Advanced optimal extraction for the Spitzer/IRS

We present new advances in the spectral extraction of point-like sources adapted to the Infrared Spectrograph onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope. For the first time, we created a super-sampled point spread function of the low-resolution modules. We describe how to use the point spread function to perform optimal extraction of a single source and of multiple sources within the slit. We also examine the case of the optimal extraction of one or several sources with a complex background. The new algorithms are gathered in a plugin called Adopt which is part of the SMART data analysis software.Comment: Accepted for publication in PAS

Canonical Equivalence of a Generic 2D Dilaton Gravity Model and a Bosonic String Theory

We show that a canonical tranformation converts, up to a boundary term, a generic 2d dilaton gravity model into a bosonic string theory with a Minkowskian target space.Comment: LaTeX file, 9 pages, no figure

Second Best Energy Policies

The paper considers the problem of resource allocation when factor groups attempt to obtain a share of real income which is greater than what would be imputed by classical economies. A formulation stressing the Divvy nature of the problem is given both in theoretical terms and with a framework which is susceptible to empirical estimation. Policy questions resulting from the formation of OPEC are discussed and a framework for policy analysis is given

PAH Strength and the Interstellar Radiation Field around the Massive Young Cluster NGC3603

We present spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and ionized gas within the Galactic giant HII region NGC3603. Using the IRS instrument on board the Spitzer Space Telescope, we study in particular the PAH emission features at ~5.7, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, and 11.3um, and the [ArII] 6.99um, [NeII] 12.81um, [ArIII] 8.99um, and [SIV] 10.51um forbidden emission lines. The observations probe both ionized regions and photodissociation regions. Silicate emission is detected close to the central cluster while silicate absorption is seen further away. We find no significant variation of the PAH ionization fraction across the whole region. The emission of very small grains lies closer to the central stellar cluster than emission of PAHs. The PAH/VSG ratio anticorrelates with the hardness of the interstellar radiation field suggesting a destruction mechanism of the molecules within the ionized gas, as shown for low-metallicity galaxies by Madden et al. (2006).Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. Corrected typo

A General Equilibrium Framework for the Divvy Economy

In a recent paper, G. Dantzig has formulated a model for resource allocation in the so called "Divvy Institutional Economy." The author proves the existence of a general equilibrium solution to the economic problem (in terms of prices and quantities of input factors and final goods) which at the same time satisfies agreed upon shares of monetary flows allocated to input resource groups and to output consumer groups. The agreement upon the share values is carried out by a political process, while the market mechanisms adjust the prices of primary resource inputs and the relative sizes of the consumer groups until those shares are satisfied. The inputs and outputs and the production and transformation technology are presented in an Input-Output format. The formalization of the resource allocation problem takes into account the presence of institutionalized forces together with the market mechanism. Examples can be taken from empirical observation (collective bargaining, Congressional Budget Approval, indexed prices of raw material) is per se a major innovation with respect to more classical results. In the following sections we we will try to view the Divvy results in relation to the classic economic formulation of the problem and study possible implications of it

Elemental Abundances of Blue Compact Dwarfs from mid-IR Spectroscopy with Spitzer

We present a study of elemental abundances in a sample of thirteen Blue Compact Dwarf (BCD) galaxies, using the $\sim$10--37$\mu$m high resolution spectra obtained with Spitzer/IRS. We derive the abundances of neon and sulfur for our sample using the infrared fine-structure lines probing regions which may be obscured by dust in the optical and compare our results with similar infrared studies of starburst galaxies from ISO. We find a good correlation between the neon and sulfur abundances, though sulfur is under-abundant relative to neon with respect to the solar value. A comparison of the elemental abundances (neon, sulfur) measured from the infrared data with those derived from the optical (neon, sulfur, oxygen) studies reveals a good overall agreement for sulfur, while the infrared derived neon abundances are slightly higher than the optical values. This indicates that either the metallicities of dust enshrouded regions in BCDs are similar to the optically accessible regions, or that if they are different they do not contribute substantially to the total infrared emission of the host galaxy.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted by Ap

VisualUVAM: A Decision Support System Addressing the Curse of Dimensionality for the Multi-Scale Assessment of Urban Vulnerability in Spain

[EN] Many-objective optimization methods have proven successful in the integration of research attributes demanded for urban vulnerability assessment models. However, these techniques suffer from the curse of the dimensionality problem, producing an excessive burden in the decision-making process by compelling decision-makers to select alternatives among a large number of candidates. In other fields, this problem has been alleviated through cluster analysis, but there is still a lack in the application of such methods for urban vulnerability assessment purposes. This work addresses this gap by a novel combination of visual analytics and cluster analysis, enabling the decision-maker to select the set of indicators best representing urban vulnerability accordingly to three criteria: expert¿s preferences, goodness of fit, and robustness. Based on an assessment framework previously developed, VisualUVAM affords an evaluation of urban vulnerability in Spain at regional, provincial, and municipal scales, whose results demonstrate the effect of the governmental structure of a territory over the vulnerability of the assessed entities.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, along with FEDER, grant number Project: BIA2017-85098-R".Salas, J.; Yepes, V. (2019). VisualUVAM: A Decision Support System Addressing the Curse of Dimensionality for the Multi-Scale Assessment of Urban Vulnerability in Spain. Sustainability. 11(8):2191-01-2191-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082191S2191-012191-17118Rigillo, M., & Cervelli, E. (2014). Mapping Urban Vulnerability: The Case Study of Gran Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Advanced Engineering Forum, 11, 142-148. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/aef.11.142Malekpour, S., Brown, R. R., & de Haan, F. J. (2015). 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Journal of Cleaner Production, 216, 607-623. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.083Dor, A., & Kissinger, M. (2017). A multi-year, multi-scale analysis of urban sustainability. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 62, 115-121. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2016.05.004Rega, C., Singer, J. P., & Geneletti, D. (2018). Investigating the substantive effectiveness of Strategic Environmental Assessment of urban planning: Evidence from Italy and Spain. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 73, 60-69. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2018.07.004Salas, J., & Yepes, V. (2018). A discursive, many-objective approach for selecting more-evolved urban vulnerability assessment models. Journal of Cleaner Production, 176, 1231-1244. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.11.249Penadés-Plà, V., García-Segura, T., Martí, J., & Yepes, V. (2016). A Review of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods Applied to the Sustainable Bridge Design. Sustainability, 8(12), 1295. doi:10.3390/su8121295Zio, E., & Bazzo, R. (2011). A clustering procedure for reducing the number of representative solutions in the Pareto Front of multiobjective optimization problems. European Journal of Operational Research, 210(3), 624-634. doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2010.10.021Ishibuchi, H., Akedo, N., & Nojima, Y. (2015). Behavior of Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithms on Many-Objective Knapsack Problems. IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation, 19(2), 264-283. doi:10.1109/tevc.2014.2315442A fast and effective method for pruning of non-dominated solutions in many-objective problems https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-33750253049&partnerID=40&md5=f46109796025a884fd054d73e71c308eTaboada, H. A., Baheranwala, F., Coit, D. W., & Wattanapongsakorn, N. (2007). Practical solutions for multi-objective optimization: An application to system reliability design problems. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 92(3), 314-322. doi:10.1016/j.ress.2006.04.014Kasprzyk, J. R., Nataraj, S., Reed, P. M., & Lempert, R. J. (2013). Many objective robust decision making for complex environmental systems undergoing change. Environmental Modelling & Software, 42, 55-71. doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2012.12.007Adger, W. N. (2006). Vulnerability. Global Environmental Change, 16(3), 268-281. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2006.02.006A new decision sciences for complex systems http://people.physics.anu.edu.au/~tas110/Teaching/Lectures/L1/Material/Lempert02.pdfThomas, J., & Kielman, J. (2009). Challenges for Visual Analytics. Information Visualization, 8(4), 309-314. doi:10.1057/ivs.2009.26Andrienko, G., Andrienko, N., Demsar, U., Dransch, D., Dykes, J., Fabrikant, S. I., … Tominski, C. (2010). Space, time and visual analytics. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 24(10), 1577-1600. doi:10.1080/13658816.2010.508043Santos, J., Ferreira, A., & Flintsch, G. (2017). A multi-objective optimization-based pavement management decision-support system for enhancing pavement sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 164, 1380-1393. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.07.027Análisis urbanístico de barrios vulnerables https://www.fomento.gob.es/MFOM/LANG_CASTELLANO/DIRECCIONES_GENERALES/ARQ_VIVIENDA/SUELO_Y_POLITICAS/OBSERVATORIO/Analisis_urba_Barrios_Vulnerables/Informes_CCAA.htmBirkmann, J., Garschagen, M., & Setiadi, N. (2014). New challenges for adaptive urban governance in highly dynamic environments: Revisiting planning systems and tools for adaptive and strategic planning. Urban Climate, 7, 115-133. doi:10.1016/j.uclim.2014.01.006Besagni, G., & Borgarello, M. (2019). The socio-demographic and geographical dimensions of fuel poverty in Italy. Energy Research & Social Science, 49, 192-203. doi:10.1016/j.erss.2018.11.007Khalil, N., Kamaruzzaman, S. N., & Baharum, M. R. (2016). Ranking the indicators of building performance and the users’ risk via Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP): Case of Malaysia. Ecological Indicators, 71, 567-576. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.07.032Pellicer, E., Sierra, L. A., & Yepes, V. (2016). Appraisal of infrastructure sustainability by graduate students using an active-learning method. Journal of Cleaner Production, 113, 884-896. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.11.010Sierra, L. A., Yepes, V., & Pellicer, E. (2018). A review of multi-criteria assessment of the social sustainability of infrastructures. Journal of Cleaner Production, 187, 496-513. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.022Saaty, T. L. (1990). How to make a decision: The analytic hierarchy process. European Journal of Operational Research, 48(1), 9-26. doi:10.1016/0377-2217(90)90057-