Automated Synthesis of Tableau Calculi

This paper presents a method for synthesising sound and complete tableau calculi. Given a specification of the formal semantics of a logic, the method generates a set of tableau inference rules that can then be used to reason within the logic. The method guarantees that the generated rules form a calculus which is sound and constructively complete. If the logic can be shown to admit finite filtration with respect to a well-defined first-order semantics then adding a general blocking mechanism provides a terminating tableau calculus. The process of generating tableau rules can be completely automated and produces, together with the blocking mechanism, an automated procedure for generating tableau decision procedures. For illustration we show the workability of the approach for a description logic with transitive roles and propositional intuitionistic logic.Comment: 32 page

The future of Cybersecurity in Italy: Strategic focus area

This volume has been created as a continuation of the previous one, with the aim of outlining a set of focus areas and actions that the Italian Nation research community considers essential. The book touches many aspects of cyber security, ranging from the definition of the infrastructure and controls needed to organize cyberdefence to the actions and technologies to be developed to be better protected, from the identification of the main technologies to be defended to the proposal of a set of horizontal actions for training, awareness raising, and risk management

IT Interdependence and the Economic Fairness of Cyber-security Regulations for Civil Aviation

Interviews about emerging cybersecurity threats and a cybersecurity public policy economic model for civil aviation illustrate stakeholders' concerns: interdependency issues can lead to aviation regulations that put smaller airports at a disadvantage

Dietary Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii CNCM I-1079 positively affects performance and intestinal ecosystem in broilers during a campylobacter jejuni infection

In poultry production, probiotics have shown promise to limit campylobacteriosis at the farm level, the most commonly reported zoonosis in Europe. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effects of Saccharomyces supplementation in Campylobacter jejuni challenged chickens on performance and intestinal ecosystem. A total of 156 day old male Ross 308 chicks were assigned to a basal control diet (C) or to a Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii CNCM I-1079 supplemented diet (S). All the birds were orally challenged with C. jejuni on day (d) 21. Live weight and growth performance were evaluated on days 1, 21, 28 and 40. The histology of intestinal mucosa was analyzed and the gut microbiota composition was assessed by 16S rRNA. Performance throughout the trial as well as villi length and crypt depth were positively influenced by yeast supplementation. A higher abundance of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) annotated as Lactobacillus reuteri and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and a lower abundance of Campylobacter in fecal samples from S compared to the C group were reported. Supplementation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii can effectively modulate the intestinal ecosystem, leading to a higher abundance of beneficial microorganisms and modifying the intestinal mucosa architecture, with a subsequent improvement of the broilers' growth performance

Identifying Implicit Vulnerabilities through Personas as Goal Models

When used in requirements processes and tools, personas have the potential to identify vulnerabilities resulting from misalignment between user expectations and system goals. Typically, however, this potential is unfulfilled as personas and system goals are captured with different mindsets, by different teams, and for different purposes. If personas are visualised as goal models, it may be easier for stakeholders to see implications of their goals being satisfied or denied, and designers to incorporate the creation and analysis of such models into the broader RE tool-chain. This paper outlines a tool-supported approach for finding implicit vulnerabilities from user and system goals by reframing personas as social goal models. We illustrate this approach with a case study where previously hidden vulnerabilities based on human behaviour were identified

Dynamic factor model with infinite-dimensional factor space:forecasting

The paper compares the pseudo real-time forecasting performance of three Dynamic Factor Models: (i) The standard principal-component model introduced by Stock and Watson in 2002, (ii) The model based on generalized principal components, introduced by Forni, Hallin, Lippi and Reichlin in 2005, (iii) The model recently proposed by Forni, Hallin, Lippi and Zaffaroni in 2015. We employ a large monthly dataset of macroeconomic and financial time series for the U.S. economy, which includes the Great Moderation, the Great Recession and the subsequent recovery (an update of the so-called Stock and Watson dataset). Using a rolling window for estimation and prediction, we find that (iii) significantly outperforms (i) and (ii) in the Great Moderation period for both Industrial Production and Inflation, that (iii) is also the best method for Inflation over the full sample. However, (iii) is outperformed by (ii) and (i) over the full sample for Industrial Production

Tracking the progressive spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Italy, December 2021 to January 2022

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern Omicron was first detected in Italy in November 2021. Aim: To comprehensively describe Omicron spread in Italy in the 2 subsequent months and its impact on the overall SARS-CoV-2 circulation at population level. Methods: We analyse data from four genomic surveys conducted across the country between December 2021 and January 2022. Combining genomic sequencing results with epidemiological records collated by the National Integrated Surveillance System, the Omicron reproductive number and exponential growth rate are estimated, as well as SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility. Results: Omicron became dominant in Italy less than 1 month after its first detection, representing on 3 January 76.9-80.2% of notified SARS-CoV-2 infections, with a doubling time of 2.7-3.3 days. As of 17 January 2022, Delta variant represented < 6% of cases. During the Omicron expansion in December 2021, the esti-mated mean net reproduction numbers respectively rose from 1.15 to a maximum of 1.83 for symptomatic cases and from 1.14 to 1.36 for hospitalised cases, while remaining relatively stable, between 0.93 and 1.21, for cases needing intensive care. Despite a reduc-tion in relative proportion, Delta infections increased in absolute terms throughout December contributing to an increase in hospitalisations. A significant repro-duction numbers' decline was found after mid-January, with average estimates dropping below 1 between 10 and 16 January 2022. Conclusion: Estimates suggest a marked growth advantage of Omicron compared with Delta variant, but lower disease severity at popula-tion level possibly due to residual immunity against severe outcomes acquired from vaccination and prior infection