Deciding KAT and Hoare Logic with Derivatives

Kleene algebra with tests (KAT) is an equational system for program verification, which is the combination of Boolean algebra (BA) and Kleene algebra (KA), the algebra of regular expressions. In particular, KAT subsumes the propositional fragment of Hoare logic (PHL) which is a formal system for the specification and verification of programs, and that is currently the base of most tools for checking program correctness. Both the equational theory of KAT and the encoding of PHL in KAT are known to be decidable. In this paper we present a new decision procedure for the equivalence of two KAT expressions based on the notion of partial derivatives. We also introduce the notion of derivative modulo particular sets of equations. With this we extend the previous procedure for deciding PHL. Some experimental results are also presented.Comment: In Proceedings GandALF 2012, arXiv:1210.202

Budgeting process- the case of Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda

Traditional budgeting is almost universally performed, but criticism has been increasing and alternative methods emerging. As the usefulness of budgeting depends on an organiztion’s business and people, a case-study was conducted. This work project aimed to describe and to analyze the budgeting process at Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda. The research revealed that its current system cannot be defined as traditional budgeting, since its organizational structure is not totally centralized. Moreover, the results indicated that no alternative budgeting technique could be used, even though the current procedures could be improved within the limitations of being a public limited company

On the existence and the number of limit cycles in evolutionary games

In this paper it is shown that an extended evolutionary system proposed by Hofbauer and Sigmund (1998) may be transformed into a Kukles system. Then a Dulac-Cherkas function related to the Kukles system is derived, which allows us to determine the number of limit cycles or its non-existence.limit cycles, evolutionary game theory, Kukles system, Dulac-Cherkas function

Drug Use and Capital Accumulation

This paper admits that people are drug users and analyzes whether drug use affects the modified golden rule in the Ramsey model approach. The results show that in a steady state, this model's capital productivity is smaller than in the Ramsey model. However, the optimal intertemporal allocation of resources is ambiguous when the elasticity between drug use and the willingness to work is not null.

Generalized linear mixing model accounting for endmember variability

Endmember variability is an important factor for accurately unveiling vital information relating the pure materials and their distribution in hyperspectral images. Recently, the extended linear mixing model (ELMM) has been proposed as a modification of the linear mixing model (LMM) to consider endmember variability effects resulting mainly from illumination changes. In this paper, we further generalize the ELMM leading to a new model (GLMM) to account for more complex spectral distortions where different wavelength intervals can be affected unevenly. We also extend the existing methodology to jointly estimate the variability and the abundances for the GLMM. Simulations with real and synthetic data show that the unmixing process can benefit from the extra flexibility introduced by the GLMM

Workart – A Gestão e a Arte

This paper looks into the intersection of art fields and management and tries to measure the positive impact that this brings into management, and shows how can art be a form of management consulting to companies. This form of consulting has been materialized, in the last six decades, in the Workart concept. In this paper we try to show the benefices, limitations and principle flaws of this concept. After the explanation, and history, of the concept, Workart, we present a method proposition. We’ve chosen the Learning Lab Denmark method, the CoLLab. We’ve tried to show the multiples layers of the method and, in a more practical sense, the steps needed to take to implement it. The presentation of this method is an illustration of the work needed to an efficient implementation of workart. Once the concept and method of implementation cleared we present two international working cases: the Unilever UK with Catalyst and the Babson Colleg with the entrepreneurial management MBA. The two cases are the practical application of the previous concepts and permit to see the goods and bads of this application in business and education. Then we focus in the Portuguese reality. In this field we present three cases: the Unicer, the Serralves Foundation and the Academia das Emoções. The first two cases are not conclusive because the Unicer program is not an intentional application of the Workart concept and has a lack of propose and the Serralves Foundation program has been cut down in an early stage of maturation without having material results. The last case, Academia das Emoções, although the short time of activity is the more mature and well succeed case in applying the Workart concept into Portuguese business reality. With this paper we try to show the benefices of applying the Workart concept in management, as a way of bringing creativity into companies, multiples angles to look to education, human resources issues and problem solving.Workart, Management, Art, Creativity, Innovation

Commodities Prices Volatility, Expected Inflation and GDP Levels: An Application for a Net-exporting Economy

AbstractThis work applies time series methods, such as VAR, ARMA-GARCH and Cointegration/VEC, in order to test for short and long term relationships between commodities prices changes and relevant macroeconomic variables in Brazil, from January/2005 to May/2013. The main evidences have shown the existence of short term effects of commodities prices shocks on the expected and current consumer inflation, as well as on GDP and exchange rate levels; in turn, the long term relationships have been verified through changes in commodities prices volatility: in long term, an increase of the latter means a context of higher expected inflation and lower GDP levels, thereby showing that economic authorities have scientific reasons to concern with abrupt fluctuations in commodities markets. In this sense, volatility in commodity markets is not neutral

Studies on BolA and ribonuclease R: two important factors in the control of bacterial gene expression

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in BiologyThe cellular concentration of a given RNA is the result of the balance between its synthesis and degradation. Both DNA transcription and RNA decay control the final levels of each protein in the cell. BolA is an Escherichia coli (E. coli) protein, which induces changes in cell morphology when present in high levels. BolA expression is regulated by two different promoters, a sigma 70 (σ70) promoter responsible for the basal levels of this gene in exponential phase and a sigma S (σS) gearbox promoter important in stress situations and stationary phase of bacterial growth. The first objective of this PhD work was to further characterize the expression of the bolA gene. Based on bioinformatic analysis, we have identified the H-NS protein as a putative transcriptional regulator of BolA. H-NS is a relatively small protein, abundant in bacterial cells and is often compared to eukaryotic histones due to its high affinity for DNA. In order to clarify the possible role of H-NS in BolA transcription, we have constructed an hns E. coli mutant. This mutant was compared to the wild type regarding the levels of bolA mRNA transcript and in vitro DNA-protein interaction studies were performed. These experiments allowed us to demonstrate that H-NS is able to down-regulate the levels of bolA mRNA in exponential phase and bind to the bolA promoter region. In addition, the DNA-protein interaction studies revealed that H-NS has a special affinity to the curved bolA promoter region encompassing both bolA1p and bolA2p promoters.(...)Financial Support from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) – Ph.D: grant - SFRH/BD/36027/2007

Reconfigurable hardware for the new generation IoT video-cards

Dissertação de mestrado em Engenharia Eletrónica Industrial e ComputadoresEmbedded systems became a crucial research and developing area because of the dependence of society on devices and the growing demand for new technology products in our lives. The video industry is an example of remarkable technological advances by exploiting the hardware performance for bringing new video products along with even better video quality and higher resolution. Today is time for Ultra High Definition (UHD) resolution and the next new feature is the 8k. A relevant area that may benefit from 8k is medicine, by improving the detail and image quality in diagnoses. Moreover, Japan is preparing to become the first 8k transmitter at the 2020 Olympics. In spite of existing already general-purpose solutions for managing efficiently UHD video, the deployment of a customized configurable solution can be useful for a specific system needs. Besides, it may dictate market favorable positioning on meeting new market demands by providing faster upgrades. For addressing this problem, this MSc thesis proposes a hardware-based deployment of two essential reconfigurable cores for a new generation IoT UHD Video-Card, for managing huge memory accesses as well as for compressing video. The memory management provides a memory direct access for dealing with variable video resolution up to 8k, as well as data error control, frame alignment, configurable memory region, and more. The video compression is performed by a configurable core based on an open-source H.264 encoder. The results presented show it was achieved 8k real-time video streaming along with extra control and status functionalities. Video encoding was achieved for up to 8k.Os sistemas embebidos tornaram-se uma área fulcral de pesquisa e desenvolvimento devido à dependência da sociedade em dispositivos e à crescente procura por novidades tecnológicas para o quotidiano. A indústria de vídeo é um exemplo do notável avanço tecnológico ao explorar o desempenho máximo do hardware para trazer maior qualidade de vídeo e maior resolução. A resolução de vídeo UHD já é uma realidade e a próxima novidade é o 8k. Uma área de relevo que pode beneficiar do 8k é a medicina, com maior detalhe e qualidade de imagem em diagnósticos. Além disso, o Japão está preparar-se para se tornar o primeiro transmissor de 8k nas Olimpíadas de 2020. Apesar de existirem soluções capazes de gerir com eficiência vídeo UHD, uma solução personalizada e configurável pode ser útil para as necessidades específicas de um sistema. Além disso, pode ditar um posicionamento dianteiro no mercado ao atender às novas exigências do mercado fornecendo novidades mais rapidamente. Como possível solução para os problemas expostos, esta tese propõe o desenvolvimento de dois núcleos de hardware reconfigurável essenciais para uma nova geração de placas IoT de vídeo UHD, para gerir acessos à memória assim como para compactar vídeo. A gestão de memória desenvolvida fornece acesso direto à memória para lidar com resolução de vídeo variável e até 8k, além de controlo de erros de dados, alinhamento de frames, região de memória configurável e muito mais. A compactação de vídeo é realizada por um núcleo de hardware configurável, baseado num Encoder H.264 de código aberto. Os resultados mostram que foi alcançada transmissão de vídeo 8k em tempo real, além de funcionalidades extras de controlo e estado. A codificação de vídeo até 8k foi alcançada