Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Clausal Theory of Types

Logic programming was based on first-order logic. Higher-order logics can also lead to theories of theorem-proving. This book introduces just such a theory, based on a lambda-calculus formulation of a clausal logic with equality, known as the Clausal Theory of Types. By restricting this logic to Horn clauses, a concise form of logic programming that incorporates functional programming is achieved. The book begins by reviewing the fundamental Skolem-Herbrand-Godel Theorem and resolution, which are then extrapolated to a higher-order setting; this requires introducing higher-order equational unification which builds in higher-order equational theories and uses higher-order rewriting. The logic programming language derived has the unique property of being sound and complete with respect to Henkin-Andrews general models, and consequently of treating equivalent terms as identical. First published in 1993, the book can be used for graduate courses in theorem-proving, but will be of interest to all working in declarative programming.
Macrophage Infiltration, but Not Apoptosis, Is Correlated with Immune-Mediated Demyelination following Murine Infection with a Neurotropic Coronavirus

ABSTRACT Mice infected with mouse hepatitis virus strain JHM (MHV-JHM) develop a chronic demyelinating encephalomyelitis that is in large part immune mediated. Potential mechanisms of immune activity were assessed using an adoptive transfer system. Mice deficient in recombinase-activating gene function (RAG1−/−), defective in B- and T-cell maturation, become persistently infected with MHV but do not develop demyelination. Adoptive transfer of splenocytes from mice immunized to MHV into RAG1−/− mice infected with an attenuated strain of the virus results in the rapid and progressive development of demyelination. Most striking, adoptive transfer resulted, within 5 to 6 days, in extensive recruitment of activated macrophages/microglia to sites of demyelination within the spinal cord. Clearance of virus antigen occurred preferentially from the gray matter of the spinal cord. Apoptotic cells were identified in both the gray and white matter of the central nervous system (CNS) from RAG1−/− mice before and after adoptive transfer, with a moderate increase in number, but not distribution, of apoptotic cells following the development of demyelination. These results suggest that apoptosis following MHV-JHM infection of the murine CNS is not sufficient to cause demyelination. These results, showing that macrophage recruitment and myelin destruction occur rapidly after immune reconstitution of RAG−/− mice, suggest that this will be a useful system for investigating MHV-induced demyelination.
The role of the tourism sector in economic development - Lessons from the Spanish experience

Tourism is one of the most important sectors in the global economy and is considered an efficient tool with which to promote economic growth. The case of Spain's economy is well known in this respect; in fact, widespread consensus exists on the part played by tourism in enhancing the industrialisation process in Spain and the part played by foreign currency receipts from tourism in financing the imports of capital goods, which made the expansion of manufacturing possible. This paper aims to assess the real role of foreign currency receipts from tourism in Spain 's economy from 1960 to the present. The results of Spain 's experience may well help to guide policy decisions in developing countries in similar circumstances.
Novel design method for small multi-band monopole antenna employing maze-generating algorithm for GA chromosome

To overcome the difficulty in the design of a small multi-band antenna that resonates at any desired frequency in a limited small space, we proposed a novel method that employs the GA to design a meander line configuration monopole antenna with a three dimensional structure and this method can change the antenna configuration in the optimum process. The key technology in this method is that the monopole antenna is regarded as an n-angle pillar and the side of the pillar is designed using an optimized GA that is applied to a planar antenna. To avoid vertex-only connections in the meshes and to construct a continuous line, we adopt the maze-generating algorithm for the GA chromosome. The calculation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method. We confirmed that the proposed method generated a novel meander line configuration monopole antenna for a compact multi-band antenna.
Case-Series Evaluating a Transdiagnostic Cognitive-Behavioural Treatment for Co-occurring Anxiety Disorders

Background: Patients with anxiety disorder diagnoses commonly have more than one anxiety diagnosis. While cognitive-behavioural interventions have proven efficacy in treating single anxiety disorder diagnoses, there has been little investigation of their efficacy in treating co-occurring anxiety disorders. Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of a transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioural intervention for treating co-occurring anxiety disorders. Method: An A-B single case study design (N = 6) was used to evaluate the efficacy of a 12 to 13-session modular transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioural intervention for treating co-occurring anxiety disorders across patients with at least two of the following diagnoses: GAD, Social Phobia, Panic Disorder and/or OCD. Results: Five of the six participants completed treatment. At posttreatment assessment the five treatment completers achieved diagnostic and symptomatic change, with three participants being diagnosis free. All participants who completed treatment no longer met criteria for any DSM-IV-TR Axis-I diagnosis at the 3-month follow-up assessment, and demonstrated reliable and clinically-significant improvements in symptoms. Across the participants, statistically significant improvements from pre to postintervention were found on measures of anxiety, depression and general well-being, and all improvements were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Conclusions: Results suggest that transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural interventions can be of benefit to patients with co-occurring anxiety disorders.
Use of hypnotics and the risk of or mortality from heart disease: a meta-analysis of observational studies

Background/Aims Some observational epidemiologic studies have reported conflicting results on the relationship between hypnotics use and the risk of developing and/or dying from heart disease. We investigated these associations using a meta-analysis of available literatures. Methods We searched the databases PubMed and EMBASE, along with the bibliographies of relevant articles to find additional publications in February 2016. Results Of 495 articles satisfying our initial criteria, two case-control studies and six cohort studies met our inclusion criteria and were included in the final analyses. Compared with never having used any kind of hypnotics, the odds ratio for overall use was 0.84 for risk of or mortality from heart disease (95% confidence interval, 0.79 to 0.89) in a random-effects meta-analysis of all eight studies. With respect to the geographical region, use of hypnotics was associated with a decreased risk or mortality of heart disease in Asia but not in Western countries. Among various types of sleep medications, zolpidem showed a decreased risk (–29%) of developing or dying from heart disease, but benzodiazepines were related with an increased risk (80%) of or mortality from heart disease. Conclusions The current meta-analysis of observational epidemiological studies suggested an evidence of association between hypnotics use and a decreased risk of heart disease.
Vaccinia Virus L1 Protein Is Required for Cell Entry and Membrane Fusion

ABSTRACT Genetic and biochemical studies have provided evidence for an entry/fusion complex (EFC) comprised of at least eight viral proteins (A16, A21, A28, G3, G9, H2, J5, and L5) that together with an associated protein (F9) participates in entry of vaccinia virus (VACV) into cells. The genes encoding these proteins are conserved in all poxviruses, are expressed late in infection, and are components of the mature virion membrane but are not required for viral morphogenesis. In addition, all but one component has intramolecular disulfides that are formed by the poxvirus cytoplasmic redox system. The L1 protein has each of the characteristics enumerated above except that it has been reported to be essential for virus assembly. To further investigate the role of L1, we constructed a recombinant VACV (vL1Ri) that inducibly expresses L1. In the absence of inducer, L1 synthesis was repressed and vL1Ri was unable to form plaques or produce infectious progeny. Unexpectedly, assembly and morphogenesis appeared normal and the noninfectious virus particles were indistinguishable from wild-type VACV as determined by transmission electron microscopy and analysis of the component polypeptides. Notably, the L1-deficient virions were able to attach to cells but the cores failed to penetrate into the cytoplasm. In addition, cells infected with vL1Ri in the absence of inducer did not form syncytia following brief low-pH treatment even though extracellular virus was produced. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that L1 interacted with the EFC and indirectly with F9, suggesting that L1 is an additional component of the viral entry apparatus.
Pinning effect of the grain boundaries on magnetic domain wall in FeCo-based magnetic alloys

We have studied the dynamics of grain growth and the pinning effect of grain boundaries on magnetic domain walls in FeCo soft magnetic alloys. It has been found that grain growth takes place at temperatures above 600 °C. The activation energy for grain growth in a disordered state at 820 °C is about 57.4±0.5 kcal/mole. The effect of grain size on magnetic properties has been singled out by keeping the same ordering parameter (S=0 and 0.88) for all samples studied. Microstructural characterization and magnetic measurements indicate that the grain size significantly affects the magnetic coercivity. A linear relationship between the coercivity and the reciprocal of the grain size has been universally found regardless of the heat-treatment histories. Lorenz microscopic observation demonstrates that grain boundaries act as pinning sites for the magnetic domain wall movement.
Assessing diabetic foot osteomyelitis remission with white blood cell SPECT/CT imaging

Diabetic foot osteomyelitis is an important risk factor of lower limb amputation. Antibiotic therapy is often effective in preventing surgery. However, the duration of antibiotic therapy is difficult to define in the absence of a marker to diagnose osteomyelitis remission at the end of the treatment. In this study, we assessed the diagnostic performance of white blood cell SPECT/CT imaging for evaluating osteomyelitis remission.
g -Carboxylation of osteocalcin and insulin resistance in older men and women 1–4

Background: The skeletal protein osteocalcin is c -carboxylated by vitamin K. High serum uncarboxylated osteocalcin reﬂects low vitamin K status. In vitro and animal studies indicate that high uncarboxylated osteocalcin is associated with reduced insulin resistance. However, associations between osteocalcin and measures of insulin resistance in humans are less clear. Objective: Our aim was to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between circulating forms of osteocalcin (total, uncarboxylated, and carboxylated) and insulin resistance in older men and women. Design: Cross-sectional associations between serum measures of total osteocalcin, carboxylated osteocalcin, and uncarboxylated osteocalcin and insulin resistance were examined in 348 nondiabetic men and women (mean age: 68 y; 58% female) by using the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Associations between each form of osteocalcin at baseline and 3-y change in HOMA-IR were examined in 162 adults (mean age: 69 y; 63% female) who did not receive vitamin K supplementation. Results: Lower circulating uncarboxylated osteocalcin was not associated with higher HOMA-IR at baseline or at 3-y follow-up. Those in the lowest tertiles of total osteocalcin and carboxylated osteocalcin at baseline had higher baseline HOMA-IR ( P = 0.006 and P = 0.02, respectively). The concentration of carboxylated osteocalcin at baseline was inversely associated with a 3-y change in HOMA-IR ( P = 0.002). Conclusions: In older adults, circulating uncarboxylated osteocalcin was not associated with insulin resistance. In contrast, elevated carboxylated osteocalcin and total osteocalcin were associated with lower insulin resistance, which supports a potential link between skeletal physiology and insulin resistance in humans. The role of vitamin K status in this association remains unclear and merits further investigation. This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00183001.
Near maximum likelihood detection using an interior point method and semidefinite programming

In this paper a maximum likelihood detection problem for a digital communication system is reformulated as a semidefinite programming (SDP) problem. A relaxation of this problem is done. An interior point method will be used to efficiently solve the semidefinite program arising from the relaxation. From the solution given by this interior point method, an approximate of the solution of the initial ML detection problem will be extracted using a randomization method. The detection method presented in this paper will have near ML performances with a polynomial complexity.
Photoplethysmography as a form of biometric authentication

This paper explores the feasibility of using signals acquired from a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor, typically used in mobile devices for heart rate monitoring, as a valid input signal for biometric authentication systems. Signals were acquired from 10 individuals, generating 708 independent datasets using the Texas Instruments AFE4490/4400 integrated analog front end for pulse oximeters. Results indicate successful identification of individuals with a false acceptance rate of 4.2% and a false rejection rate of 3.7%. Because PPG signal morphology is dependent on the physical state of an individual, biometric authentication cannot occur under stress or coercion which introduces a deviation in heart rate. This technique has demonstrated to be a feasible and simpler replacement to upcoming biometric advancements such as electrocardiogram-based authentication systems, but dependence on consistent measuring conditions limits the capabilities in mobile systems.
A new 16-bit ALU using variable stage adder and PTL mux

ALU is an integral part of the processor. And it is also one of the highest power density location in the processor. Hence in order to optimize the performance of processor, it is important to optimize the ALU. In this paper, proposed ALU having 8 functions has been designed using optimized adder structure. Also, use of pass transistors based multiplexer reduces the transistor count to around 80%. The proposed 16-bit ALU is implemented using 90 nm CMOS technology in Cadence Virtuoso. The results shows improvement in delay by 23.48 % and power consumption has been reduced by 2.76 %. It is pertinent to mention that the delay improvement in the proposed circuits have been achieved without increase in any circuit complexity and power dissipation. The proposed circuits are suitable for low power and high speed VLSI based arithmetic circuits.
Inflammationfor Neutrophil Recruitment during Intestinal G Protein-Coupled Receptor 43 Is Essential

Molecular danger signals attract neutrophilic granulocytes (polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs)) to sites of infection. The G protein-coupled receptor (GPR) 43 recognizes propionate and butyrate and is abundantly expressed on PMNs. The functional role of GPR43 activation for in vivo orchestration of immune response is unclear. We examined dextrane sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced acute and chronic intestinal inﬂammatory response in wild-type and Gpr43 -deﬁcient mice. The severity of colonic inﬂammation was assessed by clinical signs, histological scoring, and cytokine production. Chemotaxis of wild-type and Gpr43 -deﬁcient PMNs was assessed through transwell cell chemotactic assay. A reduced invasion of PMNs and increased mortality due to septic com-plications were observed in acute DSS colitis. In chronic DSS colitis, Gpr43 (cid:1) / (cid:1) animals showed diminished PMN intestinal migration, but protection against inﬂammatory tissue destruction. No signiﬁcant difference in PMN migration and cytokine secretion was detected in a sterile inﬂammatory model. Ex vivo experiments show that GPR43-induced migration is dependent on activation of the protein kinase p38 (cid:2) , and that this signal acts in cooperation with the chemotactic cytokine keratinocyte chemoattractant. Interestingly, shedding of L-selectin in response to propionate and butyrate was compromised in Gpr43 mice. These results indicate a critical role for GPR43-mediated recruitment of PMNs in containing intestinal bacterial translocation, yet also emphasize the bipotential role of PMNs in mediating tissue destruction in chronic intestinal inﬂammation. The Journal of Immunology, 2009, 183: 7514–7522.
Signal analysis of total internal reflection fluorescent speckle microscopy (TIR‐FSM) and wide‐field epi‐fluorescence FSM of the actin cytoskeleton and focal adhesions in living cells

Fluorescent speckle microscopy (FSM) uses low levels of fluorescent proteins to create fluorescent speckles on cytoskeletal polymers in high‐resolution fluorescence images of living cells. The dynamics of speckles over time encode subunit turnover and motion of the cytoskeletal polymers. We sought to improve on current FSM technology by first expanding it to study the dynamics of a non‐polymeric macromolecular assembly, using focal adhesions as a test case, and second, to exploit for FSM the high contrast afforded by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIR‐FM). Here, we first demonstrate that low levels of expression of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) conjugate of the focal adhesion protein, vinculin, results in clusters of fluorescent vinculin speckles on the ventral cell surface, which by immunofluorescence labelling of total vinculin correspond to sparse labelling of dense focal adhesion structures. This demonstrates that the FSM principle can be applied to study focal adhesions. We then use both GFP‐vinculin expression and microinjected fluorescently labelled purified actin to compare quantitatively the speckle signal in FSM images of focal adhesions and the actin cytoskeleton in living cells by TIR‐FM and wide‐field epifluorescence microscopy. We use quantitative FSM image analysis software to define two new parameters for analysing FSM signal features that we can extract automatically: speckle modulation and speckle detectability. Our analysis shows that TIR‐FSM affords major improvements in these parameters compared with wide‐field epifluorescence FSM. Finally, we find that use of a crippled eukaryotic expression promoter for driving low‐level GFP‐fusion protein expression is a useful tool for FSM imaging. When used in time‐lapse mode, TIR‐FSM of actin and GFP‐conjugated focal adhesion proteins will allow quantification of molecular dynamics within interesting macromolecular assemblies at the ventral surface of living cells.
The Stoke Contribution to Peritoneal Dialysis Research

The Stoke Renal Unit has been at the forefront of peritoneal dialysis (PD) research for much of the past two decades. Central to this work is the PD cohort study, which was started in 1990 and is based on regular outpatient measurements of peritoneal and clinical function, correlating these with long-term outcomes. It has provided a wealth of information on risk factors for morbidity and mortality in patients on PD, the most significant being demonstration of the effects of time and dialysate glucose exposure on changes to the peritoneal membrane, as evidenced by increases in small solute transport. Early on, the study confirmed the adverse relationship between high small-solute transport status and outcome but more recently suggested that this relationship no longer held with modern techniques for managing patients on PD. Central themes of the PD research in Stoke have included evaluation of euvolemia, the importance of ultrafiltration and how best to achieve it, and detailed assessments of transmembrane water movement. The work has included the study of sodium removal and the use of novel low sodium dialysates. More recently, attention has turned to the significance of impaired ultrafiltration capacity in patients on PD as a sign of structural membrane damage. It is hoped that further work in this area will identify preventive strategies.
Financialization Process and the Outcomes in Developed Countries

After the 1980s, the neo-liberal economic policies of the Washington Consensus paradigm revealed by the market mechanism have become the dominant system. The globalization process of the world economy and the policies highlighted the concept of financialization. The balance shifted from production to finance in the financialization process and financial capital accumulation has become dominant and, local markets were opened to international capital flows. Thus the financial markets, the size of the institutions and processes have shown a significant increase in the entire world, particularly in the developed countries. This article aims to empirically explore the effects of financialization in the developed countries. For this purpose, current data were used in the paper to analyze these effects. In the paper, the process of financialization in the G8 countries was examined using data for a period of 19 years (1990–2008). The effects of financialization on GDP and employment have been analyzed by using panel data models. Findings suggest that there are important impacts of financial sector on GDP and total employment.
Early diagnosis of primary Sjögren’s syndrome: EULAR-SS task force clinical recommendations

ABSTRACT Sjögren’s syndrome (SjS) is a systemic autoimmune disease that mainly affects the exocrine glands, leading to generalized mucosal dryness. However, primary SjS may initially present with non-sicca (systemic) manifestations. When these features appear before the onset of an overt sicca syndrome, we may talk of an underlying ‘occult’ SjS. The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) has promoted and supported an international collaborative study group (EULAR-SS Task Force) aimed at developing consensual recommendations to provide a homogeneous approach to the patient with primary SjS presenting with systemic involvement. This review summarizes the key factors that should be taken into account in the diagnostic approach in a patient with suspected SjS according to the main clinical patterns of presentation, and is especially focused on organ-specific systemic disease presentations, including a consensus set of recommendations in order to reach an early diagnosis. Close collaboration with the different specialties involved through a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach is essential in SjS patients presenting with systemic involvements.