Supporting ODP - Translating LOTOS to Z

This paper describes a translation of full LOTOS into Z. A common semantic model is defined and the translation is proved correct with respect to the semantics. The motivation for such a translation is the use of multiple viewpoints for specifying complex systems defined by the reference model of the Open Distributed Processing (ODP) standardization initiative. The postscript version available here is an extended version of what was published

Perspicuity and Granularity in Refinement

This paper reconsiders refinements which introduce actions on the concrete level which were not present at the abstract level. It draws a distinction between concrete actions which are "perspicuous" at the abstract level, and changes of granularity of actions between different levels of abstraction. The main contribution of this paper is in exploring the relation between these different methods of "action refinement", and the basic refinement relation that is used. In particular, it shows how the "refining skip" method is incompatible with failures-based refinement relations, and consequently some decisions in designing Event-B refinement are entangled.Comment: In Proceedings Refine 2011, arXiv:1106.348

Intrusion Detection System for Platooning Connected Autonomous Vehicles

The deployment of Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) requires secure wireless communication in order to ensure reliable connectivity and safety. However, this wireless communication is vulnerable to a variety of cyber atacks such as spoofing or jamming attacks. In this paper, we describe an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) based on Machine Learning (ML) techniques designed to detect both spoofing and jamming attacks in a CAV environment. The IDS would reduce the risk of traffic disruption and accident caused as a result of cyber-attacks. The detection engine of the presented IDS is based on the ML algorithms Random Forest (RF), k-Nearest Neighbour (k-NN) and One-Class Support Vector Machine (OCSVM), as well as data fusion techniques in a cross-layer approach. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the proposed IDS is the first in literature that uses a cross-layer approach to detect both spoofing and jamming attacks against the communication of connected vehicles platooning. The evaluation results of the implemented IDS present a high accuracy of over 90% using training datasets containing both known and unknown attacks

Stroke service in the Netherlands: an exploratory study on effectiveness, patient satisfaction and utilisation of healthcare

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether shared care for stroke patients results in better patient outcome, higher patient satisfaction and different use of healthcare services. DESIGN: Prospective, comparative cohort study. SETTING: Two regions in the Netherlands with different healthcare models for stroke patients: a shared care model (stroke service) and a usual care setting. PATIENTS: Stroke patients with a survival rate of more than six months, who initially were admitted to the Stroke Service of the University Hospital Maastricht (experimental group) in the second half of 1997 and to a middle sized hospital in the western part of the Netherlands between March 1997 and March 1999 (control group). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Functional health status according to the SIP-68, EuroQol, Barthel Index and Rankin Scale, patient satisfaction and use of healthcare services. RESULTS: In total 103 patients were included in this study: 58 in the experimental group and 45 in the control group. Six months after stroke, 64% of the surviving patients in the experimental group had returned home, compared to 42% in the control group (p<0.05). This difference could not be explained by differences in health status, which was comparable at that time. Patients in the shared care model scored higher on patient satisfaction, whereas patients in the usual care group received a higher volume of home care. CONCLUSIONS: The Stroke Service Maastricht resulted in a higher number of patients who returned home after stroke, but not in a better health status. Since patients in the usual care group received a higher volume of healthcare in the period of rehabilitation, the Stroke Service Maastricht might be more efficient

The cornified envelope-bound ceramide fraction is altered in patients with atopic dermatitis

Drug Delivery Technolog

Effect of triamcinolone acetonide injections on hemiplegic shoulder pain: a randomized clinical trial.

Background and Purpose - Hemiplegic shoulder pain is not uncommon after stroke. Its origin is still unknown, and although many different methods of treatment are applied, none have yet been proved to be effective. We sought to study the efficacy of 3 injections of intra-articular triamcinolone acetonide on pain and arm function in stroke patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain. Methods - In a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain received either 3 intra-articular injections of 40 mg triamcinolone acetonide or 1 mL physiological saline solution (placebo). Primary outcomes were pain measured according to 3 visual analogue scales (score range, 0 to 10), and arm function was measured by means of the Action Research Arm test and the Fugl-Meyer assessment scale; secondary outcomes were passive external rotation of the shoulder and general functioning measured according to Barthel Index and the Rehabilitation Activities Profile. Results - In the triamcinolone group (n=18), the median decrease in pain, 3 weeks after the last injection, was 2.3 (interquartile range, 0.3 to 4.3) versus 0.2 (interquartile range, -0.5 to 2.2) in the placebo group. This result was not statistically significant. The change in the other outcome measures did not differ significantly between the 2 treatment groups. Twenty-five patients reported side effects. Conclusions - In the 37 participants included in this study, triamcinolone injections seemed to decrease hemiplegic shoulder pain and to accelerate recovery, but this effect was not statistically significant. Therefore, on the basis of the results of this study, these injections cannot be recommended for the treatment of patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain

Selectivity in cornified envelop binding of ceramides in human skin and the role of LXR inactivation on ceramide binding

The cornified lipid envelope (CLE) is a lipid monolayer covalently bound to the outside of corneocytes and is part of the stratum corneum (SC). The CLE is suggested to act as a scaffold for the unbound SC lipids. By profiling the bound CLE ceramides, a new subclass was discovered and identified as an omega-hydroxylated dihydrosphingosine (OdS) ceramide. Bound glucosylceramides were observed in superficial SC layers of healthy human skin. To investigate the relation between bound and unbound SC ceramides, the composition of both fractions was analyzed and compared. Selectivity in ceramide binding towards unsaturated ceramides and ceramides with a shorter chain length was observed. The selectivity in ceramide species bound to the cornified envelope is thought to have a physiological function in corneocyte flexibility. Next, it was examined if skin models exhibit an altered bound ceramide composition and if the composition was dependent on liver X-receptor (LXR) activation. The effects of an LXR agonist and antagonist on the bound ceramides composition of a full thickness model (FTM) were analyzed. In FTMs, a decreased amount of bound ceramides was observed compared to native human skin. Furthermore, FTMs had a bound ceramide fraction which consisted mostly of unsaturated and shorter ceramides. The LXR antagonist had a normalizing effect on the FTM bound ceramide composition. The agonist exhibited minimal effects. We show that ceramide binding is a selective process, yet, still is contingent on lipid synthesized.Drug Delivery Technolog

A single complete relational rule for coalgebraic refinement

A transition system can be presented either as a binary relation or as a coalgebra for the powerset functor, each representation being obtained from the other by transposition. More generally, a coalgebra for a functor F generalises transition systems in the sense that a shape for transitions is determined by F, typically encoding a signature of methods and observers. This paper explores such a duality to frame in purely relational terms coalgebraic refinement, showing that relational (data) refinement of transition relations, in its two variants, downward and upward (functional) simulations, is equivalent to coalgebraic refinement based on backward and forward morphisms, respectively. Going deeper, it is also shown that downward simulation provides a complete relational rule to prove coalgebraic refinement. With such a single rule the paper defines a pre-ordered calculus for refinement of coalgebras, with bisimilarity as the induced equivalence. The calculus is monotonic with respect to the main relational operators and arbitrary relator F, therefore providing a framework for structural reasoning about refinement

Coordination Dynamics meets Active Inference and Artificial Intelligence (CD + AI2):A multi-pronged approach to understanding the dynamics of brain and the emergence of conscious agency

How do humans discover their ability to act on the world? By tethering a baby’s foot to a mobile (Fig. 1a) and measuring the motion of both in 3D, we explore how babies begin to make sense of their coordinative relationship with the world and realize their ability to make things happen (N= 16; mean age = 100.33 days). Machine and deep learning classification architectures (e.g., CapsNet) indicate that functionally connecting infants to a mobile via a tether influences the baby movement most where it matters, namely at the point of infant∼world connection (Table 1). Using dynamics as a guide, we have developed tools to identify the moment an infant switches from spontaneous to intentional action (Fig. 1b). Preliminary coordination dynamics analysis and active inference generative modeling indicate that moments of stillness hold important epistemic value for young infants discovering their ability to change the world around them (Fig. 1c). Finally, a model of slow~fast brain coordination dynamics based on a 3D extension of the Jirsa-Kelso Excitator successfully simulated the evolution of tethered foot activity as infants transition from spontaneous to ordered action. By tuning a small number of parameters, this model captures patterns of emergent goal-directed action (Fig. 1d). Meshing concepts, methods and tools of Active Inference, Artificial Intelligence and Coordination Dynamics at multiple levels of description, the CD + AI2 program of research aims to identify key control parameters that shift the infant system from spontaneous to intentional behavior. The potent combination of mathematical modeling and quantitative analysis along with empirical study allow us to express the emergence of agency in quantifiable, lawful terms