The influence of returns on the pension fund selection process in Spain: A sensibility analysis

El objetivo del presente trabajo es doble: por un lado analizar los factores que inducen a un inversor a seleccionar un plan de pensiones concreto y por otro determinar si dichos inversores poseen habilidades de selección. Los resultados obtenidos al aplicar un análisis univariante muestran que los inversores seleccionan su plan de pensiones en función de la rentabilidad obtenida en el pasado, sin embargo, únicamente muestran capacidad de selección los partícipes más conservadores. Así mismo, los resultados obtenidos al aplicar un análisis multivariante indican que la antigüedad, el patrimonio acumulado por el plan, la rentabilidad pasada, y la naturaleza jurídica de la entidad depositaria ejercen un impacto significativo en las variaciones monetarias del plan de pensionesThe aim of the present paper is two-fold: firstly, to analyse the factors that lead investors to choose a specific pension fund, and secondly, to determine whether these investors possess selection skills. The results of a univariate analysis show that investors choose their pension fund according to the returns it has obtained in the past; however, selection capabilities are shown by only the most conservative participants. Moreover, the results of a multivariate analysis indicate that the age of the fund, its accumulated assets, its past returns and the legal status of the custodian have a significant impact on monetary variations in pension fund

Real-time depth sectioning: Isolating the effect of stress on structure development in pressure-driven flow

Transient structure development at a specific distance from the channel wall in a pressure-driven flow is obtained from a set of real-time measurements that integrate contributions throughout the thickness of a rectangular channel. This “depth sectioning method” retains the advantages of pressure-driven flow while revealing flow-induced structures as a function of stress. The method is illustrated by applying it to isothermal shear-induced crystallization of an isotactic polypropylene using both synchrotron x-ray scattering and optical retardance. Real-time, depth-resolved information about the development of oriented precursors reveals features that cannot be extracted from ex-situ observation of the final morphology and that are obscured in the depth-averaged in-situ measurements. For example, at 137 °C and at the highest shear stress examined (65 kPa), oriented thread-like nuclei formed rapidly, saturated within the first 7 s of flow, developed significant crystalline overgrowth during flow and did not relax after cessation of shear. At lower stresses, threads formed later and increased at a slower rate. The depth sectioning method can be applied to the flow-induced structure development in diverse complex fluids, including block copolymers, colloidal systems, and liquid-crystalline polymers

TRPV1 in chronic pruritus and pain: Soft modulation as a therapeutic strategy

Chronic pain and pruritus are highly disabling pathologies that still lack appropriate therapeutic intervention. At cellular level the transduction and transmission of pain and pruritogenic signals are closely intertwined, negatively modulating each other. The molecular and cellular pathways involved are multifactorial and complex, including peripheral and central components. Peripherally, pain and itch are produced by subpopulations of specialized nociceptors that recognize and transduce algesic and pruritogenic signals. Although still under intense investigation, cumulative evidence is pointing to the thermosensory channel TRPV1 as a hub for a large number of pro-algesic and itchy agents. TRPV1 appears metabolically coupled to most neural receptors that recognize algesic and pruritic molecules. Thus, targeting TRPV1 function appears as a valuable and reasonable therapeutic strategy. In support of this tenet, capsaicin, a desensitizing TRPV1 agonist, has been shown to exhibit clinically relevant analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-pruritic activities. However, potent TRPV1 antagonists have been questioned due to an hyperthermic secondary effect that prevented their clinical development. Thus, softer strategies directed to modulate peripheral TRPV1 function appear warranted to alleviate chronic pain and itch. In this regard, soft, deactivatable TRPV1 antagonists for topical or local application appear as an innovative approach for improving the distressing painful and itchy symptoms of patients suffering chronic pain or pruritus. Here, we review the data on these compounds and propose that this strategy could be used to target other peripheral therapeutic targets

Gran Telescopio Canarias OSIRIS Transiting Exoplanet Atmospheric Survey: Detection of potassium in XO-2b from narrowband spectrophotometry

We present Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) optical transit narrow-band photometry of the hot-Jupiter exoplanet XO-2b using the OSIRIS instrument. This unique instrument has the capabilities to deliver high cadence narrow-band photometric lightcurves, allowing us to probe the atmospheric composition of hot Jupiters from the ground. The observations were taken during three transit events which cover four wavelengths at spectral resolutions near 500, necessary for observing atmospheric features, and have near-photon limited sub-mmag precisions. Precision narrow-band photometry on a large aperture telescope allows for atmospheric transmission spectral features to be observed for exoplanets around much fainter stars than those of the well studied targets HD209458b and HD189733b, providing access to the majority of known transiting planets. For XO-2b, we measure planet-to-star radius contrasts of R_pl/R_star=0.10508+/-0.00052 at 6792 Ang, 0.10640+/-0.00058 at 7582 Ang, and 0.10686+/-0.00060 at 7664.9 Ang, and 0.10362+/-0.00051 at 8839 Ang. These measurements reveal significant spectral features at two wavelengths, with an absorption level of 0.067+/-0.016% at 7664.9 Ang due to atmospheric potassium in the line core (a 4.1-sigma significance level), and an absorption level of 0.058+/-0.016% at 7582 Ang, (a 3.6-sigma significance level). When comparing our measurements to hot-Jupiter atmospheric models, we find good agreement with models which are dominated in the optical by alkali metals. This is the first evidence for potassium in an extrasolar planet, an element that has long been theorized along with sodium to be a dominant source of opacity at optical wavelengths for hot Jupiters.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted in A&A, minor changes to wording, primarily section 4.2, and the title has also been slightly modifie

Effect of Random Ethylene Comonomer on Relaxation of Flow-Induced Precursors in Isotactic Polypropylene

The effect of comonomer on structure and relaxation of flow-induced precursors was investigated in a series of isotactic polypropylene and random propylene−ethylene copolymers. The polymers were subjected to flow by fiber pulling and allowed to relax above their nominal melting temperature for specific times. The type of morphology developed after cooling revealed whether flow-induced precursors were still present or the melt had fully reequilibrated. Precursors were long-lived and, at fixed temperature, decayed significantly faster with higher ethylene content. The critical time for precursor relaxation followed an Arrhenius-type dependence with temperature. The apparent energy of activation for precursor dissolution decreased with increasing comonomer content, indicating that the rate-limiting step of the relaxation process becomes less difficult with higher ethylene fraction. This effect is attributed to ethylene co-units acting as disruptors of precursor structure and is discussed in terms of quasi-crystalline nature and characteristic chain stem length of precursor bundles. Includes supplemental materials

Seguimiento y mejora de las asignaturas de segundo curso del Grado en Ingeniería Informática durante el curso 2013-2014

En esta memoria se describe el trabajo de la red docente para el seguimiento y control de calidad de las asignaturas del segundo curso del Grado en Ingeniería Informática impartido en la Escuela Politécnica Superior de la Universidad de Alicante. En esta edición, el trabajo de la red se ha centrado en el estudio de las necesidades formativas y los contenidos impartidos en las asignaturas. El resultado ha sido la creación de un grafo de dependencias entre asignaturas de segundo y primer curso (y de segundo curso entre sí), un mapa de necesidades formativas para acceder a las asignaturas de segundo curso y un mapa de los contenidos impartidos en éstas. Asimismo, se ha elaborado un calendario on-line de evaluaciones para el curso 2014-2015

Brand stereotypes: on the relationships with gendered brand personality and agentic and communal values in fostering consumer–brand identification

© 2024, The Autor(s). This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. This document is the Publishe version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Journal of Business Research. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114635This research draws on social identity theory and social role theory of gender stereotypes to investigate the role of brand gender personality (masculine and feminine) on generating brand warmth and competence, and how consumers’ agentic and communal values condition the effects of brand stereotypes on consumer–brand iden tification. The theoretical model is tested via two different studies. In the first study (N = 490), 21 brands across different product categories are used to test the theoretical model. Then, a second study (N = 469) corroborates the previously identified relationships and further shows that the effect of brand stereotypes on consumer–brand identification is moderated by agentic and communal motivations. The present study contributes to research on brand stereotyping while providing managerial insights that can be used to enhance the relationship between brands and consumers

The association between prior appendectomy and/or tonsillectomy in women and subsequent pregnancy rate:a cohort study

OBJECTIVE: To study pregnancy rates after appendectomy and/or tonsillectomy.DESIGN: Population-based cohort study using the United Kingdom (U.K.) primary health care-based Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD).SETTING: Not applicable.PATIENT(S): Female patients who underwent appendectomy, tonsillectomy, or both from 1987 to 2012 and appropriate comparators.INTERVENTION(S): Timed follow-up until first pregnancy after surgery. The association between prior surgery and subsequent pregnancy was determined with the use of Cox regression models.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Pregnancy rate and time to first pregnancy after surgery.RESULT(S): The analyses included 54,675 appendectomy-only patients, 112,607 tonsillectomy-only patients, 10,340 patients who had both appendectomy and tonsillectomy, and 355,244 comparators matched for exact age and practice from the rest of female patients in the database. There were 29,732 (54.4%), 60,078 (53.4%), and 6,169 (59.7%) pregnancies in the appendectomy-only, tonsillectomy-only, and both appendectomy tonsillectomy cohorts, respectively versus 155,079 (43.7%) in the comparator cohort during a mean follow-up of 14.7 ± 9.7 years. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for subsequent birth rates were 1.34 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32-1.35), 1.49 (95% CI 1.48-1.51), and 1.43 (95% CI 1.39-1.47), respectively. Time to pregnancy was shortest after both appendectomy and tonsillectomy followed by appendectomy only and then tonsillectomy only compared with the rest of the population.CONCLUSION(S): Appendectomy and/or tonsillectomy was associated with increased subsequent pregnancy rates and shorter time to pregnancy. The effect of the surgical procedures on the pregnancy outcome was cumulative.</p