Attrition when dropping CAPI from a CATI/CAPI panel survey

In this paper, we study attrition in a household panel survey, where in the first wave those with a matched landline number were surveyed by telephone, while those without received a face-to-face visit. In the second wave, the face-to-face mode was dropped. We find among the first wave face-to-face households a high likelihood to attrite due to "no contact" rather than due to "cannot be tracked" or "refusal". Socio-demographic characteristics have the expected effects. For example households with young children, with a short-term residence permit, or one-person households cannot be tracked, while those with a face-to-face visit in the first wave, or foreigners with a mother tongue that is not offered in the survey refuse more often. More first wave calls and contacts are associated with all reasons to attrite, in particular with refusal. Based on the findings, we give recommendations to tailor fieldwork to decrease attrition

Triple-q octupolar ordering in NpO_2

We report the results of resonant X-ray scattering experiments performed at the Np M_4,5 edges in NpO_2. Below T_0 = 25 K, the development of long-range order of Np electric quadrupoles is revealed by the growth of superlattice Bragg peaks. The electronic transition is not accompanied by any measurable crystallographic distortion, either internal or external, so the symmetry of the system remains cubic. The polarization and azimuthal dependence of the intensity of the resonant peaks is well reproduced assuming Templeton scattering from a triple-q longitudinal antiferroquadrupolar structure. Electric quadrupole order in NpO_2 could be driven by the ordering at T_0 of magnetic octupoles of Gamma_5 symmetry, splitting the Np ground state quartet and leading to a singlet ground state with zero dipole magnetic moment.Comment: 4 Pages, 3 Figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. v2: resubmitted after referee report

Magnetic properties of the spin-1 chain compound NiCl3_3C6_6H5_5CH2_2CH2_2NH3_3

We report experimental results of the static magnetization, ESR and NMR spectroscopic measurements of the Ni-hybrid compound NiCl$_3$C$_6$H$_5$CH$_2$CH$_2$NH$_3$. In this material NiCl$_3$ octahedra are structurally arranged in chains along the crystallographic $a$-axis. According to the static susceptibility and ESR data Ni$^{2+}$ spins $S = 1$ are isotropic and are coupled antiferromagnetically (AFM) along the chain with the exchange constant $J = 25.5$ K. These are important prerequisites for the realization of the so-called Haldane spin-1 chain with the spin-singlet ground state and a quantum spin gap. However, experimental results evidence AFM order at $T_{\rm N} \approx 10$ K presumably due to small interchain couplings. Interestingly, frequency-, magnetic field-, and temperature-dependent ESR measurements, as well as the NMR data, reveal signatures which could presumably indicate an inhomogeneous ground state of co-existent mesoscopically spatially separated AFM ordered and spin-singlet state regions similar to the situation observed before in some spin-diluted Haldane magnets

Ligand selectivity in stabilising tandem parallel folded G-quadruplex motifs in human telomeric DNA sequences

Biophysical studies of ligand interactions with three human telomeric repeat sequences (d(AGGG(TTAGGG)n, n = 3, 7 and 11)) show that an oxazole-based ‘click’ ligand, which induces parallel folded quadruplexes, preferentially stabilises longer telomeric repeats providing evidence for selectivity in binding at the interface between tandem quadruplex motifs

How to survey displaced workers in Switzerland ? Sources of bias and ways around them

Studying career outcomes after job loss is challenging because individually displaced worker form a self-selected group. Indeed, the same factors causing the workers to lose their jobs, such as lack of motivation, may also reduce their re-employment prospects. Using data from plant closures where all workers were displaced irrespective of their individual characteristics offers a way around this selection bias. There is no systematic data collection on workers displaced by plant closure in Switzerland. Accordingly, we conducted our own survey on 1200 manufacturing workers who had lost their job 2 years earlier. The analysis of observational data gives rise to a set of methodological challenges, in particular nonresponse bias. Our survey addressed this issue by mixing data collection modes and repeating contact attempts. In addition, we combined the survey data with data from the public unemployment register to examine the extent of nonresponse bias. Our analysis suggests that some of our adjustments helped to reduce bias. Repeated contact attempts increased the response rate, but did not reduce nonresponse bias. In contrast, using telephone interviews in addition to paper questionnaires helped to substantially improve the participation of typically underrepresented subgroups. However, the survey respondents still differ from nonrespondents in terms of age, education and occupation. Interestingly, these differences have no significant impact on the substantial conclusion about displaced workers' re-employment prospects

The Swiss Household Panel Study : Observing social change since 1999

Collecting data on households and individuals since 1999, the Swiss Household Panel (SHP) is an ongoing, unique, large-scale, nationally representative, longitudinal study in Switzerland (N=7,383 households and N=12,119 persons interviewed in 2014). The data of the SHP provide a rich source of information to study social change in Switzerland over a significant period on a wide variety of topics. The SHP aims to provide both continuity and innovation in measurement and data collection, with the combination of retrospective and prospective longitudinal data in the most recent refreshment sample as one notable example of such an innovation. This paper provides an overview of the SHP – focusing on its origin, aims, design, content, data collection and adjustments, possibilities for cross-national comparisons, data use and accomplishments

On the Lagrangian Dynamics of Atmospheric Zonal Jets and the Permeability of the Stratospheric Polar Vortex

The Lagrangian dynamics of zonal jets in the atmosphere are considered, with particular attention paid to explaining why, under commonly encountered conditions, zonal jets serve as barriers to meridional transport. The velocity field is assumed to be two-dimensional and incompressible, and composed of a steady zonal flow with an isolated maximum (a zonal jet) on which two or more travelling Rossby waves are superimposed. The associated Lagrangian motion is studied with the aid of KAM (Kolmogorov--Arnold--Moser) theory, including nontrivial extensions of well-known results. These extensions include applicability of the theory when the usual statements of nondegeneracy are violated, and applicability of the theory to multiply periodic systems, including the absence of Arnold diffusion in such systems. These results, together with numerical simulations based on a model system, provide an explanation of the mechanism by which zonal jets serve as barriers to meridional transport of passive tracers under commonly encountered conditions. Causes for the breakdown of such a barrier are discussed. It is argued that a barrier of this type accounts for the sharp boundary of the Antarctic ozone hole at the perimeter of the stratospheric polar vortex in the austral spring.Comment: Submitted to Journal of the Atmospheric Science

Magnetic properties and revisited exchange integrals of the frustrated chain cuprate PbCuSO4_4(OH)2_2 - linarite

We present a detailed study in the paramagnetic regime of the frustrated $s$ = 1/2 spin-compound linarite, PbCuSO$_4$(OH)$_2$, with competing ferromagnetic nearest-neighbor and antiferromagnetic next-nearest-neighbor exchange interactions. Our data reveal highly anisotropic values for the saturation field along the crystallographic main directions, with $\sim$ 7.6, $\sim$ 10.5 and $\sim$ 8.5\,T for the $a$, $b$, and $c$ axes, respectively. In the paramagnetic regime, this behavior is explained mainly by the anisotropy of the \textit{g}-factor but leaving room for an easy-axis exchange anisotropy. Within the isotropic $J_1$-$J_2$ spin model our experimental data are described by various theoretical approaches yielding values for the exchange interactions $J_1$ $\sim$ -100\,K and $J_2$ $\sim$ 36\,K. These main intrachain exchange integrals are significantly larger as compared to the values derived in two previous studies in the literature and shift the frustration ratio $\alpha = J_2/|J_1|$ $\approx$ 0.36 of linarite closer to the 1D critical point at 0.25. Electron spin resonance (ESR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements further prove that the static susceptibility is dominated by the intrinsic spin susceptibility. The Knight shift as well as the broadening of the linewidth in ESR and NMR at elevated temperatures indicate a highly frustrated system with the onset of magnetic correlations far above the magnetic ordering temperature $T_\mathrm{N}$ = 2.75(5)\,K, in agreement with the calculated exchange constants.Comment: 18 pages, 18 figure