121 research outputs found
Discounting in LTL
In recent years, there is growing need and interest in formalizing and
reasoning about the quality of software and hardware systems. As opposed to
traditional verification, where one handles the question of whether a system
satisfies, or not, a given specification, reasoning about quality addresses the
question of \emph{how well} the system satisfies the specification. One
direction in this effort is to refine the "eventually" operators of temporal
logic to {\em discounting operators}: the satisfaction value of a specification
is a value in , where the longer it takes to fulfill eventuality
requirements, the smaller the satisfaction value is.
In this paper we introduce an augmentation by discounting of Linear Temporal
Logic (LTL), and study it, as well as its combination with propositional
quality operators. We show that one can augment LTL with an arbitrary set of
discounting functions, while preserving the decidability of the model-checking
problem. Further augmenting the logic with unary propositional quality
operators preserves decidability, whereas adding an average-operator makes some
problems undecidable. We also discuss the complexity of the problem, as well as
various extensions
Vacuum gauge from ultrathin MoS2 transistor
We fabricate monolayer MoS2 field effect transistors and study their electric
characteristics from 10^-6 Torr to atmospheric air pressure. We show that the
threshold voltage of the transistor increases with the growing pressure. Hence,
we propose the device as an air pressure sensor, showing that it is
particularly suitable as a low power consumption vacuum gauge. The device
functions on pressure-dependent O2, N2 and H2O molecule adsorption that affect
the n-doping of the MoS2 channel.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure - conference pape
Non-Zero Sum Games for Reactive Synthesis
In this invited contribution, we summarize new solution concepts useful for
the synthesis of reactive systems that we have introduced in several recent
publications. These solution concepts are developed in the context of non-zero
sum games played on graphs. They are part of the contributions obtained in the
inVEST project funded by the European Research Council.Comment: LATA'16 invited pape
Functional heterogeneity within the CD44 high human breast cancer stem cell-like compartment reveals a gene signature predictive of distant metastasis
Towards Efficient Exact Synthesis for Linear Hybrid Systems
We study the problem of automatically computing the controllable region of a
Linear Hybrid Automaton, with respect to a safety objective. We describe the
techniques that are needed to effectively and efficiently implement a
recently-proposed solution procedure, based on polyhedral abstractions of the
state space. Supporting experimental results are presented, based on an
implementation of the proposed techniques on top of the tool PHAVer.Comment: In Proceedings GandALF 2011, arXiv:1106.081
Hygrothermal durability of bond in FRP-strengthened masonry
Fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) are accepted as an efficient material for external strengthening of masonry structures. Previous researches have shown that the bond between FRP and the substrate plays an important role in the effectiveness of this strengthening technique. Extensive investigations have been devoted to the characterization of the short-term bond behavior, while its durability and long-term performance requires further studies. In this regard, a full experimental program for investigating the environmental durability of bond in FRP-strengthened masonry is crucial for understanding the degrading mechanisms.
This paper presents the results of an experimental program aimed at investigating the hygrothermal durability of bond in FRP-strengthened bricks. Accelerated ageing tests were performed on the FRP-strengthened brick elements and the bond degradation was periodically investigated by visual inspection and by conventional single-lap shear bond tests. The changes in the properties of material constituents have also been monitored. The obtained results are presented and critically discussed.This work was developed within the framework of the RILEM Technical Committee "223-MSC: Masonry Strengthening with Composite Materials". The financial support from the project FP7-ENV-2009-1-244123-NIKER of the 7th Framework Program of the European Commission is gratefully acknowledged. The first author also acknowledges the financial support of the Portuguese Science Foundation (Fundacao de Ciencia e Tecnologia, FCT), through grant SFRH/BD/80697/2011
Modelling distributions of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus using climate, host density and interspecies competition.
Florida faces the challenge of repeated introduction and autochthonous transmission of arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Empirically-based predictive models of the spatial distribution of these species would aid surveillance and vector control efforts. To predict the occurrence and abundance of these species, we fit a mixed-effects zero-inflated negative binomial regression to a mosquito surveillance dataset with records from more than 200,000 trap days, representative of 53% of the land area and ranging from 2004 to 2018 in Florida. We found an asymmetrical competitive interaction between adult populations of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus for the sampled sites. Wind speed was negatively associated with the occurrence and abundance of both vectors. Our model predictions show high accuracy (72.9% to 94.5%) in validation tests leaving out a random 10% subset of sites and data since 2017, suggesting a potential for predicting the distribution of the two Aedes vectors
SPIRITS: Uncovering Unusual Infrared Transients with Spitzer
We present an ongoing, five-year systematic search for extragalactic infrared transients, dubbed SPIRITSâSPitzer InfraRed Intensive Transients Survey. In the first year, using Spitzer/IRAC, we searched 190 nearby galaxies with cadence baselines of one month and six months. We discovered over 1958 variables and 43 transients. Here, we describe the survey design and highlight 14 unusual infrared transients with no optical counterparts to deep limits, which we refer to as SPRITEs (eSPecially Red Intermediate-luminosity Transient Events). SPRITEs are in the infrared luminosity gap between novae and supernovae, with [4.5] absolute magnitudes between â11 and â14 (Vega-mag) and [3.6]â[4.5] colors between 0.3 mag and 1.6 mag. The photometric evolution of SPRITEs is diverse, ranging from 7 mag yrâ1. SPRITEs occur in star-forming galaxies. We present an in-depth study of one of them, SPIRITS 14ajc in Messier 83, which shows shock-excited molecular hydrogen emission. This shock may have been triggered by the dynamic decay of a non-hierarchical system of massive stars that led to either the formation of a binary or a protostellar merger
Irrelevant matches in round-robin tournaments
We consider tournaments played by a set of players in order to establish a ranking among them. We introduce the notion of irrelevant match, as a match that does not influence the ultimate ranking of the involved parties. After discussing the basic properties of this notion, we seek out tournaments that have no irrelevant matches, focusing on the class of tournaments where each player challenges each other exactly once. We prove that tournaments with a static schedule and at least five players always include irrelevant matches. Conversely, dynamic schedules for an arbitrary number of players can be devised that avoid irrelevant matches, at least for one of the players involved in each match. Finally, we prove by computational means that there exist tournaments where all matches are relevant to both players, at least up to eight players
- âŠ