Evaluating the Effect of a Policy Change to Hospital Productivity: 80 Hours Work Restriction on Medical Residents

This paper uses a two-year panel dataset on hospitals from the American Hospital Association (AHA) to evaluate the effect a policy change has on the marginal product of medical residents. A weighted 2SLS approach is used to estimate a semi-parametric production function. A policy restricting medical residents to work no more than 80 hours a week is found to result in a net loss of 14 inpatient days per resident annually, which is not statistically different from zero. In addition, the model presented in this paper performs better than past models when estimating first-order effects of inputs in the hospital production function.work hour reform; medical residents; hospital production; 80 hour work week; semi parametric estimation

Model of the 2000 Presidential Election: Instrumenting for Ideology

In a spatial model of voting, a voter's utility for a candidate is a function of ideological distance from the candidate and a candidate's quality. Candidate quality can potentially bias the measure of ideological distance in two ways. First, voters may be more drawn to high quality candidates thereby reducing the ideological distance. Second, a candidate's ideological position is a function of rivals�qualities and his own quality. We derive a theoretical model to sign the direction of both biases analytically. Next, using techniques established in the industrial organization literature, we estimate the model using two sets of instrumental variables.spatial voting, discrete choice, instrumental variables

Quantum Modelling of Electro-Optic Modulators

Many components that are employed in quantum information and communication systems are well known photonic devices encountered in standard optical fiber communication systems, such as optical beamsplitters, waveguide couplers and junctions, electro-optic modulators and optical fiber links. The use of these photonic devices is becoming increasingly important especially in the context of their possible integration either in a specifically designed system or in an already deployed end-to-end fiber link. Whereas the behavior of these devices is well known under the classical regime, in some cases their operation under quantum conditions is less well understood. This paper reviews the salient features of the quantum scattering theory describing both the operation of the electro-optic phase and amplitude modulators in discrete and continuous-mode formalisms. This subject is timely and of importance in light of the increasing utilization of these devices in a variety of systems, including quantum key distribution and single-photon wavepacket measurement and conformation. In addition, the paper includes a tutorial development of the use of these models in selected but yet important applications, such as single and multi-tone modulation of photons, two-photon interference with phase-modulated light or the description of amplitude modulation as a quantum operation.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figures, Laser and Photonics Reviews (in press

The Learning of the subject Biology in a Master in Biomedical Physics

BIOLOGY is a dynamic and fascinating science. The study of this subject is an amazing trip for all the students that have a first contact with this subject. Here, we present the development of the study and learning experience of this subject belonging to an area of knowledge that is different to the training curriculum of students who have studied Physics during their degree period. We have taken a real example, the “Elements of Biology” subject, which is taught as part of the Official Biomedical Physics Master, at the Physics Faculty, of the Complutense University of Madrid, since the course 2006/07. Its main objective is to give to the student an understanding how the Physics can have numerous applications in the Biomedical Sciences area, giving the basic training to develop a professional, academic or research career. The results obtained when we use new virtual tools combined with the classical learning show that there is a clear increase in the number of persons that take and pass the final exam. On the other hand, this new learning strategy is well received by the students and this is translated to a higher participation and a decrease of the giving the subject u

Paramagnetic Materials and Practical Algorithmic Cooling for NMR Quantum Computing

Algorithmic Cooling is a method that uses novel data compression techniques and simplecquantum computing devices to improve NMR spectroscopy, and to offer scalable NMR quantum computers. The algorithm recursively employs two steps. A reversible entropy compression of the computation quantum-bits (qubits) of the system and an irreversible heat transfer from the system to the environment through a set of reset qubits that reach thermal relaxation rapidly. Is it possible to experimentally demonstrate algorithmic cooling using existing technology? To allow experimental algorithmic cooling, the thermalization time of the reset qubits must be much shorter than the thermalization time of the computation qubits. However such thermalization-times ratios have yet to be reported. We investigate here the effect of a paramagnetic salt on the thermalization-times ratio of computation qubits (carbons) and a reset qubit (hydrogen). We show that the thermalization-times ratio is improved by approximately three-fold. Based on this result, an experimental demonstration of algorithmic cooling by thermalization and magnetic ions is currently performed by our group and collaborators.Comment: 5 pages, A conference version of this paper appeared in SPIE, volume 5105, pages 185-194 (2003