Adaptive Meeting Scheduling for Large-Scale Distributed Groupware
This paper introduces a novel approach of collective scheduling among a community of distributed users. This approach, named Distributed Adaptive Scheduling (DAS), deploys flexible, lightweight agents to quickly find and suggest suitable solutions of scheduling for a large number of users. The DAS agents can move from one machine to another to co-ordinate mutually acceptable solutions for a proposed meeting. They also possess behavioural intelligence, by making adaptive decisions about next actions according to current environment and conditions. As a consequence, quick and efficient scheduling can be achieved for users located at different places. Experimental results have proved that DAS is especially suitable for large-scale distributed scheduling, and scheduling with complex calendars. The DAS approach has been successfully integrated with a personal assistant agent platform to provide completely automatic meeting scheduling for both stationary and mobile users.

title: DIET — A Scalable, Robust and Adaptable Multi-Agent Platform for Information Management
abstract: The complexity of the global information infrastructure demands new approaches to managing distributed information. The Decentralised Information Ecosystem Technologies (DIET) project has produced a software platform based on a lightweight, scalable, multi-agent system that can be used to support a variety of information management applications that deal with some of this complexity. This paper describes the main components of the DIET software platform, and several examples of its application. It also considers the diversity of potential applications for this technology.

title: Application of differential evolution for harmonic worst-case identification of mass rapid transit power supply system
abstract: Mass rapid transit (MRT) operation results in voltage and current harmonic distortions in AC supply systems. Power-supply standards limit the acceptable harmonic-distortion levels. In order to observe these limits, it is necessary to identify the worst-case harmonic distortion in MRT system. Train operating modes and system configurations affect the level of harmonic distortions. Harmonic worst-case identification can be treated as an optimization problem in terms of train separations and traffic conditions. The approach uses approximate train movement and consumption models, and AC/DC harmonic loadflow for evaluating the harmonic distortions. This paper uses a new method called differential evolution (DE) for solving the problem. Parallel studies using genetic algorithm (GA) are also carried out. Comparative results demonstrate the favourable features of DE for large-scale optimization with real variables, as the method is efficient and fast converging.

title: On the construction of stable virtual backbones in mobile ad-hoc networks
abstract: In mobile ad-hoc networks, hosts communicate with each other without the help of any physical infrastructure. Inevitably, the communication tends to be less efficient in terms of computational and communicational overhead. Recent studies have shown that virtual backbone can help reduce the communication overhead. However, the backbone structure is very vulnerable due to several reasons, e.g., node mobility and unstable links, etc. In this paper, we introduce a localized virtual backbone construction scheme, connected maximal independent set with multiple initiators (MCMIS), which takes node stability into consideration and can construct the backbone quickly. We design MCMIS aiming at three goals: small backbone size, fast construction, stable backbone. Through extensive simulations, we find that our scheme could obtain a better performance on stability and backbone size than other localized schemes.

title: Erratum to: "Deployment of an AEC industry sector product model [Computer-Aided Design 37 (12) 1214-1228]"
abstract: CIMsteel Integration Standard, Version 2 (CIS/2) is an industry-developed product model based on ISO-STEP technology that has been widely adopted within the steel construction industry. CIS/2 is an early success story of broad use of a product model for both data exchange and improving the productivity of those companies taking advantage of its capabilities. Here, we review the history of CIS/2, the methods and issues arising from its deployment, the benefits it has thus far realized and the research issues these activities have identified.

title: A genetic algorithm for machine scheduling problem under shared resource constraints
abstract: In this paper, we present a popular machine scheduling problem with resource constraints in manufacturing engineering. A genetic algorithm based approach is put forward and illustrated, including a specialised encoding and two kinds of decoding greedy schemes. Compared with both several kinds of lower bounds we present in this paper and the results from ILOG OPL software package, it is shown that our rapid genetic algorithm achieved significant results with stable and near-optimal performance.

title: Robust airport gate assignment
abstract: In this paper, we propose a new strategy for the robust constraint resource assignment problem and apply it to solve the robust airport gate assignment (RAGA). RAGA attempts to accurately build an evaluation criteria for the ability of an aircraft-to-gate assignment to handle uncertainty on aircraft schedule; and to accurately and effectively search the most robust airport gate assignment. We model the RAGA by a stochastic programming model and transform it into a binary programming model by introducing the unsupervised estimation functions without knowing any information on the real-time arrival and departure time of aircrafts in advance. Moreover, a partition-based search space encoding, two neighborhood operators for single or multiple aircrafts reassignment, and a hybrid meta-heuristic combining a tabu search and a local search are proposed to solve RAGA efficiently. Experimental results on the real-life test data from Hong Kong International Airport demonstrate that the proposed RAGA model provides a valuable tool for the airport to improve its robustness in uncertain operations