9,056 research outputs found
Decidability of the interval temporal logic ABBar over the natural numbers
In this paper, we focus our attention on the interval temporal logic of the
Allen's relations "meets", "begins", and "begun by" (ABBar for short),
interpreted over natural numbers. We first introduce the logic and we show that
it is expressive enough to model distinctive interval properties,such as
accomplishment conditions, to capture basic modalities of point-based temporal
logic, such as the until operator, and to encode relevant metric constraints.
Then, we prove that the satisfiability problem for ABBar over natural numbers
is decidable by providing a small model theorem based on an original
contraction method. Finally, we prove the EXPSPACE-completeness of the proble
Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide for patients with depression. Thought-provoking remarks
Euthanasia and medical assistance in dying entail daunting ethical and moral challenges, in addition to a host of medical and clinical issues, which are further complicated in cases of patients whose decision-making skills have been negatively affected or even impaired by psychiatric disorders. The authors closely focus on clinical depression and relevant European laws that have over the years set firm standards in such a complex field. Pertaining to the mental health realm specifically, patients are required to undergo a mental competence assessment in order to request aid in dying. The way psychiatrists deal and interact with decisionally capable patients who have decided to end their own lives, on account of sufferings which they find to be unbearable, may be influenced by subjective elements such as ethical and cultural biases on the part of the doctors involved. Moreover, critics of medical aid in dying claim that acceptance of such practices might gradually lead to the acceptance or practice of involuntary euthanasia for those deemed to be nothing more than a burden to society, a concept currently unacceptable to the vast majority of observers. Ultimately, the authors conclude, the key role of clinicians should be to provide alternatives to those who feel so hopeless as to request assistance in dying, through palliative care and effective social and health care policies for the weakest among patients: lonely, depressed or ill-advised people
Basic properties of nonsmooth Hormander's vector fields and Poincare's inequality
We consider a family of vector fields defined in some bounded domain of R^p,
and we assume that they satisfy Hormander's rank condition of some step r, and
that their coefficients have r-1 continuous derivatives. We extend to this
nonsmooth context some results which are well-known for smooth Hormander's
vector fields, namely: some basic properties of the distance induced by the
vector fields, the doubling condition, Chow's connectivity theorem, and, under
the stronger assumption that the coefficients belong to C^{r-1,1}, Poincare's
inequality. By known results, these facts also imply a Sobolev embedding. All
these tools allow to draw some consequences about second order differential
operators modeled on these nonsmooth Hormander's vector fields.Comment: 60 pages, LaTeX; Section 6 added and Section 7 (6 in the previous
version) changed. Some references adde
Analytic determination of dynamical and mosaic length scales in a Kac glass model
We consider a disordered spin model with multi-spin interactions undergoing a
glass transition. We introduce a dynamic and a static length scales and compute
them in the Kac limit (long--but--finite range interactions). They diverge at
the dynamic and static phase transition with exponents (respectively) -1/4 and
-1. The two length scales are approximately equal well above the mode coupling
transition. Their discrepancy increases rapidly as this transition is
approached. We argue that this signals a crossover from mode coupling to
activated dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 4 eps figures. New version conform to the published on
From Large Scale Rearrangements to Mode Coupling Phenomenology
We consider the equilibrium dynamics of Ising spin models with multi-spin
interactions on sparse random graphs (Bethe lattices). Such models undergo a
mean field glass transition upon increasing the graph connectivity or lowering
the temperature. Focusing on the low temperature limit, we identify the large
scale rearrangements responsible for the dynamical slowing-down near the
transition. We are able to characterize exactly the dynamics near criticality
by analyzing the statistical properties of such rearrangements. Our approach
can be generalized to a large variety of glassy models on sparse random graphs,
ranging from satisfiability to kinetically constrained models.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, minor corrections, accepted versio
Checking Interval Properties of Computations
Model checking is a powerful method widely explored in formal verification.
Given a model of a system, e.g., a Kripke structure, and a formula specifying
its expected behaviour, one can verify whether the system meets the behaviour
by checking the formula against the model.
Classically, system behaviour is expressed by a formula of a temporal logic,
such as LTL and the like. These logics are "point-wise" interpreted, as they
describe how the system evolves state-by-state. However, there are relevant
properties, such as those constraining the temporal relations between pairs of
temporally extended events or involving temporal aggregations, which are
inherently "interval-based", and thus asking for an interval temporal logic.
In this paper, we give a formalization of the model checking problem in an
interval logic setting. First, we provide an interpretation of formulas of
Halpern and Shoham's interval temporal logic HS over finite Kripke structures,
which allows one to check interval properties of computations. Then, we prove
that the model checking problem for HS against finite Kripke structures is
decidable by a suitable small model theorem, and we provide a lower bound to
its computational complexity.Comment: In Journal: Acta Informatica, Springer Berlin Heidelber, 201
Separable graphs, planar graphs and web grammars
This paper is concerned with the class of “web grammars,≓ introduced by Pfaltz and Rosenfeld, whose languages are sets of labelled graphs. A slightly modified definition of web grammar is given, in which the rewriting rules can have an applicability condition, and it is proved that, in general, this extension does not increase the generative power of the grammar. This extension is useful, however, for otherwise it is not possible to incorporate negative contextual conditions into the rules, since the context of a given vertex can be unbounded. A number of web grammars are presented which define interesting classes of graphs, including unseparable graphs, unseparable planar graphs and planar graphs. All the grammars in this paper use “normal embeddings≓ in which the connections between the web that is written and the host web are conserved, so that any rewriting rule affects the web only locally
Ethical and medico-legal remarks on uterus transplantation: may it solve uterine factor infertility?
Uterus transplantation was firstly tested with animal trials sixty-five years ago. Despite several successful attempts in human subjects, the different procedures still lay at the experimental stage, in need of further studies and investigations before they can be considered as standard clinical practices. Uterus transplant cannot be regarded as a life-saving procedure, but rather a method to restore woman ability to procreate, when lost, thus improving her quality of life. Uterus transplant is a complex surgical procedure and presents significant health threats. Medical staff should therefore always obtain informed consent from patients, emphasizing such risks. Before that, women undergoing uterine transplants should be thoroughly informed about the hazards inherent to the procedure and especially about the dangers of immunosuppressant drugs, administered after the surgery which may injure the fetus, eventually formed in the restored organ and even lead to its death, thus nullifying the purpose of the transplant itself. Therefore, the risk-benefit ratio of uterus transplantation needs to be carefully assessed and described
Medical use of cannabis: italian and european legislation
This review illustrates some brief
considerations of the medical use of cannabis recently
issued in Italy. History and uses of cannabis
throughout centuries and different countries
are illustrated together with a description of botany
and active phytocannabinoids. Then, medical
use of cannabis anti-pain treatment for patients
resistant to conventional therapies is described
in case of chronic neuropathic pain, spasticity,
for anticinetosic and antiemetic effect in nausea
and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, for appetite
stimulating effect in cachexia, anorexia, loss
of appetite in cancer patients or patients with
AIDS and in anorexia nervosa, hypotensive effect
in glaucoma resistant to conventional therapies
and for reduction of involuntary body and facial
movements in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome.
Italian most recent legislation on medical cannabis
is detailed with some law proposals, also
showing the inconsistent legislation within European
Union. Some final considerations of future
studies are also reported
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The relationship between charge distribution, charge packet formation and electroluminescence in XLPE under DC
Different reports describing the internal distribution of space charge in cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) under DC field have been published recently. The most striking fact observed is the organization of the space charge into charge packets that cross the insulation. All models for charge packet formation imply that carrier recombination will occur. As the recombination region is potentially a luminescence one it is of interest to record the electroluminescence in this regime. This topic is addressed in this paper
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