Structural Complexity and Phonon Physics in 2D Arsenenes

In the quest for stable 2D arsenic phases, four different structures have been recently claimed to be stable. We show that, due to phonon contributions, the relative stability of those structures differs from previous reports and depends crucially on temperature. We also show that one of those four phases is in fact mechanically unstable. Furthermore, our results challenge the common assumption of an inverse correlation between structural complexity and thermal conductivity. Instead, a richer picture emerges from our results, showing how harmonic interactions, anharmonicity and symmetries all play a role in modulating thermal conduction in arsenenes. More generally, our conclusions highlight how vibrational properties are an essential element to be carefully taken into account in theoretical searches for new 2D materials

General Equilibrium Dynamics of External Shocks and Policy Changes in Chile

This paper develops a macroeconomic general-equilibrium model fully parameterized for the Chilean economy. The model’s basic relations are derived from intertemporal optimization by a group of rational forward-looking agents. The model also adds critical real-world features – such as short-run wage rigidities and a group of myopic agents – that generate deviations from the frictionless fullemployment equilibrium of the unconstrained neoclassical paradigm. The model is numerically simulated to illustrate the dynamics of Chile’s economy in response to the external shocks and policy shifts that led to the 1998-99 recession.

A firm-level analysis of ICT adoption in an emerging economy: evidence from the colombian manufacturing industries

This study examines ICT adoption among 3,759 Colombian manufacturing firms, and attemptsto identify the factors that are conducive to the adoption and usage of ICT at the firm level. Ourmajor findings are (i) that the adoption of a given information and communication technology isbetter facilitated when a firm is relatively large, has large human capital, engages in moreinnovative activities, and when a firm´s organizational structure is better aligned with the giventechnology; (ii) that positive associations between the key determinants and ICT adoptions aremore pronounced for small and medium-sized firms than for large ones, and (iii) that informationspillovers within industries is also a determinant of ICT adoptions by the firms.ICT adoption, Internet, Innovation, Organizational change

Vínculo entre hombre y entorno en la Luz difícil de Tomás González

Este texto busca demostrar que la alusión que se hace de dos espacios naturales en el trabajo artístico de David, personaje de La Luz Difícil de Tomás González, se da para rememorar estos paisajes con los cuales creó un vínculo afectivo -- Se pondrá de manifiesto la forma en la que ese vínculo se puede rastrear en sus dos formas artísticas: la pintura y la literatura -- También es importante para entender cómo se establece el vínculo hombre – entorn

House in a “rice paddy”. An ideogram of interaction in the contemporary japanese habitat

La disposición en “campo de arroz”, o división del espacio de la vivienda en cuatro partes siguiendo el ideograma kanji de origen chino “TA”, fue el modelo tipológico de la casa tradicional popular en Japón, cuya disposición generaba fuertes vínculos en el grupo familiar. La reciente aparición de una nueva generación de arquitectos que, a partir de SANAA, busca recuperar la interacción familiar en las pequeñas viviendas urbanas de la trama de ciudades como Tokio, coincide con una recurrente reaparición de la disposición de la vivienda en forma de “TA”. Una forma trasladada, ahora, a un modelo espacial que se libera de las estrictas servidumbres que caracterizaban a la vivienda tradicional. En los últimos años, estas pequeñas viviendas tienden a abrirse a la trama urbana, frente a la opacidad que había caracterizado a las obras de la generación de arquitectos anterior, expresando el interés por la interacción con la comunidad más allá de la vida familiar. Y en este sentido, la utilización del ideograma en forma de “campo de arroz” persiste como un referente dispositivo en el hábitat japonés contemporáneo.The “rice paddy” arrangement, or division of the space of the house into four parts, following the kanji ideogram “TA” of Chinese origin, was the typological model of the popular traditional house in Japan, whose arrangement generated strong bonds within the family group. The recent appearance of a new generation of architects which, after SANAA, seeks to recover the family interaction in the small urban houses of the fabric of cities, such as Tokyo, coincides with a recurrent reappearance of the arrangement of the home in the form of a “TA”. A form transferred, now, to a spatial model that is free of the strict codes that characterized the traditional house. In recent years, these small houses have tended to open themselves up to the urban fabric, expressing the interest for interaction with the community beyond family life, as opposed to the opacity that had characterized the works of the previous generation of architects. Therefore, the use of the ideogram in the form of a “rice paddy” persists as a benchmark device in the contemporary Japanese habitat

Teachers’ satisfaction as indicator of education system performance

We investigate the potential trade-off between some teacher characteristics, particularly teachers’ satisfaction, and different measures of pupils’ performance, in order to optimize the outputs of the Spanish education system. Our contribution to the existing literature is twofold: on the one hand, we provide estimates on the balance between teachers’ effectiveness and 4th grade students’ performance in Spain, by using recent survey data (TIMSS, 2011); on the other hand we implement a novel methodology which allows optimizing simultaneously a set of indicators on the outputs of the educational system. These analyses provide empirical evidence of the importance of investing in teacher satisfaction as a motivation mechanism for improving national educational achievement.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. This research has been partially supported by the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Innovation, Science and Enterprise (PAI group SEJ-532). We also acknowledge the research funding provided by Andalucía-Tech (Universidad de Malaga),the Research Plan of the University of Malaga (Capacity Building Programme I+D+i of Universities 2014-2015, FEDER Funds) and by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain (Research Project ECO2014-56397-P). Luis Alejandro Lopez-Agudo also acknowledges the research training provided by the “Programa de Doctorado en Economía y Empresa de la Universidad de Malaga”

In-loop Feature Tracking for Structure and Motion with Out-of-core Optimization

In this paper, a novel and approach for obtaining 3D models from video sequences captured with hand-held cameras is addressed. We define a pipeline that robustly deals with different types of sequences and acquiring devices. Our system follows a divide and conquer approach: after a frame decimation that pre-conditions the input sequence, the video is split into short-length clips. This allows to parallelize the reconstruction step which translates into a reduction in the amount of computational resources required. The short length of the clips allows an intensive search for the best solution at each step of reconstruction which robustifies the system. The process of feature tracking is embedded within the reconstruction loop for each clip as opposed to other approaches. A final registration step, merges all the processed clips to the same coordinate fram

Mathematical Modeling of the Parabolic Trough Collector Field of the TCP-100 Research Plant

The 9th EUROSIM Congress on Modelling and Simulation, EUROSIM 2016 Oulu (Finlandia)There are two main drawbacks when operating solar energy systems: a) the resulting energy costs are not yet competitive and b) solar energy is not always available when needed. In order to improve the overall solar plants efficiency, advances control techniques play an important role. In order to develop efficient and robust control techniques, the use of accurate mathematical models is crucial. In this paper, the mathematical modeling of the new TCP100 parabolic trough collector (PTC) research facility at the Plataforma Solar de Almería is presented. Some simulations are shown to demonstrate the adequate behavior of the model compared to the facility design conditions.Junta de Andalucía P11-TEP-8129Unión Europea FP7-ICT-ICT-2013.3.4-611281Ministerio de Economía y Competitividadt DPI2014-56364-C2-2-

Combining distributed queuing with energy harvesting to enable perpetual distributed data collection applications

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Vazquez-Gallego F, Tuset-Peiró P, Alonso L, Alonso-Zarate J. Combining distributed queuing with energy harvesting to enable perpetual distributed data collection applications. Trans Emerging Tel Tech. 2017;e3195 , which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/ett.3195. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.This paper presents, models, and evaluates energy harvesting–aware distributed queuing (EH-DQ), a novel medium access control protocol that combines distributed queuing with energy harvesting (EH) to address data collection applications in industrial scenarios using long-range and low-power wireless communication technologies. We model the medium access control protocol operation using a Markov chain and evaluate its ability to successfully transmit data without depleting the energy stored at the end devices. In particular, we compare the performance and energy consumption of EH-DQ with that of time-division multiple access (TDMA), which provides an upper limit in data delivery, and EH-aware reservation dynamic frame slotted ALOHA, which is an improved variation of frame slotted ALOHA. To evaluate the performance of these protocols, we use 2 performance metrics: delivery ratio and time efficiency. Delivery ratio measures the ability to successfully transmit data without depleting the energy reserves, whereas time efficiency measures the amount of data that can be transmitted in a certain amount of time. Results show that EH-DQ and TDMA perform close to the optimum in data delivery and outperform EH-aware reservation dynamic frame slotted ALOHA in data delivery and time efficiency. Compared to TDMA, the time efficiency of EH-DQ is insensitive to the amount of harvested energy, making it more suitable for energy-constrained applications. Moreover, compared to TDMA, EH-DQ does not require updated network information to maintain a collision-free schedule, making it suitable for very dynamic networks.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft