Bialgebraic Semantics for Logic Programming

Bialgebrae provide an abstract framework encompassing the semantics of different kinds of computational models. In this paper we propose a bialgebraic approach to the semantics of logic programming. Our methodology is to study logic programs as reactive systems and exploit abstract techniques developed in that setting. First we use saturation to model the operational semantics of logic programs as coalgebrae on presheaves. Then, we make explicit the underlying algebraic structure by using bialgebrae on presheaves. The resulting semantics turns out to be compositional with respect to conjunction and term substitution. Also, it encodes a parallel model of computation, whose soundness is guaranteed by a built-in notion of synchronisation between different threads

Universal Constructions for (Co)Relations: categories, monoidal categories, and props

Calculi of string diagrams are increasingly used to present the syntax and algebraic structure of various families of circuits, including signal flow graphs, electrical circuits and quantum processes. In many such approaches, the semantic interpretation for diagrams is given in terms of relations or corelations (generalised equivalence relations) of some kind. In this paper we show how semantic categories of both relations and corelations can be characterised as colimits of simpler categories. This modular perspective is important as it simplifies the task of giving a complete axiomatisation for semantic equivalence of string diagrams. Moreover, our general result unifies various theorems that are independently found in literature and are relevant for program semantics, quantum computation and control theory.Comment: 22 pages + 3 page appendix, extended version of arXiv:1703.0824

Impact of the Introduction of an e-CRM Solution in the Feed Industry: The Case of Progeo-Mangimi

Feed industry is very demanding in terms of logistics. This activity implies supplying, processing and, most of all, distributing perishable products (raw materials and feed), to a very large number of clients, often scattered in wide market areas (animal farms) with different qualitative, quantitative and timing needs. So far the use of ICTs within the feed industry in Italy regarded mostly the production phase in terms of feed composition optimisation, and the internal logistics. External relationships like e-CRM, etc.. have so far been rarely adopted. For many Italian small and medium enterprises, mostly in the agro-food sector, the diffusion of ICTs solutions for the management of their client relationship has been quite slow. The aim of this paper is to examine the factors affecting the success in the implementation of an e-CRM solution in an Italian feed industry; the implementation strategies adopted and their impact on the company logistics performances have been investigated; the methodological framework for the e-solution implementation strategy analysis is the “Building of organizational support for Supply chain Improvement” as defined in the SCOR model (Bolstorff P., Rosenbaum R., 2003). The SCOR model provided a useful analytical framework in order to define the variables affecting the successful implementation of the e-CRM. The results show a dramatic improvement in the Progeo- Mangimi customer relationship performances; the fundamental role of the Progeo management to organise and motivate the personnel involved, and to interact with the customers, emerged.Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Industrial Organization,

Relationship between ethics and Fair Trade supply chain organisation and performance: the case of Italian Alternative Trade Organisations (ATOs)

Fair Trade related import from developing countries is quickly growing although it still represents a small share of the total import. Its influence on the development of rural areas in developing countries is related to both quantitative growth and the respect of its ethical code. Large food multi-national companies are increasingly interested in Fair Trade; part of the Fair Trade movement considers the risk of a related loss in the products identity; others consider the refusal of a more "professional" approach to Fair Trade management as a constraint to its growth. This debate is particularly felt in Italy. The goal of this paper is to evaluate how the most important Italian Fair Trade importers (ATOs) business models influenced their growth strategies; transaction costs analyisis and logistics performance indicators were adopted to measure the supply chain coordination efficiency and performance. The results showed that the ATOs growth strategies, and logistics performances, seemed more influenced by their value propositions, than the lack of managerial skill.Fair Trade, Logistics, Alternative Trade Organisations, Agribusiness, International Relations/Trade,

Interacting Hopf Algebras

We introduce the theory IH of interacting Hopf algebras, parametrised over a principal ideal domain R. The axioms of IH are derived using Lack's approach to composing PROPs: they feature two Hopf algebra and two Frobenius algebra structures on four different monoid-comonoid pairs. This construction is instrumental in showing that IH is isomorphic to the PROP of linear relations (i.e. subspaces) over the field of fractions of R

Weak MSO: Automata and Expressiveness Modulo Bisimilarity

We prove that the bisimulation-invariant fragment of weak monadic second-order logic (WMSO) is equivalent to the fragment of the modal $\mu$-calculus where the application of the least fixpoint operator $\mu p.\varphi$ is restricted to formulas $\varphi$ that are continuous in $p$. Our proof is automata-theoretic in nature; in particular, we introduce a class of automata characterizing the expressive power of WMSO over tree models of arbitrary branching degree. The transition map of these automata is defined in terms of a logic $\mathrm{FOE}_1^\infty$ that is the extension of first-order logic with a generalized quantifier $\exists^\infty$, where $\exists^\infty x. \phi$ means that there are infinitely many objects satisfying $\phi$. An important part of our work consists of a model-theoretic analysis of $\mathrm{FOE}_1^\infty$.Comment: Technical Report, 57 page

Sviluppo clinico di inibitori del "Pathway PI3K": stato dell'arte e prospettive

Il Glioblastoma (GBM) è la tipologia più comune di tumore maligno letale del Sistema Nervoso Centrale; per questo tumore, si registra ancora una mancanza di efficaci opzioni terapeutiche. La via metabolica della “Fostatidilinositolo-3-chinasi” (PI3K) è frequentemente soggetta a malfunzionamento in molte forme tumorali umane, compreso il GBM. Alcuni agenti capaci di inibire la PI3K e i suoi attivatori hanno dimostrato in via preliminare una loro azione su diversi tipi di tumori, ed evidenziano una potenzialità di modificare il panorama dei trattamenti clinici disponibili per pazienti affetti da tumori solidi. Si descriveranno anche i meccanismi di attivazione della via metabolica PI3K nel GBM. Si parlerà inoltre del motivo per il quale l’inibizione di questa via metabolica può rappresentare un convincente traguardo nella malattia qui trattata e di un aggiornamento dei dati disponibili sugli Inibitori della PI3K nelle sperimentazioni cliniche