Religious Styles Predict Interreligious Prejudice: A Study of German Adolescents with the Religious Schema Scale

Streib H, Klein C. Religious Styles Predict Interreligious Prejudice: A Study of German Adolescents with the Religious Schema Scale. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion. 2014;24(2):151-163.Based on a sample of 340 German adolescents age 12 to 25, this article presents an analysis of the effects of religion on two instances of interreligious prejudice: anti-Islamic and anti-Semitic prejudice. Reflecting the emergent interest in implementing a perspective of religious maturity and religious development into research on religion and prejudice, the present study has included the Religious Schema Scale (RSS) which, with its three subscales, Truth of Texts & Teachings (ttt), Fairness, Tolerance & Rational Choice (ftr), and Xenosophia/Interreligious Dialog (xenos), differentiates religious styles. Regression analyses indicate the superior explanatory power of the RSS in comparison to other measures of religiosity. The RSS subscale ttt relates to and predicts anti-Islamic and anti-Semitic prejudice, whereas ftr and xenos relate to and predict disagreement with interreligious prejudice. Results of an analysis of variance using high agreement on ttt, ftr, and xenos for group construction indicate a decrease in interreligious prejudice in relation to religious development

Timed patterns: TCOZ to timed automata

Abstract. The integrated logic-based modeling language, Timed Communicating Object Z (TCOZ), is well suited for presenting complete and coherent requirement models for complex real-time systems. However, the challenge is how to verify the TCOZ models with tool support, especially for analyzing timing properties. Specialized graph-based modeling technique, Timed Automata (TA), has powerful mechanisms for designing real-time models using multiple clocks and has well developed automatic tool support. One weakness of TA is the lack of high level composable graphical patterns to support systematic designs for complex systems. The investigation of possible links between TCOZ and TA may benefit both techniques. For TCOZ, TA’s tool support can be reused to check timing properties. For TA, a set of composable graphical patterns can be defined based on the semantics of the TCOZ constructs, so that those patterns can be re-used in a generic way. This paper firstly defines the composable TA graphical patterns, and then presents sound transformation rules and a tool for projecting TCOZ specifications into TA. A case study of a railroad crossing system is demonstrated

Learning Moore Machines from Input-Output Traces

The problem of learning automata from example traces (but no equivalence or membership queries) is fundamental in automata learning theory and practice. In this paper we study this problem for finite state machines with inputs and outputs, and in particular for Moore machines. We develop three algorithms for solving this problem: (1) the PTAP algorithm, which transforms a set of input-output traces into an incomplete Moore machine and then completes the machine with self-loops; (2) the PRPNI algorithm, which uses the well-known RPNI algorithm for automata learning to learn a product of automata encoding a Moore machine; and (3) the MooreMI algorithm, which directly learns a Moore machine using PTAP extended with state merging. We prove that MooreMI has the fundamental identification in the limit property. We also compare the algorithms experimentally in terms of the size of the learned machine and several notions of accuracy, introduced in this paper. Finally, we compare with OSTIA, an algorithm that learns a more general class of transducers, and find that OSTIA generally does not learn a Moore machine, even when fed with a characteristic sample

Wetland Bird Abundance and Safety Implications for Military Aircraft Operations

Wetlands with associated avifauna can pose a substantial hazard to aviation safety, potentially increasing bird–aircraft collision (strike) risk when located near air operations areas.We modeled year-round use by wetland avifauna of Drummond Flats Wildlife Management Area (Drummond Flats), a wetland complex located within 10 km of Vance Air Force Base (AFB), Enid, Oklahoma, USA. Our objectives were to 1) quantify seasonal avifauna abundances at Drummond Flats; 2) test a priori models reflecting use by bird species recognized as hazardous to aviation safety relative to environmental factors including flooded wetland habitat and vegetation cover; 3) use these models to predict maximal expected abundances of wetland avifauna during flood conditions; and 4) compare our findings with reported bird strikes at Vance AFB. Drought conditions influenced avian use during our study. Of the species expected to respond predictably to flooded wetland habitat, only ducks (Anatinae) occurred in numbers conducive to modeling. Using zero inflated Poisson models, we found that duck abundance was positively associated with permanent wetland habitat type and, excluding winter, available habitat area (i.e., standing water); whereas, \u3e50% vegetation cover was negatively correlated with abundance. No model predicted \u3e97.2 ducks/ha for any habitat type, except during winter. Our models also identified potential peaks in abundance not evident from raw count data, emphasizing the benefits of this approach. Identifying factors driving abundances also enables targeted management of hazardous species. Further, we found double-sampling to be a practical method for assessing detection bias during avian surveys at wetlands. Restricting to obligate wetland species associated with Drummond Flats, we found 1 strike/184,212 flight-hours, which was an order of magnitude lower than the average for U.S. civil aircraft (1990–2014). Thus, under drought conditions, bird use of Drummond Flats likely did not elevate strike risk for Vance AFB aircraft operations

A Retrospective Look at the Monitoring and Checking (MaC) Framework

The Monitoring and Checking (MaC) project gave rise to a framework for runtime monitoring with respect to formally specified properties, which later came to be known as runtime verification. The project also built a pioneering runtime verification tool, Java-MaC, that was an instantiation of the approach to check properties of Java programs. In this retrospective, we discuss decisions made in the design of the framework and summarize lessons learned in the course of the project

Safety analysis of software components of a dialysis machine using model checking

The paper describes the practical use of a model checking technique to contribute to the risk analysis of a new paediatric dialysis machine. The formal analysis focuses on one component of the system, namely the table-driven software controller which drives the dialysis cycle and deals with error management. The analysis provided evidence of the verification of risk control measures relating to the software component. The paper describes the productive dialogue between the developers of the device, who had no experience or knowledge of formal methods, and an analyst who had experience of using the formal analysis tools. There were two aspects to this dialogue. The first concerned the translation of safety requirements so that they preserved the meaning of the requirement. The second involved understanding the relationship between the software component under analysis and the broader concern of the system as a whole. The paper focuses on the process, highlighting how the team recognised the advantages over a more traditional testing approach.This work has been funded by: EPSRC research grant EP/G059063/1: CHI+MED (Computer-Human Interaction for Medical Devices). It has also been financed by the ERDF - European Regional Development Fund through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation - COMPETE 2020 Programme, and by National Funds through the FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) within project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006961

Specification: The Biggest Bottleneck in Formal Methods and Autonomy

Advancement of AI-enhanced control in autonomous systems stands on the shoulders of formal methods, which make possible the rigorous safety analysis autonomous systems require. An aircraft cannot operate autonomously unless it has design-time reasoning to ensure correct operation of the autopilot and runtime reasoning to ensure system health management, or the ability to detect and respond to off-nominal situations. Formal methods are highly dependent on the specifications over which they reason; there is no escaping the “garbage in, garbage out” reality. Specification is difficult, unglamorous, and arguably the biggest bottleneck facing verification and validation of aerospace, and other, autonomous systems. This VSTTE invited talk and paper examines the outlook for the practice of formal specification, and highlights the on-going challenges of specification, from design-time to runtime system health management. We exemplify these challenges for specifications in Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) though the focus is not limited to that specification language. We pose challenge questions for specification that will shape both the future of formal methods, and our ability to more automatically verify and validate autonomous systems of greater variety and scale. We call for further research into LTL Genesis

Reconceptualizing Profit-Orientation in Management: A Karmic View on "Return on Investment" Calculations

From the perspective of the present day, Puritan-inspired capitalism seems to have succeeded globally, including in India. Connected to this, short-term profit-orientation in management seems to constrain the scope of different management approaches in a tight ideological corset. This article discusses the possibility of replacing this Puritan doctrine with the crucial elements of Indian philosophy: Karma and samsara. In doing so, the possibility of revising the guiding principles in capitalist management becomes conceivable, namely the monetary focus of profit-orientation and its short-term orientation. This perspective allows a detachment of the concept of profit from the realm of money, as the seemingly only objectifiable measure of profit. Furthermore it allows a removal of the expectation that every "investment" has to directly "pay off". A karmic view offers management a possible facility for being more caring about the needs and fates of other stakeholders, as profit-orientation would no longer be attached as a factual constraint to merely accumulate money. (author's abstract

Gewalt in der Schule

Vortrag auf der Tagung Bindung, Trauma und soziale Gewalt , 3.-5.12.2004 in Frankfurt am Main

Presence of Avian Influenza Viruses in Waterfowl and Wetlands during Summer 2010 in California: Are Resident Birds a Potential Reservoir?

Although wild waterfowl are the main reservoir for low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIv), the environment plays a critical role for the circulation and persistence of AIv. LPAIv may persist for extended periods in cold environments, suggesting that waterfowl breeding areas in the northern hemisphere may be an important reservoir for AIv in contrast to the warmer southern wintering areas. We evaluated whether southern wetlands, with relatively small populations (thousands) of resident waterfowl, maintain AIv in the summer, prior to the arrival of millions of migratory birds. We collected water and fecal samples at ten wetlands in two regions (Yolo Bypass and Sacramento Valley) of the California Central Valley during three bi-weekly intervals beginning in late July, 2010. We detected AIv in 29/367 fecal samples (7.9%) and 12/597 water samples (2.0%) by matrix real time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR). We isolated two H3N8, two H2N3, and one H4N8 among rRT-PCR positive fecal samples but no live virus from water samples. Detection of AIv RNA in fecal samples was higher from wetlands in the Sacramento Valley (11.9%) than in the Yolo Bypass (0.0%), but no difference was found for water samples (2.7 vs. 1.7%, respectively). Our study showed that low densities of hosts and unfavorable environmental conditions did not prevent LPAIv circulation during summer in California wetlands. Our findings justify further investigations to understand AIv dynamics in resident waterfowl populations, compare AIv subtypes between migratory and resident waterfowl, and assess the importance of local AIv as a source of infection for migratory birds