Dismissal Protection and Worker Flows in Small Establishments

The paper examines real and nominal wage rigidities.We estimate a switching regime model, in which the observed distribution of individual wage changes, computed from West German register data for 1976-1997, is generated by simultaneous processes of real, nominal or no wage rigidity, and measurement error. The fraction of workers facing wage increases that are due to nominal, but mostly real wage rigidity is substantial.The extent of real rigidity rises with inflation, whereas the opposite holds for nominal rigidity. Overall, the incidence of wage rigidity, which accelerates unemployment growth, is most likely minimized in an environment with moderate inflation.downward wage rigidity, real effects of inflation, collective bargaining, switching regime model,West Germany

Evaluation of the stability of human erythropoietin in samples for radioimmunoassay

Radioimmunoassays for erythropoietin are limited so far to a few specialized laboratories and this requires transport and storage of samples. We therefore tested the stability of immunoreactive erythropoietin in serum and plasma samples obtained from a uremic and a nonuremic anemic patient. No significant change in the concentration of immunoreactive erythropoietin was found in either serum or plasma samples for up to 14 days of storage. This type of stability was observed no matter whether the samples were stored at room temperature, 4 degrees C, or -20 degrees C. There was no difference between the estimates of erythropoietin in serum and heparinized plasma. Validity of the radioimmunoassay used in this study was demonstrated by parallelism of dilution curves of test specimens and the 2nd International Reference Preparation for erythropoietin and by a close correlation between the immunoreactivity and the bioactivity of the hormone, as assessed in the same samples by the exhypoxic polycythemic mouse bioassay. In conclusion the data obtained clearly indicate that the necessity of storage and transport of clinical samples does not limit the practicability of the radioimmunoassay for erythropoietin

Current-driven dynamics of chiral ferromagnetic domain walls

In most ferromagnets the magnetization rotates from one domain to the next with no preferred handedness. However, broken inversion symmetry can lift the chiral degeneracy, leading to topologically-rich spin textures such as spin-spirals and skyrmions via the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI). Here we show that in ultrathin metallic ferromagnets sandwiched between a heavy metal and an oxide, the DMI stabilizes chiral domain walls (DWs) whose spin texture enables extremely efficient current-driven motion. We show that spin torque from the spin Hall effect drives DWs in opposite directions in Pt/CoFe/MgO and Ta/CoFe/MgO, which can be explained only if the DWs assume a N\'eel configuration with left-handed chirality. We directly confirm the DW chirality and rigidity by examining current-driven DW dynamics with magnetic fields applied perpendicular and parallel to the spin spiral. This work resolves the origin of controversial experimental results and highlights a new path towards interfacial design of spintronic devices

Handlungsbefähigung und Bildungsmobilität in der "Wissensgesellschaft"

In unserem Vortrag soll es um eine ungleichheits- und bildungssoziologische Reflexion von Konzepten wie selbstgesteuertes Lernen oder lebenslanges Lernen gehen. Wir werden in einem ersten Schritt auf die populäre Zeitdiagnose der "Wissensgesellschaft" eingehen, die in aller Regel als Begründungsfolie für derartige Konzepte fungiert, in einem zweiten Schritt auf den Stand der soziologischen Bildungsforschung rekurrieren um schließlich milieuspezifische Handlungsbefähigungen als Erklärungsrahmen für die Kontinuität von Bildungsungleichheiten anzubieten

Voltage control of magnetic anisotropy in Fe films with quantum well states

The influence of a gate voltage on magnetic anisotropy is investigated in a thin Fe film epitaxially grown on a Ag(1,1,10) substrate and covered by MgO. Oscillations in step-induced magnetic anisotropy due to quantum well states (QWS) confined in the Fe film are observed and shown to persist up to room temperature at low Fe thicknesses. By systematically examining the voltage and thickness dependence of the magnetic hysteresis loop characteristics, we identify two distinct effects by which an applied voltage modifies the magnetic anisotropy. The first effect is due to voltage-induced changes to interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy which, due to the vicinal geometry, leads to changes in the effective in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. A second effect is observed at lower film thicknesses and shows nonmonotonic voltage-induced effects on magnetic anisotropy. This nonmonotonic behavior coincides with the onset of significant QWS-induced effects on magnetic anisotropy and suggests a link between QWS- and voltage-induced anisotropy changes.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant NSF-ECCS-1128439

Nichtlineare Optimierung geometrisch definierter Fugen von räumlich gekrümmten Betonfertigteilen mit isogeometrischen Verfahren

Die Vision dieses Projektes ist es, einen durchgängigen Prozess zu entwickeln, der es erlaubt, den Entwurf, die Berechnung und die Fugenoptimierung von flächigen Strukturen aus Betonfertigteilen sehr einfach und effizient durchzuführen. Damit soll die Herstellung von freien Formen, wie beispielsweise „Blobs“ und Hängeformen aus Beton, unterstützt und gefördert werden.The vision of this project is to develop a continuous process that allows very easy and efficient design, calculation and joint optimization of surface-like structures made of precast concrete elements. This should support and encourage the production of free forms, such as “blobs” and hanging forms made of concrete

Isogeometric analysis for staged construction within lightweight design

Hybrid, bending-active structures constitute a challenging task for structural design due to the high dependency between shape and forces. Isogeometric analysis suggests itself in this context because of several advantages. Model conversion with concomitant corruption of the simulation results can be overcome. All stages of the construction, which are necessary for the correct simulation of such structures, can be modeled and correctly linked. Moreover, the parameter space of the NURBS description provides a perfectly suited, additional design space for embedded entities, which can be defined independently of the parametrization. The contribution of this paper is a presentation of the basics for embedding within isogeometric analysis and reveals beneficial aspects of nested NURBS descriptions in the context of staged construction. A case study of a staged simulation is carried out and another one for the form-finding procedure of hybrid structures

Intention as an indicator for subjective need: A new pathway in need assessment

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The current analyses focus on the need for services from the perspective of individuals considering preventive measures. A new approach imported from social and health psychology is used for assessing subjective need. This indicator is used for predicting actual health behaviour under field conditions and simultaneously other relevant background variables are taken into account.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A mail survey was conducted prior to the start of a coaching program for teachers. A sample of <it>n </it>= 949 respondents were queried about mental distress and their intention to participate in the program. This intention to participate and actual attendance were taken as outcome variables in logistic regression analyses adjusted for relevant background variables.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Intention and participation in the coaching program three months later were associated with an unadjusted OR of 90.1 (95% CI: 39.2 - 207.0) for male teachers. For female teachers the crude effect was OR = 80.0 (95% CI: 45.7 - 140.1). The positive predictive value (PPV) was 96.4% among males and 94.5% among females. Adjusting for covariates results in higher values. Among female, but not among male teachers, the participation depended on psychological distress as assessed by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>There is strong evidence for using subjective need as an additional component in assessing the need for services and for predicting actual health behaviour. But it needs to be confined to intended behaviour which is under behavioural control.</p