421 research outputs found

    Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion. Collected Works, Volume 5

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    This ïŹfth volume on Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion collects theoretical and applied contributions of researchers working in different ïŹelds of applications and in mathematics, and is available in open-access. The collected contributions of this volume have either been published or presented after disseminating the fourth volume in 2015 in international conferences, seminars, workshops and journals, or they are new. The contributions of each part of this volume are chronologically ordered. First Part of this book presents some theoretical advances on DSmT, dealing mainly with modiïŹed Proportional ConïŹ‚ict Redistribution Rules (PCR) of combination with degree of intersection, coarsening techniques, interval calculus for PCR thanks to set inversion via interval analysis (SIVIA), rough set classiïŹers, canonical decomposition of dichotomous belief functions, fast PCR fusion, fast inter-criteria analysis with PCR, and improved PCR5 and PCR6 rules preserving the (quasi-)neutrality of (quasi-)vacuous belief assignment in the fusion of sources of evidence with their Matlab codes. Because more applications of DSmT have emerged in the past years since the apparition of the fourth book of DSmT in 2015, the second part of this volume is about selected applications of DSmT mainly in building change detection, object recognition, quality of data association in tracking, perception in robotics, risk assessment for torrent protection and multi-criteria decision-making, multi-modal image fusion, coarsening techniques, recommender system, levee characterization and assessment, human heading perception, trust assessment, robotics, biometrics, failure detection, GPS systems, inter-criteria analysis, group decision, human activity recognition, storm prediction, data association for autonomous vehicles, identiïŹcation of maritime vessels, fusion of support vector machines (SVM), Silx-Furtif RUST code library for information fusion including PCR rules, and network for ship classiïŹcation. Finally, the third part presents interesting contributions related to belief functions in general published or presented along the years since 2015. These contributions are related with decision-making under uncertainty, belief approximations, probability transformations, new distances between belief functions, non-classical multi-criteria decision-making problems with belief functions, generalization of Bayes theorem, image processing, data association, entropy and cross-entropy measures, fuzzy evidence numbers, negator of belief mass, human activity recognition, information fusion for breast cancer therapy, imbalanced data classiïŹcation, and hybrid techniques mixing deep learning with belief functions as well

    Artificial Intelligence and International Conflict in Cyberspace

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    This edited volume explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming international conflict in cyberspace. Over the past three decades, cyberspace developed into a crucial frontier and issue of international conflict. However, scholarly work on the relationship between AI and conflict in cyberspace has been produced along somewhat rigid disciplinary boundaries and an even more rigid sociotechnical divide – wherein technical and social scholarship are seldomly brought into a conversation. This is the first volume to address these themes through a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary approach. With the intent of exploring the question ‘what is at stake with the use of automation in international conflict in cyberspace through AI?’, the chapters in the volume focus on three broad themes, namely: (1) technical and operational, (2) strategic and geopolitical and (3) normative and legal. These also constitute the three parts in which the chapters of this volume are organised, although these thematic sections should not be considered as an analytical or a disciplinary demarcation

    3D Design Review Systems in Immersive Environments

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    Design reviews play a crucial role in the development process, ensuring the quality and effectiveness of designs in various industries. However, traditional design review methods face challenges in effectively understanding and communicating complex 3D models. Immersive technologies, particularly Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs), offer new opportunities to enhance the design review process. In this thesis, we investigate using immersive environments, specifically HMDs, for 3D design reviews. We begin with a systematic literature review to understand the current state of employing HMDs in industry for design reviews. As part of this review, we utilize a detailed taxonomy from the literature to categorize and analyze existing approaches. Additionally, we present four iterations of an immersive design review system developed during my industry experience. Two of these iterations are evaluated through case studies involving domain experts, including engineers, designers, and clients. A formal semi-structured focus group is conducted to gain further insights into traditional design review practices. The outcomes of these evaluations and the focus group discussions are thoroughly discussed. Based on the literature review and the focus group findings, we uncover a new challenge associated with using HMDs in immersive design reviews—asynchronous and remote collaboration. Unlike traditional design reviews, where participants view the same section on a shared screen, HMDs allow independent exploration of areas of interest, leading to a shift from synchronous to asynchronous communication. Consequently, important feedback may be missed as the lead designer disconnects from the users' perspectives. To address this challenge, we collaborate with a domain expert to develop a prototype that utilizes heatmap visualization to display 3D gaze data distribution. This prototype enables lead designers to quickly identify areas of review and missed regions. The study incorporates the Design Critique approach and provides valuable insights into different heatmap visualization variants (top view projection, object-based, and volume-based). Furthermore, a list of well-defined requirements is outlined for future spatio-temporal visualization applications aimed at integrating into existing workflows. Overall, this thesis contributes to the understanding and improvement of immersive design review systems, particularly in the context of utilizing HMDs. It offers insights into the current state of employing HMDs for design reviews, utilizes a taxonomy from the literature to analyze existing approaches, highlights challenges associated with asynchronous collaboration, and proposes a prototype solution with heatmap visualization to address the identified challenge

    COVID-19 Booster Vaccine Acceptance in Ethnic Minority Individuals in the United Kingdom: a mixed-methods study using Protection Motivation Theory

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    Background: Uptake of the COVID-19 booster vaccine among ethnic minority individuals has been lower than in the general population. However, there is little research examining the psychosocial factors that contribute to COVID-19 booster vaccine hesitancy in this population.Aim: Our study aimed to determine which factors predicted COVID-19 vaccination intention in minority ethnic individuals in Middlesbrough, using Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, in addition to demographic variables.Method: We used a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were collected using an online survey. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews. 64 minority ethnic individuals (33 females, 31 males; mage = 31.06, SD = 8.36) completed the survey assessing PMT constructs, COVID-19conspiracy beliefs and demographic factors. 42.2% had received the booster vaccine, 57.6% had not. 16 survey respondents were interviewed online to gain further insight into factors affecting booster vaccineacceptance.Results: Multiple regression analysis showed that perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 was a significant predictor of booster vaccination intention, with higher perceived susceptibility being associated with higher intention to get the booster. Additionally, COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs significantly predictedintention to get the booster vaccine, with higher conspiracy beliefs being associated with lower intention to get the booster dose. Thematic analysis of the interview data showed that barriers to COVID-19 booster vaccination included time constraints and a perceived lack of practical support in the event ofexperiencing side effects. Furthermore, there was a lack of confidence in the vaccine, with individuals seeing it as lacking sufficient research. Participants also spoke of medical mistrust due to historical events involving medical experimentation on minority ethnic individuals.Conclusion: PMT and conspiracy beliefs predict COVID-19 booster vaccination in minority ethnic individuals. To help increase vaccine uptake, community leaders need to be involved in addressing people’s concerns, misassumptions, and lack of confidence in COVID-19 vaccination

    Histograms: An educational eye

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    Many high-school students are not able to draw justified conclusions from statistical data in histograms. A literature review showed that most misinterpretations of histograms are related to difficulties with two statistical key concepts: data and distribution. The review also pointed to a lack of knowledge about students’ strategies when solving histogram tasks. As the literature provided little guidance for the design of lesson materials, several studies were conducted in preparation. In a first study, five solution strategies were found through qualitative analysis of students’ gazes when solving histograms and case-value plot tasks. Quantitative analysis of several histogram tasks through a mathematical model and a machine learning algorithm confirmed these results, which implied that these strategies could reliably and automatically be identified. Literature also suggested that dotplot tasks can support students’ learning to interpret histograms. Therefore, gazes on histogram tasks were compared before and after students solved dotplot tasks. The "after" tasks contained more gazes associated with correct strategies and fewer gazes associated with incorrect strategies. Although answers did not improve significantly, students’ verbal descriptions suggest that some students changed to a correct strategy. Newly designed materials thus started with dotplot tasks. From the previous studies, we conjectured that students lacked embodied experiences with actions related to histograms. Designed from an embodied instrumentation perspective, the tested materials provide starting points for scaling up. Together, the studies address the knowledge gaps identified in the literature. The studies contribute to knowledge about learning histograms and use in statistics education of eye-tracking research, interpretable models and machine learning algorithms, and embodied instrumentation design

    Making Midlife Visible: A Construction of Female Stars’ Age Biographies in Contemporary Hollywood Cinema

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    My research project seeks to interrogate the cultural representation of ageing women by analysing the star images and changing roles of a selection of midlife stars of contemporary Hollywood cinema and television. This subject connects with recent debates surrounding gender, equality and diversity in the film industry which have highlighted, amongst other things, the invisibility of midlife women in the sector (see Buckley, 2015; New York Times, and Peck, 2016; Huffington Post). Concerns about the representation of middle-aged actresses falls within the wider topic of academic and popular discussion surrounding the life stage of ‘midlife’, which sits uncomfortably between the culturally favoured phase of ‘youth’ and the fear of old age, decline and death in an increasingly “ageless society” (Fairclough, 2012: 92). However, what sets this research project apart from existing academic analysis of ageing female stars is its interdisciplinary focus on female midlife narratives. Drawing on insights from film studies, feminist cultural studies and age studies, in particular Margaret Gullette’s (1997) concept of ‘critical age autobiographies’, my research investigates how cultural norms are mediated in popular culture. It does so by constructing critical age biographies of selected female midlife stars of contemporary Hollywood cinema, specifically focusing on Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Viola Davis and Frances McDormand. Through a detailed analysis of their films and shifting star image within these age biographies, my project determines how ageing and female star identity are constructed in the various discourses constituting a star’s image and explores ways in which the abovementioned stars shape, resist or negotiate the cultural norms surrounding ageing through their labour in the film industry

    Safe navigation and human-robot interaction in assistant robotic applications

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    L'abstract Ăš presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen

    Robots learn to behave: improving human-robot collaboration in flexible manufacturing applications

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    L'abstract Ăš presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen
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