bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Managing uncertainty in a general insurance company
Authors: Daykin C. D. , Hey G. B. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractA cash flow model is proposed as a way of analysing uncertainty in the future development of a general insurance company. The company is modelled alongside the market in aggregate so that the impact of changes in premium rates relative to the market can be assessed. An extensive computer model is developed along these lines, intended for use in practical applications by actuaries advising the management of genera1 insurance companies. Simulation methods are used to explore the consequences of uncertainty, particularly in regard to inflation and investments. Some comments are made on the role of actuaries in general insurance. Alternative approaches to describing the behaviour of an insurance firm in the market are considered.
A unitised fund approach to with-profit business
Authors: Squires R. J. , O'Neill J. E. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThe paper traces the history of the development of a with-profit system for a specialist unit-linked office. The marketing problem, to which this was the chosen solution, is discussed and a number of possible future developments are then considered. The second half of the paper is devoted to discussion of the question of matching assets and liabilities for the range of products developed. Although the paper deals with developments in a particular office the authors' intention is to provide a different perspective on the problems associated with conventional with-profit business which will be of more general interest.
Notes on the Financial Times-Actuaries Equity Share Indices in 1989
Authors: Brumwell J. C. H. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThe process of updating company classifications continued.Seventy Index constituents were replaced during 1989, mostly as a result of takeovers, not quite a record. Only 46 replaced them, reflecting the difficulty in finding suitable new non-industrial constituents. The Mining Finance group was discontinued, but Engineering–Aerospace and Water were introduced. Shipping & Transport was renamed Transport.
Underwriting—a dying art?
Authors: Leigh T. S. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThe paper reviews the underwriting of life assurance and sickness benefits today. It considers both medical and non-medical aspects and how the extra risks should be costed. The paper also deals with financial underwriting. reassurance and the management of death claims. Although the paper presents a ‘state of the art’ picture, it also considers advances via on-line acceptance, expert systems and computer-based training.
Life office returns to the Department of Trade and Industry
Authors: Ford A. 
Published: April 2012

This paper arose from a report prepared by a working party set up under the auspices of the Research Committee. The views in the paper are my own but they are, to a considerable extent, based upon work done by Messrs J. K. W. Davies and P. N. S. Clark. I am also indebted to Mr R. T. Foster of the Government Actuary's Department for clarifying points arising from the current Regulations.2. The paper is concerned with the Returns made by Life Offices to the Department of Trade and Industry in accordance with The Insurance Companies (Accounts and Forms) Regulations 1968. The aims of this paper are:(i) to discuss the objectives of the Returns,(ii) to discuss whether the questions asked by the present Regulations and the answers currently being given in the Returns achieve these objectives,(iii) to discuss possible changes in the Regulations, and(iv) to discuss the role of the actuary in relation to the Returns and also in relation to the auditor.
An approach to the use of computers in actuarial work
Authors: Bennett M. C. , Berry P. K. , Brown G. A. , Farrington G. W. , Hey G. B. 
Published: April 2012

Electronic computers have been available commercially for about 20 years. Actuarial interest was soon shown, but although a number of papers have appeared over the years there has been little recent discussion of how computers can best serve the profession.Many actuaries have little computing experience. To them it may appear a daunting task to learn to use a computer, because many instruction manuals seem, at first sight, extensive and complex. Our principal aim is to demonstrate to them that given suitable permanent facilities it is quite easy to use a computer for actuarial calculations, however complex these may be. We suggest that the complexity of most existing actuarial programming systems is unnecessary, and may have impeded the understanding of the computer's potential by actuaries.
Estimation of radiation interception by winter wheat from measurements of leaf area
Authors: Thorne G. N. , Pearman I. , Day W. , Todd A. D. 
Published: April 2012

SummaryThe percentage (P) of incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) reaching the ground was measured in winter wheat crops throughout the season, and related to projected area index (L) of leaves, plus sheaths and stems when present. Between unfolding of the first leaf and appearance of the flag leaf the mean value for the exponential extinction coefficient (K) was 0·46±0·007. The value did not vary with the growth stage of the wheat and was scarcely affected by experimental treatments, apart from effects resulting from the presence of senescent tissues that intercepted light but whose area was not included in L. After anthesis, in crops having between 340 and 540 ears/m2, between 68 and 89% of incident PAR penetrated to below the ears. Relation between the further penetration to the base of the crop canopy and the area of green plus senescent leaf and stem tissue gave K = 0·50. The relation did not change significantly between anthesis and complete senescence.The relation between P and L was similar whether P was obtained from instantaneous measurements made near midday, 24 h integrals of PAR or percentage ground cover measured photographically.
‘Get back to where you once belonged!’ The positive creative impact of a refresher course for ‘baby-boomer’ rock musicians
Authors: O'Shea Helen 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThis article reports on a study of participants in a Weekend Warriors Program for ‘lapsed’ rock musicians in Melbourne, Australia. It observes musicians over a six-week period that included a jam session, coaching sessions and a gig (concert). It examines the learning pathways of participants and their goals and experiences alongside those of the programme organisers within the comparative context of music learning practices among young and older musicians and in the light of academic research into the midlife ageing process. A question that arises from the data is the extent to which the experience and actions of middle-aged women musicians coincides with the literature on gender in youth rock music scenes and the literature on music, ageing and gender. The article concludes that the Weekend Warriors Program draws on the learning practices that the musicians involved had adopted in their youth and which act as a catalyst for their further musical and social participation and self-directed group learning. Age appeared to create no barrier to their enjoyment or their achievements; indeed in many ways it seemed to make them less inhibited and self-conscious in realising individual objectives that were further encouraged by working within a supportive if loosely bonded group.
Memoryscapes and mediascapes: musical formations of ‘pensioners’ in late 20th-century Sweden
Authors: Hyltén-Cavallius Sverker 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThe late 20th century in Sweden saw the growth of music solely aimed at an elderly audience. This article discusses music within pensioner organisations, first assessing a cassette compilation marketed through the members' magazine of Sweden's largest pensioner organisation and, second, embarking on ethnographies of meetings within a study circle in music-listening arranged through a pensioner organisation, conducted in 1999–2000. The music selection in the cassette compilation diminishes certain genres of the included period and foregrounds others, adding up to a specific homogeneous national memoryscape. A central theme in the study circle was the production and negotiation of generational and individual memoryscapes. The two mediascapes produced different memoryscapes, one being nationally and temporally bounded, the other being at the same time local, transnational and transtemporal. To conclude, the article claims that if we wish to understand the nexus of ageing and music in contemporary society, we need to listen not only to musicians, entrepreneurs and care institutions, but also to their intended audiences.
k-Sums in Abelian Groups
Authors: GIRARD BENJAMIN , GRIFFITHS SIMON , HAMIDOUNE YAHYA OULD 
Published: April 2012

Given a finite subset A of an abelian group G, we study the set k ∧ A of all sums of k distinct elements of A. In this paper, we prove that |k ∧ A| ≥ |A| for all k ∈ {2,. . .,|A| − 2}, unless k ∈ {2, |A| − 2} and A is a coset of an elementary 2-subgroup of G. Furthermore, we characterize those finite sets A ⊆ G for which |k ∧ A| = |A| for some k ∈ {2,. . .,|A| − 2}. This result answers a question of Diderrich. Our proof relies on an elementary property of proper edge-colourings of the complete graph.
The Impact of Gaia and LSST on Binaries and Exoplanets
Authors: Eyer L. , Dubath P. , Mowlavi N. , North P. , Triaud A. , Barblan F. , Siopis C. , Guy L. , Tingley B. , Zucker S. , Evans D.W. , Wyrzykowski L. , Süveges M. , Ivezic Z. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractTwo upcoming large scale surveys, the ESA Gaia and LSST projects, will bring a new era in astronomy. The number of binary systems that will be observed and detected by these projects is enormous, estimations range from millions for Gaia to several tens of millions for LSST. We review some tools that should be developed and also what can be gained from these missions on the subject of binaries and exoplanets from the astrometry, photometry, radial velocity and their alert systems.
Spectroscopic Study of the Early-Type Binary HX Vel A
Authors: Özkardeş Burcu , Sürgit Derya , Erdem Ahmet , Budding Edwin , Soydugan Faruk , Demircan Osman 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThis paper presents high resolution spectroscopy of the HX Vel (IDS 08390-4744 AB) multiple system. New spectroscopic observations of the system were made at Mt. John University Observatory in 2007 and 2008. Radial velocities of both components of HX Vel A were measured using gaussian fitting. The spectroscopic mass ratio of the close binary was determined as 0.599±0.052, according to a Keplerian orbital solution. The resulting orbital elements are a1sini=0.0098±0.0003 AU, a2sini=0.0164±0.0003 AU, M1sin3i=1.19±0.07 M⊙ and M2sin3i=0.71±0.04 M⊙.
Northern Binaries in the Evrena Project
Authors: Bakış V. , Hensberge H. , Zejda M. , de Cat P. , Yılmaz F. , Bloemen S. , Svoboda P. , Demircan O. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractIn the framework of the EVRENA project, high-resolution spectra of northern eclipsing close binaries in stellar groups are obtained with the HERMES Echelle spectrograph at the Mercator telescope (Roque de los Muchachos Observatory). This contribution gives the first results on DV Camelopardalis.
KIC 4544587: An Eccentric, Short Period Binary with δ Scuti Pulsations and Tidally Excited Modes
Authors: Hambleton Kelly , Kurtz Don , Prša Andrej , Bloemen Steven , Southworth John 
Published: April 2012

AbstractKIC 4544587 is an eclipsing binary star with clear signs of apsidal motion and indications of tidal resonance. The primary component is an early A-type δ Scuti variable, with a temperature of 8270±250 K, whilst the secondary component is an early G-type main sequence star with a temperature of 6500±310 K. The orbital period of this system is 2.18911(1) d, with the light curve demonstrating a hump after secondary minimum due to distortion and reflection. The frequency spectrum of the residual data (the original data with the binary characteristics removed) contains both pressure (p) and gravity (g) modes. Eight of the g modes are precise multiples of the orbital frequency, to an accuracy greater than 3 σ. This is a signature of resonant excitation.
SPHOTOM – Package for an Automatic Multicolour Photometry
Authors: Parimucha Š. , Vaňko M. , Mikloš P. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractWe present basic information about package SPHOTOM for an automatic multicolour photometry. This package is in development for the creation of a photometric pipe-line, which we plan to use in the near future with our new instruments. It could operate in two independent modes, (i) GUI mode, in which the user can select images and control functions of package through interface and (ii) command line mode, in which all processes are controlled using a main parameter file. SPHOTOM is developed as a universal package for Linux based systems with easy implementation for different observatories. The photometric part of the package is based on the Sextractor code, which allows us to detect all objects on the images and perform their photometry with different apertures. We can also perform astrometric solutions for all images for a correct cross-identification of the stars on the images. The result is a catalogue of all objects with their instrumental photometric measurements which are consequently used for a differential magnitudes calculations with one or more comparison stars, transformations to an international system, and determinations of colour indices.
Hard X-ray and Optical Activity of Intermediate Polars
Authors: Gális Rudolf , Hric Ladislav , Kundra Emil 
Published: April 2012

AbstractIntermediate polars represent a major fraction of all cataclysmic variables detected by INTEGRAL in hard X-rays. Nevertheless, only 25% of all known intermediate polars have been was detected in hard X-rays. This fact can be related to the activity state of these close interacting binaries. Multi-frequency (optical to X-ray) investigation of intermediate polars is essential to understand the physical mechanisms responsible for the observed activity of these objects.
Recent Spectral Observations of Epsilon Aurigae in the Near-IR
Authors: Iliev Lubomir 
Published: April 2012

AbstractHigh resolution spectral observations of ϵ Aur were carried out in the near-IR spectral range. Observations were obtained with the Coudé-spectrograph of the 2m RCC telescope at National Astronomical Observatory Rozhen and cover all main phases of the current eclipse. Results revealed for the first time absorption components in O I and Ca II triplets and variations of N I lines. Estimation of the electron density was done using lines from the Paschen series of hydrogen.
Brown Dwarf Binaries
Authors: Allers Katelyn N. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractNearly 500 brown dwarfs have been discovered in recent years. The majority of these brown dwarfs exist in the solar neighborhood, yet determining their fundamental properties (mass, age, temperature & metallicity) has proved to be quite difficult, with current estimates relying heavily on theoretical models. Binary brown dwarfs provide a unique opportunity to empirically determine fundamental properties, which can then be used to test model predictions. In addition, the observed binary fractions, separations, mass ratios, & orbital eccentricities can provide insight into the formation mechanism of these low-mass objects. I will review the results of various brown dwarf multiplicity studies, and will discuss what we have learned about the formation and evolution of brown dwarfs by examining their binary properties as a function of age and mass.
Pre-Cataclysmic System V471 Tau with Confirmed Brown Dwarf and Suspected Extrasolar Planet
Authors: Hric Ladislav , Kundra Emil 
Published: April 2012

AbstractWe can show that analysis of the (O-C) diagram is a powerful method of detecting new bodies in binary systems. For this purpose we need very symmetric minima with precisely determined shapes. In the case of good covering by observations with high time resolution, it is possible to determine the times of such minima with sufficient accuracy. In the case of V471 Tau, the (O-C) diagram gave us residua which can be explained by the presence of a fourth body with substellar mass in the system.
Search for the Star-Planet Interaction
Authors: Krejčová Tereza , Budaj Ján , Koza Július 
Published: April 2012

AbstractWe analyse the chromospherical activity of stars with extrasolar planets and search for a possible correlation between the equivalent width of the core of the Ca II K line and orbital parameters of the planet. We found statistically significant evidence that the equivalent width of the Ca II K line reversal, which originates in the stellar chromosphere, depends on the orbital period Porb of the exoplanet. Planets orbiting stars with Teff < 5 500 K and with Porb < 20 days generally have much stronger emission than planets at similar temperatures but at longer orbital periods. Porb = 20 days marks a sudden change in behaviour, which might be associated with a qualitative change in the star-planet interaction.
An Extra-Solar Planet in a Double Stellar System: The Modelling of Insufficient Orbital Elements
Authors: Plávalová Eva , Solovaya Nina A. , Pittich Eduard M. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThe modelling of the insufficient orbital elements of extra-solar planets (EPs) revolving around one component in a binary star system is investigated in the present paper. This problem is considered in the frame of the three-body problem using the analytical theory of Orlov & Solovaya (1998). In the general case, the motion is defined by the masses of the components and by the six pairs of the initial values of the Keplerian elements. For EPs, it is not possible to obtain the complete set of elements for the orbit, in particular, the ascending node and the angle of the inclination. So, it is possible the two different variants of orbital evolution of EPs depend on the initial conditions. In one case, the orbit is unstable. Using the stability conditions of Solovaya & Pittich (2004), which are presented by the angle of the mutual inclination of the orbits between the EP and distant star, we varied unknown angular elements and defined the regions with possible values of the elements for which the motion of EP stays stable. We applied these calculations to the particular specific EPs: HD19994b, HD196885Ab and HD222404b.
Polarimetry of Binary Stars and Exoplanets
Authors: Bjorkman Karen S. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractPolarimetry is a useful diagnostic of asymmetries in both circumstellar environments and binary star systems. Its sensitivity to asymmetries in systems means that it can help to uncover details about system orbital parameters, including providing information about the orbital inclination. Polarimetry can probe the circumstellar and/or circumbinary material as well. A number of significant results on binary systems have been produced by polarimetric studies. One might therefore expect that polarimetry could similarly play a useful role in studies of exoplanets, and a number of possible diagnostics for exoplanets have been proposed. However, the application of polarimetry to exoplanet research is only in preliminary stages, and the difficulties with applying the technique to exoplanets are non-trivial. This review will discuss the successes of polarimetry in analyzing binary systems, and consider the possibilities and challenges for extending similar analysis to exoplanet systems.
Eclipsing Binaries Within Visual Ones: Prospects of Combined Solution
Authors: Zasche Petr 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThe study of eclipsing binaries as members of multiple systems can provide us important information about their origin, evolution, mutual inclination of the orbits, independent distance and mass determination, as well as the stellar multiplicity in general. We are carrying out a long-term photometric monitoring of several eclipsing binaries within the visual multiples and, besides the complete light curves, we are trying to detect the period changes due to the orbital motion around a common barycenter.Systems like DN UMa, V819 Her, LO Hya, or VW Cep are typical examples of eclipsing binaries orbiting around the barycenter of the multiple system, while their respective periods are on the order of years or decades. However, the expected period variation is only hardly detectable and there is still uncertainty about which of the components is the eclipsing one. Precise spectroscopy would be of great benefit, but detecting the changes in the gamma velocity is still problematic, and spectral disentangling of such complicated systems like sextuple VV Crv (periods 1.46, 3.14, and 44.51 days) is also rather difficult. However, the detection of the changing depths of the eclipses in the latter system would be interesting.
Polarized Radiative Transfer Equation in Some Geometries of Elliptic Type
Authors: Freimanis Juris 
Published: April 2012

AbstractA general method, which allows us to derive explicit expressions for the differential operator of stationary quasi-monochromatic polarized radiative transfer equation in Euclidean space, with piecewise homogeneous real part of the effective refractive index, is applied to ellipsoidal, oblate spheroidal, prolate spheroidal and elliptic conical coordinate systems.
Influence of Rotation Velocity Gradient on Line Profiles of Accretion Discs of CVs
Authors: Korčáková D. , Nagel T. , Werner K. , Suleimanov V. , Votruba V. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractWe show the influence of the Keplerian velocity shear on the line profiles of cataclysmic variable discs. The complete disc structure is taken into account. The radial disc structure follows the alpha disc approximation. Based on this assumption, the vertical structure is computed using the detailed non-LTE code AcDc. The obtained opacities and source functions are interpolated in the 2D grid, where the radiative transfer is calculated with the inclusion of the velocity field gradient.
Modeling of the Be Stars
Authors: Šejnová K. , Votruba V. , Koubský P. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThe Be stars are still a big unknown in respect to the origin and geometry of the circumstellar disk around the star. Program shellspec is designed to solve the simple radiative transfer along the line of sight in three-dimensional moving media. Our goal was to develop an effective method to search in parameter space, which can allow us to find a good estimate of the physical parameters of the disk. We also present here our results for Be star 60 Cyg using the modified code.
ROCHE: Analysis of Eclipsing Binary Multi-Dataset Observables
Authors: Pribulla Theodor 
Published: April 2012

AbstractCode ROCHE is devoted to modeling multi-dataset observations of close eclipsing binaries such as radial velocities, multi-wavelength light curves, and broadening functions. The code includes circular surface spots, eccentric orbits, asynchronous or/and differential rotation, and third light. The program makes use of synthetic spectra to compute observed UBVRIJHK magnitudes from the surface model and the parallax. The surface grid is derived from a regular icosahedron to secure more-or-less equal (triangular) surface elements with observed intensities computed from synthetic spectra for supplied passband transmission curves. The limb-darkening is automatically interpolated from the tables after each computing step. All proximity effects (tidal deformation, reflection effect, gravity darkening) are taken into account. Integration of synthetic curves is improved by adaptive phase step (important for wide eclipsing systems).The code is still under development. It is planned to extend its capabilities towards low mass ratios and widely different radii of components to facilitate modeling of extrasolar planet transits. Another planned extension of the code will be modeling of spatially-resolved eclipsing binaries using relative visual orbits and/or interferometric visibilities.