BBSRC Data Sharing Policy

BBSRC recognizes the importance of contributing to the growing international efforts in data sharing. BBSRC is committed to getting the best value for the funds we invest and believes that making research data more readily available will reinforce open scientific inquiry and stimulate new investigations and analyses. BBSRC supports the view that data sharing should be led by the scientific community and driven by scientific need. It should also be cost effective and the data shared should be of the highest quality. Members of the community are expected and encouraged to practice and promote data sharing, determine standards and best practice, and create a scientific culture in which data sharing is embedded

An application of the MPP to the interactive manipulation of stereo images of digital terrain models

Massively Parallel Processor algorithms were developed for the interactive manipulation of flat shaded digital terrain models defined over grids. The emphasis is on real time manipulation of stereo images. Standard graphics transformations are applied to a 128 x 128 grid of elevations followed by shading and a perspective projection to produce the right eye image. The surface is then rendered using a simple painter's algorithm for hidden surface removal. The left eye image is produced by rotating the surface 6 degs about the viewer's y axis followed by a perspective projection and rendering of the image as described above. The left and right eye images are then presented on a graphics device using standard stereo technology. Performance evaluations and comparisons are presented

Software reliability through fault-avoidance and fault-tolerance

The use of back-to-back, or comparison, testing for regression test or porting is examined. The efficiency and the cost of the strategy is compared with manual and table-driven single version testing. Some of the key parameters that influence the efficiency and the cost of the approach are the failure identification effort during single version program testing, the extent of implemented changes, the nature of the regression test data (e.g., random), and the nature of the inter-version failure correlation and fault-masking. The advantages and disadvantages of the technique are discussed, together with some suggestions concerning its practical use

Experiments in fault tolerant software reliability

Twenty functionally equivalent programs were built and tested in a multiversion software experiment. Following unit testing, all programs were subjected to an extensive system test. In the process sixty-one distinct faults were identified among the versions. Less than 12 percent of the faults exhibited varying degrees of positive correlation. The common-cause (or similar) faults spanned as many as 14 components. However, a majority of these faults were trivial, and easily detected by proper unit and/or system testing. Only two of the seven similar faults were difficult faults, and both were caused by specification ambiguities. One of these faults exhibited variable identical-and-wrong response span, i.e. response span which varied with the testing conditions and input data. Techniques that could have been used to avoid the faults are discussed. For example, it was determined that back-to-back testing of 2-tuples could have been used to eliminate about 90 percent of the faults. In addition, four of the seven similar faults could have been detected by using back-to-back testing of 5-tuples. It is believed that most, if not all, similar faults could have been avoided had the specifications been written using more formal notation, the unit testing phase was subject to more stringent standards and controls, and better tools for measuring the quality and adequacy of the test data (e.g. coverage) were used

Multiversion software reliability through fault-avoidance and fault-tolerance

In this project we have proposed to investigate a number of experimental and theoretical issues associated with the practical use of multi-version software in providing dependable software through fault-avoidance and fault-elimination, as well as run-time tolerance of software faults. In the period reported here we have working on the following: We have continued collection of data on the relationships between software faults and reliability, and the coverage provided by the testing process as measured by different metrics (including data flow metrics). We continued work on software reliability estimation methods based on non-random sampling, and the relationship between software reliability and code coverage provided through testing. We have continued studying back-to-back testing as an efficient mechanism for removal of uncorrelated faults, and common-cause faults of variable span. We have also been studying back-to-back testing as a tool for improvement of the software change process, including regression testing. We continued investigating existing, and worked on formulation of new fault-tolerance models. In particular, we have partly finished evaluation of Consensus Voting in the presence of correlated failures, and are in the process of finishing evaluation of Consensus Recovery Block (CRB) under failure correlation. We find both approaches far superior to commonly employed fixed agreement number voting (usually majority voting). We have also finished a cost analysis of the CRB approach

Software reliability through fault-avoidance and fault-tolerance

Twenty independently developed but functionally equivalent software versions were used to investigate and compare empirically some properties of N-version programming, Recovery Block, and Consensus Recovery Block, using the majority and consensus voting algorithms. This was also compared with another hybrid fault-tolerant scheme called Acceptance Voting, using dynamic versions of consensus and majority voting. Consensus voting provides adaptation of the voting strategy to varying component reliability, failure correlation, and output space characteristics. Since failure correlation among versions effectively reduces the cardinality of the space in which the voter make decisions, consensus voting is usually preferable to simple majority voting in any fault-tolerant system. When versions have considerably different reliabilities, the version with the best reliability will perform better than any of the fault-tolerant techniques

A clinical and pathological study of genito-urinary tuberculosis

A brief note has been given of the earlier work on genito-urinary tuberculosis and its diagnosis by specialised methods.The etiology and pathology of the disease has been discussed at some length. It is maintained that only by an accurate knowledge of the genesis of tuberculosis can we hope to be successful in our treatment.The clinical manifestations described are based on personal observations made over a period of twenty-six years. Recent methods of diagnosis are mentioned.A brief outline is given of treatment particularly in regard to the giving of tuberculin, and a plea is put forward for its more extensive use in the disease. The relationship of surgery to genito-urinary tuberculosis is discussed

Youth custody throughcare : the role of the community based probation officer

Introduction:Following implementation of Part 1 of the Criminal Justice Act 1982 in May 1983 the semi-determinate sentence of borstal training was replaced by the determinate sentence of youth custody. Consequent upon these changes was a statutory requirement of the Probation Service or Social Services to supervise all those released from youth custody centres. This statutory supervision would run until the date when the sentence would have expired had no remission been granted, subject to a minimum of three months and a maximum of twelve months, (and always subject to expiry on the offender reaching the age of twenty two). As an alternative to release on statutory youth custody supervision, offenders could be released on parole licence with the requirement that should the licence expire before normal supervision would have done, that it was followed by a period of supervision which continued until the date on which it would have ended had parole not been granted.These rather complicated legislative changes had quite extensive implications for the 'throughcare' of young adult offenders sentenced to custody. Both the probation and prison services were afforded the opportunity to review and reformulate their objectives, principles and procedures for throughcare, producing for the first time official national guidelines for throughcare policy and practice, in 1983. In 1984, however, throughcare was allocated a relatively low priority in the Government’s Statement of National Objectives and Priorities for the Probation Service in England and Wales, (Home Office 1984a) and has subsequently been a major issue in the National Association of Probation Officer’s 'withdrawal of probation officers from prisons' policy (NAPO 1986a).Early in 1986, the Home Office Research and Planning Unit commissioned a major piece of research on young offender throughcare to be carried out by Professor A Keith Bottomley and Ms Alison Liebling at the University of Hull’s centre for Criminology and Criminal Justice. The primary focus of this research was upon the provision of throughcare within Prison Department establishments for young male offenders although a limited comparative study of throughcare provision for young adult female offenders was also carried out. Bottoraley and Liebling’s study (published in 1987) examined the views and experiences of staff and trainees in youth custody and detention centres and made it clear that:The picture that emerged naturally reflects the problems and priorities of throughcare from the perspective of those in custody, and may not always appear to give due weight to the problems and priorities relating to throughcare from the perspective of the probation service and individual probation officers working in the outside community. (Bottomley and Liebling, 1987, p3).Consequently, the Economic and Social Research Council funded this linked PhD which is intended to complement Bottomley and Liebling's study and redress any imbalance contained therein.The purpose of this thesis is twofold and can be summarised as follows: to describe, analyse and evaluate the provision of youth custody throughcare by the community based probation officer and Service on a national and local basis; and develop a conceptual framework within which throughcare must be viewed. The thesis is an analysis of the provision and organisation of throughcare to youth custody clients by the community based probation service within the existing framework and guidelines, which it is argued, are inadequate, insubstantial and lead to a reactive rather than proactive service to the client.My central arguments are that; 1) the official guidelines and principles have not clarified an already confused understanding of thoughcare; 2) priorities and resources mean that throughcare has barely progressed beyond the more traditional notion of welfare; 3) although clients and probation officers may differ in their basic understanding of what throughcare is about, their practical experience of the scope of the work involved converge; and 4) a greater understanding of throughcare as a concept must be had before a consistent approach can be made, based upon a broader perspective of success than that offered solely by recourse to reconviction rates.The aims and structure of the thesis are as follows:Chapters 1-3 trace the origins and developing nature of after-care for adult and young adult offenders in England and Wales, the changing legislative prcedures for young adult offenders, and the emergence of the throughcare concept and official recognition of thoughcare from these processes.Chapter 4 restates and expands upon the research problem and background to the research, describes the data collection methods and draws attention to some methodological issues which need to be taken into account in the practical as well as theoretical implementation of a study such as this.Chapter 5 examines the national situation in terms of the Probation Service’s provision and methods of organisation of throughcare following the Criminal Justice Act, 1982 and subsequent restrictions on throughcare imposed by low priority and limited resources.Chapter 6 offers a description and preliminary evaluation of the provision of youth custody throughcare within a local Probation Service (Humberside). The organisation of throughcare at this level is examined and an assessment of the work carried out during the various stages of throughcare based upon work recorded in case records, is offered.Chapters 7 and 8 provide the main description, analysis and evaluation of the provision of youth custody throughcare within Humberside probation Service. The chapters examine the probation officer perspective and client experience of throughcare during the custodial and supervision parts of the sentence and make comparisons with other research and literature in the discussions.Chaper 9 summarises the major findings of the research, attempts an evaluation of youth custody throughcare, considers the need for a conceptual framework for throughcare within which the community based propbation officer must work, and offers a good practice model for thoughcare