bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lectin inhibits antigen–antibody reaction in a glycoform‐specific manner: Application for detecting α2,6sialylated‐carcinoembryonic antigen
Authors: Ito Hiromi , Hoshi Kyoka , Osuka Fumihiko , Gotoh Mitsukazu , Saito Takuro , Hojo Hiroshi , Suzuki Rei , Ohira Hiromasa , Honda Takashi , Hashimoto Yasuhiro
Published: August 2016

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a glycoprotein marker, which is widely used for diagnosing various cancers, especially colon adenocarcinoma. In addition, CEA mediates homotypic adhesion of colon adenocarcinoma cells, which appears to favor hematogenous metastasis. CEA carries α2,6sialyl residues on its N‐glycans whereas a normal counterpart, normal fecal antigen‐2, does α2,3sialyl residues, suggesting that cancer‐specific  α2,6sialylation on CEA may play a role for cell invasion and metastasis. A simple and rapid estimation of α2,6sialyled CEA in detergent extracts from formalin‐fixed colon adenocarcinoma by “lectin inhibition” is reported. In the lectin inhibition method, Sambucus sieboldiana Agglutinin (SSA) lectin, an α2,6sialic acid binder, was used as a glycoform‐specific inhibitor for antigen–antibody reaction in ELISA. Detergent extracts from colon adenocarcinoma showed a fair amount of ELISA signal in the absence of SSA whereas the signal was markedly reduced (45≈74%) in the presence of SSA, suggesting that the extracts contains α2,6sialyled CEA. The presence of α2,6sialyled CEA in the extracts was confirmed by lectin microarray, in which SSA, Sambucus nigra agglutinin, and Trichosanthes japonica agglutinin I lectins were used as α2,6sialyl binders. Thus lectin inhibition is a simple and rapid method for detecting α2,6sialyled CEA even in crude detergent extracts from formalin‐fixed adenocarcinoma tissue.
Compound‐specific bromine isotope ratio analysis using gas chromatography/quadrupole mass spectrometry
Authors: Zakon Yevgeni , Halicz Ludwik , Lev Ovadia , Gelman Faina
Published: August 2016

Rationale

Brominated organic compounds (BOCs) are common persistent toxic pollutants. Compound‐specific stable bromine isotope ratio analysis is one of the potential approaches for investigating BOC transformations in the environment. In the present study, we demonstrate that precise bromine isotope analysis of BOCs can be successfully performed by gas chromatography/quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC/qMS) systems that are widely available in analytical laboratories.

Methods

Optimization and validation of the GC/qMS method were performed by analysis of bromoform, 3‐bromophenol and 4‐bromotoluene. In addition, comparison of the results obtained by GC/qMS and GC/multi‐collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC‐ICPMS) for 1,2‐dibromoethane and 3‐bromophenol samples with different bromine isotope composition was carried out to evaluate the analytical performance of the developed method.

Results

Precisions in the range 0.2–0.3‰ were attained for sample amounts in the range of tens to thousands pmol. Good correlation between the results obtained by GC/qMS and GC/MC‐ICPMS for laboratory standard materials (1,2‐dibromoethane and 3‐bromophenol) (regression coefficient R2 > 0.98) was achieved.

Conclusions

The GC/qMS method for bromine isotope analysis shows a good performance and can be applied routinely for studying transformations of BOCs. Due to the observed dependence of the measured isotope ratios on the amount of the analyte and the calculation scheme applied, normalization of the results versus appropriate standards is required for source attribution applications. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Revisiting the false positive rate in detecting recent positive selection
Authors: Xiang‐Yu Jinggong , Yang Zongfeng , Tang Kun , Li Haipeng
Published: August 2016

There is increasing interest in studying the molecular mechanisms of recent adaptations caused by positive selection in the genomics era. Such endeavors to detect recent positive selection, however, have been severely handicapped by false positives due to the confounding impact of demography and the population structure. To reduce false positives, it is critical to conduct a functional analysis to identify the true candidate genes/mutations from those that are filtered through neutrality tests. However, the extremely high cost of such functional analysis may restrict studies within a small number of model species. In particular, when the false positive rate of neutrality tests is high, the efficiency of the functional analysis will also be very low. Therefore, although the recent improvements have been made in the (joint) inference of demography and selection, our ultimate goal, which is to understand the mechanism of adaptation generally in a wide variety of natural populations, may not be achieved using the currently available approaches. More attention should thus be spent on the development of more reliable tests that could not only free themselves from the confounding impact of demography and the population structure but also have reasonable power to detect selection.
An overview of major metagenomic studies on human microbiomes in health and disease
Authors: Cui Hongfei , Li Yingxue , Zhang Xuegong
Published: August 2016

Many microbes are important symbiotes of human. They form specific microbiota communities, participate in various kinds of biological processes of their host and thus deeply affect human health status. Metagenomic sequencing has been widely used in human microbiota study due to its capacity of studying all genetic materials in an environment as a whole without any extra need of isolation or cultivation of microorganisms. Many efforts have been made by researchers in this area trying to dig out interesting knowledge from various metagenome data. In this review, we go through some prominent studies in the metagenomic area. We summarize them into three categories, constructing taxonomy and gene reference, characterization of microbiome distribution patterns, and detection of microbiome alternations associated with specific human phenotypes or diseases. Some available data resources are also provided. This review can serve as an entrance to this exciting and rapidly developing field for researchers interested in human microbiomes.
Rebaudioside A inhibits pentylenetetrazol‐induced convulsions in rats
Authors: Uyanikgil Yigit , Cavusoglu Turker , Balcıoglu Huseyin A. , Gurgul Serkan , Solmaz Volkan , Ozlece Hatice K. , Erten Nilgun , Erbas Oytun
Published: August 2016

The safety of patients with epilepsy consuming sweetening agents, which is becoming increasingly prevalent for various reasons, is a topic that should be emphasized as sensitively as it is for other diseases. Patients with epilepsy consume sweetening agents for different reasons such being diabetic or overweight. They can occasionally be exposed to sweetening agents unrestrainedly through consuming convenience food, primarily beverages. This study aimed to investigate the effects of rebaudioside A (Reb‐A), which is a steviol glycoside produced from the herb Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni), on epileptic seizures and convulsions induced by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). Forty‐eight male rats were used. Twenty‐four rats were administered 35 mg/kg PTZ to trigger epileptiform activity; the remaining 24 rats were administered 70 mg/kg PTZ to trigger the convulsion model. The epileptiform activity was evaluated by spike percentage, whereas convulsion was evaluated by Racine's Convulsion Scale and the onset time of the first myoclonic jerk. Statistical analysis revealed a statistically significant decrease in the Racine's Convulsion Scale score and increase in the latency of first myoclonic jerk in a dose‐dependent manner for the rat groups in which PTZ epilepsy had been induced and Reb‐A had been administered. For the groups that were administered Reb‐A, the spike decrease was apparent in a dose‐dependent manner, based on the spike percentage calculation. These results indicated that Reb‐A has positive effects on PTZ‐induced convulsions.
Innovation and the Evolution of Industries
Authors: Malerba Franco , Nelson Richard R. , Orsenigo Luigi , Winter Sidney G.
Published: August 2016

The disruptive impacts of technological innovation on established industrial structures has been one of the distinguishing features of modern capitalism. In this book, four leading figures in the field of Schumpeterian and evolutionary economic theory draw on decades of research to offer a new, 'history-friendly' perspective on the process of creative destruction. This 'history-friendly' methodology models the complex dynamics of innovation, competition and industrial evolution in a way that combines analytical rigour with an acknowledgement of the chaotic nature of history. The book presents a comprehensive analysis of the determinants and patterns of industrial evolution, and investigates its complex dynamics within three key industries: computers, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals. It will be of great value to scholars and students of innovation and industrial change, from backgrounds as varied as history, economics and management. Its coverage of new methodological tools is also useful for students who are new to evolutionary economic theory.
Pericles
Authors: Martin Thomas R.
Published: August 2016

Pericles was the most famous leader of the most famous ancient Greek democracy - and also the most controversial in his own time and ever since. Was he a brutal imperialist ready to oppress other Greeks, or a clear-eyed defender of Athens' need for power to survive in a relentlessly hostile world? How did his intellectual training in ideas that many Athenians regarded as dangerous make him the most persuasive leader Athenian democracy ever knew? Why was his personal lifestyle so idiosyncratic? How should we evaluate his responsibility for the suffering and loss of the Peloponnesian War? Thomas R. Martin's unique emphasis on the effect on Pericles of his family's notorious history, his youthful experiences as a wartime refugee, and his unusual education reveals a brilliant politician whose hyper-rationality could not, in the end, protect him or his community from tragedy.
The Aesthetics of Emotion
Authors: Cupchik Gerald C.
Published: August 2016

Gerald C. Cupchik builds a bridge between science and the humanities, arguing that interactions between mind and body in everyday life are analogous to relations between subject matter and style in art. According to emotional phase theory, emotional reactions emerge in a 'perfect storm' whereby meaningful situations evoke bodily memories that unconsciously shape and unify the experience. Similarly, in expressionist or impressionist painting, an evocative visual style can spontaneously colour the experience and interpretation of subject matter. Three basic situational themes encompass complementary pairs of primary emotions: attachment (happiness - sadness), assertion (fear -anger), and absorption (interest - disgust). Action episodes, in which a person adapts to challenges or seeks to realize goals, benefit from energizing bodily responses which focus attention on the situation while providing feedback, in the form of pleasure or pain, regarding success or failure. In high representational paintings, style is transparent, making it easier to fluently identify subject matter.
Industrial Forests and Mechanical Marvels
Authors: Cribelli Teresa
Published: August 2016

An account of modernization and technological innovation in nineteenth-century Brazil that provides a distinctly Brazilian perspective. Existing scholarship on the period describes the beginnings of Brazilian modernization as a European or North American import dependent on foreign capital, transfers of technology, and philosophical inspiration. Promoters of modernization were considered few in number, derivative in their thinking, or thwarted by an entrenched slaveholding elite hostile to industrialization. Teresa Cribelli presents a more nuanced picture. Nineteenth-century Brazilians selected among the transnational flow of ideas and technologies with care and attention to the specific conditions of their tropical nation. Studying underutilized sources, Cribelli illuminates a distinctly Brazilian vision of modernization that challenges the view that Brazil, a nation dependent on slave labor for much of the nineteenth century, was merely reactive in the face of the modernization models of the North Atlantic industrializing nations.
Personality and Close Relationship Processes
Authors: Gaines, Jr Stanley O.
Published: August 2016

Few observers of relationship dynamics would dispute the claim of interdependence theorists that a defining feature of close relationships is the extent to which partners influence each other's thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. However, partners do not behave simply in response to each other's behavior; both partners in a given relationship bring themselves - indeed, their selves - into the relationship as well. Not only are individuals' selves enormously complex and rich in content, but so too are the multitude of personality characteristics, including traits, values, attitudes, motives, and emotions, that contribute to selves' richness. Gaines, Jr provides a major integration of research on personality with research on relationship science, and demonstrates how personality constructs can be readily incorporated into the two most influential theories of close relationships: attachment theory and interdependence theory. This study will be of value to scholars in the fields of close relationships, personality psychology, communication studies, and family studies.
Gendering European Working Time Regimes
Authors: Zbyszewska Ania
Published: August 2016

The standard approach to regulating working hours rests on gendered assumptions about how paid and unpaid work ought to be divided. In this book, Ania Zbyszewska takes a feminist, socio-legal approach to evaluate whether the contemporary European working time regimes can support a more equal sharing of this work. Focusing on the legal and political developments surrounding the EU's Working Time Directive and the reforms of Poland's Labour Code, Zbyszewska reveals that both regimes retain this traditional gender bias, and suggests the reasons for its persistence. She employs a wide range of data sources and uses the Polish case to assess the EU influence over national policy discourse and regulation, with the broader transnational policy trends also considered. This book combines legal analysis with social and political science concepts to highlight law's constitutive role and relational dimensions, and to reflect on the relationship between discursive politics and legal action.
Dialect Matters
Authors: Trudgill Peter
Published: August 2016

Based on Peter Trudgill's weekly column in the Eastern Daily Press newspaper, this book has two overall messages. The first is that language is a fascinating and enjoyable phenomenon which not enough people know enough about. The second is that we should not discriminate negatively against individuals and groups because of their accent, dialect or native language. Linguistic prejudice, known as 'linguicism', is more publicly and shamelessly demonstrated than racism and sexism, as is 'prescriptivism', the practice of elevating one language or language variety as 'better' than another. Written in an entertaining and accessible style, Trudgill's columns support the language of ordinary people and explore topics such as nonstandard versus standard dialects; vernacular (everyday) language as opposed to politically correct language; informal vocabulary as opposed to business-school jargon; and minority versus majority languages. Each article is also accompanied by notes designed for students and those unfamiliar with the East Anglian setting.
State Food Crimes
Authors: Howard-Hassmann Rhoda E.
Published: August 2016

Some states deny their own citizens one of the most fundamental human rights: the right to food. Rhoda E. Howard-Hassmann, a leading scholar of human rights, discusses state food crimes, demonstrating how governments have introduced policies that cause malnutrition or starvation among their citizens and others for whom they are responsible. The book introduces the right to food and discusses historical cases (communist famines in Ukraine, China and Cambodia, and neglect of starvation by democratic states in Ireland, Germany and Canada). It then moves to a detailed discussion of four contemporary cases: starvation in North Korea, and malnutrition in Zimbabwe, Venezuela, and the West Bank and Gaza. These cases are then used to analyse international human rights law, sanctions and food aid, and civil and political rights as they pertain to the right to food. The book concludes by considering the need for a new international treaty on the right to food.
Frontex and Non-Refoulement
Authors: Mungianu Roberta
Published: August 2016

Since the Frontex Border Agency's establishment in 2004, its activities have foregrounded the complexity and difficulty of protecting the human rights of those seeking access to the European Union. In this connection, protection from refoulement should be paramount in the Agency's work. By navigating through the intricacies of Frontex's structure and working methods, this book answers abiding questions: which circumstances would trigger European Union responsibility if violations were to occur in Frontex's joint operations? What is the legal standing of the principle of non-refoulement in relation to Frontex's activities? Can Frontex be entrusted with an exclusive search and rescue mandate? This book offers a theoretical and practical insight into the legislative intricacies of Frontex's work, examining the responsibility of the EU, and scrutinising the interaction of international law and EU law with a focus on the principle of non-refoulement.
Contesting Economic and Social Rights in Ireland
Authors: Murray Thomas
Published: August 2016

This book presents a political understanding of socio-economic rights by contextualising constitution-makers' and judges' decision-making in terms of Ireland's rich history of people's struggles for justice 'from below' between 1848 and the present. Its theoretical framework incorporates critical legal studies and world-systems analysis. It performs a critical discourse analysis of constitution-making processes in 1922 and 1937 as well as subsequent property, trade union, family and welfare rights case law. It traces the marginalisation of socio-economic rights in Ireland from specific, local and institutional factors to the contested balance of core-peripheral and social relations in the world-system. The book demonstrates the endurance of ideological understandings of state constitutionalism as inherently neutral between interests. Unemployed marches, housing protestors and striking workers, however, provided important challenges and oppositional discourses. Recognising these enduring forms of power and ideology is vital if we are to assess critically the possibilities and limits of contesting socio-economic rights today.
Allies or Adversaries
Authors: Brass Jennifer N.
Published: August 2016

Governments throughout the developing world have witnessed a proliferation of non-governmental, non-profit organizations (NGOs) providing services like education, healthcare and piped drinking water in their territory. In Allies or Adversaries, Jennifer N. Brass explains how these NGOs have changed the nature of service provision, governance, and state development in the early twenty-first century. Analyzing original surveys alongside interviews with public officials, NGOs and citizens, Brass traces street-level government-NGO and state-society relations in rural, town and city settings of Kenya. She examines several case studies of NGOs within Africa in order to demonstrate how the boundary between purely state and non-state actors blurs, resulting in a very slow turn toward more accountable and democratic public service administration. Ideal for scholars, international development practitioners, and students interested in global or international affairs, this detailed analysis provides rich data about NGO-government and citizen-state interactions in an accessible and original manner.
Politics without Stories
Authors: Ricci David
Published: August 2016

Liberal candidates, scholars, and activists mainly promote pragmatism rather than large and powerful narratives - which may be called 'alpha stories' for their commanding presence over time. Alternatively, conservative counterparts to such liberals tend to promote their policy preferences in alpha stories praising effective markets, excellent traditions, and limited government. In this face-off, liberals represent a post-Enlightenment world where many modern people, following Max Weber, are 'disenchanted', while many conservatives, echoing Edmund Burke, cherish stories borrowed from the past. Politics without Stories describes this storytelling gap as an electoral disadvantage for liberals because their campaigning lacks, and will continue to lack, the inspiration and shared commitments that great, long-term stories can provide. Therefore, Ricci argues that, for tactical purposes, liberals should concede their post-Enlightenment skepticism and rally around short-term stories designed to frame, in political campaigns, immediate situations which they regard as intolerable. These may help liberals win elections and influence the course of modern life.
Viscoelastic liquid film flowing down a flexible tube
Authors: Zhou Zhi-Qiang , Peng Jie , Zhang Yang-Jun , Zhuge Wei-Lin
Published: August 2016

This investigation addresses the dynamics of annular viscoelastic films flowing down a flexible tube. The fluid viscoelasticity is assumed to be weak in order to obtain approximate explicit expressions for the stresses. Based on Shkadov’s integral boundary layer method (Fluid Dyn., vol. 2(1), 1967, pp. 29–34), a set of nonlinear evolution equations is derived that is valid for flows with moderate Reynolds numbers. The linear stability property of the system is examined by using normal-mode analysis, which is verified by comparing the results with those resulting from the linearization of the full Navier–Stokes equations. The results indicate that the fluid viscoelasticity plays an unstable role in the stability of the annular film flow. The tube flexibility, which includes wall damping and wall tension, plays a dual role. A bifurcation analysis is performed, and the families of steady travelling waves are catalogued. It is found that the stiffness of the tube tends to stimulate the interfacial capillary ripples. The fluid viscoelasticity acts to strengthen the dispersion of the interfacial waves but weakens the interfacial capillary ripples. The spatio-temporal evolutions of the system are also solved numerically. When the tube radius is small enough, tube closure can be observed due to the Plateau–Rayleigh instability. The fluid viscoelasticity acts to promote tube closure while the tube radius is relatively small. However, it plays a role in postponing the closure of the tube with a large radius.
Short-wave instability of an elastic plate in supersonic flow in the presence of the boundary layer
Authors: Bondarev Vsevolod , Vedeneev Vasily
Published: August 2016

Panel flutter is a dangerous aeroelastic instability of the skin panels of supersonic flight vehicles. Though the linear stability of panels in uniform flow has been studied in detail, the influence of the boundary layer is still an open question. Most studies of panel flutter in the presence of the boundary layer are devoted to the ($1/7$)th-power velocity law and yield a stabilising effect of the boundary layer. Recently, Vedeneev (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 736, 2013, pp. 216–249) considered arbitrary velocity and temperature profiles and showed that, for a generalised convex boundary layer profile, a decrease of the growth rates of ‘supersonic’ perturbations (responsible for single-mode panel flutter) is accompanied by destabilisation of ‘subsonic’ perturbations that are neutral in uniform flow. However, this result is not self-consistent, as the long-wave expansion for solutions of the Rayleigh equation was used, whereas subsonic perturbations, generally speaking, cannot be considered as long waves. More surprising results are obtained for the boundary layer profile with a generalised inflection point, where the effect of the layer is destabilising even for ‘supersonic’ perturbations, and such waves can also have short lengths. In order to overcome this inconsistency, in this paper, we solve the Rayleigh equation numerically and investigate the stability of short-wave perturbation of the elastic plate in the presence of the boundary layer. As before, two problem formulations are investigated. First, we study running waves in an infinite plate. Second, we analyse eigenmodes of the plate of large finite length and use Kulikovskii’s global instability criterion. Based on the results of calculations, we confirm that the effect of the boundary layer with a generalised inflection point can be essentially destabilising. On the other hand, for generalised convex boundary layers, calculations show that, unlike the prediction of the long-wave approximation, the finite plate is fully stabilised for sufficiently thick boundary layers.
The role of basement-involved normal faults in the recent tectonics of western Taiwan
Authors: YANG KENN-MING , RAU RUEY-JUIN , CHANG HAO-YUN , HSIEH CHING-YUN , TING HSIN-HSIU , HUANG SHIUH-TSANN , WU JONG-CHANG , TANG YI-JIN
Published: August 2016

In the foreland area of western Taiwan, some of the pre-orogenic basement-involved normal faults were reactivated during the subsequent compressional tectonics. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the role played by the pre-existing normal faults in the recent tectonics of western Taiwan. In NW Taiwan, reactivated normal faults with a strike-slip component have developed by linkage of reactivated single pre-existing normal faults in the foreland basin and acted as transverse structures for low-angle thrusts in the outer fold-and-thrust belt. In the later stage of their development, the transverse structures were thrusted and appear underneath the low-angle thrusts or became tear faults in the inner fold-and-thrust belt. In SW Taiwan, where the foreland basin is lacking normal fault reactivation, the pre-existing normal faults passively acted as ramp for the low-angle thrusts in the inner fold-and-thrust belt. Some of the active faults in western Taiwan may also be related to reactivated normal faults with right-lateral slip component. Some main earthquake shocks related to either strike-slip or thrust fault plane solution occurred on reactivated normal faults, implying a relationship between the pre-existing normal fault and the triggering of the recent major earthquakes. Along-strike contrast in structural style of normal fault reactivation gives rise to different characteristics of the deformation front for different parts of the foreland area in western Taiwan. Variations in the degree of normal fault reactivation also provide some insights into the way the crust embedding the pre-existing normal faults deformed in response to orogenic contraction.
Double Endowment Assurances
Authors: Fraser D. C.
Published: August 2016

(i) The characteristic feature of Double Endowment Assurances is that for a given term of years the annual premium is almost independent of the age, provided the age at maturity does not exceed a certain limit. If we assume it to be precisely true that the annual premium is independent of the age, it follows that the premium must be identical with that for a Capital Redemption Policy for the same term of years and assuring an amount equal to the Double Endowment.
Value of Policies in Force for Fractional Periods.
Authors: Edwards Herbert H.
Published: August 2016

It is easiest to understand the subject by approaching it arithmetically and remembering that in practice tables give values ofnV for integral values ofn.

Throughout these notes it is assumed thatnV =nV(m) ifnis integral. The error cannot exceed 1 per cent, of the true value where the entry age is 35, or 3 per cent, where the entry age is 60. As mentioned in the Text Book, Part II., p. 346, the maximum percentage error arises whenmbecomes infinite and is one-half of the net annual premium per cent, for Whole Life Assurances. For Endowment Assurances the differences are very small, increasing with the maturity age.
Estate Duty and Life Claims.
Authors: Clemens F. B.
Published: August 2016

The present Estate Duty was imposed by the Finance Act, 1894, in place of other previously existing Death Duties, and is payable on all property (with a few exceptions), real or personal, settled or unsettled, which passes on a death after 1st August, 1894.

Under Section 8 (3) the Executor shall specify all the property in respect of which Estate Duty is payable, and shall be accountable for the Estate Duty in respect of all personal property of which the deceased was competent to dispose.

Under Section 8 (4), where the Executor is not accountable, every Trustee, Guardian, Committee, or other person in whom any interest in the property or the management thereof is at any time vested, shall be accountable for the Estate Duty.
Policies with Waiver of Premium on Temporary and Permanent Disability
Authors: Fielder W. C.
Published: August 2016

The particular aspect of sickness insurance to be discussed is the Waiver of Premiums under life assurance contracts on disability both temporary and permanent.

Waiver of premium on Permanent Disability was introduced in Germany in 1876, and in America in 1895, and is extremely popular. In Russia some companies offer a variation, which consists of giving the assured under a participating policy the option of relinquishing the right to participation and demanding in lieu insurance against invalidity by which he is released from all future payments of premium and immediately receives 50 per cent. to 75 per cent. of the sum assured, the remainder of the sum assured being paid at death or maturity.
Surrender Values and Paid-up Policies
Authors: Tyler V. W.
Published: August 2016

In considering the question of surrender values and paid-up policy values, it must be borne in mind that the conditions affecting different offices vary to a great extent and that, consequently, no hard and fast bases can be given.

(i) The surrender values and paid-up policy values must be reasonable from a competitive point of view.

(ii) The values of one class of policy must be comparable with those of other classes.

(iii) The surrender values and paid-up policy values must be interdependent inasmuch as at the limiting age of the table they are equal.

(iv) Simple calculations only must be involved, the results being obtained as far as possible by the inspection of prepared tables.

(v) A reasonable profit must be reserved for the office.

(vi) The heavy expenses incidental to the issue of a policy must be met, and hence no surrender value should be allowed in ordinary cases until, say, two full years' premiums have been paid.
The National Insurance (Health) Acts 1911-1918
Authors: Klagge O. C. J.
Published: August 2016

The intention of these remarks was to deal with the financial and actuarial basis of the 1918 Act with particular reference to the various funds set up under that Act.

The 1918 Act, however, did not create an entirely new financial basis to replace that of the original (1911) Act, but rather introduced important modifications in the financial structure of that Act, chiefly by the setting up of protective funds. In order, therefore, fully to understand the present position it was considered desirable to give a short sketch of the position under the 1911 Act and the circumstances which led to the passing of the 1918 Act and the creation of these protective funds.
Simple Titles to Life Policies.
Authors: Hall Clement
Published: August 2016

It has been said that the chief object for which insurance offices exist is to pay claims. Whether this is true or not it is certain that the payment of claims is an important part of the business of life offices. Before, however, claims can be paid it is necessary to ascertain who is the proper person to receive payment and in view of the troubles in which an office may be involved if payment is made incorrectly it is essential that those who aspire to official positions in life offices should have some knowledge of law.

As under the rules of this Society this paper must be read in 20 minutes it will only be possible to deal with a few of the points which arise, but it is hoped that it will give a bird's-eye view of the subject and so enable those who are about to consider it more fully to do so with advantage.

In the following notes English law is referred to in the absence of any statement to the contrary.
Office Premiums.
Authors: Hooker P. F.
Published: August 2016

There are three conditions which must be borne in mind in the calculation of office premiums.

Necessity for adequacy. Every premium charged must be sufficient to cover the risk and the expenses which are incurred in connection with the particular policy in question, and also to provide a reasonable contribution towards the general expenses and to leave a margin for profit. The fact that several offices charge very low rates for whole of life without-profit policies seems to indicate that the necessity of complying with this condition is a question on which some difference of opinion exists.

Influence of competition. The rates should compare well with those charged by other companies. An office which charges exceptionally low rates at certain ages or for certain classes of assurance will find that it is issuing a large number of policies in these sections of the business, and that people are going elsewhere for the classes of policy for which its rates are high.

Principle of consistency. The rates charged at differentages, and for different classes of assurance, should be consistent, and the differences between the with-profit and without-profitrates should be reasonable in view of the rate of bonus whichthe office is, in normal times, in the habit of granting.
Life Office Stock Exchange Investments
Authors: Holness A. S.
Published: August 2016

No discussion of Life Office Investments before the Students' Society would be complete without reference to the five canons laid down by Mr A. H. Bailey. Their influence on the investment practice of Life Offices has been almost universal and continuous since they were enumerated in 1862, and when it is reflected that the great majority of Life Offices, although their annual profits are comparatively very small in relation to the very large accumulated funds which they administer, nevertheless emerged from the War period, and the enormous depreciation of securities which it entailed, stronger than ever before, no apology need be made for restating the principles which have been followed with such successful results.

They are as follows:

1. That the first consideration should invariably be the security of the capital.

2. That the highest practicable rate of interest be obtained, but that this principle should always be subordinate to the previous one, the security of the capital.
Valuations Under the Industrial Assurance Act, 1923.
Authors: Laing J. Murray
Published: August 2016

In paragraph 27 of the Parmoor Report (Cmd. 614/1920) it is stated that an investigation into the methods by which different Industrial Assurance Companies ascertained their actuarial liabilities revealed the fact that among nineteen such Institutions no fewer than eighteen different methods were found to be in use. That the methods in use were practically as numerous as the Offices adopting them was a fact worthy of being recorded, and one which would appear to require some explanation, but I submit that, surprising as such a revelation may be, it would have been even more remarkable had the investigation disclosed that all these Offices used a similar Valuation basis. The views of the Parmoor Committee on this very important matter are summed up in the following extract:

‘The business of all the (Industrial) Companies is practically identical, their Tables of Rates are strikingly similar to one another and the adoption by all of an identical method of valuing the liabilities might reasonably be expected.’
Approved Society Statistics
Authors: Robertson B.
Published: August 2016

It is scarcely necessary in a Society such as this to prepare any defence of the practice of collecting statistics although we know that among those whose profession does not involve the use of figures, statistical tables are regarded with a certain amount of suspicion.

If I were in need of any apology for upholding the need for systematic collection and analysis of data I should refer my questioner to page 83 of the Report of the Royal Commission on National Health Insurance where he would find a strongly expressed opinion in favour thereof.

I wish to make it quite clear that in the remarks which follow there is no mention of modern statistical methods of the Karl Pearson type. It occurred to me, however, that a short description of some of the processes employed in dealing with the masses of figures involved in the operations of large Approved Societies might be of interest.
Staff Benefit Schemes
Authors: Gardner W. F.
Published: August 2016

The “New Spirit in Industry” appears to be beginning to assert itself in many ways, one of these being the inauguration of Staff Benefit Schemes of all kinds. This is an excellent thing from every point of view and a matter which actuaries must necessarily follow with the closest attention. The title of this paper is very wide in its scope, and any attempt to treat of the subject completely would involve a volume rather than a Students' Society paper. It is therefore proposed to limit these remarks to the consideration of the form in which a scheme may be set up, i.e. either as an individual Pension Fund or by means of contracts effected with an Assurance Company, and then to the discussion of schemes established in the latter manner only.
Census Problems, with Special Reference to the 1931 Census of England and Wales
Authors: Hocking W. S.
Published: August 2016

It may be well to recapitulate briefly the questions asked at the recent Census, and the statistics which were published, showing the results of the previous Census. The questions asked on the 1931 householder's schedule comprised name, relationship to head of household, usual residence, sex, age, marital condition, birthplace, nationality, occupation, industry, and size of house. The volumes based on the 1921 Census dealt with occupations, industries, workplaces, dependency and orphanhood, ages and marital conditions, education, birthplace, nationality and housing, and general, sectional and occupational mortality, the subjects being dealt with both nationally and, in a condensed form, for each administrative county. For simplicity, attention is confined in this paper to the Census in England and Wales.
Numerical System of Rating
Authors: Wood C. F.
Published: August 2016

In considering the question as to whether an assurance can be granted to a particular proposer, the Chief Medical Officer and the Actuary of the Company have available the Medical and other reports of the life proposed. From the information given in those reports they have to form an opinion as to the present state of health and likelihood of longevity, taking into account all the factors before them. In some cases it does not require a doctor nor yet an actuary to decide that the policy can be issued at ordinary rates, but in other cases there will be some degree of impairment, varying from the case where a spin of the coin might be as fair a method as any, to the case which is obviously uninsurable at any rate. It is the border line cases which cause the most inconvenience. A certain proposer is slightly overweight, so we do not like the look of him, but this may be counterbalanced by favourable chest and abdominal measurements. Then, again, there may be a lack of longevity in the family history, but on the other hand he may only require a short term endowment assurance.
Précis of a Lecture on the Married Women'S Property Acts 1870 and 1882
Authors: Houseman David
Published: August 2016

The law which governs life assurance contracts, their formation and their execution is, to a very large extent, the same law as that which governs mercantile contracts generally. The titles to life policies are affected by the law of contract, of mortgage, of partnership, and so on. There are, however, some legal principles and statutory provisions which affect life assurance alone, and among them are the following sections in the Married Women's Property Acts, 1870 and 1882.

Married Women's Property Act, 1870, Section 10.

A married woman may effect a policy of insurance upon her own life or the life of her husband for her separate use, and the same and all benefit thereof, if expressed on the face of it to be so effected, shall enure accordingly, and the contract in such policy shall be as valid as if made with an unmarried woman.
Probability and Statistics
Authors: Freeman Harry
Published: August 2016

The definition of the term “probability” is almost as illusive as that of the term “electricity.” Much as the average person knows that the effect of an electric current is to produce certain phenomena with which he is familiar, so he understands in a general manner what is implied by the words “the probability that an event will take place.” The term is employed colloquially in many instances in which the quantitative idea is missing. “ Kain is probable today”; “He will probably be late”; and so on. Frequently, however, some measure of probability is implicit. For example, if the odds against a specified horse are quoted as being longer than the odds against another horse, it is understood that the chances in favour of the second horse are greater than those in favour of the first. It is to be supposed that it is more probable that the second horse will win than will the first, and a certain amount of arithmetical work has been necessary in order to obtain the figures for the odds.
Charles William Kenchington, F.I.A.
Authors: R. K. L.
Published: August 2016

By the untimely death of Mr. C. W. Kenchington on the 30th October, 1934, the Students' Society has lost one of its earliest honorary members, and students generally have lost a good friend who was wise in counsel and sympathetic in their difficulties. Long before the Institute embarked on the present comprehensive scheme of tuition, Mr. Kenchington acted as tutor for all four parts of the examinations, and later in Birmingham he interested himself, not only in actuarial students, but also in those taking the examinations of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Distance from London prevented him from being as regular in attendance at the fortnightly meetings of the Society as he would have wished, but on a number of occasions he made the journey to Town to take the chair or deliver a lecture. When the “Consolidation of Reading” project had reached a critical stage Mr. Kenchington, at the unanimous request of the Committee, consented to act as Editor-in-Chief of the series of booklets, and it is not generally known to what a considerable extent the publication of the first booklet was due to his encouragement and gentle urging.
The Valuation of Life Interests and Reversions (with special reference to Income Tax)
Authors: Lewty F. A. P.
Published: August 2016

Prior to 1915 profits arising from monies invested by Life Offices in the purchase of Reversionary Securities were untaxed. Rapidly increasing expenditure forced the Chancellor of the Exchequer to break new ground and the Life Offices were invited to show cause why this apparent anomaly of an untaxed source of revenue should be allowed to continue. In due course there remained only to be determined the basis of taxation of these profits.

Mr. Geoffrey Marks, who represented the Life Offices in the negotiations with the Revenue Authorities, was instrumental in obtaining a valuable concession in respect of contracts completed prior to 5th April 1915.
Brief notes on Unemployment Insurance in Great Britain
Authors: Honey F. J. C.
Published: August 2016

It is impossible in these notes to attempt any comprehensive review of the system of compulsory Unemployment Insurance which has operated in this country since 1912. Moreover, the paper by Messrs Kyd & Maddex read before the Institute in January 1929 gives full information up to that date. But I want to start by outlining the original scheme, as I think the way in which it has been modified and extended may be found of interest.

The system began with the National Insurance Act, 1911, Part II. Contributions commenced in July 1912 and benefit in January 1913. Only a few industries which were considered to carry a specially heavy risk of unemployment were included, and the numbers insured at the outset were about 2¼ millions. Contributions were 2¼d. per week each from employer and worker, and 1⅔d. from the Exchequer. Benefit was 7s. per week, with a limitation of one week's benefit for every five contributions paid, and a maximum of fifteen weeks' benefit in a year.
The Legal Aspect of Pension and Superannuation Funds
Authors: Samuels H.
Published: August 2016

I propose in this lecture to confine my attention for the most part to staff pension funds,i.e.funds set up and administered within firms. There are, of course, pension schemes the administration of which is entrusted to insurance companies and special legal points necessarily arise in that connexion as well, but I find on consideration that there is ample to occupy the time at my disposal if I apply myself particularly to those private or “house” schemes which find their expression in the setting up of a pension or superannuation fund. However, some of the points I raise and the views I express apply also to schemes carried on through insurance companies.
Some Aspects of Industrial Assurance
Authors: Bone B. A. J.
Published: August 2016

The existing writings dealing with industrial assurance subjects in the Students' Society and InstituteJournalsare mainly confined to two narrow aspects of the business—processes involving actuarial technique, and details of legislation. These matters are dealt with comprehensively whilst the broader, and perhaps more vital, problems of the business are almost ignored. This imposes no hardship on those in contact with industrial assurance but it must hinder those students who are not in such contact and it would perhaps help them if some indication were given of the more important matters conditioning the business as it is in Great Britain and Ireland. The great difference between the conditions of the large industrial assurance companies and those of the small collecting societies makes it impossible to attempt completeness in a short note, and the present note is written, therefore, with the position of the industrial assurance companies mainly in view, although it will be realized that much of it is also applicable to the larger collecting societies.
Statistical Quality Control
Authors: Carpenter H. C. H.
Published: August 2016

The actuary's ideas on statistics tend to be biased in the direction of Life Office statistics. It may therefore be useful to set down a simple use of statistical methods which has been adopted in industry and which was the subject of a lecture to the Students' Society some two years ago, viz. Statistical Quality Control. Where the mass production of articles is employed, various systems of inspection aim at watching the quality of the product to prevent unsatisfactory work being passed on to the consumer or to a later stage in the manufacturing process.
A Note on a Formula of Newton and an Extension Thereto.
Authors: Garfath H. L.
Published: August 2016

Letf(x), f″(x), f″(x)denoteafunction ofx, its first and second derivatives respectively. Iff(x), f″(x)are one-valued, finite and continuous, and f″(x) exists in the neighbourhood of the valueaofx, then

where o <θ< I. Suppose the valueais an approximation to a root of the equationf(x)= o, the true value of which isa + h.Equation (I) becomes

and supposing thatf″(a)≠ o

that is,a + hdiffers from.