Towards aflatoxins: a formal synthesis of aflatoxin B2

The development of a formal synthesis of aflatoxin B2 is described, which utilizes a Dötz benzannulation reaction as a key step.     

Asset and liability modelling for participating policies with guarantees

We study the problem of asset and liability management of participating insurance policies with guarantees. We develop a scenario optimization model for integrative asset and liability management, analyze the tradeoffs in structuring such policies, and study alternative choices in funding them. The nonlinearly constrained optimization model can be linearized through closed form solutions of the dynamic equations. Thus large-scale problems are solved with standard methods. We report on an empirical analysis of policies offered by Italian insurers. The optimized model results are in general agreement with current industry practices. However, some inefficiencies are identified and potential improvements are highlighted.     

Evaluation of insurance products with guarantee in incomplete markets

Life insurance products are usually equipped with minimum guarantee and bonus provision options. The pricing of such claims is of vital importance for the insurance industry. Risk management, strategic asset allocation, and product design depend on the correct evaluation of the written options. Also regulators are interested in such issues since they have to be aware of the possible scenarios that the overall industry will face. Pricing techniques based on the Black & Scholes paradigm are often used, however, the hypotheses underneath this model are rarely met.To overcome Black & Scholes limitations, we develop a stochastic programming model to determine the fair price of the minimum guarantee and bonus provision options. We show that such a model covers the most relevant sources of incompleteness accounted in the financial and insurance literature. We provide extensive empirical analyses to highlight the effect of incompleteness on the fair value of the option, and show how the whole framework can be used as a valuable normative tool for insurance companies and regulators.     

Analytical pyrolysis of proteins

Summary Gelatine and silk have been thermally degraded at 330° C in a melt of nylon 6.10 and by addition of small amounts of sodium and potassium hexanoate.Both proteins yield cyclic dimers (diketopiperazines) and smaller amounts of cyclic tetramers and higher oligomers. The mixture of degradation products were investigated by temperature resolved field ionization mass spectrometry and provide informations about neighbouring amino acids (diade sequences). Integral mass spectra give the relative intensities of diades.In accordance with data reported in literature glycine, proline, hydroxyproline, glutamic acid and alanine could be proved as most frequently incorporated amino acids in gelatine and glycine, alanine and tyrosine in silk.

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Analytische Pyrolyse von Proteinen

Zusammenfassung Gelatine und Seide wurden in einer Schmelze von Nylon 6,10 und unter Zusatz von kleinen Mengen an Natrium- und Kaliumhexanoat bei 330° C thermisch abgebaut.Beide Proteine liefern cyclische Diniere (Diketopiperazine) und kleine Mengen an cyclischen Tetrameren und höheren Oligomeren. Die jeweiligen Mischungen der Abbauprodukte wurden durch temperaturaufgelöste Feldionisationsmassenspektrometrie untersucht und liefern Informationen über benachbarte Aminosäuren (Diadensequenzen). Integrale Massenspektren liefern die relativen Intensitäten dieser Diaden.In Übereinstimmung mit in der Literatur beschriebenen Angaben wurden auf diese Weise in der Gelatine Glycin, Prolin, Hydroxyprolin, Glutaminsäure und Alanin, sowie in der Seide Glycin, Alanin und Tyrosin als häufigste Aminosäuren nachgewiesen.

     

Concentrating solutions of some singularly perturbed elliptic equations

We study singularly perturbed elliptic equations arising from models in physics or biology, and investigate the asymptotic behavior of some special solutions. We also discuss some connections with problems arising in differential geometry.