Persistence exponent in a superantiferromagnetic quenching

We measure the persistence exponent in a phase separating two-dimensional spin system with non-conserved dynamics quenched in a region with four coexisting stripe phases. The system is an Ising model with nearest neighbor, next-to-the-nearest neighbor and plaquette interactions. Due the particular nature of the ground states, the order parameter is defined in terms of blocks of spins. Our estimate of the persistence exponent, $\theta=0.42$, differs from those of the two-dimensional Ising and four state Potts models. Our procedure allows the study of persistence properties also at finite temperature $T$: our results are compatible with the hypothesis that $\theta$ does not depend on $T$ below the critical point.Comment: LaTeX file with postscript figure

Zum Transfer kulturspezifischer Textbedeutungen. Theoretische und methodische Überlegungen aus einer semiotischen Perspektive

This paper discusses the role of cultural specific text elements in the constitution of the meaning of the text and focuses the problems which these elements can cause in the translation process. It is based on a description of the translation process as symbiosis of the three categories language, text and culture in a specific situation. The described comprehension of translation turns the question of the methodology of the cultural transfer into a key question that consequently has an impact on the praxis and didactics of translation. The meaning of a text is the result of a complex interaction of different systems in which different types of knowledge are activated. The central question is how culture manifests itself within texts and how these manifestations can be reconstructed, i.e. how the translator's decisions can be made transparent in the context of the transfer. Firstly there is a theoretical reflection on the interdependence of the three categories language, culture and text in which the underlying semiotic conception of text and culture is outlined. On this basis a pragma-semiotic model of the constitution of the text as a complex sign is presented, and a methodology for an integrative text analysis is deduced from this theoretical conception of text constitution. The different forms of cultural specific elements are analyzed and categorized, whereas in addition to the traditional manifestations the concept of intertextuality is introduced and discussed as an important fact for the pragmatic and cultural coherence of the text. The defined forms of cultural specific text elements are illustrated by a number of examples taken from translation praxis and classroom. All the examples are translations from Spanish into German. Finally, the practical and didactical implications, which are of great importance for the training of further translators, are discussed

Prioritising targets for biological control of weeds - a decision support tool for policy makers

This report outlines a framework of the overall process of prioritising targets for biological control and includes a decision support tool that enables policy makers to determine whether biological control is a suitable option for a proposed target species.Introduction Establishing effective biological control agents in Australia is costly in both resources and time, yet it is often a valuable component of weed control. It has been estimated that biological control of weeds in Australia has provided around $10 billion worth of agricultural protection over the past century. To date significant investment has been made in the selection process of biocontrol agents and the identification of priority weeds for biocontrol. However there is no nationally agreed system that facilitates prioritisation of weed targets for biological control. The Department of Agriculture commissioned ABARES to develop:• a framework that outlines the overall process of prioritising targets for biological control and• a decision support tool that enables policy makers to determine whether biological control is a suitable option for the proposed target species.A recent work related to the selection and prioritisation of weeds for biological control targets was published by Paynter et al 2009 (hereafter \u27Paynter\u27). Paynter was used as a basis for discussion about how to assist policy makers in assessing whether biocontrol is an appropriate option for weed control.The proposal for a decision support tool for policy makers was discussed at a workshop fully recognising that such a system would need to have a science basis that is both transparent and repeatable to be rigorous. The participants were experts in biocontrol or other weed science, state representatives and other relevant stakeholders. The proposal was outlined in a background/discussion paper and provided to participants prior to the workshop. The purpose of the paper was to provide participants with relevant background information and a proposed approach for a decision support tool for policy makers to be debated and progressed at the workshop.Aim of the workshop and background/discussion paper The workshop was held in Canberra on 4 April 2013. The objectives of the workshop were to:• discuss whether the approach based on Paynter is suitable as a decision support tool at the policy level to prioritise targets for biological control• reach a consensus amongst workshop participants on key principles that need to be considered in the prioritisation process of biological control targetsSuggestions made at the workshop are addressed in this report. Many of the concerns raised at the workshop corresponded with the common \u27core\u27 issues recorded in Paynter. These include concerns about lack of data, the tendency of the framework to overlook weeds outside the Weeds of National Significance, concerns that weightings are arbitrary, and a need for the framework to be able to anticipate emergent weeds and potential future problems. Here, those issues that are relevant to policy have been considered with the acknowledgement that remaining \u27core\u27 issues need to be addressed elsewhere

On Locus of Control in Empirical Microeconomics

Investigating the psychological black box behind individual economic decision making is, without a doubt, one of the most prevalent concerns in recent empirical microeconomics. This is based on the urge of modern behavioral economics to provide the stochastic idiosyncratic shocks in standard economic models with meaningful content. Especially the growing availability of large microdata sources such as in longitudinal household panel studies has tremendously supported this scientific movement. This data regularly includes important self-reported information on inherent attributes such as personality traits which have a high potential of explaining large parts of the deviations which have previously been labeled as stochastic shocks and idiosyncratic errors. This is the point at which also this doctoral thesis lines up. The present thesis contains four studies that investigate the relationship of inherent personality traits with individual behavior and economic outcomes. Concretely, the studies address the domains female labor force participation, labor market mobility, drinking behavior and unemployment. The unifying element of all four studies is the focus on one specific personality trait within this context: the individual perception of control or locus of control (LOC). LOC is characterized as a ``generalized attitude, belief, or expectancy regarding the nature of the causal relationship between one's own behavior and its consequences'' (Rotter 1966, p.2) and describes whether individuals believe in the causal effects of their own efforts and abilities on their lives' outcomes. Chapter 2 initiates the discussion by analyzing the implications of LOC for female labor force participation. In the empirical analysis, internal women are found to have a significantly higher probability of being available for market production, which also translates into higher employment probabilities at the extensive margin. These effects are additionally found to be highly heterogenous with respect to underlying monetary incentives for participation and home production as well as prevalent social norms for working. In a quite similar manner, Chapter 3 discusses the role of LOC for regional labor market mobility within Germany. The empirical analysis identifies a distinct positive effect of an internal LOC on the general self-reported willingness to move as well as the probability of moving between regions. A prove that the importance of LOC for decision making cross the boarders of labor economics is provided within Chapter 4. The chapter is devoted to the question of whether LOC is also able to explain alcohol consumption as an important domain of risky health behavior. The study identifies a strongly positive effect of an internal LOC on moderate as well as regular drinking which is comparable to effect of traditional preference parameters such as risk aversion and time preferences. Eventually, Chapter 5 importantly contributes to the value all parts of this thesis adds to the body of literature on behavioral consequences of LOC by carefully discussion the stability of the trait and thus potential problems with reverse causality in the three other studies as well as in the existing literature in general. In order to access the stability of LOC, the study investigates the reaction of reported LOC to an exogenous unemployment shock. Reassuringly, the empirical analysis finds no long-lasting effects of job losses due to plant closures on LOC and thus cannot reject the common assumption of its stability during adulthood. Nevertheless, the study identifies an important temporary deviation in the measurement of LOC during periods of unemployment and therefore concludes that the reported LOC is affected by unemployment likely due to a situation-specific state effect

How Unemployment Shapes Stated Locus of Control

Due to its extraordinary explanatory power for individual behavior, the interest in the concept of locus of control (LOC) has increased substantially within applied economic research. But, even though LOC has been found to affect economic behavior in many ways, the reliability of these findings is at risk as they commonly rely on the assumption that LOC is stable over the life course. While absolute stability has been generally rejected, the extent to which LOC and thus personality changes is, nonetheless, strongly debated. We contribute to this discussion by analyzing the effect of unemployment on LOC. Based on German panel data, we apply a difference-in-difference approach by using an involuntary job loss as trigger for unemployment. Overall, we find a significant shift in stated LOC due to unemployment. Because the effect is observable during unemployment only and not heterogeneous with respect to individual characteristics or unemployment duration, we conclude that only the stated LOC is biased during unemployment but the underlying personality trait itself is not affected

Development of an integrated solar-fossil powered steam generation system for industrial applications

Das Poster gibt eine kurze Einführung in das Projekt SolSteam, in dem die Integration solaren Prozessdampfes in einen konventionellen Dampferzeuger untersucht wird

The noble gas record of terrestrial and meteoritic samples

Analyses of tellurium and xenon in a telluride ore from Kalgoorlie, Australia resulted in the following conclusions: The ratio of the double beta-decay half-life of 128Te relative to that of 130Te is 1.6 x 103 The double beta-decay half-life of 130Te is 1.0 x 1021 years. The measured half-lives are consistent with values predicted for a second order process of ordinary beta-decay that occurs with the emission of two neutrinos. A study of noble gases in Thailand tektites provided the following information on the history of these objects: The isotopic compositions of nonradiogenic Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe are atmospheric. The abundance pattern of noble gases relative to cosmic abundances shows a selective depletion of the light-weight gases, except at neon. The amounts of excess neon in the tektites and the diffusion coefficient of neon in tektite glass yield a neon diffusion age in agreement with ages estimated by K-Ar and fission track methods. Analyses of the abundance and isotopic composition of noble gases in lava rock from the Mt. Capulin crater cone, New Mexico resulted in the following conclusions: The abundance pattern of noble gases in the lava rock cannot be accounted for by equilibration with atmospheric noble gases. There is a large excess of \u27\u27parentless\u27\u27 40Ar trapped from the hot magma. The isotopic composition of xenon is consistent with a mixture of 90% atmospheric and 10% solar xenon. The absence of excess 129Xe does not support an earlier suggestion that radiogenic 129Xe, found in CO2 gas wells from this region of New Mexico, had been transported to the Earth\u27s surface in hot magmas. The abundance and isotopic composition of noble gases were determined in CO2 well gas from Harding County, New Mexico. The results can be summarized as follows: The presence of relatively large isotopic anomalies of xenon because of radiogenic 129Xe and fissio-genic 131-136Xe is confirmed. The abundance pattern of Ar, Kr, and Xe can be understood in terms of fractionation effects in the release of noble gases to the atmosphere or the adsorption of gases from the atmosphere. An apparent excess of neon results from selective leakage of light weight noble gases into the CO2 gas, or perhaps is an indication that atmospheric neon has escaped from the exosphere. A study of noble gases in an Hawaiian xenolith, a deep-seated magnesium silicate with inclusions of liquid CO2, provided the following information on the interior of the Earth: An excess of 129Xe from the decay of primordial 129I indicates that the formation of the Earth did not appreciably postdate the formation of meteorites. The relative abundances of nonradiogenic Ne, Ar, and Kr are those expected in a melt which equilibrated with a gas reservoir containing atmospheric abundances of these noble gases. The nonradiogenic Xe is ten times higher than expected from equilibration of atmospheric noble gases with a melt, confirming an earlier suggestion that the atmosphere is selectively depleted in Xe relative to the total terrestrial inventory of noble gases. A study of noble gases in a 3.3 x 109 year old anorthosite from Greenland revealed isotopic anomalies of krypton and xenon which could be accounted for by a combination of two effects, a selective enrichment of the heavy isotopes by mass fractionation, and an enrichment of the proton- rich isotopes of Kr and Xe from spallation reactions on Sr and Ba, respectively. The Greenland anorthosite appears to have received an average of about 1.7 kg cm-2 more shielding from cosmic rays than have rocks on the lunar surface, and the bulk of this difference in shielding can be accounted for by the Earth\u27s atmosphere. Analyses of noble gases in three Springfield specimens, identified by the Denver Museum of Natural History with numbers 7029, 379.13 and 6040, revealed different noble gas records for each specimen. These results suggest that the three specimens were separate entities in space and thus represent different meteorites. A review of the isotopic composition of xenon released from carbonaceous chondrites at extraction temperatures of ≈ 600⁰-1000⁰C resulted in the following conclusions: There is a positive correlation in the release of excess proton-rich xenon isotopes and excess neutron-rich xenon isotopes which cannot be explained by the occurrence of nuclear or fractionation processes within the meteorites. Possible sources suggested for this anomalous xenon cornponent are (i) xenon from a supernova explosion, (ii) a mixture of severely mass fractionated xenon with xenon isotopes produced by neutron-induced fission of transbisrnuth elements during the early deuterium burning stage of the sun or (iii) parts of a differentiated planetary body that were enriched in uranium acted as a natural assemblage producing a thermal neutron flux ≈ 3 x 1013 n cm-2 sec-1. The isotopic composition of trapped meteoritic xenon, calculated by subtraction of this anomalous component, is 124Xe: 126Xe: 128Xe: 130Xe: 131Xe: 132Xe: 134Xe: 136Xe = 0.0276: 0.0248: 0.501:1.00: 5.04: 6.19: 2.31: 1.90. --Abstract, pages iii-vii