Non-Smooth Dynamics and Multiple Equilibria in a Cournt-Ramsey Model with Endogenous Markups

We consider a Ramsey model with a continuum of Cournotian industries where free entry generates an endogenous markup. The model produces two different regimes, monopoly and oligopoly, resulting in non-smooth dynamics. We analyze the global dynamics of the model, demonstrating the model may exhibit heteroclinic orbits connecting multiple equilibria. Small transitory changes in parameters can lead to large permanent effects and there can be a Rostovian poverty trap separating a low-capital and high-markup equilibrium from a high-capital low-markup equilibrium. The paper applies recent results from applied mathematics for non-smooth dynamic systems.Endogenous markups; Non-smooth dynamics; Discontinuity induced bifurcations; Heteroclinic orbits.

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Collaborative group support in e-Health

In critical areas such as decision making, the Collaborative Work has an uttermost importance. Being a complex problem, the collective decision taking is currently a popular form of taking decisions. In this work we present the VirtualECare project: an intelligent multi-agent system able to monitor, interact and serve its customers (in need of care services). In developed countries, recent census data report a sudden increase in the elderly community together with a decrease of child birth. This is a new reality that needs to be dealt by the health sector, particularly by the public one. In an early stage, this new situation appears mostly as a financial problem. The costs involved in the health care are considerable. Thus, alternative technological solutions that lead to straightforward solutions should be adopted. Recently, a growing interest in combining the advances in information society - computing, telecommunications and presentation - to create Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS), has been observed. It is our view that the use of the GDSS in the health care area will pursue the achievement of better results in terms of patients Electronically Clinical Profile (ECP). Additionally, we believe that the best way of managing health appointments is through the use of calendars - one application that can manage both the physicians and patients calendars and consequently their day schedule. Within this area, the approaches used in the VirtualECare and iGenda projects are presented.(undefined

A FRAMEWORK THAT ENABLES THE USE OF EXPERIENCE IN CONCEPTUAL MODELLING

Better Information Systems (IS) could be developed, if experience were used. The use of experience could be applied in any phase of the Information System Development process. This paper presents a framework that applies the Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) method to enable the use of experience in conceptual modelling. This framework could be used in several conceptual modelling types, as long as graphical modelling languages were used. Our framework was implemented in an Internet application that has a modular structure

Decision support in Big Data contexts: a business intelligence solution

In the last few years we all have witnessed an enormous growth in the production of data. According to some estimates, ninety percent of the existing world’s data was created over the past two years! Indeed, we are in the era of Big Data which is characterized by the continuous creation of vast amounts of data, originated from different sources, and with different formats. First, with the rise of smart devices, mobile applications, cloud computing, and social networks and, more recently, with the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), data with enormous potential for organizations is being continuously generated. In order to be more competitive, organizations want to access and explore all the richness that is present in those data, which is the main purpose of Business Intelligence. In this paper we continue the presentation of an experiment in which data obtained from a NoSQL database (database technology explicitly developed to deal with the specificities of Big Data) is used to feed a Business Intelligence solution.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Non-smooth dynamics and multiple equilibria in a Cournt-Ramsey model with endogenous markups

We consider a Ramsey model with a continuum of Cournotian industries where free entry generates an endogenous markup. The model produces two different regimes, monopoly and oligopoly, resulting in non-smooth dynamics. We analyze the global dynamics of the model, demonstrating the model may exhibit heteroclinic orbits connecting multiple equi¬libria. Small transitory changes in parameters can lead to large permanent effects and there can be a Rostovian poverty trap separating a low-capital and high-markup equilibrium from a high-capital low-markup equilibrium. The paper applies recent results from applied math¬ematics for non-smooth dynamic systems

Vulnerabilities in IoT devices for smart home environment

Recently, consumers have seen multiple products being advertised as smart home. These products promise to make our homes more comfortable, safe, automated, and remotely controlled. To this new reality of processing information it was given the name IoT (Internet of Things). Many news headlines have been published exposing serious security vulnerabilities in many IoT devices, with some of them being exploited to make one of the largest DDoS attacks recorded. In this paper we present a method developed with the purpose of identifying high risk vulnerabilities in smart home IoT devices, giving application examples of actual vulnerabilities found in two commercially available devices. This method uses several open source tools to identify vulnerabilities in some of these IoT devices. Besides, we will also present some topics related to the main threats and vulnerabilities that affect smart home IoT devices.publishersversionpublishe

User recognition in AAL environments

Springer - Series Advances in Intelligent and Soft Computing, vol. 72Healthcare projects that intend to decrease the economical and social costs of the real ageing population phenomenon, through the de-localisation of healthcare services delivery and management to the home, have been arising in the scientific community. The VirtualECare project is one of those, so called, Ambient Assisted Living environments, which we have taken a step forward with the introduction of proactive techniques for better adapting to its users, namely elderly or chronic patients, once it is able to learn with their interaction based in contexts. This learning, however, causes the system need to know with whom it is interacting. Basic detection techniques based in possible devices that users carries along with them (e.g. RFID tags, mobile phones, ...) are not good enough, since they can lose/forgot/switch them. To obtain the expected results the technology used has to be more advanced and available in several platforms. One possible and already fairly developed technique is Facial Recognition, and it appears to be the most appropriate one to handle the problem.This document exposes the initial approach of the VirtualECare project to the Facial Recognition area