A composite system of a Markovian Decision Process
with multiple criteria involves both discounting criteria
and nondiscounting criteria. The measurement of the
discounting criteria is chosen to be the total sum of
the payoffs over the time horizon and the measurement of
the non-discounting criteria is chosen to be the...
In Japan, common fishery rights are granted by prefectural governor only to local fisheries cooperative associations (FCAs). Coastal resources like abalones are utilized by local fishers as members of FCAs. Fishery rights are deemed to be real rights and any person encroaching upon this right is subject to fine. Therefore,...
Knowledge-Based Model Construction (KBMC) has generated a lot of attention
due to its importance as a technique for generating probabilistic or decision-theoretic
models whose range of applicability in AI has been vastly increased. However, no
one has tried to analyze the essential issues in KBMC, to determine if there exists...
Co-management is considered an alternative approach to fisheries management,
however, not all co-managed fisheries have been successful. Most studies discussing the
success and failure of co-management have emphasized economic and social attributes of
success and failure, such as fishery rights and institutional arrangements. The effect on
co-management of biological characteristics,...
In this ethnographic study, I examine how women living in downstate Illinois decide to give birth at home. I view decision-making as a process that unfolds throughout pregnancy and continues into the postpartum period, contextualizing "choice" in a region where homebirth is a politically and socially marginalized practice. The methodology...
Risk is a crucial decision factor besides traditional cost and performance during collaborative decision making in a distributed environment. Three main challenges exist: 1) stakeholders' different perspectives and/or diverse cultures can lead to inconsistent risk probability evaluations; 2) risk consequence is hard to be quantified in concrete unit; 3) risk...
This thesis compares two methods for studying the problem-solving processes of
mechanical design engineers. The first method, verbal protocol analysis, was applied
by L. Stauffer to construct a problem-solving model of mechanical design. The
second method, timing analysis, measures the time intervals separating drawing or
speaking actions during the design...
Individuals with mild developmental disabilities have
traditionally been excluded from full participation in
their career decision making due to the stereotyping of
their perceived incompetence. This view forms a mind-set
or stigma that is recognized as the disability myth.
This study initially addressed the vocational
development of individuals with mild...
The decision sequences used for troubleshooting of complex electro-mechanical systems are often ad hoc and less than optimal. This research investigated Decision Analysis and Bayesian Networks for generating an optimal decision sequence for troubleshooting. The model that was used in this research was the bleed air control system of the...
Past afforestation programs launched to promote private and community woodlots in rural Ethiopia have not been based on clear understanding of the incentives and constraints of smallholder farmers. This study investigated the characteristic differences between tree-growing and non-tree-growing farm households and identified factors influencing farmers’ tree-growing decisions from a farming...