University of Bath

About: University of Bath is a education organization based out in Bath, Bath and North East Somerset, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 15830 authors who have published 39608 publications receiving 1358769 citations. The organization is also known as: Bath University.

Complete Models with Stochastic Volatility

Abstract: The paper proposes an original class of models for the continuous-time price process of a financial security with nonconstant volatility. The idea is to define instantaneous volatility in terms of exponentially weighted moments of historic log-price. The instantaneous volatility is therefore driven by the same stochastic factors as the price process, so that, unlike many other models of nonconstant volatility, it is not necessary to introduce additional sources of randomness. Thus the market is complete and there are unique, preference-independent options prices. We find a partial differential equation for the price of a European call option. Smiles and skews are found in the resulting plots of implied volatility.

Does the internet change how we die and mourn? Overview and analysis

Abstract: The article outlines the issues that the internet presents to death studies. Part 1 describes a range of online practices that may affect dying, the funeral, grief and memorialization, inheritance and archaeology; it also summarizes the kinds of research that have been done in these fields. Part 2 argues that these new online practices have implications for, and may be illuminated by, key concepts in death studies: the sequestration (or separation from everyday life) of death and dying, disenfranchisement of grief, private grief, social death, illness and grief narratives, continuing bonds with the dead, and the presence of the dead in society. In particular, social network sites can bring dying and grieving out of both the private and public realms and into the everyday life of social networks beyond the immediate family, and provide an audience for once private communications with the dead.

Investigating the relationship between pain and discomfort and quality of life, using the WHOQOL.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of pain on quality of life and its components in a representative sample of 320 well people, and patients selected from all major categories of illness. Quality of life was assessed using a new, multidimensional, multilingual, generic profile designed for cross-cultural use in health care, i.e. the WHOQOL. Within the WHOQOL, pain and discomfort is one of 29 areas or facets of quality of life, grouped into six domains. It was found that pain and discomfort made a significant impact on perceptions of general quality of life related to health. Furthermore, the presence of pain affected perceptions of five of the six domains of quality of life; the domain of spirituality, religion and personal beliefs being the exception. When quality of life is assessed, negative feelings are most closely associated with reports of pain and discomfort than any other facet. But quality of life surrounding pain and discomfort is more fully explained by the inclusion of six additional facets; the availability of social care, mobility, activities of daily living, positive mood and to a lesser extent, sleep and dependence on medication. Together, these seven facets represent criteria against which the success of pain treatments may be evaluated. As predicted, those who were pain-free had significantly better quality of life than those in pain. A longer duration of pain is associated with increasingly poorer quality of life. Intense affective pain is particularly detrimental to a good quality of life. The psychometric properties of the pain and discomfort facet of the WHOQOL and WHOQOL-100 were assessed. Internal consistency (reliability), discriminant and criterion/concurrent validity were found to be good to excellent, justifying the use of this instrument with a range of chronic and acute pain patients.

Plasma-membrane lipid composition and ethanol tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract: Populations of cells suspended anaerobically in buffered (pH 4.5) M ethanol remained viable to a greater extent when their plasma membranes were enriched in linoleyl rather than oleyl residues irrespective of the nature of the sterol enrichment. However, populations with membranes enriched in ergosterol or stigmasterol and linoleyl residues were more resistant to ethanol than populations enriched in campesterol or cholesterol and linoleyl residues. Populations enriched in ergosterol and cetoleic acid lost viability at about the same rate as those enriched in oleyl residues, while populations grown in the presence of this sterol and palmitoleic acid were more resistant to ethanol. Suspending cells in buffered ethanol for up to 24 h did not lower the ethanol concentration.