Deterministic shock vs. stochastic value-at-risk — an analysis of the Solvency II standard model approach to longevity risk

In general, the capital requirement under Solvency II is determined as the 99.5% Value-at-Risk of the Available Capital. In the standard model’s longevity risk module, this Value-at-Risk is approximated by the change in Net Asset Value due to a pre-specified longevity shock which assumes a 25% reduction of mortality rates for all ages. We analyze the adequacy of this shock by comparing the resulting capital requirement to the Value-at-Risk based on a stochastic mortality model. This comparison reveals structural shortcomings of the 25% shock and therefore, we propose a modified longevity shock for the Solvency II standard model. We also discuss the properties of different Risk Margin approximations and find that they can yield significantly different values. Moreover, we explain how the Risk Margin may relate to market prices for longevity risk and, based on this relation, we comment on the calibration of the cost of capital rate and make inferences on prices for longevity derivatives.     

Pointwise Estimates for Laplace Equation. Applications to the Free Boundary of the Obstacle Problem with Dini Coefficients

In this paper we are interested in pointwise regularity of solutions to elliptic equations. In a first result, we prove that if the modulus of mean oscillation of Δu at the origin is Dini (in L ^p average), then the origin is a Lebesgue point of continuity (still in L ^p average) for the second derivatives D ² u. We extend this pointwise regularity result to the obstacle problem for the Laplace equation with Dini right hand side at the origin. Under these assumptions, we prove that the solution to the obstacle problem has a Taylor expansion up to the order 2 (in the L ^p average). Moreover we get a quantitative estimate of the error in this Taylor expansion for regular points of the free boundary. In the case where the right hand side is moreover double Dini at the origin, we also get a quantitative estimate of the error for singular points of the free boundary. Our method of proof is based on some decay estimates obtained by contradiction, using blow-up arguments and Liouville Theorems. In the case of singular points, our method uses moreover a refined monotonicity formula.      

How to get the timing right. A computational model of the effects of the timing of contacts on team cohesion in demographically diverse teams

Lau and Murnighan’s faultline theory explains negative effects of demographic diversity on team performance as consequence of strong demographic faultlines. If demographic differences between group members are correlated across various dimensions, the team is likely to show a “subgroup split” that inhibits communication and effective collaboration between team members. Our paper proposes a rigorous formal and computational reconstruction of the theory. Our model integrates four elementary mechanisms of social interaction, homophily, heterophobia, social influence and rejection into a computational representation of the dynamics of both opinions and social relations in the team. Computational experiments demonstrate that the central claims of faultline theory are consistent with the model. We show furthermore that the model highlights a new structural condition that may give managers a handle to temper the negative effects of strong demographic faultlines. We call this condition the timing of contacts. Computational analyses reveal that negative effects of strong faultlines critically depend on who is when brought in contact with whom in the process of social interactions in the team. More specifically, we demonstrate that faultlines have hardly negative effects when teams are initially split into demographically homogeneous subteams that are merged only when a local consensus has developed.     

Strong Normalizability of Typed Lambda-Calculi for Substructural Logics

The strong normalization theorem is uniformly proved for typed λ-calculi for a wide range of substructural logics with or without strong negation. We would like to thank the referees for their valuable comments and suggestions. This research was supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The second author is grateful to the Foundation for providing excellent working conditions and generous support of this research. This work was also supported by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) 20700015, 2008.     

The Maximum Principle for Optimal Control Problems with State Constraints by R.V. Gamkrelidze: Revisited

A maximum principle in the form given by R.V. Gamkrelidze is obtained, although without a priori regularity assumptions to be satisfied by the optimal trajectory. After its formulation and proof, we propose various regularity concepts that guarantee, in one sense or another, the nondegeneracy of the maximum principle. Finally, we show how the already known first-order necessary conditions can be deduced from the proposed theorem.     

Hirota's method and the search for integrable partial difference equations. 1. Equations on a 3 × 3 stencil

Hirota's bilinear method (‘direct method’) has been very effective for constructing soliton solutions to many integrable equations. The construction of one-soliton solution (1SS) and two-soliton solution (2SS) is possible even for non-integrable bilinear equations, but the existence of a generic three-soliton solution (3SS) imposes severe constraints and is in fact equivalent to integrability. This property has been used before in searching for integrable partial differential equations, and in this paper we apply it to two-dimensional (2D) partial difference equations defined on a 3 × 3 stencil. We also discuss how the obtained equations are related to projections and limits of the 3D master equations of Hirota and Miwa, and find that sometimes a singular limit is needed.     

The evaluation of Tornheim double sums. Part 2

We provide an explicit formula for the Tornheim double series T(a,0,c) in terms of an integral involving the Hurwitz zeta function. For integer values of the parameters, a=m, c=n, we show that in the most interesting case of even weight N:=m+n the Tornheim sum T(m,0,n) can be expressed in terms of zeta values and the family of integrals

Regularity and Variationality of Solutions to Hamilton—Jacobi Equations. Part II: Variationality,Existence, Uniqueness

We formulate an Hamilton–Jacobi partial differential equation

The Schur–Potapov Algorithm for Sequences of Complex p × q Matrices. I

The main theme of this paper is to characterize distinguished subclasses of the matricial Schur class in terms of Taylor coefficients. Starting point of our investigations is the observation that the Taylor coefficient sequences of functions from are exactly the infinite p  ×  q Schur sequences. We draw our attention mainly to the subclass of which consists of all p ×  q Schur functions for which the corresponding Taylor coefficient sequences are nondegenerate p  ×  q Schur sequences. Using an appropriate adaptation of the Schur–Potapov algorithm for functions belonging to to infinite sequences of complex p  ×  q matrices we obtain an one-to-one correspondence between infinite nondegenerate p  ×  q Schur sequences and the set of all infinite sequences (E_j)_j=0^∞ of strictly contractive complex p  ×  q matrices. Taking into account the construction of this gives us an one-to-one correspondence between and the set of all infinite sequences (E_j)_j=0^∞ of strictly contractive complex p  ×  q matrices. Hereby, (E_j)_{j =0}^∞ is called the sequence of Schur–Potapov parameters (shortly SP-parameters) of f. Communicated by Daniel Alpay. Submitted: August 17, 2006; Accepted: September 13, 2006     

Magnetically-Induced Buckling of a Whirling Conducting Rod with Applications to Electrodynamic Space Tethers

We study the effect of a magnetic field on the behaviour of a slender conducting elastic structure, motivated by stability problems of electrodynamic space tethers. Both static (buckling) and dynamic (whirling) instability are considered and we also compute post-buckling configurations. The equations used are the geometrically exact Kirchhoff equations. Magnetic buckling of a welded rod is found to be described by a surprisingly degenerate bifurcation, which is unfolded when both transverse anisotropy of the rod and angular velocity are considered. By solving the linearised equations about the (quasi-) stationary solutions, we find various secondary instabilities. Our results are relevant for current designs of electrodynamic space tethers and potentially for future applications in nano- and molecular wires.     

Combinatorial Integer Labeling Theorems on Finite Sets with Applications

Tucker’s well-known combinatorial lemma states that, for any given symmetric triangulation of the n-dimensional unit cube and for any integer labeling that assigns to each vertex of the triangulation a label from the set {±1,±2,…,±n} with the property that antipodal vertices on the boundary of the cube are assigned opposite labels, the triangulation admits a 1-dimensional simplex whose two vertices have opposite labels. In this paper, we are concerned with an arbitrary finite set D of integral vectors in the n-dimensional Euclidean space and an integer labeling that assigns to each element of D a label from the set {±1,±2,…,±n}. Using a constructive approach, we prove two combinatorial theorems of Tucker type. The theorems state that, under some mild conditions, there exists two integral vectors in D having opposite labels and being cell-connected in the sense that both belong to the set {0,1} ⁿ +q for some integral vector q. These theorems are used to show in a constructive way the existence of an integral solution to a system of nonlinear equations under certain natural conditions. An economic application is provided.     

Individual behavior and macro social properties. An agent-based model

The paper aims at presenting an agent-based modeling exercise to illustrate how small differences in the cognitive properties of agents can generate very different macro social properties. We argue that it is not necessary to assume highly complicated cognitive architectures to introduce cognitive properties that matter for computational social science purposes. Our model is based on different simulation settings characterized by a gradual sophistication of behavior of agents, from simple heuristics to macro-micro feedback and other second-order properties. Agents are localized in a spatial interaction context. They have an individual task but are influenced by a collective coordination problem. The simulation results show that agents can generate efficiency at a macro level particularly when socio-cognitive sophistication of their behavior increases.

Inexact Josephy–Newton framework for generalized equations and its applications to local analysis of Newtonian methods for constrained optimization

We propose and analyze a perturbed version of the classical Josephy–Newton method for solving generalized equations. This perturbed framework is convenient to treat in a unified way standard sequential quadratic programming, its stabilized version, sequential quadratically constrained quadratic programming, and linearly constrained Lagrangian methods. For the linearly constrained Lagrangian methods, in particular, we obtain superlinear convergence under the second-order sufficient optimality condition and the strict Mangasarian–Fromovitz constraint qualification, while previous results in the literature assume (in addition to second-order sufficiency) the stronger linear independence constraint qualification as well as the strict complementarity condition. For the sequential quadratically constrained quadratic programming methods, we prove primal-dual superlinear/quadratic convergence under the same assumptions as above, which also gives a new result.     

Do we self-regulate actions or perceptions? A test of two computational models

Self-regulation theories in applied psychology disagree about whether action or perceptions are the focus of regulation. Computational models based on the two conceptualizations were constructed and simulated. In one scenario, they performed identically and in conjunction with participants in a study of the goal-level effect (Vancouver et al., Organ Res Methods 8:100–127, 2005). In another scenario they created differentiating predictions and only the computational model based on the self-regulation of perceptions matched the data of participants. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Non-Walker Self-Dual Neutral Einstein Four-Manifolds of Petrov Type III

The local structure of the manifolds named in the title is described. Although curvature homogeneous, they are not, in general, locally homogeneous. Not all of them are Ricci-flat, which answers an existence question about type III Jordan-Osserman metrics, raised by Díaz-Ramos, García-Río and Vázquez-Lorenzo (J. Geom. Anal. 16, 39–52, 2006). Work begun during the author’s visit to the University of Santiago de Compostela, supported by Grant MTM2006-01432 (Spain).     

A Mathematica package for q-holonomic sequences and power series

We describe a Mathematica package for dealing with q-holonomic sequences and power series. The package is intended as a q-analogue of the Maple package gfun and the Mathematica package GeneratingFunctions. It provides commands for addition, multiplication, and substitution of these objects, for converting between various representations (q-differential equations, q-recurrence equations, q-shift equations), for computing sequence terms and power series coefficients, and for guessing recurrence equations given initial terms of a sequence. C. Koutschan partially supported by the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF) grants SFB F1305.     

Units of ℤ(Cp × C2) and ℤ(Cp × C2 × C2)

The goal of this article is to describe a multiplicatively independent set, which generates the group of units of the integral group ring ?G, where G is either the cyclic group of order 2p or C₂ × C₂ × C_p, for a prime number p that satisfies some suitable conditions that will be specified later.     

Discrete time queueing networks with product form steady state. Availability and performance analysis in an integrated model

For a discrete time network of generalized Bernoulli servers with unreliable nodes we derive the steady state probabilities for the joint queue length vector for all nodes and the availability status of the network. This allows us to assess the performance behavior and the reliability, resp. availability, of the network in an integrated model. Because our result exhibits a product form for the steady state distribution it opens the path to fast algorithmic evaluation of the desired performance and reliability indices.     

Existence of a periodic solution for continuous and discrete periodic second-order equations with variable potentials

Green’s functions for new second-order periodic differential and difference equations with variable potentials are found, then used as kernels in integral operators to guarantee the existence of a positive periodic solution to continuous and discrete second-order periodic boundary value problems with periodic coefficient functions. A new version of the Leggett-Williams fixed point theorem is employed.     

Limit Property for Regular and Weak Generalized Convolution

We denote by ? \((\mathcal{P_{+}})\) the set of all probability measures defined on the Borel subsets of the real line (the positive half-line [0,∞)). K. Urbanik defined the generalized convolution as a commutative and associative ?₊-valued binary operation ? on ? ₊ ² which is continuous in each variable separately. This convolution is distributive with respect to convex combinations and scale changes T _a (a>0) with δ ₀ as the unit element. The key axiom of a generalized convolution is the following: there exist norming constants c _n and a measure ν other than δ ₀ such that \(T_{c_{n}}\delta_{1}^{\bullet n}\to\nu\).In Sect. 2 we discuss basic properties of the generalized convolution on ? which hold for the convolutions without the key axiom. This rather technical discussion is important for the weak generalized convolution where the key axiom is not a natural assumption. In Sect. 4 we show that if the weak generalized convolution defined by a weakly stable measure μ has this property, then μ is a factor of strictly stable distribution.