Partitioning Interpolant-Based Verificationfor effective Unbounded Model Checking

Interpolant-based model checking has been shown to be effective on large verification instances, as it efficiently combines automated abstraction and reachability fixed-point checks. On the other hand, methods based on variable quantification have proved their ability to remove free inputs, thus projecting the search space over state variables. In this paper we propose an integrated approach which combines the abstraction power of interpolation with techniques that rely on AIG and/or BDD representations of states, directly supporting variable quantification and fixed-point checks. The underlying idea of this combination is to adopt AIG- or BDD-based quantifications to limit and restrict the search space and the complexity of the interpolant-based approach. The exploited strategies, most of which are individually well-known, are integrated with a new flavor, specifically designed to improve their effectiveness on difficult verification instances. Experimental results, specifically oriented to hard-to-solve verification problems, show the robustness of our approach

Accelerating Parallel Verification via Complementary Property Partitioning and Strategy Exploration

Industrial hardware verification tasks often require checking a large number of properties within a testbench. Verification tools often utilize parallelism in their solving orchestration to improve scalability, either in portfolio mode where different solver strategies run concurrently, or in partitioning mode where disjoint property subsets are verified independently. While most tools focus solely upon reducing end-to-end walltime, reducing overall CPU-time is a comparably-important goal influencing power consumption, competition for available machines, and IT costs. Portfolio approaches often degrade into highly-redundant work across processes, where similar strategies address properties in nearly-identical order. Partitioning should take property affinity into account, atomically verifying high-affinity properties to minimize redundant work of applying identical strategies on individual properties with nearly-identical logic cones. In this paper, we improve multi-property parallel verification with respect to both wall- and CPU-time. We extend affinity-based partitioning to guarantee complete utilization of available processes, with provable partition quality. We propose methods to minimize redundant computation, and dynamically optimize work distribution. We deploy our techniques in a sequential redundancy removal framework, using localization to solve non-inductive properties. Our techniques offer a median 2.4× speedup yielding 18.1% more property solves, as demonstrated by extensive experiments

Improved Encoding for Compressed Textures

For the past few decades, graphics hardware has supported mapping a two dimensional image, or texture, onto a three dimensional surface to add detail during rendering. The complexity of modern applications using interactive graphics hardware have created an explosion of the amount of data needed to represent these images. In order to alleviate the amount of memory required to store and transmit textures, graphics hardware manufacturers have introduced hardware decompression units into the texturing pipeline. Textures may now be stored as compressed in memory and decoded at run-time in order to access the pixel data. In order to encode images to be used with these hardware features, many compression algorithms are run offline as a preprocessing step, often times the most time-consuming step in the asset preparation pipeline. This research presents several techniques to quickly serve compressed texture data. With the goal of interactive compression rates while maintaining compression quality, three algorithms are presented in the class of endpoint compression formats. The first uses intensity dilation to estimate compression parameters for low-frequency signal-modulated compressed textures and offers up to a 3X improvement in compression speed. The second, FasTC, shows that by estimating the final compression parameters, partition-based formats can choose an approximate partitioning and offer orders of magnitude faster encoding speed. The third, SegTC, shows additional improvement over selecting a partitioning by using a global segmentation to find the boundaries between image features. This segmentation offers an additional 2X improvement over FasTC while maintaining similar compressed quality. Also presented is a case study in using texture compression to benefit two dimensional concave path rendering. Compressing pixel coverage textures used for compositing yields both an increase in rendering speed and a decrease in storage overhead. Additionally an algorithm is presented that uses a single layer of indirection to adaptively select the block size compressed for each texture, giving a 2X increase in compression ratio for textures of mixed detail. Finally, a texture storage representation that is decoded at runtime on the GPU is presented. The decoded texture is still compressed for graphics hardware but uses 2X fewer bytes for storage and network bandwidth.Doctor of Philosoph

Cyber-security for embedded systems: methodologies, techniques and tools

L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen

Receptive fields optimization in deep learning for enhanced interpretability, diversity, and resource efficiency.

In both supervised and unsupervised learning settings, deep neural networks (DNNs) are known to perform hierarchical and discriminative representation of data. They are capable of automatically extracting excellent hierarchy of features from raw data without the need for manual feature engineering. Over the past few years, the general trend has been that DNNs have grown deeper and larger, amounting to huge number of final parameters and highly nonlinear cascade of features, thus improving the flexibility and accuracy of resulting models. In order to account for the scale, diversity and the difficulty of data DNNs learn from, the architectural complexity and the excessive number of weights are often deliberately built in into their design. This flexibility and performance usually come with high computational and memory demands both during training and inference. In addition, insight into the mappings DNN models perform and human ability to understand them still remain very limited. This dissertation addresses some of these limitations by balancing three conflicting objectives: computational/ memory demands, interpretability, and accuracy. This dissertation first introduces some unsupervised feature learning methods in a broader context of dictionary learning. It also sets the tone for deep autoencoder learning and constraints for data representations in light of removing some of the aforementioned bottlenecks such as the feature interpretability of deep learning models with nonnegativity constraints on receptive fields. In addition, the two main classes of solution to the drawbacks associated with overparameterization/ over-complete representation in deep learning models are also presented. Subsequently, two novel methods, one for each solution class, are presented to address the problems resulting from over-complete representation exhibited by most deep learning models. The first method is developed to achieve inference-cost-efficient models via elimination of redundant features with negligible deterioration of prediction accuracy. This is important especially for deploying deep learning models into resource-limited portable devices. The second method aims at diversifying the features of DNNs in the learning phase to improve their performance without undermining their size and capacity. Lastly, feature diversification is considered to stabilize adversarial learning and extensive experimental outcomes show that these methods have the potential of advancing the current state-of-the-art on different learning tasks and benchmark datasets

Multi-tier framework for the inferential measurement and data-driven modeling

A framework for the inferential measurement and data-driven modeling has been proposed and assessed in several real-world application domains. The architecture of the framework has been structured in multiple tiers to facilitate extensibility and the integration of new components. Each of the proposed four tiers has been assessed in an uncoupled way to verify their suitability. The first tier, dealing with exploratory data analysis, has been assessed with the characterization of the chemical space related to the biodegradation of organic chemicals. This analysis has established relationships between physicochemical variables and biodegradation rates that have been used for model development. At the preprocessing level, a novel method for feature selection based on dissimilarity measures between Self-Organizing maps (SOM) has been developed and assessed. The proposed method selected more features than others published in literature but leads to models with improved predictive power. Single and multiple data imputation techniques based on the SOM have also been used to recover missing data in a Waste Water Treatment Plant benchmark. A new dynamic method to adjust the centers and widths of in Radial basis Function networks has been proposed to predict water quality. The proposed method outperformed other neural networks. The proposed modeling components have also been assessed in the development of prediction and classification models for biodegradation rates in different media. The results obtained proved the suitability of this approach to develop data-driven models when the complex dynamics of the process prevents the formulation of mechanistic models. The use of rule generation algorithms and Bayesian dependency models has been preliminary screened to provide the framework with interpretation capabilities. Preliminary results obtained from the classification of Modes of Toxic Action (MOA) indicate that this could be a promising approach to use MOAs as proxy indicators of human health effects of chemicals.Finally, the complete framework has been applied to three different modeling scenarios. A virtual sensor system, capable of inferring product quality indices from primary process variables has been developed and assessed. The system was integrated with the control system in a real chemical plant outperforming multi-linear correlation models usually adopted by chemical manufacturers. A model to predict carcinogenicity from molecular structure for a set of aromatic compounds has been developed and tested. Results obtained after the application of the SOM-dissimilarity feature selection method yielded better results than models published in the literature. Finally, the framework has been used to facilitate a new approach for environmental modeling and risk management within geographical information systems (GIS). The SOM has been successfully used to characterize exposure scenarios and to provide estimations of missing data through geographic interpolation. The combination of SOM and Gaussian Mixture models facilitated the formulation of a new probabilistic risk assessment approach.Aquesta tesi proposa i avalua en diverses aplicacions reals, un marc general de treball per al desenvolupament de sistemes de mesurament inferencial i de modelat basats en dades. L'arquitectura d'aquest marc de treball s'organitza en diverses capes que faciliten la seva extensibilitat així com la integració de nous components. Cadascun dels quatre nivells en que s'estructura la proposta de marc de treball ha estat avaluat de forma independent per a verificar la seva funcionalitat. El primer que nivell s'ocupa de l'anàlisi exploratòria de dades ha esta avaluat a partir de la caracterització de l'espai químic corresponent a la biodegradació de certs compostos orgànics. Fruit d'aquest anàlisi s'han establert relacions entre diverses variables físico-químiques que han estat emprades posteriorment per al desenvolupament de models de biodegradació. A nivell del preprocés de les dades s'ha desenvolupat i avaluat una nova metodologia per a la selecció de variables basada en l'ús del Mapes Autoorganitzats (SOM). Tot i que el mètode proposat selecciona, en general, un major nombre de variables que altres mètodes proposats a la literatura, els models resultants mostren una millor capacitat predictiva. S'han avaluat també tot un conjunt de tècniques d'imputació de dades basades en el SOM amb un conjunt de dades estàndard corresponent als paràmetres d'operació d'una planta de tractament d'aigües residuals. Es proposa i avalua en un problema de predicció de qualitat en aigua un nou model dinàmic per a ajustar el centre i la dispersió en xarxes de funcions de base radial. El mètode proposat millora els resultats obtinguts amb altres arquitectures neuronals. Els components de modelat proposat s'han aplicat també al desenvolupament de models predictius i de classificació de les velocitats de biodegradació de compostos orgànics en diferents medis. Els resultats obtinguts demostren la viabilitat d'aquesta aproximació per a desenvolupar models basats en dades en aquells casos en els que la complexitat de dinàmica del procés impedeix formular models mecanicistes. S'ha dut a terme un estudi preliminar de l'ús de algorismes de generació de regles i de grafs de dependència bayesiana per a introduir una nova capa que faciliti la interpretació dels models. Els resultats preliminars obtinguts a partir de la classificació dels Modes d'acció Tòxica (MOA) apunten a que l'ús dels MOA com a indicadors intermediaris dels efectes dels compostos químics en la salut és una aproximació factible.Finalment, el marc de treball proposat s'ha aplicat en tres escenaris de modelat diferents. En primer lloc, s'ha desenvolupat i avaluat un sensor virtual capaç d'inferir índexs de qualitat a partir de variables primàries de procés. El sensor resultant ha estat implementat en una planta química real millorant els resultats de les correlacions multilineals emprades habitualment. S'ha desenvolupat i avaluat un model per a predir els efectes carcinògens d'un grup de compostos aromàtics a partir de la seva estructura molecular. Els resultats obtinguts desprès d'aplicar el mètode de selecció de variables basat en el SOM milloren els resultats prèviament publicats. Aquest marc de treball s'ha usat també per a proporcionar una nova aproximació al modelat ambiental i l'anàlisi de risc amb sistemes d'informació geogràfica (GIS). S'ha usat el SOM per a caracteritzar escenaris d'exposició i per a desenvolupar un nou mètode d'interpolació geogràfica. La combinació del SOM amb els models de mescla de gaussianes dona una nova formulació al problema de l'anàlisi de risc des d'un punt de vista probabilístic

Point Cloud Processing for Environmental Analysis in Autonomous Driving using Deep Learning

Autonomous self-driving cars need a very precise perception system of their environment, working for every conceivable scenario. Therefore, different kinds of sensor types, such as lidar scanners, are in use. This thesis contributes highly efficient algorithms for 3D object recognition to the scientific community. It provides a Deep Neural Network with specific layers and a novel loss to safely localize and estimate the orientation of objects from point clouds originating from lidar sensors. First, a single-shot 3D object detector is developed that outputs dense predictions in only one forward pass. Next, this detector is refined by fusing complementary semantic features from cameras and joint probabilistic tracking to stabilize predictions and filter outliers. The last part presents an evaluation of data from automotive-grade lidar scanners. A Generative Adversarial Network is also being developed as an alternative for target-specific artificial data generation.One of the main objectives of leading automotive companies is autonomous self-driving cars. They need a very precise perception system of their environment, working for every conceivable scenario. Therefore, different kinds of sensor types are in use. Besides cameras, lidar scanners became very important. The development in that field is significant for future applications and system integration because lidar offers a more accurate depth representation, independent from environmental illumination. Especially algorithms and machine learning approaches, including Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence based on raw laser scanner data, are very important due to the long range and three-dimensional resolution of the measured point clouds. Consequently, a broad field of research with many challenges and unsolved tasks has been established. This thesis aims to address this deficit and contribute highly efficient algorithms for 3D object recognition to the scientific community. It provides a Deep Neural Network with specific layers and a novel loss to safely localize and estimate the orientation of objects from point clouds. First, a single shot 3D object detector is developed that outputs dense predictions in only one forward pass. Next, this detector is refined by fusing complementary semantic features from cameras and a joint probabilistic tracking to stabilize predictions and filter outliers. In the last part, a concept for deployment into an existing test vehicle focuses on the semi-automated generation of a suitable dataset. Subsequently, an evaluation of data from automotive-grade lidar scanners is presented. A Generative Adversarial Network is also being developed as an alternative for target-specific artificial data generation. Experiments on the acquired application-specific and benchmark datasets show that the presented methods compete with a variety of state-of-the-art algorithms while being trimmed down to efficiency for use in self-driving cars. Furthermore, they include an extensive set of standard evaluation metrics and results to form a solid baseline for future research.Eines der Hauptziele führender Automobilhersteller sind autonome Fahrzeuge. Sie benötigen ein sehr präzises System für die Wahrnehmung der Umgebung, dass für jedes denkbare Szenario überall auf der Welt funktioniert. Daher sind verschiedene Arten von Sensoren im Einsatz, sodass neben Kameras u. a. auch Lidar Sensoren ein wichtiger Bestandteil sind. Die Entwicklung auf diesem Gebiet ist für künftige Anwendungen von höchster Bedeutung, da Lidare eine genauere, von der Umgebungsbeleuchtung unabhängige, Tiefendarstellung bieten. Insbesondere Algorithmen und maschinelle Lernansätze wie Deep Learning, die Rohdaten über Lernzprozesse direkt verarbeiten können, sind aufgrund der großen Reichweite und der dreidimensionalen Auflösung der gemessenen Punktwolken sehr wichtig. Somit hat sich ein weites Forschungsfeld mit vielen Herausforderungen und ungelösten Problemen etabliert. Diese Arbeit zielt darauf ab, dieses Defizit zu verringern und effiziente Algorithmen zur 3D-Objekterkennung zu entwickeln. Sie stellt ein tiefes Neuronales Netzwerk mit spezifischen Schichten und einer neuartigen Fehlerfunktion zur sicheren Lokalisierung und Schätzung der Orientierung von Objekten aus Punktwolken bereit. Zunächst wird ein 3D-Detektor entwickelt, der in nur einem Vorwärtsdurchlauf aus einer Punktwolke alle Objekte detektiert. Anschließend wird dieser Detektor durch die Fusion von komplementären semantischen Merkmalen aus Kamerabildern und einem gemeinsamen probabilistischen Tracking verfeinert, um die Detektionen zu stabilisieren und Ausreißer zu filtern. Im letzten Teil wird ein Konzept für den Einsatz in einem bestehenden Testfahrzeug vorgestellt, das sich auf die halbautomatische Generierung eines geeigneten Datensatzes konzentriert. Hierbei wird eine Auswertung auf Daten von Automotive-Lidaren vorgestellt. Als Alternative zur zielgerichteten künstlichen Datengenerierung wird ein weiteres generatives Neuronales Netzwerk untersucht. Experimente mit den erzeugten anwendungsspezifischen- und Benchmark-Datensätzen zeigen, dass sich die vorgestellten Methoden mit dem Stand der Technik messen können und gleichzeitig auf Effizienz für den Einsatz in selbstfahrenden Autos optimiert sind. Darüber hinaus enthalten sie einen umfangreichen Satz an Evaluierungsmetriken und -ergebnissen, die eine solide Grundlage für die zukünftige Forschung bilden

Tools and Algorithms for the Construction and Analysis of Systems

This open access book constitutes the proceedings of the 28th International Conference on Tools and Algorithms for the Construction and Analysis of Systems, TACAS 2022, which was held during April 2-7, 2022, in Munich, Germany, as part of the European Joint Conferences on Theory and Practice of Software, ETAPS 2022. The 46 full papers and 4 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 159 submissions. The proceedings also contain 16 tool papers of the affiliated competition SV-Comp and 1 paper consisting of the competition report. TACAS is a forum for researchers, developers, and users interested in rigorously based tools and algorithms for the construction and analysis of systems. The conference aims to bridge the gaps between different communities with this common interest and to support them in their quest to improve the utility, reliability, exibility, and efficiency of tools and algorithms for building computer-controlled systems