Event-B in the Institutional Framework: Defining a Semantics, Modularisation Constructs and Interoperability for a Specification Language

Event-B is an industrial-strength specification language for verifying the properties of a given system’s specification. It is supported by its Eclipse-based IDE, Rodin, and uses the process of refinement to model systems at different levels of abstraction. Although a mature formalism, Event-B has a number of limitations. In this thesis, we demonstrate that Event-B lacks formally defined modularisation constructs. Additionally, interoperability between Event-B and other formalisms has been achieved in an ad hoc manner. Moreover, although a formal language, Event-B does not have a formal semantics. We address each of these limitations in this thesis using the theory of institutions. The theory of institutions provides a category-theoretic way of representing a formalism. Formalisms that have been represented as institutions gain access to an array of generic specification-building operators that can be used to modularise specifications in a formalismindependent manner. In the theory of institutions, there are constructs (known as institution (co)morphisms) that provide us with the facility to create interoperability between formalisms in a mathematically sound way. The main contribution of this thesis is the definition of an institution for Event-B, EVT, which allows us to address its identified limitations. To this end, we formally define a translational semantics from Event- B to EVT. We show how specification-building operators can provide a unified set of modularisation constructs for Event-B. In fact, the institutional framework that we have incorporated Event-B into is more accommodating to modularisation than the current state-of-the-art for Rodin. Furthermore, we present institution morphisms that facilitate interoperability between the respective institutions for Event-B and UML. This approach is more generic than the current approach to interoperability for Event-B and in fact, allows access to any formalism or logic that has already been defined as an institution. Finally, by defining EVT, we have outlined the steps required in order to include similar formalisms into the institutional framework. Hence, this thesis acts as a template for defining an institution for a specification language

Rearing calves outdoors with and without calf jackets compared with indoor housing on calf health and live-weight performance

peer-reviewedThe objective of this study was to compare the effects of rearing calves outdoors, with and without all-weather calf jackets, with calves reared indoors on calf immunity and animal performance. In February 1999, male Holstein calves (mean (s.e.) weight 55 (1.90) kg) were randomly assigned to one of three treatments (n=30 per treatment): 1) outdoors with jacket, (J; mean age 19 (s.e. 2.0) days); 2) outdoors without jacket (NJ; mean age 19 (s.e. 1.8) days), and 3) indoors on straw (I; mean age 19 (s.e. 1.0) days). Calves received an individual allowance of 25 kg of milk replacer dry matter during the first 42 days with ad libitum access to a concentrate ration from day 0 to 63. The jackets were removed from the calves on day 42. Live-weight gain from day 0 to day 63 of the study was not significantly different between treatments (J, 0.79; NJ, 0.80; I, 0.80 kg). Sixty percent of the J calves and 53% of the NJ calves required four or more antibiotic treatments for respiratory disease while corresponding treatments were required for 97% of the I calves. The incidence of diarrhoea was significantly higher in both outdoor treatments compared to the I treatment. There was no significant difference in white blood cell counts or in serum immunoglobulin concentrations between treatments on days 0, 21, 42 and 63 or in in vitro interferon-γ production on day 63. It is concluded that using calf jackets on calves reared outdoors had no beneficial effect on calf performance or immune status. The incidence of respiratory disease was higher and diarrhoea incidence was lower in calves reared indoors compared with calves reared outdoors. There was no significant difference in incidences of diarrhoea and respiratory disease between the two outdoor treatments

Sacred Lives: A Study on the Spiritual Needs of LGBTQ+ Students and Possible Responses by Catholic High Schools

In this project, I examined the spiritual care offerings available to LGBTQ+ students in Catholic high schools in the state of Washington and potential best practices. Through a convergent mixed methods approach to gathering information on spiritual care, both public and clandestine, I sourced several methods of inquiry to analyze data and make recommendations. Using a survey of all fifteen Category I and Category II Catholic high schools in Washington, I collected data from administrators, counselors, campus ministers, and diversity equity inclusion (DEI) directors about spiritual care efforts in catholic high schools. Concurrently, two listening sessions were held with six LGBTQ+ alumni about their personal spiritual journeys as students who attended a Catholic high school. With a liberative lens and as a practical theologian, I dialogue with Catholic social teaching, Catholic doctrine and social sciences, and other Christian theologians who speak to LGBTQ+ spiritual care experiences

Stratigraphy and Sedimentology of Holocene Overbank Deposits of the Mississippi River, False River Region, Louisiana.

The Holocene flood basin along a meander belt margin of the Mississippi River includes two principal geomorphic features: a flat featureless natural levee, and a system of anastomozed, entrenched crevasses with intervening splay lobes. Levee and splay lobe deposits are identical and consist of thinly (cm) to minutely (mm) rhythmically layered sand, silt and clay which are pervasively disrupted by unlined meniscate burrows of the trace fossil, Muensteria. Pelletal fabrics develop where overlapping backfilled burrows completely obliterate primary stratification so that only traces of small ripple laminations and parallel laminations are preserved. Pelletal silt is the most extensive lithology present. A proximality trend in stratification is present relative to distance from sheet flood sources. With increasing distance from the trunk channel and crevasses, sandy rhythmites are successively replaced by finer-grained and more thinly interlayered deposits such as silty rhythmites and interlaminated silt and clay. As layering thins distally, burrowers more effectively disrupt the sediment and stratification grades into pelletal silt, pelletal mud and pelletal clay of the backswamp. Thus levee and splay lobe deposits are identical except that the same lithofacies extend further basinward on splay lobes. The crevasse fill includes mudball conglomerate, plant debris, complex clay-rich laminates, graded sands, mottled muddy sand and minor ripple laminated sand. The sedimentology reveals that both morphologic features formed in an analogous manner, by sheet flow sedimentation. This result differs from previous views that (1) levees form from overbank flooding and sheet flow and (2) crevasse splays form via the crevassing process which generates thick, sharp-based, fining-upward cross-stratified sands. The crevasse channels and splay lobes are not depositional features that formed as minor mouth bars, crevasse channels, lenticular channel sands, and bar forms migrated basinward. Rather, after crevasse entrenchment, the splay lobes accreted by overbank flooding and sheet flood sedimentation. After establishment of the meander belt (marked by a lithologic change from lake clays to subaerial pelletal silt) two episodes of levee/splay progradation (3-4 m thick) are recorded. Each represents the gradual migration of the trunk channel towards the site, and abruptly ends with a neck cut-off

Efficient white noise sampling and coupling for multilevel Monte Carlo with non-nested meshes

When solving stochastic partial differential equations (SPDEs) driven by additive spatial white noise, the efficient sampling of white noise realizations can be challenging. Here, we present a new sampling technique that can be used to efficiently compute white noise samples in a finite element method and multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) setting. The key idea is to exploit the finite element matrix assembly procedure and factorize each local mass matrix independently, hence avoiding the factorization of a large matrix. Moreover, in a MLMC framework, the white noise samples must be coupled between subsequent levels. We show how our technique can be used to enforce this coupling even in the case of non-nested mesh hierarchies. We demonstrate the efficacy of our method with numerical experiments. We observe optimal convergence rates for the finite element solution of the elliptic SPDEs of interest in 2D and 3D and we show convergence of the sampled field covariances. In a MLMC setting, a good coupling is enforced and the telescoping sum is respected.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figure

Perceived Health Status, Health Values and Health Goals as Influences on Individual Pursuit of DTC Genome Testing: Implications for Healthcare of Ill & Healthy

This dissertation examines an individual’s perceived health status, and health values, as influences on self-initiated health action, specifically the pursuit of Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genome testing. Motivation for this independent health action may also have implications for other individual health behaviors, including the potential for positive changes that are lasting rather than temporary. Health Capability, the conceptual framework, supports individual health values and goals, ability to access valued healthcare services and includes measures of health status. However, Health Capability lacks an operationalized mapping of its major concepts. This dissertation proposes and evaluates an original concept mapping and relationships. An overview of this dissertation and components is presented in Chapter one. Chapter two addresses the genomics and healthcare landscape related to independent individual pursuit of Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genome testing. The Health Capability framework is initially presented in this chapter, together with the research hypotheses, targeted literature review of key concepts and the proposed concept mapping with relationships. Chapter three describes the Health Capability conceptual framework, its adaptation and extension for the dissertation and its potential for use in health promotion and prevention research. A systematic review of the literature on perceived health status is discussed in chapter four, as well as a targeted review of approaches to concept measurement and most commonly used instruments. Chapter Five presents the dissertation study. This research involves 1455 self-initiated Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genome testing users who represent a naturally occurring phenomenon and provide a unique population to study the impact of an individual’s subjective perceived health status, personal health values and health goals. Participants completed surveys as part of the Impact of Personal Genomics (PGen) study. These participants were classified into four mutually exclusive health status groups based on individual perception of health and a healthcare system perspective of health status (existence of a medical diagnosis). These groups were analyzed for the following: 1) discrepancies in health status, 2) differences in reasons for genome testing, perceived risk and health values, and 3) potential relationships among variables. Results confirmed discrepancies between individual and biomedical health status. One group may represent the “worried well”. Interest in health information was high (98–99%) across all groups, as was health value of genome test results. Two items distinguished all groups (interest in pharmacogenomics information and learning risk for other diseases (p \u3c .001). When groups differed, perceived rather than biomedical health status was often involved, yet both factors demonstrated influences (variable dependent). Risk perception was moderately correlated (.301) with health status group, yet clearly does not equate with perceived health. Persons with medical diagnoses and self-rated not good health scored highest for items relating to immediate personal health and for family. Study findings are consistent with individual perceived health status and health values as significant factors influencing self-initiated health action (DTC genome testing). Chapter six further interprets research results as they relate to the hypotheses and to future research plans. Implications of the study results for revision and extension of the Health Capability concept mapping and framework are also discussed. These include: 1) supporting health status and values as principle concepts; 2) supporting addition of a measure of individual (subjective) perceived health status; 3) representing resources outside the healthcare system; and, 4) exploring the possibility of a personal need or value, as a “trigger” to action. These are areas of planned further research relevant to personalized healthcare, effective clinical practice, a collaborative healthcare model and meaningful policy development