Decomposition orders : another generalisation of the fundamental theorem of arithmetic

We discuss unique decomposition in partial commutative monoids. Inspired by a result from process theory, we propose the notion of decomposition order for partial commutative monoids, and prove that a partial commutative monoid has unique decomposition iff it can be endowed with a decomposition order. We apply our result to establish that the commutative monoid of weakly normed processes modulo bisimulation definable in ACPe with linear communication, with parallel composition as binary operation, has unique decomposition. We also apply our result to establish that the partial commutative monoid associated with a well-founded commutative residual algebra has unique decompositio

Weak orthogonality implies confluence : the higher-order case

In this paper we prove confluence for weakly orthogonal Higher-Order Rewriting Systems. This generalises all the known `confluence by orthogonality' results

Weak orthogonality implies confluence: the higher-order case

In this paper we prove confluence for weakly orthogonal Higher-Order Rewriting Systems. This generalises all the known `confluence by orthogonality' results

Diagram techniques for confluence

AbstractWe develop diagram techniques for proving confluence in abstract reductions systems. The underlying theory gives a systematic and uniform framework in which a number of known results, widely scattered throughout the literature, can be understood. These results include Newman's lemma, Lemma 3.1 of Winkler and Buchberger, the Hindley–Rosen lemma, the Request lemmas of Staples, the Strong Confluence lemma of Huet, the lemma of De Bruijn

Vicious circles in orthogonal term rewriting systems

In this paper we first study the difference between Weak Normalization (WN) and Strong Normalization (SN), in the framework of first order orthogonal rewriting systems. With the help of the Erasure Lemma we establish a Pumping Lemma, yielding information about exceptional terms, defined as terms that are WN but not SN. A corollary is that if an orthogonal TRS is WN, there are no cyclic reductions in finite reduction graphs. This is a stepping stone towards the insight that orthogonal TRSs with the property WN, do not admit cyclic reductions at all

Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases

The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of aerobic metabolism, and while these particular "reactive oxygen species" (ROSs) can exhibit a number of biological effects, they are not of themselves excessively reactive and thus they are not especially damaging at physiological concentrations. However, their reactions with poorly liganded iron species can lead to the catalytic production of the very reactive and dangerous hydroxyl radical, which is exceptionally damaging, and a major cause of chronic inflammation. We review the considerable and wide-ranging evidence for the involvement of this combination of (su)peroxide and poorly liganded iron in a large number of physiological and indeed pathological processes and inflammatory disorders, especially those involving the progressive degradation of cellular and organismal performance. These diseases share a great many similarities and thus might be considered to have a common cause (i.e. iron-catalysed free radical and especially hydroxyl radical generation). The studies reviewed include those focused on a series of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological diseases, where iron can be found at the sites of plaques and lesions, as well as studies showing the significance of iron to aging and longevity. The effective chelation of iron by natural or synthetic ligands is thus of major physiological (and potentially therapeutic) importance. As systems properties, we need to recognise that physiological observables have multiple molecular causes, and studying them in isolation leads to inconsistent patterns of apparent causality when it is the simultaneous combination of multiple factors that is responsible. This explains, for instance, the decidedly mixed effects of antioxidants that have been observed, etc...Comment: 159 pages, including 9 Figs and 2184 reference

Vicious circles in orthogonal term rewriting systems

In this paper we first study the difference between Weak Normalization (WN) and Strong Normalization (SN), in the framework of first order orthogonal rewriting systems. With the help of the Erasure Lemma we establish a Pumping Lemma, yielding information about exceptional terms, defined as terms that are WN but not SN. A corollary is that if an orthogonal TRS is WN, there are no cyclic reductions in finite reduction graphs. This is a stepping stone towards the insight that orthogonal TRSs with the property WN, do not admit cyclic reductions at all