294 research outputs found
IC-Cut: A Compositional Search Strategy for Dynamic Test Generation
Abstract. We present IC-Cut, short for “Interface-Complexity-based Cut”, a new compositional search strategy for systematically testing large programs. IC-Cut dynamically detects function interfaces that are simple enough to be cost-effective for summarization. IC-Cut then hierarchically decomposes the program into units defined by such functions and their sub-functions in the call graph. These units are tested independently, their test results are recorded as low-complexity function summaries, and the summaries are reused when testing higher-level functions in the call graph, thus limiting overall path explosion. When the decomposed units are tested exhaustively, they constitute verified components of the program. IC-Cut is run dynamically and on-the-fly during the search, typically refining cuts as the search advances. We have implemented this algorithm as a new search strategy in the whitebox fuzzer SAGE, and present detailed experimental results ob-tained when fuzzing the ANI Windows image parser. Our results show that IC-Cut alleviates path explosion while preserving or even increasing code coverage and bug finding, compared to the current generational-search strategy used in SAGE.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Weak Detonations
Detonation of a three-dimensional reactive non-isotropic molecular crystal is
modeled using molecular dynamics simulations. The detonation process is
initiated by an impulse, followed by the creation of a stable fast reactive
shock wave. The terminal shock velocity is independent of the initiation
conditions. Further analysis shows supersonic propagation decoupled from the
dynamics of the decomposed material left behind the shock front. The dependence
of the shock velocity on crystal nonlinear compressibility resembles solitary
behavior. These properties categorize the phenomena as a weak detonation. The
dependence of the detonation wave on microscopic potential parameters was
investigated. An increase in detonation velocity with the reaction
exothermicity reaching a saturation value is observed. In all other respects
the model crystal exhibits typical properties of a molecular crystal.Comment: 38 pages, 20 figures. Submitted to Physical Review
Proving Memory Safety of the ANI Windows Image Parser Using Compositional Exhaustive Testing
We report in this paper how we proved memory safety of a complex Windows image parser written in low-level C in only three months of work and using only three core tech-niques, namely (1) symbolic execution at the x86 binary level, (2) exhaustive program path enumeration and testing, and (3) user-guided program decomposition and summariza-tion. We also used a new tool, named MicroX, for executing code fragments in isolation using a custom virtual machine designed for testing purposes. As a result of this work, we are able to prove, for the first time, that a Windows image parser is memory safe, i.e., free of any buffer-overflow secu-rity vulnerabilities, modulo the soundness of our tools and several additional assumptions regarding bounding input-dependent loops, fixing a few buffer-overflow bugs, and ex-cluding some code parts that are not memory safe by design. In the process, we also discovered and fixed several limita-tions in our tools, and narrowed the gap between systematic testing and verification. 1
A histomorphometric meta-analysis of sinus elevation with various grafting materials
Several grafting materials have been used in sinus augmentation procedures including autogenous bone, demineralized freeze-dried bone (DFDBA), hydroxyapatite, β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), anorganic deproteinized bovine bone and combination of these and others. Up to now a subject of controversy in maxillofacial surgery and dentistry is, what is the most appropriate graft material for sinus floor augmentation
Asymptotic Lower Bounds for a class of Schroedinger Equations
We shall study the following initial value problem: \begin{equation}{\bf
i}\partial_t u - \Delta u + V(x) u=0, \hbox{} (t, x) \in {\mathbf R} \times
{\mathbf R}^n, \end{equation} where is a real short--range
potential, whose radial derivative satisfies some supplementary assumptions.
More precisely we shall present a family of identities satisfied by the
solutions to the previous Cauchy problem. As a by--product of these identities
we deduce some uniqueness results and a lower bound for the so called local
smoothing which becomes an identity in a precise asymptotic sense.Comment: 24 pages. to appear on Comm. Math. Phy
Quantum Tomography under Prior Information
We provide a detailed analysis of the question: how many measurement settings
or outcomes are needed in order to identify a quantum system which is
constrained by prior information? We show that if the prior information
restricts the system to a set of lower dimensionality, then topological
obstructions can increase the required number of outcomes by a factor of two
over the number of real parameters needed to characterize the system.
Conversely, we show that almost every measurement becomes informationally
complete with respect to the constrained set if the number of outcomes exceeds
twice the Minkowski dimension of the set. We apply the obtained results to
determine the minimal number of outcomes of measurements which are
informationally complete with respect to states with rank constraints. In
particular, we show that 4d-4 measurement outcomes (POVM elements) is enough in
order to identify all pure states in a d-dimensional Hilbert space, and that
the minimal number is at most 2 log_2(d) smaller than this upper bound.Comment: v3: There was a mistake in the derived finer upper bound in Theorem
3. The corrected upper bound is +1 to the earlier versio
A framework for automated enrichment of functionally significant inverted repeats in whole genomes
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>RNA transcripts from genomic sequences showing dyad symmetry typically adopt hairpin-like, cloverleaf, or similar structures that act as recognition sites for proteins. Such structures often are the precursors of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) sequences like microRNA (miRNA) and small-interfering RNA (siRNA) that have recently garnered more functional significance than in the past. Genomic DNA contains hundreds of thousands of such inverted repeats (IRs) with varying degrees of symmetry. But by collecting statistically significant information from a known set of ncRNA, we can sort these IRs into those that are likely to be functional.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A novel method was developed to scan genomic DNA for partially symmetric inverted repeats and the resulting set was further refined to match miRNA precursors (pre-miRNA) with respect to their density of symmetry, statistical probability of the symmetry, length of stems in the predicted hairpin secondary structure, and the GC content of the stems. This method was applied on the <it>Arabidopsis thaliana</it> genome and validated against the set of 190 known Arabidopsis pre-miRNA in the miRBase database. A preliminary scan for IRs identified 186 of the known pre-miRNA but with 714700 pre-miRNA candidates. This large number of IRs was further refined to 483908 candidates with 183 pre-miRNA identified and further still to 165371 candidates with 171 pre-miRNA identified (i.e. with 90% of the known pre-miRNA retained).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>165371 candidates for potentially functional miRNA is still too large a set to warrant wet lab analyses, such as northern blotting, on all of them. Hence additional filters are needed to further refine the number of candidates while still retaining most of the known miRNA. These include detection of promoters and terminators, homology analyses, location of candidate relative to coding regions, and better secondary structure prediction algorithms. The software developed is designed to easily accommodate such additional filters with a minimal experience in Perl.</p
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: Comparing Intentions and Perceptions in Online Discussions
Discourse involves two perspectives: a person's intention in making an
utterance and others' perception of that utterance. The misalignment between
these perspectives can lead to undesirable outcomes, such as misunderstandings,
low productivity and even overt strife. In this work, we present a
computational framework for exploring and comparing both perspectives in online
public discussions.
We combine logged data about public comments on Facebook with a survey of
over 16,000 people about their intentions in writing these comments or about
their perceptions of comments that others had written. Unlike previous studies
of online discussions that have largely relied on third-party labels to
quantify properties such as sentiment and subjectivity, our approach also
directly captures what the speakers actually intended when writing their
comments. In particular, our analysis focuses on judgments of whether a comment
is stating a fact or an opinion, since these concepts were shown to be often
confused.
We show that intentions and perceptions diverge in consequential ways. People
are more likely to perceive opinions than to intend them, and linguistic cues
that signal how an utterance is intended can differ from those that signal how
it will be perceived. Further, this misalignment between intentions and
perceptions can be linked to the future health of a conversation: when a
comment whose author intended to share a fact is misperceived as sharing an
opinion, the subsequent conversation is more likely to derail into uncivil
behavior than when the comment is perceived as intended. Altogether, these
findings may inform the design of discussion platforms that better promote
positive interactions.Comment: Proceedings of The Web Conference (WWW) 202
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