Combining Time Bands and Teleo-Reactive Programs for Advanced Dependable Real-Time Systems. Society is becoming increasingly reliant on sophisticated real-time computer systems in applications ranging from car stability control to critical infrastructure, such as railway signalling systems. Further, there is a demand for ever greater automation and sophistication in the software controlling these systems. The research challenge in this project is to provide robust implementations of these system ....Combining Time Bands and Teleo-Reactive Programs for Advanced Dependable Real-Time Systems. Society is becoming increasingly reliant on sophisticated real-time computer systems in applications ranging from car stability control to critical infrastructure, such as railway signalling systems. Further, there is a demand for ever greater automation and sophistication in the software controlling these systems. The research challenge in this project is to provide robust implementations of these systems in a way that allows one assess their dependability.
Australia industry is actively working in these areas through companies like Ansaldo Australia, in automated railway systems, and Boeing Australia, in the defence sector.Read moreRead less
Derivation and timing analysis of concurrent real-time software. Safety-critical computer systems are commonly controlled by concurrent real-time software. Assurance of such systems requires rigorous methods for deriving the software and verifying its logical and timing correctness. This project will directly address this problem via a new paradigm for real-time programming that is based on a machine-independent concurrent real-time programming language, that explicitly represents timing deadlin ....Derivation and timing analysis of concurrent real-time software. Safety-critical computer systems are commonly controlled by concurrent real-time software. Assurance of such systems requires rigorous methods for deriving the software and verifying its logical and timing correctness. This project will directly address this problem via a new paradigm for real-time programming that is based on a machine-independent concurrent real-time programming language, that explicitly represents timing deadlines within programs. This allows a partitioning of the development process into a machine-independent phase that derives a program to meet a high-level specification, and a machine-dependent phase that checks that the timing deadlines within the generated machine code are guaranteed to be met.Read moreRead less
Compilation of Specifications. Computer software now controls critical systems worldwide. International standards require such programs to be produced from mathematically-precise specifications, but the techniques and tools involved are highly complex and unfamiliar to most programmers. This project will show how a tool already used by software developers, the program compiler, can be extended to undertake much of the task automatically. This will be done by devising a compilation strategy, b ....Compilation of Specifications. Computer software now controls critical systems worldwide. International standards require such programs to be produced from mathematically-precise specifications, but the techniques and tools involved are highly complex and unfamiliar to most programmers. This project will show how a tool already used by software developers, the program compiler, can be extended to undertake much of the task automatically. This will be done by devising a compilation strategy, based on program refinement theory, that automatically translates specification statements in programs into executable code. Such an outcome will ultimately improve the speed, accuracy and cost-effectiveness of critical software development.Read moreRead less
A Formal Approach to Resource Allocation in Service Oriented Marketplaces. There was a strong opinion at the 2004 World Economic Forum that interorganisational computing was a major factor in productivity improvements underpinning continuing economic growth in the developed world, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. The results of the proposed research are directed to advanced systems of this type, and will add momentum to Australia's Information Technology research community. ....A Formal Approach to Resource Allocation in Service Oriented Marketplaces. There was a strong opinion at the 2004 World Economic Forum that interorganisational computing was a major factor in productivity improvements underpinning continuing economic growth in the developed world, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. The results of the proposed research are directed to advanced systems of this type, and will add momentum to Australia's Information Technology research community. Increased international recognition will positively impact on future interactions with the service composition research groups in Europe and the USA.Read moreRead less
Combining modal logics for dynamic and multi-agent systems. Modern computer software systems are required to operate in complex dynamic environments and to handle functioning of highly sensitive (security and safety-critical) organizations in government and commerce. Typical applications include air-traffic control systems, telecommunication networks, and banking systems. To ensure robustness, computationally predictable behaviour and trustworthiness of these systems, their designs and implement ....Combining modal logics for dynamic and multi-agent systems. Modern computer software systems are required to operate in complex dynamic environments and to handle functioning of highly sensitive (security and safety-critical) organizations in government and commerce. Typical applications include air-traffic control systems, telecommunication networks, and banking systems. To ensure robustness, computationally predictable behaviour and trustworthiness of these systems, their designs and implementations must be formally well grounded. This is an important but difficult challenge. This project will systematically develop a framework by combining modal-logics to adequately capture and reason about temporal, epistemic and social aspects of dynamic and multi-agent systems. The combined logics would be evaluated on practical applications.
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Targeting early contact with the criminal justice system in young people. This project aims to identify who and why young people first come in contact with the criminal justice system and what determines the early course of contact. The project will focus on first police contact, as a victim, witness or offender, as a means of identifying young people at-risk of adverse life outcomes. It intends to build on the NSW Child Development Study, a large population-based intergenerational cohort, to de ....Targeting early contact with the criminal justice system in young people. This project aims to identify who and why young people first come in contact with the criminal justice system and what determines the early course of contact. The project will focus on first police contact, as a victim, witness or offender, as a means of identifying young people at-risk of adverse life outcomes. It intends to build on the NSW Child Development Study, a large population-based intergenerational cohort, to develop services and interventions aimed at preventing young people from becoming enmeshed in the criminal justice system.Read moreRead less
Understanding the emerging threat of conspiracy-fuelled extremism. This project aims to address the emerging threat of conspiracy-fuelled extremism in Australia. The project expects to produce new knowledge by identifying the unique factors driving this new form of extremism and the social harm it causes. Through three studies, the project will test a new theoretical model of conspiracy-fuelled extremism, will explore the threats and social harms this form of extremism creates, and will develop ....Understanding the emerging threat of conspiracy-fuelled extremism. This project aims to address the emerging threat of conspiracy-fuelled extremism in Australia. The project expects to produce new knowledge by identifying the unique factors driving this new form of extremism and the social harm it causes. Through three studies, the project will test a new theoretical model of conspiracy-fuelled extremism, will explore the threats and social harms this form of extremism creates, and will develop evidence-based insights into how it can be mitigated. The research should produce benefits for Australia by providing policymakers with a risk-assessment tool to identify individuals most 'at-risk' of violent extremism, and by providing knowledge about the services families may require to de-radicalise loved ones.Read moreRead less
Lifting the burden of imprisonment: Creating safer and stronger communities. This project aims to identify how a reduction in imprisonment rates could benefit Australian communities and enhance their safety and wellbeing. It will link a range of statistical data sources on imprisonment, crime and community wellbeing. We will, for the first time, comprehensively demonstrate the impact of imprisonment on individuals and communities in Australia and beyond. Expected outcomes of this project include ....Lifting the burden of imprisonment: Creating safer and stronger communities. This project aims to identify how a reduction in imprisonment rates could benefit Australian communities and enhance their safety and wellbeing. It will link a range of statistical data sources on imprisonment, crime and community wellbeing. We will, for the first time, comprehensively demonstrate the impact of imprisonment on individuals and communities in Australia and beyond. Expected outcomes of this project include expansion and innovation of coercive mobility theory, novel integration of data, and a forecasting tool to assess the impact of imprisonment reduction on communities. This evidence will assist advocacy groups and policy makers seeking to address Australia’s burgeoning imprisonment rate.Read moreRead less
Identifying novel, health-related predictors of recidivism: Informing evidence-based throughcare. Throughcare is a policy priority for correctional authorities in Australia, however the evidence base to inform policy is limited. Using innovative modelling techniques and unique data from a large, representative cohort of ex-prisoners in Queensland, this study will: identify novel, health-related predictors of recidivism in the first two years after release from adult custody; examine the extent t ....Identifying novel, health-related predictors of recidivism: Informing evidence-based throughcare. Throughcare is a policy priority for correctional authorities in Australia, however the evidence base to inform policy is limited. Using innovative modelling techniques and unique data from a large, representative cohort of ex-prisoners in Queensland, this study will: identify novel, health-related predictors of recidivism in the first two years after release from adult custody; examine the extent to which risk and protective factors for recidivism vary over time and according to individual characteristics; and, provide evidence-based recommendations to improve throughcare interventions and reduce recidivism.Read moreRead less
Adolescents becoming delinquent online. The project aims to provide a longitudinal criminological study of adolescent Internet use in the world. The Internet is a pervasive influence in young people's lives and is increasingly viewed as a significant factor in the incidence of criminal activities including cyber-bullying, computer hacking and radicalisation. Using survey and interview methods over four years, the project will study how adolescents use the Internet daily, and particularly how thi ....Adolescents becoming delinquent online. The project aims to provide a longitudinal criminological study of adolescent Internet use in the world. The Internet is a pervasive influence in young people's lives and is increasingly viewed as a significant factor in the incidence of criminal activities including cyber-bullying, computer hacking and radicalisation. Using survey and interview methods over four years, the project will study how adolescents use the Internet daily, and particularly how this may enable or encourage delinquency on and off-line. This project is expected to benefit national security, law enforcement and crime prevention and enhance public safety and social cohesion.Read moreRead less