An Approximate Model for Total Amount of Non-life Insurance Claims using Generalized Gamma Distribution and H-Function

This article proposes an analytical method to approximate the probability density function (PDF) and the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the total amount of non-life claims to be paid by the insurer over a financial period considered. The individual claims amounts are independent positive random variables following the generalized gamma distribution (GGD) and distributed in a non-identical manner. The analytical approach suggested relies on the Fox H-function. The Fox H-function has various applications available in the literature. The method developed has demonstrated its performance both in respect of the result obtained (in comparison to the Monte-Carlo method) and in respect of simplicity (easily accessible for the most common claims amount distributions). The resulting PDF expression can be directly used to estimate the technical benefit, total cost, and ruin probability of the non-life insurance company

Wireless networks physical layer security : modeling and performance characterization

Intrigued by the rapid growth and expand of wireless devices, data security is increasingly playing a significant role in our daily transactions and interactions with different entities. Possible examples, including e-healthcare information and online shopping, are becoming vulnerable due to the intrinsic nature of wireless transmission medium and the widespread open access of wireless links. Traditionally, the communication security is mainly regarded as the tasks at the upper layers of layered protocol stack, security techniques, including personal access control, password protection, and end-to-end encryption, have been widely studied in the open literature. More recently, plenty of research interests have been drawn to the physical layer forms of secrecy. As a new but appealing paradigm at physical layer, physical layer security is based on two pioneering works: (i) Shannon’s information-theoretic formulation and (ii) Wyner’s wiretap formulation. On account of the fundamental of physical layer security and the different nature of various wireless network, this dissertation is supposed to further fill the lacking of the existing research outcomes. To be specific, the contributions of this dissertation can be summarized as three-fold:(i) exploration of secrecy metrics to more general fading channels; (ii) characterization a new fading channel model and its reliability and security analysis in digital communication systems; and (iii) investigation of physical layer security over the random multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) α −μ fading channels. Taking into account the classic Alice-Bob-Eve wiretap model, the first contribution can be divided into four aspects: (i) we have investigated the secrecy performance over single-input single-output (SISO) α −μ fading channels. The probability of non-zero (PNZ) secrecy capacity and the lower bound of secrecy outage probability (SOP) are derived for the special case when the main channel and wiretap channel undergo the same non-linearity fading parameter, i.e., α. Later on, for the purpose of filling the gap of lacking closed-form expression of SOP in the open literature and extending the obtained results in chapter 2 to the single-input multiple-output (SIMO) α − μ wiretap fading channels, utilizing the fact that the received signal-tonoise ratios (SNRs) at the legitimate receiver and eavesdropper can be approximated as new α −μ distributed random variables (RVs), the SOP metric is therefore derived, and given in terms of the bivariate Fox’s H-function; (ii) the secrecy performance over the Fisher-Snedecor F wiretap fading channels is initially considered. The SOP, PNZ, and ASC are finalized in terms of Meijer’s G-function; (iii) in order to generalize the obtained results over α −μ and Fisher-Snedecor F wiretap fading channels, a more flexible and general fading channel, i.e., Fox’s H-function fading model, are taken into consideration. Both the exact and asymptotic analysis of SOP, PNZ, and average secrecy capacity (ASC), are developed with closed-form expressions; and (iv) finally, motivated by the fact that the mixture gamma (MG) distribution is an appealing tool, which can be used to model the received instantaneous SNRs over wireless fading channels, the secrecy metrics over wiretap fading channels are derived based on the MG approach. Due to the limited transmission power and communication range, cooperative relays or multi-hop wireless networks are usually regarded as two promising means to address these concerns. Inspired by the obtained results in Chapters 2 and 3, the second main contribution is to propose a novel but simple fading channel model, namely, the cascaded α −μ. This new distribution is advantageous since it encompasses the existing cascaded Rayleigh, cascaded Nakagami-m, and cascaded Weibull with ease. Based on this, both the reliability and secrecy performance of a digital system over cascaded α −μ fading channels are further evaluated. Closed-form expressions of reliability metrics (including amount of fading (AF), outage probability, average channel capacity, and average symbol error probability (ABEP).) and secrecy metrics (including SOP, PNZ, and ASC) are respectively provided. Besides, their asymptotic behaviors are also performed and compared with the exact results. Considering the impacts of users’ densities, spatial distribution, and the path-loss exponent on secrecy issue, the third aspect of this thesis is detailed in Chapter 8 as the secrecy investigation of stochastic MIMO system over α −μ wiretap fading channels. Both the stochastic geometry and conventional space-time transmission (STT) scheme are used in the system configuration. The secrecy issue is mathematically evaluated by three metrics, i.e., connection outage, the probability of non-zero secrecy capacity and the ergodic secrecy capacity. Those three metrics are later on derived regarding two ordering scheme, and further compared with Monte-Carlo simulations

Graduate Students\u27 Perceptions of Formative Faculty Characteristics: A Look At What Facilitates Integrative Development in a Christian Psychology Program

Little has been done to assess how students learn integration except by grading them on how well they memorize and echo back their professors\u27 views. The present study sought to ask students what they find helpful from professors, rather than presuming that faculty already know what is best. Following the research protocol of Sorenson (1995), the present study measured graduate students\u27 perceptions of what faculty characteristics are helpful in their integrative pursuit at George Fox College\u27s Graduate School of Clinical Psychology. This research sought to (a) determine if students at George Fox College employ particular latent dimensions for evaluating faculty on integration, (b) identify faculty characteristics students at George Fox perceive as formative for integrative development, and (c) replicate Sorenson\u27s (1995) findings from Rosemead School of Psychology with George Fox College to see if any results are generalizable across these different populations. Forty-eight clinical psychology doctoral students rated the perceived similarity of all faculty. Students\u27 card sorts of faculty members were analyzed using multidimensional scaling to measure students\u27 perceptions of similarities and dissimilarities of faculty members. Three dimensions were identified using multidimensional scaling. The resulting dimensions were correlated with a pooled dependent variable on how helpful and exemplary in integration various faculty members were for students-from the students\u27 point of view. The dimensions were interpreted via canonical correlation with criterion variables. Results suggest that graduate students at George Fox College do tacitly evaluate faculty along two latent dimensions in ways that relate to integration ( sense of humor and personal spirituality ), and that these dimensions are similar to those from Rosemead School of Psychology. Implications of these findings are that (a) integrative programs select faculty with relationship and mentoring skills, (b) members of faculty give evidence of a personal relationship with God, and ( c) faculty development encourage personal spiritual growth and foster personal contact

Fish population dynamics in tropical waters: a manual for use with programmable calculators

Stock assessment, Population dynamics, Multispecies fisheries, Tropics, Computer programmes, Manuals

Consequences and moderators of industrial relations stressors

The aim of the present thesis was to develop and test a process model of the consequences and moderators of industrial relations stressors. A review of the literature revealed that conflict and change represent central dimensions of both industrial relations and stress theory. Furthermore, the practice of industrial relations is inherently stressful: Forming a labour-management relationship, joint decision-making, implementing industrial relations decisions and breakdowns in the labour-management relationship are all potentially stressful activities for members of management and labour alike. However, despite the strong theoretical and practical association between industrial relations and stress, no attempt has been made to conduct a comprehensive x vpirical investigation of the stress associated with the practice of industrial relations. Accordingly, in the present thesis, the stress associated with a wide range of industrial relations events was examined. Before investigating the industrial relations stress process, it was necessary to develop an appropriate instrument to measure the stress associated with industrial relations practice. Thus the initial study was aimed at developing the Industrial Relations Event Scale. This was done using the life events approach, a well-documented means of measuring stress. Within the life events paradigm, Sarason's approach has been well-received as it overcomes many of the criticisms levelled against earlier life event scales. Consequently, Sarason's format was adopted for the development of the Industrial Relations Event Scale. The 63-item Industrial Relations Event Scale contains three subscales, the occurrence, negative and positive scales. The occurrence scale assesses retrospectively the number of industrial relations events that have occurred over a 12-month period, As such, the occurrence score provides an index of objective stressors. Subjective measures of stress are provided by the positive and negative subscales of the Industrial Relation

The effects of customised food advergames on children’s affective, cognitive, and conative responses

The practice of promoting food to children via advergames is a highly topical issue which attracts much concern due to the low nutritional value of the promoted foods. This thesis examines the effects of customised food advergames on children’s affective, cognitive and conative responses. It also investigates the role persuasion knowledge and prior brand usage have in children’s interaction with advergames. In particular, whether children’s persuasion knowledge acts as a barrier to those responses. This research is situated within the domains of marketing communications, consumer behaviour and consumer socialisation. It adopts an affect transfer theory, the Dual Mediation Hypothesis (DMH), to explain the transfer of affect from an advergame to children’s responses. Three versions of the same advergame were designed for the purpose of this thesis with different levels of customisation (i.e. control, low and high experimental conditions). An experiment among younger (5-7 year olds) and older (11¬12 year olds) children reveals that customisation in advergames has a detrimental effect on children’s affective, cognitive and conative responses. It was the control condition, without customisation options, that rendered a positive impact on brand attitudes and preferences relative to the other two experimental conditions. Persuasion knowledge does not influence children’s affective, cognitive or conative responses. This implies that children’s understanding of the persuasive intent of an advergame does not act as a barrier against its effects. Age had a significant role on children’s attitudes towards the advergame, but not on their other responses to it. Finally, prior brand usage has a positive impact on children’s responses apart from on advergame attitudes. This thesis has implications to policy and practice. It is evident that children from two distinct age and cognitive developmental groups cannot protect themselves from advergames’ effects. Therefore, regulators should broaden the scope of concern to older and younger children alike