bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adverse Selection in Term Life Insurance Purchasing due to the BRCA1/2 Genetic Test and Elastic Demand
Authors: Viswanathan Krupa S. , Lemaire Jean , Withers Kate , Armstrong Katrina , Baumritter Agnieszka , Hershey John C. , Pauly Mark V. , Asch David A. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractConsumer groups fear that the use of genetic testing information in insurance underwriting might lead to the creation of an underclass of individuals who cannot obtain insurance; thus, these groups want to ban insurance companies from accessing genetic test results. Insurers contend that such a ban might lead to adverse selection that could threaten their financial solvency. To investigate the potential effect of adverse selection in a term life insurance market, a discrete‐time, discrete‐state, Markov chain is used to track the evolution of twelve closed cohorts of women, differentiated by family history of breast and ovarian cancer and age at issue of a 20‐year annually renewable term life insurance policy. The insurance demand behavior of these women is tracked, incorporating elastic demand for insurance. During the 20‐year period, women may get tested for BRCA1/2 mutations. Each year, the insurer calculates the expected premiums and expected future benefit payouts which determine the following year's premium schedule. At the end of each policy year, women can change their life insurance benefit, influenced by their testing status and premium changes. Adverse selection could result from (i) differentiated benefits following test results; (ii) differentiated lapse rates according to test results; and (iii) differentiated reactions to price increases. It is concluded that with realistic estimates of behavioral parameters, adverse selection could be a manageable problem for insurers.
Securitization of Longevity Risk: Pricing Survivor Bonds With Wang Transform in the Lee‐Carter Framework
Authors: Denuit Michel , Devolder Pierre , Goderniaux Anne‐Cécile 
Published: March 2007

AbstractLongevity risk is a major issue for insurers and pension funds, especially in the selling of annuity products. In that respect, securitization of this risk could offer great opportunities for hedging. This article proposes to design survivor bonds which could be issued directly by insurers. In order to guaranty some transparency in the product, the survivor bond is based on a public mortality index. The classical Lee‐Carter model for mortality forecasting is used to price a risky coupon survivor bond based on this index.
Household Life Cycle Protection: Life Insurance Holdings, Financial Vulnerability, and Portfolio Implications
Authors: Lin Yijia , Grace Martin F. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractUsing the Survey of Consumer Finances, we examine the life cycle demand for different types of life insurance. Specifically, we test for the consumer's aversion to income volatility resulting from the death of a household's wage‐earner through the purchase of life insurance. We first develop a financial vulnerability index to control for the risk to the household. We then examine the life cycle demand for life insurance using several definitions of life insurance. We find, in contrast to previous research, that there is a relationship between financial vulnerability and the amount of term life or total life insurance purchased. In addition, we find older consumers use less life insurance to protect a certain level of financial vulnerability than younger consumers. Secondly, our study provides evidence that life insurance demand is jointly determined as part of a household's portfolio. Finally, we consider the impact of family members' nonmonetary contribution on the household's life cycle protection decision. Our results provide some evidence that households take into account the value of nonmonetary contribution in their insurance purchase.
Wealth, Income, and Optimal Insurance
Authors: Lee Kangoh 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThis article considers the decision to purchase insurance against possible losses of a property or wealth. The decision involves a standard economic trade‐off between the benefit of protection against loss and the cost of insurance premium. The premium is paid out of the income and decreases the consumption of other goods and services, rather than out of wealth and decreases the property or wealth. The demand for insurance depends mainly on the income and preferences. As a result, unlike in the standard model, a fair premium is neither necessary nor sufficient for the optimality of full coverage insurance. Rather, the individuals with higher incomes purchase full coverage insurance even at unfair prices of insurance while the individuals with lower income purchase partial coverage insurance at a fair price.
A mineralization‐associated membrane protein plays a role in the biological functions of the peptide‐coated bovine hydroxyapatite
Authors: Yuan K. , Huang J.‐S. , Hsu C.‐W. , Hung I.‐J. 
Published: March 2007

Background and Objective:  Anorganic bovine mineral coated with a cell‐binding peptide (P‐15) is superior to anorganic bovine mineral alone in the treatment of periodontal osseous defects. However, the molecular interactions between P‐15 and periodontal ligament fibroblasts remain unclear.Material and Methods:  We first compared the in vitro osteogenic activities between periodontal ligament fibroblasts cultured with anorganic bovine mineral alone and with the P‐15/anorganic bovine mineral combination. We then harvested the periodontal ligament cell lysate, incubated it with various graft materials, and then washed it to remove unbound proteins. The bound proteins were eluted from graft materials and analyzed using electrophoresis, followed by mass spectrometry and then western blotting. Finally, a neutralizing antibody against one bound protein was added to the cell cultures to repeat the osteogenic assays to clarify its role in the in vitro effects of the P‐15/anorganic bovine mineral combination.Results:  Cells treated with P‐15/anorganic bovine mineral were more viable and showed greater osteogenic activities than cells treated with anorganic bovine mineral alone and the no‐graft control. Annexin II, a mineralization‐associated protein, bound to P‐15/anorganic bovine mineral significantly more than to anorganic bovine mineral alone. The addition of neutralizing antibody for annexin II decreased the osteogenic activities of the P‐15/anorganic bovine mineral combination.Conclusion:  Annexin II of periodontal ligament fibroblasts interacted with the peptide of P‐15, and was partially responsible for better in vitro osteogenesis in the P‐15 graft.
Human β defensin‐1 and ‐2 expression in the gingiva of patients with specific periodontal diseases
Authors: Vardar‐Sengul S. , Demirci T. , Sen B. H. , Erkizan V. , Kurulgan E. , Baylas H. 
Published: March 2007

Background and Objective:  β defensin antimicrobial peptides are important in epithelial innate immunity, and their differential expression is associated with periodontal diseases. The aims of this study were to determine the mRNA expression of human β defensin‐1 and ‐2 in the gingival tissue of patients with gingivitis, aggressive periodontitis and chronic periodontitis, and to evaluate the relationship between defensin expression and type and/or severity of periodontal destruction.Material and Methods:  Fifteen patients in each group with gingivitis, aggressive periodontitis and chronic periodontitis, and 10 healthy subjects, were included in the study (n = 55). The periodontal status of the subjects was determined by periodontal clinical measurements and radiographical evaluations. Transcriptional levels of human β defensin‐1 and ‐2 genes in gingival samples were assessed by using the quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction technique, and the data were evaluated statistically by the relative expression Software Tool 2 for groupwise comparisons.Results:  Expression of the human β defensin‐1 gene was lower in gingivitis and aggressive periodontitis groups, and significantly higher in the chronic periodontitis group, than in the control group (p < 0.001). Human β defensin‐2 mRNA expression in the gingivitis group was lower than in the control group; however, the difference was statistically significant only in half of the gingivitis patients (p < 0.001). Human β defensin‐2 mRNA levels were higher in some chronic periodontitis patients, but lower in the others when compared with the control group (p < 0.001). Expression of the human β defensin‐2 gene increased in the aggressive periodontitis group relative to the control group.Conclusion:  This study suggests that human β defensin‐1 and ‐2 genes in the gingival epithelium show differential expression in patients with specific periodontal diseases, and aggressive and chronic periodontitis types demonstrate different gingival β defensin‐1 and ‐2 expression patterns.
Use of the Reviscometer® for measuring cosmetics‐induced skin surface effects
Authors: Paye M. , Mac‐Mary S. , Elkhyat A. , Tarrit C. , Mermet P. , Humbert P. H. 
Published: March 2007

Background/purpose: The Reviscometer® RVM600 that measures resonance running time (RRT) has been shown to be inversely related to the skin stiffness. However, very few publications describe the use of this instrument for testing the effect of cosmetic products.Methods: Slight xerotic skin condition was induced by using an alkaline soap for 1 week. Skin has then been rehydrated with a lotion or further dehydrated and dried with sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Skin condition at the different stages of the study was evaluated by visual assessment for dryness and redness and by non‐invasive methods (Corneometer®, Cutometer®, Reviscometer®, Evaporimeter® and squamometry).Results: All methods showed highly significant changes after the slight drying phase with the soap usage. They illustrated skin repair after lotion treatment and further skin impairment after SLS application. Nevertheless, the Reviscometer® was able to better statistically discriminate between the treatments (water, lotion, SLS) than the Cutometer®. Measurement of the RRT along the transversal axis of the forearms was the most sensitive for differentiating between normal and dry skin and between the treatments on the basis of skin mechanical properties.Conclusion: The Reviscometer® RVM600 is a sensitive instrument able to detect slight skin surface effect of cosmetics. Combined with published literature on the interpretation of RRT measurements on polymeric gel or in different skin conditions (elderly skin and photoaged skin), the Reviscometer® looks to be a recommendable instrument to measure slight changes in SC stiffness/suppleness induced by cosmetic products.
A device for the color measurement and detection of spots on the skin
Authors: Pladellorens Josep , Pintó Agustí , Segura Jordi , Cadevall Cristina , Antó Joan , Pujol Jaume , Vilaseca Meritxell , Coll Joaquín 
Published: March 2007

Background/purpose: In this work, we present a new and fast easy‐to‐use device that allows the measurement of color and the detection of spots on the human skin. The developed device is highly practical for relatively untrained operators and uses inexpensive consumer equipment, such as a CCD color camera, a light source composed of LEDs and a laptop. The knowledge of the color of the skin and the detection of spots can be useful in several areas such as in dermatology applications, the cosmetics industry, the biometrics field, health care, etc.Methods: In order to perform these measurements the system takes a picture of the skin. After that, the operator selects the region of the skin to be analyzed on the displayed image and the system provides the CIELAB color coordinates, the chroma and the ITA parameter (Individual Tipology Angle), allowing the comparison with other reference images by means of CIELAB color differences. The system also detects spots, such as freckles, age spots, sunspots, pimples, black heads, etc., in a determined region, allowing the objective measurement of their size and area.Results: The colorimetric information provided by a conventional spectrophotometer for the tested samples and the computed values obtained with the new developed system are quite similar, meaning that the developed system can be used to perform color measurements with relatively high accuracy. On the other hand, the feasibility of the system in order to detect and measure spots on the human skin has also been checked over a great amount of images, obtaining results with high precision.Conclusion: In this work, we present a new system that may be very useful in order to measure the color and to detect spots of the skin. Its portability and easy applicability will be very useful in dermatologic and cosmetic studies.
Gender and Biodiversity: A New Approach to Linking Environment and Development
Authors: Momsen Janet Henshall 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe 1992 Convention on Biological Conservation and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (1996) reflect the growing importance of biodiversity for environmental conservation and as a way of maintaining the genetic variety needed for plant breeding and providing new sources of medicines. More recently, agrobiodiversity has been seen as vital for food security in developing countries. This article considers the need to understand decision‐making for biodiversity at the grassroots. To achieve this, gender roles, as influenced by gender divisions of labour in food production and the gendered use of different environmental spaces, have to be considered. Women's roles in seed selection and seed saving and use of wild plants for food and medicines play a major role in biodiversity conservation, but these roles are not unchanging and are increasingly influenced by global trade networks and geographical context.
Intergenerational Geographies: Age Relations, Segregation and Re‐engagements
Authors: Vanderbeck Robert M. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractResearch on age in geography has become highly compartmentalized into separate literatures on younger and older generations that rarely intersect. As such, the geographies of intergenerational relationships – and particularly, extrafamilial intergenerational relationships – remain substantially under‐researched. This essay reviews how geographers have approached issues of intergenerational relationships while also drawing on recent work from other fields (including sociology, anthropology and queer theory) that can extend current thinking on the geographies of intergenerationality and age relations. How does space facilitate and limit intergenerational contact and relationships? How do the geographies of intergenerational relationships vary between social groups and contexts? And if generational separation and segregation are problems (as a substantial body of work suggests), how can this be ameliorated? Throughout the essay, I examine how social scientists have attempted to address these questions while also identifying the significant gaps that remain in our understanding.
Relationship Between Solidification Depth of Granitic Rocks and Formation of Hydrothermal Ore Deposits
Authors: Uchida Etsuo , Endo Sho , Makino Mitsutoshi 
Published: March 2007

AbstractChemical analysis of biotite in representative granitic rocks in Japan shows that the total Al (TAl) content changes with the metal type of the accompanying hydrothermal ore deposits and increases in the following order: Pb‐Zn and Mo deposits < Cu‐Fe and Sn deposits < W deposits < non‐mineralized granitic rocks. The TAl content of biotite in granitic rocks may be a useful indicator for distinguishing between mineralized and non‐mineralized granitic rocks. A good positive correlation is seen between the TAl content of biotite and the solidification pressure of the granitic rocks estimated by sphalerite and hornblende geobarometers and the mineral assemblages of the surrounding rocks. These facts suggest that the TAl content of biotite can be used to estimate the solidification pressure (P) of the granitic rocks. The following empirical equation was obtained:
image
where TAl designates the total Al content in biotite on the basis O = 22. According to the obtained biotite geobarometer, it is estimated that Pb‐Zn and Mo deposits were formed at pressures below 1 kb, Cu‐Fe and Sn deposits at 1–2 kb, W deposits at 2–3 kb and non‐mineralized granitic rocks were solidified at pressures above 3 kb.
Geology and Metallogenesis of the Sawayaerdun Gold Deposit in the Southwestern Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China
Authors: Yang Fuquan , Mao Jingwen , Wang Yitian , Bierlein Frank P. , Ye Huishou , Li Mengwen , Zhao Caisheng , Ye Jinhua 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe Sawayaerdun gold deposit, located in Wuqia County, Southwest Tianshan, China, occurs in Upper Silurian and Lower Devonian low‐grade metamorphic carbonaceous turbidites. The orebodies are controlled by a series of NE‐NNE‐trending, brittle–ductile shear zones. Twenty‐four gold mineralized zones have been recognized in the Sawayaerdun ore deposit. Among these, the up to 4‐km‐long and 200‐m wide No. IV mineralized zone is economically the most important. The average gold grade is 1–6 g/t. Gold reserves of the Sawayaerdun deposit have been identified at approximately 37 tonnes and an inferred resource of 123 tonnes. Hydrothermal alteration is characterized by silicification, pyritization, arsenopyritization, sericitization, carbonatization and chloritization. On the basis of field evidence and petrographic analysis, five stages of vein emplacement and hydrothermal mineralization can be distinguished: stage 1, early quartz stage, characterized by the occurrence of quartz veins; stage 2, arsenopyrite–pyrite–quartz stage, characterized by the formation of auriferous quartz veinlets and stockworks; stage 3, polymetallic sulfide quartz stage, characterized by the presence of auriferous polymetallic sulfide quartz veinlets and stockworks; stage 4, antimony–quartz stage, characterized by the formation of stibnite–jamesonite quartz veins; and stage 5, quartz–carbonate vein stage. Stages 2 and 3 represent the main gold mineralization, with stage 4 representing a major antimony mineralization episode in the Sawayaerdun deposit. Two types of fluid inclusion, namely H2O–NaCl and H2O–CO2–NaCl types, have been recognized in quartz and calcite. Aqueous inclusions show a wide range of homogenization temperatures from 125 to 340°C, and can be correlated with the mineralization stage during which the inclusions formed. Similarly, salinities and densities of these fluids range for each stage of mineralization from 2.57 to 22 equivalent wt% NaCl and 0.76 to 1.05 g/cm3, respectively. The ore‐forming fluids thus are representative of a medium‐ to low‐temperature, low‐ to medium‐salinity H2O–NaCl–CO2–CH4–N2system. The δ34SCDTvalues of sulfides associated with mineralization fall into a narrow range of −3.0 to +2.6‰ with a mean of +0.1‰. The δ13CPDBvalues of dolomite and siderite from the Sawayaerdun gold deposit range from −5.4 to −0.6‰, possibly reflecting derivation of the carbonate carbon from a mixed magmatic/sedimentary source. Changes in physico‐chemical conditions and composition of the hydrothermal fluids, water–rock exchange and immiscibility of hydrothermal fluids are inferred to have played important roles in the ore‐forming process of the Sawayaerdun gold–antimony deposit.
Surprising Arginine Biosynthesis: a Reappraisal of the Enzymology and Evolution of the Pathway in Microorganisms
Authors: Xu Ying , Labedan Bernard , Glansdorff Nicolas 
Published: March 2007

SUMMARYMajor aspects of the pathway of de novo arginine biosynthesis via acetylated intermediates in microorganisms must be revised in light of recent enzymatic and genomic investigations. The enzymeN-acetylglutamate synthase (NAGS), which used to be considered responsible for the first committed step of the pathway, is present in a limited number of bacterial phyla only and is absent fromArchaea. In manyBacteria, shorter proteins related to the Gcn5-relatedN-acetyltransferase family appear to acetylatel-glutamate; some are clearly similar to the C-terminal, acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) binding domain of classical NAGS, while others are more distantly related. Short NAGSs can be single gene products, as inMycobacteriumspp. andThermusspp., or fused to the enzyme catalyzing the last step of the pathway (argininosuccinase), as in members of theAlteromonas-Vibriogroup. How these proteins bind glutamate remains to be determined. In someBacteria, a bifunctional ornithine acetyltransferase (i.e., using both acetylornithine and acetyl-CoA as donors of the acetyl group) accounts for glutamate acetylation. In manyArchaea, the enzyme responsible for glutamate acetylation remains elusive, but possible connections with a novel lysine biosynthetic pathway arose recently from genomic investigations. In someProteobacteria(notablyXanthomonadaceae) andBacteroidetes, the carbamoylation step of the pathway appears to involveN-acetylornithine orN-succinylornithine rather than ornithine. The productN-acetylcitrulline is deacetylated by an enzyme that is also involved in the provision of ornithine from acetylornithine; this is an important metabolic function, as ornithine itself can become essential as a source of other metabolites. This review insists on the biochemical and evolutionary implications of these findings.
Colicin Biology
Authors: Cascales Eric , Buchanan Susan K. , Duché Denis , Kleanthous Colin , Lloubès Roland , Postle Kathleen , Riley Margaret , Slatin Stephen , Cavard Danièle 
Published: March 2007

SUMMARYColicins are proteins produced by and toxic for some strains ofEscherichia coli. They are produced by strains ofE. colicarrying a colicinogenic plasmid that bears the genetic determinants for colicin synthesis, immunity, and release. Insights gained into each fundamental aspect of their biology are presented: their synthesis, which is under SOS regulation; their release into the extracellular medium, which involves the colicin lysis protein; and their uptake mechanisms and modes of action. Colicins are organized into three domains, each one involved in a different step of the process of killing sensitive bacteria. The structures of some colicins are known at the atomic level and are discussed. Colicins exert their lethal action by first binding to specific receptors, which are outer membrane proteins used for the entry of specific nutrients. They are then translocated through the outer membrane and transit through the periplasm by either the Tol or the TonB system. The components of each system are known, and their implication in the functioning of the system is described. Colicins then reach their lethal target and act either by forming a voltage-dependent channel into the inner membrane or by using their endonuclease activity on DNA, rRNA, or tRNA. The mechanisms of inhibition by specific and cognate immunity proteins are presented. Finally, the use of colicins as laboratory or biotechnological tools and their mode of evolution are discussed.