ARCHI: pipeline for light curve extraction of CHEOPS background star

High precision time series photometry from space is being used for a number of scientific cases. In this context, the recently launched CHEOPS (ESA) mission promises to bring 20 ppm precision over an exposure time of 6 hours, when targeting nearby bright stars, having in mind the detailed characterization of exoplanetary systems through transit measurements. However, the official CHEOPS (ESA) mission pipeline only provides photometry for the main target (the central star in the field). In order to explore the potential of CHEOPS photometry for all stars in the field, in this paper we present archi, an additional open-source pipeline module{\dag}to analyse the background stars present in the image. As archi uses the official Data Reduction Pipeline data as input, it is not meant to be used as independent tool to process raw CHEOPS data but, instead, to be used as an add-on to the official pipeline. We test archi using CHEOPS simulated images, and show that photometry of background stars in CHEOPS images is only slightly degraded (by a factor of 2 to 3) with respect to the main target. This opens a potential for the use of CHEOPS to produce photometric time series of several close-by targets at once, as well as to use different stars in the image to calibrate systematic errors. We also show one clear scientific application where the study of the companion light curve can be important for the understanding of the contamination on the main target.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS, all code available at https://github.com/Kamuish/arch

Precision Muon-Related Observables as a Tool to Constrain New Physics Models

We propose a set of precision muon-related observables that serve as a tool to constrain new physics models. Using LEP's precision measurements on the $Z$-boson pole, we derive bounds on the new physics quantum contributions to the decay $Z \to \mu^+ \mu^-$. We show that the new precision observables have a real impact on two specific models that solve the $g-2$ anomaly and provide a sound dark matter candidate.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figure

A importância do estudo do tracking (estabilidade e previsão) em delineamentos longitudinais: um estudo aplicado à epidemiologia da actividade física e à performance desportivo-motora

Esta pesquisa pretende demonstrar a importância do estudo do tracking em investigação epidemiológica e da performance desportivo-motora. A partir de dois conjuntos de dados é apresentado o problema, a sua relevância e essência analítica. No primeiro estuda-se o tracking da participação em actividade física (i.e., práticas desportivas generalizadas) a partir de informação proveniente de 588 sujeitos seguidos longitudinalmente dos 12.7 aos 17.7 anos. Foi utilizado um modelo quasi-simplex, que evidenciou a elevada estabilidade da prática desportiva, bem como o valor moderado a elevado das trajectórias interindividuais. No segundo estudo recorremos a informação proveniente de 12 saltadores em comprimento, a partir da sua melhor marca em seis anos consecutivos. Recorreu-se ao conceito de canalização a partir dos procedimentos propostos por Cohen, e Foulkes e Davies. Os resultados salientaram um fraca estabilidade da performance no tempo, bem como o seu carácter não-linear. Em conclusão há que salientar três aspectos fundamentais: o primeiro radica na necessidade do uso de novos procedimentos para pesquisar o fenómeno do tracking; o segundo sugere a forte estabilidade e tracking moderado a elevado na prática desportiva ao longo da adolescência; o terceiro salienta a fraca canalização da performance dos saltadores, revelando a ausência de estabilidade

Heterogeneidade nos níveis de actividade física de crianças dos 6 aos 12 anos de idade. Um estudo em gémeos.

Esta pesquisa pretende estabelecer a importância dos efeitos genéticos e do envolvimento na heterogeneidade dos valores de actividade física, em crianças com idades compreendidas entre os 6 e os 12 anos de idade. Com base numa amostra de 101 pares de gémeos monozigóticos e dizigóticos, foram estimadas as magnitudes das variâncias devidas a efeitos genéticos e do envolvimento nos níveis de actividade física, avaliados a partir do questionário de Godin e Shephard (11), depois de removidos os efeitos das covariáveis idade e sexo. Recorreu-se aos procedimentos habituais em estudos gemelares, como sejam o cálculo da correlação intra-classe (t) e da heritabilidade (h2). Foi utilizado o software Systat 10. Os principais resultados e conclusões sugerem: (1) o valor baixo de h2 na actividade física ligeira (34%) e intensa (24%), implicando que cerca de 1/4 das diferenças inter-individuais nos níveis de actividade física sejam devidas a efeitos genéticos; (2) o valor elevado da influência do envolvimento comum (familiar, amigos, professores e outros significantes), i.e., de 66% a 82%, e que remete para os pais, amigos e professores (de Educação Física e outros) um fortíssimo papel pedagógico na implementação de hábitos moderados a intensos de actividade física e estilos de vida mais saudáveis

A user centered design methodology for functional and smart garments

Bioswim® is a multidisciplinary project that is developing a wireless full-body monitored swimsuit with the aim of increasing swimmer performance. The different points of view of the multiple working groups brought to the project a different vision that expanded the primary aim of the project to a universal level where the application of the instrumented suit for other objectives could be a real fact. Given that most research user-centred methodologies, although straying from the user needs, are in the end actually focused on the final design product, a different approach to the problem had to be found by the working group: to have the user’s input as a significant and central part of the project. Within the project, a new methodology - the User Centered Layered Methodology (UCLM), was designed, implemented and tested.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Projeto Bioswi

The History of the Portuguese Aviation - A Summary

This article is intended as a summary of a new area of study on the History of the Portuguese Aeronautics and Aerospace and addresses issues such as: the forthcoming of the aircraft at Portugal, its military and civilian use; the scope of early days concerning Portuguese intercontinental flights and their authors; the development of air navigation devices by Portuguese inventors in the 1920s and 30s; the Aeronautics industry and the need to develop expertise in Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering in Portugal during the centuries XX and XXI.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologiainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Introducing non-stationarity into the development of intensity-duration-frequency curves under a changing climate

Intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) relationships are traditional tools in water infrastructure planning and design. IDFs are developed under a stationarity assumption which may not be realistic, neither in the present nor in the future, under a changing climatic condition. This paper introduces a framework for generating non-stationary IDFs under climate change, assuming that probability of occurrence of quantiles changes over time. Using Extreme Value Theory, eight trend combinations in Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) parameters using time as covariate are compared with a stationary GEV, to identify the best alternative. Additionally, a modified Equidistance Quantile Matching (EQMNS) method is implemented to develop IDFs for future conditions, introducing non-stationarity where justified, based on the Global Climate Models (GCM). The methodology is applied for Moncton and Shearwater gauges in Northeast Canada. From the results, it is observed that EQMNS is able to capture the trends in the present and to translate them to estimated future rainfall intensities. Comparison of present and future IDFs strongly suggest that return period can be reduced by more than 50 years in the estimates of future rainfall intensities (e.g., historical 100-yr return period extreme rainfall may have frequency smaller than 50-yr under future conditions), raising attention to emerging risks to water infrastructure systems

Gago Coutinho and the Scientific Navigation

Gago Coutinho, jointly with another Portuguese aerial navigator, managed to perform the First Flight from Europe to the South Atlantic in 1922, a Journey exclusively guided by internal means of navigation. Despite Coutinho being a person with multi-purpose activity on several areas of knowledge, he became known and glorified in the World in 1922, as an air navigator, a position that he achieved due to an aerial navigation device that he also had invented. Coutinho developed a new sextant model that could be used to measure the altitude of a star (when flying overseas) without the need of the sea horizon. This new device was called precision sextant and was provided with an artificial horizon line defined with the help of a water bubble. Due to his knowledge of Navigation, Astronomy, Geography and Mathematics, Coutinho received from the Portuguese King D. Carlos I, several assignments at Africa and Asia. Gago Coutinho received several important official medals and prizes, including the Ph.D. Honoris Causa from the Universities of Lisbon and Oporto and authored several scientific publications. Coutinho received the distinct position of Admiral of the Portuguese Navy in 1958 and died in the following year.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologiainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The First Aerial Journey from Portugal to Macau

On 1920, Brito Pais and Sarmento Beires tried an unsuccessful flight attempt from Amadora, Lisbon to Madeira Island onboard an airplane Breguet XIV A2, named “Cavaleiro Negro”. Despite the scarce means of navigation both navigators managed to reach Madeira, which failed to land due to dense fog. On their way back after 8 hours of flight time, they alight at the Atlantic Ocean for lack of fuel and were rescued at about 500 km from Lisbon. On 1922, Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral conducted the First Aerial Cross of the South Atlantic, flying from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro. The Portuguese Aeronautics rejoiced auspicious days that time, with its aviation pioneers trying consecutively to reach more distant places along intercontinental flights. On 1923, Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral were contemplating to perform an Around the World Flight. However, Sacadura died in 1924, while piloting an airplane acquired for the circumnavigation voyage. Later on 1924 the pilots Brito Pais and Sarmento Beires idealized the conducting of an aerial flight from Lisbon to Macau as an aspiration for a future Portuguese Around the World Flight attempt: on 7 April 1924, those pilots departed from Vila Nova de Milfontes in a Breguet XIV Bn2 airplane, starting their Journey to Macau. During a flight stage on 7 May an engine failure forced them to crash the airplane at India; on 30 May, both pilots managed to continue the Voyage in a De Havilland DH9 aircraft before being forced to end their attempt in 20 June in flying over Macau. A typhoon hindered their efforts to land and the airplane was crash landed in Chinese Territory about 800 meters from the Hong Kong Border. On 25 June 1924, they were shuttled back to Macau by boat. Brito Pais, Sarmento Beires and Manuel Gouveia returned to Portugal, via North America, visiting several Portugueses nuclei at China, Japan, United States and England. They went to Portugal on 9 September, after having flown a total of 16,760 km in 117:41 h facing often extremely adverse atmospheric conditions, sandstorms and inaccurate navigation maps.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologiainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio