Toward personalized and adaptive QoS assessments via context awareness

Quality of Service (QoS) properties play an important role in distinguishing between functionally equivalent services and accommodating the different expectations of users. However, the subjective nature of some properties and the dynamic and unreliable nature of service environments may result in cases where the quality values advertised by the service provider are either missing or untrustworthy. To tackle this, a number of QoS estimation approaches have been proposed, using the observation history available on a service to predict its performance. Although the context underlying such previous observations (and corresponding to both user and service related factors) could provide an important source of information for the QoS estimation process, it has only been used to a limited extent by existing approaches. In response, we propose a context‐aware quality learning model, realized via a learning‐enabled service agent, exploiting the contextual characteristics of the domain to provide more personalized, accurate, and relevant quality estimations for the situation at hand. The experiments conducted demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, showing promising results (in terms of prediction accuracy) in different types of changing service environments.     

Comparison of Northern Ireland radon maps based on indoor radon measurements and geology with maps derived by predictive modelling of airborne radiometric and ground permeability data

Publicly available information about radon potential in Northern Ireland is currently based on indoor radon results averaged over 1-km grid squares, an approach that does not take into account the geological origin of the radon. This study describes a spatially more accurate estimate of the radon potential of Northern Ireland using an integrated radon potential mapping method based on indoor radon measurements and geology that was originally developed for mapping radon potential in England and Wales. A refinement of this method was also investigated using linear regression analysis of a selection of relevant airborne and soil geochemical parameters from the Tellus Project. The most significant independent variables were found to be eU, a parameter derived from airborne gamma spectrometry measurements of radon decay products in the top layer of soil and exposed bedrock, and the permeability of the ground. The radon potential map generated from the Tellus data agrees in many respects with the map based on indoor radon data and geology but there are several areas where radon potential predicted from the airborne radiometric and permeability data is substantially lower. This under-prediction could be caused by the radon concentration being lower in the top 30 cm of the soil than at greater depth, because of the loss of radon from the surface rocks and soils to air.     

Preventing Asthma through Housing Interventions: How Supportive is the US Policy Environment?

This paper investigates whether the policy environment in the United States is supportive of addressing the asthma epidemic through housing plans and policies. Asthma is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide and is linked to allergens in the housing environment such as ground-level ozone, excessive moisture and dust, rodents and pests, and environmental tobacco smoke. The study finds basic laws and regulations are in place regulating outdoor air quality and calling for the maintenance of public and rental housing in good condition, but there is still a need for specific standards to be adopted into law, for better enforcement of existing laws, and for increased funding. Because asthma prevention programs are relatively new, the paper reviews the US experience with lead-based paint hazard control programs to identify the components of effective strategies. These include explicit health objectives in housing plans and policies, promotion by both health and housing officials, advocacy by citizens' groups and tenants' associations, adequate funding for implementation, and focus on multiple health outcomes.     

Impact Sensitivity of γ-Irradiated HMX

Impact of thin layers of HMX at room temperature and near liquid nitrogen temperature were performed. Polycrystalline powders of HMX irradiated with 7.5 megarad in evacuated tubes at liquid nitrogen temperature showed significant enhanced sensitivity. With 10-megarad irradiations of HMX in evacuated tubes at liquid nitrogen temperature frequent spontaneous explosions in HMX have occurred. ESR measurements on impacted HMX and RDX powders at room temperature and near liquid nitrogen temperature at energies of less than 1 kg · m have not produced detectable mechanically generated free radicals. A significant increase in sensitivity of vacuum irradiated HMX was observed but efforts to correlate this with the dominant frozen-in NO₂ γ-radical concentration were unsuccessful. It is suggested that the NO₂ radical is a chain terminating radical in explosive systems.