bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Surfactant Selectivity on Shape and Inner Morphology of Triblock Terpolymer Microparticles
Authors: Trömer Manuel , Zirdehi Elias M. , Nikoubashman Arash , Gröschel André H.
Published: April 2023

The confined assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) has become a useful tool to prepare microparticles with controlled anisotropy and inner structure. While a solid understanding of the behavior of AB diblock copolymers exists, knowledge on the parameters affecting ABC triblock terpolymer assembly is much more limited. In this work, the effect of block‐selective surfactants, sodium‐4‐vinylbenzenesulfonate (VBS) and sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), is analyzed in the evaporation‐induced confined assembly (EICA) of a polystyrene‐block‐polybutadiene‐block‐poly(methyl methacrylate) triblock terpolymer (SBM). Despite using the same terpolymer and emulsification process, SDS results in ellipsoidal microparticles with axially stacked lamellae, while VBS results in spherical microparticles with concentric lamellae or 3D spiral morphology. This change in morphology upon switching the surfactant is further substantiated by molecular simulations and enhances the understanding of terpolymer microphase separation in confinement.
Contemporary and Looming Applications of Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Jain Nidhi , Negi Akanksha
Published: April 2023

Molding the future with the use of new technology is utmost important for the progress of human race. Nanotechnologies are the emerging field. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are the widely known substances used mostly in all types of the application such as catalysts, absorbents for water treatment, photocatalysis. Various methods of synthesis of CNTs are known, but in this paper, as a case study, green process synthesis has been discussed in CNTs. Different six stages in the life cycle of CNTs have been discussed in the paper that relates to different risk factors in the field. Synchronization of science and technology is important for usage of the materials. This paper provides more brief holistic view of the state of the CNTs at various fields. The attention of this study is also on the toxicity, bioaccumulation, and safety concerns as well as the remedial capabilities
Trends in Area of Occurrence and Biomass of Fish and Macroinvertebrates on the Northeast U.S. Shelf Ecosystem
Authors: Friedland Kevin D. , Tanaka Kisei R. , Smoliński Szymon , Wang Yanjun , Hodgdon Cameron , Mazur Mackenzie , Wiedenmann John , Goetsch Chandra , Pendleton Daniel E.
Published: April 2023

Climate change can affect the habitat of marine species and hence their persistence and adaptation. Trends in area of occurrence and population biomass were examined for 177 fish and macroinvertebrates resident to the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf ecosystem. Samples of these organisms were taken during a time series of research bottom trawl surveys conducted in the spring and autumn 1976–2019. The occurrence area of each taxon was modeled as the distribution of occurrence probability based on a random forest presence/absence classification model. Following, a population biomass of each taxon was modeled as a minimum swept area estimate, where the ecosystem was stratified biannually based on each taxon's spatial distribution. In both seasons, the sum of occurrence area and biomass across all modeled species increased over the study period. The summation of biomass is problematic since catchability is not known for most species; more importantly, most time series of individual species biomass trended higher. We found that the ratio of biomass to occurrence area, intended as a measure of productivity, showed no change in the autumn and had a weak increasing trend in spring. For the majority of taxa, the rate of change in biomass tracked changes in occurrence area (either positive or negative), but there were cases where the direction of change in biomass was opposite to the direction of change in occurrence area. Thermal conditions in surface waters appear to be a more important driver of occurrence area and biomass change than the change in thermal conditions near the bottom. These findings provide critical insights into the expected changes in ecosystem productivity transpiring with climate change.
Dual‐band Ganesha‐shaped semi‐transparent antenna for vehicular applications
Authors: Borah Pranjal
Published: April 2023

In this paper, work on a Ganesha‐shaped semi‐transparent patch antenna is presented for its use in vehicular application. The design of the antenna is opted from a commercially available Ganesha sticker that is mostly placed on the vehicle's window panes as a symbol of an auspicious deity. The geometry of the sticker without any variation in its dimension is made to work as an antenna. The antenna is fabricated using adhesive copper tape on a glass slab backed by an AgHT‐8 transparent conducting sheet which acts as the ground plane. Microstrip inset feeding technique is used to excite the patch and its return loss performance and free space radiation pattern measurements are carried out. Measured results show promising performances that can be used in future vehicular applications and are in good comparison with that of the simulated results.
Experiences and challenges of the use Subacute and Acute Dysfunction in the Elderly‐SAFE Work team coordinators experiences and challenges in the introduction and use of SAFE in home‐based nursing: A qualitative study from the Norwegian context
Authors: Abudayya Abdallah , Hamre Annabel , Pajalic Zada , Knudsen Cervino Hanne , Wesseltoft‐Rao Nima
Published: April 2023

Old age is the leading cause of impaired bodily function, which gradually increases healthcare service needs. To offer the best possible care in the home and to be able to detect health‐related functional impairment at an early stage, it is necessary to carry out systematic and structured observations. The assessment tool Subacute and Acute Dysfunction in the Elderly (SAFE) has been developed explicitly for these structured observations. This study aims to explore the experiences and challenges of home‐based care work team coordinators (WTCs) regarding the introduction and use of SAFE.

Method

The present qualitative study was performed following Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines. The data were collected through individual interviews (n = 3) and focus group (FG) interviews (n = 7). The interview transcripts were analysed using the Gioia method.

Results

Five aggregated dimensions were identified: Varying acceptance of SAFE, Structuring and quality‐assurance of home‐based nursing practice, Obstacles for the integration of SAFE in daily practice, Acceptance and use of SAFE require continuous supervision and SAFE contributes to increased quality of nursing care.

Conclusion

The introduction of SAFE contributes to a structured follow‐up of functional status in patients receiving home care. In order to incorporate the tool into home care practice, it is essential to set aside time to introduce the tool and to support nurses' use of it by offering continuous supervision.
Factors associated with different patterns of weight change after bariatric surgery: A longitudinal study
Authors: Henao Carrillo Diana Cristina , Gómez Ana María , Muñoz Oscar M. , Rubio Claudia , Rodríguez Natalia , Ursida Valentina , Forero Ana Milena , Pinzón Fabio , Mikler Rami
Published: April 2023

Background

The mean weight loss (WL) after successful bariatric surgery is approximately one third of the initial body weight, which is mainly achieved between the first 2 years of follow‐up. However, 15%–35% of patients do not achieve a significant percentage of total WL (%TWL). Information on factors associated with a higher or lower WL after bariatric surgery is limited. This study aimed to assess the change in %TWL and describe the factors associated with greater or lesser WL over time.

Methods

This prospective longitudinal study included patients treated with laparoscopic Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. Baseline data were recorded before surgery. Follow‐up was performed at 3 (n = 141), 6 (n = 208), 9 (n = 115), 12 (n = 216), 24 (n = 166), and 36 months (n = 99). Generalized estimating equation analysis was performed to assess the changes in %TWL over time and factors associated with different patterns of WL.

Results

In total, 231 patients were included (women, 82.2%; basal body mass index (BMI) 41.4 ± 5.1 kg/m2). The tendencies to increase %TWL (32 ± 6.5) were evident in the first year and stabilized thereafter. Sustained nutritionist follow‐up (2.3%, p = 0.004), baseline BMI >40 kg/m2 (0.4%, p < 0.001), and WL ≥ 10 kg before surgery (0.3%, p = 0.001) were associated with a higher %TWL. Patients who performed physical activity >30 min/day after surgery reduced their %TWL by 0.6% (p = 0.002).

Conclusions

Modifiable factors such as nutritional monitoring and WL before surgery are associated with a significant increase in %TWL over time. Basal BMI was associated with a significant decrease in %TWL.
Safety and efficacy of multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors in pediatric/adolescent and young adult patients with relapsed or refractory osteosarcomas: A single‐institution retrospective analysis
Authors: Sugiyama Masanaka , Arakawa Ayumu , Shirakawa Nami , Tao Kayoko , Tanimura Kazuki , Nakajima Miho , Watanabe Yuko , Kumamoto Tadashi , Maniwa Junnosuke , Yoneda Akihiro , Iwata Shintaro , Kobayashi Eisuke , Kawai Akira , Ogawa Chitose
Published: April 2023

Background

The prognosis of relapsed or refractory osteosarcoma remains poor. Recent reports have stated that molecular targeting agents, including multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors (MTKIs), are effective against adult osteosarcoma. To determine the safety and efficacy of MTKI therapy in children, adolescents and young adults (AYAs), we conducted a retrospective study on adverse events and treatment outcomes.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with relapsed or refractory osteosarcoma who received MTKI therapy at the Department of Pediatric Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, from December 2013 to May 2021.

Results

The study included 31 patients (15 males and 16 females) who received MTKIs, including sorafenib monotherapy (seven patients), sorafenib and everolimus (14 patients), and regorafenib monotherapy (10 patients). Their median age was 17 years (range: 11–22 years). The incidence of treatment‐related grade 3 nonhematological adverse events was 14.3% in the sorafenib monotherapy group, 21.4% in the sorafenib with everolimus group, and 20.0% in the regorafenib monotherapy group. No grade 4 nonhematological adverse events were observed. The median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 51 days in the sorafenib monotherapy group, 101 days in the sorafenib with everolimus group, and 167 days in the regorafenib monotherapy group.

Conclusion

The safety profile of MTKI therapies in pediatric and AYA patients was comparable to that in adult patients. MTKI therapies, particularly regorafenib, against pediatric relapsed osteosarcoma can suppress tumor growth and prolong PFS with tolerable adverse events.
ANNbased prediction of the absorption characteristics of additive manufactured glycol‐modified polyethylene terephthalate nanocomposites reinforced with short‐carbon fibers and nanoclay fillers
Authors: Mahesh Vinyas
Published: April 2023

In this research work, an artificial neural network (ANN) based data driven prediction technique is proposed to evaluate the absorption characteristics of glycol‐modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) polymer nanocomposites reinforced with short carbon fibers (SCFs) and organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) nanoclay (NC) fillers. The specimens are fabricated through additive manufacturing routine. The data points owing to the absorption of PETG nanocomposites are collected with the aid of the experimentation, which are then used to train the ANN model using Levenberg–Marquardt backward propagation algorithm. Different variants of PETG nanocomposites are prepared using various weight percentages of NC (1%, 3%, and 5%) and SCFs (5%, 10%, and 15%). The required filaments were prepared with the aid of compounding and extrusion processes. The specimens were printed using the fused deposition modeling technique. Further, the absorption behavior of these nanocomposites when exposed to distilled water, salt solution, and sugar solution has been experimentally studied following the ASTM D570 standard. The individual and combined effects of reinforcing OMMT‐NC and SCFs in the PETG matrix are also studied. The experimental results suggest that the absorption characteristics of PETG nanocomposites are significantly affected by the NC and SCFs reinforcements. The outcomes of this work will aid the design/material engineers in making a good trade‐off between the mechanical and absorption properties of the proposed PETG nanocomposites.
The genetic approach to stillbirth: A »systematic review«
Authors: Dolanc Merc Maja , Peterlin Borut , Lovrecic Luca
Published: April 2023

Unexplained stillbirth is defined as a stillbirth with no known cause after the exclusion of common causes, including obstetric complications, infections, placental insufficiency or abruption, umbilical cord complications, and congenital abnormalities with or without known genetic cause. More than 60% of stillbirth cases remain unexplained. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the known genetic causes of unexplained stillbirth cases and to evaluate the current position and future directions for the use of genetic and genomic testing in expanding the knowledge in this field. A systematic search through several databases was performed using the keywords genetics and stillbirths in humans. Different methods to detect various types of causal genetic aberrations have been used in the past decades, from standard karyotyping to novel methods such as chromosomal microarray analysis and next generation sequencing technologies. Apart from common chromosomal aneuploidies, a promising hypothesis about genetic causes included genes related to cardiomyopathies and channelopathies. However, these were tested in the research settings, since molecular karyotyping is currently the standard approach in the routine evaluation of genetic causes of stillbirth. Hereby, we provide evidence that expanding knowledge using novel genetic and genomic testing might uncover new genetic causes of unexplained stillbirth.
Elucidation of the effect of hybrid copper/selenium nanofiller on the optical, thermal, electrical, mechanical properties and antibacterial activity of polyvinyl alcohol/carboxymethyl cellulose blend
Authors: Abdallah E. M. , Asnag G. M. , Morsi M. A. , Aljohani Marwah , Albalwa Aisha Nawaf , Yassin A. Y.
Published: April 2023

Polymer nanocomposite samples of a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) blend doped with copper nanoparticles and selenium nanoparticles (Cu NPs/Se NPs) were prepared by the casting method. X‐ray diffraction analysis (XRD) patterns showed an increase in the degree of amorphous nature of the host polymeric matrix with increasing content of Cu/Se nanoparticles. The addition of 1.60 wt.%, Cu/Se NPs narrowed the indirect optical energy gap value of the nanocomposite from 3.97 to 2.39 eV. In addition, the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curve of the pure blend displays the miscibility of the blend components, confirmed by the presence of a single glass transition. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs showed that the average sizes of Cu and Se nanoparticles are about 11 and 41 nm, respectively. The maximum values of AC and DC conductivity were 6.76 × 10−6 S.cm−1 and 5.49 × 10−10 for a PVA/CMC film filled with 1.60 wt.% of Cu‐Se NPs. The mechanical properties of the PVA/CMC blend improved after adding the hybrid NPs. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of the prepared samples was increased due to the filling of Cu‐Se nanoparticles to the films. Therefore, these results indicate the multifunctionality of PVA/CMC/Cu‐Se nanocomposite samples for use in electrical energy storage, solid‐polymer electrolytes, and food packaging industry.
Transcriptomic analysis of plasma exosomes provides molecular information of response to cabazitaxel treatment in men with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer
Authors: Vardaki Ioulia , Özcan Seda Sabah , Fonseca Pedro , Lin Sue‐Hwa , Logothetis Christopher J. , Yachnin Jeffrey , Ullen Anders , Panaretakis Theocharis
Published: April 2023

Background

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer type and the second most common cancer‐related cause of death in men. Cabazitaxel, a next‐generation taxane, shows favorable toxicity profile and is effective in docetaxel‐resistant tumors. Despite initial responses, in most cases, prostate cancer patients acquire resistance to cabazitaxel. There is a need to identify molecular markers that can monitor and predict treatment response.

Methods

We performed transcriptional exosome profiling (Human Transcriptome Array‐HTA 2.0) from the plasma of 19 patients with castration‐resistant prostate cancer at baseline and in patients after one cycle of cabazitaxel (C1). The patients were stratified in two groups (responders and nonresponders) according to their clinical response to cabazitaxel. Gene set enrichment analysis and ingenuity pathway analysis platforms were used for gene and pathway analysis.

Results

We detected molecular differences in the exosomes from two groups of patients (nonresponders vs. responders) at baseline in pathways related to prostate cancer, oncogenic signaling, cytoskeleton, and immune system. In nonresponders, we found enrichment of cytoskeleton related gene (Stathmin‐1 and ITSN1) that have been associated with resistance to cabazitaxel. Monitoring of exosomal transcripts after the first cycle of treatment revealed changes in pathways associated with response to treatment.

Conclusions

Sequential transcriptional profiling of plasma‐derived exosomes reveals differential expression of genes that may reflect resistance to cabazitaxel treatment and therapy response.
Enhancement of NiOx/Poly‐Si Contact Performance by Insertion of an Ultrathin Metallic Ni Interlayer
Authors: Lange Stefan , Fett Bastian , Kabakli Özde S. , Adner David , Kroyer Thomas , Bogati Shankar , Schulze Patricia S. C. , Herbig Bettina , Hagendorf Christian , Sextl Gerhard , Mandel Karl
Published: April 2023

Nickel oxide () is a promising hole transport material for perovskite/Si tandem solar cells. Various silicon cell architectures may be used as bottom cells. The polycrystalline (poly‐Si) tunnel diode is expected to be a high‐efficiency interconnection scheme between the two subcells of monolithic tandems in p‐i‐n configuration with a high thermal budget, excellent passivation properties, and low contact resistivity. However, is then interfaced to poly‐Si() and the chemical integrity of the interface due to the necessity of annealing treatments has to be questioned. For this purpose, the /poly‐Si contact resistivity for different annealing temperatures is investigated between 100 and 500 °C, and two different deposition techniques, namely, wet‐chemically applied and sputter‐deposited . The values of more than are obtained. The insertion of a nm‐thin metallic Ni interlayer is shown to enable a tremendous decrease of the contact resistivity by 2–3 orders of magnitude. The formation of is proven by highly resolved (scanning) transmission electron microscopy ((S)TEM) coupled with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDXS). This interfacial engineering approach is expected to provide an effective way of improving the contact properties and integrability of into various tandem cell processes.
Humoral immune response to two doses of COVID‐19 mRNA‐based vaccines in people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Farhadian Negin , Sharifi Sara , Taghadosi Mahdi , Farhadian Maryam , Vaziri Siavash
Published: April 2023

People living with HIV (PLWH) are susceptible to severe COVID‐19 infection and hence this fragile population has prioritised vaccination. This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to assess the humoral immune response after receiving two doses schedule of COVID‐19 mRNA vaccinations in this high‐risk population. A systematic electronic search on the PubMed database and manual searches were performed for relevant articles until 30 Sep 2022. Two outcomes of interest were seroconversion rates and anti‐spike receptor binding domain (anti‐S‐RBD) antibody titres at the median time of 14–35 days following two‐dose vaccination among PLWH. Nineteen cohorts and one cross‐sectional study were eligible for inclusion in this study. The pooled estimate of seroconversion rate after receiving two doses of mRNA vaccination schedule were 98.4% and 75.2% among PLWH with CD4>500 cells/mm3 and CD4<200 cells/mm3, respectively. Compared with controls, PLWH with CD4>500 cells/mm3 had a 51% likelihood of having positive anti‐Spike‐RBD immunoglobulin G (IgG) (OR: 0.509, 95% CI: 0.228, 1.133, p = 0.098) post‐vaccination and this value was only 1.4% (OR: 0.014, 95% CI: 0.002, 0.078, p = 0.000) for PLWH with CD4<200 cells/mm3. There was no significant difference in titres of antibodies on 14–35 days post‐vaccination between PLWH with CD4>500 cells/mm3 and healthy controls (p = 0.06). The pooled median of anti‐S‐RBD IgG values were 1461.93 binding antibody units (BAU)/ml and 457.41 BAU/ml in PLWH with CD4>500 cells/mm3 and CD4<200 cells/mm3, respectively. According to these findings, vaccination with both Pfizer‐BioNTech and Moderna vaccines induced a robust humoral response in ART‐treated HIV patients with preserved CD4 cell count. A diminished humoral immune response to vaccination against COVID‐19 in PLWH with unrestored CD4 count implied the need of specific vaccination schemes.
Silica‐Functionalized Nanolimes for the Conservation of Stone Heritage
Authors: Burgos‐Ruiz Miguel , Elert Kerstin , Ruiz‐Agudo Encarnacion , Cölfen Helmut , Rodriguez‐Navarro Carlos
Published: April 2023

The relatively recent development of nanolimes (i.e., alcoholic dispersions of Ca(OH)2 nanoparticles) has paved the way for new approaches to the conservation of important art works. Despite their many benefits, nanolimes have shown limited reactivity, back‐migration, poor penetration, and lack of proper bonding to silicate substrates. In this work a novel solvothermal synthesis process is presented by which extremely reactive nanostructured Ca(OH)2 particles are obtained using calcium ethoxide as the main precursor species. Moreover, it is demonstrated that this material can be easily functionalized with silica‐gel derivatives under mild synthesis conditions, thereby preventing particle growth, increasing total specific surface area, enhancing reactivity, modifying colloidal behavior, and functioning as self‐integrated coupling agents. Additionally, the formation of calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) nanocement is promoted by the presence of water, resulting in optimal bonding when applied to silicate substrates, as evidenced by the higher reinforcement effect produced on treated Prague sandstone specimens as compared to those consolidated with nonfunctionalized commercial nanolime. The functionalization of nanolimes is not only a promising strategy for the design of optimized consolidation treatments for the cultural heritage, but may also have important implications for the development of advanced nanomaterials for building, environmental, or biomedical applications.
Morphological Differences of MnS Inclusions in Medium‐Carbon Steel with Different Manganese and Sulfur Contents
Authors: Tian Qianren , Liu Nianfu , Shen Wei , Xu Xiangyu , Fu Jianxun
Published: April 2023

The morphology of MnS inclusion is one of the key elements influencing the machinability of steel. Herein, it is shown in the thermodynamic analysis results that the interaction coefficient causes a 1.2% deviation for the precipitation of MnS in low‐sulfur‐content steel (S1), while the deviation is 14% in high‐sulfur steel (S2), and the content of C and Si is the main element causing the deviation. The microstructure of medium‐carbon steel is mainly pearlite and ferrite. The increase of manganese and sulfur content leads to the decrease of ferrite content and increase of pearlite content. Almost all MnS inclusions in S1 are polyhedral, while S2 contains spherelike, cluster, and polyhedral MnS inclusions. Manganese and sulfur mainly affect the nucleation rate of MnS inclusion, where the number density of MnS in S2 is higher than that in S1, which increases the probability of viscous sintering of MnS inclusions in S2, and form spherelike‐ and rodlike‐polycrystalline MnS particles. Polyhedron inclusions are mostly octahedron, and it is the final equilibrium morphology of sulfide in S1 and S2.
EVA: a Tool for the Compositional Verification of AUTOSAR Models
Authors: Cimatti Alessandro , Cristoforetti Luca , Griggio Alberto , Tonetta Stefano , Corfini Sara , Di Natale Marco , Barrau Florian
Published: April 2023

We present , a framework for the integration of modern verification tools in the context of AUTOSAR, a widely-used open standard for the development of automotive software systems. Our framework enables the automatic end-to-end verification of system-level properties using a compositional approach. It combines software model checking techniques for the verification of software components at the code level with a contract-based analysis for verifying their correct composition. In this paper, we present the tool through its application on a representative automotive case study, discussing the main functionalities provided and the results obtained.
Bridging Hardware and Software Analysis with Btor2C: A Word-Level-Circuit-to-C Translator
Authors: Beyer Dirk , Chien Po-Chun , Lee Nian-Ze
Published: April 2023

Across the broad research field concerned with the analysis of computational systems, research endeavors are often categorized by the respective models under investigation. Algorithms and tools are usually developed for a specific model, hindering their applications to similar problems originating from other computational systems. A prominent example of such a situation is the area of formal verification and testing for hardware and software systems. The two research communities share common theoretical foundations and solving methods, including satisfiability, interpolation, and abstraction refinement. Nevertheless, it is often demanding for one community to benefit from the advancements of the other, as analyzers typically assume a particular input format. To bridge the gap between the hardware and software analysis, we propose Btor2C, a translator from word-level sequential circuits to C programs. We choose the Btor2 language as the input format for its simplicity and bit-precise semantics. It can be deemed as an intermediate representation tailored for analysis. Given a Btor2 circuit, Btor2C generates a behaviorally equivalent program in the language C, supported by many static program analyzers. We demonstrate the use cases of Btor2C by translating the benchmark set from the Hardware Model Checking Competitions into C programs and analyze them by tools from the Intl. Competitions on Software Verification and Testing. Our results show that software analyzers can complement hardware verifiers for enhanced quality assurance: For example, the software verifier VeriAbs with Btor2C as preprocessor found more bugs than the best hardware verifiers ABC and AVR in our experiment.
Lockstep Composition for Unbalanced Loops
Authors: Hamza Ameer , Fedyukovich Grigory
Published: April 2023

Equivalence checking of two programs is often reduced to the safety verification of a so-called product program that aligns the programs in lockstep. However, this strategy is not applicable when programs have arbitrary loop structures, e.g., the numbers of loops vary. We introduce an automatic iterative abstraction-refinement-based technique for checking equivalence of a single-loop program and a program which has a series of consecutive loops. Our approach decomposes the single loop into a sequence of separate loops thus reducing the main problem to a series of equivalence-checking problems for pairs of loops. Since due to the decomposition, these problems become abstract, our approach iteratively refines the decomposed loops and lifts useful information across them. Our second contribution is a procedure for the alignment of loops with counters and explicit bounds that cannot be composed in lockstep. We have implemented the approach and successfully evaluated it on two suites, one with benchmarks containing different numbers of loops and the other containing benchmarks that need alignment.
LTL Reactive Synthesis with a Few Hints
Authors: Balachander Mrudula , Filiot Emmanuel , Raskin Jean-François
Published: April 2023

We study a variant of the problem of synthesizing Mealy machines that enforce LTL specifications against all possible behaviours of the environment, including hostile ones. In the variant studied here, the user provides the high level LTL specification$$\varphi $$of the system to design, and a setEof examples of executions that the solution must produce. Our synthesis algorithm first generalizes the user-provided examples inEusing tailored extensions of automata learning algorithms, while preserving realizability of$$\varphi $$. Second, it turns the (usually) incomplete Mealy machine obtained by the learning phase into a complete Mealy machine realizing$$\varphi $$. The examples are used to guide the synthesis procedure. We prove learnability guarantees of our algorithm and prove that our problem, while generalizing the classical LTL synthesis problem, matches its worst-case complexity. The additional cost of learning fromEis even polynomial in the size ofEand in the size of a symbolic representation of solutions that realize$$\varphi $$, computed by the synthesis toolAcacia-Bonzai. We illustrate the practical interest of our approach on a set of examples.
Timed Automata Verification and Synthesis via Finite Automata Learning
Authors: Sankur Ocan
Published: April 2023

We present algorithms for model checking and controller synthesis of timed automata, seeing a timed automaton model as a parallel composition of a large finite-state machine and a relatively smaller timed automaton, and using compositional reasoning on this composition. We use automata learning algorithms to learn finite automata approximations of the timed automaton component, in order to reduce the problem at hand to finite-state model checking or to finite-state controller synthesis. We present an experimental evaluation of our approach.
Explainable Online Monitoring of Metric Temporal Logic
Authors: Lima Leonardo , Herasimau Andrei , Raszyk Martin , Traytel Dmitriy , Yuan Simon
Published: April 2023

Runtime monitors analyze system execution traces for policy compliance. Monitors for propositional specification languages, such as metric temporal logic (MTL), produce Boolean verdicts denoting whether the policy is satisfied or violated at a given point in the trace. Given a sufficiently complex policy, it can be difficult for the monitor’s user to understand how the monitor arrived at its verdict. We develop an MTL monitor that outputs verdicts capturing why the policy was satisfied or violated. Our verdicts are proof trees in a sound and complete proof system that we design. We demonstrate that such verdicts can serve as explanations for end users by augmenting our monitor with a graphical interface for the interactive exploration of proof trees. As a second application, our verdicts serve as certificates in a formally verified checker we develop using the Isabelle proof assistant.
Multiparty Session Typing in Java, Deductively
Authors: Bouma Jelle , de Gouw Stijn , Jongmans Sung-Shik
Published: April 2023

Multiparty session typing (MPST) is a method to automatically prove safety and liveness of protocol implementations relative to specifications. We present BGJ: a new tool to apply the MPST method in combination with Java. The checks performed using our tool are purely static (all errors are reported early at compile-time) and resource-efficient (near-zero cost abstractions at run-time), thereby addressing two issues of existing tools. BGJ is built using VerCors, but our approach is general.
Goblint: Autotuning Thread-Modular Abstract Interpretation
Authors: Saan Simmo , Schwarz Michael , Erhard Julian , Pietsch Manuel , Seidl Helmut , Tilscher Sarah , Vojdani Vesal
Published: April 2023

The static analyzer Goblint is dedicated to the analysis of multi-threaded C programs by abstract interpretation. It provides multiple techniques for increasing analysis precision, e.g., configurable context-sensitivity and a wide range of numerical analyses. As a rule of thumb, more precise analyses decrease scalability, while not always necessary for solving the task at hand. Therefore, Goblint has been enhanced with autotuning which, based on syntactical criteria, adapts analysis configuration to the given program such that relevant precision is obtained with acceptable effort.
Java Ranger: Supporting String and Array Operations in Java Ranger (Competition Contribution)
Authors: Hussein Soha , Yan Qiuchen , McCamant Stephen , Sharma Vaibhav , Whalen Michael W.
Published: April 2023

Java Ranger is a path-merging tool for Java Programs. It identifies branching regions of code and summarizes them by generating a disjunctive logical constraint that describes the behavior of the code region. Previously, Java Ranger showed that a reduction of 70% of execution paths is possible when used to merge branching regions of code that support numeric constraints.

In this paper, we describe the support of two additional features since participation in SV-COMP 2020: symbolic array and symbolic string operations. Finally, we present a preliminary evaluation of the effect of the structure of the disjunctive constraint on the solver’s performance. Results suggest that certain constraint structures can speed up the performance of Java Ranger.
FuzzBtor2: A Random Generator of Word-Level Model Checking Problems in Btor2 Format
Authors: Xiao Shengping , Zhang Chengyu , Li Jianwen , Pu Geguang
Published: April 2023

We present , a fuzzer to generate random word-level model checking problems in Btor2 format. Btor2 is one of the mainstream input formats for word-level hardware model checking and was used in the most recent hardware model checking competition. Compared to bit-level one, word-level model checking is a more complex research field at an earlier stage of development. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a tool that can produce a large number of test cases in Btor2 format to test either existing or under-developed word-level model checkers. To evaluate the practicality of , we tested the state-of-the-art word-level model checkers and with the generated benchmarks. Experimental results show that both tools are buggy and not mature enough, which reflects the practical value of .
Verified reductions for optimization
Authors: Bentkamp Alexander , Mir Ramon Fernández , Avigad Jeremy
Published: April 2023

Numerical and symbolic methods for optimization are used extensively in engineering, industry, and finance. Various methods are used to reduce problems of interest to ones that are amenable to solution by these methods. We develop a framework for designing and applying such reductions, using the Lean programming language and interactive proof assistant. Formal verification makes the process more reliable, and the availability of an interactive framework and ambient mathematical library provides a robust environment for constructing the reductions and reasoning about them.
ACoRe: Automated Goal-Conflict Resolution
Authors: Carvalho Luiz , Degiovanni Renzo , Brizzio Matías , Cordy Maxime , Aguirre Nazareno , Traon Yves Le , Papadakis Mike
Published: April 2023

System goals are the statements that, in the context of software requirements specification, capture how the software should behave. Many times, the understanding of stakeholders on what the system should do, as captured in the goals, can lead to different problems, from clearly contradicting goals, to more subtle situations in which the satisfaction of some goals inhibits the satisfaction of others. These latter issues, calledgoal divergences, are the subject ofgoal conflict analysis, which consists of identifying, assessing, and resolving divergences, as part of a more general activity known as goal refinement.

While there exist techniques that, when requirements are expressed formally, can automatically identify and assess goal conflicts, there is currently no automated approach to support engineers inresolvingidentified divergences. In this paper, we presentACoRe, the first approach that automatically proposes potential resolutions to goal conflicts, in requirements specifications formally captured using linear-time temporal logic.ACoResystematically explores syntactic modifications of the conflicting specifications, aiming at obtaining resolutions that disable previously identified conflicts, while preserving specification consistency.ACoReintegrates modern multi-objective search algorithms (in particular, NSGA-III, WBGA, and AMOSA) to produce resolutions that maintain coherence with the original conflicting specification, by searching for specifications that are eithersyntacticallyorsemanticallysimilar to the original specification.

We assessACoReon 25 requirements specifications taken from the literature. We show thatACoRecan successfully produce various conflict resolutions for each of the analyzed case studies, including resolutions that resemble specification repairs manually provided as part of conflict analyses.
Vamos: Middleware for Best-Effort Third-Party Monitoring
Authors: Chalupa Marek , Muehlboeck Fabian , Lei Stefanie Muroya , Henzinger Thomas A.
Published: April 2023

As the complexity and criticality of software increase every year, so does the importance of run-time monitoring. Third-party monitoring, with limited knowledge of the monitored software, and best-effort monitoring, which keeps pace with the monitored software, are especially valuable, yet underexplored areas of run-time monitoring. Most existing monitoring frameworks do not support their combination because they either require access to the monitored code for instrumentation purposes or the processing of all observed events, or both.

We present a middleware framework, Vamos, for the run-time monitoring of software which is explicitly designed to support third-party and best-effort scenarios. The design goals of Vamos are (i) efficiency (keeping pace at low overhead), (ii) flexibility (the ability to monitor black-box code through a variety of different event channels, and the connectability to monitors written in different specification languages), and (iii) ease-of-use. To achieve its goals, Vamos combines aspects of event broker and event recognition systems with aspects of stream processing systems.

We implemented a prototype toolchain for Vamos and conducted experiments including a case study of monitoring for data races. The results indicate that Vamos enables writing useful yet efficient monitors, is compatible with a variety of event sources and monitor specifications, and simplifies key aspects of setting up a monitoring system from scratch.
FuSeBMC_IA: Interval Analysis and Methods for Test Case Generation
Authors: Aldughaim Mohannad , Alshmrany Kaled M. , Gadelha Mikhail R. , de Freitas Rosiane , Cordeiro Lucas C.
Published: April 2023

The cooperative verification of Bounded Model Checking and Fuzzing has proved to be one of the most effective techniques when testing C programs. FuSeBMC is a test-generation tool that employs BMC and Fuzzing to produce test cases. In Test-Comp 2023, we present an interval approach to FuSeBMC_IA, improving the test generator to use interval methods and abstract interpretation (via Frama-C) to strengthen our instrumentation and fuzzing. Here, an abstract interpretation engine instruments the program as follows. It analyzes different program branches, combines the conditions of each branch, and produces a Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP), which is solved using Constraint Programming (CP) by interval manipulation techniques called Contractor Programming. This process has a set of invariants for each branch, which are introduced back into the program as constraints. Experimental results show improvements in reducing CPU time (37%) and memory (13%), while retaining a high score.
Compositional Automata Learning of Synchronous Systems
Authors: Neele Thomas , Sammartino Matteo
Published: April 2023

Automata learning is a technique to infer an automaton model of a black-box system via queries to the system. In recent years it has found widespread use both in industry and academia, as it enables formal verification when no model is available or it is too complex to create one manually. In this paper we consider the problem of learning the individual components of a black-box synchronous system, assuming we can only query the whole system. We introduce a compositional learning approach in which several learners cooperate, each aiming to learn one of the components. Our experiments show that, in many cases, our approach requires significantly fewer queries than a widely-used non-compositional algorithm such as $$\mathtt {L^*}$$

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Democratizing Quality-Based Machine Learning Development through Extended Feature Models
Authors: d’Aloisio Giordano , Di Marco Antinisca , Stilo Giovanni
Published: April 2023

ML systems have become an essential tool for experts of many domains, data scientists and researchers, allowing them to find answers to many complex business questions starting from raw datasets. Nevertheless, the development of ML systems able to satisfy the stakeholders’ needs requires an appropriate amount of knowledge about the ML domain. Over the years, several solutions have been proposed to automate the development of ML systems. However, an approach taking into account the new quality concerns needed by ML systems (like fairness, interpretability, privacy, and others) is still missing.

In this paper, we propose a new engineering approach for the quality-based development of ML systems by realizing a workflow formalized as a Software Product Line through Extended Feature Models to generate an ML System satisfying the required quality constraints. The proposed approach leverages an experimental environment that applies all the settings to enhance a given Quality Attribute, and selects the best one. The experimental environment is general and can be used for future quality methods’ evaluations. Finally, we demonstrate the usefulness of our approach in the context of multi-class classification problem and fairness quality attribute.
Vertical Schools as Community Hubs
Authors: Matthews Tony , Newton Clare , Guaralda Mirko , Mayere Severine
Published: April 2023

Vertical schools are an emerging form of school design in Australia. Hundreds of vertical schools, usually between four and seventeen stories, will be required in coming decades to respond to increasing student numbers in Australian cities. Locations will be in inner urban areas, where population densities are high and land availability is limited. School facilities for traditional academic programs, plus infrastructure for drama, music, exercise, sport, socialising, craft, play, and food preparation/dining, may all be useful to both students and groups from beyond the immediate school population, aiding the development of school-community connections. This chapter examines Australian vertical schools relative to more established European precedents. It traces community connections that can be discovered from visual analysis of plans and occupied buildings to investigate which spaces have potential for community use. How and why communities use different types of school spaces is explored. Consideration is given to the private, privileged, and public spaces of vertical schools. Questions are asked about whether schools operate as open or closed facilities and about how schools with more porous boundaries address children’s’ safety. The comparison of three Australian vertical schools with seven European examples provides helpful lessons to better understand opportunities for further improvement and innovation.
Theorising the Development, Implementation and Sustainability of Schools as Community Hubs
Authors: Rivera-Yevenes Carolina
Published: April 2023

Increasingly, school-based community hubs are aiming to engage and connect communities and service organisations in their daily operations. While some schools offer additional services to community members and share their facilities, there is limited research in the Australian context into how schools succeed in making their infrastructure and extended services accessible to both school and community members. This chapter proposes a research framework to investigate how schools as community hubs (SaCH) have been developed, implemented, and sustained, for the purpose of seeking insights into the processes, challenges, and lessons that have been learned by those involved. The chapter presents findings from the PhD study being undertaken by the author to illustrate how the framework guides attention to the socio-material relations at play within schools operating as community hubs, helping to make connections between the built environment and inhabitants’ practices, activities, and behaviours. The framework supports qualitative inquiry into the lived experiences of those associated with conceiving, delivering, operating, and using schools as community hubs, privileging the voices of policymakers, planners, designers, operators, and users.
A Framework for Building Schools as Community Hubs: If It Were Simpler Would It Happen Everywhere?
Authors: Cleveland Benjamin
Published: April 2023

Developing, implementing, and sustaining schools as community hubs is not necessarily easy. Nevertheless, the potential gains for students, parents, carers, and members of the wider community may be significant, as has been documented internationally. Drawing on information from a range of research activities, this chapter outlines the process undertaken by a multi-disciplinary research team to create a framework for planning, designing, governing, and managing schools as community hubs. The ‘How to Hub Australia’ framework offers evidence-based advice on school infrastructure provision and management linked to the activities, programs and services that may be offered from school sites in addition to schooling. Commonly, these include early years and adult education, organised sports, recreation, library and information services, visual and performing arts activities, and health and wellbeing services. The framework is intended to help policymakers, school leaders, and designers overcome the uncertainties and perceived obstacles that tend to limit the provision and use of school facilities for broader community benefit. If it were simpler, would it happen everywhere? This chapter argues that community-facing schools could become commonplace, rather than exceptional, through the establishment of effective and enduring partnerships and updates to governance and funding models.
Connecting Schools with Local Communities Through Walkable Urban Design
Authors: Ergler Christina , Smith Melody
Published: April 2023

Educational facilities generate traffic to and from school by car, on foot and on wheels. Which mode of travel dominates in a school community depends on several different factors including but not limited to the neighbourhood design, traffic safety, employment structures, community norms, and school policies. This chapter traces the socio-technical entanglements of traveling to school. We focus on the barriers to, and benefits of, active travel (i.e., walking or wheeling for transport) and showcase what children value on their route to school. Additionally, we highlight how built environments and social practices need to be transformed for creating sustainable, healthy and inclusive urban environments. We argue that to foster inclusive communities and to create a sense of belonging outside the school gates, a multi sector approach is needed to challenge and transform current travel norms and practices together with the physical environment of neighbourhood travel.