A logic for n-dimensional hierarchical refinement

Hierarchical transition systems provide a popular mathematical structure to represent state-based software applications in which different layers of abstraction are represented by inter-related state machines. The decomposition of high level states into inner sub-states, and of their transitions into inner sub-transitions is common refinement procedure adopted in a number of specification formalisms. This paper introduces a hybrid modal logic for k-layered transition systems, its first-order standard translation, a notion of bisimulation, and a modal invariance result. Layered and hierarchical notions of refinement are also discussed in this setting.Comment: In Proceedings Refine'15, arXiv:1606.0134

Probing the cosmic-ray pressure in the Virgo Cluster and the origin of the very-high-energy gamma rays of M87 with H.E.S.S. and CTA

Das High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) ist ein System von fünf atmosphärischen Cherenkov-Teleskopen (IACT) in Namibia. Die H.E.S.S. Teleskope sind empfindlich für sehr energiereiche (VHE) Gammastrahlen zwischen ~30 TeV und 100 TeV. Mit einer Entfernung von 16,5 Mpc ist Messier 87 (M87) eine der nächsten Radiogalaxien und beherbergt eines der massereichsten supermassiven Schwarzen Löcher, das Materie in einen Plasmastrahl relativistischer Teilchen emittiert. Der Strahl wird im Bereich des gesamten elektromagnetischen Spektrums beobachtet und untersucht. M87 befindet sich im Zentrum des Virgo-Galaxienhaufens, eines kühlen Galaxienhaufens, der von Gas gefüllt ist, das in der Nähe des Zentrums kälter und in den Außenbereichen des Galaxienhaufens heißer ist. Gemäß der Cooling Flow (CF) Theorie kühlt das Plasma in Cool Core (CC) Haufen am Rand des Haufens ab und sinkt nach innen, wodurch die Sternentstehungsrate im Zentrum erhöht wird. Optische Messungen des Virgo Galaxienhaufens scheinen diesem Modell jedoch zu widersprechen. Als Heizmechanismus wird der aktive galaktische Kern Rückkopplungsmechanismus vorgeschlagen, der die Abkühlung des ICM ausgleicht und dessen CF vermeidet. Die kosmische Strahlung des Jets interagiert mit der ICM und erzeugt neutrale Pionen, die in Gammastrahlen zerfallen und ein nicht variables und ausgedehntes Gammastrahlensignal erzeugen. Allerdings konnten keine Gammastrahlen-Beobachtungen mit dem Pionenzerfall in dem Galaxienhaufen in Verbindung gebracht werden. In dieser Studie der H.E.S.S. Beobachtungen des niedrigen Strahl-Aktivitätszustands von M87 haben keine signifikante Ausdehnung der Emissionsregion gezeigt, woraus eine 3σ Obergrenze von 0.016° ≈ 4.6 kpc abgeleitet wurde. Das Verhältnis des Drucks in kosmischer Strahlung zur thermischen Strahlung ist auf <0.36 im Zentralregion beschränkt. Diese abgeleitete Obergrenze nimmt einen Gleichgewichtszustand zwischen den Erwärmungs und den Kühlprozessen an. Die neue Generation von IACTs, das Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), wird eine unvergleichbare Empfindlichkeit und Winkelauflösung bieten. Um die langfristige Verfügbarkeit der Teleskope sicherzustellen, wurde ein auf Schwingungsmessungen basierendes Strukturüberwachungssystem entwickelt und zwischen 2019 und 2020 in Berlin am Prototyp des mittelgrossen Teleskopes erfolgreich getestet. CTAO wird in der Lage sein die Gammastrahlung des Virgo Haufens zu untersuchen und sie laut Simulationen und dem Steady-State-Modell innerhalb von ~210 h zu detektieren.The High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) is an array of five Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) located in Namibia. The H.E.S.S. telescopes are sensitive to Very-High-Energy (VHE) gamma rays between ~30 TeV and ~100 TeV. At a distance of 16.5 Mpc Messier 87 (M87) is one of the closest radio-galaxies, hosting one of the most massive Super-Massive Black Hole, which accretes matter and launches an inclined jet of relativistic particles. The jet is detected and studied by radiation emitted through the entire electromagnetic spectrum. M87 is located at the very center of the Virgo galaxy cluster, a Cool Core (CC) cluster, characterized by an Intra-cluster Medium (ICM) that is colder close to the center and hotter towards the outskirts of the galaxy cluster. According to the Cooling Flow (CF) theory, the plasma in CC clusters cools in the outskirts of the cluster and falls inwards, increasing the star formation ratio in the region. However, optical measurements of the Virgo Cluster seem to contradict this model. The Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) feedback mechanism is proposed as a heating mechanism, which counterbalances the cooling of the ICM and avoids its CF. The cosmic rays from the jet interact with the ICM producing neutral pions, which decay to gamma rays, forming a non-variable and extended gamma-ray signal. However, no gamma-ray observations could be associated with pion decay in galaxy clusters. In this work, deep H.E.S.S. observations of M87's low state are analyzed, and the results have shown no significant gamma-ray extension leading to a 3σ upper limit of 0.016° ≈ 4.6 kpc. The ratio of cosmic-ray pressure to thermal pressure XCR is constrained to < 0.36 at its maximum position, assuming a steady-state between the heating and the cooling processes. The new generation of IACTs, the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) will offer unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution. To assure the long-term availability of the telescopes, a structure monitoring system based on vibration measurements was developed and successfully tested at the Medium-sized Telescope (MST) prototype between 2019 and 2020 in Berlin. CTAO should be able to probe the gamma-ray emission from the Virgo Cluster, and, according to simulations and to the steady-state model, significantly detect it after ≈ 210 h

The work and family reconciliation of single parents : a qualitative meta-analysis

The present paper aimed to understand how single parents reconcile their work and family life. With the increase of single-earner families, greater importance has been placed on how single parents succeed in working and taking care of their family obligations, what difficulties they experience and how these affect their well-being. Since the Covid-19 pandemic required many parents to work from home, increased attention was also paid to how they managed to work from home and look after their home-schooled children_ The methodological option used to address the research question was qualitative meta-analysis, as it provides an in-depth analysis and an unbiased interpretation of qualitative data collected from scientific studies. It was thus possible to identify, interpret and analyse the results of the research conducted on the topic between 2016 and 2021_ An overall sample of 18 articles were selected according to the qualitative meta-analysis protocol_ A content analysis of these articles was then performed. The findings indicate that most single parents struggle to reconcile their work and family responsibilities. Since most of them encounter difficulties to find a job because of their parental status, they accept a low-income job with non-standard working hours. Being a single-earner family, they face financial difficulties as they have to pay their bills on their own. The lack of family-friendly strategies and financial support add to the high level of stress and anxiety. Therefore, Human Resource Management may play an important role on reconciling single parents' work and family life through policies and practices that support and create better conditions ensuring single parent workers' well-being.O presente trabalho visava compreender corno os pais solteiros conciliam a sua vida profissional e familiar. Com o aumento das famílias monoparentais, foi dada maior importância à forma como os pais solteiros conseguem trabalhar e cuidar das suas obrigações familiares, que dificuldades têm e de que forma é que estas afetam o seu bem-estar. Uma vez que a pandemia Covid-19 exigiu que muitos pais trabalhassem a partir de casa, foi também dada maior atenção à forma como conciliam este trabalho com os cuidados que têm de prestar aos seus filhos. A opção metodológica utilizada para abordar a questão da investigação foi a meta-análise qualitativa, uma vez que proporciona uma análise aprofundada e uma interpretação imparcial dos dados qualitativos, recolhidos a partir de estudos científicos. Assim, foi possível identificar, interpretar e analisar os resultados da investigação realizada sobre o terna entre 2016 e 2021. Foi selecionada uma amostra global de 18 artigos de acordo com o protocolo da meta-análise qualitativa. Foi então realizada uma análise de conteúdo destes artigos. Os resultados indicam que a maioria dos pais solteiros lutam para conciliar as suas responsabilidades profissionais e familiares uma vez que a maioria deles apresenta dificuldades em encontrar um emprego devido ao seu estatuto parental faz com que eles aceitem um emprego de baixo rendimento com horários de trabalho atípicos. Sendo uma família com um só rendimento, enfrentam dificuldades financeiras, pois têm de pagar as suas contas por conta própria a falta de estratégias favoráveis à família e de apoio financeiro contribuem para o elevado nível de stress e ansiedade por conseguinte, a gestão de recursos humanos pode desempenhar um papel importante na conciliação da vida profissional e familiar dos pais solteiros através de políticas e práticas que apoiem e criem melhores condições para assegurar o bem-estar dos trabalhadores que são pais solteiros

Refinement by interpretation in {\pi}-institutions

The paper discusses the role of interpretations, understood as multifunctions that preserve and reflect logical consequence, as refinement witnesses in the general setting of pi-institutions. This leads to a smooth generalization of the refinement-by-interpretation approach, recently introduced by the authors in more specific contexts. As a second, yet related contribution a basis is provided to build up a refinement calculus of structured specifications in and across arbitrary pi-institutions.Comment: In Proceedings Refine 2011, arXiv:1106.348

Refining the ecological role of stingrays in coral reef ecosystems

Coral reefs are some of the most diverse and complex ecosystems in the world. They are known for their ability to support a high diversity of marine life. Unfortunately, coral reefs and their associated marine life are under intense anthropogenic pressures; climate change, habitat loss and overfishing are some of the main threats. These pressures also have negative effects on stingrays inhabiting coral reef areas. Management and conservation of stingrays is currently hindered by a lack of knowledge on essential aspects of their ecology. Therefore, this thesis aimed to refine the roles juvenile stingrays play in coral reef habitats and determine the importance of coral reef habitat to stingray populations in a nursery area in the Great Barrier Reef. To do so, this thesis addressed five specific aims: (1) review the current knowledge on batoid nursery areas; (2) identify movement patterns and determine habitat use of juvenile cowtail stingrays Pastinachus ater; (3) evaluate the accuracy of towed-float GPS tags to assess movement patterns and habitat use of stingrays; (4) identify diel movement patterns and habitat use of juvenile mangrove whiprays Urogymnus granulatus; and (5) investigate the relative trophic relationships of four juvenile elasmobranch species within a communal nursery area, with an emphasis on stingrays. Nursery areas are crucial for many elasmobranch species, providing advantages such as increased access to prey and reduced mortality. To date, batoid nurseries have been poorly studied in comparison with shark nurseries. The current decline of batoid populations worldwide, resulting in serious extinction threats, highlights the importance of better understanding these critical habitats. This dissertation presented a synthesis of the available knowledge on batoid nurseries and suggests the use of a combination of well-established criteria to standardize batoid nursery definition. Two telemetry approaches were used to examine movement patterns and habitat use of two stingray species commonly found in coral reef habitats: cowtail stingrays Pastinachus ater and mangrove whiprays Urogymnus granulatus. First, active acoustic telemetry was used to investigate cowtail stingray movements. Active acoustic telemetry provided fine-scale results, but had some limitations (e.g. potential human disturbance and difficulties in performing night tracks). Therefore, a new method was developed – towed-float GPS telemetry –- to investigate mangrove whipray activity patterns and habitat use. Lastly, stable isotope analysis was used to define the contribution of potential carbon sources in the food web and the trophic position and relationship of four juvenile elasmobranch species (mangrove whipray, cowtail stingray, blacktip reef shark Carcharhinus melanopterus and giant shovelnose ray Glaucostegus typus). Active acoustic telemetry results generated a total of 14 active tracks of cowtail stingrays ranging from 4.91 to 9 hours. Cowtail stingrays moved at an average speed of 2.44 m.min⁻¹ + 0.87 SE, with minimum distances travelled ranging from 546 to 1446 meters. Tracking data showed that juvenile cowtail stingrays move in response to tidal cycles, moving faster and with straighter pathways during incoming and outgoing tides, compared to low and high tides. Juvenile cowtail stingrays also showed a strong affinity to sand flat areas and mangrove edge areas, but were infrequently detected in mangrove root habitats. These areas provide food resources and potential refuges for juvenile rays to avoid potential predators. Reef crest habitats were identified as secondary refuge for juveniles during the lowest tides. Towed-float GPS tags were tested on juvenile stingrays with active tracking performed simultaneously for comparison. Individuals travelled 1332.15 ± 269.58 m SE across Pioneer Bay at an average speed of 6.87 m.min⁻¹ and average tracking time of 3.7 hours. Stationary tests demonstrated that the quality of the data obtained by towed-float GPS tags could not be matched by active, acoustic or ARGOS telemetry – on average reaching 99% of successful location recording and <15 meters accuracy. Location Error varied significantly based on the number of satellites detected, with error decreasing as satellite number increased. Towed-float GPS telemetry showed juvenile mangrove whiprays travelled distances from 394 to 2189 meters during tracks, moving at a mean rate of movement of 4.51 m.min⁻¹ ± 3.1 SE with track durations ranging from 1.5 to 9.0 hours. Juvenile mangrove whipray movements were strongly influenced by tidal cycles and rate of movement was significantly different between day and night. Individuals moved faster and chose more direct paths during the outgoing and incoming tide, and were significantly faster during the day than at night. Juvenile mangrove whiprays showed preference for mangrove root habitats during high tides. These areas are thought to reduce juvenile stingray predation risk. Stable isotope analysis showed all juvenile elasmobranchs in Pioneer Bay are at a trophic level of ~4. Isotopic niche size of blacktip reef sharks was smaller than both stingrays, and cowtail stingrays showed the largest niche size. Results showed strong evidence of niche partitioning between mangrove whiprays and cowtail stingrays with differences in feeding strategy. Nearshore pelagic and benthic prey items (e.g. crabs, annelid worms and small baitfishes) contributed most to juvenile elasmobranch diets, while mangrove or offshore prey and carbon sources appear to not have significant input. Results of telemetry and stable isotope analysis revealed juvenile stingrays were fully dependent on the Pioneer Bay system. This dissertation confirms juvenile stingrays play important roles as mesopredators and energetic links within the Pioneer Bay nursery area. By looking at fine scale movements and trophic relationships, this PhD provides important information to better understanding juvenile stingray's ecology, but also to support management and conservation policies

A prática da Saúde em contexto Prisional: Relação entre Profissionais de Saúde e Reclusos

Projecto de Graduação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Licenciada em CriminologiaO presente projeto de graduação centra-se na Relação entre os Profissionais de Saúde e os Reclusos procurando as condicionantes e limitações da Prestação de Cuidados, propondo-se a realização de estudo qualitativo, fenomenológico. Este estudo tem, assim, como objectivo geral perceber qual o tipo de relação construída entre os profissionais de saúde e os reclusos, atendendo às condicionantes existentes numa instituição rigidamente estruturada e hierarquizada. De forma mais específica, pretende-se: i) analisar e caraterizar os diferentes tipos de condicionantes e limitações experienciados no atendimento dos reclusos, quer por parte do sistema de segurança, do próprio recluso e profissional de saúde; ii) analisar e compreender a relação estabelecida entre profissionais de saúde e guardas prisionais; iii) analisar e compreender a realidade da prestação de cuidados em Portugal, verificando se existem os mesmos pontos divergentes no que concerne ao factor Segurança no estudo Brasileiro; iv) analisar e compreender quais as percepções dos profissionais de saúde em relação aos reclusos e até que ponto isso poderá afectar a prestação de cuidados. Para tal, realizar-se-á uma entrevista junto dos Profissionais de Saúde do EPSCB. A escolha deste estabelecimento deve-se ao facto da unidade curricular, estágio, ter ocorrido nesse local, o que poderá facilitar a abordagem dos técnicos de saúde. Em termos de resultados, é esperado que os participantes reportem as suas experiências vividas como profissionais de saúde neste contexto, permitindo obter resultados sobre os objectivos em análise. Nas notas conclusivas, procurar-se-á refletir sobre as potencialidades e limitações da presente proposta de investigação, assim como delinear pistas para a investigação futura neste domínio

INTERSETORIALIDADE: um modelo de gestão necessário na implementação das políticas sociais

RESUMO: O presente trabalho visa analisar a importância da intersetorialidade, como um modelo de gestão necessário para a implementação das políticas sociais, efetivação dos direitos sociais, ampliação da cidadania e para o atendimento integral do cidadão, sem desconsiderar as transformações ocorridas no desenho das políticas sociais, especialmente na Política de Assistência Social com o advento do neoliberalismo, transformando-as em focalizadas e selitivas, pois este modelo de gestão não está alheio a essas interferências que busca reduzir a ação do Estado no enfrentamento das expressões da questão social