Software Inspection is an effective and efficient method aiming at discovering faults within software artifacts early in the development lifecycle. The success of software inspections is highly dependent on reading techniques that guide the reviewer through the individual inspection. In other words, reading techniques help the reviewer during the inspection process. In this thesis a quite new reading technique, namely usage-based reading, is further evaluated. A reviewer who applies usage-based reading is guided by a set of prioritized use-cases. Hereby the use-cases are ranked according to their importance from the point of view of the user. Thus, the reviewers inspection effort is focused on the parts of the document that concern the most important functionality from the user’s perspective. The particular goal of this study is to figure out whether time-budgets assigned to each use-cases lead to improvements in inspection performance expressed in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and fault content. This concept is called time-controlled reading. The time-budget determines that a particular use-case must not be inspected longer than a certain number of minutes. Initially the assumption was made that time-budgets lead to performance improvements because the reading process can be better planned in forehand, that means most time is spent on the most important use-cases and all use-cases are utilized within the given inspection time. However, the result of this study contradicts that assumption. I found that both techniques are equally efficient and effective and that they find the same fault content. The reason for this is that the techniques are still quite similar and that the timebudgets assigned to the use-cases did not allow the subjects to thoroughly investigate the use-cases because they struggled with the unknown application domain. This is at least the case for lower ranked use-cases with smaller time-frames. As a consequence of this, one can claim that the results might have pointed in favor for time-controlled reading when people familiar with the application domain would have done the same experiment. / kai-petersen@gmx.de

In a fascinating article in The Journal of Ethics, Eleonore Stump contends that while the flicker of freedom defense is the best available strategy for defending the principle of alternative possibilities against the threat posed to that principle by the Frankfurt cases, the defense is ultimately unsuccessful. In this article I identify a number of difficulties with Stump’s criticism of the flicker strategy. Along the way, I also clarify various nuances of the strategy that often get overlooked, and I highlight the advantages of one version of it in particular.

Frankfurt cases are supposed to provide us with counterexamples to the principle of alternative possibilities. Among the most well known responses to these cases is what John Fischer has dubbed the flicker of freedom strategy. Here we revisit a version of this strategy, which we refer to as the fine-grained response. Although a number of philosophers, including some who are otherwise unsympathetic to Frankfurt’s argument, have dismissed the fine grained response, we believe there is a good deal to be said on its behalf. We argue, in particular, that reflection on certain cases involving omissions undermines the main objections to the response and also provides the groundwork for an argument in support of it.

Blockchain was first described in 1991 by Stuart Haber and Scott Stornetta as a methodology to timestamp documents and became popular with the introduction of cryptocurrency in 2008. A blockchain can be both public and private and is often described as a special ledger (like a spreadsheet) with five distinctive features. (1) It is distributed, with no central database that if a copy is corrupted others can replace it. Although each participating member on the blockchain has access to the database, there is no single controller of the information. Every member can verify transactions directly without involving intermediaries. (2) Transactions are peer to peer. There is no central node for transactions. Each peer stores and forwards transactions to all other peers. (3) It is transparent, with all transactions visible in the blockchain. Members are given access to the blockchain and all nodes of the transaction. (4) It is immutable. Once a transaction is created in the chain and the accounts are updated, it cannot be altered. (5) It is based in cryptography, the connection of the blocks is cryptographically secured, and the last line of the block is added as the first line in the next block. Each block is connected to the preceding chain making the record chronological and permanent. Furthermore, the blockchain can be programmed to include rules that activate transactions between nodes. Blockchain technology expedites and solves many business challenges. For example, blockchain technology can be used for payment processing, fraud detection, supply chain management, and verification of ownership. Blockchain technology continues to gain recognition by consumers and companies promising to disrupt existing centralized establishments while improving transparency and increasing accountability. This special session has several objectives. First, we will discuss blockchain technology and how it functions. Second, we will introduce cases of how industries are using this technology. Finally, we will propose a research framework that corresponds with four distinct exchange relationships: consumer-to-consumer, firm-to-firm, firm-to-consumer, and consumer-to-firm.

No description available.

No description available.

The goal of this research was to develop gypsy moth egg mass sampling plans that reflect the influence of habitat, changes in egg mass distribution, and provide populations densities or density categories for making control decisions. Sequential egg mass sampling plans for gypsy moth management programs in urban and suburban habitats were developed from 0.01 ha fixed-radius plot samples collected in Loudoun, Fairfax, and Arlington Counties, Virginia. The sampling plans were develop from Wald's sequential probability ratio test and is based on a negative binomial distribution. Operating characteristic and average sample number curves were used to determine the acceptability of the sampling plans. Three sampling plans were developed for the action thresholds of 618, 1,236, and 2,471 egg masses/ha. The use of binomial sampling for low density (<618 egg masses/ha) gypsy moth populations in continuously forested habitats was examined. Fixed- and variable-radius plot egg mass samples were collected in 28 study areas in Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The relationship between egg mass density and the proportion of trees with zero egg masses was developed. Binomial sampling resulted in a higher relative variability and lower relative efficiency than the fixed- and variable-radius plot sampling method. Binomial sampling was determined not to be an effective sampling method for gypsy moth populations below 618 egg masses/ha. Fixed- and variable-radius plot egg mass samples were taken when leaves were present (summer) and absent (winter) in 136 sample sites in Virginia. A significant difference between summer and winter counts was determined. The relationship between summer and winter counts was quantified using nonparametric Statistics. Winter egg mass counts were found to be 14 to 34 percent higher than summer egg mass counts . The probability of a summer egg mass count exceeding an action threshold was constructed by fitting a logistic curve to empirical data for the action thresholds of 618 and 1,236 egg masses/ha. Egg mass counts need to compensate for differences between summer and winter counts. Alternatively, the probability of a summer egg mass count exceeding an action threshold should be utilized. / Master of Science

This study explored evidence-based education in health professions education through three interrelated manuscripts. First, a scoping review of evidence-based medical education examined the use of the term “evidence-based” in the literature and the presence of evidence-based practices. The review analyzed numerous studies to understand how evidence-based education is defined and applied within the medical education community, highlighting key trends, gaps, and inconsistencies in the application of evidence-based principles. Next, a study employed an agile evidence-based instructional design (AVIDesign) model to create an evidence-based course in palliative care for medical students. This model integrated iterative development processes with evidence-based educational strategies, emphasizing flexibility and responsiveness to feedback. Utilizing transdisciplinary collaboration between faculty and instructional designers (ID), the study examined the use of the model to develop a course for medical students in palliative care. Results include faculty and ID perspectives on using the model, along with student and expert feedback on the materials developed for the course. The final study utilized the AVIDesign model to develop interactive branching case scenarios for a pediatric nursing course. These scenarios were designed to provide nursing students with evidence-based learning experiences that simulate the complexities of pediatric care. By incorporating interactive elements and multiple potential outcomes, the cases aimed to enhance clinical reasoning skills. The study involved continuous collaboration with pediatric nursing experts and instructional designers to refine the scenarios, ensuring they were both educationally effective and engaging for students. Together, these manuscripts illustrate the effectiveness of employing evidence-based design, agile methodologies, and collaborative input to create effective educational interventions in the health professions. They underscore the importance of acquiring, appraising, and applying evidence in developing effective learning interventions.

Yes

The focus of this thesis is on social workers’ knowledge in assessing and making decisions in child welfare cases. The primary aim is to identify what skills or knowledge social workers find most useful within child welfare agencies in Swedish municipalities. Six different types of knowledge, social policy and the approach of child welfare cases are perspectives considered in the analysis. The interviews with social workers were held in three agencies in southern Sweden, in 2014. Main results: social workers’ think it is very important to have different kinds of knowledge and skills in order to perform such professional work as possible. They value peer support where they can exchange experiences and knowledge with each other. The importance to specialize after the bachelor’s degree in social work was also revealed in the results, due to the social work supplementary course only represented undergraduate studies. The approach of child welfare cases it was found that there are many different ways to manage them, but the main thing is to manage the cases with great respect and always strive to apply volunteer efforts where it’s possible. Another point is the political importance which we not counted on.