•A new factor for the Fama and French factor model is proposed.•The factor is based on the existence or not of long memory on the price series.•The new factor is more relevant than the momentum ...one.•The new factor is as relevant as the classical ones.
In this paper, a new long-term memory factor for extending the well-known Fama and French model is proposed and discussed thoroughly. The new long-term memory factor is based on the Hurst exponent and is calculated using the fractal dimension (FD) algorithm. The relevance of the new factor is illustrated using a sample of 1500 largest U.S. companies from different sectors.
Abstract
Rear‐edge tree populations are experiencing a combination of higher temperatures and more intense droughts that might push individuals beyond their tolerance limits. This trend towards ...rising atmospheric CO
2
is concurrent with an increase in intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE), which theoretically enhances photosynthesis and decrease evapotranspiration rates, consequently improving tree resistance to drought. However, it remains unclear whether iWUE is favouring tree growth under current climate conditions, particularly when climate and iWUE legacy effects are simultaneously considered.
We evaluated this question with an extensive sampling along Iberian rear‐edge (dry) populations comprising four mountain ranges and two distinct altitudes. We simultaneously examined the effects of climate and iWUE on secondary growth using annually resolved basal area increments (BAIs) for the period 1901–2017. We used linear mixed models including second‐order autocorrelation and 1‐year legacy effects of iWUE and summer drought.
BAI and iWUE increased across the studied period. iWUE increase was driven by changes in atmospheric CO
2
concentration and water availability during the growing season. Climate and iWUE exerted direct and lagged effects on beech growth. Water availability during growing season was the main driver of tree growth, combining direct and indirect effects through its impact on iWUE. Legacy effects of water availability and iWUE were more important than growing season conditions. The net effect of iWUE shifted when lagged effects were considered, resulting in a net negative impact on tree growth.
Synthesis
: Our results reveal that climate and iWUE legacy effects must be considered to assess the net iWUE effect on secondary growth. Considering lagged effects, the current increase in iWUE is constraining tree growth. Modelling efforts of tree growth response to climate warming should include climate and iWUE legacy effects to adequately assess terrestrial ecosystem carbon balance.
This consensus statement revises and updates the recommendations for biomarkers use in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, and is a joint initiative of the Spanish Society of Medical ...Oncology and the Spanish Society of Pathology. This expert group recommends determining in all cases of breast cancer the histologic grade and the alpha-estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor, Ki-67 and HER2 status, in order to assist prognosis and establish therapeutic options, including hormone therapy, chemotherapy and anti-HER2 therapy. One of the four available genetic prognostic platforms (MammaPrint
®
, Oncotype DX
®
, Prosigna
®
or EndoPredict
®
) may be used in node-negative ER-positive patients to establish a prognostic category and decide with the patient whether adjuvant treatment may be limited to hormonal therapy. Newer technologies including next-generation sequencing, liquid biopsy, tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes or PD-1 determination are at this point investigational.
Abstract Background and aim The Mediterranean diet is considered a model for healthy eating. However, prospective evidence in Mediterranean countries evaluating the relationship between this dietary ...pattern and non-fatal cardiovascular events is scarce. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between the adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the incidence of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events among initially healthy middle-aged adults from the Mediterranean area. Methods and results We followed-up 13,609 participants (60 percent women, mean age: 38 years) initially free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) during 4.9 years. Participants were part of a prospective cohort study of university graduates from all regions of Spain. Baseline diet was assessed using a validated 136-item food-frequency questionnaire. A 9-point score was used to appraise adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Incident clinical events were confirmed by a review of medical records. We observed 100 incident cases of CVD. In multivariate analyses, participants with the highest adherence to the Mediterranean diet (score > 6) exhibited a lower cardiovascular risk (hazard ratio = 0.41, 95% confidence interval CI: 0.18–0.95) compared to those with the lowest score (<3). For each 2-point increment in the score, the adjusted hazard ratios were 0.80 (95% CI: 0.62–1.02) for total CVD and 0.74 (0.55–0.99) for coronary heart disease. Conclusions There is an inverse association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the incidence of fatal and non-fatal CVD in initially healthy middle-aged adults.
Four different antioxidant tests (ABTS
+, DPPH, ORAC, β-carotene–linoleate model system) were used to determine the free-radical scavenging activity of 39 extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) and compare ...the total phenol content by the Folin–Ciocalteu method. The correlation between the total phenols and antioxidant capacities measured by the four methods was very high, and highest with ABTS
+ (
R
2
=
0.9905). Some of these methods of measurement were applied to olive-oil samples (OO), with approximately a 50% decrease in the value of the antioxidant capacity in comparison with values found for EVOO. In conclusion, the results show that all the methods tested were suitable for determining the antioxidant capacity of olive oil. The Picual variety of extra-virgin olive oil showed high antioxidant activity.
This work presents the construction of a reversible zinc ion battery using components recovered from exhausted Zn/C primary cells. The reduced cathode material from the primary battery served as raw ...material to synthesize birnessite-type manganese oxide, which, when working as a cathode in conjunction with an aqueous electrolyte and a recovered zinc anode, exhibits a reversible capacity of 289 mAh g
−1
at 20 mA g
−1
. This performance is similar to that observed for manganese oxide synthesized from potassium permanganate reagent (270 mAh g
−1
at 20 mA g
−1
). The structural characterization shows that the material obtained from recycling activities changes its morphology and surface area due to the presence of sodium ions during the synthesis process, and these remain in their structure. These changes promote a 60% capacity lost after being cycled at different charges, compared to 26% of δ-MnO
2
synthesized from permanganate reagent. The long-term stability test shows that both batteries can retain their capacity after 1000 discharge/charge cycles at a load of 1000 mA g
−1
. The results support the sustainability of using a primary cell residue to get an electric energy storage device again.
Among 800 stool specimens from patients with diarrhea submitted by Primary Care Centers for routine analysis to the Hospital of León (NW Spain) Microbiology and Parasitology Service, 32 (4%) were ...tested positive for Aeromonas spp. Mixed infections with other enteric pathogens occurred in 12 patients. A. caviae was isolated from 23 clinical specimens. There were also patients infected with A. media, A. hydrophila, A. bestiarum, and A. veronii biovar veronii. All but three isolates carried one or more of the virulence genes. The incidence of the alt, hlyA, aerA, ast, and laf genes was 71.9, 28.1, 25.0, 18.8, and 9.4%, respectively. The alt ⁺/ast ⁺ combination was detected in four isolates and the aerA⁺/hlyA⁺ combination was detected in the two A. hydrophila isolates. None of the strains harbored the TTSS, stx1, or stx2 genes and nine bore plasmids. Thirty clinical isolates and a collection of 12 A. caviae and A. media strains obtained from León municipal drinking water over the study period were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). PFGE patterns revealed genetic relatedness and persistence over time among water isolates and some clinical isolates. Interestingly, one A. caviae (aerA⁻/hlyA⁻/alt ⁺/ast ⁻/laf ⁺) human isolate and two A. caviae (aerA⁻/hlyA⁻/alt ⁺/ast ⁻/laf ⁺) drinking water isolates had indistinguishable PFGE patterns, suggesting waterborne infection.
Determining the precise limits of life in polyextreme environments is challenging. Studies along gradients of polyextreme conditions in the Dallol proto-volcano area (Danakil salt desert, Ethiopia) ...showed the occurrence of archaea-dominated communities (up to 99%) in several hypersaline systems but strongly suggested that life did not thrive in the hyperacidic (pH ∼0), hypersaline (∼35% wt/vol,) and sometimes hot (up to 108°C) ponds of the Dallol dome. However, it was recently claimed that archaea flourish in these brines based on the detection of one
16S rRNA gene and fluorescent
hybridization (FISH) experiments with archaea-specific probes. Here, we characterized the diversity of microorganisms in aerosols over Dallol, and we show that, in addition to typical bacteria from soil/dust, they transport halophilic archaea likely originating from neighboring hypersaline ecosystems. We also show that cells and DNA from cultures and natural local halophilic communities are rapidly destroyed upon contact with Dallol brine. Furthermore, we confirm the widespread occurrence of mineral particles, including silica-based biomorphs, in Dallol brines. FISH experiments using appropriate controls show that DNA fluorescent probes and dyes unspecifically bind to mineral precipitates in Dallol brines; cellular morphologies were unambiguously observed only in nearby hypersaline ecosystems. Our results show that airborne cell dispersal and unspecific binding of fluorescent probes are confounding factors likely affecting previous inferences of archaea thriving in Dallol. They highlight the need for controls and the consideration of alternative abiotic explanations before safely drawing conclusions about the presence of life in polyextreme terrestrial or extraterrestrial systems.
Determining the precise limits of life in polyextreme environments is challenging. Confounding factors such as exogenous contamination and the abiotic formation of structures resembling cells need to be considered before concluding on the unambiguous development of microbial life in low-biomass environments. Here, we explored how these factors can affect contrasting reports about microbial life thriving in the hypersaline and hyperacidic brines of the Dallol geothermal field (Danakil Depression, Ethiopia). We show not only that aerosols actively transport a wide diversity of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells over Dallol but also that, upon contact with the chaotropic hyperacidic brine, cells and DNA are rapidly degraded. We also show the extant occurrence of mineral (mostly silica-based) biomorphs that unspecifically bind fluorescent probes and dyes. Our study highlights the need for controls and the consideration of alternative abiotic explanations before safely drawing conclusions on the presence of life in polyextreme terrestrial or extraterrestrial systems.
This review deals with the parameters that influence heterogeneous photocatalysis (PC) for selective synthesis of high-value chemicals by itself or in combination with other technologies. In ...particular, the parameters related to the photocatalysts, such as crystallinity degree, type of polymorph, surface acid–base properties, exposure of particular crystalline facets, coupling of different semiconductors, position of the valence and conduction band edge, addition of doping agents, and those related to the reaction system, such as setup configuration and reactor geometry, type of solvent, type and amount of photocatalyst, affecting the selectivity toward specific products are described and discussed. The presented results highlight that a precise evaluation of the efficiency of the process is a challenging but necessary task to be approached in order to allow real applications of photocatalytic processes.
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