bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Testing the validity and acceptability of the diagnostic criteria for Hoarding Disorder: a DSM-5 survey
Authors: Mataix-Cols D. , Fernández de la Cruz L.. , Nakao T. , Pertusa A. 
Published: May 2011

BackgroundThe DSM-5 Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Sub-Workgroup is recommending the creation of a new diagnostic category named Hoarding Disorder (HD). The validity and acceptability of the proposed diagnostic criteria have yet to be formally tested.MethodObsessive-compulsive disorder/hoarding experts and random members of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) were shown eight brief clinical vignettes (four cases meeting criteria for HD, three with hoarding behaviour secondary to other mental disorders, and one with subclinical hoarding behaviour) and asked to decide the most appropriate diagnosis in each case. Participants were also asked about the perceived acceptability of the criteria and whether they supported the inclusion of HD in the main manual.ResultsAltogether, 211 experts and 48 APA members completed the survey (30% and 10% response rates, respectively). The sensitivity and specificity of the HD diagnosis and the individual criteria were high (80–90%) across various types of professionals, irrespective of their experience with hoarding cases. About 90% of participants in both samples thought the criteria would be very/somewhat acceptable for professionals and sufferers. Most experts (70%) supported the inclusion of HD in the main manual, whereas only 50% of the APA members did.ConclusionsThe proposed criteria for HD have high sensitivity and specificity. The criteria are also deemed acceptable for professionals and sufferers alike. Training of professionals and the development and validation of semi-structured diagnostic instruments should improve diagnostic accuracy even further. A field trial is now needed to confirm these encouraging findings with real patients in real clinical settings.
Invariant rigid geometric structures and expanding maps
Authors: FANG YONG 
Published: May 2011

AbstractIn the first part of this paper, we consider several natural problems about locally homogeneous rigid geometric structures. In particular, we formulate a notion of topological completeness which is adapted to the study of global rigidity of chaotic dynamical systems. In the second part of the paper, we prove the following result: let φ be a C∞ expanding map of a closed manifold. If φ preserves a topologically complete C∞ rigid geometric structure, then φ is C∞ conjugate to an expanding infra-nilendomorphism.
The Walker conjecture for chains in ℝd
Authors: FARBER MICHAEL , HAUSMANN JEAN-CLAUDE , SCHÜTZ DIRK 
Published: May 2011

AbstractA chain is a configuration in ℝd of segments of length ℓ1, . . ., ℓn−1 consecutively joined to each other such that the resulting broken line connects two given points at a distance ℓn. For a fixed generic set of length parameters the space of all chains in ℝd is a closed smooth manifold of dimension (n − 2)(d − 1) − 1. In this paper we study cohomology algebras of spaces of chains. We give a complete classification of these spaces (up to equivariant diffeomorphism) in terms of linear inequalities of a special kind which are satisfied by the length parameters ℓ1, . . ., ℓn. This result is analogous to the conjecture of K. Walker which concerns the special case d=2.
Cardiac computed tomography and conventional angiography in the diagnosis of congenital cardiac disease in children: recent trends and radiation doses
Authors: Gherardi Guy G. , Iball Gareth R. , Darby Michael J. , Thomson John D.R. 
Published: May 2011

AbstractBackgroundThe use of imaging that employs ionising radiation is increasing in the setting of paediatric cardiology. Children's high radiosensitivity and the lack of contemporary radiation data warrant a review of the radiation doses from the latest “state-of-the-art” angiography and computed tomography systems.ObjectivesIn children aged less than 16 years with congenital cardiac disease, we aimed to report: recent trends in the use of diagnostic angiography and cardiac dual-source computed tomography; the characteristics, lesions, and imaging histories of patients undergoing these procedures; and the average radiation doses imparted by each modality.Study designRetrospective review of consecutive cases undergoing cardiac computed tomography or diagnostic angiography in a teaching hospital between January, 2008 and December, 2009. Radiation doses were converted to effective doses (millisievert) using published conversion factors.ResultsAngiography was performed 3.7 times more often than computed tomography. Computed tomography examinations increased by 92.5%, whereas angiography decreased by 26.4% in 2009 compared with 2008. Patients undergoing computed tomography were younger and weighed less than those undergoing angiography, but lesions were similar between the 2 groups. Multiple lifetime angiography was more prevalent than multiple lifetime computed tomography (p < 0.001). The median procedural dose – range – from angiography and computed tomography was 5 (0.2–27.8) and 1.7 (0.5–9.5) millisieverts, respectively (p < 0.001).ConclusionDespite not being completely analogous investigations, computed tomography should be considered prior to angiography and not withheld on radiation dose concerns, given that it imparts lower and more consistent doses than conventional angiography.
Impact of the 26 December 2003 Bam Earthquake on Activities of Daily Living
and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living of Older People
Authors: Ardalan Ali , Mazaheri Monir , Mowafi Hani , VanRooyen Michael , Teimoori Fariba , Abbasi Reza 
Published: May 2011

AbstractIntroduction: This study compares self-reported Activities of Daily Living
(ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) status among elderly survivors of
the 2003 Bam Earthquake before, two months after, and five years after the event, and
explores related determinants.Methods: A two-stage cluster survey was conducted on 210 elderly survivors
in the earthquake-stricken area five years after the event.Results: Both ADL and IADL scores decreased two months after earthquake
compared to prior status (p <0.001). No differences were observed
between two months and five years after the event (p >0.05).
Access to medical services were not related to level of ADL or IADL (p =
0.52 and p = 0.74, respectively). Elderly survivors with lower functional
capability in terms of ADL experienced more problems in access to relief items
(p = 0.04), but no similar association was found for IADL
(p = 0.26).Conclusion: The Bam earthquake adversely affected functional capacity of the
elderly. Disaster responders must take into account functional capacity of elders when
planning for medical and relief operations.
An analysis of the content of food industry pledges on marketing to children
Authors: Hawkes Corinna , Harris Jennifer L 
Published: May 2011

AbstractObjectiveTo identify pledges made by the food industry to change food marketing to children worldwide, examine their content and discuss their potential to reduce the harmful effects of food marketing to children.DesignA search for pledges and specific commitments made by participating companies and a content analysis of their scope and criteria used to define the marketing covered or excluded.SettingGlobal.SubjectsFood industry pledges.ResultsBetween 2005 and 2009, the food industry developed thirteen pledges on food marketing to children, involving fifty-two food companies. Two of the pledges were global, two were regional and nine applied to specific countries. Three were specific to the soft drinks industry and to the fast-food industry, with the rest being food industry wide. Ten of the pledges required companies to publish individual commitments; a total of eighty-two such commitments were published, many of which extended beyond the minimum standards set in the pledges. All pledges included definitions of children and child-targeted media, as well as the communication channels and marketing techniques covered, and permitted companies to set criteria for foods that are exempted from any restrictions. There were many similarities between the pledges and individual commitments; however, there were also many differences.ConclusionsThe development of pledges on food marketing to children in such a short span of time is impressive. However, limitations and inconsistencies in the pledges and commitments suggest that the food industry has a long way to go if its pledges are to comprehensively reduce the exposure and power of marketing to children.
Ndc80 Regulates Meiotic Spindle Organization, Chromosome Alignment, and Cell Cycle Progression in Mouse Oocytes
Authors: Sun Shao-Chen , Zhang Ding-Xiao , Lee Seung-Eun , Xu Yong-Nan , Kim Nam-Hyung 
Published: May 2011

AbstractNdc80 (called Hec1 in human), the core component of the Ndc80 complex, is involved in regulation of both kinetochore-microtubule interactions and the spindle assembly checkpoint in mitosis; however, its role in meiosis remains unclear. Here, we report Ndc80 expression, localization, and possible functions in mouse oocyte meiosis. Ndc80 mRNA levels gradually increased during meiosis. Immunofluorescent staining showed that Ndc80 was restricted to the germinal vesicle and associated with spindle microtubules from the Pro-MI to MII stages. Ndc80 was localized on microtubules and asters in the cytoplasm after taxol treatment, while Ndc80 staining was diffuse after disruption of microtubules by nocodazole treatment, confirming its microtubule localization. Disruption of Ndc80 function by either siRNA injection or antibody injection resulted in severe chromosome misalignment, spindle disruption, and precocious polar body extrusion. Our data show a unique localization pattern of Ndc80 in mouse oocytes and suggest that Ndc80 may be required for chromosome alignment and spindle organization, and may regulate spindle checkpoint activity during mouse oocyte meiosis.
Optimal Dividends Under a Ruin Probability Constraint
Authors: Dickson D. C. M. , Drekic S. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTWe consider a classical surplus process modified by the payment of dividends when the insurer's surplus exceeds a threshold. We use a probabilistic argument to obtain general expressions for the expected present value of dividend payments, and show how these expressions can be applied for certain individual claim amount distributions. We then consider the question of maximising the expected present value of dividend payments subject to a constraint on the insurer's ruin probability.
Modelling the Claim Duration of Income Protection Insurance Policyholders using Parametric Mixture Models
Authors: Pitt D. G. W. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTThis paper considers the modelling of claim durations for existing claimants under income protection insurance policies. A claim is considered to be terminated when the claimant returns to work. Data used in the analysis were provided by the Life and Risk Committee of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia. Initial analysis of the data suggests the presence of a long-run probability, of the order of 7%, that a claimant will never return to work. This phenomenon suggests the use of mixed parametric regression models as a description of claim duration which include the prediction of a long-run probability of not returning to work. A series of such parametric mixture models was investigated, and it was found that the generalised F mixture distribution provided a good fit to the data and also highlighted the impact of a number of statistically significant predictors of claim duration.
On Immunisation andS-Convex Extremal Distributions
Authors: Courtois C. , Denuit M. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTThe paper concerns the interest risk management of insurance companies or banks. Classes of stochastic order relations for arbitrary discrete random variables are used to find extremal strategies of immunisation in the context of deterministic immunisation theory. In a special case, the results obtained by Hürlimann (2002) are extended to conditions for immunisation under arbitraryS-convex orS-concave shift factors of the term structure of interest rates. The notion of the Shiu measure is generalised to an immunisation risk measure, accounting for more moments of the asset and liability risks.
Bayesian Nonparametric Approach to Credibility Modelling
Authors: Gangopadhyay A. , Gau W.-C. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTCurrent methods in credibility theory often rely on parametric models, e.g., a linear function of past experience. During the last decade, the existence of high speed computers and statistical software packages allowed the introduction of more sophisticated and flexible modelling strategies. In recent years, some of these techniques, which made use of the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach to modelling, have been incorporated in credibility theory. However, very few of these methods made use of additional covariate information related to risk, or collection of risks; and at the same time account for the correlated structure in the data. In this paper, we consider a Bayesian nonparametric approach to the problem of risk modelling. The model incorporates past and present observations related to risk, as well as relevant covariate information. This Bayesian modelling is carried out by sampling from a multivariate Gaussian prior, where the covariance structure is based on a thin-plate spline. The model uses the MCMC technique to compute the predictive distribution of future claims based on available data.
‘Freedom with Publicity’ — The Actuarial Profession and United Kingdom Insurance Regulation from 1844 to 1945
Authors: Booth P. M. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTFrom 1870, in the United Kingdom, a generally liberal legal framework for life insurance existed which commanded wide support, particularly from the actuarial profession. Despite its apparent liberalism, however, it is likely that the regulatory framework impeded market entry, particularly of mutual companies. The liberal framework broke down in a number of incremental steps from 1946. This paper traces the development of U.K. life assurance regulation for 101 years from the mid-Victorian period, analyses contemporary reflections on the legal framework within the actuarial profession, and examines the appropriateness of the legal framework for achieving specific economic objectives for long-term insurance regulation.
Automatic Fraud Detection — Does it Work?
Authors: Lægreid I. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTThe aim of automatic fraud detection is to assist claims handlers by selecting claims which are potentially fraudulent. Such methods must be based on information routinely available. The present paper makes use of logistic regression and the validity of these models as demonstrated on fresh data from household and motor insurance. A second contribution is a strategy for selecting claims that should receive further attention.
Zone-Adaptive Control Strategy for a Multiperiodic Model of Risk
Authors: Malinovskii V. K. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTThis paper is intended to illustrate the adaptive control approach in insurance. A zone-adaptive control strategy harmonising the requirements of principles of solvency and equity is considered in the simplistic framework of a diffusion multiperiodic risk model. Other works by the author set similar adaptive control strategies in a more realistic Poisson-exponential multiperiodic risk model. There is much scope for further generalisations.
Froot and Stein Revisited Once Again
Authors: Guillén Montserrat , Høgh Nils , Nielsen Jens Perch , Pérez-Marín Ana M. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTHøgh, Linton and Nielsen (2006) showed that the famous result in the award winning paper of Froot and Stein (1998) is not correct in the sense that their result does not follow from their assumptions. In this paper we show that the economic intuition behind the paper of Froot and Stein (1998) is correct and that their result can be obtained when the market is reformulated in a continuous time setting and modern market theory is employed.
Mean Square Error of Prediction in the Bornhuetter–Ferguson Claims Reserving Method
Authors: Alai D. H. , Merz M. , Wüthrich M. V. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTThe prediction of adequate claims reserves is a major subject in actuarial practice and science. Due to their simplicity, the chain ladder (CL) and Bornhuetter–Ferguson (BF) methods are the most commonly used claims reserving methods in practice. However, in contrast to the CL method, no estimator for the conditional mean square error of prediction (MSEP) of the ultimate claim has been derived in the BF method until now, and as such, this paper aims to fill that gap. This will be done in the framework of generalized linear models (GLM) using the (overdispersed) Poisson model motivation for the use of CL factor estimates in the estimation of the claims development pattern.
Mortality in Ireland at Advanced Ages, 1950-2006: Part 1: Crude Rates
Authors: Whelan S. F. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTWe examine the data and techniques underlying the estimation of mortality rates at older ages in Ireland since 1950. Previous attempts to elucidate the level and trends in mortality at advanced ages in Ireland have been frustrated by significant non-random biases arising from age exaggeration and age heaping, together with a lack of correspondence, growing with increasing age, between the exposed-to-risk estimated from census data and the death count from registration data. Applying the method of extinct generations, we re-estimate crude mortality rates and report the somewhat unexpected result that mortality rates were lower, and did not increase as steeply with age, than those recorded in the official Irish Life Tables. The reestimated crude rates show, for both sexes, a very slight decrease in mortality rates between the 1950s and 1980s up to age 90 years, with no improvement discernible at older ages. Improvements at advanced ages in Ireland have lagged behind those in England and Wales and other developed countries over the same period. The companion paper,Mortality in Ireland at Advanced Ages, 1950–2006: Part 2: Graduated Rates, Whelan (2009), graduates the crude rates and extends the method of extinct generations to estimate mortality rates of more recent, still surviving, generations.
Mortality in Ireland at Advanced Ages, 1950-2006: Part 2: Graduated Rates
Authors: Whelan S. F. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTWe graduate the Irish mortality experience from 1950 to 2003 by mathematical formulae from ages 75 years and upwards. The shape of the mortality curve at advanced ages is shown to be different to that recorded in the official tables, with the curve best fitted with Kannisto's version of Perks's Law. Mortality rates show only a modest trend of improvement in the early decades, below improvements in other developed countries. We evaluate the various approaches suggested to date to extend the method of extinct generations so mortality rates for non-extinct generations can be estimated. It is shown that the key advantage of this method is not in correcting for age misstatements but in achieving a close correspondence between death counts and the exposed to risk. This insight allows a rather straightforward approach to estimating the mortality of non-extinct generations. Applying the approach, we show that there has been an acceleration in the rate of improvement in more recent decades, but secular improvements in Irish mortality at advanced ages still lag behind those of England and Wales.
Chain-Ladder as Maximum Likelihood Revisited
Authors: Kuang D. , Nielsen B. , Nielsen J. P. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTIt has long been known that maximum likelihood estimation in a Poisson model reproduces the chain-ladder technique. We revisit this model. A new canonical parametrisation is proposed to circumvent the inherent identification problem in the parametrisation. The maximum likelihood estimators for the canonical parameter are simple, interpretable and easy to derive. The boundary problem where all observations in one particular development year or on particular underwriting year is zero is also analysed.
Modelling Income Protection Claim Termination Rates by Cause of Sickness II: Mortality of UK Assured Lives
Authors: Ling S. Y. , Waters H. R. , Wilkie A. D. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTThis is the second of three papers in which we present methods and results for the estimation and modelling of claim termination rates for Income Protection (IP) insurance, allowing for different causes of claim. In the first paper we discussed recoveries. In this and the third paper we develop models for the mortality of IP claimants.We model this mortality as the sum of two components: a base, or background, mortality, which is a function of age and calendar year, but not of the specific cause of sickness or its current duration, and a cause-specific element which does depend on the current duration of the sickness. In this paper we discuss the modelling of the base mortality. In particular, we use data supplied by the Continuous Mortality Investigation relating to UK assured lives from 1975 (males) and 1983 (females) to 2003 to develop models of mortality which are functions of sex, age and calendar year. Such models are of interest in their own right, particularly at a time when expected future lifetimes are increasing.The modelling of the cause-specific component of the mortality model is discussed in Paper III.
Calendar Year Effects, Claims Inflation and the Chain-Ladder Technique
Authors: Brydon D. , Verrall R. J. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the chain-ladder technique using the recently developed theory for age-period-cohort models. The theory was set out by Kuang et al. (2008a), and we believe that it has some significant implications for claims reserving and the chain-ladder technique. This paper applies the age-period-cohort model using the over-dispersed Poisson framework, and examines a number of experiments in order to understand better how the chain-ladder technique deals with calendar year effects. The conclusions from these investigations are that the basic chain-ladder technique may have some fundamental difficulties in many circumstances. We would therefore recommend that it should be used with caution, and that the data are examined in detail before any projections are made. This has particular importance in the context of solvency calculations since the chain-ladder technique can impose some specific patterns into the projections.
Can ABC be Used for Model Selection?
Authors: Didelot Xavier , Everitt Rich , Johansen Adam , Lawson Dan 
Published: May 2011

AbstractOver the past ten years, Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) has become hugely popular to estimate the parameters of a model when the likelihood function cannot be computed in a reasonable amount of time. ABC can in principle be used also to perform Bayesian model comparison, but this raises the question of which summary statistic should be used for such applications. Here we present a general method for constructing a summary statistic that is sufficient for the model choice problem. We apply this construction to models from the exponential family. Unfortunately, in more complex models, our construct often results in statistics with too high dimensionality to use in ABC. We therefore discuss the possibility of applying ABC with non-sufficient statistics.