The effect of oil price on industrial production and on stock returns

This paper analyzes the relationship between oil price shocks and the industrial production and between oil price shocks and the stock returns. The objective is to study which relationship is stronger or which variables reacts more rapidly to changes in oil price. We develop a Markov switching model assuming that there exits a latent variable (the state of the economy) which determines the mean of industrial production and the volatility of stock returns. The results show that raises in oil price affects in a negative and statistically significant way to stock returns and to industrial production, but the effect on stock returns is stronger than on industrial production.oil price, Markov switching models.

Monte Carlo and theoretical calculations of the first four perturbation coefficients in the high temperature series expansion of the free energy for discrete and core-softened potential models

The first four perturbation coefficients in the expansion of the Helmholtz free energy in power series of the inverse of the reduced temperature for a number of potential models with hard-sphere cores plus core-softened and discontinuous tails are obtained from Monte Carlo simulations. The potential models considered include square-well, double square-well, and square-shoulder plus square-well, with different potential parameters. These simulation data are used to evaluate the performance of a traditional macroscopic compressibility approximation (MCA) for the second order coefficient and a recent coupling parameter series expansion (CPSE) for the first four coefficients. Comprehensive comparison indicates the incapability of the MCA for the second order coefficient in most non-stringent situations, and significance of the CPSE in accurately calculating these four coefficients.J.R.S. acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) under Grant No. FIS2009-09616. This project is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC) (Grant No. 21173271)

The effect of oil price on industrial production and on stock returns

This paper analyzes the relationship between oil price shocks and the industrial production and between oil price shocks and the stock returns. The objective is to study which relationship is stronger or which variables reacts more rapidly to changes in oil price. We develop a Markov switching model assuming that there exits a latent variable (the state of the economy) which determines the mean of industrial production and the volatility of stock returns. The reults show that raises in oil price affects in a negative and statistically significant way to stock returns and to industrial production, but the effect on stock returns is stronger than on industrial production

Unparticles-Higgs Interplay

This is Version nr. 2 (13/08/2007) of the original paper (30/07/2007). Includes corrected typos.We show that scalar unparticles coupled to the Standard Model Higgs at the renormalizable level can have a dramatic impact in the breaking of the electroweak symmetry already at tree level. In particular one can get the proper electroweak scale without the need of a Higgs mass term in the Lagrangian. By studying the mixed unparticle-Higgs propagator and spectral function we also show how unparticles can shift the Higgs mass away from its Standard Model value, λ v^2, and influence other Higgs boson properties. Conversely, we study in some detail how electroweak symmetry breaking affects the unparticle sector by breaking its conformal symmetry and generating a mass gap. We also show that, for Higgs masses above that gap, unparticles can increase quite significantly the Higgs width.Peer reviewe

Thermodynamic properties of Ar, Kr and Xe from a Monte Carlo-based perturbation theory with an effective two-body Lennard-Jones potential

A third-order perturbation theory is used to obtain the equilibrium properties of Ar, Kr and Xe over wide ranges of temperatures and densities. The theory belongs to the framework of the inverse temperature expansion of the Helmholtz free energy, with the perturbation terms determined from Monte Carlo simulation. The interactions are modeled by an effective two-body Lennard-Jones potential incorporating the main contribution of the three-body interactions. To this end, the ratio of three-body to two-body configuration energies have been determined also from Monte Carlo simulation. The results for the pressure and energy at supercritical temperatures are in quite good agreement with experimental data. The liquid?vapor coexistence is also reproduced fairly well, although for Ar and Kr the critical temperature is slightly overestimated as well as the liquid densities at low temperatures, and the coexistence densities of Xe are slightly overestimated for the vapor and underestimated for the liquid near the critical point. In any case, the calculations show a remarkable improvement in the predicted coexistence curve with including the three-body contribution

Wearables and machine learning for improving runners’ motivation from an affective perspective

Wearable technology is playing an increasing role in the development of user-centric applications. In the field of sports, this technology is being used to implement solutions that improve athletes’ performance, reduce the risk of injury, or control fatigue, for example. Emotions are involved in most of these solutions, but unfortunately, they are not monitored in real-time or used as a decision element that helps to increase the quality of training sessions, nor are they used to guarantee the health of athletes. In this paper, we present a wearable and a set of machine learning models that are able to deduce runners’ emotions during their training. The solution is based on the analysis of runners’ electrodermal activity, a physiological parameter widely used in the field of emotion recognition. As part of the DJ-Running project, we have used these emotions to increase runners’ motivation through music. It has required integrating the wearable and the models into the DJ-Running mobile application, which interacts with the technological infrastructure of the project to select and play the most suitable songs at each instant of the training

Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction of Volatile Compounds in Vinegar: Validation Study and Comparison With Solid Phase Microextraction

Stir bar sorptive extraction was evaluated for analysing volatiles in vinegar. The procedure developed shows detection and quantitation limits, and linear ranges adequate for analysing this type of compounds. The accuracy obtained was close to 100%, with repeatability values lower than 13%. The extraction efficiency is inversely affected by the acetic acid content. Although the absolute areas decrease, the compound area/internal standard area ratio remains constant, so for quantitative analysis, the acetic acid concentration does not affect the analytical data. The method was compared with a previous SPME method. Similar performance characteristics were obtained for both methodologies, with lower detection and quantitation limits and better repeatability reproducibility values for SBSE. Both analytical methods were used to analyse a variety of vinegars. The results obtained from both methods were in agreemen

El comité español de automática: Vanguardia de la investigación, desarrollo y enseñanza universitaria en automática

Este trabajo tiene por objeto explicar la génesis y situación actual del Comité Español de Automática (CEA), una de las sociedades científico-tecnológicas más antiguas y activas en España. El objetivo del artículo es describir cómo a partir de un embrión muy pequeño en Madrid y Barcelona a mediados del siglo pasado, CEA aglutina hoy a la inmensa mayoría de Universidades y Centros de investigación españoles donde la Automática es una disciplina de estudio, investigación, desarrollo e innovación. Desde el planteamiento inicial de los pioneros de la Automática, que como ciencia científica se formaliza, prácticamente, después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, se van describiendo cronológicamente los principales hechos que han dado lugar a lo que hoy es CEA. Como conclusión principal puede establecerse que la Automática está cada vez más presente en la vida de la sociedad, y que CEA velará y contribuirá, gracias a su prometedor futuro, porque España sea una potencia internacional en este campo

Mercado español de deuda pública

Los dos volumenes de que consta este trabajo ofrecen una detallada descripcion de los distintos aspectos organizativos del mercado español de deuda publica. Su reciente creacion, en 1987, significo la introduccion de las estructuras mas convenientes para financiar los deficit publicos con recurso al mercado de valores. La obra analiza el diseño y evolucion del mercado primario, en el que el gobierno capta financiacion emitiendo bonos de acuerdo con criterios de mercadoestudia como se produce su transmision en el mercado secundario, identificandose los miembros, los tipos de operaciones y el perfil general de actividaddescribe los procedimientos de liquidacion y registro de operaciones en el marco del sistema de anotaciones en cuenta (SACDE) gestionado por el Banco de España. Asimismo, examina la organizacion y funcionamiento del mercado español de derivados sobre deuda publica, dada su importante funcion estabilizadora. La obra se cierra con un apartado dedicado a la fundamentacion legal de las distintas cuestiones tratadas. (jmr) (mac)Vol. 1: 132 pVol. 2: 175

Immunohistochemical analysis of knee chondral defect repair after autologous particulated cartilage and platelet-rich plasma treatment in sheep

This study performs an analysis that will enable the evaluation of the quality, durability, and structure of repaired cartilaginous extracellular matrix tissue using an autologous-based particulated autograft cartilage and platelet-rich plasma treatment (PACI + PRP). A single-blind controlled experiment was conducted on 28 sheep to evaluate the efficacy of the PACI + PRP treatment for cartilage defects. Full-thickness 8 mm diameter defects were created in the weight-bearing area of both knees. The right knees received PACI + PRP. The left knees were treated with Ringer’s lactate solution (RLS) or hyaluronic acid (HA) injections. Sheep were euthanized at 9- or 18-months post-surgery. An extensive immunohistochemical analysis was performed to assess collagen types (I, II, III, V, VI, IX, X, XI) and aggrecan positivity. A semiquantitative scoring system provided a detailed evaluation of immunostaining. Collagens and aggrecan scores in the PACI + PRP groups were similar to healthy cartilage. Significant differences were found in collagens associated with matrix maturity (II and V), degradation (IX), structure and mechanics (VI), and hypertrophy (X) between healthy cartilage and RLS- or HA-repaired cartilage. The PACI + PRP treatment advanced the repair cartilage process in chondral defects with mature hyaline cartilage and enhanced the structural and mechanical qualities with better consistent cartilage, less susceptible to degradation and without hypertrophic formation over tim