Who is going to save us now? Bureaucrats, Politicians and Risky Tasks

The paper compares the policy choices regarding risk-transfer against low-probability-high-loss events between elected and appointed public officials. Empirical evidence using data on U.S. municipality-level shows that appointed city managers are more likely to adopt federal risk-transfer regimes. It is argued that the variation in the level of insurance activity emerges from the different incentive schemes each government form is facing. Controlling for spatial dependencies further shows that the participation decision in the insurance program significantly depends on the decision of neighboring communities.Politicians, bureaucrats, decision making under uncertainty, flood insurance, spatial econometrics

Heavy atom tunneling in chemical reactions: study of H + LiF collisions

The H+LiF(X 1Sigma+,v=0-2,j=0)-->HF(X 1Sigma+,v',j')+Li(2S) bimolecular process is investigated by means of quantum scattering calculations on the chemically accurate X 2A' LiHF potential energy surface of Aguado et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 119, 10088 (2003)]. Calculations have been performed for zero total angular momentum for translational energies from 10-7 to 10-1 eV. Initial-state selected reaction probabilities and cross sections are characterized by resonances originating from the decay of metastable states of the H...F-Li and Li...F-H van der Waals complexes. Extensive assignment of the resonances has been carried out by performing quasibound states calculations in the entrance and exit channel wells. Chemical reactivity is found to be significantly enhanced by vibrational excitation at low temperatures, although reactivity appears much less favorable than non-reactive processes due to the inefficient tunneling of the relatively heavy fluorine atom strongly bound in van der Waals complexes.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, 1 table; submitted to J. Chem. Phy

Dreaming

The constant rocking, from starboard to port, and from stem to stern; those furious, lashing waves towering high above the proud towers; the rolling deck, a perfect test for an acrobat; the dank smell of foul air and sick humans; the sea and sky covered with. a heavy grey veiling: a perfect picture of an Atlantic storm at its furious height

"Hat der Arzt mich wirklich gründlich genug untersucht …?" : Hypochondrie oder die wachsende Angst, ernsthaft erkrankt zu sein - Zu einem häufig missverstandenen Problem

Hypochonder gelten gemeinhin als Simulanten. Doch mit diesem Vorurteil versuchen Psychologen seit Jahren aufzuräumen: Denn die Betroffenen leiden erheblich darunter, dass sie sich intensiv mit selbst beobachteten körperlichen Symptomen beschäftigen und oft über Jahre Ängste oder die Überzeugung entwickeln, ernsthaft erkrankt zu sein. Verhaltenstherapeutisch orientierte Behandlungsansätze, die sich speziell mit diesen Formen der Angst beschäftigen, zeigen erste gute Erfolge

Charity hazard - A real hazard to natural disaster insurance

After the flooding in 2002 European governments provided billions of Euros of financial assistance to their citizens. Although there is no doubt that solidarity and some sort of assistance is reasonable, the question arises why these damages were not sufficiently insured. One explanation why individuals reject to obtain insurance cover against natural hazards is that they anticipate governmental and private aid. This problem became to be known as "charity hazard". The present paper gives an economic analysis of the institutional arrangements on the market for natural disaster insurances focusing on imperfections caused by governmental financial relief. It provides a theoretical explanation why charity hazard is a problem on the market for natural disaster insurances, in the way that it acts as an obstacle for the proper diffusion and therefore the establishment of natural hazard insurances. This paper provides a review of the scientific discussion on charity hazard, provides a theoretical analysis and points out the existing empirical problems regarding this issue.natural hazard insurance, market failure, governmental assistance

Design of ultraprecision machine tools with application to manufacturing of miniature and micro components

Currently the underlying necessities for predictability, producibility and productivity remain big issues in ultraprecision machining of miniature/microproducts. The demand on rapid and economic fabrication of miniature/microproducts with complex shapes has also made new challenges for ultraprecision machine tool design. In this paper the design for an ultraprecision machine tool is introduced by describing its key machine elements and machine tool design procedures. The focus is on the review and assessment of the state-of-the-art ultraprecision machining tools. It also illustrates the application promise of miniature/microproducts. The trends on machine tool development, tooling, workpiece material and machining processes are pointed out

Cartesian closed topological and monotopological hulls: A comparison

AbstractThe theory of cartesian closed monotopological hull of a category can be developed in analogy to that of the cartesian closed topological hull. The main objective of this paper is to describe these hulls in terms of one another. On the local level, a comparison between the cartesian objects of a monotopological category and the cartesian objects of its MacNeille completion is carried out. The cartesian closed monotopological hulls of several well-known subcategories of Top are determined