MASON

Category Cross-Omics>Agent-Based Modeling/Simulation/Tools

Abstract MASON (Multi-Agent Simulator Of Neighborhoods... or Networks... or something...) is a fast, easily extendable, discrete event multi-agent simulation toolkit in Java.

MASON was designed to serve as the basis for a wide range of multi- agent simulation tasks ranging from ‘swarm robotics’ to ‘machine learning’ to social complexity environments.

MASON carefully delineates between model and visualization, allowing models to be dynamically detached from or attached to visualizers, and to change platforms mid-run.

MASON features/capabilities include:

1) 100% Java (1.3 or higher);

2) Fast, portable, and fairly small;

3) Models are completely independent from visualization, which can be added, removed, or changed at any time;

4) Models may be check-pointed and recovered, and dynamically migrated across platforms;

5) Can produce results that are identical across platforms;

6) Models are self-contained and can run inside other Java frameworks and applications;

7) 2D and 3D visualization;

8) Can generate PNG snapshots, QuickTime movies, charts and graphs, and output data streams.

Research Project in MASON - Anthrax Propagation in the Human Body --

The interaction between pathogens and infected hosts is usually investigated using laboratory and live studies.

But for some diseases, like inhalation anthrax, live studies are Not possible due to their deadly effects.

After examining laboratory studies the spread of anthrax in human organs was modeled as a series of discrete events that map out a time course for infection in the human body.

Different systems in the human body which play a role in inhalation anthrax were modeled as spatial entities to show how the anthrax disease flows through the body.

The dynamics of these interactions were implemented using 2D sparse grids, one per system.

The model also displayed statistics on the interactions of the systems and on the patient's health and disease state.

The Anthrax model was developed originally using SWARM in Objective- C, but was rewritten in its entirety in MASON in order to take advantage of MASON's speed and its control and inspection features.

The individual performing the port had No previous knowledge of MASON at all, but reported that the port was fairly easy as MASON has a similar scheduling mechanism to SWARM (see G6G Abstract Number 20436).

MASON Extensions --

1) JUNG and MASON - The manufacturer provides a module that does Preferential Attachment - a demonstration of JUNG and MASON integration.

The example is a model of simple network dynamics inspired by Barabasi's preferential attachment theory.

JUNG - the Java Universal Network/Graph Framework -- is a software library that provides a common and extendible language for the modeling, analysis, and visualization of data that can be represented as a graph or network.

It is written in Java, which allows JUNG-based applications to make use of the extensive built-in capabilities of the Java Application Programming Interface (API), as well as those of other existing third- party Java libraries.

2) ECJ - An evolutionary computation toolkit in Java --

ECJ is a high-performance, extensively featured evolutionary computation (EC) system with which MASON was designed to dovetail.

If you're hoping to let the computer discover design solutions to your complex agent-based models, ECJ is the right tool for it.

ECJ is a research EC system written in Java. It was designed to be highly flexible, with nearly all classes (and all of their settings) dynamically determined at runtime by a user-provided parameter file.

All structures in the system are arranged to be easily modifiable. Even so, the system was designed with an eye toward efficiency.

ECJ was developed at George Mason University's (EClab) Evolutionary Computation Laboratory.

Note: Historically, a variety of ‘evolutionary computation’ models have been developed including such well-known methods as Evolutionary Programming, Evolutionary Strategies, Genetic Algorithms, and Genetic Programming.

These models have been successfully applied to a wide range of difficult science and engineering problems including innovative design, optimization, and machine learning.

See the G6G Software Abstracts by AI Application section for additional software products covering Gene Expression Programming, Genetic Algorithms and Genetic Programming.

System Requirements

Contact manufacturer.

Manufacturer

Manufacturer Web Site MASON

Price Contact manufacturer.

G6G Abstract Number 20435

G6G Manufacturer Number 104063