In the course of an ongoing screening of larger mushrooms for the occurrence of chemical mutagens, 33 out of 48 species tested exhibited a significant direct mutagenic activity in the Salmonella/microsome assay (Sterner et al., 1982). (No mutagens requiring metabolic activation were indicated.) These findings are of some concern, since mushrooms are used extensively as food in many areas, and ther

Specimens of large fungi (mushrooms) were screened for mutagenic activity by the Salmonella/microsome assay, with strains TA98, TA2637 and TA100. Out of 48 species tested, 37 exhibited a significant but for the most part weak activity. The activity observed in the presence of S9 mix was typically between 0 and 50% of that without, and in no case was the activity increased in the presence of micros

Esters of the pentacyclic sesquiterpene velutinal have been isolated from Lactarius species, and converted to the free alcohol by base-catalyzed transesterfication in EtOH/EtO-.

The Short Pulse Facility (SPF) of the MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden features the production of ultrashort, incoherent x-ray pulses. It is driven by a 3-GeV linac and comprises two 5-metre undulator modules. While the SPF is designed for spontaneous radiation, we explore alternative operation modes in which the SPF functions as a simple free-electron laser (FEL). In this article, we characteriz

We further the studies of the model-based optimization of tapered free-electron lasers presented in a recent publication [Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 18, 040702 (2015)]. Departing from the ideal case, wherein the taper profile is a smooth and continuous function, we consider the more realistic case, with individual undulator segments separated by break sections. Using the simulation code GENESIS, w

In this article, we propose an arbitrage-free modelling framework for the joint dynamics of forward variance along with the underlying index, which can be seen as a combination of the two approaches proposed by Bergomi. The difference between our modelling framework and the Bergomi (2008. Smile dynamics III. Risk, October, 90–96) models is mainly the ability to compute the prices of VIX futures an

Haemophilia is a congenital disorder with bleeding episodes as its primary symptom. These episodes can result in negative outcomes including joint damage, loss of active days due to hospitalization and reduced quality of life. Effective treatment, however, can improve the outcome. Registries have been used as a valuable source of information regarding the monitoring of treatment and outcome. The t

In this article, we propose an analytical approximation for the pricing of European options for some log-normal stochastic volatility models. This approximation is a second-order Taylor series expansion of the Fourier transform with respect to the “volatility of volatility.” We give, using these formulas, a new method of variance reduction for the Monte Carlo simulation of the trajectories of the

In this article, we study the price monotonicity in the parameters of the Heston model for a contract with a convex pay-off function; in particular we consider European put options. We show that the price is increasing in the constant term in the drift of the variance process and decreasing in the coefficient of the linear term in the drift of variance process. We also show that the price is incre

OBJECTIVE: Most amputees experience referred sensations, known as a phantom hand map, on the residual forearm, where touch on specific areas is perceived as touch on the amputated hand. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensory qualities of the phantom hand map.METHODS: In 10 traumatic forearm-amputees touch thres-holds and discriminative touch of the phantom hand map were assessed and com

We study the differentiability of the CIR process with respect to its parameters. We give a stochastic representation for these derivatives in terms of the paths of V.

Market making and optimal portfolio liquidation in the context of electronic limit order books are of considerably practical importance for high frequency (HF) market makers as well as more traditional brokerage firms supplying optimal execution services for clients. In general, the two problems are based on probabilistic models defined on certain reference probability spaces. However, due to unce

We studied the behavior, life cycle, and reproductive biology of the sciarid fly Scatopsciara cunicularius (Lengersdorf, 1943) under two constant temperatures. The sciarid was reared at 12.3 ± 0.6°C and 22 ± 1.7°C on its host, the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha L. Our results show that the sciarid fly is able to complete its life cycle with liverwort tissue as its only source of food. The egg-lay

BACKGROUND: Twin studies have been criticized for upwardly biased estimates that might contribute to the missing heritability problem.METHOD: We identified, from the general Swedish population born 1960-1990, informative sibships containing a proband, one reared-together full- or half-sibling and a full-, step- or half-sibling with varying degrees of childhood cohabitation with the proband. Estima

Herbivory on liverworts is rarely reported. We studied the effects of feeding by larvae of the sciarid fly Scatopsciara cunicularius on the growth of the thalloid liverwort Marchantia polymorpha at two different constant temperatures, 12°C and 22°C. Larvae reared at the lower temperature fed slower and over a longer period of time, which resulted in more damage and a greater reduction in the growt

AIMS: People with Type 1 diabetes have smaller pancreases than healthy individuals. Several diseases causing pancreatic atrophy are associated with pancreatic steatosis, but pancreatic fat in Type 1 diabetes has not been measured. This cross-sectional study aimed to compare pancreas size and fat fraction in children with Type 1 diabetes and controls.METHODS: The volume and fat fraction of the panc

Excessive production of collagen is the hallmark of fatal diseases of fibrosis such as systemic sclerosis. Overexpression of the proteoglycan fibromodulin (FMOD) has been associated with improved wound healing and scarless repair. In this study we have investigated the consequences of FMOD deficiency on the development of experimental skin fibrosis. Using immunohistochemistry, we identified FMOD i

'Sustainability' is an emerging issue that product development engineers must engage with to remain relevant, competitive and, most importantly, responsible. Yet, on examining the term 'sustainable', a plethora of definitions emerges, many of which are contradictory and confusing. This confusion and a general lack of understanding means that sustainability often gets relegated to an afterthought o