The inert doublet model of dark matter revisited

The inert doublet model, a minimal extension of the Standard Model by a second higgs doublet with no direct couplings to quarks or leptons, is one of the simplest scenarios that can explain the dark matter. In this paper, we study in detail the impact of dark matter annihilation into three-body final state on the phenomenology of the inert doublet model. We find that this new annihilation mode dominates, in a relevant portion of the parameter space, over those into two-body final states considered in previous analysis. As a result, the computation of the relic density is modified and the viable regions of the model are displaced. After obtaining the genuine viable regions for different sets of parameters, we compute the direct detection cross section of inert higgs dark matter and find it to be up to two orders of magnitude smaller than what is obtained for two-body final states only. Other implications of these results, including the modification to the decay width of the higgs and to the indirect detection signatures of inert higgs dark matter, are also briefly considered. We demonstrate, therefore, that the annihilation into three-body final state can not be neglected, as it has a important impact on the entire phenomenology of the inert doublet model.Comment: 22 pages, format changed, more detailed discussion in general, figures and references adde

Consciosusness in Cognitive Architectures. A Principled Analysis of RCS, Soar and ACT-R

This report analyses the aplicability of the principles of consciousness developed in the ASys project to three of the most relevant cognitive architectures. This is done in relation to their aplicability to build integrated control systems and studying their support for general mechanisms of real-time consciousness.\ud To analyse these architectures the ASys Framework is employed. This is a conceptual framework based on an extension for cognitive autonomous systems of the General Systems Theory (GST).\ud A general qualitative evaluation criteria for cognitive architectures is established based upon: a) requirements for a cognitive architecture, b) the theoretical framework based on the GST and c) core design principles for integrated cognitive conscious control systems

Nonlinear Exchange Rate Predictability

We study whether the nonlinear behavior of the real exchange rate can help us account for the lack of predictability of the nominal exchange rate. We construct a smooth nonlinear error-correction model that allows us to test the hypotheses of nonlinear predictability of the nominal exchange rate and nonlinear behavior on the real exchange rate in the context of a fully specified cointegrated system. Using a panel of 19 countries and three numeraires, we find evidence of nonlinear predictability of the nominal exchange rate and of nonlinear mean reversion of the real exchange rate. Out-of-sample Theil's U-statistics show a higher forecast precision of the nonlinear model than the one obtained with a random walk specification. Although the robustness of the out-of-sample results over different forecast windows is somewhat limited, we are able to obtain significant predictability gains--from a parsimonious structural model with PPP fundamentals--even at short-run horizons.Exchange rates; Predictability; Nonlinearities; Purchasing power parity