Best-of-Three Contests: Experimental Evidence

We conduct an experimental analysis of a best-of-three Tullock contest. Intermediate prizes lead to higher efforts, while increasing the role of luck (as opposed to effort) leads to lower efforts. Both intermediate prizes and luck reduce the probability of contest ending in two rounds. The patterns of players? efforts and the probability that a contest ends in two rounds is consistent with „strategic momentum?, i.e. momentum generated due to strategic incentives inherent in the contest. We do not find evidence for „psychological momentum?, i.e. momentum which emerges when winning affects players? confidence. Similar to previous studies of contests, we find significantly higher efforts than predicted and strong heterogeneity in effort between subjects.best-of-three contest, experiments, strategic momentum, psychological momentum

Higher-order moments and overlaps of Cartesian beams

We introduce a closed-form expression for the overlap between two different Cartesian beams. In the course of obtaining this expression, we establish a linear relation between the overlap of circular beams with azimuthal symmetry and the overlap of Cartesian beams such that the knowledge of the former allows the latter to be calculated very easily. Our formalism can be easily applied to calculate relevant beam parameters such as the normalization constants, the M2 factors, the kurtosis parameters, the expansion coefficients of Cartesian beams, and therefore of all their relevant special cases, including the standard, elegant, and generalized Hermite–Gaussian beams, cosh-Gaussian beams, Lorentz beams, and Airy beams, among others

Frequency correlation requirements on the biphoton wavefunction in an induced coherence experiment between separate sources

There is renewed interest in using the coherence between beams generated in separate down-converter sources for new applications in imaging, spectroscopy, microscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT). These schemes make use of continuous wave (CW) pumping in the low parametric gain regime, which produces frequency correlations, and frequency entanglement, between signal-idler pairs generated in each single source. But can induced coherence still be observed if there is no frequency correlation, so the biphoton wavefunction is factorable? We will show that this is the case, and this might be an advantage for OCT applications. High axial resolution requires a large bandwidth. For CW pumping this requires the use of short nonlinear crystals. This is detrimental since short crystals generate small photon fluxes. We show that the use of ultrashort pump pulses allows improving axial resolution even for long crystal that produce higher photon fluxes

Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Review of Its Current Status

This article presents an overview of the current knowledge and practice of ECT. It provides a brief history of the development of ECT followed by a discussion of the accepted indications for ECT in psychiatric practice, including major depression, bipolar disorder (mania and depression), and schizophrenia. Moreover, a description of the technique of performing ECT is given. Also examined are the use of ECT in medically ill patients and the risks associated with ECT. In conclusion, with the aid of advances in anesthesia and the delivery of ECT, electroconvulsive therapy is a safe and effective treatment of mood and psychotic disorders that have been resistant to other treatment modalities

Evolución de las fusiones bancarias y su impacto en el Sistema Financiero Venezolano, período 2000-2004

1 archivo PDF (14 páginas). magyeaddRESUMEN: La banca venezolana ha sido en los últimos años escenario de las denominadas “fusiones bancarias”, las cuales se implementaron como medida para subsistir ante un cambio en el ámbito económico. Así pues, el Estado venezolano contribuyó a que este proceso se efectuará en poco tiempo, por lo que aprobó en Leyes Habilitantes, las bases legales del proceso de fusiones bancarias. En tal sentido, el objetivo fundamental de este trabajo consistió en estudiar la evolución de las mismas y su impacto en el sistema financiero venezolano, en el periodo 2000-2004 para lo cual se utilizó una investigación de carácter descriptiva y explicativa, así como una estrategia de estudio documental. Todo se dio de acuerdo con lo previsto, pero las causas que inicialmente justificaban este proceso, que era el de fortalecer al Sistema Financiero y prestar un mejor servicio al cliente, quedaron atrás. Por el contrario, todo pareciera indicar que dicho proceso ha sido el gran negocio del siglo xx, pues los bancos más fuertes, a nivel de captaciones y colocaciones, incrementaron desproporcionalmente sus ganancias y eliminaron gran parte de su competencia. ABSTRACT: Venezuelan banks have in recent years been the scene of so-called "bank mergers", which were implemented as a measure to stand before a change in the economic sphere. Thus, the Venezuelan government contributed to this process will be achieved in a short time, so it approved in enabling laws, the legal basis of the process of bank mergers. In this regard, the fundamental objective of this work was to study the evolution of the same and its impact on the Venezuelan financial system in the 2000-2004 period for which an investigation of descriptive and explanatory character was used as well as a strategy documentary study. Everything went according to plan, but the causes which initially justified this process, which was to strengthen the financial system and provide better customer service, stayed behind. On the contrary, everything seems to indicate that this process has been the big business of the twentieth century, as the strongest banks at the level of deposits and loans, disproportionately increased their profits and eliminated much of its competition. PALABRAS CLAVE: Procesos, finanzas. Fusiones bancarias. KEYWORDS: Processes, finances

Biological Field Expedition to the Ashaninka Communities of Coriteni Tarso (Rio Tambo) & Camantavishi (Rio Ene)

The expedition to the Ashaninka communities of Coriteni Tarso, Camantavishi and Shirampari in the summer of 2004 carried out a number of studies; primarily herpetological surveys but also vegetation, soil and hunting surveys. The work was carried out in little known areas where no previous systematic studies had been completed. The expedition recorded frogs and a snake not previously found in the department of Junín1. The expedition discovered at least one new species (to be registered as Cochranella parijarensis)