Search

The growing concern over market conduct issues in the life insurance industry necessitates adequate disclosure of important factors in the generation of life insurance surrender values. Although Chung and Skipper (1987) show that credited interest rates are significantly positively correlated with universal life insurance surrender values for durations of ten years, the multivariate analysis here demonstrates the importance of examining all credits and charges when analyzing universal life insurance contracts. The effects of various charges (expense, mortality, and surrender) outweigh the effects of credited interest rates for the oneyear and five-year periods. However, surrender values are. more sensitive to variation in credited interest rates for the ten-year period. The results have important implications for marketing of universal life, for analysis of competing universal life policies, and for regulation of life insurance policy illustrations.

This study extends previous research on life insurer insolvency by providing empirical evidence on a large (nonmatched-pair) sample of insurers based on three alternative types of statistical models. The study utilizes 1986 through 1990 data for a sample of insurers that did or did not become financially impaired during 1989 through 1991. Empirical evidence suggests that surplus measures and leverage measures are strong indicators of insurer financial strength; however, no evidence is found for a strong relationship between state minimum capital requirements and insolvency. Classification rates for this study's large sample are generally lower than those found in previous studies examining earlier time periods and using smaller, matched-pair samples.

Alors que les Choctaws faisaient face a de profonds changements dus au contact avec les Americains et les Europeens, les chevaux devinrent les agents d'une continuite culturelle et d'un changement economique. Les chevaux etaient importants dans les activites s'etendant des jeux de balle aux rituels funeraires et ils etaient essentiels au developpement du commerce de la peau de daim, a l'economie de marche choctaw et a l'economie du betail qui fleurissait sur le territoire amerindien. Pendant un siecle et demi, le role de l'equide dans l'evolution culturelle et economique des Choctaws a demontre la capacite de la tribu a s'adapter a son monde en plein changement

Driving Forces of Policy Loan Demand Previous research has found several variables related to the demand for life insurance policy loans, including market interest rates (Schott, 1971; Bykerk and Thompson, 1979; Cummins, 1973), personal income (Wood, 1964; Rejda, 1966), the unemployment rate (Cummins, 1973), and costs of alternative sources of credit (Day and Hendershott, 1977). Policy loans constitute a form of disintermediation for insurers and are important because they disrupt insurer cash flow and impose an opportunity cost if the market interest rate exceeds the policy loan interest rate.(1) This article assesses the impact that redesigned life insurance policy loan provisions and changes in financial markets have had on the demand for policy loans and the risk of disintermediation. The research extends previous work - which has focused exclusively on periods of fixed loan rates - by investigating policy loan demand from 1970 through 1989, a period encompassing both fixed and variable loan rates.(2) Because the structure of policy loan demand may have shifted over the sample period, a test for structural change is performed. While previous econometric analyses of policy loan demand have used quarterly data, this study uses monthly data. Market Conditions On policies issued before 1980, loan rates generally were fixed at between 5 and 6 percent. Thus, for various reasons, when market interest rates were equal to or in excess of policy loan rates, relatively more policyowners exercised their option to access cash values, and insurers lost the use of large amounts of assets. Policy loans outstanding at the end of 1970 equaled $14.1 billion and grew to $34.8 billion by the end of 1979. In response to the problem of policy loan disintermediation, a number of remedies have been proposed to reduce the outflow of funds. Wood and Rottman (1970) examine the use of variable loan rates, and Kraegel and Reiskytl (1977) and Larsen (1981) discuss the use of adjusted dividends to borrowing policyowners. In an effort to mitigate disintermediation, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners adopted the Model Policy Loan Interest Rate Bill in 1980. A version of this bill is now law in all states. According to the Model Bill, insurers may not set interest rates on policy loans in excess of Moody's Composite Yield on seasoned corporate bonds two months prior to the interest rate determination date. As interest rates decline, insurers must reduce the loan interest rate accordingly (see Black and Skipper, 1987, p. 140). Thus, since the early 1980s, a growing percentage of policy loan interest rates has been sensitive to market conditions. Of course, the shift to variable loan rates was not immediate; typically only new policies contained the variable rate provision. However, insurers offered inducements to fixed loan rate policyowners to switch to variable rate policies. The inducements generally took the form of increased projected dividends or dividend scales dependent upon loan utilization. In the early 1980s, insurers began to offer enhanced dividends to policyowners in exchange for higher policy loan rates or variable loan rates. New fixed loan rates were often raised to 8 percent (see Black and Skipper, 1987). It is likely that the introduction of interest-sensitive policy loan rates has altered the demand structure for policy loans in the last decade. Other factors may be responsible for a shift in the demand structure for policy loans. The volatility of interest rates might affect demand for policy loans because the flexible nature of policy loan repayment enables policyowners to repay loans without incurring the prepayment penalties often associated with other types of loans. The deregulation of financial markets, which allows greater access to money market returns, also may have led to a shift in the demand for policy loans. The introduction of nontraditional policies, such as universal life and variable life, that are said to be less loan tolerant, may have had an impact on the demand for policy loans. …

Seedling transplants produced for early fall and spring establishment of commercial vegetable crops in the Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley rapidly develop excessive shoot growth if field plantings are delayed. Therefore, several varieties of pepper, watermelon, muskmelon, and tomato transplants were treated at the 2-3 leaf stage by foliar spray with 0, 4, 8, or 12 ppm of the triazole growth retardant, uniconazole. The seedlings were field transplanted 3 weeks later. Total heights taken at the time of transplanting indicated significant varietal differences in responses to the treatments. After 60 days in the field, one of the 5 pepper varieties continued to express retarded growth. However, the uniconazole treatment stimulated early fruiting in 2 of the varieties. Tomato seedlings appeared to overcome the stunting within the first 60 days after transplanting while muskmelon and watermelon remained slightly dwarfed. Additional data on total growth and yield in response to the growth retarding treatments will be presented for each of the vegetable varieties.

Forty families that have had more than one sibling with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia have been identified. The 85 children among the 40 families describe a subset of congenital diaphragmatic hernia displaying an autosomal recessive inheritance mode. The chance of a diaphragmatic hernia among siblings within this subset is 25%.

SUMMARY Based on vehicle constraints and known human operator characteristics, a strategy model was postulated for describing behavior in the lane keeping task. This model includes nonlinear thresholds operating on vehicle yaw and lateral translation, random input sources to account for spurious driver activity, and smoothing to account for driver response lag. The output of the model is steering wheel position To determine model parameters and model suitability in describing driver behavior, recordings were made for driver-subjects performing a lane-keeping task in a moving base driving simulator having a computer generated display. A procedure involving both analytic and experimental techniques was then developed for determining the model parameters of each driver Statistical comparisons and visual inspections made between driver-vehicle and model-vehicle time histories indicate a high degree of correspondence. Models such as these show promise in obtaining a better understanding of driver behavior and ...

The present study investigated the effects of a potent inhibitor of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), BW813U, on the choice accuracy of rats in the radial arm maze. BW813U (100 mg/kg, IP) produced a rapid (within 1 hour) and substantial decrease in ChAT activity throughout the brain, ranging from 66% (hippocampus) to 80% (caudate nucleus) that lasted up to 5 days. A single injection (50 mg/kg, IP) into rats with lesions (using ibotenic acid) in the nucleus basalis magnocellularis and medial septal area, decreased ChAT activity by 75% and 60% in the cortex and hippocampus, respectively. Lesioned and unlesioned rats were trained on the radial arm maze until they reached a criterion level of performance. Each rat then received an injection of BW813U (50 or 100 mg/kg, IP). Choice accuracy was not impaired at any time following the injection. The lack of effect on performance may be due to 2 possible factors: The radial maze retention paradigm chosen may not be sufficiently difficult, or the decrease in acetylcholine production was not sufficient to affect behavior. Compensation by non-cholinergic neural systems might account for the insensitivity of the rats to significant cholinergic depletion.

In the absence of cirrhosis, most children with portal hypertension and bleeding esophageal varices have extrahepatic portal vein occlusion. In the past 2 yr this clinical picture has been mimicked by two children with hepatoportal sclerosis causing their variceal hemorrhage. Hepatoportal sclerosis has been well described in adults. It is manifested by splenomegaly, portal hypertension, and variable ascites and hepatomegaly. Liver histology is initially normal but subsequently shows periportal fibrosis without cirrhosis. Hepatic manometrics indicate a presinusoidal block, but angiography demonstrates a patient portal vein. Typically there is abrupt narrowing of the intrahepatic portal branches, giving a "withered tree" appearance. These findings are illustrated by two children who presented with esophageal variceal bleeding at 21 and 20 mo of age, respectively. They are the youngest reported cases of hepatoportal sclerosis. The etiology of hepatoportal sclerosis is uncertain, but the disease appears to be only slowly progressive. Control of variceal bleeding by central portosystemic shunts in this condition is associated with a 50% incidence of hepatic encephalopathy. Therefore alternate methods of therapy need be considered. Endoscopic injection sclerotherapy successfully controlled variceal bleeding in one child reported here. Hepatoportal sclerosis is a distinct entity and must be considered in the differential diagnosis of portal hypertension in infants and children.

Pediatric gastroesophageal reflux is common and its complications may be serious. The diagnosis is being suspected and confirmed with increasing frequency in children because of heightened awareness of the symptoms peculiar to pediatric patients. Thirty-one children who underwent Nissen fundoplication for gastroesophageal reflux are reviewed. Diagnosis was obtained by barium meal, isotope scanning, esophagoscopy and pH monitoring. Failure to thrive, recurrent pneumonia, apnea, feeding difficulty and esophageal stricture unresponsive to medical management were the indications for operation. Children with brain damage or previous repair of esophageal atresia are at high risk for gastroesophageal reflux and its complications. A protective fundoplication is a desirable adjunct to feeding gastrostomy in brain-damaged children. Fundoplication eliminated reflux in 30 of 31 patients, relieved symptoms in 28 and improved symptoms in 2. Nissen fundoplication is a safe and effective surgical procedure for correction of gastroesophageal reflux in children.

In the analysis of Depentanizer Overhead and Isoprene Feed streams within Ethylene Plants cracking naphtha and gas oil, one faces the necessity of analyzing a complex mixture of paraffins, olefins, diolefins, cycloparaffins, cycloolefins, and cyclodiolefins, all within the same carbon grouping (C5) as well as the C4 and C5 acetylenes. To analyze such a complex mixture with its narrow boiling range generally has required several columns and/or separation of the sample into homologous groups by other analytical means prior to chromatographing. This paper describes an improved column which separates twenty-two of the C5 and acetylene components normally found in the above noted streams. Three additional C5 diolefins are eluted in combination with other C5's.

The prevalence of past infection with hepatitis B virus in health care personnel was investigated by questionnaire and by a serological survey of personnel in a representative selection of Victorian hospitals and institutions. According to the available data, hepatitis B does not appear to have been a major infection problem among health care personnel in Victoria. The only occupational group that clearly is at an increased risk of acquiring the infection is the dental profession. Nursing staff members in institutions for the mentally retarded may also be at a higher risk. The findings of this investigation were used as a basis to frame recommendations for the vaccination of health care workers in Victoria against hepatitis B.

This paper was written with the primary objectives of expanding the amount of relative molar response (RMR) data within the olefinic hydrocarbons, as well as sustaining our earlier proposals that in the aliphatic and cyclic hydrocarbons, there exists an approximately sixteen RMR unit difference between components within a homologous series. Further, this paper notes various errors made in obtaining RMR which, when corrected, make it possible to reproduce RMR within less than one unit. The experimental error is also presented for the volume-to-volume method in obtaining RMR data over a lengthy period of time and several detectors.

Concern for the biological and ecological effects of heated water has resulted in legal actions that will prevent power companies from dumping the waste heat from the majority of their new generating units into rivers and lakes. Many nuclear- and fossil-fueled plants now under construction, and even some now online, are being required to change from once-through cooling systems to other methods, such as wet cooling towers, cooling ponds, and spray canals, despite higher costs and lower thermal efficiencies. Yet, these alternate cooling procedures are not without their own environmental problems. The primary weather change due to once-through cooling on a large water body is a small local increase in fogginess at the plant outfall. But the relative probability of significant local meteorological effects is much higher with alternate cooling procedures, since these reduce the area of heat and moisture transfer. It is therefore concluded that, from a meteorological point of view, the least undesirable way to...

This paper presents techniques for determining the mean plume rise of a given stack primarily for design purposes. Equations presented are not intended to provide a means for forecasting day-to-day variations in plume rise for a given stack. The investigation is based on plume rise data obtained from stacks ranging in size from the relatively small (such as the Argonne Meteorology Stack) to very large (such as those of the Tennessee Valley Authority). Measurements for England and Germany are also included. Plume rises range over three orders of magnitude and heat emission rates over four. Making use of stack parameters (effluent velocity [Vs], stack diameter [d], heat emission rate [Qt,]) and meteorological factors (wind speed [U] and atmospheric stability), an empirical formula was derived for predicting plume rise (Ah) by regression techniques. Work performed under the auspices of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission.

BECAUSE of the shock of the wars which for the past year have been spreading over sections of Europe and the Orient, any analysis of Latin American trade characteristics is subject to those unknown factors which result from the artificially produced economic happenings arising from armed struggles on a large scale. Previous to the autumn of 1939 it would have been possible to comment convincingly on existing conditions and probable trends. United States exports to Latin America in the six-months period September 1939 to February 1940 were 54 per cent greater than in the same period a year previous, and imports from Latin America were 32 per cent greater, according to the latest available official figures. The United States exports to all countries increased only 33 per cent and imports 27 per cent for the six-months period ended February 1940. It is doubtful that the recent rate of increase in exports to Latin America can long be maintained, unless Latin America obtains more adequate means of paying for United States purchases than it now possesses. Here, then, we have the first marked characteristic of the current Latin American foreign trade problem-the lack of dollar exchange. Since the greater part of the foreign trade of the southern republics must become inter-American commerce to an ever increasing extent, at least for the duration of the existing wars and probably for some time after peace has been restored, the most pressing question concerning the foreign trade of the South and Central American countries has to do with the creation of new purchasing power. How can this best be accomplished? The answer

(1959). The Connecticut and Cornell Randombred Populations of Chickens. World's Poultry Science Journal: Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 139-159.

The ground level concentration of pollutants downwind of a tall chimney decreases as the effective height of the stack increases. The effective height of the stack is the actual height plus the rise of the plume center-line due to momentum and buoyancy of the effluent. Over twenty formulas to predict plume rise from stack and meteorological parameters have been proposed; none is uniformly accepted. In this paper, 711 plume rise observations were used to test the ability of fifteen of the published and commonly used formulas to predict plume rise. The plume rise data were obtained from single stacks whose heat emission rate varied over four orders of magnitude. None of the formulas tested was found to be significantly better than the others. Research was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

The soil and air temperature data collected by the Meteorology Group at the Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, have been subjected to a series of Fourier analyses. The resulting coefficients give an objective measure of the phase and amplitude variations with depth of the annual and diurnal soil temperatures cycles. In addition, the pattern of variation with depth gives information about the heat-transfer processes operating in the soil.

Background Cachexia involves unintentional body weight loss including diminished muscle and adipose tissue mass and is associated with an underlying disease. Systemic overexpression of IL-6 accelerates cachexia in the ApcMin/+ mouse, but does not induce wasting in control C57BL/6 mice. With many chronic diseases, chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction can be improved with moderate exercise. A direct effect of regular moderate exercise on the prevention of IL-6-induced cachexia in the ApcMin/+ mouse has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of exercise on the development of cachexia in the ApcMin/+ mouse. Methods Mice were randomly assigned to moderate treadmill exercise (18 m/min, 1 h, 6 days/week, 5% grade) or cage control (CC) groups from 6 to 14 weeks of age. At 12 weeks of age, mice were electroporated with either IL-6-containing or control plasmid into the quadriceps muscle. Mice were killed after 2 weeks of systemic IL-6 overexpression or control treatment. Results IL-6 overexpression induced an 8% loss in body weight in CC mice, which was significantly attenuated by exercise. IL-6 overexpression in CC mice increased fasting insulin and triglyceride levels, which were normalized by exercise, and associated with increased oxidative capacity, an induction of AKT signaling, and a repression of AMPK signaling in muscle. These exercise-induced changes occurred despite elevated inflammatory signaling in skeletal muscle. Conclusion We conclude that moderate-intensity exercise can attenuate IL-6-dependent cachexia in ApcMin/+ mice, independent of changes in IL-6 concentration and muscle inflammatory signaling. The exercise effect was associated with improved insulin sensitivity and improved energy status in the muscle.

Background: The ApcMin/+ mouse, an animal model of colorectal cancer and cachexia, has a heterologous mutation in the Apc tumor suppressor gene, predisposing the mouse to intestinal and colon tumor development. This mouse develops intestinal polyps by ~ 4 weeks of age, and loses body weight gradually between ~ 14 and ~ 20 weeks of age. The strengths of this cachexia model derive from several features that mimic human cancer, including a gradual increase in tumor burden, chronic inflammation, and anemia. Little is known about the role of gut barrier dysfunction and endotoxemia in the development of cancer cachexia. We sought to determine how gut permeability and resultant endotoxemia change with the progression of cachexia. Methods: Intestinal gut barrier integrity was assessed by permeability to FITC-dextran (MWav = 4000 kDa; FD4). Plasma glucose and triglycerides were measured by enzymatic assays, IL-6 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and endotoxin by the limulus amoebocyte assay. Body temperature was measured using a rectal probe. Results: Progression of cachexia was accompanied by development of gut barrier dysfunction (permeability to FD4), hypertrophy of mesenteric lymph nodes, and an increase in plasma endotoxin concentration. Changes in blood glucose and glucose tolerance, plasma IL-6, triglycerides, and body temperature were characteristic of endotoxemia. Conclusion: We propose a role for gut barrier dysfunction (GBD) and subsequent endotoxemia in the development of inflammation and progression of cachexia in the ApcMin/+ mouse.

Extended (18 to 24 hour) esophageal pH monitoring establishes the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) utilizing a pH score, and relates respiratory symptoms to GER when the mean duration of sleep reflux (ZMD) is prolonged. A disadvantage of this method is the expense of overnight hospitalization. We performed extended esophageal pH recordings in 66 consecutive children (1 week to 15 years old) being evaluated for GER. Six portions of the 18-to 24-hour esophageal pH recording were compared to the complete record in an attempt to define the relative accuracy of abbreviated monitoring periods. The abbreviated monitoring periods included the 30 minutes after apple juice feedings (30 minutes AJ), the 2 hours after apple juice feedings (2 hours PC AJ), the 2 hours after milk-formula feedings (2 hours PC MF), the 8 hours with two feedings of apple juice (8 hours AJ), the 8 hours with two feedings of milk formula (8 hours MF), and the first 12 hours of recording (1 st 12 hours). The accuracy relative to the 18-to 24-hour recording was poor for 30 minutes AJ, 2 hours PC AJ, and 2 hours PC MF periods (30% to 58%). An improved accuracy occurred during 8-hour AJ periods (29/31, 94%) in children without respiratory symptoms. Although the accuracy in patients with respiratory symptoms was best during 8-hour MF (31/35, 89%) and 1st 12-hour (33/35, 94%) periods, a high false-negative rate for the ZMD (31% to 41%) during abbreviated pH monitoring indicates that many patients with reflux-induced respiratory symptoms will be unrecognized. In conclusion, symptomatic reflux can be confirmed in children using esophageal pH monitoring for as little as 8 hours, but for identifying reflux-induced respiratory symptoms at least 18 hours of esophageal pH monitoring is recommended.

Successful surgical correction of gastroesophageal reflux has prompted frequent and early referral of children for antireflux surgery. This report describes the results and defines the complications in a series of children treated surgically for gastroesophageal reflux. Methods are suggested to reduce the occurrence of these postoperative complications. In five years (1977-1981), 117 children, 3 weeks to 16 years old, were operated on for gastroesophageal reflux at The Oklahoma Childrens Memorial Hospital. Nissen fundoplication was performed on 111 of them. Patients have been followed for 3 months to five years. At most recent examination, clinical success (remission of symptoms) has been accomplished in 81 of 92 patients (90%). In 86 patients evaluated radiographically, gastroesophageal reflux was absent in 83 and persistent in 3. There were no operative deaths. Twenty-three major complications occurred in 21 patients, 13 of whom required reoperation. These major complications were paraesophageal hiatal hernia (ten patients), small bowel obstruction (eight patients), and wrap malalignment (5 patients). Observations of and reoperation on these children suggests the following necessary steps for avoidance of complications in children: (1) Nissen fundoplication in childhood should be accompanied by an accurate multi-suture crural repair and by suture fixation of the fundal wrap to the crura and to the abdominal surface of the diaphragm; (2) appropriate alignment of the fundal wrap and of the crural repair is best accomplished with a large indwelling esophageal bougie of sufficient size to efface and blanche the esophageal musculature; and (3) appropriate care in avoiding small bowel obstruction mandates meticulous avoidance of trauma to the liver capsule and small bowel serosa.

As reported in 1974, the initial experience at the Oklahoma Children's Memorial Hospital with the Kasai procedure for biliary atresia was unsatisfactory. A subsequent series of 20 patients, in which 50% of the patients are alive and improved and 25% jaundice-free, is described. Modifications of the initial operative technique have been utilized. Postoperative complications in the ten children with sustained bile flow included cholangitis in five, hyponatremia in four, esophageal variceal hemorrhage in two, stomal bleeding in two, and gallbladder conduit malfunction in two patients. The improved outcome is attributed to earlier diagnosis and correction, attention to operative details, intensive postoperative nutritional support, and prompt recognition and management of complications.

Differential use of media for providing AIDS information and attitudes toward AIDS were assessed in a geographically stratified proportional sample of 2,601 adults in all states and territories in Australia. Data indicated that exposure to media information, regardless of type, was associated with lower levels of fear of homosexual persons and less fear of death, as well as lower levels of social conservatism. Those who obtained AIDS information from health care workers were found to have fewer unrealistic concerns. Individuals who were more homosexual in expressed sexual identity and those with other at-risk behaviors tended to get information more frequently from friends and pamphlets or posters, and those in higher occupational levels and those with high levels of personal and social concerns about AIDS tended to get their information from friends and health care workers. Electronic media were not utilized more frequently by those with at-risk behaviors. These results suggest that greater emphasis should be placed on more informal sources of information for those most at risk of HIV infection, and that the public media convey little advantage in providing information to such target groups.

A technique has been developed to determine the exact time a high speed projectile contacts a target to initiate an impact event. A high speed photograph is taken of the projectile just prior to impact. The time the photograph is taken is used in conjunction with the known projectile velocity and the projectile-target distance as measured from the photograph to determine initial contact time. The system is assured of being accurate within its time resolution when it operates correctly. Comparisons between this unit and more conventional impact sensors that use switch closures or impact flashes to sense impacts were made. Results indicate that the conventional sensors can be triggered improperly by finely divided debris slightly preceding the high speed projectiles.

The frequency distributions of the position, maximum shear, and velocity of the jet stream over the western Pacific at 700 mb are studied. These factors are correlated with the Hawaiian rainfall. The rainfall increases with the latitude of the jet. It also increases with the amount of the anticyclonic shear south of the westerlies and decreases as the speed of the jet increases.