The Applications of Potential Functions in Finance: Some Empirical Results

Preface: My thesis mainly focuses on the applications of Bohmian mechanics in the domain of finance from the empirical aspect. In chapter 1, some agent-based herding models are carefully reviewed and we provide the possible link between the agent-based models and the quantum potential. Then we discuss the two types of potentials (that is, the classical and quantum potentials) in the financial market. We calculate the potentials and conduct the path simulations by using the data from the commodity and security markets. Finally, our discussion is extended to non-mainstream financial markets in the last chapter

Mechanistic Investigations of Lipotoxicity in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Lipotoxicity is regard as the central mechanism underlying Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), however, the exact mechanism of lipotoxicity remains to be understood. Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) induces hepatic cell death, and is used as an in vitro model for the study of lipotoxicity. In this thesis, the molecular mechanisms underlying SFA-induced lipotoxicity are being studied. In the liver, lipotoxicity induces ER stress. In the first study, we first examined the pattern of PA-induced cell death in hepatocytes, and confirmed the induction of ER stress upon PA exposure. Interestingly, we showed an involvement of TLR4, evidenced by up-regulated gene expression and signaling activation. Furthermore, inhibition of TLR4 prevents the activation of IRE1α branch of ER stress. Collectively, our data uncovers the existence of a possible link between TLR4 and ER stress, which contributes to PA-induced lipotoxicity. The second study showed a protective function of Nicotinamide (NAM), a form of Vitamin B3, in PA-induced lipotoxicity. Further mechanistic investigation indicated that NAM supplementation led to the induction of autophagy, a cellular event for degradation and recycling, evidenced by LC3-II formation and p62 consumption, which conferred the anti-lipotoxic effect of NAM in hepatocytes. Notably, the up-regulations of SIRT1, a human sirtuin, is observed upon NAM exposure, which contributes to both the autophagy inducing and the cytoprotective effect of NAM. These results altogether indicated the therapeutic potential of NAM in lipotoxicity. Lastly, we studied the role of SIRT3, a human mitochondria sirtuin, in PA-induced lipotoxicity. In hepatocytes exposed to PA, we observed an increased SIRT3 abundance and activity, evidenced by hypo-acetylation of mitochondrial proteins. Unexpectedly, SIRT3 knockdown in hepatocytes exhibited protection against PA-induced lipotoxicity. Further mechanistic investigations showed that SIRT3 knockdown resulted in the activation of AMPK, which contributed to the protective function of SIRT3 gene silencing. Hepatocytes co-transfected with both SIRT3 siRNA and AMPK siRNA abolished to protection conferred by SIRT3 knockdown alone

Bulk Polymer-Derived Ceramic Composites of Graphene Oxide

Bulk polymer-derived ceramic (PDC) composites of SiCO with an embedded graphene network were produced using graphene-coated poly­(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) foams as templates. The pyrolysis of green bodies containing cross-linked polysiloxane, PVA foams, and graphene oxide (GO) resulted in the decomposition of PVA foams, compression of GO layers, and formation of graphitic domains adjacent to GO within the SiCO composite, leading to SiCO composites with an embedded graphene network. The SiCO/GO composite, with about 1.5% GO in the ceramic matrix, offered an increase in the electrical conductivity by more than 4 orders of magnitude compared to that of pure SiCO ceramics. Additionally, the unique graphene network in the SiCO demonstrated a drop in the observed thermal conductivity of the composite (∼0.8 W m^–1 K^–1). Young’s modulus of the as-fabricated SiCO/GO composites was found to be around 210 MPa, which is notably higher than the reported values for similar composites fabricated from only ceramic precursors and PVA foams. The present approach demonstrates a facile and cost-effective method of producing bulk PDC composites with high electrical conductivity, good thermal stability, and low thermal conductivity

Bulk Polymer-Derived Ceramic Composites of Graphene Oxide

Bulk polymer-derived ceramic (PDC) composites of SiCO with an embedded graphene network were produced using graphene-coated poly­(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) foams as templates. The pyrolysis of green bodies containing cross-linked polysiloxane, PVA foams, and graphene oxide (GO) resulted in the decomposition of PVA foams, compression of GO layers, and formation of graphitic domains adjacent to GO within the SiCO composite, leading to SiCO composites with an embedded graphene network. The SiCO/GO composite, with about 1.5% GO in the ceramic matrix, offered an increase in the electrical conductivity by more than 4 orders of magnitude compared to that of pure SiCO ceramics. Additionally, the unique graphene network in the SiCO demonstrated a drop in the observed thermal conductivity of the composite (∼0.8 W m^–1 K^–1). Young’s modulus of the as-fabricated SiCO/GO composites was found to be around 210 MPa, which is notably higher than the reported values for similar composites fabricated from only ceramic precursors and PVA foams. The present approach demonstrates a facile and cost-effective method of producing bulk PDC composites with high electrical conductivity, good thermal stability, and low thermal conductivity

Measurement and Thermodynamic Modeling of Oxaprozin Solubility in Polymers and Mixed Solutions

Measuring and modeling the solubility of drugs in different solvent systems is helpful to guide the selection of appropriate solvents at various stages of drug formulation development. In this work, the gravimetrical method was used to determine the solubility data of oxaprozin (OXA) in different compositions of water/organic solvents (methanol and ethanol) binary mixtures within the range of 293.15 to 333.15 K. Subsequently, the differential scanning calorimetry method was used to measure the solubility of the drug in polymers (Polyethylene Glycol 6000 and Polyvinylpyrrolidone K30) at above 400 K. Then, the solubility of OXA in ultrapure water and polymer aqueous solution was acquired by UV spectrophotometry or HPLC within a temperature range of 303.15 to 323.15 K. Finally, the experimental values were compared with the calculated values from the Perturbed-Chain Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (PC-SAFT) to investigate the prediction accuracy of this model in different complex mixed solvent systems. The average relative deviations (ARD) were used to evaluate the model performance of PC-SAFT. Furthermore, PC-SAFT combined with solid–liquid equilibrium theory not only modeled the phase behavior between pure or mixed solvents and drugs independent of the molecular weight of the solvent but also did not require any experimental data or model parameters from the ternary system to predict the phase behavior of OXA in binary solvents. The results of this work illustrate that PC-SAFT is a beneficial model in drug development

Win-stay-lose-learn promotes cooperation in the prisoner’s dilemma game with voluntary participation

<div><p>Voluntary participation, demonstrated to be a simple yet effective mechanism to promote persistent cooperative behavior, has been extensively studied. It has also been verified that the aspiration-based win-stay-lose-learn strategy updating rule promotes the evolution of cooperation. Inspired by this well-known fact, we combine the Win-Stay-Lose-Learn updating rule with voluntary participation: Players maintain their strategies when they are satisfied, or players attempt to imitate the strategy of one randomly chosen neighbor. We find that this mechanism maintains persistent cooperative behavior, even further promotes the evolution of cooperation under certain conditions.</p></div

Phase separation lines on <i>K</i>-<i>b</i> parameter plane for different values of Δ<i>w</i>.

<p>From (a) to (c), the value of Δ<i>w</i> are equal to 0, 0.05 and 0.3, respectively. When Δ<i>w</i> is moderate, the space of pure C become wider and the space of mixed C+D+L become narrow, besides, the optimal uncertainty is disappear.</p

Evolution of cooperation on stable state under some certain initial condition.

<p>Panel (a) (or (b)) features the characteristic snapshots of the spatial grid when A = 0.75 (A = 0.751) and b = 1.5, as obtained when using the initial conditions presented in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0171680#pone.0171680.g003" target="_blank">Fig 3(H)</a> (cooperators are yellow, defectors are red and loners are green).</p

Special configurations of players.

<p>In all panels the cooperators are depicted blue while defectors are depicted red and loners are depicted green. Each small square corresponds to a single player. Denoted values correspond to the payoffs of individual players, as obtained for the presented configurations.</p

Stable distribution of teaching ability when <i>b</i> = 1.05 and <i>K</i> = 0.1.

<p>Stable distribution of teaching ability when <i>b</i> = 1.05 and <i>K</i> = 0.1.</p