Symbolic execution of verification languages and floating-point code

The focus of this thesis is a program analysis technique named symbolic execution. We present three main contributions to this field. First, an investigation into comparing several state-of-the-art program analysis tools at the level of an intermediate verification language over a large set of benchmarks, and improvements to the state-of-the-art of symbolic execution for this language. This is explored via a new tool, Symbooglix, that operates on the Boogie intermediate verification language. Second, an investigation into performing symbolic execution of floating-point programs via a standardised theory of floating-point arithmetic that is supported by several existing constraint solvers. This is investigated via two independent extensions of the KLEE symbolic execution engine to support reasoning about floating-point operations (with one tool developed by the thesis author). Third, an investigation into the use of coverage-guided fuzzing as a means for solving constraints over finite data types, inspired by the difficulties associated with solving floating-point constraints. The associated prototype tool, JFS, which builds on the LibFuzzer project, can at present be applied to a wide range of SMT queries over bit-vector and floating-point variables, and shows promise on floating-point constraints.Open Acces

The social signification of new sport practice : the case of adventure racing

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal

Recent Changes in Drug Abuse Scenario: The Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) Phenomenon

copyright 2019 by the authors. Articles in this book are Open Access and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows users to download, copy and build upon published articles, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. The book as a whole is distributed by MDPI under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND.Final Published versio

A study of methods of evaluating multimedia materials for language learning

There is a long tradition of paper based materials evaluation in ELT, but at this juncture, a scarcity of studies on ELT Multimedia (MM) materials evaluation. Such studies as have been undertaken have tended to adopt the perspective of the materials developer rather than the end user. But there have been no developed studies of evaluation methods which could be adopted by potential users. Despite calls being made for systematic evaluation, not many proposals have been developed, and there has been little exploration of potential best practice, or of the 'goodness of fit' between methods and evaluation puposes. This study aims to investigate evaluation methods in order to establish best practice in the evaluation of multimedia CALL applications, with a focus on learners' experience and opinions, and with the aim of enabling potential teacher-users of CALL materials to gauge the suitability of materials for their learners. Chapter one of this thesis provides a rationale for this study and an overview of the background to this research. Chapter two presents a review of literature undertaken in four domains: educational evaluation and research methods; Human Computer Interaction (HCI) usability evaluation methods; ELT materials evaluation; and studies ofCALL materials in use. Chapter three focuses on the design and conduct of the study by explaining how some methods of evaluation were trialled in a pilot study and four were selected for adoption and analysis in the main study. The methods selected were Foeu.r Groups, Rttrospective Protorolr, PLUM and SUM! Questionnaires and Activity Monitonitg. To determine the qualities and limitations of these methods, a set of criteria was developed from the literature on software usability evaluation methods in HCI and a broader literature on educational evaluation and research methods. The four data study chapters (4-7) each discuss one of the chosen methods and descnbe how the method was ,6perationalised in an evaluation of learner responses to multimedia software. The final chapter draws together the discussion of the findings and presents different proposals for best practice. The focus in the discussion of findings is on how the chosen methods performed according to the set of criteria. The findings confirm that focus groups and questionnaires are quick and efficient methods whereas retrospective protocols and activity monitoring provide more detailed and protracted data. Teacher evaluators can be guided by the objectives of their evaluation to explore different combinations ofthese methods. Participants in the pilot were 12 ESL students from the University of Warwick and in the main study 45 Freshman/sophomore students from a university in Pakistan. The materials used to operationalise methods were the EASE CD-ROMS listening to Lectures and Seminar Skills 1: Presentations. The research contributes to the field in undertaking an in-depth and extensive study of evaluation methods applicable to CALL materials, whi~ adopt a leamer-centred perspective, and conform to sound principles within educational evaluation, yet which draw on practice in the field of HCI, since this expertise is so relevant in the rapid development of multimedia materials for use in ELT. Moreover, by developing the composite set of core criteria this study has created a tool which practitioners in the field can use to select most appropriate methods for their particular evaluation purposes

"Hey! They're trying to learn for free!": An Analysis of The Simpsons as a Satirical Portrayal of Neoliberal Influence on Public Education

Rooted in the philosophy of Michael W. Apple, this thesis examines how The Simpsons has portrayed neoliberalism’s influence on public education. This thesis begins by reviewing literature related to The Simpsons’ ideological thrust. It considers how The Simpsons is rooted in a left-of-centre antagonism towards American hegemony, yet the program will mock anything it deems worthy of ridicule. Next, a framework of neoliberalism as it relates to public education is built using the works of Michael W. Apple. Four specific categories are put forth: privatisation, marketisation, performativity, and the enterprising individual. These categories form the basis of the conceptual content analysis that sampled each of The Simpsons’ 12 seasons before the 2001 introduction of No Child Left Behind, the United States’ widely-discussed neoliberal reform package to public education. The research data is explicated in a series of four chapters, each discussing how The Simpsons’ portrayals of education reflects neoliberalism as perceived by Apple. What emerged was that while The Simpsons tended to critique teachers and schools in a manner similar to what neoliberal ideology contends, when Springfield Elementary enveloped the neoliberal values and reforms that are believed to be a “fix” for education, it was most often further damaged. Because of this cynicism towards neoliberal reforms, this thesis concludes that The Simpsons provides wider opportunity to expose and discuss the folly of neoliberalism’s influence on public education

A Spatial Agent-based Model for Volcanic Evacuation of Mt. Merapi

Natural disasters, especially volcanic eruptions, are hazardous events that frequently happen in Indonesia. As a country within the “Ring of Fire”, Indonesia has hundreds of volcanoes and Mount Merapi is the most active. Historical studies of this volcano have revealed that there is potential for a major eruption in the future. Therefore, long-term disaster management is needed. To support the disaster management, physical and socially-based research has been carried out, but there is still a gap in the development of evacuation models. This modelling is necessary to evaluate the possibility of unexpected problems in the evacuation process since the hazard occurrences and the population behaviour are uncertain. The aim of this research was to develop an agent-based model (ABM) of volcanic evacuation to improve the effectiveness of evacuation management in Merapi. Besides the potential use of the results locally in Merapi, the development process of this evacuation model contributes by advancing the knowledge of ABM development for large-scale evacuation simulation in other contexts. Its novelty lies in (1) integrating a hazard model derived from historical records of the spatial impact of eruptions, (2) formulating and validating an individual evacuation decision model in ABM based on various interrelated factors revealed from literature reviews and surveys that enable the modelling of reluctant people, (3) formulating the integration of multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) in ABM to model a spatio-temporal dynamic model of risk (STDMR) that enables representation of the changing of risk as a consequence of changing hazard level, hazard extent and movement of people, and (4) formulating an evacuation staging method based on MCE using geographic and demographic criteria. The volcanic evacuation model represents the relationships between physical and human agents, consisting of the volcano, stakeholders, the population at risk and the environment. The experimentation of several evacuation scenarios in Merapi using the developed ABM of evacuation shows that simultaneous strategy is superior in reducing the risk, but the staged scenario is the most effective in minimising the potential of road traffic problems during evacuation events in Merapi. Staged evacuation can be a good option when there is enough time to evacuate. However, if the evacuation time is limited, the simultaneous strategy is better to be implemented. Appropriate traffic management should be prepared to avoid traffic problems when the second option is chosen