Recent economic events have amplified the importance of considering the appropriateness of different modelling traditions as the basis of policy advice. In the context of innovation policy, the appropriateness of agent-based modelling is explored relative to alternative modelling approaches. Validation, which is the process of evaluating the empirical adequacy of models, is raised as an important but complex factor in evaluating policy models. Analysis of validation generally supports claims that descriptive models are subject to the strongest validity tests. However, the validity-centric approach is criticized as creating models of insufficient scope to be useful for policy. Mid level policy modelling is suggested as an underexploited niche which allows sufficient scope to be useful in policy contexts while still maintaining links to empirical methods. This analysis confronts the idea that an increased focus on the validation of models is all that is required to better support policy decisions.

There exist intelligent agents to aid online sellers to dynamically calculate a competitive price for their products in online markets. However, these intelligent agents usually make a number of assumptions for dynamic pricing. Some intelligent agents assume that sellers consist of prior knowledge about the online market parameters. In other words, the agents assume that the sellers are well aware of other competitors’ pricing strategies, consumers purchase preferences, consumers’ reservation price, profit made by other competing sellers etc. In addition, other agents assume that price is the only attribute that determines consumers’ purchase decision. On the contrary, in real life sellers have limited or no prior knowledge about the market parameters. In addition, nowadays along with price other attributes such as after sale service, product quality etc. contribute in determining consumers’ purchase decision. In this thesis, we propose an approach where sellers have limited knowledge on market parameters. We also assume that buyers’ purchase decisions are based on multiple attributes. We are using a feed-forward neural network approach for calculating a competitive price dynamically to increase the sellers’ revenue. Product price, product quality, delivery time, after sales service and seller’s reputation are taken into consideration while determining the competitive price of the product by our model. In our experimental evaluation we showed that once the sellers, by considering the five attributes, set an initial price of the product, our model adjusts the price of the product automatically with the help of neural network in order to raise the revenue. In setting the initial price of a product, we assume that sellers use their prior knowledge about the prices of the product offered by other competing sellers. Any other prior knowledge like buyer demand or competitor’s price setting behaviors is not used in our evaluation. The experimental results portray the effect of considering the five attributes in earning revenue by the sellers. Before concluding with directions for future works, we discuss the value of our approach in contrast with related work.

Nationwide, federal law enforcement agencies seek candidates with specialized skill sets and more advanced educational knowledge for employment. In view of this, it is proven, after much open source research into federal agencies’ qualification requirements, that those who possess a background in select areas, specifically computer science, have a better opportunity for employment with federal law enforcement agencies, particularly in the computing sector； although, in many cases, work experience can be substituted for a college degree [7]. For this reason, many women are not involved in, nor apply for, computing professions within federal law enforcement agencies. A significant step in encouraging women to pursue computing careers is to examine the reasons women, currently employed in federal law enforcement, have chosen a computer-related career path. Research that provides an analysis of the motivations that exist for women in becoming interested in computing professions, within federal law enforcement agencies, will help address the issue of equal representation for the underrepresented population of women in computing fields.

Social situational awareness, or the attentiveness to ones social surroundings, including the people, their interactions and their behaviors is a complex sensory-cognitive-motor task that requires one to be engaged thoroughly in understanding their social interactions. These interactions are formed out of the elements of human interpersonal communication including both verbal and non-verbal cues. While the verbal cues are instructive and delivered through speech, the non-verbal cues are mostly interpretive and requires the full attention of the participants to understand, comprehend and respond to them appropriately. Unfortunately certain situations are not conducive for a person to have complete access to their social surroundings, especially the non-verbal cues. For example, a person is who is blind or visually impaired may find that the non-verbal cues like smiling, head nod, eye contact, body gestures and facial expressions of their interaction partners are not accessible due to their sensory deprivation. The same could be said of people who are remotely engaged in a conversation and physically separated to have a visual access to ones body and facial mannerisms. This dissertation describes novel multimedia technologies to aid situations where it is necessary to mediate social situational information between interacting participants. As an example of the proposed system, an evidence-based model for understanding the accessibility problem faced by people who are blind or visually impaired is described in detail. From the derived model, a sleuth of sensing and delivery technologies that use state-of-theart computer vision algorithms in combination with novel haptic interfaces are developed towards a) A Dyadic Interaction Assistant, capable of helping individuals who are blind to access important head and face based non-verbal communicative cues during one-on-one dyadic interactions, and b) A Group Interaction Assistant, capable of provide situational awareness about the interaction partners and their dynamics to a user who is blind, while also providing important social feedback about their own body mannerisms. The goal is to increase the effective social situational information that one has access to, with the conjuncture that a good awareness of ones social surroundings gives them the ability to understand and empathize with their interaction partners better. Extending the work from an important social interaction assistive technology, the need for enriched social situational awareness is everyday professional situations are also discussed, including, a) enriched remote interactions between physically separated interaction partners, and b) enriched communication between medical professionals during critical care procedures, towards enhanced patient safety. In the concluding remarks, this dissertation engages the readers into a science and technology policy discussion on the potential effect of a new technology like the social interaction assistant on the society. Discussing along the policy lines, social disability is highlighted as an important area that requires special attention from researchers and policy makers. Given that the proposed technology relies on wearable inconspicuous cameras, the discussion of privacy policies is extended to encompass newly evolving interpersonal interaction recorders, like the one presented in this dissertation.

The software testing process can be unpredictable due to deficiencies in the measurement process, resulting in poor quality of software releases. In this research study, software test effectiveness was assessed by measuring the relationship between code coverage and the number of prerelease and postrelease product defects. This study employed a quantitative, single-case study method to observe software testing activities performed on 86 software modules at a company located in the State of Hawaii. In this study, the NCover code coverage tool was used to measure the relationship between code coverage and the number of prerelease and post release defect by assessing actual lines of code written for a software module. The total prerelease and postrelease product defects were counted. Nonparametric statistical tests called Spearman rank correlation coefficients and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to analyze the data. Results showed a) a significant positive association exists rho84) ＝ .38, p &lt； .001) between code coverage and the number of prerelease defects, b) a significant negative association exists rho84) ＝ – .51, p &lt； .001) between code coverage and the number of postrelease defects, and c) a significant difference exists z ＝ -7.88, p &lt； .001) between the number of prerelease and postrelease defects. The associations found in this quantitative study between code coverage and the number of defects, together with the difference in number of defects between prerelease-postrelease defects matched-pairs, are important software test-quality indicators capable for use in describing the state of software test effectiveness as well as the quality of the product release. Furthermore, the critical point of 85% code coverage for sufficient software testing was found to be a representative number that could be used by other companies who were testing a software product of similar size and scope. Recommendations for future research include assessing other types of software modules using the same coverage testing theory methodology as a baseline for measurement techniques, as well as a quality indicator of software releases.

Internet service providers ISPs) depend on one another to provide global network services. Within the current Internet, autonomous ISPs implement bilateral settlements, with each ISP establishing contracts that suit its own local objective to maximize its profit. However, the profit-seeking nature of the ISPs leads to selfish behaviors that result in inefficiencies and disputes in the network. From a macroscopic view, this concern is at the heart of the network neutrality debate, which argues whether content-based service differentiation should be allowed on the Internet. It asks for an appropriate compensation structure to resolve ISP disputes as well as to provide an efficient and well-connected network. From a microscopic view, this concern manifests in ISP selfish routing strategies and discriminatory interconnections, which limit the stability of routes, discourage potentially useful connectivity and deteriorate performance and profit of the network. In this dissertation, we study the use of Shapley value, which is originated from coalition game theory, as a profit-sharing mechanism to make ISP settlements. From a macroscopic view, we model a detailed and realistic network with three classes of ISPs: content, transit, and eyeball, as well as two types of user demand: elastic and inelastic. We derive closed-form Shapley values for structured ISP topologies and develop a dynamic programming procedure to compute the Shapley values under more diverse Internet topologies. From a microscopic view, we model a generic network with three layers of ISP decisions: interconnecting, routing and financial settlement. We re-design the current bilateral financial settlements by a clean-slate multi-lateral profit-sharing mechanism based on the Shapley value. We show that if the Shapley profit-distribution is enforced at a global level, then ISPs selfish interconnecting and routing strategies will converge to a Nash equilibrium, at which these individual strategies maximize the aggregate network profit and encourage ISP connectivity so as to limit Internet balkanization. From a practical point of view, we explore our results implication on the appropriate bilateral settlements between ISPs and the pricing structures for differentiated services. We conclude that our Shapley framework provides an ideal guideline and/or benchmark for solving disputes between ISPs and for building regulatory protocols for the Internet industry.

The purpose of this study is to determine the potential effects of an Internet2 implementation at the FDA. Because Internet2 does not currently exist in the FDA, research will be made to compare the tools used today to transmit data to what may develop with an Internet2 presence. These effects will be assessed from the point-of-view of the scientists who could utilize this tool. The impact of Internet2 on the FDA’s organizational structure will also be considered. A qualitative approach will be used to generate new knowledge in the area. It currently takes too long to transmit scientific data between centers, to other government agencies and to the industry. All participants interviewed were aware of Internet2 but there was a variety of knowledge on its capabilities. Internet2 is a consortium being led by 207 universities working in partnership with industry and government to develop and deploy advanced network applications and technologies (Internet2, 2004). The researcher concludes that Internet2 can increase the efficiencies at the work environment at the FDA. Faster data transmission would lead to faster decisions especially during a foodborne emergency that affects the health of the American consumer. The use of bioinformatics, genomic manipulation, PulseNet, grid computing, computer (Monte Carlo) simulation, FERN collaboration with other laboratories, risk assessment and increased collaboration with other laboratories, are potential advantages of an Internet2 implementation at the FDA.

My dissertation explores the effects of the emerging disciplines of information theory and computer technology on the discourse about architectural form creation and generation in postwar Germany. My work will not only closely trace the course of architectural discourse, but will also investigate neighboring technical, philosophical, and artistic discourses. This wide-ranging investigation is necessary because an essential feature of the historical phase under investigation—the period between 1948 and 1968—is the establishment of information theory and digital technology as a powerful force across almost all disciplinary boundaries. Not only did this new approach create a common frame of reference for the most heterogeneous fields, but it also stimulated knowledge transfer between widely varied disciplines. The development of architecture and its positioning in the discursive network in postwar Germany can, therefore, only be understood against the background of this interdisciplinary transfer of terminology and concepts, and the technology that made this transfer possible and established the conditions under which it would occur. More specifically, this work focuses on the origin of information aesthetics, new aesthetics based on Claude Shannons information theory. In parallel, at the beginning of the 1960s with the arrival of the computer, which then was only accessible to a few mathematicians and programmers, a theorizing of the digital medium started, perhaps precisely due to the mediums inaccessibility. This coincided with new creative impulses in art and architecture and led to new design processes. My work reconstructs the more informal discourse network of Max Bense, who is considered the founder of information aesthetics, and investigates the institutionalization of information aesthetics when it became part of the curriculum at Stuttgart University, and at the newly founded Hochschule fur Gestaltung HfG) in Ulm, Germany, where information aesthetics was introduced against the background of the still vital Bauhaus tradition in Germany. Through the 1950s, Bense further developed his aesthetics at the HfG Ulm in close feedback with the schools aesthetic production. It was at the HfG Ulm that a new pedagogy, informed by information theory and computation, came into being. My work investigates how the actors at the HfG, like Max Bill, Thomas Maldonado, Horst Rittel, and Gui Bonsiepe, positioned themselves when computation started to influence the thinking on design and architecture. Also elsewhere, in Berlin, where Benses former student, Helmar Frank, became the head of the department for information sciences later cybernetics) at the Padagogische Hochschule Berlin, Benses information aesthetics became the springboard for multiple interdisciplinary inquiries like the work of the architect Manfred Kiemle, who analyzed the information content of buildings. Only by the early to mid-1960s, did computers became the laboratory for information aesthetics. Algorithms took on the role of analyzing and synthesizing aesthetic phenomena. The first computer graphics and computer architectures emerged in Benses circles. It was only then that computers and computation actually transformed the practice of designing, by focusing on architects and artists like Georg Nees, Frieder Nake who, inspired by Benses information aesthetics, pioneered the field of computer graphics. Based on the resources of the firms Siemens and MERO, Georg Nees and the architect Ludwig Rase, along with architects who followed their lead, experimented with the new possibilities of the digital medium, resulting in one of Germanys first computer-generated buildings: The Siemens Pavilion at the Industrial Fair in Hannover in 1970. My work presents the close entanglement of politics, pedagogies, industries, technologies, and the arts, as they all have informed but also were informed through a new medium: the digital computer.

This dissertation investigates the relationship between storytelling and information in the narration of geographic space. While storytelling has historically shaped our understanding of geography, modern practices in data collection, cartography, and geographic visualization enable one-way forms of representation that remove the negotiation and exchange characteristic of storytelling. Information systems and geographic technologies often seek to present information about the world around us； this research focuses instead on how technologies might be used to aid the process of storytelling. This research is enabled through the development and deployment of Datascape, a vehicle-based geographic storytelling platform. Datascape was developed as the basis for several participant engagements through which diverse groups narrated local areas of interest. By presenting these groups with an open-ended software platform, taking them into local geographies inside the mobile laboratory, and holding collaborative sessions on how to best communicate their stories and engage their audience, I uncovered various practices, tendencies and desired qualities for narrating geographic space. The grounded theory analysis of these engagements not only concerns aspects about this platform and its interaction design, but more importantly reveals the types of practices that such a system should be designed to support. This research and dissertation are organized around four trajectories I put forth as guidelines for moving the development and use of geographic information technologies from informative to storied accounts of space, landscape, culture and community. I suggest that we move from representational to performative accounts of space； from panoptic to local； from augmented reality to alternate realities； and from participation to engagement. These four trajectories structure the theoretical framework, the project design, and the participant observations and analysis.

This thesis formulates a new multiobjective optimization problem (MOP), the Probabilistic Traveling Salesperson Problem with Profits (pTSPP), which contains inherent noise in its objective functions. As a variant of TSP, many real-world noisy MOPs can be reduced to pTSPP. In order to solve pTSPP, this thesis proposes an evolutionary multiobjective optimization algorithm (EMOA) that leverages a novel noise-aware dominance operator, called the alpha-dominance operator. The operator takes objective value samples of given two individuals (or solution candidates), estimates the impacts of noise on the samples and determines whether it is statistically confident enough to judge which individual is superior/inferior to the other. Unlike existing noise-aware dominance operator, the alpha-dominance operator assumes no noise distributions a priori； it is well applicable to various real-world noisy MOPs, including pTSPP, whose objective functions follow unknown noise distributions. Experimental results demonstrate that the alpha-dominance operator allows the proposed EMOA to eectively obtain quality solutions to pTSPP and it outperforms existing noise-aware dominance operators.