Germans in Germany's Ethnic Neighborhoods

In contrast to most research on the effects on residents of living in an ethnic neighborhood, this paper explores how living within an ethnic neighborhood affects members of the dominant ethnic group - in this case Germans - rather than the minorities that define it. The results indicate that Germans living within ethnic neighborhoods are less well off financially than their peers in other parts of the city, and are more likely to be living in large buildings in need of repair. The analysis did not however suggest that Germans living in ethnic neighborhoods have fewer social contacts, or that they are more likely to be unemployed. Indeed, Germans living within ethnic neighborhoods reported levels of satisfaction with their housing and standard of living equal to Germans elsewhere. These results would seem to paint a rosy picture of the lives of German residents of ethnic neighborhoods, were it not for a notable absence of school-aged German children within these spaces.

Gaining Access to Housing in Germany: The Foreign Minority Experience

Housing is a critical component of household well being and the extent to which minority households have achieved parity with Germans is a measure of the extent to which this population is integrated into the larger German society. Specifically we examine whether the housing conditions for immigrants2 has improved between 1985 and 1998 despite the greater barriers to upward mobility for low skill workers arising from industrial restructuring. We use regression models to determine the degree to which socioeconomic differences between the two populations account for variations in the average quality of their housing. Finally, given the low number of vacancies in the German housing market and the disadvantaged position of minorities within it, we are interested in measuring the magnitude of the improvements persons of foreign origin are able to make through residential mobility. Our descriptive analyses reveal that although housing conditions for minorities have improved in absolute terms across a wide array of indicators, only in a few instances has the housing quality gap between Germans and persons of foreign origin narrowed. Further, we find that the housing conditions of minorities remained poorer even after controlling for variables thought to be strong predictors of housing quality (income, age, family size etc..) Finally, persons of foreign origin are becoming increasingly likely to move into the large, often geographically and socially isolated apartment complexes built in the post World War II era.

Geological Results of Four Expeditions to Ubekendt Ejland, West Greenland

Outlines petrological discoveries made in 1938, 1939, 1950 and 1957 by British expeditions to this island in the Umanak Fjord region: an abundance of magnesia-and lime-rich intrusions and lavas; a central intrusive complex in the south where acid and basic magmas co-exist; and a suite of dykes, lavas, and pyroclastic rocks on the west coast. Status of research on problems raised by these findings is reported. Discussion is included of author's investigations in 1957 of the olivine-rich rocks in the lower group of lavas and the minor intrusions cutting them. Detailed information on variations in the intrusions and on their relationship with the lavas is presented

Passive and active seismic isolation for gravitational radiation detectors and other instruments

Some new passive and active methods for reducing the effects of seismic disturbances on suspended masses are described, with special reference to gravitational radiation detectors in which differential horizontal motions of two or more suspended test masses are monitored. In these methods it is important to be able to determine horizontal seismic accelerations independent of tilts of the ground. Measurement of changes in inclination of the suspension wire of a test mass, relative to a direction defined by a reference arm of long period of oscillation, makes it possible to carry this out over the frequency range of interest for earth-based gravitational radiation detectors. The signal obtained can then be used to compensate for the effects of seismic disturbances on the test mass if necessary. Alternatively the signal corresponding to horizontal acceleration can be used to move the point from which the test mass is suspended in such a way as to reduce the effect of the seismic disturbance and also damp pendulum motions of the suspended test mass. Experimental work with an active anti-seismic system of this type is described

Netzwerke sind bei der Stellenfindung von Migranten bedeutend

In Deutschland sind Migranten weit überdurchschnittlich von Arbeitslosigkeit betroffen. Wenn darüber nachgedacht wird, wie diese Gruppe von Arbeitslosen bei der Arbeitssuche unterstützt werden kann, ist es hilfreich, sich mit der Stellenfindung von Migranten detailliert zu beschäftigen. Analysen auf der Basis der Daten des vom DIW Berlin in Zusammenarbeit mit Infratest Sozialforschung erhobenen Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) zeigen, dass bei der Stellenfindung von Migranten persönliche Netzwerke eine hohe Bedeutung haben, während anonyme Kanäle, insbesondere die Bundesagentur für Arbeit, eine geringere Rolle spielen: Fast die Hälfte aller Migranten, die im Jahre 2003 eine neue Stelle angetreten haben, geben an, diese über persönliche Netzwerke gefunden zu haben, während dies in der deutschen Vergleichsgruppe nur bei gut 30 % der Fall ist. Es zeigt sich zudem, dass Migranten, die auf diese Weise eine neue Stellen gefunden haben, Tätigkeiten ausüben, die mit größeren körperlichen Belastungen verbunden und wahrscheinlich auch wenig zukunftsträchtig sind. Hingegen hängen die Aufstiegsmöglichkeiten und der Verdienst nicht mit der Art der Stellenfindung zusammen. Für die Ausgestaltung der deutschen Arbeitsmarkt- und Integrationspolitik geben die Ergebnisse Hinweise darauf, dass die persönliche Vernetzung der Migranten indirekt dazu beiträgt, deren Integration am Arbeitsmarkt zumindest kurzfristig zu stabilisieren. Langfristig könnte dies aber den Verbleib von Migranten in weniger zukunftsträchtigen Arbeitsmarktsegmenten zementieren. Strategien zur Verbesserung der Arbeitsmarktchancen von Migranten sollten also nicht einseitig auf die Bundesagentur für Arbeit oder persönliche Netzwerke setzen.

Homodyne locking of a squeezer

We report on the successful implementation of a new approach to locking the frequencies of an OPO-based squeezed-vacuum source and its driving laser. The technique allows the simultaneous measurement of the phase-shifts induced by a cavity, which may be used for the purposes of frequency-locking, as well as the simultaneous measurement of the sub-quantum-noise-limited (sub-QNL) phase quadrature output of the OPO. The homodyne locking technique is cheap, easy to implement and has the distinct advantage that subsequent homodyne measurements are automatically phase-locked. The homodyne locking technique is also unique in that it is a sub-QNL frequency discriminator.Comment: Accepted to Optics Letter

Vaginal bleeding in children: A retrospective audit at a tertiary paediatric gynaecology service

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical features and investigations of vaginal bleeding in prepubertal children. Methods: We performed a retrospective case series of children under the age of 10 who presented with vaginal bleeding to our institution between 2018 and 2019. Results: There were 32 cases identified during the timeframe, with a mean age of 5.5 years (standard deviation 3.2 years, range 5.5 days to 9.6 years). Vulvovaginitis was the most common diagnosis (n = 12, 37.5%), followed by precocious puberty (n = 5, 15.6%). Uncommon but serious causes were vaginal rhabdomyosarcoma (n = 1), and sexual abuse (one patient presenting with gonorrhoea and one with a non-accidental injury). Vaginoscopy was performed in nine patients (28.1%) for various reasons, and a vaginal foreign body was identified in two patients (6.3%). All the patients who had a serious cause of bleeding (neoplasm or sexual assault) or who required specific treatment (precocious puberty, lichen sclerosus, urethral prolapse) presented with red flags on history and/or examination: recurrent episodes of vaginal bleeding, heavy bleeding, associated general symptoms (poor feeding and growth), presence of thelarche, abdominal mass, associated profuse vaginal discharge and abnormal genital examination (skin changes, urethral prolapse or protruding mass from the vagina). Conclusions: A thorough history-taking and clinical examination aiming at identifying red flags may help to discriminate between benign causes of vaginal bleeding, where no further investigations are indicated, and alternative diagnoses with a poor outcome and/or requiring specific treatment and additional investigations

Laser Interferometric Detectors of Gravitational Waves

A laser interferometric detector of gravitational waves is studied and a complete solution (to first order in the metric perturbation) of the coupled Einstein-Maxwell equations with appropriate boundary conditions for the light beams is determined. The phase shift, the light deflection and the rotation of the polarization axis induced by gravitational waves are computed. The results are compared with previous literature, and are shown to hold also for detectors which are large in comparison with the gravitational wavelength.Comment: 13 pages, LaTe

Microwave Spectroscopy of Cold Rubidium Atoms

The effect of microwave radiation on the resonance fluorescence of a cloud of cold $^{85}Rb$ atoms in a magnetooptical trap is studied. The radiation frequency was tuned near the hyperfine splitting frequency of rubidium atoms in the 5S ground state. The microwave field induced magnetic dipole transitions between the magnetic sublevels of the 5S(F=2) and 5S(F=3) states, resulting in a change in the fluorescence signal. The resonance fluorescence spectra were recorded by tuning the microwave radiation frequency. The observed spectra were found to be substantially dependent on the transition under study and the frequency of a repump laser used in the cooling scheme.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

The Definition of Mach's Principle

Two definitions of Mach's principle are proposed. Both are related to gauge theory, are universal in scope and amount to formulations of causality that take into account the relational nature of position, time, and size. One of them leads directly to general relativity and may have relevance to the problem of creating a quantum theory of gravity.Comment: To be published in Foundations of Physics as invited contribution to Peter Mittelstaedt's 80th Birthday Festschrift. 30 page