Detection of Multi-TeV Emission from Markarian 421

Gamma rays with energies exceeding 5 ± 1.5 TeV have been detected from Markarian 421 using the Whipple Observatory's 10 m γ-ray telescope. These observations employ a new technique: the so-called large zenith-angle technique. Because they are taken at large zenith angles, the observations yield high statistics data on the multi-TeV part of the spectrum and are well suited for examining the question of a possible energy cutoff. Observations taken during high states on 1995 June 20, 21, and 28 show no evidence for a spectral break. These results conflict with a previous interpretation of the Markarian 421 energy spectrum in which a cutoff due to γ-ray absorption in extragalactic space was postulated

Detection of Gamma Rays with E > 300 GeV from Markarian 501

The detection of gamma rays of energy greater than 300 GeV from the BL Lacertae object Mrk 501 demonstrates that extragalactic TeV emission is not unique to Mrk 421. During 66 hr of observations between 1995 March and July we measured an average flux of 8.1 ± 1.4 × 10-12 cm-2 s-1 above 300 GeV, a flux that is only 20% of the average Mrk 421 flux. The new gamma-ray source has not been reported by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory as an emitter of gamma rays at lower energies. There is evidence for variability on timescales of days

Trust versus Privacy: Using Connected Car Data in Peer-to-Peer Carsharing

Trust is the lubricant of the sharing economy. This is true especially in peer-to-peer carsharing, in which one leaves a highly valuable good to a stranger in the hope of getting it back unscathed. Nowadays, ratings of other users are major mechanisms for establishing trust. To foster uptake of peer-to-peer carsharing, connected car technology opens new possibilities to support trust-building, e.g., by adding driving behavior statistics to users' profiles. However, collecting such data intrudes into rentees' privacy. To explore the tension between the need for trust and privacy demands, we conducted three focus group and eight individual interviews. Our results show that connected car technologies can increase trust for car owners and rentees not only before but also during and after rentals. The design of such systems must allow a differentiation between information in terms of type, the context, and the negotiability of information disclosure

Anyone for higher speed limits? – Self-interested and adaptive political preferences

Swedish survey-evidence indicates that variables reflecting self-interest are important in explaining people’s preferred speed limits, and that political preferences adapt to technological development. Drivers who believe they drive better than the average driver as well as drivers of cars that are newer (and hence safer), bigger, and with better highspeed characteristics, prefer higher speed limits. In contrast, elderly people prefer lower speed limits. Furthermore, people report that they themselves vote more sociotropically than they believe others vote on average, indicating that we may vote less sociotropically than we believe ourselves. One possible reason for such self-serving biases is that people desire to see themselves as socially responsible. Copyright Springer Science + Business Media, Inc. 2005

Reputational capital, opportunism, and self-policing in legislatures

This paper examines the question of whether reputational capital can deter opportunistic behavior among legislators preparing to exit the House of Representatives. I create a measure of reputational trustworthiness, based upon pooled samples of constituency opinion derived from the National Election Studies surveys. I then examine the extent to which such reputational good will among constituents deters lame-duck foreign travel by exiting House incumbents within the context of a quasi-experimental research design. The analysis suggests that legislators may be ‘self-policed’ by their reputations for honesty and trustworthiness to the point of discouraging unethical activity. urveys. I then examine the extent to which such s derived from the National Election Studies Copyright Springer Science + Business Media, Inc. 2005