Checking Computations of Formal Method Tools - A Secondary Toolchain for ProB

We present the implementation of pyB, a predicate - and expression - checker for the B language. The tool is to be used for a secondary tool chain for data validation and data generation, with ProB being used in the primary tool chain. Indeed, pyB is an independent cleanroom-implementation which is used to double-check solutions generated by ProB, an animator and model-checker for B specifications. One of the major goals is to use ProB together with pyB to generate reliable outputs for high-integrity safety critical applications. Although pyB is still work in progress, the ProB/pyB toolchain has already been successfully tested on various industrial B machines and data validation tasks.Comment: In Proceedings F-IDE 2014, arXiv:1404.578

Rhythm and Expectation

This four-part series explores the relationship between rhythm, expectation, and experience. It describes musical terms and central concepts while using specific examples from Morocco to problematize western-centric binaries

Competitive sustainability of nations: an empirical analysis

This master thesis focuses on the underexplored relationship between sustainability and competitiveness at a national level. The literature shows that both topics are separately well explored, but the interconnection between them is under researched at a macro level. This thesis uses a higher-order latent-variable model (Multiple Indicator Multiple Cause model) and a sample of 138 countries. We further test the empirical representation of sustainable development with a three- or four-dimensional model. The primary results support that four dimensions instead of three pillars represent sustainability better. Furthermore, we find a positive relationship between sustainability and competitiveness. Thus, the research contains three major contributions: first, it provides further empirical support for the four-dimension approach; second, it proposes a new methodological model (MIMIC model) in the area of competitive sustainability; and, third, it recommends policies that can lead towards a more sustainable path of development.Esta tese de mestrado centra-se na relação entre sustentabilidade e competitividade a nível nacional. A literatura demonstra que ambos os temas estão bem explorados per si, mas a relação entre eles a nível macro tem sido pouco estudada. Esta tese explora essa relação usando um modelo de variáveis latentes de ordem superior (Multiple Indicator Multiple Cause) e uma amostra de 138 países. Foi igualmente testada a representação empírica do desenvolvimento sustentável com um modelo de três ou quatro dimensões. Os resultados reforçam que quatro dimensões, em vez de três, representam melhor a sustentabilidade. Adicionalmente encontrá- mos uma relação positiva entre sustentabilidade e competitividade. Assim, o trabalho contribui em três direções: primeiro, fornece suporte empírico adicional para a abordagem à sustentabilidade a quatro dimensões; segundo, introduz um novo modelo metodológico (modelo MIMIC) na área da sustentabilidade competitiva; terceiro, recomenda políticas fundamentadas de orientação da nossa sociedade no sentido de um desenvolvimento mais sustentável

Essays on sustainable development research: The contribution of latent variable modeling

This Ph.D. dissertation focuses on the empirical application of Latent Variable Models (LVM) with special emphasis on Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), with six distinct studies. The broad area of sustainable development (SD) is used in cross-sectional applications to demonstrate how SEM can be applied in economics and management to research theoretical, underlying, constructs, while providing relevant policy insights. A better understanding of the hypothetical constructs that are ingrained in the sustainable development debate provides the indispensable foundation for the strategic success of businesses. It helps adjust for challenges that arise due to sustainable development concerns, identify and capitalize opportunities, and understand how the perceptions of managers and executives are formed. This dissertations contribution to the literature can be seen in three major ways. First, it tests and applies the SEM framework in an emerging area. Second, it contributes to the area of sustainable development by clarifying concepts at the macro and multi-level contexts. Third, highlighting the importance of sustainable development in the business context. The results of the six studies extend the current literature and pave the way for future research avenues in a substantive and methodological way, in the context of sources, data reliability, and statistical methods.Esta tese de doutoramento centra-se na aplicação empírica de Modelos com Variáveis Latentes (MVL), com especial enfoque na Modelação com Equações Estruturais (MEE), com seis estudos distintos. Estes são aplicados de forma transversal à área de desenvolvimento sustentável (DS), de modo a demonstrar como a MEE é útil em gestão e economia para investigação de construções teóricas, subjacentes, enquanto fornece relevantes informações para a compreensão de políticas. Uma melhor compreensão de construtos hipotéticos enraizados no debate sobre desenvolvimento sustentável fornece a base indispensável para o sucesso estratégico das empresas. Contribui para o ajustamento de desafios que se manifestam devido a preocupações de desenvolvimento sustentável, para a identificação e capitalização de oportunidades e de forma a entender como são elaboradas as perceções de gestores e executivos. A contribuição desta tese para a literatura deve ser enquadrado em três perspetivas principais. Em primeiro lugar, testa e aplica a estrutura MEE numa área emergente. Em segundo, contribui para a área de desenvolvimento sustentável, esclarecendo conceitos nos contextos macro e multinível. Em terceiro, destaca a importância do desenvolvimento sustentável em contexto empresarial. Os resultados dos seis estudos aprofundam o conhecimento nesta área e abrem caminho a investigação futura de cariz substantivo e metodológico, no que concerne fontes, fiabilidade de dados e métodos estatísticos

Crossing Paths: Musical and Ritual Interactivity between The Ḥamadsha and Gnawa in Sidi Ali, Morocco

The processions occurring in Moroccan pilgrimages--such as those in Sidi Ali, a small town situated in the mountains outside of Meknes and Fez--are important sites that instigate an aesthetic negotiation within nearby possession ceremonies. The many musical groups that punctuate the cacophonous atmosphere during the annual pilgrimage are affiliated with a many of the country’s diverse mystical brotherhoods, including the gnawa, ḥamadsha, and ʿīsāwa. Through a detailed ethnographic description of processions and rituals from two of these groups, this article outlines ways in which musical tastes flow between the different events, informing the aesthetics of both outdoor (public) expressions of piety and the indoor possession healing rituals. By focusing on the exchange of music and spiritual figures between the ḥamadsha and gnawa, a back and forth borne out of audience requests and attempts to appease clients as well as possessing spirits, these pages illuminate the powerful importance of navigating both supernatural forces and aesthetic ones. Songs, styles, and spirits bleed between what are often imagined as strict ideological boundaries, showing the playfulness and creativity that animates heavily sacred moments

4-Methyl-9-[(4-methyl­phen­yl)sulfon­yl]thio­pyrano[3,4-b]indole-3(9H)-thione

The title compound, C19H15NO2S3, is the first example of a dithia analogue of pyrano[3,4-b]indolone. The almost planar thio­pyrano­indole­thione ring system (r.m.s. deviation for all non-H atoms = 0.030 Å) makes a dihedral angle of 80.70 (8)° with the p-tolyl ring. In the crystal, mol­ecules are connected via C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into two chains along the b axis. These chains are connected via π–π inter­actions between symmetry-related thio­pyrano­indole­thione ring systems [centroid–centroid distance = 3.588 (1) Å]

Próba zdefiniowania i usystematyzowania ruchu wicca

"Religia wicca, według niektórych publicystów, jest obecnie najprężniej rozwijającą się religią neopogańską na świecie. Dynamizm ten dla badacza tego nurtu ma jednak pewne ujemne skutki, gdyż prowadzi do wielu utrudnień w warstwie faktograficznej, niepozwalających w pełni na rzetelne i całościowe sklasyfikowanie tego ruchu. Od połowy lat 50. XX w. wyznanie to rozwija się na całym świecie, skupiając olbrzymią liczbę wiernych w niezależnych grupach (rodziny, Sabaty) lub praktykujących indywidualnie. Do tej pory jednocześnie nie została wypracowana ani jedna definicja, która byłaby w pełni satysfakcjonująca z pozycji religioznawcy i w całości odzwierciedlała charakterystykę tego ruchu kultowego."(...

Appraising Forgeability and Surface Cracking in New Generation Cast and Wrought Superalloys

Surface cracking poses a major problem in industrial forging, but the scientific understanding of the phenomenon is hampered by the difficulty of replicating it in a laboratory setting. In this work, a novel laboratory-scale experimental method is presented to investigate forgeability in new generation cast and wrought superalloys. This new approach makes possible appraising the prevalence and severity of surface cracking by mimicking the die chilling effects characteristic of hot die forging. Two high γ′-reinforced alloys are used to explore this methodology. A Gleeble thermo-mechanical simulator is used to conduct hot compression tests following a non-isothermal cycle, with the aim to simulate the cooling of the near-surface regions during the forging process. FEA simulations, sample geometry design, and heat-treatments are used to ensure the correspondence between laboratory and real-scale forging. A wide range of surface cracking results are obtained for different forging temperatures and cooling rates—proving the soundness of the method. Surprisingly, samples heated up to higher initial temperatures typically show more extensive surface cracking. These findings indicate that—along with the local mechanical conditions of the forging—die-chilling effects and forging temperatures are paramount in controlling surface cracking, as they dictate the key variables governing the distribution and kinetics of γ′ formation