<p>Testing is the dominant verification technique used in the software industry today. The use of automatic test case execution increases, but the creation of test cases remains manual and thus error prone and expensive. To automate generation and selection of test cases, model-based testing techniques have been suggested.</p><p>In this thesis two central problems in model-based testing are addressed: the problem of how to formally specify coverage criteria, and the problem of how to generate a test suite from a formal timed system model, such that the test suite satisfies a given coverage criterion. We use model checking techniques to explore the state-space of a model until a set of traces is found that together satisfy the coverage criterion. A key observation is that a coverage criterion can be viewed as consisting of a set of items, which we call coverage items. Each coverage item can be treated as a separate reachability problem. </p><p>Based on our view of coverage items we define a language, in the form of parameterized observer automata, to formally describe coverage criteria. We show that the language is expressive enough to describe a variety of common coverage criteria described in the literature. Two algorithms for test case generation with observer automata are presented. The first algorithm returns a trace that satisfies all coverage items with a minimum cost. We use this algorithm to generate a test suite with minimal execution time. The second algorithm explores only states that may increase the already found set of coverage items. This algorithm works well together with observer automata.</p><p>The developed techniques have been implemented in the tool CoVer. The tool has been used in a case study together with Ericsson where a WAP gateway has been tested. The case study shows that the techniques have industrial strength.</p>

This study examined reading programs in 68 Texas elementary schools that were identified as successful by their scores on TAAS assessment results in the 1999-2000 school year. These schools’ student populations had a high proportion of culturally diverse and low-SES students. The purposes of this study were: (1) to determine if and how teaching methods and collaboration (intervention/support teams) were used by effective schools to foster reading success in all students; (2) to identify cohesive patterns (clusters) or models in schools’ use of collaboration and teaching methods; (3) to examine these clusters of similar schools and see if the patterns differed based on the school/community demography (urban, suburban, or rural). The study was conducted in 68 schools in 33 school districts that represented various demographic settings from 12 different Education Service Centers across Texas. From these original 332 variables, 26 variables were selected that were of medium frequency and strongly correlated with high TAAS scores over a 4- year period. These 26 variables were used to examine the 68 high-performing Texas elementary schools for clusters. K-means analysis and HCA were both applied to the 26 response variables, using them as complementary techniques to arrive at a five cluster solution. Results from correlations of individual characteristics and from identifying school clusters suggested that school community type could possibly be moderately predictive of student performance on the TAAS/TAKS over time.

<p>Modern information technology increases the use of computers in training systems as well as in command-and-control systems in military services and public-safety organizations. This computerization combined with new threats present a challenging complexity. Situational awareness in evolving distributed operations and follow-up in training systems depends on humans in the field reporting observations of events. The use of this observer-reported information can be largely improved by implementation of models supporting both reporting and computer representation of objects and phenomena in operations.</p><p>This thesis characterises and describes observer model-based data collection in distributed tactical operations, where multiple, dispersed units work to achieve common goals. Reconstruction and exploration of multimedia representations of operations is becoming an established means for supporting taskforce training. We explore how modelling of operational processes and entities can support observer data collection and increase information content in mission histories. We use realistic exercises for testing developed models, methods and tools for observer data collection and transfer results to live operations.</p><p>The main contribution of this thesis is the systematic description of the model-based approach to using observers for data collection. Methodological aspects in using humans to collect data to be used in information systems, and also modelling aspects for phenomena occurring in emergency response and communication areas contribute to the body of research. We describe a general methodology for using human observers to collect adequate data for use in information systems. In addition, we describe methods and tools to collect data on the chain of medical attendance in emergency response exercises, and on command-and-control processes in several domains.</p>

This work is devoted to the issue of monitoring of distributed real-time systems. In particular, it focuses on formal aspects of model-based supervision and problems which are related to it. In its first part, we present the basic properties of two well-known formal models used to model distributed systems: networks of timed automata and time Petri nets. We show that the behavior of these models can be represented with so-called branching processes. We also introduce the key conceptual elements of the supervisory system. The second part of the work is dedicated to the issue of constrained unfoldings which enable us to track causal relationships between events in a distributed system. This type of structure can be used to reproduce processes of the system on the basis of a completely unordered set of previously observed events. Moreover, we show that time constraints imposed on a system and observations submitted to the supervisory system can significantly affect a course of events in the system. We also raise the issue of parameters in time constraints. The proposed methods are illustrated with case studies. The third part of the work deals with the issue of unobservable cyclical behaviors in distributed systems. This type of behaviors leads to an infinite number of events in constrained unfoldings. We explain how we can obtain a finite structure that stores information about all observed events in the system, even if this involves processes that are infinite due to such unobservable loops. The fourth and final part of the work is dedicated to implementation issues of the previously described methods.

Presently information systems are increasingly penetrating to our daily life. Recently it is relevant to integrate the newest technologies. In that way traditional system becomes “smart” who are more economical, optimal, and self-sufficient. The biggest problem is to make a model of “smart” system. There were analyzed modeling methods, heating and cooling control systems in this job. Mathematical model for heating and cooling controller using timed Petri nets was presented. According to analyzed problems it was made verification with Matlab during experimental phase. There was made comparison evaluation of mathematical model made with timed Petri nets and fuzzy logic.

No description available.

Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are now seen as a contemporary health problem in Australia with possible widespread health effects not limited to bone health1. Despite this, the Vitamin D status (measured as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D)) of ambulatory adults has been overlooked in this country. Serum 25(OH)D status is especially important among this group as studies have shown a link between Vitamin D and fall risk in older adults2. Limited data also exists on the contributions of sun exposure via ultraviolet radiation and dietary intake to serum 25(OH)D status in this population. The aims of this project were to assess the serum 25(OH)D status of a group of older ambulatory adults in South East Queensland, to assess the association between their serum 25(OH)D status and functional measures as possible indicators of fall risk, obtain data on the sources of Vitamin D in this population and assess whether this intake was related to serum 25(OH)D status and describe sun protection and exposure behaviors in this group and investigate whether a relationship existed between these and serum 25(OH)D status. The collection of this data assists in addressing key gaps identified in the literature with regard to this population group and their Vitamin D status in Australia. A representative convenience sample of participants (N=47) over 55 years of age was recruited for this cross-sectional, exploratory study which was undertaken in December 2007 in south-east Queensland (Brisbane and Sunshine coast). Participants were required to complete a sun exposure questionnaire in addition to a Calcium and Vitamin D food frequency questionnaire. Timed up and go and handgrip dynamometry tests were used to examine functional capacity. Serum 25(OH)D status and blood measures of Calcium, Phosphorus and Albumin were determined through blood tests. The Mean and Median serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) for all participants in this study was 85.8nmol/L (Standard Deviation 29.7nmol/L) and 81.0nmol/L (Range 22-158nmol/L), respectively. Analysis at the bivariate level revealed a statistically significant relationship between serum 25(OH)D status and location, with participants living on the Sunshine Coast having a mean serum 25(OH)D status 21.3nmol/L higher than participants living in Brisbane (p=0.014). While at the descriptive level there was an apparent trend towards higher outdoor exposure and increasing levels of serum 25(OH)D, no statistically significant associations between the sun measures of outdoor exposure, sun protection behaviors and phenotypic characteristics and serum 25(OH)D status were observed. Intake of both Calcium and Vitamin D was low in this sample with sixty-eight (68%) of participants not meeting the Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) for Calcium (Median=771.0mg; Range=218.0-2616.0mg), while eighty-seven (87%) did not meet the Adequate Intake for Vitamin D (Median=4.46ug; Range=0.13-30.0ug). This raises the question of how realistic meeting the new Adequate Intakes for Vitamin D is, when there is such a low level of Vitamin D fortification in this country. However, participants meeting the Adequate Intake (AI) for Vitamin D were observed to have a significantly higher serum 25(OH)D status compared to those not meeting the AI for Vitamin D (p=0.036), showing that meeting the AI for Vitamin D may play a significant role in determining Vitamin D status in this population. By stratifying our data by categories of outdoor exposure time, a trend was observed between increased importance of Vitamin D dietary intake as a possible determinant of serum 25(OH)D status in participants with lower outdoor exposures. While a trend towards higher Timed Up and Go scores in participants with higher 25(OH) D status was seen, this was only significant for females (p=0.014). Handgrip strength showed statistically significant association with serum 25(OH)D status. The high serum 25(OH)D status in our sample almost certainly explains the limited relationship between functional measures and serum 25(OH)D. However, the observation of an association between slower Time Up and Go speeds, and lower serum 25(OH)D levels, even with a small sample size, is significant as slower Timed Up and Go speeds have been associated with increased fall risk in older adults3. Multivariable regression analysis revealed Location as the only significant determinant of serum 25(OH)D status at p=0.014, with trends (p=>0.1) for higher serum 25(OH)D being shown for participants that met the AI for Vitamin D and rated themselves as having a higher health status. The results of this exploratory study show that 93.6% of participants had adequate 25(OH)D status-possibly due to measurement being taken in the summer season and the convenience nature of the sample. However, many participants do not meet their dietary Calcium and Vitamin D requirements, which may indicate inadequate intake of these nutrients in older Australians and a higher risk of osteoporosis. The relationship between serum 25(OH)D and functional measures in this population also requires further study, especially in older adults displaying Vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency.

The aim of this work is to increase the dependability of automation systems through the use of a tool for automatic generating and executing conformance tests. The developed tool calledGungnir uses formalmodels to performits actions,whose standard used is the formalism of Timed Automata (TA). The control systems consists of programmable logic controllers (PLC) and are often developed with Ladder and Function Block Diagram (FBD) languages. The Gugnir s key activity is to verify if the implementation of the control system developed in Ladder is compatible with the specification defined using the ISA 5.2 standard. To do so we used translation tools (from Ladder and ISA 5.2. to TA models), define coverages criteria and heuristics to ensure that the model was well tested / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Alagoas / Oobjetivo neste trabalho é aumentar a confiança no funcionamento de sistemas da automação através do uso de uma ferramenta de geração e execução automática de testes de conformidade. A ferramenta desenvolvida chama-se Gungnir e utiliza modelos formais, cujo padrão utilizado é o formalismo de Autômato Temporizado (AT). Os sistemas de controle são constituídos por Controladores Lógicos Programáveis (CLP) e normalmente são desenvolvidos nas linguagens Ladder e Function Block Diagram (FBD). A atividade da Gungnir é verificar se a implementação do sistema de controle desenvolvida na linguagem Ladder é compatível com a especificação modelada utilizando o padrão ISA 5.2. Para isso são utilizadas ferramentas de tradução de programas Ladder e diagramas ISA 5.2 para modelos de AT, definidos critérios de cobertura e criadas heurísticas as quais asseguraram menor custo computacional durante a execução dos testes

Orientador: Frederico Ozanam Papa / Banca: João Carlos Pinheiro Ferreira / Banca: Alício Martins Junior / Resumo: A despeito das inúmeras variáveis que influenciam direta e indiretamente a fertilidade das fêmeas bovinas, a qualidade das amostras seminais exerce um papel importante na determinação das taxas de concepção dos programas de inseminação artificial. Os objetivos dessa pesquisa foram comparar a efetividade de dois diluidores de criopreservação de sêmen bovino no processamento de amostras seminais apresentando diferentes concentrações espermáticas em relação aos índices de congelabilidade determinados laboratorialmente (Experimento I) e as taxas de concepção proporcionadas por cada metodologia quando utilizada em programas de inseminação artificial em tempo fixo (IATF) em bovinos (Experimento II). No Experimento I foram utilizados 14 ejaculados de diferentes touros da raça Nelore. Cada ejaculado foi fracionado em oito alíquotas iguais, submetidas a criopreservação com os diluidores Tris-gema de ovo-frutose (meio TRIS) e MKA nas concentrações de 12, 25, 50 e 100 milhões de espermatozóides totais por mililitro de meio, formando oito grupos experimentais em função das variáveis diluidor e concentração. As amostras foram descongeladas a 46 ºC por 20 segundos, avaliando-se os padrões de motilidade através do método computadorizado (CASA), integridade de membrana plasmática (IMP), resistência ao teste de termorresistência rápido (TTR) e taxa de recuperação e IMP após seleção espermática pela técnica de swim-up. Para o Experimento II foram selecionados sete touros utilizados no Experimento I, obtendo-se um ejaculado de cada animal por eletroejaculação...(Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrõnico abaixo) / Abstract: Although there are many variables which directly or indirectly influence female bovine fertility, the quality of sperm samples plays a important role in the determination of conception rates in artificial insemination programs. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficiency of two bovine semen extenders for sperm freezing with different spermatic concentrations in the freezability determined by lab tests (Experiment I), and conception rates after fixed time artificial insemination (FTAI; Experiment II). In Experiment I 14 ejaculates of different Nelore bulls were used. Each ejaculate was splitsampled in to eight equal parts and then submitted to cryopreservation with Tris-egg yolk fructose (TRIS) and MKA extenders, at concentrations of 12, 25, 50 and 100 millions spermatozoa per milliliter forming eight experimental groups. The samples were thawed at 46 ºC for 20 seconds, and the following parameters were evaluated: sperm motility and movement (by computer-assisted semen analysis - CASA), sperm membrane integrity (SMI), resistance to the fast thermoresistance test (TT), recovery rate and sperm membrane integrity after sperm selection through swim-up technique. Seven of 14 bulls used in Experiment I were selected for Experiment II, and semen was collected from each of the animals by electroejaculation. The seven ejaculates obtained were mixed (semen pool) and cryopreserved, thus forming eight experimental groups according to the freezing extenders and sperm concentrations/straws: TRIS 12, 25, 50 and 100, and MKA 12, 25, 50 and 100...(Complete abstract, click electronic address below) / Mestre

Au cours des dernières décennies, la complexité croissante des systèmes de production et de leur commande a rendu crucial le besoin d’utiliser les méthodes formelles pour faire face aux problèmes relatifs au contrôle, à la fiabilité, au diagnostic des fautes et à l’utilisation optimale des ressources dans les installations de production. Cela concerne en particulier les systèmes automatisés de production (SAP), caractérisés par des cycles technologiques complexes qui doivent s’adapter à des conditions changeantes. Les SAP modernes sont des sous-systèmes interconnectés tels que des machines à commande numérique, des stations d'assemblage , des véhicules guidés automatisés (AGV), des cellules robotisées, des convoyeurs et des systèmes de contrôle par ordinateur. Les fabricants utilisent des machines automatisées et des contrôleurs pour assurer des produits de qualité plus rapidement et plus efficacement. Aussi, ces systèmes automatisés peuvent fournir des informations essentielles pour aider les gestionnaires à prendre les bonnes décisions. Cependant, en raison de la grande flexibilité des SAP, des défaillances telles qu’un mauvais assemblage ou le dépôt d’une pièce dans un tampon inapproprié peuvent se produire lors du fonctionnement du système. De tels dysfonctionnements diminuent la productivité du système générant ainsi des pertes économiques et des effets perturbateurs sur le système. En conséquence, le problème de l’optimisation des performances des SAP est impératif.Cette thèse se focalise sur l’évaluation et l’optimisation des performances des systèmes de production automatisés via le modèle des réseaux de Pétri temporisés. / In the last decades, there has been a constant increase in the awareness of company management about the importance of formal techniques in industrial settings to address problems related to monitoring and reliability, fault diagnosis, and optimal use of resources, during the management of plants. Of particular relevance in this setting are the so-called Automated Manufacturing Systems (AMSs), which are characterized by complex technological cycles that must adapt to changing demands. Modern AMSs are interconnected subsystems such as numerically controlled machines, assembly stations, automated guided vehicles, robots, conveyors and computer control systems. Manufacturers are using automated machines and controls to produce quality products faster and more efficiently. Meanwhile, these automated systems can provide critical information to help managers make good business decisions. However, due to the high flexibility of AMSs, failures such as a wrong assembly or a part put in a wrong buffer may happen during the operation of the system. Such failures may decrease the productivity of the system which has an economical consequence and can cause a series of disturbing issues. As a result, the performance optimization in AMSs are imperative. This thesis focuses on the performance evaluation and performance optimization of automated manufacturing systems using timed Petri nets models.