Reverse Engineering of Middleware for Verification of Robot Control Architectures

We consider the problem of automating the verification of distributed control software relying on publish-subscribe middleware. In this scenario, the main challenge is that software correctness depends intrinsically on correct usage of middleware components, but structured models of such components might not be available for analysis, e.g., because they are too large and complex to be described precisely in a cost-effective way. To overcome this problem, we propose to identify abstract models of middleware as finite-state automata, and then to perform verification on the combined middleware and control software models. Both steps are carried out in a computer-assisted way using state-of-the-art techniques in automata-based identification and verification. Our main contribution is to show that the combination of identification and verification is feasible and useful when considering typical issues that arise in the implementation of distributed control software.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures. The final version of the article is published in Proc. of "Simulation, Modeling, and Programming for Autonomous Robots", SIMPAR 2014 (published by Springer

HIV issues and people with disabilities: A review and agenda for research

The recent AIDS and Disability Partners Forum at the UN General Assembly High Level Meetings on AIDS in New York in June 2011 and the International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC in July 2012 underscores the growing attention to the impact of HIV and AIDS on persons with disabilities. However, research on AIDS and disability, particularly a solid evidence base upon which to build policy and programming remains thin, scattered and difficult to access. In this review paper, we summarise what is currently known about the intersection between HIV and AIDS and disability, paying particular attention to the small but emerging body of epidemiology data on the prevalence of HIV for people with disabilities, as well as the increasing understanding of HIV risk factors for people with disabilities. We find that the number of papers in the peer-reviewed literature remains distressingly small. Over the past 20 years an average of 5 articles on some aspect of disability and HIV and AIDS were published annually in the peer-reviewed literature from 1990 to 2000, increasing slightly to an average of 6 per year from 2000 to 2010. Given the vast amount of research around HIV and AIDS and the thousands of articles on the subject published in the peer-reviewed literature annually, the continuing lack of attention to HIV and AIDS among this at risk population, now estimated to make up 15% of the world’s population, is striking. However, the statistics, while too limited at this point to make definitive conclusions, increasingly suggest at least an equal HIV prevalence rate for people with disabilities as for their nondisabled peers

Encoding conformance checking artefacts in SAT

Conformance checking strongly relies on the computation of artefacts, which enable reasoning on the relation between observed and modeled behavior. This paper shows how important conformance artefacts like alignments, anti-alignments or even multi-alignments, defined over the edit distance, can be computed by encoding the problem as a SAT instance. From a general perspective, the work advocates for a unified family of techniques that can compute conformance artefacts in the same way. The prototype implementation of the techniques presented in this paper show capabilities for dealing with some of the current benchmarks, and potential for the near future when optimizations similar to the ones in the literature are incorporated.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Encoding conformance checking artefacts in SAT

Conformance checking strongly relies on the computation of artefacts, which enable reasoning on the relation between observed and modeled behavior. This paper shows how important conformance artefacts like alignments, anti-alignments or even multi-alignments, defined over the edit distance, can be computed by encoding the problem as a SAT instance. From a general perspective, the work advocates for a unified family of techniques that can compute conformance artefacts in the same way. The prototype implementation of the techniques presented in this paper show capabilities for dealing with some of the current benchmarks, and potential for the near future when optimizations similar to the ones in the literature are incorporated.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

On Nature and the Human

A major contribution of anthropological work has been to challenge a unitary theory of the human. In this American Anthropologist vital topics forum, a range of prominent anthropologists contribute to this challenge and provide musings on the human. The essays in this forum reflect diversity and unity of anthropological thought on human nature. Some note humans’ connection to other primates, and others emphasize our distinction from ancestral patterns. Several reflect on cultural change, globally and locally, while others problematize what we might mean by, and who we include in, a “human” nature. The perception of humans constructing and being constructed by the world and the warning to be cognizant of our approaches to defining ourselves are central themes here. Our goal is to initiate a discussion that might reshape, or at least influence, academic and public debates.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79283/1/j.1548-1433.2010.01271.x.pd

Personalising explainable recommendations: Literature and conceptualisation

Explanations in intelligent systems aim to enhance a users’ understandability of their reasoning process and the resulted decisions and recommendations. Explanations typically increase trust, user acceptance and retention. The need for explanations is on the rise due to the increasing public concerns about AI and the emergence of new laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe. However, users are different in their needs for explanations, and such needs can depend on their dynamic context. Explanations suffer the risk of being seen as information overload, and this makes personalisation more needed. In this paper, we review literature around personalising explanations in intelligent systems. We synthesise a conceptualisation that puts together various aspects being considered important for the personalisation needs and implementation. Moreover, we identify several challenges which would need more research, including the frequency of explanation and their evolution in tandem with the ongoing user experience

The Information Seeking Behaviour of Distance Learners: A Case Study of the University of London International Programmes

An examination of the information behaviour of distance learning students is described, based on a case study of the International Programmes of the University of London. A comprehensive literature analysis, and comparison of relevant information behaviour models were carried out, supported by a survey of student behaviour. Following a pilot study, the main survey gained responses from 649 students, in 81 countries and following diverse study programmes. A variety of inter-related factors were found to influence information behaviour, level and subject of study being most significant. Ease and speed of access, and familiarity of sources were predominant factors. An extension of Wilson's information behaviour model is proposed to cater for the specific features of the distance learning context