Probing spectral properties of radio-quiet quasars searched for optical
  microvariability
  We obtained SDSS spectra for a set of 37 radio-quiet quasars (RQQSOs) that
had been previously examined for rapid small scale optical variations, or
microvariability. Their H-beta and Mg II emission lines were carefully fit to
determine line widths (FWHM) as well as equivalent widths (EW) due to the broad
emission line components. The line widths were used to estimate black hole
masses and Eddington ratios, ell. Both EW and FWHM are anticorrelated with ell.
The EW distributions provide no evidence for the hypothesis that a weak jet
component in the RQQSOs is responsible for their microvariability.
