Using a realist approach to evaluate smoking cessation interventions targeting pregnant women and young people

Background This paper describes a study protocol designed to evaluate a programme of smoking cessation interventions targeting pregnant women and young people living in urban and rural locations in Northeast Scotland. The study design was developed on so-called 'realist' evaluation principles, which are concerned with the implementation of interventions as well as their outcomes. Methods/design A two-phased study was designed based on the Theory of Change (TOC) using mixed methods to assess both process and outcome factors. The study was designed with input from the relevant stakeholders. The mixed-methods approach consists of semi-structured interviews with planners, service providers, service users and non-users. These qualitative interviews will be analysed using a thematic framework approach. The quantitative element of the study will include the analysis of routinely collected data and specific project monitoring data, such as data on service engagement, service use, quit rates and changes in smoking status. Discussion The process of involving key stakeholders was conducted using logic modelling and TOC tools. Engaging stakeholders, including those responsible for funding, developing and delivering, and those intended to benefit from interventions aimed at them, in their evaluation design, are considered by many to increase the validity and rigour of the subsequent evidence generated. This study is intended to determine not only the components and processes, but also the possible effectiveness of this set of health interventions, and contribute to the evidence base about smoking cessation interventions aimed at priority groups in Scotland. It is also anticipated that this study will contribute to the ongoing debate about the role and challenges of 'realist' evaluation approaches in general, and the utility of logic modelling and TOC approaches in particular, for evaluation of complex health interventions

A flexibilização da lógica em direção a uma melhor modelagem da mente pela IA.

The multidimensional logic is a paraconsistent logic modelling suitable for the human features’ simulations involving contradiction. This paper briefly present how AI (artificial intelligence) can make its logic procedures more flexible by multidimensional logic. The analysis of this logic modelling raise fundamental problems involving human mind’s models, as the evaluation of truthfulness of logic premises. In this sense, alternative ways are pointed through the establishment of motivated rather than arbitrary relations between premises used in logic and something that are represented by them. We claim that motivated relations could be an interesting way toward a most satisfactory AI model of human mind, instead just a simulation of it

On the Modeling and Analysis of Regulations

Regulations are a wide-spread and important part of government and business. They codify how products must be made and processes should be performed. Such regulations can be difficult to understand and apply. In an environment of growing complexity of, and change in, regulation, automated support for reasoning with regulations is becoming increasingly necessary. In this paper we report on ongoing work which aims at providing automated support for the drafting and use of regulations using logic modelling techniques. We highlight the support that can be provided by logic modelling, describe the technical foundation of our project, and report on the status of the project and the next steps

Quantum Measurements from a Logical Point of View

We introduce a logic modelling some aspects of the behaviour of the measurement process, in such a way that no direct mention of quantum states is made, thus avoiding the problems associated to this rather evasive notion. We then study some properties of the models of this logic, and deduce some characteristics that any model (and hence, any formulation of quantum mechanics compatible with its predictions and relying on a notion of measurement) should verify. The main results we obtain are that in the case of a Hilbert space of dimension at least 3, using a strengthening of the Kochen-Specker theorem, we show that no model can lead to the certain prediction of more than one atomic outcome. Moreover, if the Hilbert space is finite dimensional, then we are able to precisely describe the structure of the predictions of any model of our logic. In particular, we show that all the models of our logic do exactly make the same predictions regarding whether a given sequence of outcomes is possible or not, so that quantum mechanics can be considered complete as long as the possibility of outcomes is considered.Comment: In Proceedings QPL 2015, arXiv:1511.0118

Fuzzy logic, modelling and control

Опште начело је да би добра инжењерска теорија требало да буде способна да ефикасно користи све доступне информације. За многе практичне системе важне информације долазе из два извора: како се налазимо у информационој ери, људско знање постаје све важније, и један извор информација су стручњаци који своје знање о систему описују на природним језицима; друга су мерења са разних сензора и математички модели који су изведени на основу физичких закона. Стога је важан задатак комбиновати ове две врсте информација у пројектовању. Да би се то постигло, потребна је теорија која ће системски да формулише људско знање према сличном моделу који се користи за формулисање мерених података и математичких модела, и имплементира га у инжењерске системе. Све наведено представља јединствено обележје теорије фази система, и оправдава постојање теорије фази система као независне гране у инжењерству. Она укључује различите технологије, а ова књига пружа читаоцу основне информације о теорији фази скупова, фази логике, фази моделовања и управљања. Примарни циљ је да се представи довољна основа у фази моделовању и управљању како би се могла спроводити даља проучавања у напредним методологијама меког рачуна и вештачке интелигенције. Добро разумевање теорије главни је услов за њену примену и побољшање или развој властитих идеја и концепата. Да би се то олакшало, у књизи су приказане методе илустроване адекватних примерима и сликама. Књига Фази логика,моделовање и управљање је конципирана тако да обухвата области предвиђене наставним планом и програмом предмета Фази управљачки системи, који је у склопу Мастер академских студија, на Модулу за аутоматског управљање, на Машинском факултету у Београду. Међутим, узимајући и у обзир актуелност и значај упознавања са једном од области меког рачуна и вештачке интелигенције (а теорија фази система то јесте), књига је написана тако да могу да је користе студенти са других усмерења Машинског факултета, као и других факултета, у чијим наставним плановима и програмима је заступљена ова проблематика

International perspectives on artist residencies

There is worldwide interest in artist residencies, and many government agencies are involved in supporting residency programs and/or the artists that take part in them. This publication reports on survey responses from the arts councils and ministries of culture from 18 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Cook Is, Cuba, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, NZ, Scotland, Singapore, Tunisia, United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to understand more about global trends in government support for artist residencies.&nbsp

Fuzzy logic modelling of snow leopard populations in response to threats from climate change

The snow leopard population in Kazakhstan represents a small but important component of the species range, making up around 2.7% of the global range, of which 18,673 km2 lies within protected areas. The most recent population estimate, by Jackson et al. (2008), suggests that there are around 180-200 individuals. Prior to this study there were no reliable estimates of snow leopard numbers in Almaty State Nature Reserve, one of the only two stable populations of snow leopards in Kazakhstan. In total 40 camera traps were deployed for a total of 5152 traps nights and yielded 50 independent capture events of snow leopards (with between 1 and 10 images per event), 275 capture events of primary prey and 68 capture events of secondary prey. The study capture rate of 0.97 independent capture events per 100 trap nights is at the higher end of the range experienced by other studies (see McCarthy et al., 2008) and mark-recapture modelling estimated 11-18 individual snow leopards in the study area which suggests density between 4.4 and 7.2 individuals per 100km2. Our population estimate for the whole reserve is 39.6 individuals, with a standard error of 5.44536 individuals and a 95% confidence interval of 39 to 64. Analysis of movement patterns suggests that individuals frequently crossed valley bottoms and used densely forested habitat in winter, which may indicated prey switching from ibex to forest ungulates. The University of Cumbria has developed a fuzzy logic model which aggregates a wide range of socio-economic and ecological data and provides a tool that can be used to inform the sustainable natural resource and landscape management decision-making process. Our model predicts the consistent negative impact of climate change (warming) at elevations below the tree line; this is particularly significant as the potential positive impacts for snow leopards at high elevation are slower to kick in thereby increasing the habitat squeeze associated with climate change in mountain habitats