bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Validating a new total quality management‐benchmarking measurement model in an international humanitarian setting
Authors: Mahmoud Ali B. , Alatrash Mayssa , Fuxman Leonora , Hack‐Polay Dieu , Grigoriou Nicholas
Published: June 2019

The research aims to empirically validate a multidimensional measure of total quality management (TQM) benchmarking within a humanitarian setting. This study is the first to investigate the dimensionality of the TQM benchmarks as used by international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs). The proposed four‐dimensional construct for measuring quality lends itself to lean and practical TQM framework for INGOs, allowing them a greater awareness and an appetite for aligning their operations with TQM principles. Utilizing survey data collected from participants working for United Nations agencies in the Middle East, the methodology consisted of a set of literature‐backed quantitative procedures to test the validity of the previously suggested theoretical TQM‐measurement model. An alternate model emerged and revealed that the TQM‐benchmarking measurement model is a four‐factor variate. The implications of the proposed model for implementing lean management practices by INGOs are discussed.
Thermoplastic polyurethane/polytetrafluoroethylene/bridged dopo derivative composites: Flammability, thermal stability, and mechanical properties
Authors: Zhou Ying , He Weidi , Wang Na , Xu Dinghong , Chen Xiaolang , He Min , Guo Jianbing
Published: June 2019

A phenethyl‐bridged DOPO derivative (DiDOPO) is combined with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The flame retardancy and thermal stability of TPU/PTFE/DiDOPO composites with different weight percentages of DiDOPO are investigated by using limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL‐94 test, cone calorimetry test (CCT), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), energy‐dispersive spectrometry, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). With the incorporation of 8 wt% DiDOPO, the LOI value of TPU/PTFE/DiDOPO composites increases to 34.0% from 25.4% of TPU, and the V‐0 rating level is achieved. The CCT results indicate that the peak heat release rate and total heat release of TPU/PTFE/DiDOPO composites decrease due to the addition of DiDOPO and PTFE. The thermal decomposition process of TPU is changed due to the present of DiDOPO and PTFE. Based on this, the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method for the determination of characteristic degradation kinetics parameters is evaluated. SEM results and residues from TGA curves show that the addition of DiDOPO promotes the increase in the char layer and a crosslinked char coating exists after burning. The flame‐retardant mechanism is flame inhibition. Overall, these findings indicate that the combination of DiDOPO with PTFE in TPU is an effective way in developing high‐performance resins with attractive flame retardancy. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:1593–1602 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers
Lung ultrasound score as early predictor of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very low birth weight infants
Authors: Alonso‐Ojembarrena Almudena , Lubián‐López Simón Pedro
Published: June 2019

Background

Lung ultrasound (LU) has been widely used to diagnose and monitor acute lung diseases in neonates, but its role in chronic diseases has not been elucidated.

Objective

We aim to describe the evolution of a lung ultrasound score (LU score) in very low birth weight infants (VLBWI) with and without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

Methods

We prospectively included 59 VLBWI and performed LU in the first 24 and 72 hours of life, and then weekly until 36 weeks´ postmenstrual age (PMA). We calculated the LU score as a semiquantitative score representing the aeration (0‐3) in three different areas of each lung.

Results

The non‐BPD group (n = 38) had lower LU score at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 36 weeks' PMA than the BPD group: median score of 1 (0‐4) vs 7 (3‐10), P < .001; 0 (0‐1) vs 7 (4‐9), P < .001; 0 (0‐1) vs 8 (7‐11), P < .001; 0 (0‐2) vs 9 (4‐12), P < .001; 0 (0‐0) vs 3 (0‐6), P < .001. A LU score of 5 or above at 1 week of life predicted BPD with a sensitivity (Se) of 71%, specificity (Sp) 80%, area under the ROC curve (AUC) 0.8, and at 2 weeks of life with Se 74%, Sp 100%, and AUC 0.93. An LU score of 4 or above at 4 weeks predicted moderate‐severe BPD (Se 100%, Sp 80%, and AUC 0.89).

Conclusion

In VLBWI without BPD, LU score increases during the first week of life and decreases thereafter, whereas among subjects with BPD, the LU score remains high until 36 weeks´ PMA. LU score can predict the diagnosis of BPD at 1 week and 2 weeks of life, and may predict moderate‐severe BPD at 4 weeks of life.
Insecticidal activities of cinnamic acid esters isolated fromOcimum gratissimumL. andVitellaria paradoxaGaertn leaves againstTribolium castaneumHebst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
Authors: Buxton Thomas , Takahashi Shiori , Eddy Doh Akpe‐Mary , Baffoe‐Ansah Joshua , Owusu Ebenezer Oduro , Kim Chul‐Sa
Published: June 2019

BACKGROUND

Pest management using botanicals has been widely practiced in sub‐Saharan Africa and other parts of the world in recent times. The natural compounds present in these botanicals are known to be responsible for the protection they offer against insect pests. Some of these compounds may act as single compounds to produce an effect or they may be synergistically effective. In the present study using a bioassay guided approach, two cinnamic acid derivatives, methyl cinnamate and sitosterol cinnamate, were isolated from the leaves ofOcimum gratissimumandVitellaria paradoxa, respectively.

RESULTS

The two cinnamic acid derivatives were found to show higher levels of insecticidal, larvicidal and larval growth inhibition activities againstTribolium castaneum. The LC50of methyl cinnamate was determined to be 26.92 mg mL−1(95% CL: 1.18.66–38.84 mg mL−1; slope ± SE: 2.84 ± 0.81) for the adult 8.31 mg mL−1(95% CL: 2.39–28.83 mg mL−1; slope ± SE: 0.66 ± 0.28) for the larvae while the LC50of sitosterol cinnamate was determined to be 6.92 mg mL−1(95% CL: 3.97–12.06 mg mL−1; slope ± SE: 1.59 ± 0.12) the adult and 3.91 mg mL−1(95% CL: 2.21–6.93 mg mL−1; slope ± SE: 1.52 ± 0.13) for the larvae.

CONCLUSION

Generally, the susceptibility of adultT. castaneumto these cinnamic acid esters can be directly associated with the concentration as well as time of exposure to the compounds. The isolated compounds support the use ofO. gratissimumandV. paradoxaas important botanicals for the management of storage pests. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
An enhanced CUSUM‐t chart for process mean
Authors: Haq Abdul , Abidin Zain Ul
Published: June 2019

In this paper, we propose an auxiliary‐information–based (AIB) Crosier cumulative sum (CCUSUM) t chart for monitoring the process mean, namely, the AIB‐CCUSUM‐t chart. The run length characteristics of the proposed chart are computed using Monte Carlo simulation. The optimal parameters for the AIB‐CCUSUM‐t chart to detect specific mean shifts are computed. The fast initial response (FIR) feature is also attached with the proposed chart. It is found that the AIB‐CCUSUM‐t and FIR‐AIB‐CCUSUM‐t charts perform uniformly and substantially better than the CCUSUM‐t and FIR‐CCUSUM‐t charts, respectively. An example is presented to support the theory.
Physiological relevance of ACOT8‐Nef interaction in HIV infection
Authors: Palmeira Julys da Fonseca , Argañaraz Gustavo A. , de Oliveira Guilherme Xavier Lyra Malcher , Argañaraz Enrique R.
Published: June 2019

During human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, Nef viral protein plays a crucial role in viral pathogenesis and progression of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Nef is expressed in the early stages of infection and alters the cellular environment increasing infectivity, viral replication, and the evasion of host immune response through several mechanisms. Nef has numerous functional domains that allow it to interact with a number of proteins, interfering with intracellular traffic. Among these proteins, human peroxisomal thioesterase 8, ACOT8, has been shown to be an important cellular partner of Nef. It has been suggested that this interaction may be involved in Nef‐dependent endocytosis and also in the modulation of lipid composition in membrane rafts. However, the actual role of this interaction, as well as the mechanisms involved, has not yet been fully elucidated. In this review, we focused on the interplay between Nef and ACOT8 proteins, highlighting the possible physiological relevance in HIV infection.
Synchronized adaptive control for coordinating manipulators with time‐varying actuator constraint and uncertain dynamics
Authors: Wang Fujie , Liu Zhi , Chen C. L. Philip , Zhang Yun
Published: June 2019

This paper addresses the control issue for cooperative visual servoing manipulators on strongly connected graph with communication delays, in which case that the uncertain robot dynamics and kinematics, uncalibrated camera model, and actuator constraint are simultaneously considered. An adaptive cooperative image‐based approach is established to overcome the control difficulty arising from nonlinear coupling between visual model and robot agents. To estimate the coupled camera‐robot parameters, a novel adaptive strategy is developed and its superiority mainly lies in the containment of both individual image‐space errors and the synchronous errors among networked robots; thus, the cooperative performance is significantly strengthened. Moreover, the proposed cooperative controller with a Nussbaum‐type gain is implemented to both globally stabilize the closed‐loop systems and realize the synchronization control objective under the existence of unknown and time‐varying actuator constraint. Finally, simulations are carried out to validate the developed approach.
Light in the beam dump. Axion-Like Particle production from decay photons in proton beam-dumps
Authors: Döbrich Babette , Jaeckel Joerg , Spadaro Tommaso
Published: June 2019

Abstract

The exploration of long-lived particles in the MeV-GeV region is a formidable task but it may provide us a unique access to dark sectors. Fixed-target facilities with sufficiently energetic and intense proton beams are an ideal tool for this challenge. In this work we show that the production rate of Axion-Like-Particles (ALPs) coupled pre-dominantly to photons receives a significant contribution from daughter-photons of secondary π
0 and η mesons created in the proton shower. We carefully compare the PYTHIA simulated spectra of such secondaries to experimental literature, compute the ALP flux from the Primakoff conversion of these photons, and finally revisit existing limits on ALPs and update the prospects for a set of existing and future searches. Our results show that taking this production mechanism into account significantly enhances the sensitivity compared to previous studies based on coherent ALP production in primary proton-nucleus interactions.
Dual superconformal symmetry of $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 Chern-Simons theory with fundamental matter at large N
Authors: Inbasekar Karthik , Jain Sachin , Majumdar Sucheta , Nayak Pranjal , Neogi Turmoli , Sinha Ritam , Sharma Tarun , Umesh V
Published: June 2019

Abstract

Dual conformal symmetry and Yangian symmetry are symmetries of amplitudes that have aided the study of scattering amplitudes in highly supersymmetric theories like

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 4 SYM and ABJM. However, in general such symmetries are absent from the theories with lesser or no supersymmetry. In this paper, we show that the tree level 2 → 2 scattering amplitude in the 3d

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 2 Chern-Simons theory coupled to a fundamental chiral multiplet is dual superconformal invariant. In the ’t Hooft large N limit, the 2 → 2 scattering amplitude in this theory has been shown to be tree-level exact in non-anyonic channels, while having only an overall multiplicative coupling dependent renormalisation in the anyonic channel. Therefore, the dual superconformal symmetry that we demonstrate in this paper is all loop exact. This is unlike the previously studied highly supersymmetric theories where dual superconformal symmetry is anomalous at loop levels.

Furthermore, we reverse the argument to study the extent to which dual superconformal invariance fixes the scattering amplitude in an

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 2 supersymmetric theory. We demonstrate that requiring the dual superconformal invariance completely fixes the momentum dependence of the 2 → 2 amplitude, while the coupling constant dependence remain unfixed. Further, we use a combination of parity invariance, unitarity and self-duality of the amplitude to constrain the coupling dependence of scattering amplitude.
Assembling integrable σ-models as affine Gaudin models
Authors: Delduc F. , Lacroix S. , Magro M. , Vicedo B.
Published: June 2019

Abstract

We explain how to obtain new classical integrable field theories by assembling two affine Gaudin models into a single one. We show that the resulting affine Gaudin model depends on a parameter γ in such a way that the limit γ → 0 corresponds to the decoupling limit. Simple conditions ensuring Lorentz invariance are also presented. A first application of this method for σ-models leads to the action announced in [1] and which couples an arbitrary number N of principal chiral model fields on the same Lie group, each with a Wess-Zumino term. The affine Gaudin model descriptions of various integrable σ-models that can be used as elementary building blocks in the assembling construction are then given. This is in particular used in a second application of the method which consists in assembling N − 1 copies of the principal chiral model each with a Wess-Zumino term and one homogeneous Yang-Baxter deformation of the principal chiral model.
Renormalization of gravitational Wilson lines
Authors: Beşken Mert , D’Hoker Eric , Hegde Ashwin , Kraus Per
Published: June 2019

Abstract

We continue the study of the Wilson line representation of conformal blocks in two-dimensional conformal field theory; these have an alternative interpretation as gravitational Wilson lines in the context of the AdS3/CFT2 correspondence. The gravitational Wilson line involves a path-ordered exponential of the stress tensor, and its expectation value can be computed perturbatively in an expansion in inverse powers of the central charge c. The short-distance singularities which occur in the associated stress tensor correlators require systematic regularization and renormalization prescriptions, whose consistency with conformal Ward identities presents a subtle problem. The regularization used here combines dimensional regularization and analytic continuation. Representation theoretic arguments, based on SL(2, ℝ) current algebra, predict an exact result for the Wilson line anomalous dimension and, by building on previous work, we verify that the perturbative calculations using our regularization and renormalization prescriptions reproduce the exact result to order 1/c
3 included. We also discuss a related, but somewhat simpler, Wilson line in Wess-Zumino-Witten models that yields current algebra conformal blocks, and we emphasize the distinction between Wilson lines constructed out of non-holomorphic and purely holomorphic currents.
Dressed states from gauge invariance
Authors: Hirai Hayato , Sugishita Sotaro
Published: June 2019

Abstract

The dressed state formalism enables us to define the infrared finite S-matrix for QED. In the formalism, asymptotic charged states are dressed by clouds of photons. The dressed asymptotic states are originally obtained by solving the dynamics of the asymptotic Hamiltonian in the far past or future region. However, there was an argument that the obtained dressed states are not gauge invariant. We resolve the problem by imposing a correct gauge invariant condition. We show that the dressed states can be obtained just by requiring the gauge invariance of asymptotic states. In other words, Gauss’s law naturally leads to proper asymptotic states for the infrared finite S-matrix. We also discuss the relation between the dressed state formalism and the asymptotic symmetry for QED.
Transforaminal Posterior Approach is Effective for Treatment of Lower Thoracic Spine Spondylodiscitis
Authors: Ibrahim Fady , Elkhateeb Tameem Mohamed , Abd El-Rady Abdelrady , Zayan Mohammed
Published: June 2019

Background

Patients with lower-thoracic spine pathologies that affect anterior column stability and compress the neural tissues need anterior decompression and reconstruction. Anterior approaches result in long-term morbidities. Posterior laminectomy and fixation alone may not be sufficient to maintain spine stability.

Questions/Purposes

To evaluate the results of a posterior-only transforaminal thoracic interbody fusion approach for patients with thoracic disc space infection in terms of the improvement in neurologic status, resolution of infection, correction of kyphotic deformity, and assessment of post-operative complications.

Methods

A prospective study was done on 40 patients with lower thoracic spine spondylodiscitis. All patients were assessed with pre-operative imaging. Neurologic assessment was performed using the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale and functionally by the modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scale. Pre-operative and post-operative white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein levels were compared. All patients were operated on through a posterior approach using the transforaminal thoracic interbody fusion for decompression, reconstruction, and anterior fusion.

Results

Mean age of patients was 49 years; mean operative period was 188 min; mean blood loss was 611 mL. Twelve patients’ ASIA scores improved and only two patients’ scores declined. One patient died 11 months post-operatively due to septicemia. The mean follow-up period was 27.8 months. The modified JOA score improved from 6.3 ± 1.6 to 9.5 ± 0.6. The local kyphosis angle was improved from 13.8 to 6.9° post-operatively, with insignificant loss of correction at the end of follow-up. Thirty-eight out of 40 patients had solid anterior fusion at the end of follow-up.

Conclusion

The clinical outcomes of this study showed that the transforaminal thoracic interbody approach is effective for both decompression and anterior reconstruction of the lower thoracic spine in patients with spondylodiscitis.
Developmental cascades of social competence, achievement in school, and achievement on standardized assessments during the transition to adolescence and secondary school
Authors: Okano L. , Jeon L. , Crandall A. , Powell T. , Riley A.
Published: June 2019

Introduction

Social and academic functioning are cornerstones of positive youth development and important to later educational and health outcomes. Yet, little is known about how the timing and direction of relationships between social and academic functioning vary by the type of achievement assessed and how the transition to adolescence influences these relationships.

Method

This study employs longitudinal structural equation modeling to examine the interrelationships of children's social competence, teacher ratings of school achievement, and standardized assessments of cognitive achievement in a cohort of 1048 children in the United States.

Results

& Conclusions: Results identify 1) direct and indirect pathways from children's social competence in grades three and five to their school achievement in grades five and six; 2) significant pathways between school and cognitive achievement across all assessment points that decline in magnitude as students enter high school; 3) the magnitude of pathways between social competence and school achievement far exceed those between social competence and cognitive achievement; and 4) social and maturational factors account for variation in these functions but do not confound the timing and direction of the pathways from one to the other function. Given the importance of social competence and academic achievement to positive development, these findings demonstrate elementary school as an optimal and foundational period to implement universal interventions to optimize social functioning and prevent later academic difficulties in secondary school.
Effects of surfactant on propagation and rupture of a liquid plug in a tube
Authors: Muradoglu M. , Romanò F. , Fujioka H. , Grotberg J. B.
Published: June 2019

Surfactant-laden liquid plug propagation and rupture occurring in lower lung airways are studied computationally using a front-tracking method. The plug is driven by an applied constant pressure in a rigid axisymmetric tube whose inner surface is coated by a thin liquid film. The evolution equations of the interfacial and bulk surfactant concentrations coupled with the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are solved in the front-tracking framework. The numerical method is first validated for a surfactant-free case and the results are found to be in good agreement with the earlier simulations of Fujioka et al. (Phys. Fluids, vol. 20, 2008, 062104) and Hassan et al. (Intl J. Numer. Meth. Fluids, vol. 67, 2011, pp. 1373–1392). Then extensive simulations are performed to investigate the effects of surfactant on the mechanical stresses that could be injurious to epithelial cells, such as pressure and shear stress. It is found that the liquid plug ruptures violently to induce large pressure and shear stress on airway walls and even a tiny amount of surfactant significantly reduces the pressure and shear stress and thus improves cell survivability. However, addition of surfactant also delays the plug rupture and thus airway reopening.
Control of light gas releases in ventilated tunnels
Authors: Jiang L. , Creyssels M. , Hunt G. R. , Salizzoni P.
Published: June 2019

The release of buoyant harmful gases within enclosed spaces, such as tunnels and corridors, may engender specific health, industrial and transportation risks. For safety, a simple ventilation strategy for these spaces is to impose a flow along the tunnel, whose velocity is defined as ‘critical’, that confines the front of harmful buoyant gases immediately downstream of the source of emission. Determining the critical velocity as a function of the geometrical and dynamical conditions at the source is a fundamental fluid mechanics problem which has yet to be elucidated; this problem concerns the dynamics of non-Boussinesq releases relating to large differences between the densities of the buoyant and the ambient fluids. We have investigated this problem theoretically, by means of a simplified model of a top-hat plume in a cross-flow, and in complementary experiments by means of tests in a reduced-scale ventilated tunnel, examining releases from circular sources. Experimental results reveal: (i) the existence of two flow regimes depending on the plume Richardson number at the source $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}_{i}$, one for momentum-dominated releases, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}_{i}\ll 1$, and a second for buoyancy-dominated releases, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}_{i}\gg 1$, with a smooth transition between the two; and (ii) the presence of relevant non-Boussinesq effects only for momentum-dominated releases. All these features can be conveniently predicted by the plume-based model, whose validity is, strictly speaking, limited to releases issuing from ‘small’ sources in ‘weak’ ventilation flows. Analytical solutions of the model are generally in good agreement with the experimental data, even for values of the governing parameters that are beyond the range of validity for the model. The solutions aid to clarify the effect of the source radius, and reveal interesting behaviours in the limits $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}_{i}\rightarrow 0$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}_{i}\rightarrow \infty$. These findings support the adoption of simplified models to simulate light gas releases in confined ventilated spaces.
Effects of slowly varying meniscus curvature on internal flows in the Cassie state
Authors: Game Simon E. , Hodes Marc , Papageorgiou Demetrios T.
Published: June 2019

The flow rate of a pressure-driven liquid through a microchannel may be enhanced by texturing its no-slip boundaries with grooves aligned with the flow. In such cases, the grooves may contain vapour and/or an inert gas and the liquid is trapped in the Cassie state, resulting in (apparent) slip. The flow-rate enhancement is of benefit to different applications including the increase of throughput of a liquid in a lab-on-a-chip, and the reduction of thermal resistance associated with liquid metal cooling of microelectronics. At any given cross-section, the meniscus takes the approximate shape of a circular arc whose curvature is determined by the pressure difference across it. Hence, it typically protrudes into the grooves near the inlet of a microchannel and is gradually drawn into the microchannel as it is traversed and the liquid pressure decreases. For sufficiently large Reynolds numbers, the variation of the meniscus shape and hence the flow geometry necessitates the inclusion of inertial (non-parallel) flow effects. We capture them for a slender microchannel, where our small parameter is the ratio of ridge pitch-to-microchannel height, and order-one Reynolds numbers. This is done by using a hybrid analytical–numerical method to resolve the nonlinear three-dimensional (3-D) problem as a sequence of two-dimensional (2-D) linear ones in the microchannel cross-section, allied with non-local conditions that determine the slowly varying pressure distribution at leading and first orders. When the pressure difference across the microchannel is constrained by the advancing contact angle of the liquid on the ridges and its surface tension (which is high for liquid metals), inertial effects can significantly reduce the flow rate for realistic parameter values. For example, when the solid fraction of the ridges is 0.1, the microchannel height-to-(half) ridge pitch ratio is 6, the Reynolds number of the flow is 1 and the small parameter is 0.1, they reduce the flow rate of a liquid metal (Galinstan) by approximately 50 %. Conversely, for sufficiently large microchannel heights, they enhance it. Physical explanations of both of these phenomena are given.
Voting for the lesser evil: evidence from a conjoint experiment in Romania
Authors: Mares Isabela , Visconti Giancarlo
Published: June 2019

In many elections around the world, voters choose between politicians who differ not only in personal background and policy promises, but also in their history of dishonest electoral conduct. While recent literature has begun to investigate the conditions under which voters punish electoral malfeasance, we know relatively little about whether they penalize different forms of illicit activities carried out by politicians differently. In this paper, we present the results of a candidate choice experiment embedded in a survey fielded prior to the 2016 Romanian local election. We asked voters to choose between two hypothetical candidates, randomly varying several attributes, including different illicit electoral activities. We find that citizens tolerate some forms of political malfeasance less than others depending on how much that malfeasance infringes on voters' autonomy. Informational campaigns carried out by prosecutorial agencies also affect how much voters punish different illicit exchanges.
Public Documents Relating to International Law
Authors: Finch Geo. A
Published: June 2019

Copyright benefits extended to Tunis, Proclamation. October 4, 1912. 1 p. (No. 1219.) State Department.
A self-help diet and physical activity intervention with dietetic support for weight management in men treated for prostate cancer: pilot study of the Prostate Cancer Weight Management (PRO-MAN) randomised controlled trial
Authors: Mohamad H. , Ntessalen M. , Craig L. C. A. , Clark J. , Fielding S. , N’Dow J. , Heys S. D. , McNeill G.
Published: June 2019

Overweight and obesity may increase risk of disease progression in men with prostate cancer, but there have been few studies of weight loss interventions in this patient group. In this study overweight or obese men treated for prostate cancer were randomised to a self-help diet and activity intervention with telephone-based dietitian support or a wait-list mini-intervention group. The intervention group had an initial group meeting, a supporting letter from their urological consultant, three telephone dietitian consultations at 4-week intervals, a pedometer and access to web-based diet and physical activity resources. At 12 weeks, men in both groups were given digital scales for providing follow-up weight measurements, and the wait-list group received a mini-intervention of the supporting letter, a pedometer and access to the web-based resources. Sixty-two men were randomised; fifty-four completed baseline and 12-week measurements, and fifty-one and twenty-seven provided measurements at 6 and 12 months, respectively. In a repeated-measures model, mean difference in weight change between groups (wait-list mini-intervention minus intervention) at 12 weeks was −2·13 (95 % CI −3·44, −0·82) kg (P = 0·002). At 12 months the corresponding value was −2·43 (95 % CI −4·50, −0·37) kg (P = 0·022). Mean difference in global quality of life score change between groups at 12 weeks was 12·3 (95 % CI 4·93, 19·7) (P = 0·002); at 12 months there were no significant differences between groups. Results suggest the potential of self-help diet and physical activity intervention with trained support for modest but sustained weight loss in this patient group.
Actoris in the Odyssey
Authors: Bassett Samuel E.
Published: June 2019

Professor Scott in his paper on ‘Eurynome and Eurycleia’ (in the April number of the Classical Quarterly) was inclined to believe, although he did not press the point, that Eurynome and Actoris were one and the same servant, the name Actoris being a patronymic. This explanation was offered also by Hayman, who compares Actorion (A 750), but it has been ignored by Wilamowitz (Hom. Unters. 84 sq.) and by van Leeuwen-Mendes da Costa, who reject ψ 226 sqq. It is an ingenious attempt to solve a small Homeric problem, and would be convincing but for two reasons, of which the first has to do with the poet's manner and the second with the circumstances of the recognition scene in ψ
Lectio Senatvs and Censvs Under Avgvstvs
Authors: Hardy E. G
Published: June 2019

In the Mon. Ancyr. II. 2–11 Augustus makes four statements: (1) He carried out a lectio senatus on three occasions. (2) He held a census in his sixth consulship (28 B.C.) with Agrippa as his colleague, and completed the lustrum after an interval of forty-two years, the number of citizens registered being four millions and sixty-three thousand. (3) He completed a second lustrum in 8 B.C. invested with the consular imperium and without a colleague, the number of citizens having increased by one hundred and seventy thousand. (4) He completed a third lustrum in 14 A.D. again invested with the consular imperium, but with Tiberius as his colleague, the number of citizens having again increased by seven hundred and four thousand.
“Data for the problem of evolution in man. A first study of the inheritance of longevity and the selective death-rate in man”
Authors: Beeton Mary , Pearson Karl
Published: June 2019

According to Wallace and Weisman the duration of life in any organism is determined by natural selection. An organism lives so long as it is advantageous, not to itself, but to its species, that it should live. But it would be impossible for natural selection to determine the fit duration of life, as it would be impossible for it to fix any other character, unless that character were inherited. Accordingly the hypothesis above referred to supposes that duration of life is an inherited character. So far as we are aware, however, neither of the above-mentioned naturalists, nor any other investigators, have published researches bearing on the problem of whether duration of life is or is not inherited. We are accustomed to hear of a particular man that “he comes of a long-lived family”, but the quantitative measure of the inheritance of life's duration does not yet seem to have been determined. This absence of investigation appears the more remarkable as a knowledge of the magnitude of inheritance in this respect would, we should conceive, be of primary commercial importance in the consideration of life insurance and of annuities. The biological interest of the problem, as we have already noticed, is very great.
Increasing Reversionary Charges
Authors: Paterson William Brockie
Published: June 2019

Some years ago I had the privilege of reading a paper on Contingent Reversions, &c., before this Institute, and the proposals I then made for the treatment of the premiums on the insurances to be set up in connection with reversionary transactions were received with general condemnation, nor have they since, so far as I know, met with any practical support, although I have seen no reason to alter my opinion of the soundness and practicability of the views I then put forward. I am not afraid on this occasion of meeting with like opposition, as the methods I am now going to deal with have been carried into practice already by the Society with which I am connected, and by way of reassurance, if not otherwise, have examples on the books of many of the life offices, both in England and Scotland.
The Increase of Cancer
Authors: Teece Richard
Published: June 2019

In applying this title to the following remarks, I am quite aware of the fact that a number of authorities, whose opinion is entitled to the highest respect, will at once pronounce it a misnomer, for the reason that, while all statistical returns disclose an increase in the rate of mortality from cancer, such increase is held to be only apparent, and is not real, but is due to improved methods of diagnosis. This view was propounded and ably advocated in a paper by Mr. Geo. King, F.I.A., and Dr. Newsholme, printed in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, vol. liv, 1893. The position taken up in that paper was that, as cancer is a disease of middle life and old age, no satisfactory conclusion could be reached, except by a distribution of the living and the recorded deaths from cancer into the various age periods. The gentlemen named proceeded with their investigation on this basis, and arrived at the conclusion that no actual increase in the death rate from cancer had taken place, but that the apparent increase was due to improved methods of diagnosis and to erroneous methods of tabulating the data.
An Investigation into the Rates of Re-Marriage and Mortality amongst Widows in receipt of relief from the Patriotic (Russian War) Fund, 1854–1900
Authors: Burn J. , McDonald J.
Published: June 2019

Readers of the Journal will remember that in February 1901 our then President, Mr. Higham, addressed a letter on behalf of the Council to the Royal Commissioners of the Patriotic Fund, offering the services of the Council of the Institute in respect of any actuarial advice which might be necessary in connection with the various Funds administered by the Commissioners.
On the Retrospective Method of Valuation
Authors: Bell Frederick
Published: June 2019

The method of valuation generally adopted in practice is that known as the Prospective Method; by it, the value of a policy is obtained by a consideration of the future, and is the discounted value of the payment to be made, less the discounted value of the payments (if any) to be received; discounted, that is, in each case, for both mortality and interest.
Bonuses in Model Office Valuations and their relations to Reserves
Authors: Buchanan James
Published: June 2019

Following on the reading of Mr. King's paper “On the Comparative Reserves of Life Assurance Companies” (J.I.A., xxxvii, 453), there appeared in the Insurance Record an interesting correspondence, in which certain developments of that paper were asked for. As these promised to lead to results of considerable interest and to throw much light on the working of bonus systems, I communicated with Mr. King, and it was with his concurrence that the present investigation was undertaken. I desire now to express my thanks to him for his kindness in placing at my disposal his manuscript tables, which greatly shortened the work of certain parts of the investigation.
On the Calculation of the Contributions to be made to an Annuity Fund for Widows and Children, by the members of a Society, all of whom, whether married or single, are obliged to contribute
Authors: Schjoll Oscar
Published: June 2019

These notes were prepared at the request of the General Director of the Norwegian Railways (Mr. L. Segelcke), in consequence of a proposed reconstruction of the Benevolent Funds of the railways. Each traffic district has, besides the Pension Fund for its functionaries, a Benevolent Fund; and these latter funds have gradually accumulated considerable sums, out of which they grant allowances to widows of the functionaries; also, in exceptional cases, to retired functionaries in needy circumstances; but always in the form of gratuities given from year to year at the discretion of the Directors. As, however, there exists a strong feeling in favour of the conversion of the Benevolent Funds into funds securing a fixed annual provision for the widow, and for the children under a certain age (for instance, 18), I was requested to prepare a report on the subject.
Model Office Reserves for Endowment Assurances
Authors: Buchanan James
Published: June 2019

When Mr. Manly first put forward the idea of constructing a Model Office for whole of life policies, endowment assurance business was in its infancy. That idea was afterwards improved on by Mr. King, who substituted an actual experience of entrants and withdrawals for the assumptions which Mr. Manly, in the absence of data, was forced to make; and when, twenty-five years later, another Model Office was constructed on the basis of the new experience, the age distribution of the business was found to be so little altered, that it was possible to retain the older figures. In the meantime, however, endowment assurances had ceased to be a minor class; and their growth has been so rapid and continuous that they now form one of the most important sections of the business. It was probably the hope of many that Mr. King would have found time to extend his Model Office to endowment assurances, and it was only because he stated that his other duties would not permit him at present to do so, that I have undertaken to supply the extension.
Further Notes on some Legal Aspects of Life Assurance Practice
Authors: Barrand Arthur Rhys
Published: June 2019

Introduction.—Increased interest in legal matters on the part of actuaries.—Practical nature of legal questions in Institute examinations.—Need for information not found in ordinary text-books.—Why particulars of decided cases are given.—Reporting assurance cases in Journal.—Recent papers dealing with legal subjects.

Nature of the Contract of Life Assurance.—Assurances where a larger amount is payable on maturity than on death.—Are these contracts of life assurance?—Essentials of contract of assurance.—Accident policies with return of premium on death or attainment of fixed age.—Test of a double contract.

Insurable Interest.—Must the interest be a pecuniary one ?— Has an employer an insurable interest in the life of his weekly servant ?—Policy assigned immediately after issue.—Who can plead absence of insurable interest?—Return of premiums when assurance is void.—Agent as expert in assurance law.

The Proposal.—Agent's knowledge as to misstatements in proposal.—Agent as agent of proposer and not of company.—When the agent is the agent of the company.—Conflicting decisions.
Comparative Bonuses under Whole Life and Endowment Assurances
Authors: Rietschel Hermann Julius
Published: June 2019

It is now some years since a paper was presented to the Institute dealing with the comparative bonus-earning powers of whole life and endowment assurances. In view of the importance of the subject I have ventured to submit this paper, which I hope may lead to a useful and interesting discussion. The matter has been so ably dealt with by the late Mr. Sunderland, Mr. Lidstone and Mr. Chatham that I have the greatest hesitation in presenting my own views, and I must therefore beg the Members of the Institute to receive this paper in the same kindly spirit which they have always manifested towards new contributors.

My object in the paper has been to show the relative bonuses which should be allotted to whole life and endowment assurance policies having special regard to

(1) The expenses of the office;

(2) Variations in the rate of interest earned; and

(3) Mortality.

In Table A are given the office premiums which have been employed in this investigation. They are based on the H[M] 4 per-cent Table, with a loading for a £1 per-cent compound reversionary bonus, together with 10 per-cent and a constant of 3s. per-cent for expenses and commission—
A Pension Fund Problem; with some remarks on the deduction of Salary-scales
Authors: Bacon James
Published: June 2019

MR. T. G. ACKLAND, in the course of the discussion upon Mr. Manly's paper “On the Valuation of Staff Pension Funds”, presented the following problem for solution by the members of the Institute—” In the case of a superannuation fund, established—“ in connection with a municipality or corporation, to which the “employees contribute at a fixed rate, what will be the probable “annual charge upon the rates of the City during the next ten “years, during the following ten years, and so on for fifty years, “supposing that the present staff of the Corporation is adequate “in number for the needs of the Corporation, and that new “entrants come in only in replacement of those who die, “withdraw, or retire” ? (J.I.A., xxxvi, p . 283).

It is sometimes the case that a commercial undertaking merely guarantees the stability of its staff pension fund, without making an adequate annual contribution from which to build up the reserve necessary to meet the actuarial liability, or, more usually, it is the practice of a corporation to meet the current claims under its pension scheme out of the current income from its employees' contributions and to use any excess of income in relief of the rates, and to charge any deficiency, when arising, upon the rates. In such cases the ordinary actuarial valuation is of little practical use, but the main question is that put by Mr. Ackland—“ What will be the charge upon the employer, or the rates, at a given date, or over a given period”?
Bonus Reserve Valuations
Authors: Coutts C. R. V.
Published: June 2019

The question whether the net premium method of valuation, now almost universally adopted by offices distributing their profits in the form of reversionary bonuses, should be regarded as a final and scientific method of ascertaining divisible profits or as merely a temporary expedient which must, in the words of Mr. Sorley, “inevitably disappear before the advance of true actuarial science”, is one which has frequently engaged the attention of actuaries. The importance of the subject is so great to all connected with the administration of Life offices that in the hope of provoking an interesting and useful discussion on the general question, I venture to submit the following notes on an alternative method of valuation, based on a suggestion by Mr. Manly (in the discussion on Mr. Warner's paper on the Net Premium Method of Valuation reported in the 37th volume of the Journal, p. 57), that in the valuation balance sheet the present value of the bonus at the rate to be declared at a given valuation should be treated as a liability for the future existence of the policies.

As the alternative method is, to some extent, based on the original principles of the net premium method, I propose, as briefly as possible, to summarize the modifications which have been introduced in the last 30 years in the principles and application of the net premium method.
Notes on mortality and life assurance in India
Authors: Winter A. T.
Published: June 2019

At the Congress of Actuaries in Berlin in 1906 I contributed a paper on Life Assurance in India. With certain modifications and additions, a considerable part of that paper is reproduced in that which I am now reading. My excuse for going over much of the same ground again is that the subject has not been before the Institute for many years past, and that the discussion here will no doubt elicit further information which will be useful to the profession.

At the present time India is one of the largest and most rapidly developing fields for insurance business in which the rates of mortality differ materially from those in temperate climates. Not only are there a greater number of Europeans from year to year engaging in the civil and military administration of the country and its mercantile pursuits who require the benefits of assurance, but the more Europeanized Natives themselves are also seeking the same protection.
Analysis and Apportionment of the Expenses of Management of a Life Office with a view to ascertaining the Office Premium Loadings
Authors: Rietschel H. J.
Published: June 2019

In 1907 I had the honour of reading before the Institute a paper dealing with the Comparative Bonuses under Whole-Life and Endowment Assurances, and therein I pointed out that the method of apportioning the expenses between the two classes had a considerable effect upon the rates of bonus, and in the discussion more than one speaker referred to the relative premiums as vitally affecting the conclusions to be drawn from any investigation. The solution of the first problem will, mortality apart, also give us the key to the rates of premium which an office should charge for Whole-Life and Endowment Assurances respectively. As the premiums are the foundation of our business it is of the utmost importance that an analysis of the expenses should be made periodically in order to ascertain the adequacy of the remuneration the office receives for the risks it undertakes. The question of the office premiums has been frequently discussed, but I do not think any paper has been submitted to this Institute in which an agreement has been shown between the loadings adopted in obtaining the office premiums and the actual expenses of the office. The object of the paper is to elicit the views of the profession upon this subject.

The commission paid by the majority of offices is, for the principal classes of Assurance, usually a percentage of the sum assured on payment of the first annual premium and a percentage of the office renewal premiums. The loading required to provide for the commissions is therefore easily ascertained and requires no discussion.
On the Valuation of the Liabilities of An Insurance Company Under its Employers' Liability Contracts
Authors: Penman William
Published: June 2019

IN the preparation of this paper I met at the outset with certain difficulties.

The practice of Employers’ Liability Insurance is unfamiliar to many members of this Institute, the subject has not previously been dealt with at one of our sessional meetings, and the pages of the Journal contain very little matter bearing thereon, I fear, therefore, that if the subject is confined within the strict limits suggested by the title, the prospect of a full discussion will be jeopardized. As probably the opportunity of a discussion is the best justification for a paper on the Valuation of Employers’ Liability Contracts at the present time, I hope that the inclusion of a certain amount of introductory matter, with a view to facilitating the study of the paper, will be excused.