scholarly journals A Double-Level Model Checking Approach for an Agent-Based Autonomous Vehicle and Road Junction Regulations

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Gleifer Vaz Alves ◽  
Louise Dennis ◽  
Michael Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Model Checking ◽  
Timed Automata ◽  
Autonomous Vehicle ◽  
The Road ◽  
Traffic Scenario ◽  
Level Model ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Road Junction ◽  
Traffic Rules

Usually, the design of an Autonomous Vehicle (AV) does not take into account traffic rules and so the adoption of these rules can bring some challenges, e.g., how to come up with a Digital Highway Code which captures the proper behaviour of an AV against the traffic rules and at the same time minimises changes to the existing Highway Code? Here, we formally model and implement three Road Junction rules (from the UK Highway Code). We use timed automata to model the system and the MCAPL (Model Checking Agent Programming Language) framework to implement an agent and its environment. We also assess the behaviour of our agent according to the Road Junction rules using a double-level Model Checking technique, i.e., UPPAAL at the design level and AJPF (Agent Java PathFinder) at the development level. We have formally verified 30 properties (18 with UPPAAL and 12 with AJPF), where these properties describe the agent’s behaviour against the three Road Junction rules using a simulated traffic scenario, including artefacts like traffic signs and road users. In addition, our approach aims to extract the best from the double-level verification, i.e., using time constraints in UPPAAL timed automata to determine thresholds for the AVs actions and tracing the agent’s behaviour by using MCAPL, in a way that one can tell when and how a given Road Junction rule was selected by the agent. This work provides a proof-of-concept for the formal verification of AV behaviour with respect to traffic rules.

scholarly journals Diarylureas: Repositioning from Antitumor to Antimicrobials or Multi-Target Agents against New Pandemics

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessia Catalano ◽  
Domenico Iacopetta ◽  
Michele Pellegrino ◽  
Stefano Aquaro ◽  
Carlo Franchini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Kinase Inhibitors ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Drug Repositioning ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Antiviral Treatment ◽  
Far East ◽  
Mild Disease ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Uk

Antimicrobials have allowed medical advancements over several decades. However, the continuous emergence of antimicrobial resistance restricts efficacy in treating infectious diseases. In this context, the drug repositioning of already known biological active compounds to antimicrobials could represent a useful strategy. In 2002 and 2003, the SARS-CoV pandemic immobilized the Far East regions. However, the drug discovery attempts to study the virus have stopped after the crisis declined. Today’s COVID-19 pandemic could probably have been avoided if those efforts against SARS-CoV had continued. Recently, a new coronavirus variant was identified in the UK. Because of this, the search for safe and potent antimicrobials and antivirals is urgent. Apart from antiviral treatment for severe cases of COVID-19, many patients with mild disease without pneumonia or moderate disease with pneumonia have received different classes of antibiotics. Diarylureas are tyrosine kinase inhibitors well known in the art as anticancer agents, which might be useful tools for a reposition as antimicrobials. The first to come onto the market as anticancer was sorafenib, followed by some other active molecules. For this interesting class of organic compounds antimicrobial, antiviral, antithrombotic, antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory properties have been reported in the literature. These numerous properties make these compounds interesting for a new possible pandemic considering that, as well as for other viral infections also for CoVID-19, a multitarget therapeutic strategy could be favorable. This review is meant to be an overview on diarylureas, focusing on their biological activities, not dwelling on the already known antitumor activity. Quite a lot of papers present in the literature underline and highlight the importance of these molecules as versatile scaffolds for the development of new and promising antimicrobials and multitarget agents against new pandemic events.

Schedulability Analysis for Timed Automata With Tasks

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (5s) ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Jinghao Sun ◽  
Nan Guan ◽  
Rongxiao Shi ◽  
Guozhen Tan ◽  
Wang Yi
Keyword(s):  
Model Checking ◽  
State Space ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Timed Automata ◽  
Schedulability Analysis ◽  
Scheduling Theory ◽  
Real Time Scheduling ◽  
Analysis Techniques ◽  
Model Complex ◽  
Time Scheduling

Research on modeling and analysis of real-time computing systems has been done in two areas, model checking and real-time scheduling theory. In model checking, an expressive modeling formalism such as timed automata (TA) is used to model complex systems, but the analysis is typically very expensive due to state-space explosion. In real-time scheduling theory, the analysis techniques are highly efficient, but the models are often restrictive. In this paper, we aim to exploit the possibility of applying efficient analysis techniques rooted in real-time scheduling theory to analysis of real-time task systems modeled by timed automata with tasks (TAT). More specifically, we develop efficient techniques to analyze the feasibility of TAT-based task models (i.e., whether all tasks can meet their deadlines on single-processor) using demand bound functions (DBF), a widely used workload abstraction in real-time scheduling theory. Our proposed analysis method has a pseudo-polynomial time complexity if the number of clocks used to model each task is bounded by a constant, which is much lower than the exponential complexity of the traditional model-checking based analysis approach (also assuming the number of clocks is bounded by a constant). We apply dynamic programming techniques to implement the DBF-based analysis framework, and propose state space pruning techniques to accelerate the analysis process. Experimental results show that our DBF-based method can analyze a TAT system with 50 tasks within a few minutes, which significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art TAT-based schedulability analysis tool TIMES.

Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge, Philippines – a new 32 km sea crossing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sammy Yip ◽  
Steve Kite ◽  
Paresh Vishnoi ◽  
Vikas Venkatesha
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Preliminary Design ◽  
The Road ◽  
Metro Manila ◽  
To Come ◽  
Optimum Solution

<p>Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge (BCIB) in the Philippines is a proposed 32km sea-crossing which will connect Bataan to Cavite, to unlock opportunity for economic growth and expansion outside Metro Manila. A Feasibility Study was carried out to plan the road link, which would involve two major navigation bridges, long marine viaducts, and interchange connections. This paper outlines the Feasibility Study and the preliminary design of the crossing, and highlights how the bridge options were assessed in order to come up with an optimum solution.</p>

Proving properties of autonomous car manoeuvres in urban traffic

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maike Schwammberger
Keyword(s):  
Model Checking ◽  
Functional Properties ◽  
Timed Automata ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
Abstract Model ◽  
Automated Driving ◽  
Spatial Logic

Abstract As automated driving techniques are increasingly capturing the market, it is particularly important to consider vital functional properties of these systems. We present an overview of an approach that uses an abstract model to logically reason about properties of autonomous manoeuvres at intersections in urban traffic. The approach introduces automotive-controlling timed automata crossing controllers that use the traffic logic UMLSL (Urban Multi-lane Spatial Logic) to reason about traffic situations. Safety in the context of collision freedom is mathematically proven. Liveness (something good finally happens) and fairness (no queue-jumping) are examined and verified using a model-checking tool for timed automata, UPPAAL.

The ‘Pillared-Privatisation’ of Pension Provision in the European Union: The Case of the United Kingdom

2002 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Ring ◽  
Roddy McKinnon
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
World Bank ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Means Testing ◽  
The Road ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
National Governments

Across the European Union, national governments are re-assessing the institutional mechanisms through which pension provision is delivered. This articles sets the debate within the wider context of the ‘pillared’ structural analysis often adopted by international institutions when discussing pensions reform. It then sets out a detailed discussion of developments in the UK, arguing that the UK is moving towards a model of reform akin to that promoted by the World Bank – referred to here as ‘pillared-privatisation’. The themes of this model indicate more means-testing, greater private provision, and a shift of the burden of risk from the government to individuals. An assessment is then made of the implications of UK developments for other EU countries. It is suggested that while there are strong reasons to think that other countries will not travel as far down the road of ‘pillared-privatisation’ as the UK, this should not be taken as a ‘given’.

scholarly journals When mountains weep: psychological care for those affected by the earthquake in northern Pakistan

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 454-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murad M. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Substance Misuse ◽  
Interpersonal Relationship ◽  
Day Hospital ◽  
Northern Pakistan ◽  
Psychological Care ◽  
Reality Testing ◽  
Rotation Scheme ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Uk

Fate, it seems, conjures up all sorts of ways for us to be in a certain place at a certain time. In 1982 as a trainee psychiatrist in the UK, I found myself co-facilitating a group at the Castlewood Day Hospital, then part of the Bexley psychiatric rotation scheme, in the south-east of London. Group psychotherapy was part of our training. Held thrice a week the groups were open-ended and patients ranged from those with interpersonal relationship and personality problems to those with anxiety and substance misuse problems. At the time the experience was somewhat baffling. Not only was I from a different country and culture, my exposure to psychiatry was limited to about 12 months. More often than not I felt lost as I tried to come to terms with ‘group dynamics', ‘reality testing’, ‘transference’, ‘multiple transference’, ‘group cohesion’, ‘group pressure’, etc.

scholarly journals Model Contrast of Autonomous Vehicle Impacts on Traffic

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Derek Hungness ◽  
Raj Bridgelall
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Travel Demand ◽  
Autonomous Vehicle ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Vehicle Miles Traveled ◽  
The Road ◽  
Traffic Conditions ◽  
Demand Models ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Potential Benefits

The adoption of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) is in its infancy. Therefore, very little is known about their potential impacts on traffic. Meanwhile, researchers and market analysts predict a wide range of possibilities about their potential benefits and the timing of their deployments. Planners traditionally use various types of travel demand models to forecast future traffic conditions. However, such models do not yet integrate any expected impacts from CAV deployments. Consequently, many long-range transportation plans do not yet account for their eventual deployment. To address some of these uncertainties, this work modified an existing model for Madison, Wisconsin. To compare outcomes, the authors used identical parameter changes and simulation scenarios for a model of Gainesville, Florida. Both models show that with increasing levels of CAV deployment, both the vehicle miles traveled and the average congestion speed will increase. However, there are some important exceptions due to differences in the road network layout, geospatial features, sociodemographic factors, land-use, and access to transit.

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