Formal Verification of Hand-Coded Software Some Industrial Experiments and Lessons Learnt

International audienceThis paper gives an account of an ongoing attempt to prove the safety properties, of a hand-coded safety critical embedded software of industrial size. The method used is based on annotating the C source files with assertions that encode the safety-related functional properties to be satisfied by the software, and then generating proof obligations to be discharged by some theorem provers. We discuss what has been achieved and what difficulties were encountered, from which we derive requirements regarding the evolution of the verification tools involved in that experiment

Effect of Shot Peening on Oxidation and Precipitation in Inconel 718

In this study, the effect of the surface state on the behaviour of Inconel 718 alloy exposed to 640 ∘ C and 700 ∘ C environments for times varying between one and one hundred hours was investigated. In particular, the focus was set on the evolution of oxidation and precipitation phenomena during thermal exposure. Three surface states were considered: two generated through shot peening treatments featuring different coverage levels, while the third condition is a non-peened one. Shot peening treatments modify the surface condition and introduce higher residual stresses and microhardness values than in the non-treated condition. The morphology of the oxides appears to be different depending on the condition observed. Regarding the kinetics, over time the oxidation process follows a parabolic trend and appears to be influenced by the surface state; in particular, severe shot peening treatment is characterized by the highest intensity of the phenomenon. However, the order of magnitude of the weight gains measured suggests that the observed variations can be neglected, and that the positive effect of shot peening can be exploited without introducing oxidation problems. From the point of view of the microstructural evolution, an increase in the coarsening kinetics of γ ” phase was observed in the shot peened layer

Assessing the Association of Pioglitazone Use and Bladder Cancer Through Drug Adverse Event Reporting

OBJECTIVE\u2014To analyze the association between pioglitazone use and bladder cancer through a spontaneous adverse event reporting system for medications. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS\u2014Case/noncase bladder cancer reports associated with antidiabetic drug use were retrieved from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) between 2004 and 2009 and analyzed by the reporting odds ratio (ROR). RESULTS\u2014Ninety-three reports of bladder cancer were retrieved, corresponding to 138 drug reaction pairs (pioglitazone, 31; insulin, 29; metformin, 25; glimepiride, 13; exenatide, 8; others, 22). RORwas indicative of a definite risk for pioglitazone (4.30 [95%CI 2.82\u20136.52]), and a much weaker risk for gliclazide and acarbose, with very few cases being treated with these two drugs (6 and 4, respectively). CONCLUSIONS\u2014In agreement with preclinical and clinical studies, AERS analysis is consistent with an association between pioglitazone and bladder cancer. This issue needs constant epidemiologic surveillance and urgent definition by more specific studies

GTM-3, an extra-large pore enantioselective chiral zeolitic catalyst

The development of chiral zeolitic catalysts possessing extra-large pores and endowed with the capability of enantioselectively processing bulky products represents one of the greatest challenges in chemistry. Here, we report the discovery of GTM-3, an enantio-enriched extra-large pore chiral zeolite material with -ITV framework structure, obtained using a simple enantiopure organic cation derived from the chiral pool, N,N-ethyl-methyl-pseudoephedrinium, as the chiral-inductor agent. We demonstrate the enantio-enrichment of GTM-3 in one of the two enantiomorphic polymorphs using the two enantiomers of the organic cation. Interestingly, we prove the ability of this zeolitic material to perform enantioselective catalytic operations with very large substrates, here exemplified by the catalytic epoxide aperture of the bulky trans-stilbene oxide with alcohols, yielding unprecedented product enantiomeric excesses up to 30%. Our discovery opens the way for the use of accessible chiral zeolitic materials for the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of chiral pharmaceutical compounds

Being Surveyed Can Change Later Behavior and Related Parameter Estimates

Does completing a household survey change the later behavior of those surveyed? In three field studies of health and two of microlending, we randomly assigned subjects to be surveyed about health and/or household finances and then measured subsequent use of a related product with data that does not rely on subjects' self-reports. In the three health experiments, we find that being surveyed increases use of water treatment products and take-up of medical insurance. Frequent surveys on reported diarrhea also led to biased estimates of the impact of improved source water quality. In two microlending studies, we do not find an effect of being surveyed on borrowing behavior. The results suggest that limited attention could play an important but context-dependent role in consumer choice, with the implication that researchers should reconsider whether, how, and how much to survey their subjectsEconomic

Severe cholestatic jaundice after a single administration of ajmaline; a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Ajmaline is a pharmaceutical agent now administered globally for a variety of indications, particularly investigation of suspected Brugada syndrome. There have been previous reports suggesting that repetitive use of this agent may cause severe liver injury, but little evidence exists demonstrating the same effect after only a single administration. CASE PRESENTATION: A 33-year-old man of Libyan origin with no significant past medical history underwent an ajmaline provocation test for investigation of suspected Brugada syndrome. Three weeks later, he presented with painless cholestatic jaundice which peaked in severity at eleven weeks after the test. Blood tests confirmed no evidence of autoimmune or viral liver disease, whilst imaging confirmed the absence of biliary tract obstruction. A liver biopsy demonstrated centrilobular cholestasis and focal rosetting of hepatocytes, consistent with a cholestatic drug reaction. Over the course of the next few months, he began to improve clinically and biochemically, with complete resolution by one year post-exposure. CONCLUSION: Whilst ajmaline-related hepatotoxicity was well-recognised in the era in which the drug was administered as a regular medication, clinicians should be aware that ajmaline may induce severe cholestatic jaundice even after a single dose administration

New and noteworthy species of the genus Epidendrum (Orchidaceae, Laeliinae) from the Área de Conservación Privada La Pampa del Burro, Amazonas, Peru

Fourteen species of the genus Epidendrum, recently collected in the Área de Conservación Privada La Pampa del Burro (ACPPB), five of them new to science (Epidendrum echinatiantherum sp. nov., E. imazaense sp. nov., E. parvireflexilobum sp. nov., E. rosulatum sp. nov., and E. ochrostachyum sp. nov.), are described and illustrated. The other species include a new record for Peru (E. acrobatesii) and four for the department of Amazonas (E. brachyblastum, E. forcipatum, E. mavrodactylon, and E. tridens). Epidendrum enantilobum is here considered a synonym of Epidendrum brachyblastum. The type locality of Epidendrum cryptorhachis, originally stated as Ecuador, Guayabamba, is corrected to indicate that it refers to the valley of Guayabamba, Rodríguez de Mendoza, Amazonas, Peru. Our results show the need to continue conducting botanical exploration in the ACPPB as a baseline for subsequent studies, including a full inventory of the orchid diversity