A generic framework for context-sensitive analysis of modular programs

Context-sensitive analysis provides information which is potentially more accurate than that provided by context-free analysis. Such information can then be applied in order to validate/debug the program and/or to specialize the program obtaining important improvements. Unfortunately, context-sensitive analysis of modular programs poses important theoretical and practical problems. One solution, used in several proposals, is to resort to context-free analysis. Other proposals do address context-sensitive analysis, but are only applicable when the description domain used satisfies rather restrictive properties. In this paper, we argüe that a general framework for context-sensitive analysis of modular programs, Le., one that allows using all the domains which have proved useful in practice in the non-modular setting, is indeed feasible and very useful. Driven by our experience in the design and implementation of analysis and specialization techniques in the context of CiaoPP, the Ciao system preprocessor, in this paper we discuss a number of design goals for context-sensitive analysis of modular programs as well as the problems which arise in trying to meet these goals. We also provide a high-level description of a framework for analysis of modular programs which does substantially meet these objectives. This framework is generic in that it can be instantiated in different ways in order to adapt to different contexts. Finally, the behavior of the different instantiations w.r.t. the design goals that motivate our work is also discussed

A domesticated harbinger transposase forms a complex with HDA6 and promotes histone H3 deacetylation at genes but not TEs in Arabidopsis

In eukaryotes, histone acetylation is a major modification on histone N‐terminal tails that is tightly connected to transcriptional activation. HDA6 is a histone deacetylase involved in the transcriptional regulation of genes and transposable elements (TEs) in Arabidopsis thaliana. HDA6 has been shown to participate in several complexes in plants, including a conserved SIN3 complex. Here, we uncover a novel protein complex containing HDA6, several Harbinger transposon‐derived proteins (HHP1, SANT1, SANT2, SANT3, and SANT4), and MBD domain‐containing proteins (MBD1, MBD2, and MBD4). We show that mutations of all four SANT genes in the sant‐null mutant cause increased expression of the flowering repressors FLC , MAF4 , and MAF5 , resulting in a late flowering phenotype. Transcriptome deep sequencing reveals that while the SANT proteins and HDA6 regulate the expression of largely overlapping sets of genes, TE silencing is unaffected in sant‐null mutants. Our global histone H3 acetylation profiling shows that SANT proteins and HDA6 modulate gene expression through deacetylation. Collectively, our findings suggest that Harbinger transposon‐derived SANT domain‐containing proteins are required for histone deacetylation and flowering time control in plants

Discovering Application-Level Insider Attacks Using Symbolic Execution

Coordinated Science Laboratory was formerly known as Control Systems LaboratoryNational Science Foundation / 727 NSF CNS 05-5166

Survey on hearing aid outcome in Switzerland: associations with type of fitting (bilateral/unilateral), level of hearing aid signal processing, and hearing loss.

The present investigation further analysed results of a previously reported survey with a large sample of hearing aid owners (Bertoli et al, 2009) to determine the individual and technological factors related to hearing aid outcome. In particular the associations of hearing loss, level of signal processing, and fitting type (bilateral versus unilateral fitting) with hearing aid use, satisfaction with and management of the aid were evaluated. A sub-group with symmetrical hearing loss was analysed (n = 6027). Regular use was more frequent in bilateral users and in owners of devices with more complex signal processing, but the strongest determinant of regular use was severity of hearing loss. Satisfaction was higher in the group wearing simple devices, while fitting type and degree of hearing loss had no influence on satisfaction rates. Moderate and severe hearing loss was associated more frequently with poor management of the aid than mild hearing loss. It was concluded that bilateral amplification and advanced signal processing features may contribute to successful hearing aid fitting, but the resulting differences must be considered to be relatively small

Model based analysis of insider threats

In order to detect malicious insider attacks it is important to model and analyse infrastructures and policies of organisations and the insiders acting within them. We extend formal approaches that allow modelling such scenarios by quantitative aspects to enable a precise analysis of security designs. Our framework enables evaluating the risks of an insider attack to happen quantitatively. The framework first identifies an insider’s intention to perform an inside attack, using Bayesian networks, and in a second phase computes the probability of success for an inside attack by this actor, using probabilistic model checking. We provide prototype tool support using Matlab for Bayesian networks and PRISM for the analysis of Markov decision processes, and validate the framework with case studies