A Cape Cod model for the exponential dispersion family

The defining feature of the Cape Cod algorithm in current literature is its assumption of a constant loss ratio over accident periods. This is a highly simplifying assumption relative to the chain ladder model which, in effect, allows loss ratio to vary freely over accident period.Much of the literature on Cape Cod reserving treats it as essentially just an algorithm. It does not posit a parametric model supporting the algorithm. There are one or two exceptions to this. The present paper extends them by introducing a couple of more general stochastic models under which maximum likelihood estimation yields parameters estimates closely resembling those of the classical Cape Cod algorithm.For one of these models, these estimators are shown to be minimum variance unbiased, and so are superior to the conventional estimators, which rely on the chain ladder.A Bayesian Cape Cod model is also introduced, and a MAP estimator calculated.A numerical example is included.     

Trinuclear π-cyclopentadienyl bridging sulphido derivatives of iron

The reaction of [Fe(π-C₅H₅)(CO)₂]₂ with the dialkyl disulphides R₂S₂ (R = CH₃, C₂H₅, t-C₄H₉ or CH₂C₆H₅) affords, as well as dinuclear derivatives of the type [Fe(π-C₅H₅)(CO)SR]₂, trinuclear species of formula [Fe₃(π-C₅H₅)₃(CO)₂(S)SR].     

North west cape-induced electron precipitation and theoretical simulation

Enhancement of the electron fluxes in the inner radiation belt,which is induced by the powerful North West Cape(NWC) very-low-frequency(VLF) transmitter,have been observed and analyzed by several research groups.However,all of the previous publications have focused on NWC-induced 100-keV electrons only,based on observations from the Detection of Electro-Magnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions(DEMETER) and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite(GOES) satellites.Here,we present flux enhancements with 30-100-keV electrons related to NWC transmitter for the first time,which were observed by the GOES satellite at night.Similar to the 100-300-keV precipitated-electron behavior,the low energy 30-100-keV electron precipitation is primarily located east of the transmitter.However,the latter does not drift eastward to the same extent as the former,possibly because of the lower electron velocity.The 30-100-keV electrons are distributed in the L = 1.8-2.1 L-shell range,in contrast to the100-300-keV electrons which are at L= 1.67-1.9.This is consistent with the perspective that the energy of the VLF-waveinduced electron flux enhancement decreases with higher L-shell values.We expand upon the rationality of the simultaneous enhancement of the 30-100- and 100-300-keV electron fluxes through comparison with the cyclotron resonance theory for the quasi-linear wave-particle interaction.In addition,we interpret the asymmetry characteristics of NWC electric power distribution in north and south hemisphere by ray tracing model.Finally,we present considerable discussion and show that good agreement exists between the observation of satellites and theory.     

Plants Used for the Traditional Management of Cancer in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa: A Review of Ethnobotanical Surveys,Ethnopharmacological Studies and Active Phytochemicals

Cancer occurrence is rapidly increasing all over the world, including in developing countries. The current trend in cancer management requires the use of herbal remedies since the majority of anticancer drugs are known to be costly, with unwanted side effects. In the Eastern Cape province, the use of medicinal plants for cancer management has been climbing steadily over the past two decades due to their cultural belief, low cost, efficacy, and safety claims. With the aim of identifying some potential anticancer plants for probable drug development, this study was undertaken to review plants reported by ethnobotanical surveys in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa for the traditional management of cancer. Information regarding plants used for cancer management in the Eastern Cape province was obtained from multidisciplinary databases and ethnobotanical books. About 24 plant species belonging to twenty families have been reported to be used for the traditional management of cancer in the Eastern Cape province. Among the anticancer plant species, only 16 species have been explored scientifically for their anticancer activities. This review authenticated the use of anticancer plant species in the Eastern Cape province and, therefore, identified several promising unexplored species for further scientific evaluation.     

Effect of Salt Stress on Growth and Metabolite Profiles of Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) along Three Growth Stages

Colombia is the main producer of cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.), a plant known for its various consumption practices and medicinal properties. This plant is generally grown in eroded soils and is considered moderately tolerant to unfavorable conditions, such as nutrient-poor soils or high salt concentrations. Most studies conducted on this plant focus on fruit production and composition because it is the target product, but a small number of studies have been conducted to describe the effect of abiotic stress, e.g., salt stress, on growth and biochemical responses. In order to better understand the mechanism of inherent tolerance of this plant facing salt stress, the present study was conducted to determine the metabolic and growth differences of P. peruviana plants at three different BBCH-based growth substages, varying salt conditions. Hence, plants were independently treated with two NaCl solutions, and growth parameters and LC-ESI-MS-derived semi-quantitative levels of metabolites were then measured and compared between salt treatments per growth substage. A 90 mM NaCl treatment caused the greatest effect on plants, provoking low growth and particular metabolite variations. The treatment discrimination-driving feature classification suggested that glycosylated flavonols increased under 30 mM NaCl at 209 substages, withanolides decreased under 90 mM NaCl at 603 and 703 substages, and up-regulation of a free flavonol at all selected stages can be considered a salt stress response. Findings locate such response into a metabolic context and afford some insights into the plant response associated with antioxidant compound up-regulation.     

Cu-DNAzyme facilitates highly sensitive immunoassay

Fast and sensitive antigen detection is important in biomedical research and development. Despite, being invented 48 years ago, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) remains one of the most successful and widely employed bioanalytical techniques in research and clinical diagnostics due to its reliability and simplistic design. Recently, nanotechnology has offered efficient signal reporting. In spite of some improvements in these systems, there are typically increased material costs involved and the need for expensive equipment or complicated chemical processes, thus negating any possible benefits over ELISA. Herein, we communicate a simple Cu-DNAzyme system for signal transduction of a CuO nanoparticle-labeled immunoassay. The reported immunoassay amplifies signal generation similar to traditional ELISA and is fast, simple, cost-effective, and sensitive, holding promise for biomedical applications and point-of-care testing.     

In‐tube extraction for the determination of the main volatile compounds in Physalis peruviana L

An analytical procedure based on in‐tube extraction followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry has been developed for the analysis of 24 of the main volatile components in cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) samples. According to their chemical structure, the compounds were organized into different groups: one hydrocarbon, one aldehyde, four alcohols, four esters, and 14 monoterpenes. By single‐factor experiments, incubation temperature, incubation time, extraction volume, extraction strokes, extraction speed, desorption temperature, and desorption speed were determined as 60°C, 20 min, 1000 μL, 20, 50:50 μL/s, 280°C, 100 μL/s, respectively. Quantitative analysis using authentic standards and external calibration curves was performed. The limit of detection and limit of quantification for the analytical procedure were calculated. Results shown the benzaldehyde, ethyl butanoate, 2‐methyl‐1‐butanol, 1‐hexanol, 1‐butanol, α‐terpineol, and terpinen‐4‐ol were the most abundant volatile compounds in analyzed fruits (68.6–585 μg/kg). The obtained data may contribute to qualify cape gooseberry to the group of superfruits and, therefore, increase its popularity.