Switching costs and adverse selection in the market for credit cards: new evidence

To explain persistence of credit card interest rates at relatively high levels, Calem and Mester (AER, 1995) argued that informational barriers create switching costs for high-balance customers. As evidence, using data from the 1989 Survey of Consumer Finances, they showed that these households were more likely to be rejected when applying for new credit. In this paper, they revisit the question using the 1998 and 2001 SCF. Further, they use new information on card interest rates to test for pricing effects consistent with information-based switching costs. The authors find that informational barriers to competition persist, although their role may have declined. ; Also issued as Payment Cards Center Discussion Paper No. 05-09Credit cards

Unified Aspect Search Algorithm

Man does the studying of systems by modelling it. Examining parameters which are describing the operation of the system is important when creating the model. The parameters required for the test are retained and the irrelevant parameters are discarded. The remainder of the model determines the aspect system of the examination. The system can be tested according to many of the disciplines. These aspect systems are not uniform. For this reason, the product of the examinations by different disciplines is difficult to compare. Placing examination on uniform basis could provide common foundation for a single modelling process. In this article an aspect search algorithm is created which is based on the philosophical topics. All disciplines can be derived from philosophy. Because of these examinations based on philosophy can be uniform. The results of the tests are comparable. The requirements for the examination can be standardized. In addition, this method makes easier to adapt the operation. For example, the operating principles of energetic, mechanical, IT and social organizations can be adapted to each other

Unified Aspect Search Algorithm

Man does the studying of systems by modelling it. Examining parameters which are describing the operation of the system is important when creating the model. The parameters required for the test are retained and the irrelevant parameters are discarded. The remainder of the model determines the aspect system of the examination. The system can be tested according to many of the disciplines. These aspect systems are not uniform. For this reason, the product of the examinations by different disciplines is difficult to compare. Placing examination on uniform basis could provide common foundation for a single modelling process. In this paper an aspect search algorithm is created which is based on the philosophical topics. All disciplines can be derived from philosophy. Because of these examinations based on philosophy can be uniform. The results of the tests are comparable. The requirements for the examination can be standardized. In addition, this method makes easier to adapt the operation. For example, the operating principles of energetic, mechanical, IT and social organizations can be adapted to each other

Two-Phase Analysis in Consensus Genetic Mapping

Numerous mapping projects conducted on different species have generated an abundance of mapping data. Consequently, many multilocus maps have been constructed using diverse mapping populations and marker sets for the same organism. The quality of maps varies broadly among populations, marker sets, and software used, necessitating efforts to integrate the mapping information and generate consensus maps. The problem of consensus genetic mapping (MCGM) is by far more challenging compared with genetic mapping based on a single dataset, which by itself is also cumbersome. The additional complications introduced by consensus analysis include inter-population differences in recombination rate and exchange distribution along chromosomes; variations in dominance of the employed markers; and use of different subsets of markers in different labs. Hence, it is necessary to handle arbitrary patterns of shared sets of markers and different level of mapping data quality. In this article, we introduce a two-phase approach for solving MCGM. In phase 1, for each dataset, multilocus ordering is performed combined with iterative jackknife resampling to evaluate the stability of marker orders. In this phase, the ordering problem is reduced to the well-known traveling salesperson problem (TSP). Namely, for each dataset, we look for order that gives minimum sum of recombination distances between adjacent markers. In phase 2, the optimal consensus order of shared markers is selected from the set of allowed orders and gives the minimal sum of total lengths of nonconflicting maps of the chromosome. This criterion may be used in different modifications to take into account the variation in quality of the original data (population size, marker quality, etc.). In the foregoing formulation, consensus mapping is considered as a specific version of TSP that can be referred to as “synchronized TSP.” The conflicts detected after phase 1 are resolved using either a heuristic algorithm over the entire chromosome or an exact/heuristic algorithm applied subsequently to the revealed small non-overlapping regions with conflicts separated by non-conflicting regions. The proposed approach was tested on a wide range of simulated data and real datasets from maize

Hydrostatic pressure does not cause detectable changes to survival of human retinal ganglion

Purpose: Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major risk factor for glaucoma. One consequence of raised IOP is that ocular tissues are subjected to increased hydrostatic pressure (HP). The effect of raised HP on stress pathway signaling and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival in the human retina was investigated. Methods: A chamber was designed to expose cells to increased HP (constant and fluctuating). Accurate pressure control (10-100mmHg) was achieved using mass flow controllers. Human organotypic retinal cultures (HORCs) from donor eyes (<24h post mortem) were cultured in serum-free DMEM/HamF12. Increased HP was compared to simulated ischemia (oxygen glucose deprivation, OGD). Cell death and apoptosis were measured by LDH and TUNEL assays, RGC marker expression by qRT-PCR (THY-1) and RGC number by immunohistochemistry (NeuN). Activated p38 and JNK were detected by Western blot. Results: Exposure of HORCs to constant (60mmHg) or fluctuating (10-100mmHg; 1 cycle/min) pressure for 24 or 48h caused no loss of structural integrity, LDH release, decrease in RGC marker expression (THY-1) or loss of RGCs compared with controls. In addition, there was no increase in TUNEL-positive NeuN-labelled cells at either time-point indicating no increase in apoptosis of RGCs. OGD increased apoptosis, reduced RGC marker expression and RGC number and caused elevated LDH release at 24h. p38 and JNK phosphorylation remained unchanged in HORCs exposed to fluctuating pressure (10-100mmHg; 1 cycle/min) for 15, 30, 60 and 90min durations, whereas OGD (3h) increased activation of p38 and JNK, remaining elevated for 90min post-OGD. Conclusions: Directly applied HP had no detectable impact on RGC survival and stress-signalling in HORCs. Simulated ischemia, however, activated stress pathways and caused RGC death. These results show that direct HP does not cause degeneration of RGCs in the ex vivo human retina

Analysis and modelling of muscles motion during whole body vibration

The aim of the study is to characterize the local muscles motion in individuals undergoing whole body mechanical stimulation. In this study we aim also to evaluate how subject positioning modifies vibration dumping, altering local mechanical stimulus. Vibrations were delivered to subjects by the use of a vibrating platform, while stimulation frequency was increased linearly from 15 to 60Hz. Two different subject postures were here analysed. Platform and muscles motion were monitored using tiny MEMS accelerometers; a contra lateral analysis was also presented. Muscle motion analysis revealed typical displacement trajectories: motion components were found not to be purely sinusoidal neither in phase to each other. Results also revealed a mechanical resonant-like behaviour at some muscles, similar to a second-order system response. Resonance frequencies and dumping factors depended on subject and his positioning. Proper mechanical stimulation can maximize muscle spindle solicitation, which may produce a more effective muscle activation

Space-based research in fundamental physics and quantum technologies

Space-based experiments today can uniquely address important questions related to the fundamental laws of Nature. In particular, high-accuracy physics experiments in space can test relativistic gravity and probe the physics beyond the Standard Model; they can perform direct detection of gravitational waves and are naturally suited for precision investigations in cosmology and astroparticle physics. In addition, atomic physics has recently shown substantial progress in the development of optical clocks and atom interferometers. If placed in space, these instruments could turn into powerful high-resolution quantum sensors greatly benefiting fundamental physics. We discuss the current status of space-based research in fundamental physics, its discovery potential, and its importance for modern science. We offer a set of recommendations to be considered by the upcoming National Academy of Sciences' Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics. In our opinion, the Decadal Survey should include space-based research in fundamental physics as one of its focus areas. We recommend establishing an Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee's interagency ``Fundamental Physics Task Force'' to assess the status of both ground- and space-based efforts in the field, to identify the most important objectives, and to suggest the best ways to organize the work of several federal agencies involved. We also recommend establishing a new NASA-led interagency program in fundamental physics that will consolidate new technologies, prepare key instruments for future space missions, and build a strong scientific and engineering community. Our goal is to expand NASA's science objectives in space by including ``laboratory research in fundamental physics'' as an element in agency's ongoing space research efforts.Comment: a white paper, revtex, 27 pages, updated bibliograph

Resonant nonlinear magneto-optical effects in atoms

In this article, we review the history, current status, physical mechanisms, experimental methods, and applications of nonlinear magneto-optical effects in atomic vapors. We begin by describing the pioneering work of Macaluso and Corbino over a century ago on linear magneto-optical effects (in which the properties of the medium do not depend on the light power) in the vicinity of atomic resonances, and contrast these effects with various nonlinear magneto-optical phenomena that have been studied both theoretically and experimentally since the late 1960s. In recent years, the field of nonlinear magneto-optics has experienced a revival of interest that has led to a number of developments, including the observation of ultra-narrow (1-Hz) magneto-optical resonances, applications in sensitive magnetometry, nonlinear magneto-optical tomography, and the possibility of a search for parity- and time-reversal-invariance violation in atoms.Comment: 51 pages, 23 figures, to appear in Rev. Mod. Phys. in Oct. 2002, Figure added, typos corrected, text edited for clarit