Syntax-driven program verification of matching logic properties

We describe a novel approach to program verification and its application to verification of C programs, where properties are expressed in matching logic. The general approach is syntax-directed: semantic rules, expressed according to Knuths attribute grammars, specify how verification conditions can be computed. Evaluation is performed by interplaying attribute computation and propagation through the syntax tree with invocation of a solver of logic formulae. The benefit of a general syntax-driven approach is that it provides a reusable reference scheme for implementing verifiers for different languages. We show that the instantiation of a general approach to a specific language does not penalize the efficiency of the resulting verifier. This is done by comparing our C verifier for matching logic with an existing tool for the same programming language and logic. A further key advantage of the syntax-directed approach is that it can be the starting point for an incremental verifier -- which is our long-term research target

MORPH: A Reference Architecture for Configuration and Behaviour Self-Adaptation

An architectural approach to self-adaptive systems involves runtime change of system configuration (i.e., the system's components, their bindings and operational parameters) and behaviour update (i.e., component orchestration). Thus, dynamic reconfiguration and discrete event control theory are at the heart of architectural adaptation. Although controlling configuration and behaviour at runtime has been discussed and applied to architectural adaptation, architectures for self-adaptive systems often compound these two aspects reducing the potential for adaptability. In this paper we propose a reference architecture that allows for coordinated yet transparent and independent adaptation of system configuration and behaviour

The PAPAGENO Parallel-Parser Generator

The increasing use of multicore processors has deeply transformed computing paradigms and applications. The wide availability of multicore systems had an impact also in the field of compiler technology, although the research on deterministic parsing did not prove to be effective in exploiting the architectural advantages, the main impediment being the inherent sequential nature of traditional LL and LR algorithms. We present PAPAGENO, an automated parser generator relying on operator precedence grammars. We complemented the PAPAGENO-generated parallel parsers with parallel lexing techniques, obtaining near-linear speedups on multicore machines, and the same speed as Bison parsers on sequential execution

Direct measurements of the effects of salt and surfactant on interaction forces between colloidal particles at water-oil interfaces

The forces between colloidal particles at a decane-water interface, in the presence of low concentrations of a monovalent salt (NaCl) and of the surfactant sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) in the aqueous subphase, have been studied using laser tweezers. In the absence of electrolyte and surfactant, particle interactions exhibit a long-range repulsion, yet the variation of the interaction for different particle pairs is found to be considerable. Averaging over several particle pairs was hence found to be necessary to obtain reliable assessment of the effects of salt and surfactant. It has previously been suggested that the repulsion is consistent with electrostatic interactions between a small number of dissociated charges in the oil phase, leading to a decay with distance to the power -4 and an absence of any effect of electrolyte concentration. However, the present work demonstrates that increasing the electrolyte concentration does yield, on average, a reduction of the magnitude of the interaction force with electrolyte concentration. This implies that charges on the water side also contribute significantly to the electrostatic interactions. An increase in the concentration of SDS leads to a similar decrease of the interaction force. Moreover the repulsion at fixed SDS concentrations decreases over longer times. Finally, measurements of three-body interactions provide insight into the anisotropic nature of the interactions. The unique time-dependent and anisotropic interactions between particles at the oil-water interface allow tailoring of the aggregation kinetics and structure of the suspension structure.Comment: Submitted to Langmui

Response of microchannel plates to single particles and to electromagnetic showers

We report on the response of microchannel plates (MCPs) to single relativistic particles and to electromagnetic showers. Particle detection by means of secondary emission of electrons at the MCP surface has long been proposed and is used extensively in ion time-of-flight mass spectrometers. What has not been investigated in depth is their use to detect the ionizing component of showers. The time resolution of MCPs exceeds anything that has been previously used in calorimeters and, if exploited effectively, could aid in the event reconstruction at high luminosity colliders. Several prototypes of photodetectors with the amplification stage based on MCPs were exposed to cosmic rays and to 491 MeV electrons at the INFN-LNF Beam-Test Facility. The time resolution and the efficiency of the MCPs are measured as a function of the particle multiplicity, and the results used to model the response to high-energy showers.Comment: Paper submitted to NIM

Experimental Study of the Effects of Three Types of Meat on Endothelial Function in a Group of Healthy Volunteers

Background: There is a relationship between atherosclerotic risk factors and increased vascular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Oxidized LDL and ROS may directly cause endothelial dysfunction by reducing endothelial nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. The semi-essential amino acid L-arginine is the only substrate for NO synthesis in vascular endothelial cells. Therefore, this amino acid improves endothelial function and plays a role in the prevention and/or treatment of multiple cardiovascular diseases: atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes and so on. To determine the effects of three different protein matrices (250 g Fillet of Beef, FB; Chicken Raised on the Ground, CRG; Free-Range Chicken, FRC) with a known content of arginine on the cardiovascular workload, vascular compliance and urinary excretion of some parameters of endothelial function as TGF–Beta, NO (nitrate e nitrite) in a group of healthy volunteers. Materials and methods: We enrolled 10 men to study the behavior of Systolic, Diastolic, Mean, and Pulse Blood Pressure, of Vascular Resistances, of Macro and Micro Vascular Elasticity, of urinary excretion of TGF-β and Nitric Oxide as ratio of creatinine before and after two hours of each meal. The cardiovascular parameters are determined by HDI/Pulse Wave CR 2000 (Hypertension Diagnostic Inc, Eagan, MN); TGF-β is analysed by Elisa method (R&D Systems) and NO by colorimetric method (Cayman). Results and Conclusion: The protein meal packed with CRG causes a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure mean pressure and vascular resistance in urinary excretion of TGF. FB resulted in a significant decrease in vascular resistance and urinary excretion of NO, while significantly increasing the Pulse Pressure, heart rate and urinary excretion of TGF-β. FRC resulted in a significant reduction of macrovascular elasticity; increase the urinary excretion of TGF and Pulse Pressure. We can conclude that CRG meat looks better both in terms of metabolic and cardiovascular load especially at endothelial level

Accurate Atmospheric Parameters at Moderate Resolution Using Spectral Indices: Preliminary Application to the MARVELS Survey

Studies of Galactic chemical and dynamical evolution in the solar neighborhood depend on the availability of precise atmospheric parameters (Teff, [Fe/H] and log g) for solar-type stars. Many large-scale spectroscopic surveys operate at low to moderate spectral resolution for efficiency in observing large samples, which makes the stellar characterization difficult due to the high degree of blending of spectral features. While most surveys use spectral synthesis, in this work we employ an alternative method based on spectral indices to determine the atmospheric parameters of a sample of nearby FGK dwarfs and subgiants observed by the MARVELS survey at moderate resolving power (R~12,000). We have developed three codes to automatically normalize the observed spectra, measure the equivalent widths of the indices and, through the comparison of those with values calculated with pre-determined calibrations, derive the atmospheric parameters of the stars. The calibrations were built using a sample of 309 stars with precise stellar parameters obtained from the analysis of high-resolution FEROS spectra. A validation test of the method was conducted with a sample of 30 MARVELS targets that also have reliable atmospheric parameters from high-resolution spectroscopic analysis. Our approach was able to recover the parameters within 80 K for Teff, 0.05 dex for [Fe/H] and 0.15 dex for log g, values that are lower or equal to the typical external uncertainties found between different high-resolution analyzes. An additional test was performed with a subsample of 138 stars from the ELODIE stellar library and the literature atmospheric parameters were recovered within 125 K for Teff, 0.10 dex for [Fe/H] and 0.29 dex for log g. These results show that the spectral indices are a competitive tool to characterize stars with the intermediate resolution spectra.Comment: Accepted for publication in AJ. Abstract edited to comply with arXiv standards regarding the number of character

Elemental abundance differences in the 16 Cygni binary system: a signature of gas giant planet formation?

The atmospheric parameters of the components of the 16Cygni binary system, in which the secondary has a gas giant planet detected, are measured accurately using high quality observational data. Abundances relative to solar are obtained for 25 elements with a mean error of 0.023 dex. The fact that 16CygA has about four times more lithium than 16CygB is normal considering the slightly different masses of the stars. The abundance patterns of 16CygA and B, relative to iron, are typical of that observed in most of the so-called solar twin stars, with the exception of the heavy elements (Z>30), which can, however, be explained by Galactic chemical evolution. Differential (A-B) abundances are measured with even higher precision (0.018 dex, on average). We find that 16CygA is more metal-rich than 16CygB by 0.041+/-0.007 dex. On an element-to-element basis, no correlation between the A-B abundance differences and dust condensation temperature (Tc) is detected. Based on these results, we conclude that if the process of planet formation around 16CygB is responsible for the observed abundance pattern, the formation of gas giants produces a constant downwards shift in the photospheric abundance of metals, without a Tc correlation. The latter would be produced by the formation of terrestrial planets instead, as suggested by other recent works on precise elemental abundances. Nevertheless, a scenario consistent with these observations requires the convective envelopes of 1 Msun stars to reach their present-day sizes about three times quicker than predicted by standard stellar evolution models.Comment: ApJ, in pres