In this paper, we propose a constraint logic programming (CLP) approach to the solution of a job shop scheduling problem in the field of production planning in orthopaedic hospital departments. A pure CLP on finite domain (CLP(FD)) approach to the problem has been developed, leading to disappointing results. In fact, although CLP(FD) has been recognized as a suitable tool for solving combinator...

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of mutations in the amelogenin gene (AMELX) in patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) and enamel defects (ED). A total of 165 patients were divided into four groups: with CLP and ED (n=46), with CLP and without ED (n = 34), without CLP and with ED (n = 34), and without CLP or ED (n = 51). Genomic DNA was extracted from saliva followed by...

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been increasingly recognized to have an important role in various liver diseases. Sepsis-induced multi-organ failure remains to have a high mortality rate, and the liver plays a central pathophysiological role. This study aims to explore whether ER stress is involved in liver injury in septic rats. Sepsis was induced via cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). R...

We present a methodology for the modeling of complex program behavior in CLP. In the first part we present an informal description about how to represent a system in CLP. At its basic level, this representation captures the trace semantics of concurrent programs, or even high-level specifications, in the form of a predicate transformer. Based on traces, the method can also capture properties of...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) regulates hepatic acute phase responses by activating the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-3. IL-6 also may modulate septic pathophysiology. We hypothesize that 1) STAT-3 activation and transcription of α2-macroglobulin (A2M) correlate with recovery from sepsis and 2) STAT-3 activation and A2M transcription reflect intrahepatic an...

OBJECTIVE S There is corroborating evidence to substantiate redox imbalance and oxidative stress in sepsis that finally leads to organ damage or even death. Gamma oryzanol (GO) is one of the major bioactive components in rice bran has been considered to function as an antioxidant. The present study was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant activity of gamma oryzanol in vitro and its efficacy ...

Earlier work from our laboratory has suggested a role for the neuropeptide substance P (SP) in inducing lung injury in sepsis. In that study, mice lacking the preprotachykinin-A gene, which encodes for SP, were protected against lung injury in sepsis. To further substantiate the role of SP in sepsis and to study its mechanism, we have evaluated the effect of SR140333, a SP receptor antagonist, ...

We investigated the potential protective effects of montelukast (MLK) on cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced tissue injury in vital organs - liver, heart, kidneys, and especially lungs - through inhibition of the proinflammatory cytokine response and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in rats. The rat groups were (1) a 10-mg/kg MLK-treated CLP group; (2) a 20-mg/kg MLK-treate...

One approach to fault detection and identiication (FDI) in control systems is based on computing the so-called parity relations for sensors and actuators. We state the problem of generating those parity relations in the language of constraints, and describe an implementation of a parity solver in the Constraint Programming Language CLP(<). The solver adopts a discrete linear time-invariant (LTI...

AI and OR approaches have complementary strengths: AI in domain-specific knowledge representation and OR in efficient mathemat:ical computation. Constraint Logic Programming (CLP), which combines these complementary strengths of the AI and OR approach, is introduced as a new tool to formalize a special class of constraint satisfaction problems that include both qualitative and quantitative cons...