5,953 research outputs found

    Undergraduate Catalog of Studies, 2023-2024

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    Graduate Catalog of Studies, 2023-2024

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    A foundation for synthesising programming language semantics

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    Programming or scripting languages used in real-world systems are seldom designed with a formal semantics in mind from the outset. Therefore, the first step for developing well-founded analysis tools for these systems is to reverse-engineer a formal semantics. This can take months or years of effort. Could we automate this process, at least partially? Though desirable, automatically reverse-engineering semantics rules from an implementation is very challenging, as found by Krishnamurthi, Lerner and Elberty. They propose automatically learning desugaring translation rules, mapping the language whose semantics we seek to a simplified, core version, whose semantics are much easier to write. The present thesis contains an analysis of their challenge, as well as the first steps towards a solution. Scaling methods with the size of the language is very difficult due to state space explosion, so this thesis proposes an incremental approach to learning the translation rules. I present a formalisation that both clarifies the informal description of the challenge by Krishnamurthi et al, and re-formulates the problem, shifting the focus to the conditions for incremental learning. The central definition of the new formalisation is the desugaring extension problem, i.e. extending a set of established translation rules by synthesising new ones. In a synthesis algorithm, the choice of search space is important and non-trivial, as it needs to strike a good balance between expressiveness and efficiency. The rest of the thesis focuses on defining search spaces for translation rules via typing rules. Two prerequisites are required for comparing search spaces. The first is a series of benchmarks, a set of source and target languages equipped with intended translation rules between them. The second is an enumerative synthesis algorithm for efficiently enumerating typed programs. I show how algebraic enumeration techniques can be applied to enumerating well-typed translation rules, and discuss the properties expected from a type system for ensuring that typed programs be efficiently enumerable. The thesis presents and empirically evaluates two search spaces. A baseline search space yields the first practical solution to the challenge. The second search space is based on a natural heuristic for translation rules, limiting the usage of variables so that they are used exactly once. I present a linear type system designed to efficiently enumerate translation rules, where this heuristic is enforced. Through informal analysis and empirical comparison to the baseline, I then show that using linear types can speed up the synthesis of translation rules by an order of magnitude

    An examination of the verbal behaviour of intergroup discrimination

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    This thesis examined relationships between psychological flexibility, psychological inflexibility, prejudicial attitudes, and dehumanization across three cross-sectional studies with an additional proposed experimental study. Psychological flexibility refers to mindful attention to the present moment, willing acceptance of private experiences, and engaging in behaviours congruent with one’s freely chosen values. Inflexibility, on the other hand, indicates a tendency to suppress unwanted thoughts and emotions, entanglement with one’s thoughts, and rigid behavioural patterns. Study 1 found limited correlations between inflexibility and sexism, racism, homonegativity, and dehumanization. Study 2 demonstrated more consistent positive associations between inflexibility and prejudice. And Study 3 controlled for right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation, finding inflexibility predicted hostile sexism and racism beyond these factors. While showing some relationships, particularly with sexism and racism, psychological inflexibility did not consistently correlate with varied prejudices across studies. The proposed randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention to reduce sexism through enhanced psychological flexibility. Overall, findings provide mixed support for the utility of flexibility-based skills in addressing complex societal prejudices. Research should continue examining flexibility integrated with socio-cultural approaches to promote equity

    Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024

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    Southern Adventist University\u27s undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2023-2024.https://knowledge.e.southern.edu/undergrad_catalog/1123/thumbnail.jp

    A clinical decision support system for detecting and mitigating potentially inappropriate medications

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    Background: Medication errors are a leading cause of preventable harm to patients. In older adults, the impact of ageing on the therapeutic effectiveness and safety of drugs is a significant concern, especially for those over 65. Consequently, certain medications called Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIMs) can be dangerous in the elderly and should be avoided. Tackling PIMs by health professionals and patients can be time-consuming and error-prone, as the criteria underlying the definition of PIMs are complex and subject to frequent updates. Moreover, the criteria are not available in a representation that health systems can interpret and reason with directly. Objectives: This thesis aims to demonstrate the feasibility of using an ontology/rule-based approach in a clinical knowledge base to identify potentially inappropriate medication(PIM). In addition, how constraint solvers can be used effectively to suggest alternative medications and administration schedules to solve or minimise PIM undesirable side effects. Methodology: To address these objectives, we propose a novel integrated approach using formal rules to represent the PIMs criteria and inference engines to perform the reasoning presented in the context of a Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS). The approach aims to detect, solve, or minimise undesirable side-effects of PIMs through an ontology (knowledge base) and inference engines incorporating multiple reasoning approaches. Contributions: The main contribution lies in the framework to formalise PIMs, including the steps required to define guideline requisites to create inference rules to detect and propose alternative drugs to inappropriate medications. No formalisation of the selected guideline (Beers Criteria) can be found in the literature, and hence, this thesis provides a novel ontology for it. Moreover, our process of minimising undesirable side effects offers a novel approach that enhances and optimises the drug rescheduling process, providing a more accurate way to minimise the effect of drug interactions in clinical practice

    UMSL Bulletin 2023-2024

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    The 2023-2024 Bulletin and Course Catalog for the University of Missouri St. Louis.https://irl.umsl.edu/bulletin/1088/thumbnail.jp

    Graduate Catalog of Studies, 2023-2024

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    Simulation-based Validation for Autonomous Driving Systems

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    Simulation is essential to validate autonomous driving systems. However, a simple simulation, even for an extremely high number of simulated miles or hours, is not sufficient. We need well-founded criteria showing that simulation does indeed cover a large fraction of the relevant real-world situations. In addition, the validation must concern not only incidents, but also the detection of any type of potentially dangerous situation, such as traffic violations. We investigate a rigorous simulation and testing-based validation method for autonomous driving systems that integrates an existing industrial simulator and a formally defined testing environment. The environment includes a scenario generator that drives the simulation process and a monitor that checks at runtime the observed behavior of the system against a set of system properties to be validated. The validation method consists in extracting from the simulator a semantic model of the simulated system including a metric graph, which is a mathematical model of the environment in which the vehicles of the system evolve. The monitor can verify properties formalized in a first-order linear temporal logic and provide diagnostics explaining their non satisfaction. Instead of exploring the system behavior randomly as many simulators do, we propose a method to systematically generate sets of scenarios that cover potentially risky situations, especially for different types of junctions where specific traffic rules must be respected. We show that the systematic exploration of risky situations has uncovered many flaws in the real simulator that would have been very difficult to discover by a random exploration process

    Conceptualising adolescents’ pro-environmental behaviour: an exploration in Cyprus with reference to Scotland

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    There is now a global ecological and environmental crisis of unprecedented magnitude, severity and scale, which threatens current and future generations’ well-being. Given the influence of human behaviour on the natural environment addressing current and future environmental issues requires changes in our behaviour. In order to enhance and promote pro-environmental behaviours, one must understand what determines and influences behaviour. This is especially important to consider in adolescents (12-19 years old) given that young people will become those responsible for future environmental protection and will be facing future environmental issues. Whilst previous studies, behavioural models and theoretical frameworks have identified a number of potential behaviour determinants and potential influences, there is still confusion in the literature regarding their definitions and their exact role in determining behaviour. Additionally, despite the successful application of behavioural models, complexities and interrelations between behaviour, determinants and influences have been identified complicating understanding. Also, differences in operationalisation and interpretation of models further complicate conclusions. To conceptualise adolescents’ pro-environmental behaviours, this research explored and evaluated adolescents’ pro-environmental behaviour and behaviour determinants (i.e., environmental attitudes and knowledge), their potential influences (i.e., nature and biodiversity perceptions, nature experiences, connections with nature and current and preferred environmental education practices) and identified potential relationships within and between them. This allowed for further insights regarding how these are understood, the incorporation and simultaneous exploration of a number of determinants and influences from different behavioural models and frameworks and also the exploration of relationships within and between models and frameworks and with pro-environmental behaviours enhancing our current understanding. This research adopted a multiple case study design approach in two different socio-cultural settings, Cyprus and Scotland, with a focus on Cyprus and employed mixed research methods in two data collection phases. Phase one explored and described phenomena in both Cyprus and Scotland. It involved group discussions with 24 groups of 4-8 adolescents, and used A2 posters as a discussion schedule on which participants recorded their ideas. Based on findings from phase one, phase two evaluated and explored phenomena in further depth and identified potential relationships between them. It involved questionnaires with adolescents (Scotland: N=40, Cyprus: N=475) and semi-structured interviews with 5 teachers in Cyprus. Phase two also involved the actualisation of adolescents’ environmental education preferences. This consisted of outdoor environmental education activities with adolescents (Scotland=1 group, Cyprus=7 groups) which were evaluated using questionnaires before and after they took place. Results provide support for previous scholars’ claims regarding the multidimensionality and complexity of pro-environmental behaviours and behaviour determinants whilst also indicating differences in variable aspects. Particularly, whilst some adolescents were able to identify pro-environmental behaviours, were concerned about issues, perceived issues as important and had some environmental knowledge, this was not true for everyone. Results also indicated differences in how often individuals undertake different behaviours, differences in perceptions regarding the importance of different issues, differences in attitudes towards different behaviours, differences in reasoning for being concerned and for undertaking the different behaviours. Moreover, results indicated a number of statistically significant relationships within and between some but not all behaviours and determinants. Additionally, results also provide support for previous scholars’ claims regarding the multidimensionality and complexity of potential influences and indicated the existence of relationships between aspects of the different influences and pro-environmental behaviour and behaviour determinants. With regards to nature perceptions the results indicated a focus on the absence of humans and differences in how different areas are perceived. For contact with nature, the results indicated differences in the levels of engagement with different outdoor areas and differing perceptions of whether nature can be experienced indoors. Results regarding nature connections, indicated strong personal nature connections and a negative relationship between humans and nature. The results also indicated a lack of environmental education courses undertaken by adolescents and as part of the Cyprus school curriculum, the consideration of courses such as Geography and Biology as environmental education courses and preferences by adolescents and educators regarding what environmental education practices should consist of. Additionally, results indicated a number of statistically significant relationships between pro-environmental behaviour, determinants and potential influences. Moreover, this research also indicated that designing environmental education activities based on adolescents’ preferences is achievable and the research’s approach can act as a methodological starting point for developing and evaluating future initiatives based on participatory approaches. The examination of adolescents’ and educators’ current and preferred environmental education practices allowed for the identification of several practice recommendations. Particularly, this research advocates (a) the incorporation of courses focused on environmental education in school curricula, reducing bureaucracy issues and dependence on teachers’ initiatives for course development; (b) the consideration of adolescents’ preferences and adolescents involvement in course design; (c) undertaking courses in both indoor and outdoor locales; (d) consideration of educators’ inputs when planning, and with regards to topic, locale and speaker selection; (e) the incorporation of hands-on, fun, interesting and researching activities and (f) the involvement of educators/speakers who are passionate, relatable and kind-hearted. This research advocates the unravelling and evaluation of the multidimensionality of behaviours, determinants and influences; the combination of behavioural models and frameworks and the evaluation of variables potential effects; and the use of socio-ecological frameworks to conceptualise pro-environmental behaviours in different contexts
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