Symbol Elimination for Automated Generation of Program Properties

Automatic understanding of the intended meaning of computer programs is a very hard problem, requiring intelligence and reasoning. In this talk we describe applications of our symbol elimination methods in automated proram analysis. Symbol elimination uses first-order theorem proving techniques in conjunction with symbolic computation methods, and derives nontrivial program properties, such as loop invariants and loop bounds, in a fully automatic way. Moreover, symbol elimination can be used as an alternative to interpolation for software verification

The Role of the Ambient and Internal Context in the Process of Memory Functionality Optimization

Purpose of this research is to observe that there is a correlation between theorganization/structuring of information during encoding, the environmental context, theinternal/emotional state of the subject during encoding, and the optimization / improvement of thememory functionality in the process of updating the information. Considering this premise, theresearch aims to observe that if the environmental and internal context existing in the encodingprocess is similar to the one existing in the updating process, there will be a beneficial effect on theefficiency of updating the information, whether presented in an organized, structured manner. Thestudy aims to demonstrate that the data refresh processes can also be influenced by emotional factors,in which emotion may enhance memory performance (eg flash memories or state-dependentlearning). The absence of any affectionate or motivational burden always results in superficial andshort-term impress

Reasoning About Loops Using Vampire in KeY

We describe symbol elimination and consequence finding in the first-order theorem prover Vampire for automatic generation of quantified invariants, possibly with quantifier alternations, of loops with arrays. Unlike the previous implementation of symbol elimination in Vampire, our work is not limited to a specific programming language but provides a generic framework by relying on a simple guarded command representation of the input loop. We also improve the loop analysis part in Vampire by generating loop properties more easily handled by the saturation engine of Vampire. Our experiments show that, with our changes, the number of generated invariants is decreased, in some cases, by a factor of 20. We also provide a framework to use our approach to invariant generation in conjunction with pre- and post-conditions of program loops. We use the program specification to find relevant invariants as well as to verify the partial correctness of the loop. As a case study, we demonstrate how symbol elimination in Vampire can be used as an interface for realistic imperative languages, by integrating our tool in the KeY verification system, thus allowing reasoning about loops in Java programs in a fully automated way, without any user guidance

Loop Analysis by Quantification over Iterations

We present a framework to analyze and verify programs containing loops by using a first-order language of so-called extended expressions. This language can express both functional and temporal properties of loops. We prove soundness and completeness of our framework and use our approach to automate the tasks of partial correctness verification, termination analysis and invariant generation. For doing so, we express the loop semantics as a set of first-order properties over extended expressions and use theorem provers and/or SMT solvers to reason about these properties. Our approach supports full first-order reasoning, including proving program properties with alternation of quantifiers. Our work is implemented in the tool QuIt and successfully evaluated on benchmarks coming from software verification

If you can dream it, you can do it!

We argue that parental attitudes of (prospective) children’s gendered behavior are influenced by sexual orientation and the given social climate. In Study 1 (N = 448), moderated mediations showed that sexual orientation predicted whether or not highstatus occupations are preferred for the (prospective) children through modern sexism. For girls, however, the perceived stability of the gender hierarchy moderated the effect of modern sexism. In an experiment (Study 2, N = 704), hierarchical regression analyses showed that in the case of gay people, modern sexism predicted boys’ preferred gendered behavior well. While, in the case of bisexual people, modern sexism (along with fear of backlash) predicted preferences for both boys’ and girls’ gendered behavior depending on the stability of the gender hierarchy. Unlike the other groups, in the case of straight people, modern sexism only predicted preferences regarding girls’ gendered behavior. Implications of the studies are discussed

Suicidality and divalproex sodium: analysis of controlled studies in multiple indications

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recent analyses of antiepileptic drugs have indicated an increase in the risk of suicidality. The objective of this report was to provide clinical information and an independent meta-analysis of divalproex sodium and suicidality events by analyzing data from 13 placebo-controlled studies and 1 low-dose controlled study.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Adverse events considered to be possibly suicide related were identified using the Columbia Classification Algorithm of Suicide Assessment (C-CASA) methodology. Indications included epilepsy, bipolar disorder, migraine prophylaxis, impulsive aggression, and dementia. Narratives were produced for every event, and suicidality event ratings were performed by a third party blinded to treatment assignment. Statistical analyses were conducted using methodology similar to that reported by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Suicidality events were identified in 5 of the 13 placebo-controlled studies. Of the 1,327 (0.83%) subjects taking divalproex sodium, 11 had suicidality events: 2 suicide attempts and 9 suicidal ideation. Of 992 (0.91%) subjects taking placebo, 9 had suicidality events: 1 preparatory act toward suicide, 2 suicide attempts, and 6 suicidal ideation. Across placebo-controlled studies, the overall estimated odds ratio (OR) of suicidal behavior or ideation was 0.72 (95% CI 0.29 to 1.84). The OR for suicidal behavior was 0.37 (95% CI 0.04 to 2.58), and the OR for suicidal ideation was 0.90 (95% CI 0.31 to 2.79).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this meta-analysis, divalproex sodium does not appear to increase the risk of suicide-related adverse events relative to placebo in the populations studied. Clinicians should nonetheless remain vigilant in assessing suicidality, not only in patients treated for mental disorders with inherently high suicide risk, but also in patients taking antiepileptic medications.</p