bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Model Checking Linear Dynamical Systems under Floating-point Rounding
Authors: Lefaucheux Engel , Ouaknine Joël , Purser David , Sharifi Mohammadamin 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWe consider linear dynamical systems under floating-point rounding. In these systems, a matrix is repeatedly applied to a vector, but the numbers are rounded into floating-point representation after each step (i.e., stored as a fixed-precision mantissa and an exponent). The approach more faithfully models realistic implementations of linear loops, compared to the exact arbitrary-precision setting often employed in the study of linear dynamical systems.Our results are twofold: We show that for non-negative matrices there is a special structure to the sequence of vectors generated by the system: the mantissas are periodic and the exponents grow linearly. We leverage this to show decidability of $$\omega $$
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-regular temporal model checking against semialgebraic predicates. This contrasts with the unrounded setting, where even the non-negative case encompasses the long-standing open Skolem and Positivity problems.On the other hand, when negative numbers are allowed in the matrix, we show that the reachability problem is undecidable by encoding a two-counter machine. Again, this is in contrast with the unrounded setting where point-to-point reachability is known to be decidable in polynomial time.
Parameterized Verification under TSO with Data Types
Authors: Abdulla Parosh Aziz , Atig Mohamad Faouzi , Furbach Florian , Godbole Adwait A. , Hendi Yacoub G. , Krishna Shankara N. , Spengler Stephan 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWe consider parameterized verification of systems executing according to the total store ordering (TSO) semantics. The processes manipulate abstract data types over potentially infinite domains. We present a framework that translates the reachability problem for such systems to the reachability problem for register machines enriched with the given abstract data type.
Verifying Learning-Based Robotic Navigation Systems
Authors: Amir Guy , Corsi Davide , Yerushalmi Raz , Marzari Luca , Harel David , Farinelli Alessandro , Katz Guy 
Published: April 2023

AbstractDeep reinforcement learning (DRL) has become a dominant deep-learning paradigm for tasks where complex policies are learned within reactive systems. Unfortunately, these policies are known to be susceptible to bugs. Despite significant progress in DNN verification, there has been little work demonstrating the use of modern verification tools on real-world, DRL-controlled systems. In this case study, we attempt to begin bridging this gap, and focus on the important task of mapless robotic navigation — a classic robotics problem, in which a robot, usually controlled by a DRL agent, needs to efficiently and safely navigate through an unknown arena towards a target. We demonstrate how modern verification engines can be used for effective model selection, i.e., selecting the best available policy for the robot in question from a pool of candidate policies. Specifically, we use verification to detect and rule out policies that may demonstrate suboptimal behavior, such as collisions and infinite loops. We also apply verification to identify models with overly conservative behavior, thus allowing users to choose superior policies, which might be better at finding shorter paths to a target. To validate our work, we conducted extensive experiments on an actual robot, and confirmed that the suboptimal policies detected by our method were indeed flawed. We also demonstrate the superiority of our verification-driven approach over state-of-the-art, gradient attacks. Our work is the first to establish the usefulness of DNN verification in identifying and filtering out suboptimal DRL policies in real-world robots, and we believe that the methods presented here are applicable to a wide range of systems that incorporate deep-learning-based agents.
ALASCA: Reasoning in Quantified Linear Arithmetic
Authors: Korovin Konstantin , Kovács Laura , Reger Giles , Schoisswohl Johannes , Voronkov Andrei 
Published: April 2023

AbstractAutomated reasoning is routinely used in the rigorous construction and analysis of complex systems. Among different theories, arithmetic stands out as one of the most frequently used and at the same time one of the most challenging in the presence of quantifiers and uninterpreted function symbols. First-order theorem provers perform very well on quantified problems due to the efficient superposition calculus, but support for arithmetic reasoning is limited to heuristic axioms. In this paper, we introduce the $$\textsc {Alasca}$$

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calculus that lifts superposition reasoning to the linear arithmetic domain. We show that $$\textsc {Alasca}$$

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is both sound and complete with respect to an axiomatisation of linear arithmetic. We implemented and evaluated $$\textsc {Alasca}$$

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using the Vampire theorem prover, solving many more challenging problems compared to state-of-the-art reasoners.
Symbolic Model Checking for TLA+ Made Faster
Authors: Otoni Rodrigo , Konnov Igor , Kukovec Jure , Eugster Patrick , Sharygina Natasha 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe need to provide formal guarantees about the behaviour of the algorithms underpinning modern distributed systems became evident in recent years. This interest made apparent the complexities involved in applying verification techniques in a distributed setting, with significant effort being made in both academia and industry to aid in this endeavour. Many formalisms have been proposed to tackle the difficulties faced by practitioners, with one that has seen widespread use in industry being TLA$$^+$$+, adopted, for instance, by Amazon Web Services. TLA$$^+$$+provides engineers with a way of specifying both systems and desired properties, and is supported by a number of verification tools. Despite their extensive use, such tools suffer considerably from lack of scalability. To solve this, we propose a novel encoding of TLA$$^+$$+into SMT constraints to improve symbolic model checking efficiency. Our insight is the need to provide the SMT solver with structural information about the TLA$$^+$$+specification encoded, i.e., how data structures and their component elements interact, which we do by relying on the SMT theory of arrays. We implemented our approach by modifying the SMT-based model checkerApalacheand evaluated it against comparable tools. Our results show that our approach outperforms existing ones on a number of benchmarks, with an order of magnitude improvement in checking time.
The Discourse on Perspective in Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo’s Trattato dell’Arte della Pittura
Authors: Tramelli Barbara 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe paper presents the complex discourse on perspective which the Milanese painter Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo writes in book V of his Trattato dell’Arte della Pittura (1584), explaining why the theoretical and practical discourse on the subject can be interpreted as the result of the artist’s erudition, personal connections and direct artistic experience.
NOX4-derived ROS are neuroprotective by balancing intracellular calcium stores
Authors: Gola Lukas , Bierhansl Laura , Csatári Júlia , Schroeter Christina B. , Korn Lisanne , Narayanan Venu , Cerina Manuela , Abdolahi Sara , Speicher Anna , Hermann Alexander M. , König Simone , Dinkova-Kostova Albena T. , Shekh-Ahmad Tawfeeq , Meuth Sven G. , Wiendl Heinz , Gorji Ali , Pawlowski Matthias , Kovac Stjepana 
Published: April 2023

AbstractHyperexcitability is associated with neuronal dysfunction, cellular death, and consequently neurodegeneration. Redox disbalance can contribute to hyperexcitation and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels are observed in various neurological diseases. NOX4 is an NADPH oxidase known to produce ROS and might have a regulating function during oxidative stress. We, therefore, aimed to determine the role of NOX4 on neuronal firing, hyperexcitability, and hyperexcitability-induced changes in neural network function. Using a multidimensional approach of an in vivo model of hyperexcitability, proteomic analysis, and cellular function analysis of ROS, mitochondrial integrity, and calcium levels, we demonstrate that NOX4 is neuroprotective by regulating ROS and calcium homeostasis and thereby preventing hyperexcitability and consequently neuronal death. These results implicate NOX4 as a potential redox regulator that is beneficial in hyperexcitability and thereby might have an important role in neurodegeneration.
Relationships between stiffness of material, lamellas and CLT elements with respect to out of plane bending and rolling shear
Authors: Olsson Anders , Schirén Whokko , Segerholm Kristoffer , Bader Thomas K. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe use of cross laminated timber (CLT) for construction has increased greatly in recent years and the large volumes of wood used for CLT means that it is important to optimize the use of the material. This requires relevant grading of lamellas and knowledge of relationships between lamella and CLT properties. In the present study, the relationship between dynamic axial modulus of elasticity (MoE) of lamellas and the quasi-static out of plane bending stiffness of CLT is investigated. By means of four-point bending test, it is shown that the effective quasi-static MoE of lamellas in CLT is only 2–6% lower than the average axial dynamic MoE of the individual lamellas. With this knowledge, producers of CLT can easily predict and control the important out of plane bending stiffness of the produced CLT. Moreover, it is shown that effective rolling shear stiffness of layers in CLT can be accurately determined by means of digital image correlation performed in connection to four-point bending of CLT, even for long test spans. For layers of lamellas of Scots pine of size 40 × 190 mm2the average apparent or effective rolling shear modulus was determined to be 159 MPa. The average rolling shear modulus of the same material was determined to be 56 MPa.
Funktionelle Diagnostik der patellofemoralen Instabilität
Authors: Bartsch Anna , Egloff Christian 
Published: April 2023

Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund
Die Routinediagnostik der patellofemoralen Instabilität evaluiert überwiegend statische Faktoren. Obwohl es sich bei der Instabilität um ein dynamisches Geschehen handelt, wird statisches Malalignement und nicht Maltracking als Surrogat für die patellofemorale Instabilität erfasst. Mehrere statische Parameter wie TT-TG-Abstand (Distanz zwischen Tuberositas tibiae und Trochlearinne) oder Patellahöhe ändern sich mit der Beinposition, und durch die Kontraktion des M. quadriceps femoris kann sich die Position der Patella um über ein Viertel ihrer Breite mediolateral verschieben. Funktionelle Diagnostik, die das Patellatracking erfasst, beschreibt eine patellofemorale Instabilität daher differenzierter als eine alleinige statische Diagnostik.

Ergebnisse
Um als funktionelle Diagnostik eingesetzt zu werden, muss die Patellabewegung in verschiedenen Kniewinkeln, mit unterschiedlich hoher Anspannung des Quadrizeps, unter externer Stressbelastung und unter Belastung im Stehen durchgeführt werden können. Als neue Methoden zur funktionellen Diagnostik haben sich Ultraschall, dynamische Magnetresonanztomographie (MRT) und muskuloskeletale Modellierung in unterschiedlichen Anwendungsbereichen hervorgetan, die ein großes Potenzial zeigen, diese diagnostische Lücke zu schließen. Die Sonographie kann in der Sprechstunde einfach durchgeführt und wiederholt werden, die dynamische MRT kann eine hochauflösende Aussage über Translation und Rotation inkl. Knorpelevaluation bieten, und die muskuloskeletale Modellierung kann Gelenkbelastungskräfte während der physiologischen Ambulation bestimmen.

Diskussion
Funktionelle Diagnostik der patellofemoralen Instabilität eröffnet neue Perspektiven und erlaubt eine tiefgreifende Analyse der patellofemoralen Biomechanik. Referenzwerte und spezifische Bewegungen für den Einsatz in Diagnose, Behandlung und Nachsorge müssen jedoch noch spezifiziert werden.
Biofertilizer effect of some zinc dissolving bacteria free and encapsulated on Zea mays growth
Authors: Sultan Asmaa Ahmed Yassen Ahmed , Gebreel Hassan Mahmoud , Youssef HebatAllah Ibrahim AbdElazeim 
Published: April 2023

AbstractCrop nutrition depends on zinc for enzymatic, oxidative, and metabolic processes. In the current study 20 different bacteria were isolated from five soil samples collected from different fields in Egypt. Bacterial isolates were screened for their ability to solubilize insoluble zinc oxide and zinc carbonate. The ability of selected isolates to tolerate soluble zinc was determined using different concentrations of (ZnSO4). Three bacterial isolates were selected with efficiency in solubilizing zinc oxide and zinc carbonate while tolerating high levels of soluble zinc. Molecular identification by 16S rRNA sequencing of the chosen isolates identified them as B3 (Acinetobacter calcoaceticus), B5 (Bacillus proteolyticus) and C6 (Stenotrophomonas pavanii). Sodium alginate beads formulated with the isolated bacteria were tested for stability under different storage conditions for 3 months. A pot experiment was conducted to study and compare the effect of using chosen isolates as an in vivo Zn solubilizer with amended ZnCO3 either alone or embedded in beads as carrier in the soil and its effect on growth parameters of Zea mays after 2 months. There was an increase in Zn uptake in all treatments compared to the control. However, plants grown in a pot treated with ZnCO3 and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus showed the highest zinc content and plant dry weight as compared to the control. Finally, selected isolates in both free and encapsulated forms showed improved plant growth parameters and higher zinc content and can be applied as biofertilizers to enhance soil fertility.
The role of warm ischemia time on functional outcomes after robotic partial nephrectomy: a radionuclide renal scan study from the clock randomized trial
Authors: Antonelli Alessan dro , Cindolo Luca , Sandri Marco , Veccia Alessandro , Annino Filippo , Bertagna Francesco , Di Maida Fabrizio , Celia Antonio , D’Orta Carlo , De Concilio Bernardino , Furlan Maria , Giommoni Valentina , Ingrosso Manuela , Mari Andrea , Nucciotti Roberto , Olianti Catia , Porreca Angelo , Primiceri Giulia , Schips Luigi , Sessa Francesco , Bove Pierluigi , Simeone Claudio , Minervini Andrea ,   The AGILE Group (Italian Group for Advanced Laparo-Endoscopic Surgery)
Published: April 2023

Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate the relationship between warm ischemia time (WIT) duration and renal function after robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN).

Methods
The CLOCK trial is a phase 3 randomized controlled trial comparing on- vs off-clamp RAPN. All patients underwent pre- and postoperative renal scintigraphy. Six-month absolute variation of eGFR (AV-GFR), rate of relative variation in eGFR over 25% (RV-GFR > 25), absolute variation of split renal function (SRF) at scintigraphy (AV-SRF).
The relationships WIT/outcomes were assessed by correlation graphs and then modeled by uni- and multivariable regression.

Results
324 patients were included (206 on-clamp, 118 off-clamp RAPN). Correlation graphs showed a threshold on WIT equal to 10 min. The differences in outcome measures between cases with WIT < vs ≥ 10 min were: AV-GFR − 3.7 vs − 7.5 ml/min (p < 0.001); AV-SRF − 1% vs − 3.6% (p < 0.001); RV-GFR > 25 9.3% vs 17.8% (p = 0.008). Multivariable models found that AV-GFR was related to WIT ≥ 10 min (regression coefficient [RC] − 0.52, p = 0.019), age (RC − 0.35, p = 0.001) and baseline eGFR (RC − 0.30, p < 0.001); RV-GFR > 25 to WIT ≥ 10 min (odds ratio [OR] 1.11, p = 0.007) and acute kidney injury defined as > 50% increase in serum creatinine (OR 19.7, p = 0.009); AV-SRF to WIT ≥ 10 min (RC − 0.30, p = 0.018), baseline SRF (RC − 0.76, p < 0.001) and RENAL score (RC − 0.60. p = 0.028).
The main limitation was that the CLOCK trial was designed on a different endpoint and therefore the present analysis could be underpowered.

Conclusions
Up to 10 min WIT had no consequences on functional outcomes. Above the 10-min threshold, a statistically significant, but clinically negligible impact was found.
Short-term outcome of diverting loop ileostomy reversals performed by residents: a retrospective cohort prognostic factor study
Authors: von Savigny Clara , Juratli Mazen A. , Koch Christine , Gruber-Rouh Tatjana , Bechstein Wolf O. , Schreckenbach Teresa 
Published: April 2023

Abstract
Aim
The reversal of diverting loop ileostomy (DLI) is one of surgical trainees’ first procedures. Complications of DLI reversal can cause life-threatening complications and increase patient morbidity. This study compared DLI reversals performed by surgical trainees with those by attending surgeons.

Method
This retrospective cohort study was performed at a single primary care center on 300 patients undergoing DLI reversal. The primary outcome was morbidity, according to the Clavien-Dindo classification (CDC), with special attention paid to the surgeon’s level of training. The secondary endpoint was postoperative intestinal motility dysfunction.

Results
Surgical trainees had significantly longer operation times (p < 0.001) than attending surgeons. Univariate analyses revealed no influence on the level of training for postoperative morbidity. First bowel movement later than 3 days after surgery was a significant risk factor for CDC $$\ge$$
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3 (OR, 4.348; 96% CI, 1670–11.321; p = 0.003). Independent risk factors for surgical site infections (SSIs) were an elevated BMI (OR, 1.162; 95% CI, 1.043–1.1294; p = 0.007) and a delayed bowel movement (OR, 3.973; 95% CI, 1.300–12.138; p = 0.015). For postoperative intestinal motility dysfunction, an independent risk factor was a primary malignant disease (OR, 1.980; 95% CI, 1.120–3.500; p = 0.019), and side-to-side stapled anastomosis was a protective factor (OR, 0.337; 95% CI 0.155–0.733; p = 0.006).

Conclusion
Even though surgical trainees needed significantly more time to perform the surgery, the level of surgical training was not a risk factor for increased postoperative morbidity. Instead, delayed first bowel movement was predictive of SSI.
Serum neurofilament light chain levels are associated with all-cause mortality in the general US population
Authors: Ciardullo Stefano , Muraca Emanuele , Bianconi Eleonora , Ronchetti Celeste , Cannistraci Rosa , Rossi Laura , Perra Silvia , Zerbini Francesca , Perseghin Gianluca 
Published: April 2023

Abstract
Introduction
Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels are biomarkers of neuro-axonal injury in multiple neurological diseases. Little is known on their potential role as prognostic markers in people without known neurological conditions.

Objective
The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between sNfL levels and all-cause mortality in a general population setting.

Methods
sNfL levels were measured in 2071 people aged 25–75 years from the general US population that participated in the 2013–2014 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Cognitive function was evaluated in a subset of participants aged 60–75 years using the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease-Word Learning test, the Animal Fluency test and the Digit Symbol Substitution test. We applied Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for several potential confounders to evaluate the association between sNfL and all-cause mortality through December 2019 by linking NHANES data with data from the National Death Index.

Results
In a cross-sectional analysis, higher sNfL levels were associated with worse performance in all three cognitive function tests. Over a median follow-up of 6.1 years, 85 participants died. In a multivariable model adjusted for age, sex, race-ethnicity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, harmful alcohol consumption, cigarette smoke and prevalent cardiovascular disease, higher sNfL levels were significantly and positively associated with all-cause mortality (HR per unit increase in log-transformed sNfL: 2.46, 95% CI 1.77–3.43, p < 0.001). Results were robust when analyses were stratified according to age, sex, body mass index and kidney function.

Conclusion
We found a positive association between sNfL levels and mortality in the general US population. Further studies are needed to understand the biological mechanisms underlying this association.
Parameterised Counting in Logspace
Authors: Haak Anselm , Meier Arne , Prakash Om , Rao B. V. Raghavendra 
Published: April 2023

AbstractLogarithmic space-bounded complexity classes such as$$\textbf{L} $$Land$$\textbf{NL} $$NLplay a central role in space-bounded computation. The study of counting versions of these complexity classes have lead to several interesting insights into the structure of computational problems such as computing the determinant and counting paths in directed acyclic graphs. Though parameterised complexity theory was initiated roughly three decades ago by Downey and Fellows, a satisfactory study of parameterised logarithmic space-bounded computation was developed only in the last decade by Elberfeld, Stockhusen and Tantau (IPEC 2013, Algorithmica 2015). In this paper, we introduce a new framework for parameterised counting in logspace, inspired by the parameterised space-bounded models developed by Elberfeld, Stockhusen and Tantau. They defined the operators$$\textbf{para}_{\textbf{W}}$$paraWand$$\textbf{para}_\beta $$paraβfor parameterised space complexity classes by allowing bounded nondeterminism with multiple-read and read-once access, respectively. Using these operators, they characterised the parameterised complexity of natural problems on graphs. In the spirit of the operators$$\textbf{para}_{\textbf{W}}$$paraWand$$\textbf{para}_\beta $$paraβby Stockhusen and Tantau, we introduce variants based on tail-nondeterminism,$$\textbf{para}_{{\textbf{W}}[1]}$$paraW[1]and$$\textbf{para}_{\beta {\textbf{tail}}}$$paraβtail. Then, we consider counting versions of all four operators and apply them to the class$$\textbf{L} $$L. We obtain several natural complete problems for the resulting classes: counting of paths in digraphs, counting first-order models for formulas, and counting graph homomorphisms. Furthermore, we show that the complexity of a parameterised variant of the determinant function for (0, 1)-matrices is$$\#\textbf{para}_{\beta {\textbf{tail}}}\textbf{L} $$#paraβtailL-hard and can be written as the difference of two functions in$$\#\textbf{para}_{\beta {\textbf{tail}}}\textbf{L} $$#paraβtailL. These problems exhibit the richness of the introduced counting classes. Our results further indicate interesting structural characteristics of these classes. For example, we show that the closure of$$\#\textbf{para}_{\beta {\textbf{tail}}}\textbf{L} $$#paraβtailLunder parameterised logspace parsimonious reductions coincides with$$\#\textbf{para}_\beta \textbf{L} $$#paraβL. In other words, in the setting of read-once access to nondeterministic bits, tail-nondeterminism coincides with unbounded nondeterminism modulo parameterised reductions. Initiating the study of closure properties of these parameterised logspace counting classes, we show that all introduced classes are closed under addition and multiplication, and those without tail-nondeterminism are closed under parameterised logspace parsimonious reductions. Finally, we want to emphasise the significance of this topic by providing a promising outlook highlighting several open problems and directions for further research.