Formal Verification of Nonlinear Inequalities with Taylor Interval Approximations

We present a formal tool for verification of multivariate nonlinear inequalities. Our verification method is based on interval arithmetic with Taylor approximations. Our tool is implemented in the HOL Light proof assistant and it is capable to verify multivariate nonlinear polynomial and non-polynomial inequalities on rectangular domains. One of the main features of our work is an efficient implementation of the verification procedure which can prove non-trivial high-dimensional inequalities in several seconds. We developed the verification tool as a part of the Flyspeck project (a formal proof of the Kepler conjecture). The Flyspeck project includes about 1000 nonlinear inequalities. We successfully tested our method on more than 100 Flyspeck inequalities and estimated that the formal verification procedure is about 3000 times slower than an informal verification method implemented in C++. We also describe future work and prospective optimizations for our method.Comment: 15 page

A visualization platform to analyze contextual links between natural capital and ecosystem services

To prevent further loss of our vital ecosystem services we must understand the linkages to their supporting natural capital attributes. Systematic literature reviews synthesise evidence of natural capital attribute to ecosystem service (NC-ES) linkages. However, such reviews rarely account for the context dependency of evidence that is derived from individual studies undertaken for a particular purpose, at a specific spatial scale or geographic location. To address this deficiency, we developed the LiNCAGES (Linking Natural Capital Attribute Groups to Ecosystem Services) platform for investigating the context dependency of literature-based evidence for NC-ES linkages. We demonstrate the application of the LiNCAGES platform using the OpenNESS systematic literature review of NC-ES linkages. A hypothetical use case scenario of a small-scale European forest manager is described. We find evidence for many NC-ES linkages, and trade-offs and synergies between services, is severely diminished or non-existent under certain contexts, such as larger spatial scales and European study location. The LiNCAGES platform provides a flexible tool that researchers can use to support collation, exploration and synthesis of literature-based evidence on NC-ES linkages. This is vital for providing credible and salient evidence to stakeholders on important NC-ES linkages that occur under their context, to guide effective management strategies

Cyber-Systemic Themes in MFT Literature

Abstract: In the fifteen years since the explosion of the Internet, using cyber technology for work & social functions has exponentially increased. Yet the questions around how to manage such changes remain elusive in family therapy literature. In this investigation, we conducted a content analysis to determine to what extent marriage & family therapy (MFT) journals have responded to the integration of the Internet in couple & family life. We found 79 of 13,274 articles across seventeen journals focused on the Internet in some capacity supporting the contention that cyber issues are largely ignored within the MFT field

La relación personal en el tratamiento de la diversidad

El autor centra su aportación en diferentes características de los organismos vivos, para incorporarlas a las perspectivas interpretativas y operativas, y de los métodos actuales de intervención educativa. En el texto también se trata el enfoque positivo desde la dimensión técnica y no «voluntarista», teniendo en cuenta que los especialistas que adoptan la perspectiva del enfoque positivo dan mucha importancia al tema de la calidad de vida.L'autor centra la seva aportació en diferents característiques dels organismes vius, per incorporar- les a les perspectives interpretatives i operatives, i dels mètodes actuals d'intervenció educativa. Al text també es tracta l'enfocament positiu des de la seva dimensió tècnica i no «voluntarista», tenint en compte que els especialistes que adopten la perspectiva de l'enfocament positiu donen molta importància al tema de la qualitat de vida.The author focuses on the different characteristics of the alive organisms in order to include them into the interpretative and operative views of the current methods of educational intervention. He also deals with the positive focus, from the technical and «no voluntary» dimension, taking into account that those specialists having this kind of view do emphasize a lot on the quality of life issue

A Machine-Checked Formalization of the Generic Model and the Random Oracle Model

Most approaches to the formal analyses of cryptographic protocols make the perfect cryptography assumption, i.e. the hypothese that there is no way to obtain knowledge about the plaintext pertaining to a ciphertext without knowing the key. Ideally, one would prefer to rely on a weaker hypothesis on the computational cost of gaining information about the plaintext pertaining to a ciphertext without knowing the key. Such a view is permitted by the Generic Model and the Random Oracle Model which provide non-standard computational models in which one may reason about the computational cost of breaking a cryptographic scheme. Using the proof assistant Coq, we provide a machine-checked account of the Generic Model and the Random Oracle Mode

Measurement of the seasonal and annual variability of total column aerosol in a northeastern U.S. network

A network of multi-filter rotating shadowband radiometers has operated since late 1991 in the northeastern US. The data acquired are simultaneous measurements of total and diffuse horizontal irradiances in six narrowband filtered detectors and one broadband shortwave detector. The direct normal irradiances are calculated from these measurements. These direct data are corrected for cosine response and used to calculate extraterrestrial irradiance (I{sub o}) using the Langley method of regressing the natural logarithm of direct irradiance versus air mass. With frequent determinations of I{sub o}, changes in I{sub o} caused by soiling and filter degradation, for example, can be tracked. Using these I{sub o}`s, total optical depth is calculated for every clear 30-minute period in the record. Consequently, total optical depth may be obtained on a fair number of days throughout the year. Using daily average total optical depth the authors have calculated aerosol optical depths for five wavelengths by subtracting Rayleigh scattering optical depths and Chappuis ozone absorption optical depths at each wavelength. The aerosol pattern at nearly every site is an annual cycle superimposed on a decaying stratospheric loading associated with the Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption. An attempt is made to remove the volcanic signal using data from another site

Perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines among healthcare assistants: A national survey

Background: Limited COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among healthcare assistants (HCAs) may adversely impact older adults, who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 infections. Our study objective was to evaluate the perceptions of COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy in a sample of frontline HCAs, overall and by race and ethnicity. Methods: An online survey was conducted from December 2020 to January 2021 through national e-mail listserv and private Facebook page for the National Association of Health Care Assistants. Responses from 155 HCAs, including certified nursing assistants, home health aides, certified medical assistants, and certified medication technicians, were included. A 27-item survey asked questions about experiences and perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines, including how confident they were that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and adequately tested in people of color. Multivariable regression was used to identify associations with confidence in COVID-19 vaccines. Results: We analyzed data from 155 completed responses. Among respondents, 23.9% were black and 8.4% Latino/a. Most respondents worked in the nursing home setting (53.5%), followed by hospitals (12.9%), assisted living (11.6%), and home care (10.3%). Respondents expressed low levels of confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, with fewer than 40% expressing at least moderate confidence in safety (38.1%), effectiveness (31.0%), or adequate testing in people of color (27.1%). Non-white respondents reported lower levels of confidence in adequate testing of vaccines compared to white respondents. In bivariate and adjusted models, respondents who gave more favorable scores of organizational leadership at their workplace expressed greater confidence in COVID-19 vaccines. Conclusion: Frontline HCAs reported low confidence in COVID-19 vaccines. Stronger organizational leadership in the workplace appears to be an important factor in influencing HCA's willingness to be vaccinated. Action is needed to enhance COVID-19 vaccine uptake in this important population with employers playing an important role to build vaccine confidence and trust among employees. © 2021 The American Geriatrics Society

A theorem proving framework for the formal verification of Web Services Composition

We present a rigorous framework for the composition of Web Services within a higher order logic theorem prover. Our approach is based on the proofs-as-processes paradigm that enables inference rules of Classical Linear Logic (CLL) to be translated into pi-calculus processes. In this setting, composition is achieved by representing available web services as CLL sentences, proving the requested composite service as a conjecture, and then extracting the constructed pi-calculus term from the proof. Our framework, implemented in HOL Light, not only uses an expressive logic that allows us to incorporate multiple Web Services properties in the composition process, but also provides guarantees of soundness and correctness for the composition.Comment: In Proceedings WWV 2011, arXiv:1108.208

Decreased occurrence of ketoacidosis and preservation of beta cell function in relatives screened and monitored for type 1 diabetes in Australia and New Zealand

Published December 2022Aims: Islet autoantibody screening of infants and young children in the Northern Hemisphere, together with semi-annual metabolic monitoring, is associated with a lower risk of ketoacidosis (DKA) and improved glucose control after diagnosis of clinical (stage 3) type 1 diabetes (T1D). We aimed to determine if similar benefits applied to older Australians and New Zealanders monitored less rigorously. Methods: DKA occurrence and metabolic control were compared between T1D relatives screened and monitored for T1D and unscreened individuals diagnosed in the general population, ascertained from the Australasian Diabetes Data Network. Results: Between 2005 and 2019, 17,105 relatives (mean (SD) age 15.7 (10.8) years; 52% female) were screened for autoantibodies against insulin, glutamic acid decarboxylase, and insulinoma-associated protein 2. Of these, 652 screened positive to a single and 306 to multiple autoantibody specificities, of whom 201 and 215, respectively, underwent metabolic monitoring. Of 178 relatives diagnosed with stage 3 T1D, 9 (5%) had DKA, 7 of whom had not undertaken metabolic monitoring. The frequency of DKA in the general population was 31%. After correction for age, sex and T1D family history, the frequency of DKA in screened relatives was >80% lower than in the general population. HbA1c and insulin requirements following diagnosis were also lower in screened relatives, consistent with greater beta cell reserve. Conclusions: T1D autoantibody screening and metabolic monitoring of older children and young adults in Australia and New Zealand, by enabling pre-clinical diagnosis when beta cell reserve is greater, confers protection from DKA. These clinical benefits support ongoing efforts to increase screening activity in the region and should facilitate the application of emerging immunotherapies.John M. Wentworth, Helena Oakey, Maria E. Craig, Jennifer J. Couper, Fergus J. Cameron, Elizabeth A. Davis, Antony R. Lafferty, Mark Harris, Benjamin J. Wheeler, Craig Jefferies, Peter G. Colman, Leonard C. Harriso

Genetically engineered multicistronic allele of Pmel yielding highly specific CreERT2-mediated recombination in the melanocyte lineage

YesGenetic approaches that allow lineage tracing are essential to our future understanding of melanocytes and melanoma. To date, the approaches used to label melanocytes in mice have relied on random integration of transgenes driven by the promoters of the Tyrosinase and Dopachrome tautomerase genes, knock-in to the Dopachrome tautomerase locus or knock-in to the Mlana locus in a bacterial artificial chromosome. These strategies result in expression in other tissues such as telencephalon and other cell types such as nerves. Here we used homologous recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells to generate a targeted multicistronic allele of the Pmel locus that drives melanocyte-specific expression of CreERT2, nuclear localised H2B-Cerulean and membrane localised marcks-mKate2 allowing live imaging of melanocytes and activation of other conditional alleles. We combined this allele with R26R-EYFP mice allowing induction of EYFP expression on administration of tamoxifen or its metabolite 4-OHT. The fluorescent proteins H2B-Cerulean and marcks-mKate2 label the cell nucleus and plasma membrane respectively allowing live imaging and FACS isolation of melanoblasts and melanocytes as well as serving to provide an internal control allowing estimation of recombination efficiency after administration of tamoxifen. We demonstrate the utility of the transgene in embryonic and adult tissues.Cancer Research UK. Grant Number: A15673. Medical Research Council. Grant Number: MC_PC_U127527200. National Centre for the Replacement Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research. Grant Number: NC/K001612/1. North West Cancer Research Fund. Grant Number: CR1132. Medical Research Scotland. Grant Number: 436FR