Evaluation of PV technology implementation in the building sector

This paper presents a simulation case that shows the impact on energy consumption of a building applying photovoltaic shading systems. In order to make photovoltaic application more economical, the effect of a photovoltaic facade as a passive cooling system can result in a considerable energy cost reduction, with positive influence on the payback time of the photovoltaic installation. Photovoltaic shading systems can be applied to both refurbishment of old buildings and to new-build, offering attractive and environmentally integrated architectural solutions

Automatic Error Localization for Software using Deductive Verification

Even competent programmers make mistakes. Automatic verification can detect errors, but leaves the frustrating task of finding the erroneous line of code to the user. This paper presents an automatic approach for identifying potential error locations in software. It is based on a deductive verification engine, which detects errors in functions annotated with pre- and post-conditions. Using an automatic theorem prover, our approach finds expressions in the code that can be modified such that the program satisfies its specification. Scalability is achieved by analyzing each function in isolation. We have implemented our approach in the widely used Frama-C framework and present first experimental results. This is an extended version of [8], featuring an additional appendix.Comment: This is an extended version of [8], featuring an additional appendi

Limb amputations in fixed dystonia: a form of body integrity identity disorder?

Fixed dystonia is a disabling disorder mainly affecting young women who develop fixed abnormal limb postures and pain after apparently minor peripheral injury. There is continued debate regarding its pathophysiology and management. We report 5 cases of fixed dystonia in patients who sought amputation of the affected limb. We place these cases in the context of previous reports of patients with healthy limbs and patients with chronic regional pain syndrome who have sought amputation. Our cases, combined with recent data regarding disorders of mental rotation in patients with fixed dystonia, as well as previous data regarding body integrity identity disorder and amputations sought by patients with chronic regional pain syndrome, raise the possibility that patients with fixed dystonia might have a deficit in body schema that predisposes them to developing fixed dystonia and drives some to seek amputation. The outcome of amputation in fixed dystonia is invariably unfavorable

Structural Synthesis for GXW Specifications

We define the GXW fragment of linear temporal logic (LTL) as the basis for synthesizing embedded control software for safety-critical applications. Since GXW includes the use of a weak-until operator we are able to specify a number of diverse programmable logic control (PLC) problems, which we have compiled from industrial training sets. For GXW controller specifications, we develop a novel approach for synthesizing a set of synchronously communicating actor-based controllers. This synthesis algorithm proceeds by means of recursing over the structure of GXW specifications, and generates a set of dedicated and synchronously communicating sub-controllers according to the formula structure. In a subsequent step, 2QBF constraint solving identifies and tries to resolve potential conflicts between individual GXW specifications. This structural approach to GXW synthesis supports traceability between requirements and the generated control code as mandated by certification regimes for safety-critical software. Synthesis for GXW specifications is in PSPACE compared to 2EXPTIME-completeness of full-fledged LTL synthesis. Indeed our experimental results suggest that GXW synthesis scales well to industrial-sized control synthesis problems with 20 input and output ports and beyond.Comment: The long (including appendix) version being reviewed by CAV'16 program committee. Compared to the submitted version, one author (out of her wish) is moved to the Acknowledgement. (v2) Corrected typos. (v3) Add an additional remark over environment assumption and easy corner case

Identification of Factors Influencing Flight Performance of Field-Collected and Laboratory-Reared, Overwintered, and Nonoverwintered Cactus Moths Fed with Field-Collected Host Plants

Environmental conditions during egg and larval development may influence the dispersal ability of insect pests, thus requiring seasonal adjustment of control strategies. We studied the longest single flight, total distance flown, and the number of flights initiated by wild Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) to determine whether the flight performance of overwintered cactus moths with a prolonged feeding phase during development differs from nonoverwintered cactus moths. Pupae of field-collected and laboratory-reared moths were transported together from the United States to Switzerland, and flight mills were used to characterize the flight capacity of 24- to 48-h-old adults during their most active period of the diel cycle. The lack of seasonal variation in flight performance of those moths that developed under controlled environment but were fed with field-collected Opuntia cacti showed that seasonal changes in host plant quality did not affect flight. This consistent flight performance in the mass-reared laboratory population throughout the year is beneficial for sterile insect technique programs, which aim to limit the dispersal of this pest. For field-collected C. cactorum, the larger overwintered females performed similarly to nonoverwintered females, indicating that longer feeding time at lower temperature increases body size but does not influence female flight capacity. Young mated females had a similar flight capacity to unmated ones, suggesting that gravid females may play an important role in invading new habitats. For males, overwintering increased the proportion of long-distance flyers, suggesting that they are well-adapted to locate the more sparsely dispersed females in the sprin

Diel Flight Pattern and Flight Performance of Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Measured on a Flight Mill: Influence of Age, Gender, Mating Status, and Body Size

Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is an invasive herbivore that poses a serious risk to Opuntia cacti in North America. Knowledge of the flight behavior of the cactus moth is crucial for a better understanding of natural dispersal, and for both monitoring and control. We used computer-linked flight mills to investigate diel flight activity and flight performance in relation to gender, age, mating status, and body size. Maximal flight activity for both mated and unmated moths occurred during twilight, whereas flight activity was low during photophase. The total distance flown and the number of initiated flights within a diel cycle were higher in both unmated and mated females than in males, but the longest single flight was similar in both genders. These findings suggest that pheromone trap captures of males likely indicate the simultaneous presence of females and that mated females might even be in areas where males are not detected yet. Flight performance heterogeneity was large, with a small portion of the population (both males and females) performing long unbroken flights, whereas the majority made short flights. Females had higher pupal and adult body size and shorter longevity than males. A few individuals, particularly young mated females, flying long distances may be important for active spread of a population and the colonization of new habitats. Implications of this study in the control of the cactus moth by using the sterile insect technique are discusse

Temporal Stream Logic: Synthesis beyond the Bools

Reactive systems that operate in environments with complex data, such as mobile apps or embedded controllers with many sensors, are difficult to synthesize. Synthesis tools usually fail for such systems because the state space resulting from the discretization of the data is too large. We introduce TSL, a new temporal logic that separates control and data. We provide a CEGAR-based synthesis approach for the construction of implementations that are guaranteed to satisfy a TSL specification for all possible instantiations of the data processing functions. TSL provides an attractive trade-off for synthesis. On the one hand, synthesis from TSL, unlike synthesis from standard temporal logics, is undecidable in general. On the other hand, however, synthesis from TSL is scalable, because it is independent of the complexity of the handled data. Among other benchmarks, we have successfully synthesized a music player Android app and a controller for an autonomous vehicle in the Open Race Car Simulator (TORCS.