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

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

"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

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

Note: Exclusive Licensing of DNA Diagnostics: Is There a Negative Effect on Quantity and Quality of Healthcare Delivery that Compels NIH Rulemaking?

This comment surveys the costs of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) diagnostic tests and argues in favor of non-exclusive licensing as a means to provide broad access to affordable DNA diagnostic testing. Part II provides background information on genetic testing, patenting genes as applied to genetic testing, the Bayh-Dole Act, and technology transfer. In addition, Part II summarizes academic commentary regarding the implications of exclusive licensing for biotechnology. Scholars propose a number of solutions, including expanding the experimental use exception. Part III details proposed rulemaking for DNA diagnostics. Part IV reviews anecdotal examples of genetic testing for breast cancer, hereditary hemochromatosis, and Canavan Disease. These genetic testing examples include survey evidence from clinical laboratorians. The survey and anecdotal evidence indicates that patents may increase prices and reduce access to genetic testing. This note contends that, although only a partial solution, Licensing Genomic Inventions addresses genetic tests developed with NIH funding. This comment also discusses improvements to the draft language. Part V concludes that exclusive licensing increases the prices of and decreases access to diagnostic genetic tests. Licensing Genomic Inventions means to address the patent system’s undesirable effects on the delivery of public health

Quantum dynamics of the Li+HF-->H+LiF reaction at ultralow temperatures

Quantum mechanical calculations are reported for the Li+HF(v=0,1,j=0)-->H+LiF(v',j') bimolecular scattering process at low and ultralow temperatures. Calculations have been performed for zero total angular momentum using a recent high accuracy potential energy surface for the X 2A' electronic ground state. For Li+HF(v=0,j=0), the reaction is dominated by resonances due to the decay of metastable states of the Li...F-H van der Waals complex. Assignment of these resonances has been carried out by calculating the eigenenergies of the quasibound states. We also find that while chemical reactivity is greatly enhanced by vibrational excitation the resonances get mostly washed out in the reaction of vibrationally excited HF with Li atoms. In addition, we find that at low energies, the reaction is significantly suppressed due to the formation of rather deeply bound van der Waals complexes and the less efficient tunneling of the relatively heavy fluorine atom.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, submitted to J. Chem. Phy

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

ESD and Health Care Systems: some strategic considerations

Proper health care delivery to a growing but aging population is becoming one of the most challenging tasks of our time. It becomes also one of the most complex. Although many tools are at hand, grand designs and implementation systems are mostly lacking. In the industrialized countries, requests for optimal medical care and the demographic evolution towards longer life have led to different health care systems but all of them may be characterized as more or less dysfunctional (see below). In many developing countries, the gaps caused by the lack of health care infrastructure and education and by economic backwardness are becoming increasingly apparent. On the other hand, the relatively new approach of engineering for solution and optimization of various complex problems, such as energy, infrastructures, transportation, manufacturing or environmental protection leads us to ask whether the logical and analytical tools developed in complex systems engineering could also be applied to the whole or parts of the health care field. A brief discussion of that issue is the purpose of this memorandum