Decision Science in Action


Book Description

This book provides essential insights into a range of newly developed numerical optimization techniques with a view to solving real-world problems. Many of these problems can be modeled as nonlinear optimization problems, but due to their complex nature, it is not always possible to solve them using conventional optimization theory. Accordingly, the book discusses the design and applications of non-conventional numerical optimization techniques, including the design of benchmark functions and the implementation of these techniques to solve real-world optimization problems. The book’s twenty chapters examine various interesting research topics in this area, including: Pi fraction-based optimization of the Pantoja–Bretones–Martin (PBM) antenna benchmarks; benchmark function generators for single-objective robust optimization algorithms; convergence of gravitational search algorithms on linear and quadratic functions; and an algorithm for the multi-variant evolutionary synthesis of nonlinear models with real-valued chromosomes. Delivering on its promise to explore real-world scenarios, the book also addresses the seismic analysis of a multi-story building with optimized damper properties; the application of constrained spider monkey optimization to solve portfolio optimization problems; the effect of upper body motion on a bipedal robot’s stability; an ant colony algorithm for routing alternate-fuel vehicles in multi-depot vehicle routing problems; enhanced fractal dimension-based feature extraction for thermal face recognition; and an artificial bee colony-based hyper-heuristic for the single machine order acceptance and scheduling problem. The book will benefit not only researchers, but also organizations active in such varied fields as Aerospace, Automotive, Biotechnology, Consumer Packaged Goods, Electronics, Finance, Business & Banking, Oil, Gas & Geosciences, and Pharma, to name a few.




Process Mining


Book Description

This is the second edition of Wil van der Aalst’s seminal book on process mining, which now discusses the field also in the broader context of data science and big data approaches. It includes several additions and updates, e.g. on inductive mining techniques, the notion of alignments, a considerably expanded section on software tools and a completely new chapter of process mining in the large. It is self-contained, while at the same time covering the entire process-mining spectrum from process discovery to predictive analytics. After a general introduction to data science and process mining in Part I, Part II provides the basics of business process modeling and data mining necessary to understand the remainder of the book. Next, Part III focuses on process discovery as the most important process mining task, while Part IV moves beyond discovering the control flow of processes, highlighting conformance checking, and organizational and time perspectives. Part V offers a guide to successfully applying process mining in practice, including an introduction to the widely used open-source tool ProM and several commercial products. Lastly, Part VI takes a step back, reflecting on the material presented and the key open challenges. Overall, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in process mining. It is intended for business process analysts, business consultants, process managers, graduate students, and BPM researchers.




Science in Action


Book Description

From weaker to stronger rhetoric : literature - Laboratories - From weak points to strongholds : machines - Insiders out - From short to longer networks : tribunals of reason - Centres of calculation.




Evidence-Based Practice in Action


Book Description

"The evidence-based practice (EBP) movement has always been about implementing optimal health care practices. Practitioners have three primary roles they can play in relation to the research evidence in EBP: scientists, systematic reviewers, and research consumers. Learning EBP is an acculturation process begun during professional training that seamlessly integrates research and practice"--Provided by publisher.




Plants in Action


Book Description

Accompanying CD-ROM includes 600 figures, tables and color plates from the book Plants in action which can be used for the production of color transparencies or for projections in lectures.




Decision Science and Social Risk Management


Book Description

Economists, decision analysts, management scientists, and others have long argued that government should take a more scientific approach to decision making. Pointing to various theories for prescribing and rational izing choices, they have maintained that social goals could be achieved more effectively and at lower costs if government decisions were routinely subjected to analysis. Now, government policy makers are putting decision science to the test. Recent government actions encourage and in some cases require government decisions to be evaluated using formally defined principles 01' rationality. Will decision science pass tbis test? The answer depends on whether analysts can quickly and successfully translate their theories into practical approaches and whether these approaches promote the solution of the complex, highly uncertain, and politically sensitive problems that are of greatest concern to government decision makers. The future of decision science, perhaps even the nation's well-being, depends on the outcome. A major difficulty for the analysts who are being called upon by government to apply decision-aiding approaches is that decision science has not yet evolved a universally accepted methodology for analyzing social decisions involving risk. Numerous approaches have been proposed, including variations of cost-benefit analysis, decision analysis, and applied social welfare theory. Each of these, however, has its limitations and deficiencies and none has a proven track record for application to govern ment decisions involving risk. Cost-benefit approaches have been exten sively applied by the government, but most applications have been for decisions that were largely risk-free.




Progress in Intelligent Decision Science


Book Description

This book contains the topics of artificial intelligence and deep learning that do have much application in real-life problems. The concept of uncertainty has long been used in applied science, especially decision making and a logical decision must be made in the field of uncertainty or in the real-life environment that is formed and combined with vague concepts and data. The chapters of this book are connected to the new concepts and aspects of decision making with uncertainty. Besides, other chapters are involved with the concept of data mining and decision making under uncertain computations.




Information Science in Action: System Design


Book Description

In August 1978, one hundred or so scholars from several countries around the world met in Crete, Greece to discuss the progress made in designing information systems and the relation of information science to this activity. This was the Third Advanced Study Institute supported by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Brussels, Belgium. The first Institute was conducted in 1972 and held in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania. The results of this Institute were published by Marcel Dekker and titled Information Sc. ience: Search for Identity. The'second Institute was held at the College of Librarianship, Aberystwyth, Wales in the summer of 1974. The proceedings were published by Noordhoff International Publishing, Leyden, The Netherlands, entitled Perspectives of Information Science edited by A. Debons and Hilliam Cameron. The three institutes that were conducted shared a common purpose, namely, to assess the state of affairs of information science and to share this assessment with inter national community. Information science can be said to have emerged during the past two, three decades in response to the significant increase in data-knowledge processing technology, the growth of knowledge as the result of these trends and the increase in problem solving, decision making complexity that faced all institutions at all levels throughout the world. Information systems, for many reasons, remain as an abstraction. Nevertheless, considerable funds and human efforts are being expended on them. Thus, such systems are of vital concerns to both scientists and technologists who are involved in them.




Decision Science and Technology


Book Description

Decision Science and Technology is a compilation of chapters written in honor of a remarkable man, Ward Edwards. Among Ward's many contributions are two significant accomplishments, either of which would have been enough for a very distinguished career. First, Ward is the founder of behavioral decision theory. This interdisciplinary discipline addresses the question of how people actually confront decisions, as opposed to the question of how they should make decisions. Second, Ward laid the groundwork for sound normative systems by noticing which tasks humans can do well and which tasks computers should perform. This volume, organized into five parts, reflects those accomplishments and more. The book is divided into four sections: `Behavioral Decision Theory' examines theoretical descriptions and empirical findings about human decision making. `Decision Analysis' examines topics in decision analysis.`Decision in Society' explores issues in societal decision making. The final section, `Historical Notes', provides some historical perspectives on the development of the decision theory. Within these sections, major, multi-disciplinary scholars in decision theory have written chapters exploring some very bold themes in the field, as an examination of the book's contents will show. The main reason for the health of the Decision Analysis field is its close links between theory and applications that have characterized it over the years. In this volume, the chapters by Barron and Barrett; Fishburn; Fryback; Keeney; Moreno, Pericchi, and Kadane; Howard; Phillips; Slovic and Gregory; Winkler; and, above all, von Winterfeldt focus on those links. Decision science originally developed out of concern with real decision problems; and applied work, such as is represented in this volume, will help the field to remain strong.




Writing in Science in Action


Book Description

"Kids love hands-on science. Yet too few grow up to be scientists. Kids need to be reading, writing and thinking about science as well as doing it. Writing in Science in Action propels us full throttle into both hands-on and "minds on" science. Rupp Fulwiler show us how to help kids wrap their minds around science, do science and have a blast in the process. If we really want to prepare kids for an increasingly unpredictable future, we need teachers to read this book and share the practices with the budding young scientists in their rooms." -Stephanie Harvey, author of The Comprehension Toolkit Writing in Science in Action, the highly anticipated follow-up resource to Betsy Rupp Fulwiler's landmark book Writing in Science (Heinemann 2007), offers all new field-tested materials, including 10 video episodes that show teachers as they implement her approach in real classrooms with real children. The Writing in Science in Action online resources brings the content to life by providing clear and explicit models of students talking and writing, and teachers providing the scaffolding, modeling, and conferring needed to support those students.You'll see teachers working in diverse settings with a range of learners, including ELLs, students with special needs, and reluctant writers. You'll also see groups of teachers assessing student notebooks and planning instruction based on their assessments. Focusing on science topics that are accessible and familiar, Fulwiler uses carefully interconnected video episodes, student work, and detailed classroom vignettes to take the reader into the complexity of individual classrooms and the practices of skilled teachers. Seeing her approach in action is a powerful teaching tool, and the online resources, used in combination with the practical text, takes Writing in Science to a whole new level. Seeing really is believing. Writing in Science in Action provides clear guidance and structures for classroom practice, with: * specific strategies that can be immediately used in any classroom * step by step instruction on how to use each strategy * ideas for planning, modeling, scaffolding, and assessment * samples of over 100 student notebook entries with commentaries * techniques for working with ELLs, emergent writers, and struggling students.