Falsifying safety properties through games on over-approximating models\r\n

AbstractAbstractions of programs are traditionally over-approximations and have proved to be useful for the verification of safety properties. They are presently perceived as being useless for the falsification of safety properties, i.e. showing that program execution definitely reaches a “bad” state. Alternative techniques, such as the computation of under-approximating must transitions, have addressed this shortcoming in the past. We show that over-approximating models can indeed falsify safety properties by relying on and exploiting the seriality and partial determinism of programs: programs don't just stop for no reason, and most program statements have deterministic semantics. Our method is based on solving a two-person attractor game derived from over-approximating models and makes no assumptions about the abstraction domain used. An example demonstrates the successful use of our approach, and highlights the role played by seriality and our handling of nondeterminism. Finally, we show that our method can encode must transitions, if supplied, by a simple modification of the ownership of nodes in the attractor game derived from the over-approximating model

KSU Philharmonic and Concert Band

KSU School of Music presents Philharmonic and Concert Band.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1113/thumbnail.jp

Identification of Ligand Binding Sites of Proteins Using the Gaussian Network Model

The nonlocal nature of the protein-ligand binding problem is investigated via the Gaussian Network Model with which the residues lying along interaction pathways in a protein and the residues at the binding site are predicted. The predictions of the binding site residues are verified by using several benchmark systems where the topology of the unbound protein and the bound protein-ligand complex are known. Predictions are made on the unbound protein. Agreement of results with the bound complexes indicates that the information for binding resides in the unbound protein. Cliques that consist of three or more residues that are far apart along the primary structure but are in contact in the folded structure are shown to be important determinants of the binding problem. Comparison with known structures shows that the predictive capability of the method is significant

Proceedings of the 3rd Biennial Conference of the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) 2015: advancing efficient methodologies through community partnerships and team science

It is well documented that the majority of adults, children and families in need of evidence-based behavioral health interventionsi do not receive them [1, 2] and that few robust empirically supported methods for implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) exist. The Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) represents a burgeoning effort to advance the innovation and rigor of implementation research and is uniquely focused on bringing together researchers and stakeholders committed to evaluating the implementation of complex evidence-based behavioral health interventions. Through its diverse activities and membership, SIRC aims to foster the promise of implementation research to better serve the behavioral health needs of the population by identifying rigorous, relevant, and efficient strategies that successfully transfer scientific evidence to clinical knowledge for use in real world settings [3]. SIRC began as a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded conference series in 2010 (previously titled the “Seattle Implementation Research Conference”; $150,000 USD for 3 conferences in 2011, 2013, and 2015) with the recognition that there were multiple researchers and stakeholdersi working in parallel on innovative implementation science projects in behavioral health, but that formal channels for communicating and collaborating with one another were relatively unavailable. There was a significant need for a forum within which implementation researchers and stakeholders could learn from one another, refine approaches to science and practice, and develop an implementation research agenda using common measures, methods, and research principles to improve both the frequency and quality with which behavioral health treatment implementation is evaluated. SIRC’s membership growth is a testament to this identified need with more than 1000 members from 2011 to the present.ii SIRC’s primary objectives are to: (1) foster communication and collaboration across diverse groups, including implementation researchers, intermediariesi, as well as community stakeholders (SIRC uses the term “EBP champions” for these groups) – and to do so across multiple career levels (e.g., students, early career faculty, established investigators); and (2) enhance and disseminate rigorous measures and methodologies for implementing EBPs and evaluating EBP implementation efforts. These objectives are well aligned with Glasgow and colleagues’ [4] five core tenets deemed critical for advancing implementation science: collaboration, efficiency and speed, rigor and relevance, improved capacity, and cumulative knowledge. SIRC advances these objectives and tenets through in-person conferences, which bring together multidisciplinary implementation researchers and those implementing evidence-based behavioral health interventions in the community to share their work and create professional connections and collaborations

Optimizing Bronchodilator Therapy in Emphysema

The treatment objectives for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) include relieving symptoms such as dyspnea and cough, slowing the accelerated decline in lung function, decreasing exacerbations, and improving quality of life. All major guidelines for COPD management recommend beginning treatment with bronchodilators. There are several classes of bronchodilators, including β-agonists, anticholinergics, and phosphodiesterase inhibitors, each with a specific mechanism of action. The overall approach to managing stable COPD involves a stepwise increase in treatment. Because of the progressive nature of emphysema, such an approach often involves combining bronchodilators from different pharmacologic classes. This review focuses on the pharmacologic properties of various bronchodilators and on recent studies that have examined combination therapy as a means to optimize treatment

Lunar Landscaping: Designing a Berm-Building Robot for NASA Lunabotics

The goal of the NASA Artemis missions are to establish long-term human presence on the moon. This year’s NASA Lunabotics competition tasks teams with building robots capable of traversing and landscaping in a simulated Lunar terrain to gather data on Lunar construction. The competition goal is to construct a robot capable of building a berm out of regolith simulant. A diagram of the competition, and of USR’s robot E.L.E is shown in Figure 1