Risk-Based Design of Socio-Cyber-Physical Systems

The aim of risk management of socio-cyber-physical systems at designing is the integral safety, which ensures their coexistence with their vicinity  throughout their life cycles. On the basis of present knowledge and experience, part of risks that threaten socio-cyber-physical systems shall be mitigated by preentive measures during their designing and manufacturing. Due to dynamic changes of the world, the conditions of socio-cyber-physical systems at operation change. If  changes exceed the socio-cyber-physical systems´ safety limits which were inserted into their designs, the accidents or  socio-cyber-physical sysems´ failures occur. The presented risk management plan is tool which ensures the prevention of such unaccepted situations and the safety.  

Disease Outbreaks and Agricultural Trade: The Case of Potatoes

This study analyzed the impact of PVYn and potato wart disease outbreaks in PEI on the potato industry. These disease outbreaks resulted in the loss of the US seed export market to PEI producers. The effects of the disease outbreaks were mitigated through value-added processing. Price premiums for processed potatoes allowed PEI potato producers to abandon seed exports without incurring losses. Evidence is presented to suggest that other countries have also used this approach when export restrictions were placed on domestic agricultural industries. Policy response to the two disease outbreaks include: i) development of a zones policy that helped to reopen markets into the US; and ii) financial compensation to producers above the minimum levels required under the Seeds Act and Regulations. Implementation of the zones policy had beneficial impacts on the potato industry and is mirrored in other disease outbreaks. In contrast, compensation above minimum requirements may set a costly precedent for future disease outbreaks and may have caused moral hazard problems.disease, trade, potatoes, Canada, food, safety, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Development, International Relations/Trade,

Self-aggregates Of Cationic Meso-tetratolylporphyrins In Aqueous Solutions

Aggregation properties of meso-tetratolylporphyrins bearing cationic substituents of a lipophilic nature such as ammonium, pyridinium, phosphonium, sulfonium, and isothiouronium were studied by UV/vis and resonance light scattering spectroscopy. The exciton point-dipole approximation was used to predict the structural alignment of the porphyrin units within the aggregate. The contribution of various types of aggregates depends on the porphyrin substitution, ionic strength, and temperature of aqueous solution of the porphyrin. In general, the preferred structure of an aggregate formed by temperature-induced aggregation is the J-aggregate exhibiting the characteristically narrow, red-shifted Soret band indicating a parallel side-by-side arrangement of the porphyrin units. The formation of aggregates of cationic tetratolylporphyrins is controlled by both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, Observed aggregation properties of porphyrin derivatives bearing trimethylammonium, trimethylphosphonium, pyridinium, dimethylphenylphosphonium, and triphenylphosphonium substituents are in very good agreement with a theoretical model based solely on electrostatic interactions

Between persistence and flexibility: the neuromodulation of cognitive control

In the realm of cognitive science, the quest to understand cognitive control has persisted for decades. Traditional notions of cognitive control have focused on inhibition through the prefrontal cortex, but this dissertation challenges that perspective with a more comprehensive framework: The Metacontrol State Model (MSM). The MSM proposes that cognitive control emerges from the interplay between two opposing systems – one promoting flexibility and the other promoting persistence. These systems interact to shape our cognitive processing styles, thereby influencing our ability to effectively regulate our actions. This dissertation explores questions such as why individuals exhibit differences in cognitive control capacity and how state-related changes and trait-related predispositions impact cognitive control function. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to empirically test the MSM model and shed light on the factors that influence cognitive control. Through a series of experiments, it seeks to understand how altered states of consciousness, achieved through meditation techniques or serotonergic psychedelics, affect the balance between intentional and habitual processes. Additionally, it examines the extent to which individual trait biases serve as trans-diagnostic markers in various psychopathologies. This work comprises a literature review and six empirical articles. By integrating theory and empirical research, this dissertation takes us on a journey into the intricate world of cognitive control, shaping our understanding of how it influences our lives. European Research Council (ERC)Action Contro

The Analysis of Rock Surface Asperities

The analysis of rock surface is commonly used in technical practice. The nature discontinuity rocks are often represented by specific degree of roughness. This value has the significant effect on the rock slope stability. It is defined by the asperities and the computation is based on the visual comparison of discontinuity traces or discontinuity surfaces with standard two-dimensional graphs. The visual comparison is a subjective method, so that we propose novel method for roughness-angles analysis. Our method consists of the application of cosine Fourier series. We tested the method on the sample of limestone. The article also describes the method Surface from Focus that reconstruct the 3D surface from a set of partially focused images

Connecting minds and sharing emotions through mimicry: A Neurocognitive Model of Emotional Contagion

Action Contro

The parenting task: parent's concerns and where they would seek help

Governments are concerned to promote positive parenting but it is difficult to know how and where to target the necessary support. How should we listen to the concerns expressed by parents themselves? Social work and health care professionals and those involved in developing parenting programmes tend to base their interventions on their experiences with families already in crisis. This paper reports on a survey of the views of two groups of parents: a community sample and a small group of parents involved in a young parent's project. Issues, which concern the parents, are identified as well as consideration of which agencies might be best placed to address these. Parents were most likely to approach their children's school or doctor for information, advice, or support. Parents were found to be reluctant to approach social work agencies