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Formal verification methods have been shown to be very effective in finding corner-case bugs and ensuring the safety of embedded software systems. The use of formal verification requires a specification, which is typically a high-level mathematical model that defines the correct behavior of the system to be verified. However, embedded software requirements are typically described in natural language. Transforming these requirements into formal specifications is currently a big gap. While there is some work in this area, we proposed solutions to address this gap in the context of refinement-based verification, a class of formal methods that have shown to be effective for embedded object code verification. The proposed approach also addresses both functional and timing requirements and has been demonstrated in the context of safety requirements for software control of infusion pumps. The next step in the verification process is to develop the refinement map, which is a mapping function that can relate an implementation state (in this context, the state of the object code program to be verified) with the specification state. Actually, constructing refinement maps often requires deep understanding and intuitions about the specification and implementation, it is shown very difficult to construct refinement maps manually. To go over this obstacle, the construction of refinement maps should be automated. As a first step toward the automation process, we manually developed refinement maps for various safety properties concerning the software control operation of infusion pumps. In addition, we identified possible generic templates for the construction of refinement maps. Recently, synthesizing procedures of refinement maps for functional and timing specifications are proposed. The proposed work develops a process that significantly increases the automation in the generation of these refinement maps. The refinement maps can then be used for refinement-based verification. This automation procedure has been successfully applied on the transformed safety requirements in the first part of our work. This approach is based on the identified generic refinement map templates which can be increased in the future as the application required.

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the clogging potential of installed pervious concrete systems, to analyze rehabilitation techniques and develop construction specifications for the construction of portland cement pervious concrete specific to the state of Florida. Currently, a consistent statewide policy has not been established in reference to credit for storage volume within the voids in pervious concrete and the coarse aggregate base. For this reason a current and updated assessment of pervious pavement is needed to benefit from the advantages of pervious pavement use in low traffic volume areas. Initially by modeling a pervious concrete system in a field laboratory with test cells of typical Florida soil conditions and groundwater elevations and combining these data with field data from multiple sites of long service life, a Florida specific construction methodology has been developed. It is hoped that by developing a more standardized design criteria for pervious pavements in Florida a statewide acceptance of portland cement pervious pavement can be achieved and credit can be earned based on the volume of stored stormwater. This study of field sites was subsequently expanded to include locations in the southeastern United States. Pervious concrete has suffered historically poor support due to a number of factors, including concern about poor long term performance due to clogging of surface pores. Eight existing parking lots were evaluated to determine the infiltration rates of pervious concrete systems that have had relatively no maintenance. Infiltration rates were measured using an embedded single-ring infiltrometer developed specifically for testing pervious concrete in an in-situ state. The average infiltration rates of the pervious concrete that was properly constructed at the investigated sites ranged from 0.4 to 227.2 inches per hour. A total of 30 pervious concrete cores were extracted and evaluated for infiltration rates after various rehabilitation techniques, including pressure washing, vacuum sweeping and a combination of the two methods, have been performed to rehabilitate the infiltration capability of the concrete. By evaluating the effectiveness of these rehabilitation techniques, recommendations have been developed for a maintenance schedule for pervious concrete installations. In most cases it was found that the three methods of maintenance investigated in this study typically resulted in a 200% or greater increase over the original infiltration rates of the pervious concrete cores. It is therefore recommended that as a general rule of thumb one or a combination of these rejuvenation techniques should be performed when the system infiltration rates are below 1.5 inches per hour to maintain the infiltration capability of pervious concrete pavements.

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No description available.

Denna rapport avser att undersöka för- och nackdelar med att utveckla ett för ändamålet specialanpassat system eller utnyttja de standardsystem, som i det aktuella fallet tryckerikoncernen JMS redan äger och använder. Genom en mer noggrann definiering av ickefunktionella krav på bland annat användbarhet har en specialanpassad prototyp framställts. I projektet användes metoder för kravinsamling som ledde till en kravspecifikation och i sin tur slutade med en färdig prototyp. Prototypen jämfördes med två standardsystem genom användartester och intervjuer. Prototypen visade sig leva upp till de krav som upptäcktes. Majoriteten av testpersonerna föredrog ett enklare avskalat system, vilket prototypen upplevdes som, före system med mycket information och funktioner. Med tanke på kostnaden rekommenderas dock JMS att försöka strukturera upp ett av de i företaget befintliga systemen och använda detta istället för att utveckla och implementera ytterligare ett nytt system i företaget. / This report intends to explore the pros and cons of developing a customized system or use the standard system, which in this case printing JMS Group already owns and uses. With a more accurate definition of non-functional requirements such as usability, has a custom-made prototype been built. The project used methods of requirements gathering that led to a specification and ended with a finished prototype. The prototype was compared with two standard systems through user testing and interviews. The prototype proved to live up to the requirements discovered. The majority of test subjects preferred a simpler clean system, which the prototype was, to systems with a lot of information and functions. Given the cost JMS was recommended to structure one of the systems that they already owns and uses instead of developing and implementing a new system further in the company.

Imitation learning is a powerful data-driven paradigm that enables machines to acquire advanced skills at a human-level proficiency by learning from demonstrations provided by humans or other agents. This approach has found applications in various domains such as robotics, autonomous driving, and text generation. However, the effectiveness of imitation learning depends heavily on the quality of the demonstrations it receives. Human demonstrations can often be inadequate, partial, environment-specific, and sub-optimal. For example, experts may only demonstrate successful task completion in ideal conditions, neglecting potential failure scenarios and important aspects of system safety considerations. The lack of diversity in the demonstrations can introduce bias in the learning process and compromise the safety and robustness of the learning systems. Additionally, current imitation learning algorithms primarily focus on replicating expert behaviors and are thus limited to learning from successful demonstrations alone. This inherent inability to learn to avoid failure is a significant limitation of existing methodologies. As a result, when faced with real-world uncertainties, imitation learning systems encounter challenges in ensuring safety, particularly in critical domains such as autonomous vehicles, healthcare, and finance, where system failures can have serious consequences. Therefore, it is crucial to develop mechanisms that ensure safety, reliability, and transparency in the decision-making process within imitation learning systems. To address these challenges, this thesis proposes innovative approaches that go beyond traditional imitation learning methodologies by enabling imitation learning systems to incorporate explicit task specifications provided by human designers. Inspired by the idea that humans acquire skills not only by learning from demonstrations but also by following explicit rules, our approach aims to complement expert demonstrations with rule-based specifications. We show that in machine learning tasks, experts can use specifications to convey information that can be difficult to express through demonstrations alone. For instance, in safety-critical scenarios where demonstrations are infeasible, explicitly specifying safety requirements for the learner can be highly effective. We also show that experts can introduce well-structured biases into the learning model, ensuring that the learning process adheres to correct-by-construction principles from its inception. Our approach, called ‘specification-guided imitation learning’, seamlessly integrates formal specifications into the data-driven learning process, laying the theoretical foundations for this framework and developing algorithms to incorporate formal specifications at various stages of imitation learning. We explore the use of different types of specifications in various types of imitation learning tasks and envision that this framework will significantly advance the applicability of imitation learning and create new connections between formal methods and machine learning. Additionally, we anticipate significant impacts across a range of domains, including robotics, autonomous driving, and gaming, by enhancing core machine learning components in future autonomous systems and improving their performance, safety, and reliability.

Grading is one of the key components of modern pedagogy. Grades are primarily meant to be a method of communication, which is initiated by the owners of the pedagogy (instructors, school, etc.) and are received by various parties such as students: as feedback on their learning outcomes, parents, potential employers, other institutions, etc. However, traditional grading practices in wide use across institutions globally suffer from many problems and can prove to be a hindrance to students achieving their learning outcomes. Many of these practices do not have a backing in education and social research and suffer from various problems such as inherent bias, rewarding of behavior over skill or knowledge, increasing student anxiety, etc. In contrast, EGPs have been backed in research, follow a more open assessment method and have been shown to induce increased learning. Thus, to mitigate some of these problems, we employ Equitable Grading Practices (EGPs) in an introductory CS-1 course at Virginia Tech for the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters. In this thesis, we introduce these practices and evaluate student perceptions of them thereafter to answer research questions so that we may be able to refine these practices. We gather student experiences primarily through two instruments: a survey and one-on-one interviews. We describe these in detail and evaluate them through the use of statistics as well grounded theory analysis to be able to extract student perceptions of these grading practices. / Master of Science / Grading is a fundamental aspect of education, shaping not only student learning but also their future opportunities. Traditionally, grades are intended to communicate a student's performance to various stakeholders, including parents and potential employers. However, standard grading methods suffer for biases and promote anxiety among students, rather than truly reflecting their knowledge and skills. In an effort to address these issues, our research at Virginia Tech investigates the implementation of Equitable Grading Practices (EGPs) in an introductory computer science course. These practices, supported by educational research, emphasize a more transparent and inclusive approach to assessment, aiming to enhance learning rather than merely evaluate it. This thesis examines how students perceive these new grading practices through surveys and detailed interviews. Our goal is to understand their experiences and refine these methods to better support student achievement and well-being. This study not only offers insights into the impact of EGPs but also contributes to broader educational reforms aimed at fairer and more effective grading systems.

The analysis of the selected company is accomplished based on theoretical analysis in this diploma thesis. It is a medium-sized company offering services in the field of HVAC, refrigeration, air conditioning systems and extinguishing systems. The company has not accomplished analyses and strategic planning so far. Visions and targets of the company is particularized based on analysis of company. Concept of marketing strategy come from these visions and targets. This thesis should be the fundament for implementation of this strategic planning.

Indirect discrimination against contractors in public tenders ABSTRACT This thesis deals with the legal regulation of public procurement and focuses on the issues of indirect discrimination of contractors in public tenders and the fact that some economic operators cannot participate in procurement procedures due to unjust obstacles to competition laid down by the contracting authorities. One of the main principles of procurement, principle of non-discrimination is described in detail with a use of opinions of stated by the national courts, the Court of Justice of the European Union and in the decisions of the Office for the Protection of Competition in particular. The author of the thesis tries to describe the means of indirect discrimination that occurred in the past procurement procedures within the area of European Union. Discriminatory behavior of the contracting authorities is captured in a comprehensible way and the author shows practical examples to the reader. That all helps to illustrate why the contracting authority's specific behavior was not in compliance with the rules set out in public procurement. It is the analysis of the decision-making practice of the Office for the Protection of Competition, case-law of the national courts and the European Court of Justice that provides an insight into...