2,553 research outputs found
Entropy Methods for Identifying Hedonic Models
This paper contributes to the literature on hedonic models in two ways. First, it makes use of Queyranneâs reformulation of a hedonic model in the discrete case as a network flow problem in order to provide a proof of existence and integrality of a hedonic equilibrium and efficient computation of hedonic prices. Second, elaborating on entropic methods developed in Galichon and SalaniĂ© (Cupidâs invisible hand: social surplus and identification in matching models. Working Paper, 2014), this paper proposes a new identification strategy for hedonic models in a single market. This methodology allows one to introduce heterogeneities in both consumersâ and producersâ attributes and to recover producersâ profits and consumersâ utilities based on the observation of production and consumption patterns and the set of hedonic prices
Les titres-services : quelle qualité d'emploi et d'organisation du service ?
Concernant plus de 100.000 travailleurs, prĂšs de 800.000 familles et plus de 2.000 entreprises, le dispositif titre-service est au coeur de lâagenda politique compte tenu de lâimportance du budget public mobilisĂ© qui sâĂ©lĂšve Ă plus dâun milliard dâeuros pour 2009. Ce numĂ©ro prĂ©sente les rĂ©sultats dâune recherche qui porte sur la qualitĂ© de lâemploi et de lâorganisation du service dans ce champ dâactivitĂ©.
Exhumation, crustal deformation, and thermal structure of the Nepal Himalaya derived from the inversion of thermochronological and thermobarometric data and modeling of the topography
Two endâmember kinematic models of crustal shortening across the Himalaya are
currently debated: one assumes localized thrusting along a single major thrust fault, the
Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) with nonuniform underplating due to duplexing, and the
other advocates for outâofâsequence (OOS) thrusting in addition to thrusting along the
MHT and underplating. We assess these two models based on the modeling of
thermochronological, thermometric, and thermobarometric data from the central Nepal
Himalaya. We complement a data set compiled from the literature with 114 ^(40)Ar/^(39)Ar,
10 apatite fission track, and 5 zircon (UâTh)/He thermochronological data. The data are
predicted using a thermokinematic model (PECUBE), and the model parameters are
constrained using an inverse approach based on the Neighborhood Algorithm. The model
parameters include geometric characteristics as well as overthrusting rates, radiogenic heat
production in the High Himalayan Crystalline (HHC) sequence, the age of initiation of
the duplex or of out-of-sequence thrusting. Both models can provide a satisfactory fit to the
inverted data. However, the model with out-of-sequence thrusting implies an unrealistic
convergence rate â„30 mm yr^(â1). The out-of-sequence thrust model can be adjusted to fit the
convergence rate and the thermochronological data if the Main Central Thrust zone is
assigned a constant geometry and a dip angle of about 30° and a slip rate of <1 mm yr^(â1). In
the duplex model, the 20 mm yr^(â1) convergence rate is partitioned between an overthrusting
rate of 5.8 ± 1.4 mm yr^(â1) and an underthrusting rate of 14.2 ± 1.8 mm yr^(â1). Modern rock
uplift rates are estimated to increase from about 0.9 ± 0.31 mm yr^(â1) in the Lesser Himalaya to
3.0 ± 0.9 mm yr^(â1) at the front of the high range, 86 ± 13 km from the Main Frontal Thrust.
The effective friction coefficient is estimated to be 0.07 or smaller, and the radiogenic
heat production of HHC units is estimated to be 2.2 ± 0.1 ”Wm^(â3). The midcrustal
duplex initiated at 9.8 ± 1.7 Ma, leading to an increase of uplift rate at front of the High
Himalaya from 0.9 ± 0.31 to 3.05 ± 0.9 mm yr^(â1). We also run 3-D models by coupling
PECUBE with a landscape evolution model (CASCADE). This modeling shows that the
effect of the evolving topography can explain a fraction of the scatter observed in the data but
not all of it, suggesting that lateral variations of the kinematics of crustal deformation and
exhumation are likely. It has been argued that the steep physiographic transition at the foot of
the Greater Himalayan Sequence indicates OOS thrusting, but our results demonstrate
that the best fit duplex model derived from the thermochronological and thermobarometric
data reproduces the present morphology of the Nepal Himalaya equally well
The XMMâNEWTON ⊠Project: I. The X-ray luminosity â temperature relation at z>0.4
We describe XMM-Newton Guaranteed Time observations of a sample of eight high redshift (0.45 < z < rvirial) bolometric luminosities, performed ÎČ-model fits to the radial surface profiles and made spectral fits to a single temperature isothermal model. We describe data analysis techniques that pay particular attention to background mitigation. We have also estimated temperatures and luminosities for two known clusters (Abell 2246 and RXJ1325.0-3814), and one new high redshift cluste r candidate (XMMU J084701.8 +345117), that were detected o ff-axis. Characterizing the L x â Tx relation as L x = L 6 ( T 6keV ) α , we find L 6 = 15 . 9 + 7 . 6 â 5 . 2 Ă 1044erg s â 1 and α =2.7 ±0.4 for an ⊠Π= 0 . 0 , ⊠M = 1 .0, H0 = 50 km s â 1 Mpc â 1 cosmology at a typical redshift z ⌠0 .55. Comparing with the low redshift study by Markevitch, 1998, we find α to be in agreement, and assuming L x â Tx to evolve as (1 + z ) A , we find A =0.68 ±0.26 for the same cosmology and A = 1 .52 + 0 .26 â 0 .27 for an ⊠Π= 0 . 7 , ⊠M = 0 . 3 cosmology. Our A values are very similar to those found previously by Vikhlinin et al., 2002 using a compilation of Chandra observations of 0 .39 < z < 1 .26 clusters. We conclude that there is now evidence from both XMM-Newton and Chandra for an evolutionary trend in the L x â Tx relation. This evolution is significantly below the level expected from the predictions of the self-similar model for an ⊠Π= 0 . 0 , ⊠M = 1 .0, cosmology, but consistent with self-similar model in an ⊠Π= 0 . 7 , ⊠M = 0 . 3 cosmology. Our observations lend support to the robustness and completeness of the SHARC and 160SD surveys
Healthy aims: developing new medical implants and diagnostic equipment
Healthy Aims is a âŹ23-million, four-year project, funded under the EUâs Information Society Technology Sixth Framework program to develop intelligent medical implants and diagnostic systems (www.healthyaims.org). The project has 25 partners from 10 countries, including commercial,
clinical, and research groups. This consortium represents a combination of disciplines to design and fabricate new medical devices and components as well as to test them in laboratories and subsequent clinical trials.
The project focuses on medical implants for nerve stimulation and diagnostic equipment based on straingauge
technology
XMM-Newton Observation of a Distant X-ray Selected Cluster of Galaxies at z=1.26 with Possible Cluster Interaction
We report on the XMM-Newton (XMM) observation of RXJ1053.7+5735, one of the
most distant (z = 1.26) X-ray selected clusters of galaxies, which also shows
an unusual double-lobed X-ray morphology, indicative of possible
cluster-cluster interaction. The cluster was discovered during our ROSAT deep
pointings in the direction of the Lockman Hole. The XMM observations were
performed with the European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC) during the performance
verification phase. Total effective exposure time was ~ 100 ksec. The best fit
temperature based on a simultaneous fit of spectra from the all EPIC cameras is
4.9(+1.5/-0.9) keV. Metallicity is poorly constrained even using the joint fit
of all spectra, with an upper limit on the iron abundance of 0.62 solar. Using
the best fit model parameters, we derived a bolometric luminosity of L(bol) =
3.4x10^44 h_{50}^-2 erg /s. Despite the fact that it was observed at fairly
large off-axis angle, the temperature errors are much smaller compared with
those of typical measurements based on ASCA or Beppo-Sax observations of z >
0.6 clusters, demonstrating the power of the XMM for determining the X-ray
temperature for high-z clusters. The measured temperature and luminosity show
that one can easily reach the intrinsically X-ray faint and cool cluster regime
comparable with those of z ~ 0.4 clusters observed by past satellites. The new
cluster temperature and L(bol) we have measured for RXJ1053.7+5735 is
consistent with a weak/no evolution of the L(bol) - Tx relation out to z ~ 1.3,
which lends support to a low Omega universe, although more data-points of z > 1
clusters are required for a more definitive statement. The caution has to be
also exercised in interpreting the result, because of the uncertainty
associated with the dynamical status of this cluster.Comment: Accepted for pubblication in A&A. 7 figures (One color figure is
changed to black and white.
BioModels Database: An enhanced, curated and annotated resource for published quantitative kinetic models
Background: Quantitative models of biochemical and cellular systems are used to answer a variety of questions in the
biological sciences. The number of published quantitative models is growing steadily thanks to increasing interest in
the use of models as well as the development of improved software systems and the availability of better, cheaper
computer hardware. To maximise the benefits of this growing body of models, the field needs centralised model
repositories that will encourage, facilitate and promote model dissemination and reuse. Ideally, the models stored in
these repositories should be extensively tested and encoded in community-supported and standardised formats. In
addition, the models and their components should be cross-referenced with other resources in order to allow their
unambiguous identification.
Description: BioModels Database http://www.ebi.ac.uk/biomodels/ is aimed at addressing exactly these needs. It is a
freely-accessible online resource for storing, viewing, retrieving, and analysing published, peer-reviewed quantitative
models of biochemical and cellular systems. The structure and behaviour of each simulation model distributed by
BioModels Database are thoroughly checked; in addition, model elements are annotated with terms from controlled
vocabularies as well as linked to relevant data resources. Models can be examined online or downloaded in various
formats. Reaction network diagrams generated from the models are also available in several formats. BioModels
Database also provides features such as online simulation and the extraction of components from large scale models
into smaller submodels. Finally, the system provides a range of web services that external software systems can use to
access up-to-date data from the database.
Conclusions: BioModels Database has become a recognised reference resource for systems biology. It is being used by
the community in a variety of ways; for example, it is used to benchmark different simulation systems, and to study the
clustering of models based upon their annotations. Model deposition to the database today is advised by several
publishers of scientific journals. The models in BioModels Database are freely distributed and reusable; the underlying
software infrastructure is also available from SourceForge https://sourceforge.net/projects/biomodels/ under the GNU
General Public License
HIFLUGCS: Galaxy cluster scaling relations between X-ray luminosity, gas mass, cluster radius, and velocity dispersion
We present relations between X-ray luminosity and velocity dispersion
(L-sigma), X-ray luminosity and gas mass (L-Mgas), and cluster radius and
velocity dispersion (r500-sigma) for 62 galaxy clusters in the HIFLUGCS, an
X-ray flux-limited sample minimizing bias toward any cluster morphology. Our
analysis in total is based on ~1.3Ms of clean X-ray XMM-Newton data and 13439
cluster member galaxies with redshifts. Cool cores are among the major
contributors to the scatter in the L-sigma relation. When the
cool-core-corrected X-ray luminosity is used the intrinsic scatter decreases to
0.27 dex. Even after the X-ray luminosity is corrected for the cool core, the
scatter caused by the presence of cool cores dominates for the low-mass
systems. The scatter caused by the non-cool-core clusters does not strongly
depend on the mass range, and becomes dominant in the high-mass regime. The
observed L-sigma relation agrees with the self-similar prediction, matches that
of a simulated sample with AGN feedback disregarding six clusters with <45
cluster members with spectroscopic redshifts, and shows a common trend of
increasing scatter toward the low-mass end, i.e., systems with sigma<500km/s. A
comparison of observations with simulations indicates an AGN-feedback-driven
impact in the low-mass regime. The best fits to the relations
for the disturbed clusters and undisturbed clusters in the observational sample
closely match those of the simulated samples with and without AGN feedback,
respectively. This suggests that one main cause of the scatter is AGN activity
providing feedback in different phases, e.g., during a feedback cycle. The
slope and scatter in the observed r500-sigma relation is similar to that of the
simulated sample with AGN feedback except for a small offset but still within
the scatter.Comment: 45 pages, 28 figures, A&A proof-version, high-resolution figures in
Appendix F can be found in the electronic version on the A&A we
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