A Verified and Compositional Translation of LTL to Deterministic Rabin Automata

We present a formalisation of the unified translation approach from linear temporal logic (LTL) to omega-automata from [Javier Esparza et al., 2018]. This approach decomposes LTL formulas into "simple" languages and allows a clear separation of concerns: first, we formalise the purely logical result yielding this decomposition; second, we develop a generic, executable, and expressive automata library providing necessary operations on automata to re-combine the "simple" languages; third, we instantiate this generic theory to obtain a construction for deterministic Rabin automata (DRA). We extract from this particular instantiation an executable tool translating LTL to DRAs. To the best of our knowledge this is the first verified translation of LTL to DRAs that is proven to be double-exponential in the worst case which asymptotically matches the known lower bound

First Experiments with a Flexible Infrastructure for Normative Reasoning

A flexible infrastructure for normative reasoning is outlined. A small-scale demonstrator version of the envisioned system has been implemented in the proof assistant Isabelle/HOL by utilising the first authors universal logical reasoning approach based on shallow semantical embeddings in meta-logic HOL. The need for such a flexible reasoning infrastructure is motivated and illustrated with a contrary-to-duty example scenario selected from the General Data Protection Regulation.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

MizAR 60 for Mizar 50

As a present to Mizar on its 50th anniversary, we develop an AI/TP system that automatically proves about 60% of the Mizar theorems in the hammer setting. We also automatically prove 75% of the Mizar theorems when the automated provers are helped by using only the premises used in the human-written Mizar proofs. We describe the methods and large-scale experiments leading to these results. This includes in particular the E and Vampire provers, their ENIGMA and Deepire learning modifications, a number of learning-based premise selection methods, and the incremental loop that interleaves growing a corpus of millions of ATP proofs with training increasingly strong AI/TP systems on them. We also present a selection of Mizar problems that were proved automatically

Decarbonizing Transport in the European Union: Emission Performance Standards and the Perspectives for a European Green Deal

The transport sector is a major driver of climate change both globally and in the European Union (EU). While the EU as a whole is showing declining carbon emissions, transport-related emissions are higher than in 1990. Car traffic is responsible for around 12 percent of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen underlined the efforts to strengthen the decarbonization of the EU at the end of 2019 by publishing the European Green Deal (EGD) communication. In this paper, we analyze the controversy surrounding the emission performance standards for cars adopted in spring 2019. Car manufacturers must reduce the average carbon emissions of their fleets by 37.5% between 2021 and 2030. In this respect, the new emission performance standards are more ambitious than the previous ones. However, our argument is that without a major shift in the balance of power, extensive decarbonization and a departure from car-centered transport development will not be possible. Therefore, it is crucial for mobility research to critically engage with lobbying power in the EU and with concepts such as environmental leadership, which often underexpose the structural power of incumbent actors and existing path dependencies

How I treat anticoagulant-refractory thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome

The standard treatment of thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is lifelong oral anticoagulation with a vitamin K antagonist (VKA), generally warfarin. A minority of APS patients re-thrombose despite seemingly adequate anticoagulation. These patients are deemed anticoagulant-refractory. The management of anticoagulant-refractory APS is largely empirical and extrapolated from other clinically similar situations. Further options include increased VKA anticoagulation intensity or alternative antithrombotic strategies, including low-molecular-weight heparin, fondaparinux, the addition of antiplatelet therapy and consideration of vascular options. Anticoagulant-refractory thrombotic APS patients may have APS-associated thrombocytopenia, which necessitates balancing the risk of recurrent thrombosis versus bleeding, to achieve adequate anticoagulation. The multiple mechanisms involved in the generation of the thrombotic phenotype in APS suggest that anticoagulation alone may not control thrombosis. Thus, other modalities, including adjunctive treatment (hydroxychloroquine, statins and vitamin D) for APS-related thrombosis merit consideration, as well as immunomodulatory therapy and complement inhibition. APS patients may have coexistent systemic lupus erythematosus, which adds to the complexity of managing their thromboembolic disease. However, with attention to detail and judicious application of the limited data, it is possible to minimise the morbidity resulting from anticoagulant-refractory thrombotic APS. Multicentre studies are required to guide the sequence of interventions and their comparative efficacy in patients with anticoagulant-refractory thrombotic APS

Uptake, effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines in individuals at clinical risk due to immunosuppressive drug therapy or transplantation procedures: a population-based cohort study in England

: Background: Immunocompromised individuals are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, underscoring the importance of COVID-19 vaccination in this population. The lack of comprehensive real-world data on vaccine uptake, effectiveness and safety in these individuals presents a critical knowledge gap, highlighting the urgency to better understand and address the unique challenges faced by immunocompromised individuals in the context of COVID-19 vaccination. Methods: We analysed data from 12,274,946 people in the UK aged > 12 years from 01/12/2020 to 11/04/2022. Of these, 583,541 (4.8%) were immunocompromised due to immunosuppressive drugs, organ transplants, dialysis or chemotherapy. We undertook a cohort analysis to determine COVID-19 vaccine uptake, nested case–control analyses adjusted for comorbidities and sociodemographic characteristics to determine effectiveness of vaccination against COVID-19 hospitalisation, ICU admission and death, and a self-controlled case series assessing vaccine safety for pre-specified adverse events of interest. Results: Overall, 93.7% of immunocompromised individuals received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, with 80.4% having received three or more doses. Uptake reduced with increasing deprivation (hazard ratio [HR] 0.78 [95%CI 0.77–0.79] in the most deprived quintile compared to the least deprived quintile for the first dose). Estimated vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalisation 2–6 weeks after the second and third doses compared to unvaccinated was 78% (95%CI 72–83) and 91% (95%CI 88–93) in the immunocompromised population, versus 85% (95%CI 83–86) and 86% (95%CI 85–89), respectively, for the general population. Results showed COVID-19 vaccines were protective against intensive care unit (ICU) admission and death in both populations, with effectiveness of over 92% against COVID-19-related death and up to 95% in reducing ICU admissions for both populations following the third dose. COVID-19 vaccines were generally safe for immunocompromised individuals, though specific doses of ChAdOx1, mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 raised risks of specific cardiovascular/neurological conditions. Conclusions: COVID-19 vaccine uptake is high in immunocompromised individuals on immunosuppressive drug therapy or who have undergone transplantation procedures, with documented disparities by deprivation. Findings suggest that COVID-19 vaccines are protective against severe COVID-19 outcomes in this vulnerable population, and show a similar safety profile in immunocompromised individuals and the general population, despite some increased risk of adverse events. These results underscore the importance of ongoing vaccination prioritisation for this clinically at-risk population to maximise protection against severe COVID-19 outcomes