Formal change impact analyses for emulated control software

Processor emulators are a software tool for allowing legacy computer programs to be executed on a modern processor. In the past emulators have been used in trivial applications such as maintenance of video games. Now, however, processor emulation is being applied to safety-critical control systems, including military avionics. These applications demand utmost guarantees of correctness, but no verification techniques exist for proving that an emulated system preserves the original system’s functional and timing properties. Here we show how this can be done by combining concepts previously used for reasoning about real-time program compilation, coupled with an understanding of the new and old software architectures. In particular, we show how both the old and new systems can be given a common semantics, thus allowing their behaviours to be compared directly

Simultaneous NICER and NuSTAR Observations of the Ultracompact X-Ray Binary 4U 1543-624

We present the first joint NuSTAR and NICER observations of the ultracompact X-ray binary (UCXB) 4U 1543−624 obtained in 2020 April. The source was at a luminosity of L0.5−50 keV = 4.9(D/7 kpc)2 × 1036 erg s−1 and showed evidence of reflected emission in the form of an O viii line, Fe K line, and Compton hump within the spectrum. We used a full reflection model, known as xillverCO, that is tailored for the atypical abundances found in UCXBs, to account for the reflected emission. We tested the emission radii of the O and Fe line components and conclude that they originate from a common disk radius in the innermost region of the accretion disk (Rin ≤ 1.07 RISCO). Assuming that the compact accretor is a neutron star (NS) and the position of the inner disk is the Alfvén radius, we placed an upper limit on the magnetic field strength to be B ≤ 0.7(D/7 kpc) × 108 G at the poles. Given the lack of pulsations detected and position of Rin, it was likely that a boundary layer region had formed between the NS surface and inner edge of the accretion disk with an extent of 1.2 km. This implies a maximum radius of the neutron star accretor of RNS ≤ 12.1 km when assuming a canonical NS mass of 1.4 M⊙

The effect of parental work history and public assistance use on the transition to adulthood

Though available data suggest a relationship between poverty and emerging adulthood, fewer studies have been conducted to assess whether parental work or public assistance mediates these outcomes. Using the National Survey of Families and Households, this study examines the effect of work reliant versus welfare-reliant households on youth outcomes (i.e., welfare use, education, idleness, and income) during the transition to adulthood. Examining parents from Wave 1 and older youth from Wave 2, researchers linked childhood poverty, parents' work history, family income from work, years on public assistance, and family income from public assistance with youth outcomes. Consistent with previous research, links exist between poverty in childhood and transition outcomes; however, these outcomes are not mediated by parental work history or extent of welfare reliance during childhood. Multivariate analyses indicate that growing up in a heavily work-oriented environment or a heavily welfare-reliant environment made little difference in the youth's ability to successfully transition to adulthood. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for welfare policy

A Theoretical Review of Rotating Detonation Engines

Rotating detonation engines are a novel device for generating thrust from combustion, in a highly efficient, yet mechanically simple form. This chapter presents a detailed literature review of rotating detonation engines. Particular focus is placed on the theoretical aspects and the fundamental operating principles of these engines. The review covers both experimental and computational studies, in order to identify gaps in current understanding. This will allow the identification of future work that is required to further develop rotating detonation engines

Caffeine gum improves 5 km running performance in recreational runners completing parkrun events

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine whether caffeine gum improves the performance of recreational runners completing parkruns (weekly, 5 km, mass participant running events). Methods Thirty-six recreational runners (M = 31, F = 5; age 33.7 ± 10.7 y; BMI 23.1 ± 2.4 kg/m2) capable of running 5 km in < 25 min were recruited to a study at the Sheffield Hallam parkrun, UK. Runners were block randomized into one of three double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over intervention trials with caffeine gum as the treatment (n = 6 per intervention trial) or into one of three non-intervention trials that ran concurrently with the intervention trials (n = 6 per non-intervention trial). Changes in conditions across different parkruns were adjusted for using data from the non-intervention trials. Runners in the randomized cross-over intervention trials chewed gum supplying 300 mg of caffeine or a placebo gum for 5 min, starting 30 min before each parkrun. Results Caffeine gum improved 5 km parkrun performance by a mean of 17.28 s (95% CI 4.19, 30.37; P = 0.01). Adjustment for environmental conditions using data from the non-intervention trials attenuated the statistical significance (P = 0.04). Caffeine gum also decreased RPE by 1.21 (95% CI 0.30, 2.13; P = 0·01) units relative to placebo. Conclusions A 300 mg dose of caffeine supplied in chewing gum improved the performance of recreational runners completing 5 km parkruns by an average of 17 s. Trial Registration The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02473575 before recruitment commenced

Simultaneous NICER and NuSTAR observations of the Ultracompact X-ray Binary 4U 0614+091

We present the first joint NuSTAR and NICER observations of the ultracompact X-ray binary 4U 0614+091. This source shows quasiperiodic flux variations on the timescale of ∼days. We use reflection modeling techniques to study various components of the accretion system as the flux varies. We find that the flux of the reflected emission and the thermal components representing the disk and the compact object trend closely with the overall flux. However, the flux of the power-law component representing the illuminating X-ray corona scales in the opposite direction, increasing as the total flux decreases. During the lowest flux observation, we see evidence of accretion disk truncation from roughly 6 gravitational radii to 11.5 gravitational radii. This is potentially analogous to the truncation seen in black hole low-mass X-ray binaries, which tends to occur during the low/hard state at sufficiently low Eddington ratios

C9ORF72 patient-derived endothelial cells drive blood-brain barrier disruption and contribute to neurotoxicity

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) serves as a highly intricate and dynamic interface connecting the brain and the bloodstream, playing a vital role in maintaining brain homeostasis. BBB dysfunction has been associated with multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); however, the role of the BBB in neurodegeneration is understudied. We developed an ALS patient-derived model of the BBB by using cells derived from 5 patient donors carrying C9ORF72 mutations. Brain microvascular endothelial-like cells (BMEC-like cells) derived from C9ORF72-ALS patients showed altered gene expression, compromised barrier integrity, and increased P-glycoprotein transporter activity. In addition, mitochondrial metabolic tests demonstrated that C9ORF72-ALS BMECs display a significant decrease in basal glycolysis accompanied by increased basal and ATP-linked respiration. Moreover, our study reveals that C9-ALS derived astrocytes can further affect BMECs function and affect the expression of the glucose transporter Glut-1. Finally, C9ORF72 patient-derived BMECs form leaky barriers through a cell-autonomous mechanism and have neurotoxic properties towards motor neurons