Observational Equivalence and Full Abstraction in the Symmetric Interaction Combinators

The symmetric interaction combinators are an equally expressive variant of Lafont's interaction combinators. They are a graph-rewriting model of deterministic computation. We define two notions of observational equivalence for them, analogous to normal form and head normal form equivalence in the lambda-calculus. Then, we prove a full abstraction result for each of the two equivalences. This is obtained by interpreting nets as certain subsets of the Cantor space, called edifices, which play the same role as Boehm trees in the theory of the lambda-calculus

Identification and functional annotation of genes differentially expressed in the reproductive tissues of the olive tree (Olea europaea L.) through the generation of subtractive libraries

© 2017 Zafra, Carmona, Traverso, Hancock, Goldman, Claros, Hiscock and Alche. The olive tree is a crop of high socio-economical importance in the Mediterranean area. Sexual reproduction in this plant is an essential process, which determines the yield. Successful fertilization is mainly favored and sometimes needed of the presence of pollen grains from a different cultivar as the olive seizes a self-incompatibility system allegedly determined of the sporophytic type. The purpose of the present study was to identify key gene products involved in the function of olive pollen and pistil, in order to help elucidate the events and signaling processes, which happen during the courtship, pollen grain germination, and fertilization in olive. The use of subtractive SSH libraries constructed using, on the one hand one specific stage of the pistil development with germinating pollen grains, and on the other hand mature pollen grains may help to reveal the specific transcripts involved in the cited events. Such libraries have also been created by subtracting vegetative mRNAs (from leaves), in order to identify reproductive sequences only. A variety of transcripts have been identified in the mature pollen grains and in the pistil at the receptive stage. Among them, those related to defense, transport and oxidative metabolism are highlighted mainly in the pistil libraries where transcripts related to stress, and response to biotic and abiotic stimulus have a prominent position. Extensive lists containing information as regard to the specific transcripts determined for each stage and tissue are provided, as well as functional classifications of these gene products. Such lists were faced up to two recent datasets obtained in olive after transcriptomic and genomic approaches. The sequences and the differential expression level of the SSH-transcripts identified here, highly matched the transcriptomic information. Moreover, the unique presence of a representative number of these transcripts has been validated by means of qPCR approaches. The construction of SSH libraries using pistil and pollen, considering the high interaction between male-female counterparts, allowed the identification of transcripts with important roles in stigma physiology. The functions of many of the transcripts obtained are intimately related, and most of them are of pivotal importance in defense, pollen-stigma interaction and signaling

Effect of aliskiren on post-discharge outcomes among diabetic and non-diabetic patients hospitalized for heart failure: insights from the ASTRONAUT trial

Aims The objective of the Aliskiren Trial on Acute Heart Failure Outcomes (ASTRONAUT) was to determine whether aliskiren, a direct renin inhibitor, would improve post-discharge outcomes in patients with hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) with reduced ejection fraction. Pre-specified subgroup analyses suggested potential heterogeneity in post-discharge outcomes with aliskiren in patients with and without baseline diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods and results ASTRONAUT included 953 patients without DM (aliskiren 489; placebo 464) and 662 patients with DM (aliskiren 319; placebo 343) (as reported by study investigators). Study endpoints included the first occurrence of cardiovascular death or HHF within 6 and 12 months, all-cause death within 6 and 12 months, and change from baseline in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) at 1, 6, and 12 months. Data regarding risk of hyperkalaemia, renal impairment, and hypotension, and changes in additional serum biomarkers were collected. The effect of aliskiren on cardiovascular death or HHF within 6 months (primary endpoint) did not significantly differ by baseline DM status (P = 0.08 for interaction), but reached statistical significance at 12 months (non-DM: HR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.64-0.99; DM: HR: 1.16, 95% CI: 0.91-1.47; P = 0.03 for interaction). Risk of 12-month all-cause death with aliskiren significantly differed by the presence of baseline DM (non-DM: HR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.50-0.94; DM: HR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.15-2.33; P < 0.01 for interaction). Among non-diabetics, aliskiren significantly reduced NT-proBNP through 6 months and plasma troponin I and aldosterone through 12 months, as compared to placebo. Among diabetic patients, aliskiren reduced plasma troponin I and aldosterone relative to placebo through 1 month only. There was a trend towards differing risk of post-baseline potassium ≥6 mmol/L with aliskiren by underlying DM status (non-DM: HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 0.71-1.93; DM: HR: 2.39, 95% CI: 1.30-4.42; P = 0.07 for interaction). Conclusion This pre-specified subgroup analysis from the ASTRONAUT trial generates the hypothesis that the addition of aliskiren to standard HHF therapy in non-diabetic patients is generally well-tolerated and improves post-discharge outcomes and biomarker profiles. In contrast, diabetic patients receiving aliskiren appear to have worse post-discharge outcomes. Future prospective investigations are needed to confirm potential benefits of renin inhibition in a large cohort of HHF patients without D

Genome-wide association study identifies six new loci influencing pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure.

Numerous genetic loci have been associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in Europeans. We now report genome-wide association studies of pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). In discovery (N = 74,064) and follow-up studies (N = 48,607), we identified at genome-wide significance (P = 2.7 × 10(-8) to P = 2.3 × 10(-13)) four new PP loci (at 4q12 near CHIC2, 7q22.3 near PIK3CG, 8q24.12 in NOV and 11q24.3 near ADAMTS8), two new MAP loci (3p21.31 in MAP4 and 10q25.3 near ADRB1) and one locus associated with both of these traits (2q24.3 near FIGN) that has also recently been associated with SBP in east Asians. For three of the new PP loci, the estimated effect for SBP was opposite of that for DBP, in contrast to the majority of common SBP- and DBP-associated variants, which show concordant effects on both traits. These findings suggest new genetic pathways underlying blood pressure variation, some of which may differentially influence SBP and DBP

About systems of equations, X-separability, and left-invertibility in the λ-calculus

AbstractA system of equations in the λ-calculus is a pair (Γ, X), where Γ is a set of formulas of Λ (the equations) and X is a finite set of variables of Λ (the unknowns.) A system L = (Γ, X) is said to be solvable in the theory T (T-solvable) iff there exists a suitable simultaneous substitution for the unknowns that makes the equations of L theorems in the theory T. For any finite system and within any semisensible (sms) theory T (e.g., β, βη, H∗) a necessary condition for T-solvability is proved. A class of systems for which this condition also becomes sufficient is shown and the sufficiency is proved constructively. This class properly contains the systems L = (Γ, {x1,…,xn}) that satisfy 0,1 or 0,2 of the following hypotheses: Hp.0. (0) If Q is a proper subterm of a LHS term of an equation and the head of Q is an unknown then the degree of Q is not too large.(1) The initial part of a LHS term never collapses with another LHS term.Hp.1. The equations of S have the shape xM1 … Mn = yx1 … xwM1 … Mn, where x ϵ {x1, …, xu,} and y does not occur in the LHS terms of the equations of L.Hp.2. The equations of L have the shape xM1 … Mn = N, where x ϵ {x1, …, xu,} and N is a βη-normal form whose free variables do not occur in the LHS terms of the equations of L.With some caution we can also mix equations having the shape in Hp.1 with equations having the shape in Hp.2. A typical result is the constructive characterization of the T-solvability (T sms) of systems having the shape L = ({xx = N0, xM1 = N1, …, xMn = Nn}, {x}), where M1, …, Mn are closed λ-terms and N0, …, Nn are βη-normal forms which do not contain the unknown x. When the equations of a system L = (Γ, X) have the shape M = y, with the RHS variables fresh and pairwise distinct, we have te X-separability problem for the LHS terms. For a class of λ-free sets (see Hp.0) the X-separability is constructively characterized within any sms theory. A single equation can be solved via a system of equations. Using this idea we characterize the βη-left-invertibility for a class of λ-terms