level to all clients is only possible when, in run time, an admission controller adjusts the number of clients admitted tothe system according to the capacity of the network and video servers.</p>