http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/services/Feed ${session.getAttribute("locale")} 5 http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10115 There is vitally significant evidence to show that certain indices of project performance in construction are vulnerable to fragmentation of design, procurement, construction and operations' processes. Some studies have argued that fragmented processes often weaken frameworks for sustaining objectivity and value integration between project stakeholders. This situation is responsive to effective communication, collaboration, thorough integration and passion for objectivity in data sharing and information management between key players. Three Game Theory models (Prisoner's dilemma, pareto optima an4 hawk-dove) are used (and herein reported) to mirror certain implications of players' actions in BIM environment. Players' actions in BIM are categorized as null, partial and full cooperation to engage the ethos of integration in BIM. These model scenarios are argued to show that when BIM is partially adopted, benefit is relative to compliance with principles and drivers of positive outcomes - i.e. the party that complies with certain fundamental principles will benefits more than partially complaint parties, while the non-compliant party looses. However, when BIM is fully adopted, all parties benefit more than when BIM is either partially adopted or not adopted at all. Conclusions are drawn on the implications of adopting and deploying BIM in the industry - BIM means a lot to the industry; there could be tragic consequences when the industry fails to adopt BIM and allied innovations in the era when digital technology is revolutionising other industries. Recommendations are made on areas of further research. 2012-10-18T05:42:00.862Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:11634 Game Theory is a branch of applied mathematics that analyses strategic situations where the success of one player's strategy depends on which strategy their opponent adopts. Despite the theory's pejorative associations with authoritarianism and Cold War paranoia, it remains an effective quantitative tool, and is increasingly finding uses among scholars looking at moments of conflict in history. To date, it has not been used in architectural research, possibly due to the qualitative nature of the field generally. The paper helps build a case for the use of game theory by architectural historians, by showing the theory's capacity to cast light on a particular conflict from the past, between Louis I. Kahn and the church building committee of the First Unitarian Church in Rochester, New York. From the maths, we can see that Kahn's desire to become famous, and the fact that his client's were complicit with this, were instrumental in the project ever reaching fruition. The paper furthers an immerging trend toward quantitative research in architecture, and the humanities generally, resulting from a disquiet with purely poststructuralist approaches. Where an ideologically framed study might ponder the absolute rightfulness or wrongfulness of Kahn's tactics in business, Game Theory asks what rewards or consequences awaited him as a rational self seeking player. It, proves axiomatic that, on the basis of probabilities, the rewards that can be yielded from strictly unethical tactics often outweigh any negative consequences. 2012-10-02T04:35:27.058Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10493 Construction project performance is vulnerable to process fragmentation and weak frameworks for sustaining objectivity and value integration between stakeholders, including clients, involved in the project development processes. For centuries, conventional construction processes have endured the challenges associated with this phenomenon. Several industry reports have suggested this situation is responsive to effective communication, collaboration, thorough integration and a passion for objectivity in data sharing and information management between key players. While entity-based computer-aided design (CAD) lacks the framework to facilitate an effective result in this direction, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has shown the potential for major improvements over the limitations of manual and CAD design methods. Three Game Theory models (Prisoner’s dilemma, Pareto Optima and Hawk-dove) have been proposed to mirror certain implications of players’ actions in BIM environment. In all the gaming lenses used, the study suggests that stakeholders and industry will only benefit when BIM is fully adopted. It has been established that when BIM is partially adopted, the compliant party is likely to benefit more, while the non-compliant party may not necessarily gain the same benefits. The study concluded that BIM means a lot to the industry; the industry cannot afford the consequences of failing to adopt BIM potentials and allied innovations in an era where digital technology is revolutionising other industries. Recommendations are made on areas for further research. 2012-03-22T01:30:05.540Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2321 Mirowski's Machine Dreaming provides an invaluable critical history of the post-war development of economic theory under the influence of military-funded Cold War research into the cybernetic sciences. However, this reviewer argues that in restricting the scope of his historical analysis to the influence of the natural sciences over the development of economic thought, Mirowski has neglected a variety of traditions within cybernetics and systems theory that draw on the philosophy of language. Moreover, the paper traces the influence these neglected traditions have exerted over various strands of economic analysis. Finally, these strands of economic theory are interrogated to identify various ways they have influenced the development of richer and more comprehensive notions of environmental sustainability. 2012-02-20T02:30:04.694Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9223 Recently, game theory has been used to design optimized strategies for defending an electric power system against deliberate attacks. In this paper, we extend the current static model to a more generalized framework which includes several interaction models between defenders and attackers. A new criterion of reliable strategies for defending power systems has been derived. In addition, two allocation algorithms have been developed to seek reliable strategies for two types of defense tasks. The new criterion and algorithms are complementary to current security criteria and can provide useful information for decision-makers to protect their power systems against possible targeted attacks. Numerical simulation examples using the proposed methods are given as well. 2012-01-30T05:02:11.496Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:1959 Hex is a challenging strategy board game for two players. To enhance students' progress in acquiring understanding and practical experience with complex machine intelligence and programming concepts we developed the Machine Intelligence Hex (MIHex) project. The associated undergraduate student assignment is about designing and implementing Hex players and evaluating them in an automated tournament of all programs developed by the class. This article surveys educational aspects of the MIHex project. Additionally, fundamental techniques for game programming as well as specific concepts for Hex board evaluation are reviewed. The MIHex game server and possibilities of tournament organisation are described. We summarise and discuss our experiences from running the MIHex project assignment over four consecutive years. The impact on student motivation and learning benefits are evaluated using questionnaires and interviews. 2012-01-25T02:30:07.334Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:4529 Review of: Gascoigne, David. The Games of Fiction: Georges Perec and Modern French Ludic Narrative; Modern French Identities 45. Peter Lang, Oxford-Bern 2006, pp. 327. 2010-04-27T04:53:13.626Z ]]>