X-ray burst induced spectral variability in 4U 1728-34

Aims. INTEGRAL has been monitoring the Galactic center region for more than a decade. Over this time INTEGRAL has detected hundreds of type-I X-ray bursts from the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1728-34, a.k.a. "the slow burster". Our aim is to study the connection between the persistent X-ray spectra and the X-ray burst spectra in a broad spectral range. Methods. We performed spectral modeling of the persistent emission and the X-ray burst emission of 4U 1728-34 using data from the INTEGRAL JEM-X and IBIS/ISGRI instruments. Results. We constructed a hardness intensity diagram to track spectral state variations. In the soft state the energy spectra are characterized by two thermal components - likely from the accretion disc and the boundary/spreading layer - together with a weak hard X-ray tail that we detect in 4U 1728-34 for the first time in the 40 to 80 keV range. In the hard state the source is detected up to 200 keV and the spectrum can be described by a thermal Comptonization model plus an additional component: either a powerlaw tail or reflection. By stacking 123 X-ray bursts in the hard state, we detect emission up to 80 keV during the X-ray bursts. We find that during the bursts the emission above 40 keV decreases by a factor of about three with respect to the persistent emission level. Conclusions. Our results suggest that the enhanced X-ray burst emission changes the spectral properties of the accretion disc in the hard state. The likely cause is an X-ray burst induced cooling of the electrons in the inner hot flow near the neutron star.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in A&

PVT-Robust CMOS Programmable Chaotic Oscillator: Synchronization of Two 7-Scroll Attractors

Designing chaotic oscillators using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit technology for generating multi-scroll attractors has been a challenge. That way, we introduce a current-mode piecewise-linear (PWL) function based on CMOS cells that allow programmable generation of 2–7-scroll chaotic attractors. The mathematical model of the chaotic oscillator designed herein has four coefficients and a PWL function, which can be varied to provide a high value of the maximum Lyapunov exponent. The coefficients are implemented electronically by designing operational transconductance amplifiers that allow programmability of their transconductances. Design simulations of the chaotic oscillator are provided for the 0.35μ m CMOS technology. Post-layout and process–voltage–temperature (PVT) variation simulations demonstrate robustness of the multi-scroll chaotic attractors. Finally, we highlight the synchronization of two seven-scroll attractors in a master–slave topology by generalized Hamiltonian forms and observer approach. Simulation results show that the synchronized CMOS chaotic oscillators are robust to PVT variations and are suitable for chaotic secure communication applications.Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala CACyPI-UATx-2017Program to Strengthen Quality in Educational Institutions C/PFCE-2016-29MSU0013Y-07-23National Council for Science and Technology 237991 22284

Pathological element-based active device models and their application to symbolic analysis

This paper proposes new pathological element-based active device models which can be used in analysis tasks of linear(ized) analog circuits. Nullators and norators along with the voltage mirror-current mirror (VM-CM) pair (collectively known as pathological elements) are used to model the behavior of active devices in voltage-, current-, and mixed-mode, also considering parasitic elements. Since analog circuits are transformed to nullor-based equivalent circuits or VM-CM pairs or as a combination of both, standard nodal analysis can be used to formulate the admittance matrix. We present a formulation method in order to build the nodal admittance (NA) matrix of nullor-equivalent circuits, where the order of the matrix is given by the number of nodes minus the number of nullors. Since pathological elements are used to model the behavior of active devices, we introduce a more efficient formulation method in order to compute small-signal characteristics of pathological element-based equivalent circuits, where the order of the NA matrix is given by the number of nodes minus the number of pathological elements. Examples are discussed in order to illustrate the potential of the proposed pathological element-based active device models and the new formulation method in performing symbolic analysis of analog circuits. The improved formulation method is compared with traditional formulation methods, showing that the NA matrix is more compact and the generation of nonzero coefficients is reduced. As a consequence, the proposed formulation method is the most efficient one reported so far, since the CPU time and memory consumption is reduced when recursive determinant-expansion techniques are used to solve the NA matrix.Promep-Mexico UATLX-PTC-088Junta de Andalucía TIC-2532Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TEC2007-67247, TEC2010-14825UC-MEXUS-CONACyT CN-09-31

BAYESIAN ANALYSIS OF THE COMPOUND COLLECTIVE MODEL; THE VARIANCE PREMIUM PRINCIPLE WITH EXPONENTIAL POISSON AND GAMMA-GAMMA DISTRIBUTIONS

The distribution of the aggregate claim size is the considerable importance in insurance theory since, for example, it is needed as an input in premium calculation principles and reserve calculation which plays an important paper in ruin theory. In this paper a Bayesian study for the collective risk model by incorporating a prior distribution for both, the parameter of the claim number distribution and the parameter of the claim size distribution is made and applied to the variance premium principle. Later a sensitivity study is to carry out on both parameters using Bayesian global robustness. Despite the complicated form of the collective risk model it is shown how the robustness study can be treated in an easy way. We illustrate the results obtained with numerical examples.Bayesian Robustness, Contamination Class, Variance Principle.

Evaluating Labor Market Reforms: A General Equilibrium Approach

Job security provisions are commonly invoked to explain the high and persistent European unemployment rates. This belief has led several countries to reform their labor markets and liberalize the use of fixed-term contracts. Despite how common such contracts have become after deregulation, there is a lack of quantitative analysis of their impact on the economy. To fill this gap, we build a general equilibrium model with heterogeneous agents and firing costs in the tradition of Hopenhayn and Rogerson (1993). We calibrate our model to Spanish data, choosing in part parameters estimated with firm-level longitudinal data. Spain is particularly interesting, since its labor regulations are among the most protective in the OECD, and both its unemployment and its share of fixed-term employment are the highest. We find that fixed term contracts increase unemployment, reduce output, and raise productivity. The welfare effects are ambiguous.Fixed-term contracts, Firing costs, General equilibrium, Heterogeneous agents

EVALUATING LABOR MARKET REFORMS: A GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM APPROACH

Job security provisions are commonly invoked to explain the high and persistent European unemployment rates. This belief has led several countries to reform their labor markets and liberalize the use of fixed-term contracts. Despite how common such contracts have become after deregulation, there is a lack of quantitative analysis of their impact on the economy. To fill this gap, we build a general equilibrium model with heterogeneous agents and firing costs in the tradition of Hopenhayn and Rogerson (1983). We calibrate our model to Spanish data, choosing in part parameters estimated with firm-level longitudinal data. Spain is particularly interesting, since its labor regulations are among the most protective in the OECD, and both its unemployment and its share of fixed-term employment are the highest. We find that fixedterm contracts increase unemployment, reduce output, and raise productivity. The welfare effects are ambiguous.

Draft Genome Sequences of Five Enterococcus Species Isolated from the Gut of Patients with Suspected Clostridium difficile Infection

Indexación: Scopus.We present draft genome sequences of five Enterococcus species from patients suspected of Clostridium difficile infection. Genome completeness was confirmed by presence of bacterial orthologs (97%). Gene searches using Hidden-Markov models revealed that the isolates harbor between seven and 11 genes involved in antibiotic resistance to tetracyclines, beta-lactams, and vancomycin.http://genomea.asm.org/content/5/20/e00379-17.ful

ITQMM: a new model for IT processes

Information Technology (IT) Governance and IT Service and Processes Management (ITSM) are one of the priorities in organizations. Although many organizations are aware of the importance of using well-defined quality IT processes, they face the problem of how to use and improve them in practice. One of the final objectives of any ITSM policy must be to guarantee an adequate IT quality. In this sense, the use of action frameworks as Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is essential. However, several quality models and maturity models have been developed, but they are not focused on how to measure the IT quality. As they do not include the appropriate mechanisms, it is necessary to complement them with other quality frameworks, e.g. European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). This paper proposes a maturity model for IT quality improvement based mainly on ITIL and EFQM

Unsupervised machine learning approach for building composite indicators with fuzzy metrics

[EN] This study aims at developing a new methodological approach for building composite indicators, focusingon the weight schemes through an unsupervised machine learning technique. The composite indicatorproposed is based on fuzzy metrics to capture multidimensional concepts that do not have boundaries, suchas competitiveness, development, corruption or vulnerability. This methodology is designed for formativemeasurement models using a set of indicators measured on different scales (quantitative, ordinal and binary)and it is partially compensatory. Under a benchmarking approach, the single indicators are synthesized.The optimization method applied manages to remove the overlapping information provided for the singleindicators, so that the composite indicator provides a more realistic and faithful approximation to the conceptwhich would be studied. It has been quantitatively and qualitatively validated with a set of randomizeddatabases covering extreme and usual cases.This work was supported by the project FEDER-University of Granada (B-SEJ-242.UGR20), 2021-2023: An innovative methodological approach for measuring multidimensional poverty in Andalusia (COMPOSITE). Eduardo Jimenez-Fernandez would also like to thank the support received from Universitat Jaume I under the grant E-2018-03.Jiménez Fernández, E.; Sánchez, A.; Sánchez Pérez, EA. (2022). Unsupervised machine learning approach for building composite indicators with fuzzy metrics. Expert Systems with Applications. 200:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2022.11692711120