Context-Aware Systems: A More Appropriate Response System to Hurricanes and Other Natural Disasters

AbstractA context-aware system may be defined as a system that can understand the context of a given situation and either share this context with other systems for their response or respond by itself. Context has many definitions such as additional information that further describes a given situation. However, the definition of context is very contentious – what is considered context in one system may be considered unimportant in another.In this paper, we focus on the ability of context-aware systems to respond to external events, in particular incoming hurricanes, in an appropriate, authorised and regular manner. Hurricanes are often problematic in that they may be difficult to predict, in terms of direction and intensity, and require immediate and appropriate responses. We look at how this system will respond to an authorised set of stimuli using a pre-defined sequence and set of behavioural rules. The response produced by the system will be appropriate depending on the context of the stimuli received

The implications of policy settings on land use and agricultural technology adoption in North-West India

The irrigated rice-wheat cropping system is the predominant and most profitable farming system in north-west India, especially in Punjab. However, there are growing concerns about the environmental effects of the system, particularly with the practice of burning rice stubbles, due to its adverse effects on human health and air pollution. In this paper we consider the wide array of policy settings that tend to favour current land uses and management practices and their impact on the farming system over time. As part of an ACIAR-funded project, we assess the significance of these policies with a view to considering what additional or alternative policies could be put in place to encourage the adoption of approaches or technologies directly concerned with reducing the practice of stubble burning. We conclude that many of these policy settings limit the gains from technology adoption and might be better addressed prior to considering policies aimed at specific technological solutions.agricultural policy, air pollution, stubble burning, technology adoption, India, Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries, Land Economics/Use, Political Economy, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Should Mathematics Be A Mandatory Fundamental Component Of Any IT Discipline?

In this paper, we investigate whether and how mathematics factors into students’ performance in IT learning. The involved cognitive levels of students learning mathematics and hence problem solving, are correlated to how well they are able to transpose their knowledge and apply it to problem solving in the IT field(s). Our hypothesis is that if students perform better in mathematics, in terms of level of mathematics course and grade earned in that course prior to engaging in IT studies, their performance in IT will also be higher. The performance of several groups of students, over a period of five semesters are collected, analyzed and the correlation between mathematics learning ability and that of IT is measured, analyzed, and the results are reported and therefore the hypothesis is tested

15P. Applying Organisational Learning to User Requirements Elicitation

The aim of the paper is to determine the best method to capture the functional and non-functional requirements of software and to ensure that the acquired software is deemed suitable by the users. The paper compares the organisational learning approach to the traditional method of software requirements elicitation and adoption. We analysed the two approaches in a case study of a Bahamian horizontal construction company. The focus of the study is on how the stakeholders capture tacit knowledge during the processes of both approaches. The findings show that the organisational learning model was more effective in eliciting software requirements, especially in helping incorporate the tacit knowledge of requirements in a broad range of company stakeholders. The study also demonstrates the significance of tacit knowledge among company stakeholders, in particular during the construction cost estimation phase. In order to produce a more accurate estimate and ensure the user acceptance for the software throughout the company, the cost estimation phase must be incorporated with the requirements and the users must be involved throughout the software requirements elicitation and adoption process

Which Introductory Programming Approach Is Most Suitable For Students: Procedural Or Visual Programming?

In this paper, we discuss the visual programming approach to teaching introductory programming courses and then compare this approach with that of procedural programming. The involved cognitive levels of students, as beginning students are introduced to different types of programming concepts, are correlated to the learning processes of programming. Our hypothesis is that if beginning students are introduced to programming concepts by means of a console-based procedural programming approach, they perform better in subsequent visual programming higher level courses. The performance of two groups of students, one group who began with the console-based procedural programming approach and then advanced to a higher level visual programming course and the other group which began with a lower level visual programming course before proceeding to the same higher level visual programming course, is measured, analysed, and the results are reported, with statistical analysis, and correlated to the hypothesis

Application of neural networks and sensitivity analysis to improved prediction of trauma survival

Application of neural networks and sensitivity analysis to improved prediction of trauma surviva

Evolution of batch-oriented COBOL systems into object-oriented systems through unified modelling language.

Throughout the world, there are many legacy systems that fulfil critical business functions but often require new functionality to comply with new business rules or require redeployment to another platform. Legacy systems vary tremendously in size, functionality, type (such as batch-oriented or real-time), programming language source code, and many other factors. Furthermore, many of these legacy systems have missing or obsolete documentation which makes it difficult for developers to re-develop the system to meet any new functionality. Moreover, the high cost of whole scale redevelopment and high switchover costs preclude any replacement systems for these legacy systems. Reengineering is often proposed as a solution to this dilemma of high re-development and switchover costs. However, reengineering a legacy system often entails restructuring and re-documenting a system. Once these restructuring and re-documentation processes have been completed, the developers are better able to redevelop the parts of the systems that are required to meet any new functionality. This thesis introduces a number of methods to restructure a procedurally-structured, batch-oriented COBOL system into an object-oriented, event-driven system through the use of an intermediate mathematical language, the Wide Spectrum Language (WSL), using system source code as the only documentation artefact. This restructuring process is accomplished through the application of several algorithms of object identification, independent task evaluation, and event identification that are provided in the thesis. Once these transformations are complete, method(s) are specified to extract a series of UML diagrams from this code in order to provide documentation of this system. This thesis outlines which of the UML diagrams, as specified in the UML Specifications version 1.5, can be extracted using the specified methods and under what conditions this extraction, using system source code only, can occur in a batch-oriented system. These UML diagrams are first expressed through a WSL-UML notation; a notation which follows the semantics and structure of UML Specifications version 1.5 in order to ensure compatibility with UML but is written as an extension of WSL in order to enable WSL to represent abstract modelling concepts and diagrams. This WSL-UML notation is then imported into a visual UML diagramming tool for the generation of UML diagrams to represent this system. The variety of legacy systems precludes any universal approach to reengineering. Even if a legacy system shares a common programming language, such as COBOL, the large number of COBOL constructs and the huge number of possible dialects prevents any universal translator of the original program code to another. It is hoped that by focusing on one particular type of legacy system with constraints, in this case a batch-oriented COBOL system with its source code its only surviving artefact, and by providing validated algorithms to restructure and re-document these legacy systems in the Unified Modelling Language, an industry system modelling standard, and by determining which of these Unified Modelling Language can be extracted practically from such a system, some of the parameters and uncertainties, such as program understanding of an undocumented system, in reengineering this type of system can be reduced

Mineralogy of Dust Emissions from the Bodele Depression

This study focused on identifying the minerals in the dust emitted from the Bodele Depression in northern Chad in the Saharan Desert. Understanding the mineralogy provides the information needed to assess the effects that mineral dust has on climate and climate change relative to the energy budget and radiative forcings, and cloud characteristics and properties, and assists in providing critical information for assessing amounts of nutrients delivered to oceans and lands. There is a question of health issues related to dust emissions not addressed in this study. Using a traditional X-Ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) with chemical analysis capabilities, French geological survey maps, and a new instrument for detecting d-spacings and K-fluorescence in unprepared samples called the XRD XRF (CCDXRD) that couples a CCD with traditional X-Ray diffractometer, mineral identification is possible. Findings and Conclusions: The samples from the Bodele in situ aerosol and bulk ground materials produce the dust emissions occurring from the region ~40% of the days in a year. The results from literature review, X-Ray diffractometer data, SEM data, geological survey maps, and the CCD XRD data provided concrete identification of the Bodele minerals as typical crustal silicate minerals with small amounts of calcium carbonate, dolomite, silica, desiccated diatoms, and possible iron oxides. The silicate minerals are primarily ferromagnesian and framework silicates typical of low-lying depositional basins and the weathering processes occurring in alternating wet and dry periods. Clays minerals halloysite, kaolinite, and smectites (montmorillite) are the most common. Exotic materials were detected in two of the bulk samples. A reading of 25.75% titanium in one sample, and elevated isolated silicon data (considered cosmic silicon) provided the only anomalies in the study.Environmental Sciences Progra

Depression as a Mediator between Combat Deployment and Substance Use among Veterans

Individuals who deploy to combat zones often develop increased rates of substance use problems, which may be due to self-medication for depressive symptoms. This study used logistic simple mediation analyses with bootstrapping to test whether depression mediates the relationship between combat zone experience and substance dependence or abuse (alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, opioids, other illicit drugs, and concurrent substance misuse) among military veterans via secondary data analysis of the 2013 to 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH; N = 14,121; 87.9% male; 54.4% age 50+; 75.2% white; 34.5% with combat zone experience). Analysis revealed that depression was only a significant mediator of the relationship between combat zone experience and alcohol dependence or abuse (OR = 1.020, 95% CI [1.002, 1.054], p \u3c .05). Among the individual effects tested, the effect of combat zone experience on depression was only significant for alcohol (b = .167, 95% CI [.008, .326], p \u3c .05), the effect of depression on substance dependence or abuse was significant for all substance categories except marijuana (ORs = 1.125 to 1.473, ps \u3c .05), and the direct effect of combat zone experience on all substance dependence or abuse categories was not significant, ps \u3e .05. Clinicians may consider screening for depression in all veterans, as well as screening for and emphasizing substance use prevention measures in those showing signs of depression. Our results also suggest the importance of combining treatments for depression and alcohol to improve treatment outcomes among veterans, regardless of combat zone experience