Rationale for Decision-Making Processes in Enhancement of Community Participation for Sustainable Mangrove Management in Lamu, Kenya

Decision-making is the process of deciding between two or more options in order to take the most appropriate and successful course of action in order to achieve sustainable mangrove management. However, the distinctiveness of mangrove as an ecosystem, and thus the attendant socio-economic and governance ramifications, causes the idea of decision making to become relatively distinct from other decision making process As a result, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact that community engagement plays in the decision-making process as it relates to the establishment of governance norms for sustainable mangrove management in Lamu County. In this study, a correlational research design was applied, and the researchers employed a mixed techniques approach. The target population was 296 respondents. The research used questionnaires and interviews to collect data. A descriptive statistical technique was utilized to perform an inspection and analysis on the data that was gathered. The findings indicated that having awareness about governance standards is beneficial during the process of making decisions. In addition, the findings demonstrated that respondents had the impression that the decision-making process was not done properly. On the other hand, the participants pointed out the positive aspects of the decision-making process and agreed that the participation of both gender was essential for the sustainable management of mangroves. Based on these data, it appeared that full community engagement in decision-making is necessary for sustainable management of mangrove forests.

A Comparative Analysis of Visualization Methods in Architecture:Employing Virtual Reality to Support the Decision-Making Process in the Architecture,Engineering,and Construction Industry

The design process of the built environment relies on the collaborative effort of all parties involved in the project.During the design phase,owners,end users,and their representatives are expected to make the most critical design and budgetary decisions-shaping the essential traits of the project,hence emerge the need and necessity to create and integrate mechanisms to support the decision-making process.Design decisions should not be based on assumptions,past experiences,or imagination.An example of the numerous problems that are a result of uninformed design decisions is“change orders”,known as the deviation from the original scope of work,which leads to an increase of the overall cost,and changes to the construction schedule of the project.The long-term aim of this inquiry is to understand the user’s behavior,and establish evidence-based control measures,which are actions and processes that can be implemented in practice to decrease the volume and frequency of the occurrence of change orders.The current study developed a foundation for further examination by proposing potential control measures,and testing their efficiency,such as integrating Virtual Reality(VR).The specific aim was to examine the effect of different visualization methods(i.e.,VR vs.construction drawings)on,(1)how well the subjects understand the information presented about the future/planned environment;(2)the subjects’perceived confidence in what the future environment will look like;(3)the likelihood of changing the built environment;(4)design review time;and(5)accuracy in reviewing and understanding the design.

Variance minimization for continuous-time Markov decision processes: two approaches

This paper studies the limit average variance criterion for continuous-time Markov decision processes in Polish spaces. Based on two approaches, this paper proves not only the existence of solutions to the variance minimization optimality equation and the existence of a variance minimal policy that is canonical, but also the existence of solutions to the two variance minimization optimality inequalities and the existence of a variance minimal policy which may not be canonical. An example is given to illustrate all of our conditions.

Robust analysis of discounted Markov decision processes with uncertain transition probabilities

Optimal policies in Markov decision problems may be quite sensitive with regard to transition probabilities.In practice,some transition probabilities may be uncertain.The goals of the present study are to find the robust range for a certain optimal policy and to obtain value intervals of exact transition probabilities.Our research yields powerful contributions for Markov decision processes(MDPs)with uncertain transition probabilities.We first propose a method for estimating unknown transition probabilities based on maximum likelihood.Since the estimation may be far from accurate,and the highest expected total reward of the MDP may be sensitive to these transition probabilities,we analyze the robustness of an optimal policy and propose an approach for robust analysis.After giving the definition of a robust optimal policy with uncertain transition probabilities represented as sets of numbers,we formulate a model to obtain the optimal policy.Finally,we define the value intervals of the exact transition probabilities and construct models to determine the lower and upper bounds.Numerical examples are given to show the practicability of our methods.

Seeking for Passenger under Dynamic Prices: A Markov Decision Process Approach

In recent years, ride-on-demand (RoD) services such as Uber and Didi are becoming increasingly popular. Different from traditional taxi services, RoD services adopt dynamic pricing mechanisms to manipulate the supply and demand on the road, and such mechanisms improve service capacity and quality. Seeking route recommendation has been widely studied in taxi service. In RoD services, the dynamic price is a new and accurate indicator that represents the supply and demand condition, but it is yet rarely studied in providing clues for drivers to seek for passengers. In this paper, we proposed to incorporate the impacts of dynamic prices as a key factor in recommending seeking routes to drivers. We first showed the importance and need to do that by analyzing real service data. We then designed a Markov Decision Process (MDP) model based on passenger order and car GPS trajectories datasets, and took into account dynamic prices in designing rewards. Results show that our model not only guides drivers to locations with higher prices, but also significantly improves driver revenue. Compared with things with the drivers before using the model, the maximum yield after using it can be increased to 28%.

Recorded recurrent deep reinforcement learning guidance laws for intercepting endoatmospheric maneuvering missiles

This work proposes a recorded recurrent twin delayed deep deterministic(RRTD3)policy gradient algorithm to solve the challenge of constructing guidance laws for intercepting endoatmospheric maneuvering missiles with uncertainties and observation noise.The attack-defense engagement scenario is modeled as a partially observable Markov decision process(POMDP).Given the benefits of recurrent neural networks(RNNs)in processing sequence information,an RNN layer is incorporated into the agent’s policy network to alleviate the bottleneck of traditional deep reinforcement learning methods while dealing with POMDPs.The measurements from the interceptor’s seeker during each guidance cycle are combined into one sequence as the input to the policy network since the detection frequency of an interceptor is usually higher than its guidance frequency.During training,the hidden states of the RNN layer in the policy network are recorded to overcome the partially observable problem that this RNN layer causes inside the agent.The training curves show that the proposed RRTD3 successfully enhances data efficiency,training speed,and training stability.The test results confirm the advantages of the RRTD3-based guidance laws over some conventional guidance laws.

A dynamical neural network approach for distributionally robust chance-constrained Markov decision process

In this paper,we study the distributionally robust joint chance-constrained Markov decision process.Utilizing the logarithmic transformation technique,we derive its deterministic reformulation with bi-convex terms under the moment-based uncertainty set.To cope with the non-convexity and improve the robustness of the solution,we propose a dynamical neural network approach to solve the reformulated optimization problem.Numerical results on a machine replacement problem demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed dynamical neural network approach when compared with the sequential convex approximation approach.

Distributed Resource Allocation in Dispersed Computing Environment Based on UAV Track Inspection in Urban Rail Transit

With the rapid development of urban rail transit,the existing track detection has some problems such as low efficiency and insufficient detection coverage,so an intelligent and automatic track detectionmethod based onUAV is urgently needed to avoid major safety accidents.At the same time,the geographical distribution of IoT devices results in the inefficient use of the significant computing potential held by a large number of devices.As a result,the Dispersed Computing(DCOMP)architecture enables collaborative computing between devices in the Internet of Everything(IoE),promotes low-latency and efficient cross-wide applications,and meets users’growing needs for computing performance and service quality.This paper focuses on examining the resource allocation challenge within a dispersed computing environment that utilizes UAV inspection tracks.Furthermore,the system takes into account both resource constraints and computational constraints and transforms the optimization problem into an energy minimization problem with computational constraints.The Markov Decision Process(MDP)model is employed to capture the connection between the dispersed computing resource allocation strategy and the system environment.Subsequently,a method based on Double Deep Q-Network(DDQN)is introduced to derive the optimal policy.Simultaneously,an experience replay mechanism is implemented to tackle the issue of increasing dimensionality.The experimental simulations validate the efficacy of the method across various scenarios.

Heterogeneous Network Selection Optimization Algorithm Based on a Markov Decision Model

A network selection optimization algorithm based on the Markov decision process(MDP)is proposed so that mobile terminals can always connect to the best wireless network in a heterogeneous network environment.Considering the different types of service requirements,the MDP model and its reward function are constructed based on the quality of service(QoS)attribute parameters of the mobile users,and the network attribute weights are calculated by using the analytic hierarchy process(AHP).The network handoff decision condition is designed according to the different types of user services and the time-varying characteristics of the network,and the MDP model is solved by using the genetic algorithm and simulated annealing(GA-SA),thus,users can seamlessly switch to the network with the best long-term expected reward value.Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has good convergence performance,and can guarantee that users with different service types will obtain satisfactory expected total reward values and have low numbers of network handoffs.

A Model-Based, Aspiration-Led Decision Support System NY-IEDSS

An AI-aided simulation system embedded in a model-based, aspiration-led decision support system NY-IEDSS is reported. The NY-IEDSS is designed for mid-term development strategic study of the Nanyang Region in Henan, China, and is getting beyond its prototype stage under the decision maker's (the end user) orientation. The integration of simulation model system, decision analysis and expert system for decision support in the system implementation was reviewed. The intent of the paper is to provide insight as to how system capability and acceptability can be enhanced by this integration. Moreover, emphasis is placed on problem orientation in applying the method.

调节模式与决策角色对延迟选择的影响及机制:过程追踪的视角

从过程追踪视角出发,运用信息板技术通过3个实验探讨调节模式对延迟选择的影响及信息加工方式(加工时间、加工深度、加工模式)与决策角色在其中的中介和调节作用。结果发现:(1)调节模式影响个体的延迟选择,评估比运动模式者更倾向于延迟选择;(2)加工时间在调节模式与延迟选择间起中介作用;(3)决策角色分别调节了调节模式与加工时间、延迟选择的关系,即为自我决策时,评估模式比运动模式者的加工时间更长、更倾向于延迟选择,而为他人决策时二者的偏好无显著差异;(4)决策角色调节了加工时间在调节模式与延迟选择中的中介作用,表现为有调节的中介,即为自我决策时,评估模式比运动模式者的加工时间更长致使其更倾向延迟选择,而为他人决策时加工时间的中介作用不显著。研究结果对进一步理解不同调节模式个体的延迟选择偏好及机制及如何根据不同调节模式消费者的差异制定有效的营销策略均有一定启示。

Opportunistic admission and resource allocation for slicing enhanced IoT networks

Network slicing is envisioned as one of the key techniques to meet the extremely diversified service requirements of the Internet of Things(IoT)as it provides an enhanced user experience and elastic resource configuration.In the context of slicing enhanced IoT networks,both the Service Provider(SP)and Infrastructure Provider(InP)face challenges of ensuring efficient slice construction and high profit in dynamic environments.These challenges arise from randomly generated and departed slice requests from end-users,uncertain resource availability,and multidimensional resource allocation.Admission and resource allocation for distinct demands of slice requests are the key issues in addressing these challenges and should be handled effectively in dynamic environments.To this end,we propose an Opportunistic Admission and Resource allocation(OAR)policy to deal with the issues of random slicing requests,uncertain resource availability,and heterogeneous multi-resources.The key idea of OAR is to allow the SP to decide whether to accept slice requests immediately or defer them according to the load and price of resources.To cope with the random slice requests and uncertain resource availability,we formulated this issue as a Markov Decision Process(MDP)to obtain the optimal admission policy,with the aim of maximizing the system reward.Furthermore,the buyer-seller game theory approach was adopted to realize the optimal resource allocation,while motivating each SP and InP to maximize their rewards.Our numerical results show that the proposed OAR policy can make reasonable decisions effectively and steadily,and outperforms the baseline schemes in terms of the system reward.

SBFT:A BFT Consensus Mechanism Based on DQN Algorithm for Industrial Internet of Thing

With the development and widespread use of blockchain in recent years,many projects have introduced blockchain technology to solve the growing security issues of the Industrial Internet of Things(IIoT).However,due to the conflict between the operational performance and security of the blockchain system and the compatibility issues with a large number of IIoT devices running together,the mainstream blockchain system cannot be applied to IIoT scenarios.In order to solve these problems,this paper proposes SBFT(Speculative Byzantine Consensus Protocol),a flexible and scalable blockchain consensus mechanism for the Industrial Internet of Things.SBFT has a consensus process based on speculation,improving the throughput and consensus speed of blockchain systems and reducing communication overhead.In order to improve the compatibility and scalability of the blockchain system,we select some nodes to participate in the consensus,and these nodes have better performance in the network.Since multiple properties determine node performance,we abstract the node selection problem as a joint optimization problem and use Dueling Deep Q Learning(DQL)to solve it.Finally,we evaluate the performance of the scheme through simulation,and the simulation results prove the superiority of our scheme.

Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning for Cross-Layer Scheduling in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks

Due to the fading characteristics of wireless channels and the burstiness of data traffic,how to deal with congestion in Ad-hoc networks with effective algorithms is still open and challenging.In this paper,we focus on enabling congestion control to minimize network transmission delays through flexible power control.To effectively solve the congestion problem,we propose a distributed cross-layer scheduling algorithm,which is empowered by graph-based multi-agent deep reinforcement learning.The transmit power is adaptively adjusted in real-time by our algorithm based only on local information(i.e.,channel state information and queue length)and local communication(i.e.,information exchanged with neighbors).Moreover,the training complexity of the algorithm is low due to the regional cooperation based on the graph attention network.In the evaluation,we show that our algorithm can reduce the transmission delay of data flow under severe signal interference and drastically changing channel states,and demonstrate the adaptability and stability in different topologies.The method is general and can be extended to various types of topologies.

Causes,Effects,and Control Measures of Construction Change Orders in the U.S.

Change orders have a significant impact on many aspects of construction projects.They are known to be the primary cause of litigation in the construction industry.Change orders are almost inevitable due to the uniqueness of each project from many perspectives,such as the type of building,complexity of the design,human factors,and the available resources.Change orders are the formal mechanism to implement design changes during the execution phase.These changes are usually the outcome of lack of visualization by the owner,misunderstanding,miscommunication between different parties involved in the project,shortage in resources,and other factors.This research aims to investigate and rank causes,effects,and control measures of change orders in the construction industry in the U.S.This research presents the results of a questionnaire surveying owners,contractors,and consultants.A total of 123 industry professionals in the Architecture,Engineering,and Construction(AEC)field,with either significant or final decision-making authority on reviewing,issuing,and approving change orders responded to the survey.Results indicated that owners are the primary source followed by consultants and contractors,respectively.Some of the more important control measures identified in this research are collaboration and visualization technologies.

A Comparison of PPO, TD3 and SAC Reinforcement Algorithms for Quadruped Walking Gait Generation

Deep reinforcement learning (deep RL) has the potential to replace classic robotic controllers. State-of-the-art Deep Reinforcement algorithms such as Proximal Policy Optimization, Twin Delayed Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient and Soft Actor-Critic Reinforcement Algorithms, to mention a few, have been investigated for training robots to walk. However, conflicting performance results of these algorithms have been reported in the literature. In this work, we present the performance analysis of the above three state-of-the-art Deep Reinforcement algorithms for a constant velocity walking task on a quadruped. The performance is analyzed by simulating the walking task of a quadruped equipped with a range of sensors present on a physical quadruped robot. Simulations of the three algorithms across a range of sensor inputs and with domain randomization are performed. The strengths and weaknesses of each algorithm for the given task are discussed. We also identify a set of sensors that contribute to the best performance of each Deep Reinforcement algorithm.

Analysis of a POMDP Model for an Optimal Maintenance Problem with Multiple Imperfect Repairs

I consider a system whose deterioration follows a discrete-time and discrete-state Markov chain with an absorbing state. When the system is put into practice, I may select operation (wait), imperfect repair, or replacement at each discrete-time point. The true state of the system is not known when it is operated. Instead, the system is monitored after operation and some incomplete information concerned with the deterioration is obtained for decision making. Since there are multiple imperfect repairs, I can select one option from them when the imperfect repair is preferable to operation and replacement. To express this situation, I propose a POMDP model and theoretically investigate the structure of an optimal maintenance policy minimizing a total expected discounted cost for an unbounded horizon. Then two stochastic orders are used for the analysis of our problem.

Integrated Systemfor Tube Bending Digital Manufacturing

An integrated CAD/CAPP/CAM system of tube manufacturing based on integration frame is presented. In this system, two kinds of data conventions describing tube shape are presented in tube CAD subsystem, the object-oriented concept and the goal-driven inference mechanism have been applied in the development of the knowledge-based CAPP subsystem and simulation of tube processing under tube bending simulation subsystem is performed based on the tube model＇s piecewise representation. A tube product case is considered to give the application of the integrated system, and the advantages of the system in the use of tube bending are revealed.

行政“前决策过程”中社会影响评价的立法确认

近年来,关于前决策过程的考察和解析日益成为我国政策科学乃至诸社会科学相关研究领域中的重心之一。实践表明,如"撤点并校"的行政决策历经十年所显现出的消极后果同样在不断警示着:前决策阶段走向开放形态和协同流程,并在其中引入和确立社会影响评价的必要性、重要性和紧迫性。前决策阶段进行更加富于民主性和增强科学性的程序阶段和技术方法的运用和设置,切实提高行政决策的可接受性与可实施性,是行政决策法律规范的创设与完善进程中的一个应有着力点和效用关键点。由湖南省行政程序规定以来,政府的前决策过程中进行吸纳和涵盖社会影响评价制度的立法确认,将成为我国行政程序法治化的选项和趋势。而这需要在科学的政府决策观念指导下行政决策程序规范愈加精细化的立法设计。

Reinforcement Learning-Based Joint Task Offloading and Migration Schemes Optimization in Mobility-Aware MEC Network

Intelligent edge computing carries out edge devices of the Internet of things(Io T) for data collection, calculation and intelligent analysis, so as to proceed data analysis nearby and make feedback timely. Because of the mobility of mobile equipments(MEs), if MEs move among the reach of the small cell networks(SCNs), the offloaded tasks cannot be returned to MEs successfully. As a result, migration incurs additional costs. In this paper, joint task offloading and migration schemes in mobility-aware Mobile Edge Computing(MEC) network based on Reinforcement Learning(RL) are proposed to obtain the maximum system revenue. Firstly, the joint optimization problems of maximizing the total revenue of MEs are put forward, in view of the mobility-aware MEs. Secondly, considering time-varying computation tasks and resource conditions, the mixed integer non-linear programming(MINLP) problem is described as a Markov Decision Process(MDP). Then we propose a novel reinforcement learning-based optimization framework to work out the problem, instead traditional methods. Finally, it is shown that the proposed schemes can obviously raise the total revenue of MEs by giving simulation results.