Pricing Lookback Options with Knock‐out Boundaries

In the last decade, many kinds of exotic options have been traded and introduced in the financial market. This paper describes a new kind of exotic option, lookback options with knock‐out boundaries. These options are knock‐out options whose pay‐offs depend on the extrema of a given securities price over a certain period of time. Closed form expressions for the price of seven kinds of lookback options with knock‐out boundaries are obtained in this article. The numerical studies have also been presented.     

Determination of the structure of {31}ne by a fully microscopic framework

We perform the first quantitative analysis of the reaction cross sections of {28-32}Ne by {12}C at 240 MeV/nucleon, using the double-folding model with the Melbourne g matrix and the deformed projectile density calculated by antisymmetrized molecular dynamics. To describe the tail of the last neutron of {31}Ne, we adopt the resonating group method combined with antisymmetrized molecular dynamics. The theoretical prediction excellently reproduces the measured cross sections of {28-32}Ne with no adjustable parameters. The ground state properties of {31}Ne, i.e., strong deformation and a halo structure with spin parity 3/2{-}, are clarified.     

Fullerene sensors based on calix[5]arene

A new class of fullerene sensors based on calix[5]arenes has produced the highly sensitive detection of C60 and C70.     

Local structures in ionic liquids probed and characterized by microscopic thermal diffusion monitored with picosecond time-resolved Raman spectroscopy

Vibrational cooling rate of the first excited singlet (S(1)) state of trans-stilbene and bulk thermal diffusivity are measured for seven room temperature ionic liquids, C(2)mimTf(2)N, C(4)mimTf(2)N, C(4)mimPF(6), C(5)mimTf(2)N, C(6)mimTf(2)N, C(8)mimTf(2)N, and bmpyTf(2)N. Vibrational cooling rate measured with picosecond time-resolved Raman spectroscopy reflects solute-solvent and solvent-solvent energy transfer in a microscopic solvent environment. Thermal diffusivity measured with the transient grating method indicates macroscopic heat conduction capability. Vibrational cooling rate of S(1) trans-stilbene is known to have a good correlation with bulk thermal diffusivity in ordinary molecular liquids. In the seven ionic liquids studied, however, vibrational cooling rate shows no correlation with thermal diffusivity; the observed rates are similar (0.082 to 0.12 ps(-1) in the seven ionic liquids and 0.08 to 0.14 ps(-1) in molecular liquids) despite large differences in thermal diffusivity (5.4-7.5 × 10(-8) m(2) s(-1) in ionic liquids and 8.0-10 × 10(-8) m(2) s(-1) in molecular liquids). This finding is consistent with our working hypothesis that there are local structures characteristically formed in ionic liquids. Vibrational cooling rate is determined by energy transfer among solvent ions in a local structure, while macroscopic thermal diffusion is controlled by heat transfer over boundaries of local structures. By using "local" thermal diffusivity, we are able to simulate the vibrational cooling kinetics observed in ionic liquids with a model assuming thermal diffusion in continuous media. The lower limit of the size of local structure is estimated with vibrational cooling process observed with and without the excess energy. A quantitative discussion with a numerical simulation shows that the diameter of local structure is larger than 10 nm. If we combine this lower limit, 10 nm, with the upper limit, 100 nm, which is estimated from the transparency (no light scattering) of ionic liquids, an order of magnitude estimate of local structure is obtained as 10 nm < L < 100 nm, where L is the length or the diameter of the domain of local structure.     

Conformation of poly(<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-glutamic acid) in bipolar amphiphiles with alkyl ammonium cations of different hydrophobicity

The conformation of the sodium salt of poly(l-glutamic acid) (P(Glu)) in solutions of the cationic bipolar amphiphile 1, 20-isosanediylbis(alkylammonium chloride) (C ₂₀(RA) ₂) with different alkyl head groups as a function of amphiphile concentration was investigated using circular dichroism (CD). RA included methylammonium (MA), ethylammonium (EA), propylammonium (PA), butylammonium (BA), and pentylammonium (PeA) cationic groups. The CD spectrum of each C ₂₀(RA) ₂ had a double minima corresponding to the a-helix of P(Glu), which was replaced by CD spectra with a single minimum at wavelengths larger than 222 nm as concentration increased. These changes in the CD spectrum were ascribed to the conformational change from random coil to a-helix and to aggregates of helices. In C ₂₀(EA) ₂ solutions, a step-like change in the CD intensity was observed at 222 nm as a function of the ratio of C ₂₀(RA) ₂ to P(Glu). At the step, the CD spectrum of the complete a-helix was observed. At 10–35 °C, an a-helix was induced in P(Glu) in the order: C ₂₀(EA) ₂>C ₂₀(MA) ₂>C ₂₀(PA) ₂>C ₂₀(BA) ₂>C ₂₀(PeA) ₂. This order was ascribed to the best fit of ethylammonium to the P(Glu) side chain.     

Effects of natural polysaccharide addition on drug release from calcium-induced alginate gel beads

Calcium-induced alginate gel beads (Alg-Ca) containing various polysaccharides, including an alginate hydrolysate, were prepared and the drug release profiles were investigated. Hydrocortisone (HC) was gradually released from Alg-Ca into the mimic gastric fluid, while in intestinal fluid, it was quickly released with the dissolution of Alg-Ca. However, with Alg-Ca containing 5% chitin (CT), dissolution of Alg-Ca was not observed, and release of HC showed apparent zero-order kinetics. Furthermore, addition of the alginate hydrolysate altered the HC-release profile for Alg-Ca.     

Stabilization of High‐Valence Ruthenium with Silicotungstate Ligands: Preparation,Structural Characterization,and Redox Studies of Ruthenium(III)‐Substituted α‐Keggin‐Type Silicotungstates with Pyridine Ligands, [SiW11O39RuIII(Py)]5−

Ruthenium(III)‐substituted α‐Keggin‐type silicotungstates with pyridine‐based ligands, [SiW₁₁O₃₉Ru^III(Py)]^5?, (Py: pyridine ( 1 ), 4‐pyridine‐carboxylic acid ( 2 ), 4,4′‐bipyridine ( 3 ), 4‐pyridine‐acetamide ( 4 ), and 4‐pyridine‐methanol ( 5 )) were prepared by reacting [SiW₁₁O₃₉Ru^III(H₂O)]^5? with the pyridine derivatives in water at 80 °C and then isolated as their hydrated cesium salts. These compounds were characterized using cyclic voltammetry (CV), UV/Vis, IR, and ¹H NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, titration, and X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure (XANES) analysis (Ru K‐edge and L₃‐edge). Single‐crystal X‐ray analysis of compounds 2 , 3 , and 4 revealed that Ru^III was incorporated in the α‐Keggin framework and was coordinated by pyridine derivatives through a Ru? N bond. In the solid state, compounds 2 and 3 formed a dimer through π? π interaction of the pyridine moieties, whereas they existed as monomers in solution. CV indicated that the incorporated Ru^III–Py was reversibly oxidized into the Ru^IV–Py derivative and reduced into the Ru^II–Py derivative.     

Ageladine A: an antiangiogenic matrixmetalloproteinase inhibitor from the marine sponge Agelas nakamurai

A novel MMP inhibitor, ageladine A (1) with antiangiogenic activity was isolated from a marine sponge Agelas nakamurai. Structure 1 was determined by a combination of spectroscopic and chemical methods to be an unprecedented structure of 4-(4,5-dibromo-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)]-1H-imidazo[4,5-c]pyridin-2-amine.