bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Restructuring Mutuals—Principles and Practice
Authors: Paul D. R. L. , Eastwood A. M. , Hare D. J. P. , Macdonald A. S. , Muirhead J. R. , Mulligan J. F. , Pike D. M. , Smith E. F. 
Published: July 2016

1.1 This paper owes its existence on two counts to the late Jim Souness whose term of office as President of the Faculty coincided with the bulk of our research. Firstly, as President, he encouraged Faculty research groups to be active and to produce material worthy of sessional papers. More directly it was the late President who funnelled our general investigations of life office management (which had continued after the Group's 1987 sessional paper) towards the issue of demutualisation.There have been several notable demutualisations of life offices in recent years, yet there is little published research in the UK other than case studies into the actuarial issues which these restructurings raise for the profession. Furthermore much of what has been published pertains to overseas regimes not subject to UK-style regulation. However at the time of writing we are aware that another paper (reference 20) was being written concurrently, and it relates specifically to the UK.
Demutualisation of a United Kingdom Mutual Life Insurance Company
Authors: Needleman P. D. , Westall G. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe paper firstly examines the way in which U.K. mutuals operate and the forces which are leading mutuals to consider demutualisation. Demutualisation is normally accomplished by a Scheme of Transfer under Section 49 of the Insurance Companies Act 1982. The role of the directors and actuaries is discussed, including the impact of the Institute's latest Guidance Note (GN15).The protection of policyholders' reasonable expectations, the value of membership rights and the basis of dealing with any orphan surplus are the central problems. The paper examines them in the context of both the open fund and closed fund situation and shows how they may be resolved.A simple model is used to project the financial position of both an open and closed fund in a demutualised company. The relative advantages and disadvantages of each indicate that different courses of action may be appropriate for mutuals in differing financial positions.
Distribution of Financial Services
Authors: Gupta A. K. , Westall G. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe historic barriers between the different companies which comprise the financial services industry are breaking down. In order that organisations may prosper in the new environment the relationships between products, distribution and clients need to be understood. A theory is developed to explain the historic position and the dynamics of the current environment and indicate future trends. The conclusion is that successful organisations will be those which fully understand and specialise in a limited number of sectors, and those who start with a clientbase and a distribution system which will not inhibit the introduction of other distribution methods so that they can become multi-product and multi-distribution organisations. Finally, the paper explores the relationships between pricing policy and distribution by means of distribution chains to determine the point and degree of price sensitivity.
Unitised with Profits – Gamaliel's Advice
Authors: O'Neill J. E. , Froggatt H. W. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe paper deals with the development of unitised with-profits business in the United Kingdom. The authors trace the recent history of these products and comment on the main reasons for their development. They also deal with corporate issues, including implications for policyholders and shareholders of different fund structures and different types of life office. Pricing and product development issues are also covered. Reserving issues including the range of valuation methods, statutory requirements and policyholders' reasonable expectations are explored. Finally the paper considers the actuary's contribution to the management of unitised with-profits policyholders' expectations.
Investment – Assessing a Manager's Skill and Monitoring the Risks
Authors: Day N. , Green S. J. , Plymen J. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe paper proposes a new way of assessing an investment manager's skill in the day-to-day management of portfolios. The authors argue that traditional investment performance measurement techniques, whilst appropriate for many purposes, do not provide the insights necessary to judge the skill of investment managers. To judge manager skill, it is necessary to consider the activity within the portfolio in terms of the purchases, sales and trades, and to determine the value added by that activity. The paper sets out a framework by which this analysis can be carried out and, by means of examples, indicates how the results can be interpreted. The paper also explores briefly a number of other issues such as the qualitative aspects of performance monitoring. In writing the paper, the concept of risk in various guises was never far from the authors' minds, and it is true to say that the meaning of risk in the context of assessing manager skill lies at the very heart of the paper.
Vitamin D status and its predictors in New Zealand aged-care residents eligible for a government-funded universal vitamin D supplementation programme
Authors: MacDonell Sue O , Miller Jody C , Harper Michelle J , Waters Debra L , Houghton Lisa A 
Published: July 2016

AbstractObjectiveThe provision of prescribed vitamin D to all aged-care residents has been implemented in New Zealand as part of a government-led falls prevention programme. To our knowledge, there has been no evaluation of this universal programme on vitamin D status and functional and health outcomes. Thus, we aimed to determine 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and their predictors in aged-care residents across the country and to investigate whether the government-funded programme was associated with adequate vitamin D status.DesignCross-sectional survey of sociodemographic, biochemical, anthropometric, dietary and health characteristics. Blood samples were analysed for serum 25(OH)D and other biochemical measures. Multiple regression was used to examine predictors of vitamin D status.SettingSixteen residential aged-care facilities throughout New Zealand.SubjectsResidents aged ≥60 years with residency duration >12 weeks (n309).ResultsMean serum 25(OH)D was 89·9 (95 % CI 85·2, 94·5) nmol/l and monthly supplements (1250 µg (50 000 IU)) were taken by 75 % of all residents. Of those not taking a funded supplement, 65·3 % had serum 25(OH)D <50 nmol/l compared with only 1·5 % of supplement users. Being female, residing at lower latitude, increasing duration of aged-care residency and raised serum α1-acid glycoprotein were positively associated with higher 25(OH)D concentrations. Supplemental vitamin D from all sources was the strongest predictor, increasing serum 25(OH)D levels by more than 70 nmol/l. Furthermore, 25 % of participants had serum 25(OH)D levels >125 nmol/l.ConclusionsResidents taking supplemental vitamin D had adequate vitamin D status; however monitoring of long-term supplementation should be considered, due to the high proportion of participants with high serum 25(OH)D levels.
Comparison of Electron Imaging Modes for Dimensional Measurements in the Scanning Electron Microscope
Authors: Postek Michael T. , Vladár András E. , Villarrubia John S. , Muto Atsushi 
Published: July 2016

AbstractDimensional measurements from secondary electron (SE) images were compared with those from backscattered electron (BSE) and low-loss electron (LLE) images. With the commonly used 50% threshold criterion, the lines consistently appeared larger in the SE images. As the images were acquired simultaneously by an instrument with the capability to operate detectors for both signals at the same time, the differences cannot be explained by the assumption that contamination or drift between images affected the SE, BSE, or LLE images differently. Simulations with JMONSEL, an electron microscope simulator, indicate that the nanometer-scale differences observed on this sample can be explained by the different convolution effects of a beam with finite size on signals with different symmetry (the SE signal’s characteristic peak versus the BSE or LLE signal’s characteristic step). This effect is too small to explain the >100 nm discrepancies that were observed in earlier work on different samples. Additional modeling indicates that those discrepancies can be explained by the much larger sidewall angles of the earlier samples, coupled with the different response of SE versus BSE/LLE profiles to such wall angles.
COORDINATE-FREE LOGIC
Authors: LEO JOOP 
Published: July 2016

AbstractA new logic is presented without predicates—except equality. Yet its expressive power is the same as that of predicate logic, and relations can faithfully be represented in it. In this logic we also develop an alternative for set theory. There is a need for such a new approach, since we do not live in a world of sets and predicates, but rather in a world of things with relations between them.
Entrepreneurial Orientation Scale: Adaptation to Spanish
Authors: Boada-Grau Joan , Sánchez-García José Carlos , Viardot Eric , Boada-Cuerva Maria , Vigil-Colet Andreu 
Published: July 2016

AbstractEntrepreneurship is linked to the perception of opportunities, to orientation, to attitudes, to the fear of failure and to entrepreneurial motivations. Entrepreneurial orientation is a fundamental construct for understanding the phenomenon of entrepreneurship. What is more, it is multidimensional and has attracted considerable attention from researchers in recent years. The objective of this study was to adapt the original 12-item English scale to Spanish and to analyze its psychometric properties. The participants in the present study were 925 Spanish employees (48.2% men, 51.5% women, M age = 42.49 years, SD age = 11.25) from the Autonomous Communities of Catalonia and Castilla-León. After applying an ESEM (RMSEA = .06; CFI = .97 and TLI = .95) a structure was determined made up of four factors which corroborated the structure of the original scale: Autonomy (α = .71 and CI = .68 – .73), Innovativeness (α = .70 and CI = .67 – .73), Risk Taking (α = .72 and CI = .68 – .74) and Competitive Aggressiveness (α = .70 and CI = .67 – .73). The four factors displayed suitable reliability. The study also found evidences of validity in relation to a series of external correlates and various scales which refer to workaholism, irritation and burnout. The scale presented here may prove useful for satisfactorily identifying, in Spanish, the entrepreneurial orientation of the working population.
The pro-oxidative drug WF-10 inhibits serial killing by primary human cytotoxic T-cells
Authors: Wabnitz G H , Balta E , Schindler S , Kirchgessner H , Jahraus B , Meuer S , Samstag Y 
Published: July 2016

AbstractCytotoxic T-cells (CTLs) play an important role in many immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Targeting cytotoxicity of CTLs would allow to interfere with immune-mediated tissue destruction. Here we demonstrate that WF-10, a pro-oxidative compound, inhibits CTL-mediated cytotoxicity. WF-10 did not influence early steps of target-cell killing, but impaired the ability of CTLs to detach from the initial target cell and to move to a second target cell. This reduced serial killing was accompanied by stronger enrichment of the adhesion molecule LFA-1 in the cytolytic immune synapse. LFA-1 clustering requires activation of the actin-bundling protein L-plastin and was accordingly diminished in L-plastin knockdown cells. Interestingly, WF-10 likely acts through regulating L-plastin: (I) It induced L-plastin activation through phosphorylation leading to enhanced LFA-1-mediated cell adhesion, and, importantly, (II) WF-10 lost its influence on target-cell killing in L-plastin knockdown cells. Finally, we demonstrate that WF-10 can improve immunosuppression by conventional drugs. Thus, while cyclosporine A alone had no significant effect on cytotoxicity of CTLs, a combination of cyclosporine A and WF-10 blocked target-cell killing synergistically. Together, our findings suggest that WF-10 – either alone or in combination with conventional immunosuppressive drugs – may be efficient to control progression of diseases, in which CTLs are crucially involved.
Loss of BRCA1 or BRCA2 markedly increases the rate of base substitution mutagenesis and has distinct effects on genomic deletions
Authors: Zámborszky J , Szikriszt B , Gervai J Z , Pipek O , Póti Á , Krzystanek M , Ribli D , Szalai-Gindl J M , Csabai I , Szallasi Z , Swanton C , Richardson A L , Szüts D 
Published: July 2016

Abstract
Loss-of-function mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes increase the risk of cancer. Owing to their function in homologous recombination repair, much research has focused on the unstable genomic phenotype of BRCA1/2 mutant cells manifest mainly as large-scale rearrangements. We used whole-genome sequencing of multiple isogenic chicken DT40 cell clones to precisely determine the consequences of BRCA1/2 loss on all types of genomic mutagenesis. Spontaneous base substitution mutation rates increased sevenfold upon the disruption of either BRCA1 or BRCA2, and the arising mutation spectra showed strong and specific correlation with a mutation signature associated with BRCA1/2 mutant tumours. To model endogenous alkylating damage, we determined the mutation spectrum caused by methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), and showed that MMS also induces more base substitution mutations in BRCA1/2-deficient cells. Spontaneously arising and MMS-induced insertion/deletion mutations and large rearrangements were also more common in BRCA1/2 mutant cells compared with the wild-type control. A difference in the short deletion phenotypes of BRCA1 and BRCA2 suggested distinct roles for the two proteins in the processing of DNA lesions, as BRCA2 mutants contained more short deletions, with a wider size distribution, which frequently showed microhomology near the breakpoints resembling repair by non-homologous end joining. An increased and prolonged gamma-H2AX signal in MMS-treated BRCA1/2 cells suggested an aberrant processing of stalled replication forks as the cause of increased mutagenesis. The high rate of base substitution mutagenesis demonstrated by our experiments is likely to significantly contribute to the oncogenic effect of the inactivation of BRCA1 or BRCA2.
Methylation of a panel of genes in peripheral blood leukocytes is associated with colorectal cancer
Authors: Luo Xiang , Huang Rong , Sun Hongru , Liu Yupeng , Bi Haoran , Li Jing , Yu Hongyuan , Sun Jiamei , Lin Shangqun , Cui Binbin , Zhao Yashuang 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe relationship between the DNA methylation status of the CpG islands of multiple genes in blood leukocytes in CRC susceptibility and prognosis, as well as possible interactions with dietary factors on CRC risk are unclear. We carried out a case-control study including 421 CRC patients and 506 controls to examine the associations between six genes (AOX-1, RARB2, RERG, ADAMTS9, IRF4, and FOXE-1), multiple CpG site methylation (MCSM) and susceptibility to CRC. High-level MCSM (MCSM-H) was defined as methylation of greater than or equal to 2 of 5 candidate genes (except for RARB2); low-level MCSM (MCSM-L) was when 1 candidate gene was methylated; non-MCSM was when none of the candidate genes were methylated. Blood cell-derived DNA methylation status was detected using methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting analysis. The hypermethylation status of each individual gene was statistically significantly associated with CRC. MCSM status was also associated with CRC (OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.15–2.05, P = 0.004). We observed interactions between a high level of dietary intake of cereals, pungent food, and stewed fish with brown sauce, age (older than 60 yrs), smoking and hypermethylation on risk of CRC. MCSM in peripheral blood DNA may be an important biomarker for susceptibility to CRC.
Potential Benefit of the Charge-Stabilized Nanostructure Saline RNS60 for Myelin Maintenance and Repair
Authors: Rao Vijayaraghava T. S. , Khan Damla , Jones Russell G. , Nakamura Diane S. , Kennedy Timothy E. , Cui Qiao-Ling , Rone Malena B. , Healy Luke M. , Watson Richard , Ghosh Supurna , Antel Jack P. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractMyelin injury in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been attributed both to “outside-in” primary immune mediated and “inside-out” metabolic stress of oligodendrocyte (OL) related mechanisms. Subsequent remyelination is dependent on recruitment and differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). RNS60 is a physically-modified saline containing charge-stabilized nanobubbles generated by subjecting normal saline to Taylor-Couette-Poiseuille (TCP) flow under elevated oxygen pressure. Administration of RNS60 has been shown to reduce the severity of EAE by dampening the immune response and myelin loss. Additionally, RNS60 has been demonstrated to enhance mitochondrial ATP synthesis in neurons. Here, we used post-natal rat derived OLs and OPCs to assess the impact of RNS60 on the response of OLs to metabolic stress in vitro (glucose-nutrient deprivation, referred to as ‘NG’) and on OPC differentiation capacity. Under the NG condition, our findings indicate that RNS60 decreases caspases 3/7 activation. Respirometric analyses revealed that RNS60 increased spare glycolytic capacity (SGC) under normal culture conditions. However, RNS60 enhanced OL spare respiratory capacity (SRC) when a metabolic stress was present. Furthermore, we show that RNS60 promotes OPC differentiation under physiological conditions. Our findings provide evidence for the potential therapeutic efficacy of RNS60 through the promotion of OL survival and OPC differentiation.
The Effect of Water and Confinement on Self-Assembly of Imidazolium Based Ionic Liquids at Mica Interfaces
Authors: Cheng H.-W. , Dienemann J.-N. , Stock P. , Merola C. , Chen Y.-J. , Valtiner M. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractTuning chemical structure and molecular layering of ionic liquids (IL) at solid interfaces offers leverage to tailor performance of ILs in applications such as super-capacitors, catalysis or lubrication. Recent experimental interpretations suggest that ILs containing cations with long hydrophobic tails form well-ordered bilayers at interfaces. Here we demonstrate that interfacial bilayer formation is not an intrinsic quality of hydrophobic ILs. In contrast, bilayer formation is triggered by boundary conditions including confinement, surface charging and humidity present in the IL. Therefore, we performed force versus distance profiles using atomic force microscopy and the surface forces apparatus. Our results support models of disperse low-density bilayer formation in confined situations, at high surface charging and/or in the presence of water. Conversely, interfacial structuring of long-chain ILs in dry environments and at low surface charging is disordered and dominated by bulk structuring. Our results demonstrate that boundary conditions such as charging, confinement and doping by impurities have decisive influence on structure formation of ILs at interfaces. As such, these results have important implications for understanding the behavior of solid/IL interfaces as they significantly extend previous interpretations.
Herbicides do not ensure for higher wheat yield, but eliminate rare plant species
Authors: Gaba Sabrina , Gabriel Edith , Chadœuf Joël , Bonneu Florent , Bretagnolle Vincent 
Published: July 2016

AbstractWeed control is generally considered to be essential for crop production and herbicides have become the main method used for weed control in developed countries. However, concerns about harmful environmental consequences have led to strong pressure on farmers to reduce the use of herbicides. As food demand is forecast to increase by 50% over the next century, an in-depth quantitative analysis of crop yields, weeds and herbicides is required to balance economic and environmental issues. This study analysed the relationship between weeds, herbicides and winter wheat yields using data from 150 winter wheat fields in western France. A Bayesian hierarchical model was built to take account of farmers’ behaviour, including implicitly their perception of weeds and weed control practices, on the effectiveness of treatment. No relationship was detected between crop yields and herbicide use. Herbicides were found to be more effective at controlling rare plant species than abundant weed species. These results suggest that reducing the use of herbicides by up to 50% could maintain crop production, a result confirmed by previous studies, while encouraging weed biodiversity. Food security and biodiversity conservation may, therefore, be achieved simultaneously in intensive agriculture simply by reducing the use of herbicides.
Rolling ball sifting algorithm for the augmented visual inspection of carotid bruit auscultation
Authors: Huang Adam , Lee Chung-Wei , Liu Hon-Man 
Published: July 2016

AbstractCarotid bruits are systolic sounds associated with turbulent blood flow through atherosclerotic stenosis in the neck. They are audible intermittent high-frequency (above 200 Hz) sounds mixed with background noise and transmitted low-frequency (below 100 Hz) heart sounds that wax and wane periodically. It is a nontrivial task to extract both bruits and heart sounds with high fidelity for further computer-aided auscultation and diagnosis. In this paper we propose a rolling ball sifting algorithm that is capable to filter signals with a sharper frequency selectivity mechanism in the time domain. By rolling two balls (one above and one below the signal) of a suitable radius, the balls are large enough to roll over bruits and yet small enough to ride on heart sound waveforms. The high-frequency bruits can then be extracted according to a tangibility criterion by using the local extrema touched by the balls. Similarly, the low-frequency heart sounds can be acquired by a larger radius. By visualizing the periodicity information of both the extracted heart sounds and bruits, the proposed visual inspection method can potentially improve carotid bruit diagnosis accuracy.
Two hAT transposon genes were transferred from Brassicaceae to broomrapes and are actively expressed in some recipients
Authors: Sun Ting , Renner Susanne S. , Xu Yuxing , Qin Yan , Wu Jianqiang , Sun Guiling 
Published: July 2016

AbstractA growing body of evidence is pointing to an important role of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in the evolution of higher plants. However, reports of HGTs of transposable elements (TEs) in plants are still scarce and only one case is known of a class II transposon horizontally transferred between grasses. To investigate possible TE transfers in dicots, we performed transcriptome screening in the obligate root parasite Phelipanche aegyptiaca (Orobanchaceae), data-mining in the draft genome assemblies of four other Orobanchaceae, gene cloning, gene annotation in species with genomic information and a molecular phylogenetic analysis. We discovered that the broomrape genera Phelipanche and Orobanche acquired two related nuclear genes (christened BO transposase genes), a new group of the hAT superfamily of class II transposons, from Asian Sisymbrieae or a closely related tribe of Brassicaceae, by HGT. The collinearity of the flanking genes, lack of a classic border structure and low expression levels suggest that BO transposase genes cannot transpose in Brassicaceae, whereas they are highly expressed in P. aegyptiaca.