Deposits of clastic carbonate-dominated (calciclastic) sedimentary slope systems in the rock record have been identified mostly as linearly-consistent carbonate apron deposits, even though most ancient clastic carbonate slope deposits fit the submarine fan systems better. Calciclastic submarine fans are consequently rarely described and are poorly understood. Subsequently, very little is known especially in mud-dominated calciclastic submarine fan systems. Presented in this study are a sedimentological core and petrographic characterisation of samples from eleven boreholes from the Lower Carboniferous of Bowland Basin (Northwest England) that reveals a >250 m thick calciturbidite complex deposited in a calciclastic submarine fan setting. Seven facies are recognised from core and thin section characterisation and are grouped into three carbonate turbidite sequences. They include: 1) Calciturbidites, comprising mostly of highto low-density, wavy-laminated bioclast-rich facies; 2) low-density densite mudstones which are characterised by planar laminated and unlaminated muddominated facies; and 3) Calcidebrites which are muddy or hyper-concentrated debrisflow deposits occurring as poorly-sorted, chaotic, mud-supported floatstones. These

Phd by thesis

Multiagent Systems is the title of a collection of papers dedicated to surveying specific themes of Multiagent Systems (MAS) and Distributed Artificial Intelligence (DAI). All of them authored by leading researchers of this dynamic multidisciplinary field.

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Multiagent systems: a modern approach to distributed artificial intelligence

The agent computing paradigm is rapidly emerging as one of the powerful technologies for the development of large-scale distributed systems to deal with the uncertainty in a dynamic environment. The domain of traffic and transportation systems is well suited for an agent-based approach because transportation systems are usually geographically distributed in dynamic changing environments. Our literature survey shows that the techniques and methods resulting from the field of agent and multiagent systems have been applied to many aspects of traffic and transportation systems, including modeling and simulation, dynamic routing and congestion management, and intelligent traffic control. This paper examines an agent-based approach and its applications in different modes of transportation, including roadway, railway, and air transportation. This paper also addresses some critical issues in developing agent-based traffic control and management systems, such as interoperability, flexibility, and extendibility. Finally, several future research directions toward the successful deployment of agent technology in traffic and transportation systems are discussed.

A Review of the Applications of Agent Technology in Traffic and Transportation Systems

This book by Nino Boccara presents a compilation of model systems commonly termed as `complex'. It starts with a definition of the systems under consideration and how to build up a model to describe the complex dynamics. The subsequent chapters are devoted to various categories of mean-field type models (differential and recurrence equations, chaos) and of agent-based models (cellular automata, networks and power-law distributions). Each chapter is supplemented by a number of exercises and their solutions. The table of contents looks a little arbitrary but the author took the most prominent model systems investigated over the years (and up until now there has been no unified theory covering the various aspects of complex dynamics). The model systems are explained by looking at a number of applications in various fields. The book is written as a textbook for interested students as well as serving as a compehensive reference for experts. It is an ideal source for topics to be presented in a lecture on dynamics of complex systems. This is the first book on this `wide' topic and I have long awaited such a book (in fact I planned to write it myself but this is much better than I could ever have written it!). Only section 6 on cellular automata is a little too limited to the author's point of view and one would have expected more about the famous Domany--Kinzel model (and more accurate citation!). In my opinion this is one of the best textbooks published during the last decade and even experts can learn a lot from it. Hopefully there will be an actualization after, say, five years since this field is growing so quickly. The price is too high for students but this, unfortunately, is the normal case today. Nevertheless I think it will be a great success!

Modeling Complex Systems

Modelling interactions in urban drainage, water supply and broader integrated urban water systems has been conceptually and logistically challenging as evidenced in a diverse body of literature, found to be confusing and intimidating to new researchers. This review consolidates thirty years of research (initially driven by interest in urban drainage modelling) and critically reflects upon integrated modelling in the scope of urban water systems. We propose a typology to classify integrated urban water system models at one of four 'degrees of integration' (followed by its exemplification). Key considerations (e.g. data issues, model structure, computational and integration-related aspects), common methodology for model development (through a systems approach), calibration/optimisation and uncertainty are discussed, placing importance on pragmatism and parsimony. Integrated urban water models should focus more on addressing interplay between social/economical and biophysical/technical issues, while its encompassing software should become more user-friendly. Possible future directions include exploring uncertainties and broader participatory modelling.

Review: A critical review of integrated urban water modelling - Urban drainage and beyond

This paper presents a multi agent-oriented prototyping approach. It is a generic approach, applicable to a wide range of multi-agent systems. This approach relies on a few assumptions, the most important is that MAS must be described by an organizational model which semantics is given in term of a formal framework. This model allows for a simple description of both individual and collective multi-agent system aspects. The framework we use to give a formal description of this model is based on a multi-formalism approach. We illustrate this approach through a case study.

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Formal Specification and Prototyping of Multi-agent Systems

The main question addressed in this paper is how requirements on the dynamics of a multi-agent systems and individual agents can be related to the dynamics of high-level concepts given by an organisation model, such as groups, roles within groups, and role interaction.

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Organization models and behavioural requirements specification for multi-agent systems

The goal of this paper is to explore the notion of complex system and, in particular the emergence phenomenon, in order to see which lessons could be learned for both understanding and designing complex software systems. Complex systems are described as sets of non-linearly interacting components making multi-agent systems particularly suitable for modelling and designing such systems. The notion of emergence is explicited and used to derive ways of understanding and designing such complex systems. We conclude by discussing the pros and cons of the emergentist approaches and the research perspectives.

Emergence of collective behaviour and problem solving

Simulation modelling of ecological hierarchies in constructive dynamical systems

Agent-Based Models are useful for describing and understanding social, economic and spatial systems' dynamics. But, beside the facilities this methodology offers, evaluation and comparison of simulation models lead to some problems. A rigorous conceptual frame needs to be developed in order to ensure the coherence in the chain linking at one extreme the scientist's hypotheses about the modeled phenomenon and at the other the structure of rules in the computer program. The aim is to reflect upon the role that a well defined ontology, based on the crossing of the philosophical and the computer science insights, can play for solving such questions and helping the model building. We analyze different conceptions of ontology, introduce the "ontological test" and show its usefulness to compare models. Then we focus on the model building and show the place of a systematic ABM ontology. At last the relation between emergence and ontology is developed. (Resume d'auteur)

Jean-Pierre Müller

Papers

Formal Specification and Prototyping of Multi-agent Systems

Organization models and behavioural requirements specification for multi-agent systems

Emergence of collective behaviour and problem solving

Simulation modelling of ecological hierarchies in constructive dynamical systems

Ontology, a mediator for agent-based modeling in social science