Positive Beurteilung der schweizerischen Lehrerfortbildung (und Lehrergrundausbildung) im Computer-/Informatikbereich im internationalen Vergleich

Die Lehrerinnen und Lehrer der Schweiz beurteilen die Einführung als gut, die sie für die Benutzung der Computer im Unterricht erhalten haben. Das geht aus der Stellungnahme von 5\u27000 Personen hervor, die im 7. bis 13. Schuljahr unterrichten. Die Daten sind wesentlich positiver als in anderen Ländern. Das Ergebnis ist eine erfreuliche Bestätigung für die Lehrerfortbildung, die Projektgruppen zur Informatikeinführung und für die Lehrergrundausbildung. Zudem signalisiert es auch eine gute Basis für weitere Innovationen. Merkwürdigerweise meinen die vorgesetzten Rektoren und Informatikzuständigen, die Lehrer dürften noch mehr wissen und können. Wir legen die entsprechenden Daten vor und formulieren einige Vermutungen zu diesem paradoxen Phänomen

Where are the limits of regulation?

Regulation is an important part of government activity. Distinguishing between the intensity of regulation , and the range of regulation, it is possible to show that a utility maximizing government has an incentive to overregulate both in the short and long run, but that there are definite limits to regulatory intensity. Models of the limits of regulation and of the limits of taxation are special cases of a more general model in which government simultaneously uses the intensity of regulation and tax rates as instruments. In this case, it is possible that there is overregulation but no overtaxation

On the development of a harmonic balance method for aeroelastic analysis

To efficiently simulate time-periodic, non-linear flows in turbomachinery a Harmonic Balance (HB) method has recently been developed within the framework of DLR’s compressible, Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier- tokes (URANS) solver TRACE. As a hybrid time- and frequency-domain method, that solves directly for the complex valued solution harmonics of the URANS equations, the approach allows both the integration of highly accurate non-reflecting boundary conditions and the efficient resolution of non-linear flow phenomena. In the current work the HB-solver is extended and applied to investigate the aeroelastic problem of flutter in turbomachinery. Within this context the HB-method is developed, under consideration of the Geometric Conservation Law (GCL), to support deforming meshes. To validate the approach the well documented aeroelastic test case Standard Configuration 10 is simulated and results are compared to those obtained with an inhouse time-linearized solver and reference datafrom the literature

The role of first- and second-order stimulus features for human overt attention

When processing complex visual input, human observers sequentially allocate their attention to different subsets of the stimulus. What are the mechanisms and strategies that guide this selection process? We investigated the influence of various stimulus features on human overt attention—that is, attention related to shifts of gaze with natural color images and modified versions thereof. Our experimental modifications, systematic changes of hue across the entire image, influenced only the global appearance of the stimuli, leaving the local features under investigation unaffected. We demonstrated that these modifications consistently reduce the subjective interpretation of a stimulus as "natural” across observers. By analyzing fixations, we found that first-order features, such as luminance contrast, saturation, and color contrast along either of the cardinal axes, correlated to overt attention in the modified images. In contrast, no such correlation was found in unmodified outdoor images. Second-order luminance contrast ("texture contrast”) correlated to overt attention in all conditions. However, although none of the second-order color contrasts were correlated to overt attention in unmodified images, one of the second-order color contrasts did exhibit a significant correlation in the modified images. These findings imply, on the one hand, that higher-order bottom-up effects—namely, those of second-order luminance contrast—may partially account for human overt attention. On the other hand, these results also demonstrate that global image properties, which correlate to the subjective impression of a scene being "natural,” affect the guidance of human overt attentio

Multiple supermassive black hole systems: SKA's future leading role

Galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are believed to evolve through a process of hierarchical merging and accretion. Through this paradigm, multiple SMBH systems are expected to be relatively common in the Universe. However, to date there are poor observational constraints on multiple SMBHs systems with separations comparable to a SMBH gravitational sphere of influence (<< 1 kpc). In this chapter, we discuss how deep continuum observations with the SKA will make leading contributions towards understanding how multiple black hole systems impact galaxy evolution. In addition, these observations will provide constraints on and an understanding of stochastic gravitational wave background detections in the pulsar timing array sensitivity band (nanoHz -microHz). We also discuss how targets for pointed gravitational wave experiments (that cannot be resolved by VLBI) could potentially be found using the large-scale radio-jet morphology, which can be modulated by the presence of a close-pair binary SMBH system. The combination of direct imaging at high angular resolution; low-surface brightness radio-jet tracers; and pulsar timing arrays will allow the SKA to trace black hole binary evolution from separations of a galaxy virial radius down to the sub-parsec level. This large dynamic range in binary SMBH separation will ensure that the SKA plays a leading role in this observational frontier.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. To be published in the proceedings of "Advancing Astrophysics with the Square Kilometre Array", PoS(AASKA14)151, in pres

Towards a strong coupling theory for the KPZ equation

After a brief introduction we review the nonperturbative weak noise approach to the KPZ equation in one dimension. We argue that the strong coupling aspects of the KPZ equation are related to the existence of localized propagating domain walls or solitons representing the growth modes; the statistical weight of the excitations is governed by a dynamical action representing the generalization of the Boltzmann factor to kinetics. This picture is not limited to one dimension. We thus attempt a generalization to higher dimensions where the strong coupling aspects presumably are associated with a cellular network of domain walls. Based on this picture we present arguments for the Wolf-Kertez expression z= (2d+1)/(d+1) for the dynamical exponent.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, "Horizons in Complex Systems", Messina, December 2001 (H. E. Stanley, 60th birthday

Single-crystal neutron diffraction study of metamict zircon up to 2000 K

High-temperature single-crystal measurements of metamict zircon were performed up to 2000 K and the recrystallization was monitored using the width and intensity of selected peaks. Full data sets were collected at room temperature, 1573 and 1823 K. The changes in the probability density function (p.d.f.) of the O atoms revealed important features of the recrystallization. The measurements were done in air using a mirror furnace and performed on the D19 four-circle diffractometer at the ILL equipped with a vertically curved two-dimensional position-sensitive detector