733 research outputs found
Modelling the disability severity score in motor insurance claims: an application to the Spanish case
Bodily injury claims have the greatest impact on the claim costs of motor insurance companies. The disability severity of motor claims is assessed in numerous European countries by means of score systems. In this paper a zero inflated generalized Poisson regression model is implemented to estimate the disability severity score of victims in-volved in motor accidents on Spanish roads. We show that the injury severity estimates may beautomatically converted into financial terms by insurers at any point of the claim handling process. As such, the methodology described may be used by motor insurers operating in the Spanish market to monitor the size of bodily injury claims. By using insurance data, various applications are presented in which the score estimate of disability severity is of value to insurers, either for computing the claim compensation or for claim reserve purposes.Motor accident, disability severity, zero-inflated generalized Poisson model, disability scoring scale.
Rosca Participation in Benin: a Commitment Issue
In the light of first-hand data from a Beninese urban household survey in Cotonou, we investigate several motives aiming to explain participation in Rotating Savings and Credit ASsociations. We provide anecdotal pieces of evidence, descriptive statistics, FIML regressions and matching estimates which tend to indicate that most individuals use their participation in a rosca as a device to commit themselves to save money and to deal with self-control problems.ROSCA, self-control, commitment device, Benin
Discrete distributions when modeling the disability severity score of motor victims
Many European states apply score systems to evaluate the disability severity of non-fatal motor victims under the law of third-party liability. The score is a non-negative integer with an upper bound at 100 that increases with severity. It may be automatically converted into financial terms and thus also reflects the compensation cost for disability. In this paper, discrete regression models are applied to analyze the factors that influence the disability severity score of victims. Standard and zero-altered regression models are compared from two perspectives: an interpretation of the data generating process and the level of statistical fit. The results have implications for traffic safety policy decisions aimed at reducing accident severity. An application using data from Spain is provided.Hurdle discrete data models, zero-inflated distribution, generalized method of moments, personal injuries, disability rating scale. JEL classification:-
Strong anisotropic influence of local-field effects on the dielectric response of {\alpha}-MoO3
Dielectric properties of {\alpha}-MoO3 are investigated by a combination of
valence electron-energy loss spectroscopy and ab initio calculation at the
random phase approximation level with the inclusion of local-field effects
(LFE). A meticulous comparison between experimental and calculated spectra is
performed in order to interpret calculated dielectric properties. The
dielectric function of MoO3 has been obtained along the three axes and the
importance of LFE has been shown. In particular, taking into account LFE is
shown to be essential to describe properly the intensity and position of the
Mo-N2,3 edges as well as the low energy part of the spectrum. A detailed study
of the energy-loss function in connection with the dielectric response function
also shows that the strong anisotropy of the energy-loss function of
{\alpha}-MoO3 is driven by an anisotropic influence of LFE. These LFE
significantly dampen a large peak in {\epsilon}2, but only along the [010]
direction. Thanks to a detailed analysis at specific k-points of the orbitals
involved in this transition, the origin of this peak has not only been
evidenced but a connection between the inhomogeneity of the electron density
and the anisotropic influence of local-field effects has also been established.
More specifically, this anisotropy is governed by a strongly inhomogeneous
spatial distribution of the empty states. This depletion of the empty states is
localized around the terminal oxygens and accentuates the electron
inhomogeneity.Comment: Supplemental Material include
Une stratégie de conservation axée sur la connectivité pour les Laurentides au Québec
La crise actuelle de perte de biodiversitĂ© est sans prĂ©cĂ©dent. Sans des actions concertĂ©es et avant-gardistes, les consĂ©quences pourraient sâavĂ©rer catastrophiques pour toutes les espĂšces vivantes sur terre incluant lâĂȘtre humain. La biodiversitĂ© est dâune importance capitale pour la fonctionnalitĂ© des Ă©cosystĂšmes et pour les biens et les services que ces derniers peuvent rendre. Lâune des principales causes de lâĂ©rosion de la biodiversitĂ© est la fragmentation du territoire. Afin de bonifier la connectivitĂ© sur un territoire, la crĂ©ation de rĂ©seaux Ă©cologiques composĂ©s de noyaux de conservation, de zones tampons et de corridors fauniques sâavĂšre une avenue intĂ©ressante et fort prometteuse. Plusieurs exemples de stratĂ©gies de conservation axĂ©es sur la connectivitĂ© existent au QuĂ©bec, aux Ătats-Unis et Ă travers le monde. Les engagements quĂ©bĂ©cois en matiĂšre dâaires protĂ©gĂ©es, sans ĂȘtre idĂ©aux, offrent plusieurs possibilitĂ©s dâenrichir la protection et la conservation de notre environnement. Le territoire des Laurentides au QuĂ©bec revĂȘt plusieurs caractĂ©ristiques qui en font un endroit privilĂ©giĂ© pour le dĂ©veloppement, entre autres, rĂ©sidentiel et industriel ainsi que les activitĂ©s rĂ©crĂ©otouristiques et forestiĂšres, etc. Cette situation induit une pression sur le territoire en le morcelant. Lâorganisme Ă but non lucratif Ăco-corridors laurentiens a pour mission la protection des milieux naturels dans les Laurentides. Il travaille Ă lâĂ©bauche dâune stratĂ©gie de conservation axĂ©e sur la connectivitĂ©. Lâobjectif premier de cet essai est de proposer un scĂ©nario qui rĂ©pondra aux prioritĂ©s quâĂco-corridor laurentiens sâest fixĂ©. La stratĂ©gie de conservation prĂ©sentĂ©e est un corridor faunique Ă pas japonais dans lâaxe nord-sud reliant le parc national dâOka au parc national du Mont-Tremblant. Afin de rĂ©aliser ce chantier ambitieux, certains outils informatiques en conservation Ă©cologique peuvent ĂȘtre utilisĂ©s et grandement faciliter le choix des emplacements Ă prioriser. DiffĂ©rents statuts de conservation et dâoptions dâacquisitions de propriĂ©tĂ©s doivent impĂ©rativement ĂȘtre considĂ©rĂ©s. La rĂ©habilitation de certains milieux et le franchissement dâinfrastructures routiĂšres sont aussi Ă analyser. Finalement, il est recommandĂ© que toutes les parties prenantes, lors de la crĂ©ation dâune stratĂ©gie de conservation, que ce soit lâorganisme Ăco-corridor laurentiens, le gouvernement du QuĂ©bec, les municipalitĂ©s, ou encore les citoyens, dĂ©ploient des efforts considĂ©rables et orientent leurs actions dans la mĂȘme direction. Ainsi, ce projet dâavant-garde pourrait en devenir un de sociĂ©tĂ© pour le QuĂ©bec, profitable autant Ă la population dâaujourdâhui quâĂ celle de demain
Information technology and efficiency in trucking.
In this paper, we develop an econometric model to estimate the impacts of Electronic Vehicle Management Systems (EVMS) on the load factor (LF) of heavy trucks using data at the operational level. This technology is supposed to improve capacity utilization by reducing coordination costs between demand and supply. The model is estimated on a subsample of the 1999 National Roadside Survey, covering heavy trucks travelling in the province of Quebec. The LF is explained as a function of truck, trip and carrier characteristics. We show that the use of EVMS results in a 16 percentage points increase of LF on backhaul trips. However, we also find that the LF of equipped trucks is reduced by about 7.6 percentage points on fronthaul movements. This last effect could be explained by a rebound effect: higher expected LF on the returns lead carriers to accept shipments with lower fronthaul LF. Overall, we find that this technology has increased the tonne-kilometers transported of equipped trucks by 6.3% and their fuel efficiency by 5%.
Information technology and efficiency in trucking
In this paper, we develop an econometric model to estimate the impacts of Electronic Vehicle Management Systems (EVMS) on the load factor (LF) of heavy trucks using data at the operational level. This technology is supposed to improve capacity utilization by reducing coordination costs between demand and supply. The model is estimated on a subsample of the 1999 National Roadside Survey, covering heavy trucks travelling in the province of Quebec. The LF is explained as a function of truck, trip and carrier characteristics. We show that the use of EVMS results in a 16 percentage points increase of LF on backhaul trips. However, we also find that the LF of equipped trucks is reduced by about 7.6 percentage points on fronthaul movements. This last effect could be explained by a rebound effect: higher expected LF on the returns lead carriers to accept shipments with lower fronthaul LF. Overall, we find that this technology has increased the tonne-kilometers transported of equipped trucks by 6.3% and their fuel efficiency by 5%.Information and Communication Technology, Efficiency, Load factor, Trucking, Energy Efficiency
Variable density sampling based on physically plausible gradient waveform. Application to 3D MRI angiography
Performing k-space variable density sampling is a popular way of reducing
scanning time in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Unfortunately, given a
sampling trajectory, it is not clear how to traverse it using gradient
waveforms. In this paper, we actually show that existing methods [1, 2] can
yield large traversal time if the trajectory contains high curvature areas.
Therefore, we consider here a new method for gradient waveform design which is
based on the projection of unrealistic initial trajectory onto the set of
hardware constraints. Next, we show on realistic simulations that this
algorithm allows implementing variable density trajectories resulting from the
piecewise linear solution of the Travelling Salesman Problem in a reasonable
time. Finally, we demonstrate the application of this approach to 2D MRI
reconstruction and 3D angiography in the mouse brain.Comment: IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI), Apr 2015,
New-York, United State
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