Rey Juan Carlos University

This paper proposes a new methodology for early validation of high-level requirements on cyber-physical systems with the aim of improving their quality and, thus, lowering chances of specification errors propagating into later stages of development where it is much more expensive to fix them. The paper presents a transformation of a real-world requirements specification of a medical device—the Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) Pump—into an Event Calculus model that is then evaluated using Answer Set Programming and the s(CASP) system. The evaluation under s(CASP) allowed deductive as well as abductive reasoning about the specified functionality of the PCA pump on the conceptual level with minimal implementation or design dependent influences and led to fully automatically detected nuanced violations of critical safety properties. Further, the paper discusses scalability and non-termination challenges that had to be faced in the evaluation and techniques proposed to (partially) solve them. Finally, ideas for improving s(CASP) to overcome its evaluation limitations that still persist as well as to increase its expressiveness are presented.

Assurance cases offer a structured way to present arguments and evidence for certification of systems where safety and security are critical. However, creating and evaluating these assurance cases can be complex and challenging, even for systems of moderate complexity. Therefore, there is a growing need to develop new automation methods for these tasks. While most existing assurance case tools focus on automating structural aspects, they lack the ability to fully assess the semantic coherence and correctness of the assurance arguments. In prior work, we introduced the Assurance 2.0 framework that prioritizes the reasoning process, evidence utilization, and explicit delineation of counter-claims (defeaters) and counter-evidence. In this paper, we present our approach to enhancing Assurance 2.0 with semantic rule-based analysis capabilities using common-sense reasoning and answer set programming solvers, specifically s(CASP). By employing these analysis techniques, we examine the unique semantic aspects of assurance cases, such as logical consistency, adequacy, indefeasibility, etc. The application of these analyses provides both system developers and evaluators with increased confidence about the assurance case.

The development of large language models (LLMs), such as GPT, has enabled the construction of several socialbots, like ChatGPT, that are receiving a lot of attention for their ability to simulate a human conversation. However, the conversation is not guided by a goal and is hard to control. In addition, because LLMs rely more on pattern recognition than deductive reasoning, they can give confusing answers and have difficulty integrating multiple topics into a cohesive response. These limitations often lead the LLM to deviate from the main topic to keep the conversation interesting. We propose AutoCompanion, a socialbot that uses an LLM model to translate natural language into predicates (and vice versa) and employs commonsense reasoning based on answer set programming (ASP) to hold a social conversation with a human. In particular, we rely on s(CASP), a goal-directed implementation of ASP as the backend. This paper presents the framework design and how an LLM is used to parse user messages and generate a response from the s(CASP) engine output. To validate our proposal, we describe (real) conversations in which the chatbot’s goal is to keep the user entertained by talking about movies and books, and s(CASP) ensures (i) correctness of answers, (ii) coherence (and precision) during the conversation—which it dynamically regulates to achieve its specific purpose—and (iii) no deviation from the main topic.

The development of effective catalysts for the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is essential for transforming atmospheric CO2 into valuable chemical scaffolds.. The development of appropriate CO2RR catalysts is challenging but,...

This study investigates how scoring before overtime and various contextual factors influence outcomes during overtime in three professional basketball leagues. We collected data from the National Basketball Association (NBA), Euroleague, and Spanish Professional League (ACB), consisting of n = 275, n = 37, and n = 59 games, respectively, and played in the seasons 2019–2022. Our analysis included variables such as the team that tied the score, game location, opponent strength, maximum point difference during the game, and the last five minutes of regulation play. Binomial logistic regression revealed that the team scoring the tying basket did not significantly affect overtime outcomes in any league. Notably, in the ACB league, game location and maximum point difference during the game were significant predictors, while in the Euroleague, keeping the game tight was crucial. In contrast, in the NBA, game location and opponent strength were pivotal. Our analysis of predictive accuracy showed differing results across leagues, with the ACB league exhibiting the highest accuracy. These differential results between leagues underscore the importance of tailoring coaching strategies to specific league dynamics, enabling teams to better prepare for the critical moments leading to overtime based on the influence of each contextual factor.

Purpose This study explores the dynamics of workplace safety, specifically examining how both objective and subjective age moderate the relationships between safety climate, safety motivation, compliance, and participation. It aims to understand how subjective age perceptions shape safety attitudes and behaviors, underscoring the importance of psychological and environmental factors in promoting workplace safety. Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 333 Italian employees from various sectors, using an online questionnaire to collect data. Results The findings reveal that a positive safety climate significantly enhances motivation for safety compliance, with motivation acting as a key mediator in this process. Subjective age interacts in complex ways with both safety climate and motivation, indirectly influencing safety behaviors. Notably, the impact of subjective age on safety outcomes is mediated through safety motivation, rather than exerting a direct effect. Original Value: By incorporating the concept of subjective age into the study of workplace safety, this research provides new insights into the intersection of psychological states and safety behaviors. This approach addresses the increasing age diversity in the workforce, contributing to the occupational safety and health literature with a deeper understanding of how age-related perceptions shape safety practices.

Ecdysozoan worms (Nematoida + Scalidophora) are typified by disparate grades of neural organization reflecting a complex evolutionary history. The fossil record offers a unique opportunity to reconstruct the early character evolution of the nervous system via the exceptional preservation of extinct representatives. We focus on their nervous system as it appears in early and mid-Cambrian fossils. We show that some of the oldest known representatives of the group either preserved in carbonaceous compression (early and mid-Cambrian Burgess-type preservation) or secondarily phosphatized in three dimensions (e.g., basal Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation, ca. 535 million years) had an unpaired ventral nerve cord (VNC) that ran along the trunk in an eccentric position as in modern priapulids and nematodes. A phylogenetic analysis integrating these fossil data suggests that ancestral scalidophorans had an unpaired VNC and that paired nervous systems probably evolved independently in Kinorhyncha and Loricifera, and, more importantly, in panarthropods in possible relation with the rise of paired appendages and bilaterally coordinated motricity.

Pneumococcal disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. From 2016 to 2022, 358,603 hospitalized patients were identified as having pneumococcal disease. The overall annual hospitalization rate was 108.9 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, which significantly increased with age, reaching 748.0 hospitalizations per 100,000 among those aged ≥90 years. The hospitalization rates for pneumococcal pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis were 25.4, 0.7, and 3.5 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, respectively, reaching the highest rates in those ≥90 years of age for pneumococcal pneumonia and sepsis, with 241.6 and 22.0 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, respectively, and in those <1 year of age for meningitis, with 3.4 hospitalizations per 100,000 people. The total number of deaths among all hospitalized pneumococcal infection patients was 51,668, with a total case fatality rate of 14.4%. The case fatality rates for pneumococcal pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis were 7.9%, 10.6%, and 19.8%, respectively. The case fatality rate increased dramatically with age. Most patients presented with at least one underlying condition. The case fatality rate among patients with at least one comorbidity was significantly higher (p < .05) than that among patients without underlying conditions (16.0% vs. 3.2%, respectively), with a fivefold greater probability of death (OR = 5.7). During this period, the annual cost of hospitalizations for the health system exceeded EUR 383 million. Thus, the use of new broad-spectrum PCVs and improved vaccination protocols for elderly individuals and people with comorbidities could help reduce the high hospital burden of disease and mortality due to pneumococcal infection in our country.

This cross-sectional study compared plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels among chronic primary musculoskeletal pain patients, chronic widespread pain patients, and asymptomatic controls. The study included 126 participants aged 18–65, divided into three groups of 42 each. Pain intensity was assessed using a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and plasma BDNF levels were measured via ELISA. Differences between groups were evaluated using ANOVA with 2000 bootstrap resamples and a bias-corrected and accelerated method. Results showed significantly higher plasma BDNF levels in chronic widespread pain patients (mean difference [MD] = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.28, 0.62; p < .001) compared to controls, and higher than in chronic primary musculoskeletal pain patients (MD = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.64, 1.02; p < .001). Chronic primary musculoskeletal pain patients had lower plasma BDNF levels compared to controls (MD = −0.39; 95% CI = −0.54, −0.24; p < .001). No significant correlations were observed between plasma BDNF levels and clinical variables. These findings suggest the potential of BDNF as a biomarker to differentiate chronic primary pain conditions.

Current explanations of the business consequences of achieving sustainability goals are incomplete. This paper provides empirical evidence of the effect of environmental and social sustainability on organizational legitimacy. Using structural equation modelling, in a sample of 77 Spanish state and private universities, the results show that achieving environmental and social sustainability goals positively influences organizational legitimacy. Furthermore, there is a positive relationship between environmental sustainability and social sustainability. In the field of legitimacy, this research expands our knowledge on the antecedents of organizational legitimacy. In the field of sustainability, it sheds light on the effects of environmental and social sustainability on organizations. At the same time, we provide empirical support to the link between environmental and social sustainability. For practising professionals, the results justify the relevance of actions supporting environmental and social sustainability.

We propose a direct simulation of an arbitrary network of splicing processors by a network of splicing processors having an underlying path graph. This is in line with similar simulations where the target network has other widely used graph topologies: complete graph, lattice graph, star graph, wheel graph, etc. Along with the effective construction, we provide an analysis of the size and time complexity of the obtained network. Our construction may not be the most economic conversion in terms of number of nodes, hence further investigation to find more succinct networks are of (at least) theoretical interest.

Services currently represent most of the present economic activity. Research methodologies that allow organisations to solve their service operations-related problems while facilitating the design and creation of new artefacts with which to support the complex reality that services represent are required. Action Research (AR) is a methodology that has proved to be effective in organisations by solving real problems. This methodology can be enriched with others that provide practical and usable solutions. This paper presents Design Science Action Research (DSAR), a methodology that combines AR and Design Service Research (DSR) and examines its usefulness for Service (Operation) Management research by supporting the development of new artefacts acting in the real context of organisations. DSAR has been applied in a case study concerning a service company that is addressing the transformation of its service design and delivery processes. We contribute to the literature on AR and DSR with a new methodology resulting from the combination of both approaches that can be used in order to conduct SOM research. We provide step-by-step guidance on its application and discuss the main advantages of using this combination in a real case.

Background Negative perceptions of mental health professionals can deter individuals from seeking mental healthcare. Given the high burden of mental health globally, it is essential to understand attitudes towards mental health professionals. Social media platforms like Twitter/X provide valuable insights into the views of the general population. Aims This study aimed to use social media to investigate the (a) public perceptions (positive or negative) of mental health professionals, (b) changes in these perceptions over time and (c) engagement levels with tweets about mental health professionals over time. Method We collected all tweets posted in English between 2007 and 2023, containing key terms such as ‘mental health’, ‘psychology’, ‘psychologist’, ‘psychiatry’, ‘psychiatrist’, ‘neurology’ and ‘neurologist’. A total of 1500 tweets were manually classified into categories, which were used in conjunction with semi-supervised machine learning to categorise a large data-set. Results For most key terms, there was a higher frequency of positive perceptions compared with negative, with this trend improving over time. However, tweets containing ‘psychiatrist’ exhibited a higher proportion of negative perceptions ( n = 4872, 39.52% negative v. n = 1972, 15.99% positive before 2020). After 2020, the gap narrowed, yet negative perceptions continued to dominate ( n = 5505, 36.10% negative v. n = 3472, 22.77% positive). Conclusions Overall, positive perceptions of mental health and mental health professionals increased over time. However, ‘psychiatrist’ had a consistently higher proportion of negative perceptions. This study underscores the need to improve public perception of psychiatrists, and demonstrates the potential of using Twitter/X to better understand public attitudes and reduce stigma associated with accessing mental health services.

The self‐healing process in PCL (polycaprolactone)/epoxy blends is studied in order to optimize the healing process and understand its underlying mechanism. For this purpose, PCL/epoxy blends are prepared with and without multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) addition. Three different self‐healing heat‐inducement techniques are used (an oven, Joule effect, and infrared (IR) lamp) as a function of healing time (2, 5, 10, and 15 min) and PCL concentration (5, 10, and 15 wt%). The results obtained demonstrate that the addition of MWCNTs to the polymer matrix in PCL/epoxy blends accelerates the self‐healing process, attributed to an improved heat diffusion in MWCNTs/PCL/epoxy blends. The best self‐healing results were obtained with the highest self‐healing time and concentration of PCL, caused by the higher probability of the crack formation over a PCL reservoir. The most efficient techniques to induce the self‐healing process in PCL/epoxy blends with and without MWCNTs are the conventional oven and the Joule Effect, respectively, being faster the latter method, as it induces a homogeneous internal heating of the material. Moreover, Joule effect can be controlled remotely, while IR radiation is a noncontact technique, which can be applied in situ. The three heating methods are evaluated considering these factors alongside their energy efficiency, establishing a method to choose a specific heating source for similar systems. Highlights PCL/epoxy blends reinforced with MWCNTs have been manufactured. Variable heating sources have been analyzed. The influence of the heating source on the self‐healing is studied. Joule constitutes the faster heating for MWCNTs/PCL/epoxy system.

This study explains family ownership of listed firms in developed countries using a holistic perspective that integrates three approaches: the formal institutional context, cultural context, and socio-economic development. We hypothesize that in developed economies, where economic development is robust and formal institutional voids are less pronounced, there is an interaction between culture and the quality of formal institutions that helps explain family ownership. Specifically, culture becomes more important in influencing family ownership of listed firms as the quality of formal institutions increases. We analyse the ownership composition of a large sample of listed firms from 17 European countries over the period 2009–2015. After conducting descriptive statistics and bivariate correlation analysis to screen the data, we employ panel-data Tobit models to test the hypotheses. Overall, our study contributes to the current debate on context theorising in the family business field by demonstrating that family ownership is unevenly distributed due to contextual dimensions.