Formal Design of Asynchronous Fault Detection and Identification Components using Temporal Epistemic Logic

Autonomous critical systems, such as satellites and space rovers, must be able to detect the occurrence of faults in order to ensure correct operation. This task is carried out by Fault Detection and Identification (FDI) components, that are embedded in those systems and are in charge of detecting faults in an automated and timely manner by reading data from sensors and triggering predefined alarms. The design of effective FDI components is an extremely hard problem, also due to the lack of a complete theoretical foundation, and of precise specification and validation techniques. In this paper, we present the first formal approach to the design of FDI components for discrete event systems, both in a synchronous and asynchronous setting. We propose a logical language for the specification of FDI requirements that accounts for a wide class of practical cases, and includes novel aspects such as maximality and trace-diagnosability. The language is equipped with a clear semantics based on temporal epistemic logic, and is proved to enjoy suitable properties. We discuss how to validate the requirements and how to verify that a given FDI component satisfies them. We propose an algorithm for the synthesis of correct-by-construction FDI components, and report on the applicability of the design approach on an industrial case-study coming from aerospace.Comment: 33 pages, 20 figure

HyperCI: A higher order collective influence measure for hypernetwork dismantling

Network dismantling aims to scratch the network into unconnected fragments by removing an optimal set of nodes and has been widely adopted in many real-world applications such as epidemic control and rumor containment. However, conventional methods often disassemble the system from the perspective of classic networks, which have only pairwise interactions, and often ignored the more ubiquitous and nature group-wise interactions modeled by hypernetwork. Moreover, a simple network can't describe the collective behavior of multiple objects, it is necessary to solve related problems through hypernetwork dismantling. In this work, we designed a higher order collective influence measure to identify key node sets in hypernetwork. It comprehensively consider the environment in which the target node is located and its own characteristics to determine the importance of the node, so as to dismantle the hypernetwork by removing these selected nodes. Finally, we used the method to carry out a series of real-world hypernetwork dismantling tasks. Experimental results on five real-world hypernetworks demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed measure

The Albelda Clayton-Matthews Paid Family and Medical Leave Simulator Model Documentation

The basic strategy behind our approach to estimating the cost of a paid leave program in Massachusetts was to, as much as possible, base estimates of program costs on actual known leave-taking behavior, and where this was not possible, to estimate a range of program costs reflecting a range of reasonable assumptions about unknown aspects of behavior in the presence of a paid leave program. We wanted to be able to estimate the sensitivity of program costs estimates to these assumptions. We also wanted to be able to analyze the distribution of program benefits by demographic characteristics. Furthermore, we wanted users to be able to estimate the costs of similarly structured paid leave benefit programs in other states, to be able to have some control over the assumptions about behavior that affect program cost estimates, and to be able to undertake their own distributional analyses. We chose a simulation strategy as the best way to accomplish these goals. To obtain the best estimates possible about known leave-taking behavior, we use the Public Use Family and Medical Leave survey data collected by Abt Associates in 2012 for the Department Labor (referred to here as the DOL Survey) (McGarry, et al, 2013) to estimate behavioral models of leave-taking behavior conditional on the demographic characteristics of individuals, and use the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (hereinafter referred to as the ACS or ACS PUMS) to predict leave-taking behavior conditional on the demographic characteristics of individuals

Evidence for an evolutionary relationship between the large adaptor nucleoporin Nup192 and karyopherins

Nucleocytoplasmic transport is facilitated by nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which are massive proteinaceous transport channels embedded in the nuclear envelope. Nup192 is a major component of an adaptor nucleoporin subcomplex proposed to link the NPC coat with the central transport channel. Here, we present the structure of the ∼110-kDa N-terminal domain (NTD) of Nup192 at 2.7-Å resolution. The structure reveals an open ring-shaped architecture composed of Huntingtin, EF3, PP2A, and TOR1 (HEAT) and Armadillo (ARM) repeats. A comparison of different conformations indicates that the NTD consists of two rigid halves connected by a flexible hinge. Unexpectedly, the two halves of the ring are structurally related to karyopherin-α (Kap-α) and β-karyopherin family members. Biochemically, we identify a conserved patch that binds an unstructured segment in Nup53 and show that a C-terminal tail region binds to a putative helical fragment in Nic96. The Nup53 segment that binds Nup192 is a classical nuclear localization-like sequence that interacts with Kap-α in a mutually exclusive and mechanistically distinct manner. The disruption of the Nup53 and Nic96 binding sites in vivo yields growth and mRNA export defects, revealing their critical role in proper NPC function. Surprisingly, both interactions are dispensable for NPC localization, suggesting that Nup192 possesses another nucleoporin interaction partner. These data indicate that the structured domains in the adaptor nucleoporin complex are held together by peptide interactions that resemble those found in karyopherin•cargo complexes and support the proposal that the adaptor nucleoporins arose from ancestral karyopherins

Developing targeted client communication messages to pregnant women in Bangladesh: a qualitative study

AbstractBackground:Timely and appropriate evidence-based practices during antenatal care improve maternal andneonatal health. There is a lack of information on how pregnant women and families perceive antenatal care inBangladesh. The aim of our study was to develop targeted client communication via text messages for increasingantenatal care utilization, as part of an implementation of an electronic registry for maternal and child health.Methods:Using a phenomenological approach, we conducted this qualitative study from May to June 2017 in two sub-districts of Chandpur district, Bangladesh. We selected study participants by purposive sampling. A total of 24 in-depthinterviews were conductedwithpregnantwomen(n= 10), lactating women (n=5),husbands(n= 5), and mothers-in-law(n= 4). The Health Belief Model (HBM) was used to guide the datacollection. Thematic analysis was carried out manuallyaccording to the HBM constructs. We used behavior change techniques to inform the development of targeted clientcommunication based on the thematic results.Results:Almost no respondents mentioned antenatal care as a preventive form of care, and only perceived it as necessary ifany complications developed during pregnancy. Knowledge of the content of antenatal care (ANC) and pregnancycomplications was low. Women reported avariety of reasons for not attending ANC, including the lack of information onthe timing of ANC; lack of decision-making power; long-distance to access care; being busy with household chores, and notbeing satisfied with the treatment by health care providers. Study participants recommended phone calls as their preferredcommunication strategy when asked to choose between thephone call and text message, but saw text messages as afeasible option. Based on the findings, we developed a library of 43 automatically customizable text messages to increaseANC utilization.Conclusions:Pregnant women and family members had limited knowledge about antenatal care and pregnancycomplications. Effective health information through text messages could increase awareness of antenatal careamong the pregnant women in Bangladesh. This study presents an example of designing targeted clientcommunication to increase antenatal care utilization within formal scientific frameworks, including a taxonomy ofbehavior change techniques.publishedVersio

A Neural Model of How The Brain Represents and Compares Numbers

Many psychophysical experiments have shown that the representation of numbers and numerical quantities in humans and animals is related to number magnitude. A neural network model is proposed to quantitatively simulate error rates in quantification and numerical comparison tasks, and reaction times for number priming and numerical assessment and comparison tasks. Transient responses to inputs arc integrated before they activate an ordered spatial map that selectively responds to the number of events in a sequence. The dynamics of numerical comparison are encoded in activity pattern changes within this spatial map. Such changes cause a "directional comparison wave" whose properties mimic data about numerical comparison. These model mechanisms are variants of neural mechanisms that have elsewhere been used to explain data about motion perception, attention shifts, and target tracking. Thus, the present model suggests how numerical representations may have emerged as specializations of more primitive mechanisms in the cortical Where processing stream.National Science Foundation (IRI-97-20333); Defense Advanced research Projects Agency and the Office of Naval Research (N00014-95-1-0409); National Institute of Health (1-R29-DC02952-01

Application of control theory to dynamic systems simulation

The application of control theory is applied to dynamic systems simulation. Theory and methodology applicable to controlled ecological life support systems are considered. Spatial effects on system stability, design of control systems with uncertain parameters, and an interactive computing language (PARASOL-II) designed for dynamic system simulation, report quality graphics, data acquisition, and simple real time control are discussed