An interactive semantics of logic programming

We apply to logic programming some recently emerging ideas from the field of reduction-based communicating systems, with the aim of giving evidence of the hidden interactions and the coordination mechanisms that rule the operational machinery of such a programming paradigm. The semantic framework we have chosen for presenting our results is tile logic, which has the advantage of allowing a uniform treatment of goals and observations and of applying abstract categorical tools for proving the results. As main contributions, we mention the finitary presentation of abstract unification, and a concurrent and coordinated abstract semantics consistent with the most common semantics of logic programming. Moreover, the compositionality of the tile semantics is guaranteed by standard results, as it reduces to check that the tile systems associated to logic programs enjoy the tile decomposition property. An extension of the approach for handling constraint systems is also discussed.Comment: 42 pages, 24 figure, 3 tables, to appear in the CUP journal of Theory and Practice of Logic Programmin

Semiring-based constraint logic programming

We extend the Constraint Logic Programming (CLP) formalism in order to handle semiring-based constraints. This allows us to perform in the same language both constraint solving and optimization. In fact, constraints based on semirings are able to model both classical constraint solving and more sophisticated features like uncertainty, probability, fuzziness, and optimization. We then provide this class of languages with three equivalent semantics: model-theoretic, fix-point, and proof-theoretic, in the style of classical CLP programs

Design of hybrid gels based on gellan-cholesterol derivative and P90G liposomes for drug depot applications

Gels are extensively studied in the drug delivery field because of their potential benefits in therapeutics. Depot gel systems fall in this area, and the interest in their development has been focused on long-lasting, biocompatible, and resorbable delivery devices. The present work describes a new class of hybrid gels that stem from the interaction between liposomes based on P90G phospholipid and the cholesterol derivative of the polysaccharide gellan. The mechanical properties of these gels and the delivery profiles of the anti-inflammatory model drug diclofenac embedded in such systems confirmed the suitability of these hybrid gels as a good candidate for drug depot applications

From eventual to atomic and locally atomic CC programs: A concurrent semantics

We present a concurrent semantics (i.e. a semantics where concurrency is explicitely represented) for CC programs with atomic tells. This allows to derive concurrency, dependency, and nondeterminism information for such languages. The ability to treat failure information puts CLP programs also in the range of applicability of our semantics: although such programs are not concurrent, the concurrency information derived in the semantics may be interpreted as possible parallelism, thus allowing to safely parallelize those computation steps which appear to be concurrent in the net. Dually, the dependency information may also be interpreted as necessary sequentialization, thus possibly exploiting it to schedule CC programs. The fact that the semantical structure contains dependency information suggests a new tell operation, which checks for consistency only the constraints it depends on, achieving a reasonable trade-off between efficiency and atomicity

Probability of Potential Collision for Aircraft Encounters in High Density Airspaces

Failure Management consists of a set of functions that enable the detection, isolation, and correction of anomalous behavior in a monitored system trying to prevent system failures. An effective failure management should monitor the system looking for errors and faults that could end up in a failure and overcome such issues when they arise

Long-term follow-up of adventitial cyst surgical excision in external iliac vein

Adventitial cystic disease of the venous system is an extremely rare condition. Forty-five cases have been described in the literature during the last 70 years, but they may not be representative of the real incidence of this pathologic process. We report a case of an adventitial cyst compressing the right external iliac vein and presenting with edema of the ipsilateral leg. Ultrasound imaging and computed tomography angiography showed the typical features of cystic disease and venous stenosis. Cyst excision was performed with a double surgical access. No perioperative complications were reported. There was no recurrence at 4-year follow-up

Preliminary survey of the nutritional and palynological traits of honey bee-foraged pollen from Liguria (Italy)

It is known that the palynological features, and consequently the nutritional quality, of bee-foraged pollen vary according to several factors such as sampling site and period of year. In our two year study, carried out as part of the COLOSS CSI Pollen study between April and September in the eastern province of Genova (Italy), we explored the relationships between the palynological spectra and the protein content of corbicular pollen. We found that the differences are mainly driven by the collection season rather than by the site. This observation allowed us to employ the sample\u2019s palynological traits for the identification of foraging seasons characterized by different protein content in pollen. The outcome of our study provides a useful tool for beekeepers, helping them to cautiously program certain apiary management practices. This work also provides suggestions for future monitoring programs, regarding the advantages of studying the seasonal pattern not only of the floral origin of pollen but also of its nutritional traits