Stochastic volatility models and the Taylor effect

It has been often empirically observed that the sample autocorrelations of absolute financial returns are larger than those of squared returns. This property, know as Taylor effect, is analysed in this paper in the Stochastic Volatility (SV) model framework. We show that the stationary autoregressive SV model is able to generate this property for realistic parameter specifications. On the other hand, the Taylor effect is shown not to be a sampling phenomena due to estimation biases of the sample autocorrelations. Therefore, financial models that aims to explain the behaviour of financial returns should take account of this property

Fostering cooperation in the European Union on skills, training and knowledge transfer in cultural heritage professions

Coordinadora junto a K. Gunthorpe, A. Limburg, N. Roche, E. SciacchitanoFor the first time, the Council of the European Union has invited a group of national experts to investigate skills, training and knowledge transfer in the heritage professions in Europe. The group was operational in 2017 and 2018 under the Work Plan for Culture 2015-2018, with the support of the European Commission. This report is intended to be a resource for the European Union (EU) to ensure the long-term sustainability of Europe’s cultural heritage. It aims to do this by contributing to the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 objective ‘to support the development of specialised skills and improve knowledge management and knowledge transfer in the cultural heritage sector, taking into account the implications of the digital shift’. It will also contribute to the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage, launched by the European Commission with the aim of leaving a policy imprint beyond 2018.Depto. de Pintura y Conservación-RestauraciónFac. de Bellas ArtesTRUEComisión Europeapu

Solving the mechanistic puzzle of gold-catalyzed cyclization of 1,6-enynes and beyond

La tesis se centra en el estudio del mecanismo de las reacciones de cicloisomerización de 1,6-eninos catalizada por complejos de oro(I). Evidencia experimental de la existencia de los intermedios propuestos se ha obtenido mediante la reacción de atrapamiento intermolecular de dichos intermedios, con alquenos, mediante la reacción de bisciclopropanación, y también por adición externa de nucleófilos. Por otra parte, la reacción de cicloadición [4 + 2] de aril eninos sustituidos fue estudiada. Esta reacción se ha utilizado como metodología clave para la síntesis de productos naturales como la familia de las picnanthuquinonas, También se ha estudiado el mecanismo de trasposición por rututa de enlace simple o doble y la formación de ciclobutenos en la reacción de 1,6-eninos aril substituidos.This Thesis is focused on the mechanism of the cycloisomerization reaction of 1,6-enyes catalyzed by gold(I) complexes. We obtained experimental evidence for the existence of the proposed intermediates by intermolecular trapping with alkenes, through a biscyclopropanation reaction and by reaction with external nucleophiles. On the other hand, the [4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of substituted aryl enynes was studied. This reaction was used in an approach for the total synthesis of natural products such as the pycnanthuquinones. We have also studied the mechanism of the simple/double cleavage rearrangement and the formation of cyclobutenes in the reaction of aryl substituted 1,6-enynes. Moreover, new silver and copper complexes were prepared and structurally characterized. The new complexes were assayed in the cycloisomerization and cyclopropanation reactions. Metal-arene interactions were also studied

Preventive conservation and sustainability of heritage collections in transit

This paper aims to present the complexity of the preventive conservation and sustainability of the collections that are included in the temporary exhibition ‘Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away’, opened in Madrid in December 2017 and scheduled to travel to new destinations over the next 7 years. It was produced in co-operation with the State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland. The exhibit objects belong to more than twenty international collections concerned with the Heritage of the Holocaust. The methodology to analyze the sustainability of a traveling exhibition has been introduced, in the stage of the preparation, production, assembly, operation, disassembly, and transportation to the next venue, in order to take into consideration the whole Life Cycle of the exhibition. The indicators to consider its impact in the three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, economic and social has been proposed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Museum of Pedagogy of Belgrade (Serbia) and the communication of educational heritage

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo ofrecer una aproximación al Museo de la Pedagogía de Belgrado (Serbia), y su nueva museografía inaugurada en el año 2007, que destaca por ofrecer un mensaje claro y divulgativo de la Historia de la Educación en Serbia desde sus orígenes hasta el siglo XX. Dicho museo fue visitado en agosto de 2015, compilando información documental y fotográfica para el presente trabajo. Comprendiendo el patrimonio educativo como protagonista del museo, iniciamos el discurso del artículo con el concepto de museografía didáctica, para tratar a continuación el origen e historia del Museo y sus colecciones con mención especial a los agentes involucrados en la gestión del museo. Finalmente, apoyándonos en la documentación fotográfica, tratamos el desarrollo museo-gráfico.This article aims to provide an approach to the Museum of Pedagogy in Belgrade (Serbia) and its exhibition display. Opened in 2007, the Museum can offer a clear and informative message of the History of Education in Serbia since its beginning to the Twentieth century. The museum was visited in August 2015 by the author of this paper, that collected the Catalogue and others, and tooked pictures about it in order to be able to write this paper. Understanding the Educational Heritage as the main subject of the Museum, we began the paper with the concept of didactical museography, to then treat the origin and the history of the museum and its collections with a mention of the Museum stakeholders.. Subsequently, following the pho-tographic documentation, we try the display development

Repetitive Movements in Melon Cultivation Workers under Greenhouses

Musculoskeletal disorders cause serious problems that affect workers in many sectors. The objective of this study is the ergonomic analysis of melon cultivation farmers in Almeria-type greenhouses. For this, the rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) method has been applied after carrying out a detailed process of observing the farmers’ tasks. The study shows that 65% of the postures have a very-high-risk level, 26% high, 9% average, and no posture is found with a low risk. They also show that in 69.57% of the postures, the upper limbs are less affected than the others such as the neck, trunk, and lower limbs. Measures are proposed to improve the working conditions for workers

NeuroPod: a real-time neuromorphic spiking CPG applied to robotics

Initially, robots were developed with the aim of making our life easier, carrying out repetitive or dangerous tasks for humans. Although they were able to perform these tasks, the latest generation of robots are being designed to take a step further, by performing more complex tasks that have been carried out by smart animals or humans up to date. To this end, inspiration needs to be taken from biological examples. For instance, insects are able to optimally solve complex environment navigation problems, and many researchers have started to mimic how these insects behave. Recent interest in neuromorphic engineering has motivated us to present a real-time, neuromorphic, spike-based Central Pattern Generator of application in neurorobotics, using an arthropod-like robot. A Spiking Neural Network was designed and implemented on SpiNNaker. The network models a complex, online-change capable Central Pattern Generator which generates three gaits for a hexapod robot locomotion. Recon gurable hardware was used to manage both the motors of the robot and the real-time communication interface with the Spiking Neural Networks. Real-time measurements con rm the simulation results, and locomotion tests show that NeuroPod can perform the gaits without any balance loss or added delay.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2016-77785-

CEST and MEST: Tools for the simulation of radio frequency electric discharges in waveguides

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory, 16, 9, (2008) http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.simpat.2008.08.002In this paper we present two software tools for the simulation of electron multiplication processes in radio frequency (RF) waveguides. The electric discharges are caused by the multiplication of a small initial number of electrons. These are accelerated by the RF field and produce new electrons either by collisions with the walls of the waveguide (ripping new electrons from them), or by ionization of the neutral atoms of a gas inside the device. MEST allows simulating the Multipactor effect, a discharge produced in vacuum and generated by the collision of the electrons with the walls. CEST simulates the discharge when in addition a neutral gas is present in the waveguide, at pressures lower than ground levels (often denominated Corona discharge). The main characteristic of both tools is that they implement individual-based, microscopic models, where every electron is individually represented and tracked. In the case of MEST, the simulation is discrete-event, as the trajectory of each electron can be computed analytically. In CEST we use a hybrid simulation approach. The trajectory of each electron is governed by the Langevin stochastic differential equations that take into account a deterministic RF electric force and the random interaction with the neutral atom background. In addition, wall and ionizing collisions are modelled as discrete events. The tools allow performing batches of simulations with different wall coating materials and gases, and have produced results in good agreement with experimental and theoretical data. The different output forms generated at run-time have proven to be very useful in order to analyze the different discharge processes. The tools are valuable for the selection of the most promising coating materials for the construction of the waveguide, as well as for the identification of safe operating parameters.Work sponsored by the ESA, TRP activity program 17025/03/NL/EC: Surface Treatment and Coating

Preliminary investigation on the use of waste cork dust as filler in hot-mix asphalt

Este póster foi presentado no congreso "Cork in Science and Applications 2019. New Trends in Cork Innovation: From the Wine Industry to the New Applications" que foi organizado polo Institut Catalá del Suro e que tivo lugar en Palafrugell (Girona) o 22 e 23 de maio de 2019.[Abstract:] The cork contains significant amounts of a biopolymer called suberin (45%). Polymers have been frequently used in the manufacture of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) to improve their properties. At the Universidade da Coruña (UDC), a preliminary investigation was carried out in which the feasibility of using waste cork dust from the manufacture of plugs, as filler in the manufacture of HMA was analyzed. Firstly, the aggregate-binder adhesion was analyzed by means of two types of tests: the boiling water test and the rolling bottle method. The performance of the cork filler was compared with the performance of conventional natural filler. In both tests it was obtained that with the cork filler, the aggregate-binder adhesion was better than with the natural filler. Secondly, a HMA type AC 22 bin S was manufactured, with a bitumen content of 3.8%. Indirect tensile test after immersion in water were conducted, in order to compare the moisture damage resistance of mixtures made with filler cork and natural filler. It was concluded that the filler cork helped to slightly improve the water resistance of the mixture. Although further investigation is needed, it can be stated that the filler cork could replace the conventional natural filler in the production of HMA