Recommendations for NASA research and development in artificial intelligence

Basic artificial intelligence (AI) research, AI applications, engineering, institutional management, and previously impractical missions enabled by AI are discussed

The validity, reliability and responsiveness of procedure based assessment in simulated vascular procedures

IntroductionProcedure based assessment (PBA) has been shown to be valid and reliable in the workplace however whether this translates to the simulation setting has not yet been demonstrated. Therefore the aim of this thesis is to demonstrate that PBA is a valid, reliable and responsive assessment tool in simulated vascular procedures.MethodsThree experiments based on simulated vascular operations were designed to explore the validity, reliability and responsiveness of PBA utilising 3 commonly performed vascular procedures. The global and task specific checklist (GTSC) and global summary score (GSS) of a modified PBA were analysed separately. Validity was determined by correlating performance with prior operative experience (number of operations previously observed and performed) and stage in surgical training. Reliability and responsiveness was determined by use of multiple raters and assessingchange in performance over time.ResultsThe modified PBA was found to be a valid assessment method based on number of operations previously performed (r=0.446 p=0.029 for the GTSC and r=0.553 p= 0.005 for the GSS) but not for operations previously observed. Only the PBA GTSC was valid for stage of surgical training (r= 0.588 p=0.002). The modified PBA demonstrated good inter-rater reliability (r= 0.665 p= 0.005 for the GTSC and r= 0.843 p> 0.001 for the GSS) during simulated vascular procedures. Intra-rater reliability was not demonstrated. The PBA GSS was found to be responsive to improved performance (WSR p< 0.001) but the PBA GTSC was not (WSR p = 0.104).ConclusionThe modified PBA is a valid assessment of surgical skill when correlated with previous operative performance. Observation alone appears to contribute little to assessment outcomes. Performance is index specific and not fully dependant on training level. PBA has only partial reliability in simulated vascular procedure due to the lack of intra-rater reliability. PBA was responsive to practice effect suggesting it could be useful to monitor trainee performance in simulation. PBA potentially has a role in simulation assessment but did not demonstrate sufficient reliability for high stakes examination

Femicide across Europe

"Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. Femicide, the killing of women and girls because of their gender, was until recently included in the category ‘homicide’, obscuring the special features of this social and gendered phenomenon. However, the majority of murders of women are perpetrated by men whom they know from family ties and are the result of intimate partner violence or so-called 'honour' killings. This book is the first one on femicide in Europe and presents the findings of a four-year project discussing various aspects of femicide. Written by leading international scholars with an interdiscplinary perspective, it looks at the prevention programmes and comparative quantitative and qualitative data collection, as well as the impact of culture. It proposes the establishment of a European Observatory on Femicide as a new direction for the future, showing the benefits of cross-national collaboration, united to prevent the murder of women and girls.

Femicide across Europe

"Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. Femicide, the killing of women and girls because of their gender, was until recently included in the category ‘homicide’, obscuring the special features of this social and gendered phenomenon. However, the majority of murders of women are perpetrated by men whom they know from family ties and are the result of intimate partner violence or so-called 'honour' killings. This book is the first one on femicide in Europe and presents the findings of a four-year project discussing various aspects of femicide. Written by leading international scholars with an interdiscplinary perspective, it looks at the prevention programmes and comparative quantitative and qualitative data collection, as well as the impact of culture. It proposes the establishment of a European Observatory on Femicide as a new direction for the future, showing the benefits of cross-national collaboration, united to prevent the murder of women and girls.

The impact of teacher and peer dialogue on online collaborative writing in an authentic science literacy learning environment

This research is concerned with authentic science writing, and in particular, investigating collaborative science writing at secondary school level, using an online collaborative-writing environment. Specifically, it investigates how measures of successful authenticity relate to (i) how close to the text-structure of a prototypical library report genre are collaboratively-written student papers (i.e., how close to the model students were taught) (ii) to what extent do the papers use the language of science as expected at this level of schooling, for example, use of nominalization, and finally, (iii) what is the degree of participation and contribution by students in a collaborative writing task? The research also examined how students' collaboratively written texts evolved, or changed, over time in terms of their textual structure and of their key linguistic features. The research provides some insight into how text changes and evolution could be explained in relation to online dialogue and feedback. Finally, the thesis identifies the implications of the above for pedagogy and policy, i.e., for (i) students' language development in science and the use of genre pedagogies, (ii) collaborative writing in science, and (iii) on line pedagogy

Social Marketing in Action

This book was written for those interested in creating social change for the greater good. In this book, we provide a wide selection of social marketing cases from which we can learn and teach. The book is intended for both academic and practitioner use. Part I of this book offers a brief yet comprehensive review of social marketing. This provides the reader with the background in social change and marketing necessary to read and analyze the subsequent cases. Parts II, III, IV, and V of this book offer a total of 24 social marketing cases, from a variety of countries, addressing many different issues. For classroom use, this book is written to serve as a stand-alone tool, with Part I providing a concise introduction to social marketing principles and theory. Chapter appendices provide links to further readings on social marketing principles for those wishing to delve deeper. If still further detail on social marketing principles and theory are desired, this book can easily be paired with another social marketing textbook as well. We have aimed the book to be accessible to undergraduate students but also offer sufficient material to challenge students at the graduate level. Advanced students should be encouraged to further explore the references and links provided, to critique the case approaches, and to offer alternative strategies for the cases provided. A separate teaching guide collection is available for the book as well. This collection contains answers to the discussion questions in the cases, as well as suggested activities for inside and outside of the classroom. Additionally, the teaching guides for many cases offer suggestions for further reading and other helpful resources. For practitioner use, Part I offers a refresher on basic social marketing principles. In addition, a variety of references are offered, allowing for further personal study. Parts II through V offer detailed information about a wide variety of actual social marketing programs. You can compare and contrast these cases with your own situation, hopefully gaining insights that will be helpful in your own social marketing efforts

Building up the housing finance market in KSA improving the legal infrastructure

This research project purports to offer a comprehensive analysis of how the legal framework in Saudi Arabia might be improved to further the development and efficacy of the housing finance market. The research aims to achieve the following objectives: enhancing the efficiency of the main participants, lender and borrower, in the housing finance market by providing them with the desired protection; facilitating access to that market; building up a proper regulatory framework for governing the market; and finally, addressing the legal barriers that hinder the provision of cheap liquidity in the market. Although the Housing Finance Laws (HFLs) 2012 were introduced and enacted with similar objectives in mind, this thesis argues that four issues still present significant obstacles to the development of the housing finance market, albeit some are a result of the provisions of the HFLs themselves. As a consequence, the thesis has sought to address the following questions; what barriers to the development of the housing finance remain unaddressed? How should Saudi law be reformed to provide adequate protection for lender and borrower in the market? Can the Land Fees Law 2016 play a critical role in addressing the current issue of increasing land prices which hinders access to the housing finance market? How can the regulatory framework for regulating the housing finance market in general, and for adopting the macro-prudential policy in particular, be developed to achieve the HFLs’ aims? And, finally, how might Saudi laws be reformed to enable the launch of a securitisation market, in order to assist in the development of the housing finance market by providing new means of liquidity? It is hoped that critical analysis of the above questions will help to facilitate development of the housing finance market and contribute to its further improvement, by addressing potentially workable solutions to the obstacles listed above