(User-friendly) formal requirements verification in the context of ISO26262

Abstract In order to achieve the highest safety integrity levels, ISO26262 recommends the use of formal methods for various verification activities, throughout the lifecycle of safety-related embedded systems for road vehicles. Since formal methods are known to be difficult to use, one of the main challenges raised by these ISO26262 requirements is to find cost-effective approaches for being compliant with them. This paper proposes an approach for requirements formal verification where formal methods, languages, and tools are only minimally exposed to the user, and are integrated into one of the commonly used system modeling environments based on SysML. This approach does not require particular expertise in formal methods still allowing to apply them. Hence, personnel training costs and development costs should be kept limited. The proposed approach has been implemented as a plugin of the Topcased environment. Although it is limited to discrete system models, it has been successfully experimented on an industrial use case

No difference at two years between all inside transtibial technique and traditional transtibial technique in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Background: one of the most recent technique is the “all inside” anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. One of the main characteristic ofthis procedure is the sparing of the tibial cortex. Furthermore, the all-inside technique requires only one tendon harvested. Purpose: the present study describes two year clinical outcomes of the all-inside method for ACL reconstruction, and compares them with clinical results of a group of patients treated with the traditional transtibial single-bundle ACL reconstruction technique using the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons (ST-G). Study design: pilot study, using historical controls. Methods: ACL reconstruction was performed on two groups of 20 patients each. The patients in one group underwent the all-inside transtibial technique with ST tendon alone. The second group underwent ACL reconstruction with the traditional transtibial single-bundle procedure using quadrupled ST-G tendons. Follow up at 24 months was undertaken using the IKDC, VAS pain score, Lysholm and Tegner scales. Results: the VAS pain score for the traditional ACL group was 84.6 ± 12.6; whereas the score for the all-inside group was 81.6 ± 13.1, with no statistically significant differences between the two groups. In the traditional ACL reconstruction group the Lysholm scale gave a “good results” for 7 patient (35%) and “excellent results” for 13 patients (65%) and the all-inside group gave “sufficient results” for 4 patients (20%), “good results” for 7 patients (35%) and “excellent results” for 9 patients (45%) (n.s.). The median of Tegner score was 6.5 (2-10) for the standard method group and 6 (1-9) for the all-inside group (n.s). The IKDC evaluated 50% of patients from the standard technique group as class A, and 45% as class B and 5% as class C. As regards patients of the all inside technique 55% were class A, 40% class B and, here too, just 5% scored as class C. No patients were classed as group D in each group. Conclusions: this study suggests that, in respect to return to sports and adequate articular function, there are no differences between the all-inside transtibial ACL reconstruction technique and the traditional transtibial ACL reconstruction using ST-G. The role of all-inside transtibial ACL reconstruction remains dubious. Level of evidence: III or Level C according with Oxford Center of EB

Definition and classification of early osteoarthritis of the knee

With the emerging interest in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, new treatment modalities being developed for joint disorders including joint surface lesions and articular cartilage defects. The clinical outcome of these novel approaches appears rather unpredictable and is due to many reasons but definitely also linked to the patient profile. As a typical example, symptomatic articular cartilage lesions can be presented in an otherwise normal joint, or associated with several other joint tissue alterations including meniscal lesions and abnormalities of the underlying bone. The outcome of novel treatments may well be influenced by the status of the whole joint, and the potential to develop osteoarthritis. To better identify the patients at risk and responders to certain treatments, it is of use to define and most importantly classify patients with ‘‘early osteoarthritis’’. Here, classification criteria for this group of patients are presented, allowing a more defined and accurate inclusion in clinical trials in the future

Evaluation of Biochemical Composition of Amniotic and Allantoic Fluids at Different Stages of Pregnancy in Queens

Fetal fluid contents have functions in protecting fetuses and are essential for fetal development and maturation. However, little is known about the exact physiological functions of fetal fluids in fetal development, as well as the changing composition throughout the gestational period in cats. In this study, the biochemical composition of amniotic (AMN) and allantoic (ALL) fluids was investigated, as well as in the maternal serum of pregnant queens. Eighteen queens were included in this study and assigned to six different groups, D20, D25, D30, D40, D45 and D60, according to the gestational stage of fetal development. A total of 44 amniotic and 37 allantoic samples were collected. Fetal fluids contained lesser concentrations of alanine aminotransferase, albumin, cholesterol, triglycerides, creatine kinase, amylase, total protein and globulin than maternal serum. Other variables, such as aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase, were in different concentrations at specific stages of gestation when compared to maternal serum. There were no differences between fetal fluids and maternal serum for lactate dehydrogenase, urea, lipase or glucose concentrations. There were greater concentrations of creatinine in amniotic fluid than in allantoic fluid or maternal serum. Based on the results of this study, fetal fluids do not accumulate as a result of the simple filtration of maternal blood, but rather, the fetus produces many of these components as a consequence of organ development and maturation

Engineering Self-Organizing Systems Report for the 2 nd Year of PhD Course Engineering Self-Organizing Systems -Luca Gardelli 2 aliCE People… • Professors • Researchers Engineering Self-Organizing Systems -Luca Gardelli 4 Background and Motivations

Abstract The increasing complexity of artificial systems is a great challenge for the modern engineer. Specifically, aspects like pervasiveness, heterogeneity and distribution are in contrast with the necessity of a greater reliability. The theory of self-organization deals with natural systems, tipically made of several entities locally interacting with each other in order to preserve or increase the system organization upon environment perturbations. After introducing self-organization principles and current developments in the multi-agent systems (MAS) research community, it follows a discussion about our activities in that frame. Specifically, here we concentrate on methodological and architectural aspects: despite the inherent robustness of self-organizing systems, their design creates several problems, in particular predictability and reliability. Then, we analyse these problems exploiting formal modelling and stochastic simulation tools

Reactive dissolution of organic nanocrystals at controlled pH

The development of novel protocols and techniques for waste treatment represents the state of the art in the “green conversion”. Chemical wastes deriving from industrial and power‐station processes, which involve organic crystals, can be hazardous for the environment. Studying their dissolution mechanism, both theoretically and experimentally, represents a mandatory step in the critical task of their disposal. Surprisingly, most of the studies are focused on millimeter scale length, from which one could estimate/learn/acknowledge the crystal dissolution rate. In these studies, where no information about the dissolution mechanism on a molecular scale is provided, etch‐pit formation is recognized as the ultimate mechanism of crystal dissolution.In this work, we show the morphological evolution of organic nanocrystals in a reactive dissolution process controlled by pH. This approach allows us to explore ranges of high undersaturation, whereby crystal dissolution occurs even though etch‐pit formation is suppressed. Adopting different surface and bulk‐sensitive techniques (atomic force microscopy, time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy and X‐ray/electron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, respectively), we investigate the dissolution process of porphyrin thin films deposited on the basal plane of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite, proving that such films constitute a model system to unveil the dissolution mechanism of organic nanocrystals