A Corrective to Bovens and Hartmann's Measure of Coherence

Bovens and Hartmann (2003a, 2003b) propose to analyze coherence as a confidence-boosting property. On the basis of this idea, they construct a new probabilistic theory of coherence. In this paper, I will attempt to show that the resulting measure of coherence clashes with some of the intuitions that motivate it. Also, I will try to show that this clash is not due to the view on coherence as a confidence-boosting property or to the general features of the model that Bovens and Hartmann use to analyze coherence. It will turn out that there is at least one other measure that is similarly based on the concept of a confidence-boosting property, but does not have the same counterintuitive results

Signal processing techniques related to laboratory measurements of ultrasonic S-wave velocities in rocks

This thesis aims to evaluate the effect of signal processing techniques related to ultrasonic laboratory measurements of shear waves. Compressional and shear wave velocities play an important role in static elastic rock deformation behaviour estimation. Onsets of compressional and shear wave signal have to be determined in order to calculate the corresponding wave propagation velocity. Onset estimation by automation is especially problematic in shear wave signals due to noise caused by reflections and refractions, which results in inaccurate onset estimations and, therefore, requires manual onset picking which is time-inefficient and, hence, costly. Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) is the automated picking method applied to the ultrasonic signals in this thesis. By efficiently processing shear wave signals it was tried to optimize the results of the AIC. Ten processing techniques from biomedical engineering, statistical signal processing, audio and speech processing and RADAR applications were thoroughly researched. Their applicability to ultrasonic signals was reasoned based on literature. Six applicable signal processing techniques were eventually applied to 30 synthetic and 30 real ultrasonic signals. The mean and standard deviation of the error related to onset estimation before and after processing was used for evaluation. Visual comparison before and after processing was also executed to evaluate the visual impact of the processing techniques. Results showed that only a Butterworth high-pass filter visually enhances synthetic and real ultrasonic signals and improves the mean and standard deviation with respect to onset estimation. A Chebyshev high-pass filter also improved onset estimation results, but deteriorated the visual interpretation of the time signals. A simple amplitude filter unexpectedly provided the best results with respect to onset estimation. It is concluded from this studies that onset estimation by AIC can be improved by application of related signal processing techniques. This could be beneficial in estimation static deformation behaviour. Potential room for improvement is found within parameter optimisation and synthetic signal production

The Third-party Model: Enhancing Volunteering through Governments, Corporations and Educational Institutes

Volunteering is perceived as important for creating social capital and civil society, and therefore has become a fundamental part of social policies across most Western countries. In this article, we examine the involvement of governments, corporations and educational institutes in encouraging volunteering, and pinpoint their role in developing volunteering circles. Based on essential concepts presented here (volunteerability and recruitability), we develop the third-party model, and show how third parties get involved. We identify new ways in which these parties can enhance volunteering, and discuss their impact on volunteerability and recruitability. The potential negative impacts of volunteerism and ways in which these can be ameliorated are also acknowledged. Finally, issues that arise due to such involvement are also discussed, thereby offering an important contribution to social policy research in the area of volunteerism

Loess stratigraphy in Dutch and Belgian Limburg

Ziel dieser Veröffentlichung ist es, für einen Abschnitt entlang des Albert Kanals in Niederländisch und Belgisch Limburg eine Übersicht zur Lössstratigraphie zu erstellen. Die Arbeit gründet sich vor allem auf Feldaufnahmen und Schwermineralanalysen. An Talhängen und zwischen Flussterrassen kam es zur Sedimentation und Erhaltung mächtiger, reich gegliederter Lössablagerungen. Die Wände des Albert Kanals, Lössaufschlüsse im angrenzenden Gebiet und vier große archäologische Ausgrabungen wurden untersucht. Auf Grund von charakteristischen lithologischen und paläopedologischen Leithorizonten, mineralogischen und chronologischen Daten und deren Korrelation mit Lössaufschlüssen in Hessen wurde eine lössstratigraphische Übersicht für die Zeit seit dem Holstein-Interglazial erstellt, welche sich mit Ozean- und Eisisotopenabfolgen sowie mit festländischen Pollenzonen korrelieren lassen. Es lassen sich vier glaziale Lösszyklen und fünf interglaziale Paläoböden auf der Rothem Terrasse der Maas ausmachen.researc