8,070 research outputs found
Are the dimensions of private information more multiple than expected? Information asymmetries in the market of supplementary private health insurance in England
Our study reexamines standard econometric approaches for the detection of information asymmetries on insurance markets. We claim that evidence based on a standard framework with 2 equations, which uses potential sources of information asymmetries, should stress the importance of heterogeneity in the parameters. We argue that conclusions derived from this methodology can be misleading if the estimated coefficients in such an `unused characteristics' framework are driven by different parts of the population.
We show formally that an individual's expected risk from the perspective of insurance, conditioned on certain characteristics (which are not used for calculating the risk premium), can equal the population's expectation in risk { although such characteristics are both related to risk and insurance probability, which is usually interpreted as an indicator of information asymmetries.
We provide empirical evidence on the existence of information asymmetries in the market for supplementary private health insurance in the UK. Overall, we found evidence for advantageous selection into the private risk pool; ie people with lower health risk tend to insure more. The main drivers of this phenomenon seem to be characteristics such as income and wealth. Nevertheless, we also found parameter heterogeneity to be relevant, leading to possible misinterpretation if the standard `unused characteristics' approach is applied
Quantum measurement of the degree of polarization of a light beam
We demonstrate a coherent quantum measurement for the determination of the
degree of polarization (DOP). This method allows to measure the DOP in the
presence of fast polarization state fluctuations, difficult to achieve with the
typically used polarimetric technique. A good precision of the DOP measurements
is obtained using 8 type II nonlinear crystals assembled for spatial walk-off
compensation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Near- to mid-infrared picosecond optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled RbTiOAsO4
We describe a Ti:sapphire-pumped picosecond optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled RbTiOAsO4 that is broadly tunable in the near to mid infrared. A 4.5-mm single-grating crystal at room temperature in combination with pump wavelength tuning provided access to a continuous-tuning range from 3.35 to 5 mu m, and a pump power threshold of 90 mW was measured. Average mid-infrared output powers in excess of 100 mW and total output powers of 400 mW in similar to 1-ps pulses were obtained at 33% extraction efficiency. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.</p
Polarized Neutron Laue Diffraction on a Crystal Containing Dynamically Polarized Proton Spins
We report on a polarized-neutron Laue diffraction experiment on a single
crystal of neodynium doped lanthanum magnesium nitrate hydrate containing
polarized proton spins. By using dynamic nuclear polarization to polarize the
proton spins, we demonstrate that the intensities of the Bragg peaks can be
enhanced or diminished significantly, whilst the incoherent background, due to
proton spin disorder, is reduced. It follows that the method offers unique
possibilities to tune continuously the contrast of the Bragg reflections and
thereby represents a new tool for increasing substantially the signal-to-noise
ratio in neutron diffraction patterns of hydrogenous matter.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Transient Slow Gamma Synchrony Underlies Hippocampal Memory Replay
SummaryThe replay of previously stored memories during hippocampal sharp wave ripples (SWRs) is thought to support both memory retrieval and consolidation in distributed hippocampal-neocortical circuits. Replay events consist of precisely timed sequences of spikes from CA3 and CA1 neurons that are coordinated both within and across hemispheres. The mechanism of this coordination is not understood. Here, we show that during SWRs in both awake and quiescent states there are transient increases in slow gamma (20-50 Hz) power and synchrony across dorsal CA3 and CA1 networks of both hemispheres. These gamma oscillations entrain CA3 and CA1 spiking. Moreover, during awake SWRs, higher levels of slow gamma synchrony are predictive of higher quality replay of past experiences. Our results indicate that CA3-CA1 gamma synchronization is a central component of awake memory replay and suggest that transient gamma synchronization serves as a clocking mechanism to enable coordinated memory reactivation across the hippocampal network
The Distribution of Redshifts in New Samples of Quasi-stellar Objects
Two new samples of QSOs have been constructed from recent surveys to test the
hypothesis that the redshift distribution of bright QSOs is periodic in
. The first of these comprises 57 different redshifts among all
known close pairs or multiple QSOs, with image separations 10\arcsec,
and the second consists of 39 QSOs selected through their X-ray emission and
their proximity to bright comparatively nearby active galaxies. The redshift
distributions of the samples are found to exhibit distinct peaks with a
periodic separation of in identical to that claimed
in earlier samples but now extended out to higher redshift peaks and 4.47, predicted by the formula but never seen before. The periodicity
is also seen in a third sample, the 78 QSOs of the 3C and 3CR catalogues. It is
present in these three datasets at an overall significance level -
, and appears not to be explicable by spectroscopic or similar
selection effects. Possible interpretations are briefly discussed.Comment: submitted for publication in the Astronomical Journal, 15 figure
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