“功能涂料”课程的教学改革:打造趣味性、互动性和挑战性的课堂*

本着培养涂料行业精英人才的宗旨,针对涂料行业对人才需求的特点,结合多年教学经验,从教材的选择、教学内容设置、教学方法改进以及考核方法改革等4个方面探索了“功能涂料”课程的教学方法改革与课程实践。通过自编教材,精心设置授课内容,将科研成果、前沿知识、生活场景、新闻事件与书本知识相结合,提高课堂的趣味性;通过讨论法和交换式互动上课来加强课堂的互动性;通过过程性评价提高课程的学业挑战度。通过教学改革,本课程的选课率和出勤率得到了大幅提高,学生对涂料的兴趣明显增加,毕业后选择进入涂料领域工作的学生也越来越多。     

Quality-by-Design-Based Development of n-Propyl-Gallate-Loaded Hyaluronic-Acid-Coated Liposomes for Intranasal Administration

The present study aimed to develop n-propyl gallate (PG)-encapsulated liposomes through a novel direct pouring method using the quality-by-design (QbD) approach. A further aim was to coat liposomes with hyaluronic acid (HA) to improve the stability of the formulation in nasal mucosa. The QbD method was used for the determination of critical quality attributes in the formulation of PG-loaded liposomes coated with HA. The optimized formulation was determined by applying the Box–Behnken design to investigate the effect of composition and process variables on particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential. Physiochemical characterization, in vitro release, and permeability tests, as well as accelerated stability studies, were performed with the optimized liposomal formulation. The optimized formulation resulted in 90 ± 3.6% encapsulation efficiency, 167.9 ± 3.5 nm average hydrodynamic diameter, 0.129 ± 0.002 PDI, and −33.9 ± 4.5 zeta potential. Coated liposomes showed significantly improved properties in 24 h in an in vitro release test (>60%), in vitro permeability measurement (420 μg/cm²) within 60 min, and also in accelerated stability studies compared to uncoated liposomes. A hydrogen-peroxide-scavenging assay showed improved stability of PG-containing liposomes. It can be concluded that the optimization of PG-encapsulated liposomes coated with HA has great potential for targeting several brain diseases.     

Fitting elephants in the density functionals zoo: Statistical criteria for the evaluation of density functional theory methods as a suitable replacement for counting parameters

Counting parameters has become customary in the density functional theory community as a way to infer the transferability of popular approximations to the exchange‐correlation functionals. Recent work in data science, however, has demonstrated that the number of parameters of a fitted model is not related to the complexity of the model itself, nor to its eventual overfitting. Using similar arguments, here, we show that it is possible to represent every modern exchange‐correlation functional approximations using just one single parameter. This procedure proves the futility of the number of parameters as a measure of transferability. To counteract this shortcoming, we introduce and analyze the performance of three statistical criteria for the evaluation of the transferability of exchange‐correlation functionals. The three criteria are called Akaike information criterion, Vapnik‐Chervonenkis criterion, and cross‐validation criterion and are used in a preliminary assessment to rank 60 exchange‐correlation functional approximations using the ASCDB database of chemical data.     

Operational risk: Emerging markets,sectors and measurement

The role of decision support systems in mitigating operational risks in firms is well established. However, there is a lack of investment in decision support systems in emerging markets, even though inadequate operational risk management is a key cause of discouraging external investment. This has also been exacerbated by insufficient understanding of operational risk in emerging markets, which can be attributed to past operational risk measurement techniques, limited studies on emerging markets and inadequate data.     

Organophosphate esters by GC–MS: An optimized method for aquatic risk assessment

Organophosphate esters used as flame retardants and plasticizers are ubiquitous contaminants in surface waters. Many studies indicate that these compounds are neurotoxicants, endocrine disruptors, and may affect reproduction and development of aquatic organisms. Thus, analytical methods that allow accurate quantification of these contaminants at environmentally relevant concentrations are desirable for risk assessment studies. In this study, a method based on solid phase extraction and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was developed for determination of organophosphate esters in river water extracts. Multivariate optimization was used to determine the best conditions for injection of larger volumes of sample in a Programmable Temperature Vaporization inlet. Furthermore, the matrix effect on the instrumental response was evaluated and compensated by association of extraction‐blank‐matched calibration and isotopically labeled focus standards. The method quantification limits ranged from 0.009 to 0.11 µg/L, staying below the predicted non‐effect concentration for the aquatic compartment for all analytes, which is a requisite for using in risk assessment studies. The method was applied to freshwater samples collected in rivers from the Sao Paulo State, Brazil, and eight out of the ten target organophosphate esters were quantified, being tris(2‐chloroisopropyl) phosphate and tris(phenyl) phosphate the most frequently detected compounds.     

SOFA评分联合超声对脓毒症合并AKI患者的预后价值分析

本文主要探究SOFA评分联合超声对脓毒症合并急性肾损伤(AKI)患者的预后价值。选取2017年1月~2019年1月本院脓毒症合并AKI患者50例作为观察组,并分为AKI 1、2、3期,将同期入院的50例脓毒症患者作为对照组,两组患者均采用SOFA评分联合超声进行预后评估。结果发现,观察组PDU评分低于对照组(P<0.05),RI值、SOFA评分高于对照组(P<0.05);不同分期的3组间的PDU评分、SOFA评分不同,随着AKI分期的增加,PDU评分降低、SOFA评分增加(P<0.05),但3组间的RI值并无不同(P>0.05);50例脓毒症合并AKI患者发生院内死亡率为44.00%。经单因素分析发现,年龄、机械通气时间、ICU住院时间、AKI分期、脓毒症休克、SOFA评分、PDU评分为影响患者预后不佳的因素(P<0.05);AKI3期、发生脓毒性休克、SOFA评分、PDU评分是脓毒症合并AKI患者预后不佳的独立因素(P<0.05),ROC曲线下面积(AUC)越大,对预后的预测效能越好,当AUC>70.00%时具有临床价值。两者联合显著高于单独应用SOFA评分(AUC=74.28%)或PDU评分(P<0.001)。上述结果说明,脓毒症合并AKI患者采用SOFA评分联合超声用于评估患者的预后,优于单独采用SOFA评分或超声,两者联合的预测价值更大。     

The credit risk+ model with general sector correlations

We consider an enhancement of the credit risk⁺ model to incorporate correlations between sectors. We model the sector default rates as linear combinations of a common set of independent variables that represent macro-economic variables or risk factors. We also derive the formula for exact VaR contributions at the obligor level.     

Fourier Inversion Formulas in Option Pricing and Insurance

Several authors have used Fourier inversion to compute prices of puts and calls, some using Parseval’s theorem. The expected value of max (S – K, 0) also arises in excess-of-loss or stop-loss insurance, and we show that Fourier methods may be used to compute them. In this paper, we take the idea of using Parseval’s theorem further: (1) formulas requiring weaker assumptions; (2) relationship with classical inversion theorems for probability distributions; (3) formulas for payoffs which occur in insurance. Numerical examples are provided.      

Synthesis,structural features and biochemical activity assessment of N,N′‐bis‐(2‐mercaptophenylimine)‐2,5‐thiophenedicarboxaldehyde Schiff base and its Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes

The tetradentate Schiff base ligand (SB), N,N′‐bis‐(2‐mercaptophenylimine)‐2,5‐thiophenedicarboxaldehyde was prepared via condensation of 2,5‐thiophene‐dicarboxaldehyde with 2‐aminothiophenol in a 1:2 molar ratio by conventional method. Additionally, its Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes have been synthesized and fully characterized by elemental analysis, FT‐IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, UV–Vis, ESR, ESI‐mass, conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Spectral studies suggested that, the Schiff base coordinate metal ions through the azomethine N‐ and deprotonated thiol S‐ atoms. Based on UV–Vis absorption and magnetic susceptibility data, tetrahedral geometry was assigned for both Co(II) and Zn(II) complexes, whereas on the other hand, square planar geometry for both Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes. The Schiff base and its metal complexes were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activity by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. Free radical scavenging activity of the novel compounds was determined by elimination of 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals. In addition, the interactions of the free ligand and its complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT‐DNA) were explored using absorption, emission and viscosity measurements techniques.     

Data breaches: Goodness of fit,pricing, and risk measurement

Some research on cyber risk has been conducted in the field of information technology, but virtually no research exists in the actuarial domain. As a first step toward a more profound actuarial discussion, we use multidimensional scaling and goodness-of-fit tests to analyze the distribution of data breach information. Our results show that different types of data breaches need to be modeled as distinct risk categories. For severity modeling, the log-skew-normal distribution provides promising results. The findings add to the recent discussion on the use of skewed distributions in actuarial modeling (Vernic, 2006; Bolancé et al., 2008; Eling, 2012). Moreover, they provide useful insights for actuaries working on the implementation of cyber insurance policies. We illustrate the usefulness of our results in two applications on risk measurement and pricing.