Rigorously assessing software reliability and safety

This paper summarises the state of the art in the assessment of software reliability and safety ("dependability"), and describes some promising developments. A sound demonstration of very high dependability is still impossible before operation of the software; but research is finding ways to make rigorous assessment increasingly feasible. While refined mathematical techniques cannot take the place of factual knowledge, they can allow the decision-maker to draw more accurate conclusions from the knowledge that is available

The factors affecting the dispersion of gastro-intestinal parasites in birds, specifically the nematode Heterakis gallinarum in the ring-necked pheasant Phasianus colchicus

This thesis aimed to identify and parameterise the factors affecting host susceptibility to parasitism. The model system chosen was the caecal nematode Heterakis gallinarum, infecting the ring-necked pheasant Phasianus colchicus. It has become increasingly important to examine the characteristics within hosts that affect susceptibility to parasitism as current control methods are becoming more restricted. Non-invasive parasite control procedures for game birds could solve many of the problems associated with largescale anthelmintic usage and resultant resistance. The research was undertaken using pheasants naive to parasite infection that were orally challenged with H. gallinarum eggs, or using individuals previously exposed to parasitism that were again naturally exposed. The results showed that host susceptibility to parasitism was affected by variation in the T-cell mediated immune response of the pheasant host, possible acquired immune resistance of the pheasant to H. gallinarum parasitism, nutritional stress interacting with body condition, and possible trade-offs between condition, spleenic response, secondary sexual ornaments and H. gallinarum parasitism. H. gallinarum did not seem to affect pheasant morbidity subsequent to parasite challenge

Constructing One Component of a Survey Instrument to Measure the Influence of an Athletic Trainer\u27s Worldview in his Decision Making Process

Athletic trainers are often put in situations where they may be pressured to make morally compromising decisions regarding issues ranging from insurance fraud to substance abuse. The Athletic Training Department at Liberty University seeks to produce findings based on the results of a survey focusing on the role that an athletic trainer\u27s worldview plays in these decision-making processes that shows a correlation between an individual\u27s worldview and the types of decisions he makes. It is the goal of the Liberty University Athletic Training Program to determine how significant the effects of an athletic trainer\u27s worldview would have on the decisions that he makes in a given situation. The purpose of this research project was to develop one of two surveys which will be combined to form the final survey instrument that the Athletic Training Program will use to collect and classify the data concerning the effects of an athletic trainer\u27s worldview in his decision-making process. Designing this research instrument included tasks such as pre-testing reliability, establishing objectivity, and determining variables. These, among other things, were all considerations during the process of constructing such a survey instrument. It is important to note that the purpose of this project was to develop only one of the two surveys which will then be combined to form the final instrument that will be used in a future study by the Athletic Training Program at Liberty University

Metadata Schema x-econ Repository

Since May 2017, the x-hub project partners OVGU Magdeburg, University of Vienna, and GESIS dispose of a new repository, called x-econ (https://x-econ.org). The service is dedicated to all experimental economics research projects to disseminate user-friendly archiving and provision of experimental economics research data. The repository x-econ contains all necessary core functionalities of a modern repository and is in a continuous optimization process aiming at functionality enhancement and improvement. x-econ is also one pillar of the multidisciplinary repository x-science (https://x-science.org). The present documentation, which is primarily based on the GESIS Technical Reports on datorium 2014|03 and da|ra 4.0, lists and explains the metadata elements, used to describe research information

The VESPA Project: Virtual Reality Interventions for Neurocognitive and Developmental Disorders

VESPA is a financed project supported by the Sicilian Regional Research and Development funds, and it is structured by the development, research and validation of Virtual Reality (VR) based application for the diagnosis and treatment of neurocognitive conditions. In particular, this article presents its characteristics, referred to as the first (2013-2015) and second (2021-ongoing) generations of VESPA, with particular reference to literature regarding the VR technology application and development, the VR treatment of neurocognitive conditions and prior versions of this intervention. Through a comprehensive review of the research conducted over the last 5 years, evidence has emerged supporting VESPA’s aim and scopes, highlighting how the application of VR can be considered to add value to typical rehabilitation/therapeutic paths. VESPA project generations are then presented in detail, including specific session/task battery characteristics, 2.5D, 3D and 5D typologies, system usability and architecture and pathological domain-based dynamics and features. The discussion about VESPA will highlight the current advantages along with limitations and future directions

Comparing groups versus individuals in decision making: A systematic review protocol

Background Biodiversity management requires effective decision making at various stages. However decision making in the real world is complex, driven by multiple factors and involves a range of stakeholders. Understanding the factors that influence decision making is crucial to addressing the conflicts that arise in conservation. Decisions can be made either by individuals or by groups. This precise context has been studied extensively for several decades by behavioural economists, social psychologists and intelligence analysts. The observations from these disciplines can offer useful insights for biodiversity conservation. A systematic review on group versus individual decision making is currently lacking. This systematic review would enable us to synthesize the key insights from these disciplines for a range of scenarios useful for conservation. Methods The review will document studies that have investigated differences between group and individual decision making. The focus will be on empirical studies; the comparators in this case are decisions made by individuals while the intervention is group decision making. Outcomes include level of bias in decision outcomes or group performance. The search terms will include various combinations of the words “group”, “individual” and “decision-making”. The searches will be conducted in major publication databases, google scholar and specialist databases. Articles will be screened at the title and abstract and full text level by two reviewers. After checking for internal validity, the articles will be synthesized into subsets of decision contexts in which decision making by groups and individuals have been compared. The review process, all extracted data, original studies identified in the systematic review process and inclusion and exclusion decisions will be freely available as Additional file 1 in the final review.NM is funded by the Fondation Weiner Anspach in Belgium. WJS is funded by Arcadia. LVD was supported under the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) Programme, grant code NE/K015419/1. GES is funded by The Nature Conservancy.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from BioMed Central via http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13750-016-0066-

Game-Based Simulation and Study of Pedestrian-Automated Vehicle Interactions

We identify the need for enhanced pedestrian–vehicle simulation tools and build such a tool to explore the interaction among pedestrian "players" and virtual human- and automated-vehicles for different scenarios taking place in an urban environment. We first present contemporary research tools and then propose the design and development of a new desktop application that facilitates pedestrian-point-of-view research. We then conduct a three-step user experience experiment, in which a small number of participants answer questions before and after using the application to interact with virtual human and automated vehicles in diverse road-crossing scenarios. Behavioral results observed in virtuality, especially when motivated by consequence, tend to simulate real life sufficiently well to inform design choices. From the simulation, we observed valuable insights into human–vehicle interactions. Upon completing this preliminary testing, we iterated the tool’s design and ultimately conducted an 89-participant study of human–vehicle interactions for three scenarios taking place in a virtual environment. Our tool raised participant awareness of autonomous vehicles and their capabilities and limitations, which is an important step in overcoming public distrust of AVs. We additionally saw that participants trust humans and technology less as drivers than in other contexts, and that pedestrians feel safer around vehicles with autonomy indicators. Further, we note that study participants increasingly feel safe with automated vehicles with increased exposure. These preliminary results, as well as the efficacy of the tool’s design, may inform future socio-technical design for automated vehicles and their human interactions