Formalizing Mathematical Knowledge as a Biform Theory Graph: A Case Study

A biform theory is a combination of an axiomatic theory and an algorithmic theory that supports the integration of reasoning and computation. These are ideal for formalizing algorithms that manipulate mathematical expressions. A theory graph is a network of theories connected by meaning-preserving theory morphisms that map the formulas of one theory to the formulas of another theory. Theory graphs are in turn well suited for formalizing mathematical knowledge at the most convenient level of abstraction using the most convenient vocabulary. We are interested in the problem of whether a body of mathematical knowledge can be effectively formalized as a theory graph of biform theories. As a test case, we look at the graph of theories encoding natural number arithmetic. We used two different formalisms to do this, which we describe and compare. The first is realized in ${\rm CTT}_{\rm uqe}$, a version of Church's type theory with quotation and evaluation, and the second is realized in Agda, a dependently typed programming language.Comment: 43 pages; published without appendices in: H. Geuvers et al., eds, Intelligent Computer Mathematics (CICM 2017), Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 10383, pp. 9-24, Springer, 201

The Power (Law) of Indian Markets: Analysing NSE and BSE trading statistics

The nature of fluctuations in the Indian financial market is analyzed in this paper. We have looked at the price returns of individual stocks, with tick-by-tick data from the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and daily closing price data from both NSE and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the two largest exchanges in India. We find that the price returns in Indian markets follow a fat-tailed cumulative distribution, consistent with a power law having exponent $\alpha \sim 3$, similar to that observed in developed markets. However, the distributions of trading volume and the number of trades have a different nature than that seen in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Further, the price movement of different stocks are highly correlated in Indian markets.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Proceedings of International Workshop on "Econophysics of Stock Markets and Minority Games" (Econophys-Kolkata II), Feb 14-17, 200

Calculation of flow about posts and powerhead model

A three dimensional analysis of the non-uniform flow around the liquid oxygen (LOX) posts in the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) powerhead was performed to determine possible factors contributing to the failure of the posts. Also performed was three dimensional numerical fluid flow analysis of the high pressure fuel turbopump (HPFTP) exhaust system, consisting of the turnaround duct (TAD), two-duct hot gas manifold (HGM), and the Version B transfer ducts. The analysis was conducted in the following manner: (1) modeling the flow around a single and small clusters (2 to 10) of posts; (2) modeling the velocity field in the cross plane; and (3) modeling the entire flow region with a three dimensional network type model. Shear stress functions which will permit viscous analysis without requiring excessive numbers of computational grid points were developed. These wall functions, laminar and turbulent, have been compared to standard Blasius solutions and are directly applicable to the cylinder in cross flow class of problems to which the LOX post problem belongs

Social inequalities and emerging infectious diseases.

Although many who study emerging infections subscribe to social-production-of-disease theories, few have examined the contribution of social inequalities to disease emergence. Yet such inequalities have powerfully sculpted not only the distribution of infectious diseases, but also the course of disease in those affected. Outbreaks of Ebola, AIDS, and tuberculosis suggest that models of disease emergence need to be dynamic, systemic, and critical. Such models--which strive to incorporate change and complexity, and are global yet alive to local variation--are critical of facile claims of causality, particularly those that scant the pathogenic roles of social inequalities. Critical perspectives on emerging infections ask how large-scale social forces influence unequally positioned individuals in increasingly interconnected populations; a critical epistemology of emerging infectious diseases asks what features of disease emergence are obscured by dominant analytic frameworks. Research questions stemming from such a reexamination of disease emergence would demand close collaboration between basic scientists, clinicians, and the social scientists and epidemiologists who adopt such perspectives

Approaching zero : temporal effects of a restrictive antibiotic policy on hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile, extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing coliforms and meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

A restrictive antibiotic policy banning routine use of ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin was implemented in a 450-bed district general hospital following an educational campaign. Monthly consumption of nine antibiotics was monitored in defined daily doses (DDDs) per 1000 patient-occupied bed-days (1000 pt-bds) 9 months before until 16 months after policy introduction. Hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile, meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended-spectrum -lactamase (ESBL)- producing coliform cases per month/1000 pt-bds were identified and reviewed throughout the hospital. Between the first and final 6 months of the study, average monthly consumption of ceftriaxone reduced by 95% (from 46.213 to 2.129 DDDs/1000 pt-bds) and that for ciprofloxacin by 72.5% (109.804 to 30.205 DDDs/1000 pt-bds). Over the same periods, hospital-acquisition rates for C. difficile reduced by 77% (2.398 to 0.549 cases/1000 pt-bds), for MRSA by 25% (1.187 to 0.894 cases/1000 pt-bds) and for ESBL-producing coliforms by 17% (1.480 to 1.224 cases/1000 pt-bds). Time-lag modelling confirmed significant associations between ceftriaxone and C. difficile cases at 1 month (correlation 0.83; P < 0.005), and between ciprofloxacin and ESBL-producing coliform cases at 2 months (correlation 0.649; P = 0.002). An audit performed 3 years after the policy showed sustained reduction in C. difficile rates (0.259 cases/1000 pt-bds), with additional decreases for MRSA (0.409 cases/1000 pt-bds) and ESBL-producing coliforms (0.809 cases/1000 pt-bds). In conclusion, banning two antibiotics resulted in an immediate and profound reduction in hospital-acquired C. difficile, with possible longer-term effects on MRSA and ESBL-producing coliform rates. Antibiotic stewardship is fundamental in the control of major hospital pathogens