Impact of the Recent Reform of the Portuguese Public Employees’ Pension System

This paper analyses the effects of the recent reform of the Estatuto da Aposentação, applicable to the contributors of the Caixa Geral de Aposentações (CGA). Using the "2005 Public Administration Human Resources Database", a simulation exercise is undertaken in order to evaluate the impact of the reform on the time-profile of retirements, initial pensions and CGA pension-related expenditure. The results show that the reform has heterogeneous effects, but, for most public employees, it results in an extension of the contributory career and a decrease in initial pensions, generating a reduction in the CGA pension-related expenditure.

Tensor renormalization group in bosonic field theory

We compute the partition function of a massive free boson in a square lattice using a tensor network algorithm. We introduce a singular value decomposition (SVD) of continuous matrices that leads to very accurate numerical results. It is shown the emergence of a CDL fixed point structure. In the massless limit, we reproduce the results of conformal field theory including a precise value of the central charge.Comment: 5+8 pages, 4+2 figure

Design and manufacturing of master alloys for sintering activation in high performance structural parts

Nowadays, the development of high performance structural parts, is limited by the fact that the alloying systems are being modifying by requirements associated to envorimental guideline as well as to the increase in the price of raw materials. The use of masteralloys allows to activate the mass transport processes during sintering with a minimum modification of final composition (low cost) acting on densification, and hence, on final properties. The research group of “Powder Technology” from Carlos III University, has a wide experience and qualification on the design of new alloying systems and in manufacturing the powders by atomization and mechanical alloying techniques. The Group is looking for companies interested in technical cooperation or manufacturing agreement

Functionally Graded Media

The notions of uniformity and homogeneity of elastic materials are reviewed in terms of Lie groupoids and frame bundles. This framework is also extended to consider the case Functionally Graded Media, which allows us to obtain some homogeneity conditions.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure

Communication without sense

Different authors of Fregean inspiration have argued recently for the need of resorting to senses in order to explain successful communication. Such arguments have led some philosophers to develop theories of sense which include some of the externalist insights brought up by neo-Russellians. In this paper, we argue that these theories of sense don't work. We also present a broadly neo-Russellian account that explains away Fregean puzzles on communication without resource to entities like senses

Performance evaluation of the Hilbert–Huang transform for respiratory sound analysis and its application to continuous adventitious sound characterization

© 2016. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/The use of the Hilbert–Huang transform in the analysis of biomedical signals has increased during the past few years, but its use for respiratory sound (RS) analysis is still limited. The technique includes two steps: empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and instantaneous frequency (IF) estimation. Although the mode mixing (MM) problem of EMD has been widely discussed, this technique continues to be used in many RS analysis algorithms. In this study, we analyzed the MM effect in RS signals recorded from 30 asthmatic patients, and studied the performance of ensemble EMD (EEMD) and noise-assisted multivariate EMD (NA-MEMD) as means for preventing this effect. We propose quantitative parameters for measuring the size, reduction of MM, and residual noise level of each method. These parameters showed that EEMD is a good solution for MM, thus outperforming NA-MEMD. After testing different IF estimators, we propose Kay¿s method to calculate an EEMD-Kay-based Hilbert spectrum that offers high energy concentrations and high time and high frequency resolutions. We also propose an algorithm for the automatic characterization of continuous adventitious sounds (CAS). The tests performed showed that the proposed EEMD-Kay-based Hilbert spectrum makes it possible to determine CAS more precisely than other conventional time-frequency techniques.Postprint (author's final draft

A educación na sociedade da información

[Resumo] As Tecnoloxías da Información e da Comunicación (TIC) requiren un novo tipo de alumno/a, un alumno/a máis preocupado polo proceso que polo producto, preparado para a toma de decisións e para elixi-la ruta da súa aprendizaxe, é dicir, preparado para a autoaprendizaxe, o que abre un desafío ó sistema educativo preocupado unica e exclusivamente pola adquisición e memorización de información e a reproducción da mesma en función de patróns previamente establecidos. Estes medios reclaman a existencia dunha nova configuración do proceso didáctico e metodolóxico tradicionalmente usado nos centros, onde o saber non teña porque recaer no profesor/a , e a función dola alumno/a non sexa a de mero receptor de información

Constrained Variational Calculus for Higher Order Classical Field Theories

We develop an intrinsic geometrical setting for higher order constrained field theories. As a main tool we use an appropriate generalization of the classical Skinner-Rusk formalism. Some examples of application are studied, in particular, applications to the geometrical description of optimal control theory for partial differential equations.Comment: 25 pages; 4 diagram