Causality-based verification

Program verification is one of the central research topics in computer science since its inception – we can consider the field to be initiated as early as in 1949, with Alan Turing’s pioneering paper “Checking a Large Routine.” Yet, we are still far from the dream of automatically proving every computer program correct. Two aspects make this problem particularly challenging: concurrent program execution on parallel processors, and large, or even infinite, state spaces of data-manipulating programs. Nowadays, with concurrency entering everywhere, from smartphones to aircrafts, proving the correctness of infinite-state concurrent programs becomes increasingly more important: we do want to be sure that the program that controls the airplane we are flying in is correct. In this thesis we propose a new approach to the verification of infinitestate concurrent programs. We call it causality-based, because it captures in an automatic proof system the “cause-effect” reasoning principles, which are often used informally in manual correctness proofs. While traditionally automatic methods are based on the state space exploration, our method is based on a new concurrency model, called concurrent traces, which are the abstractions of the history of a concurrent program to some key events and the relationships between them. Causality-based proof rules relate concurrent traces with each other, by formally tracking what are the necessary consequences (the “effects”) from a particular analysis situation (the “cause”). The full correctness proof is then a composition of such primitive proof steps. We study the syntactic and language-based properties of concurrent traces, and characterize the complexity of such operations as emptiness checking and language inclusion. Regarding the program correctness, we develop proof systems for the broad classes of safety and liveness properties, and provide algorithms for the automatic construction of correctness proofs. We demonstrate that for practically relevant classes of programs, such as multi-threaded programs with binary semaphores, the constructed proofs are of polynomial size, and can be also checked in polynomial time. The methods of the thesis have been implemented in Arctor, the first scalable termination prover for concurrent programs, which is able to handle programs with hundreds of non-trivial threads.Die Programmverifikation ist seit den Anfängen der Informatik eines ihrer zentralen Forschungsfelder. Als Beginn dieser Forschungsrichtung kann bereits das Jahr 1949 betrachtet werden, in dem Alan Turings bahnbrechende Arbeit “Checking a Large Routine” erschien. Der Traum, die Korrektheit von Programmen stets automatisch beweisen zu können, ist aber auch heute noch weit davon entfernt, Realität zu sein. Es gibt zwei Aspekte, die dieses Problem zu einer solch großen Herausforderung machen: die nebenläufige Ausführung von Programmen auf Parallelrechnern, und die großen, oder sogar unendlichen, Zustandsräume von datenverarbeitenden Programmen. Nebenläufige Programme werden in immer mehr Anwendungsbereichen, von Handys bis zur Luftfahrt, eingesetzt. Automatische Korrektheitsbeweise werden daher immer wichtiger: wenn wir mit dem Flugzeug reisen, möchten wir sicher sein, dass das Programm, das das Flugzeug steuert, auch tatsachlich korrekt ist. In dieser Arbeit schlagen wir einen neuen Ansatz für die Verifikation von nebenläufigen Programmen mit unendlichem Zustandsraum vor. Wir nennen den Ansatz “kausalitätsbasiert”, weil er im Rahmen eines automatischen Beweissystems die “Ursache-Wirkung”-Beziehungen erfasst, die sonst eher informell in manuellen Korrektheitsbeweisen benutzt werden. Anders als traditionelle automatische Methoden, die den Zustandsraums explorieren, baut unser Ansatz auf einem neuen nebenläufigen Berechnungsmodell, dem der “nebenläufigen Spuren”, auf. Eine nebenläufige Spur ist eine Abstraktion der Vergangenheit eines nebenläufigen Programms im Hinblick auf bestimmte Schlüsselereignisse und die Beziehungen zwischen diesen Ereignissen. Kausalitätsbasierte Beweis-regeln setzen nebenläufige Spuren zueinander in Bezug, indem die Konsequenzen (die “Wirkungen”) einer bestimmten analytischen Situation (der “Ursache”) auf eine formale Art und Weise verfolgt werden. Der vollständige Korrektheitsbeweis setzt sich dann aus solchen einfachen Beweisschritten zusammen. Wir untersuchen die syntaktischen und sprachtheoretischen Eigenschaften von nebenläufigen Spuren, und charakterisieren die Komplexität von Operationen wie den Tests auf leere Sprache und Sprachinklusion. Wir entwickeln Beweissysteme zum Nachweis der Programmkorrektheit für die allgemeinen Klassen der Sicherheits- und Lebendigkeitseigenschaften, und stellen Algorithmen vor, die solche Beweise automatisch konstruieren. Für aus praktischer Sicht relevante Klassen von Programmen, wie Multi-Thread Programme mit binären Semaphoren, zeigen wir, dass die konstruierten Beweise polynomiell groß sind und auch in polynomieller Zeit geprüft werden können. Die in der Arbeit vorgestellten Methoden wurden im Verifikationswerkzeug Arctor implementiert. Arctor is der erste skalierbare Terminierungsbeweiser für nebenläufige Programme. Arctor kann Programme mit Hunderten nicht-trivialer Threads verarbeiten

Smart collection of measurement from moving objects

This article describes dynamic management’s approach of measurement data streams from moving objects. It allows reducing network traffic and distributing computing all around the measurement acquisition environment. For this purpose, as integration technology of measuring devices, conception of a fog computing is being used. In order to make decisions for switching streams, machine learning methods are being implemented. Experiments proved network traffic’s great reduction of transmissible measurements

New records to the vascular flora of Kazakhstan (Central Asia)

The paper presents distributional data for seven species new for the flora of Kazakhstan: Atriplex gardneri var. aptera(A. Nelson) S. L. Welsh. & Crompton, Cardamine hirsuta L., Carduus acanthoides L., Galega orientalis Lam., Silene csereiBaumg., Didymophysa fedtschenkoana Regel and Acinos arvensis (Lam.) Dandy. Didymophysa fedtschenkoana is a native ele-ment in the Kazakh flora; the other species should be treated as alien, expansively spreading or invasive in this part of Asia. A list of localities of the species in Kazakhstan and their habitat preferences are presented

A comprehensive solution to the resource-saving problem when growing potatoes under irrigation using hydrosorbents

Purpose: development and experimental evaluation of resource-saving technology of irrigated potato production using hydrosorbents. Materials and methods. The hypothesis of the research is based on the phenomenon of formation of mini-reservoirs due to absorption of irrigation water by fertilizers dissolved in it by hydrogels, which is directed to the plant roots over a longer period. The supply of hydrogel with fertilizers is provided by a specially designed machine capable of introducing enriched hydrogel below the bottom of the planting furrow and only into the row zone. Results. To reduce the consumption of irrigation water, fertilizers, as well as anthropogenic impact on the soil during cultivation of agricultural crops under irrigation, it is proposed to use hydrogel enriched with fertilizers when growing potatoes. Its ability to absorb moisture in the amount of up to 280 times per 1 g of substance ensures the supply of moisture and nutrient solution to plant roots for a longer period, due to which the consumption of irrigation water and fertilizers is reduced by 1.3–1.4 times compared to standard technologies. Conclusions. A technology for a comprehensive solution to the problem of resource-saving in the cultivation of potatoes under irrigation using hydrosorbents has been developed and experimentally studied. All elements of the technology are interconnected and include the development and use of a potato-planting machine with the introduction of enriched hydrogel and ensuring irrigation rates at the rate of 300 cub. m/ha while maintaining the pre-irrigation threshold of 80% of the lowest moisture capacity. The biological yield under control is 21.6 t/ha, and with the introduction of hydrogel at a dose of 18.2 g/running m and fertilizers in the form of nitroammophoska at a dose of 33.3 g/running m yield of 29.4 t/ha at NSR0.5 = 0.04 was obtained. The marketable yield under control is 19.3 t/ha, and when maintaining the noted doses of enriched hydrogel is 28.9 t/ha. This technique contributed to an increase in yield by 7.8 t/ha (36.1 %), marketable yield – by 9.6 t/ha (49.7 %)

Niobium Tunnel Junctions with Multi-Layered Electrodes

Abstract

Field-Dependent Critical Current in Type-II Superconducting Strips: Combined Effect of Bulk Pinning and Geometrical Edge Barrier

Recent theoretical and experimental research on low-bulk-pinning superconducting strips has revealed striking dome-like magnetic-field distributions due to geometrical edge barriers. The observed magnetic-flux profiles differ strongly from those in strips in which bulk pinning is dominant. In this paper we theoretically describe the current and field distributions of a superconducting strip under the combined influence of both a geometrical edge barrier and bulk pinning at the strip's critical current Ic, where a longitudinal voltage first appears. We calculate Ic and find its dependence upon a perpendicular applied magnetic field Ha. The behavior is governed by a parameter p, defined as the ratio of the bulk-pinning critical current Ip to the geometrical-barrier critical current Is0. We find that when p > 2/pi and Ip is field-independent, Ic vs Ha exhibits a plateau for small Ha, followed by the dependence Ic-Ip ~ 1/Ha in higher magnetic fields.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Fig. 1 revised, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Revealing Josephson vortex dynamics in proximity junctions below critical current

Made of a thin non-superconducting metal (N) sandwiched by two superconductors (S), SNS Josephson junctions enable novel quantum functionalities by mixing up the intrinsic electronic properties of N with the superconducting correlations induced from S by proximity. Electronic properties of these devices are governed by Andreev quasiparticles [1] which are absent in conventional SIS junctions whose insulating barrier (I) between the two S electrodes owns no electronic states. Here we focus on the Josephson vortex (JV) motion inside Nb-Cu-Nb proximity junctions subject to electric currents and magnetic fields. The results of local (Magnetic Force Microscopy) and global (transport) experiments provided simultaneously are compared with our numerical model, revealing the existence of several distinct dynamic regimes of the JV motion. One of them, identified as a fast hysteretic entry/escape below the critical value of Josephson current, is analyzed and suggested for low-dissipative logic and memory elements.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, 43 reference

The global naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database

This dataset provides the Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database, ver-sion 1.2. Glo NAF represents a data compendium on th e occurrence and identit y of naturalizedalien vascular plant taxa across geographic regions (e.g. countries, states, provinces, districts,islands) around the globe. The dataset includes 13,939 taxa and covers 1,029 regions (including381 islands). The dataset is based on 210 data sources. For each ta x on-b y-region combination, wepr ovide information on whether the tax on is consider ed to be naturalized in the specific region(i.e. has established self-sustaining popula tions in the wild). Non-native taxa are marked as“alien”, when it is not clear whether they are naturalized. To facilitate alignment with other plantdatabases, we pro v ide f or each taxon the name as given in the original data source and the stan-dardized taxon and family names used by The Plant List Version 1.1 (http://www.theplantlist.org/). We pro vide an ESRI shapefile including polygons f or each region and informa tion on whetherit is an island or a mainland region, the country and the Taxonomic Databases Working Group(TDWG) regions it is part of (TDWG levels 1–4). We also provide several variables that can beused to filter the data according to quality and completeness of alien taxon lists, which varyamong the combinations of regions and da ta sources. A pre vious version of the GloNAF dataset(version 1.1) has already been used in several studies on, for example, historical spatial flows oftaxa between continents and geographical patterns and determinants of naturalization across dif-ferent taxonomic groups. We intend the updated and expanded GloNAF version presented hereto be a global resource useful for studying plant inv asions and changes in biodiversity from regio-nal to global scales. We release these data into the public domain under a Crea ti ve CommonsZer o license waiver (https://creati v ecommons.org/share-y our -work/public-domain/cc0/). Wheny ou use the da ta in your publication, we request that y ou cite this da ta paper. If GloN AF is amajor part of the data analyzed in your study, you should consider inviting the GloNAF coreteam (see Metadata S1: Originators in the Overall project description) as collaborators. If youplan to use the GloNAF dataset, we encourage y ou to contact the GloNAF core team to checkwhether there have been recent updates of the dataset, and whether similar analyses are already ongoing

Regional variability in peatland burning at mid- to high-latitudes during the Holocene

Acknowledgements This work developed from the PAGES (Past Global Changes) C-PEAT (Carbon in Peat on EArth through Time) working group. PAGES has been supported by the US National Science Foundation, Swiss National Science Foundation, Swiss Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Sciences. We acknowledge the following financial support: UK Natural Environment Research Council Training Grants NE/L002574/1 (T.G.S.) and NE/S007458/1 (R.E.F.); Dutch Foundation for the Conservation of Irish Bogs, Quaternary Research Association and Leverhulme Trust RPG-2021-354 (G.T.S); the Academy of Finland (M.V); PAI/SIA 80002 and FONDECYT Iniciación 11220705 - ANID, Chile (C.A.M.); R20F0002 (PATSER) ANID Chile (R.D.M.); Swedish Strategic Research Area (SRA) MERGE (ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system) (M.J.G.); Polish National Science Centre Grant number NCN 2018/29/B/ST10/00120 (K.A.); Russian Science Foundation Grant No. 19-14-00102 (Y.A.M.); University of Latvia Grant No. AAp2016/B041/Zd2016/AZ03 and the Estonian Science Council grant PRG323 (TrackLag) (N.S. and A.M.); U.S. Geological Survey Land Change Science/Climate Research & Development Program (M.J., L.A., and D.W.); German Research Foundation (DFG), grant MA 8083/2-1 (P.M.) and grant BL 563/19-1 (K.H.K.); German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), grant no. 57044554, Faculty of Geosciences, University of Münster, and Bavarian University Centre for Latin America (BAYLAT) (K.H.K). Records from the Global Charcoal Database supplemented this work and therefore we would like to thank the contributors and managers of this open-source resource. We also thank Annica Greisman, Jennifer Shiller, Fredrik Olsson and Simon van Bellen for contributing charcoal data to our analyses. Any use of trade, firm, or product name is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Peer reviewedPostprin