1,354,233 research outputs found
Teaching Formal Methods to Software Engineers through Collaborative Learning (Short Paper)
No full textIt is common knowledge among researchers in the field that teaching formal methods can prove a challenging task. This paper reports on the approach adopted for a Master’s Degree course at Politecnico di Milano, Italy, as an attempt to reverse this trend by introducing collaborative learning activities. Students put concepts learned during theoretical lectures into practice through a hands-on group assignment. Each group develops the formal model of a Cyber-Physical System through the Uppaal tool, starting from a set of requirements provided by the instructor. After delivering the assignment, we invite students to fill an evaluation survey whose results suggest a very high satisfaction level towards the hybrid theoretical-practical approach of the course
Alternative and Sustainable Protein Sources in Pig Diet: A Review
No full textThe search for alternative protein sources to soybean meal (SBM) in animal feeding is a strategic objective to reduce production costs and contribute to sustainable animal production. Spirulina, due to the high protein content, has emerged as a potential cost-effective, sustainable, viable,
and high-nutritional-value food resource for many animal species. Insect larvae (Tenebrio molitor and Hermetia illucens) are also considered potential alternatives to SBM, given their high edible percentage of almost 100%, as well as a protein value higher than that of vegetable proteins. Rapeseed meal and grain legumes, such as fava beans, peas, lupins, and chickpea, can also be used as locally producible protein ingredients. This study reviews the nutritional value of these potential alternatives to SBM in pig diets, and their effects on animal performance, digestion, immune system, and the physicochemical and sensorial characteristics of meat, including processed pork products. The limits on their use in pig feeding are also reviewed to indicate gaps to be filled in future research on the
supplementation level of these potential alternative protein sources in pig diets
Effetto delle diete grassate con olii vegetali sulle performances in vita e sulle caratteristiche quanti-qualitative delle carcasse e delle carni dei broilers.
No full textUse of Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) as a Sustainable Alternative in Pork Production
No full textAbstract: Pork production involves several sustainability issues. The recent increase in the natural
wild boar population and the possibilities of its breeding to produce meat and for sport hunting have
revived attention on this wild species. The most important factors that could account for its expansion
and niche invasion are briefly summarized with the scientific opinion on management strategies.
The information available to date on the quantitative, nutritional, and sensory characteristics of wild
boar meat is reviewed to highlight its potential, if properly managed, as a sustainable option in meat
production. This review reports on the opportunity of using wild boar meat in processed products
and the need for research on processing qualities and acceptability for different final products. Above
all, this review suggests that wild boar can be considered a sustainable alternative to meet the
animal protein demand, as it can be established in marginal areas where it is already adapted to the
environment, representing an interesting addition to traditional zootechnics
Verification-Oriented Specification of Multi-agent Interaction Patterns
No full textSmart cyber agents are pivotal in software-intensive systems such as smart manufacturing, robotics, and the Internet of Things. These agents monitor physical surroundings through sensors and make impactful decisions that influence the environment. Software engineering challenges in this domain include the specification of interactive multi-agent tasks. The general-purpose Domain-Specific Language named LIrAs, Language for Interactive Agents, is a high-level language that allows for unambiguous custom pattern definition. Additionally, LIrAs facilitates interactions with human agents, a safety-critical situation requiring particular attention. This paper lays the foundation for LIrAs specifications translation to Stochastic Hybrid Automaton (SHA). The target SHA model structure follows a three-layer hierarchical structure and makes LIrAs specifications amenable to formal verification, specifically Statistical Model Checking, through the Uppaal tool, capable of including time-dependent ph..
Model-Driven Development of Formally Verified Human-Robot Interactions
No full textIntroducing service robots into everyday settings entails a significant technological shift for the robotics community. Service settings are characterized by critical sources of uncertainty (mainly due to human behavior) that current software engineering techniques do not handle. This chapter introduces a model-driven framework for developing interactive service robotic scenarios, relying on formal verification to guarantee robustness with respect to unexpected runtime contingencies. Target users specify the characteristics of the scenario under analysis through a custom textual Domain-Specific Language, which is then automatically converted into a network of Stochastic Hybrid Automata. The formal model captures non-traditional physiological (e.g., physical fatigue) and behavioral aspects of the human subjects. Through Statistical Model Checking, it is possible to estimate several quality metrics: if these meet the set dependability requirements, the scenario can be deployed. Specifically, the framework allows for deployment on the field or simulation. Field-collected data are fed to a novel active automata learning algorithm, called
, to learn an updated model of human behavior. The formal analysis can then be iterated to update the scenario’s design. The overall approach has been assessed in terms of effectiveness and accuracy through realistic scenarios from the healthcare settin
Model-Driven Development of Formally Verified Human-Robot Interactions
No full textService robots will operate in unconstrained environments due to the significant presence of humans. We present a model-driven framework based on formal methods to develop interactive robotic applications designed to handle the uncertainty of human behavior. Users formally model the human-robot interaction scenario, estimate the most likely outcome, and subsequently deploy the application. Collected traces constitute the data pool for an active automata learning algorithm to update the human model based on the accumulated knowledge. We validate the framework on realistic use cases from the healthcare setting
Bioactivators and nitrogen fertilisation applied to durum wheat: effects on the chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of straw
No full textEffects of anaerobic digestates application on chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)
No full textThe food industry produces high quantities of organic wastes which can be used in agriculture for soil fertilization in order to reduce the application of mineral and/or synthetic fertilizers. In a permanent rain-fed meadow of alfalfa (Medicago saliva L., cv. Garisenda), the following three P fertilizer treatments were compared during the years 2006 and 2007 in a completely randomized experimental design with three replications: amendment based on the wastewater treatment of wine derived process (WWW); amendment based on wastewater from frozen food processing (WFF), an organic-mineral fertilizer (OMIN). All the treatments allowed a distribution of 75 kg ha(-1) of P2O5. Three cuttings occurred at 108, 134 and 315 days after digestatcs application (DAA) in 2006, and at 100, 122 and 269 DAA in 2007. Cumulative dry matter yields were measured during each experimental year. Furthermore, chemical composition and in vitro dry matter (DMD) and true DM (IVTDMD), organic matter (OMD), crude protein (CPD) and neutral detergent fibre (NDFD) digestibilities were determined. No significant difference was found among the fertilizer treatments in alfalfa cumulative dry matter yield. The fertilizer treatments affected only the hemicellulose (RC) content of alfalfa forage. Among the treatments, the WWW showed a significantly higher content of HC than WFF and OMIN. However, all digestibility parameters were unaffected by the fertilizer treatments. The results indicated that the soil distribution of these anaerobic digestates could represent a valid alternative to landfill disposal or to other waste management strategies in the mid-term period, without decreasing alfalfa yield, forage chemical composition and digestibility
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