Temperature dependence of the dielectric function in the spectral range (0.5–8.5) eV of an In2O3 thin film

We present the dielectric function of a bcc-In2O3 thin film in the wide spectral range from nearinfrared to vacuum-ultraviolet and for temperatures 10 K–300K, determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. From the temperature dependence of electronic transition energies, we derive electron-phonon coupling properties and found hints that the direct parabolic band-band transitions involve In-d states. Further we discuss possible excitonic contributions to the dielectric function

Cellular Automata Simulating Experimental Properties of Traffic Flows

A model for 1D traffic flow is developed, which is discrete in space and time. Like the cellular automaton model by Nagel and Schreckenberg [J. Phys. I France 2, 2221 (1992)], it is simple, fast, and can describe stop-and-go traffic. Due to its relation to the optimal velocity model by Bando et al. [Phys. Rev. E 51, 1035 (1995)], its instability mechanism is of deterministic nature. The model can be easily calibrated to empirical data and displays the experimental features of traffic data recently reported by Kerner and Rehborn [Phys. Rev. E 53, R1297 (1996)].Comment: For related work see http://www.theo2.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/helbing.html and http://traffic.comphys.uni-duisburg.de/member/home_schreck.htm

Knowledge, Attitudes, or Normative Beliefs: What Matters When Teachers Want to Teach Geography Competency-Based?

Geographielehrkräfte scheinen zwar über Wissen zu kompetenzorientiertem Unterricht (KU) in der Geographie zu verfügen, setzen dieses Wissen jedoch oft nicht im Unterricht um. Diese Lücke zwischen Theorie und Handeln ist erklärungsbedürftig. Daher wird in diesem Beitrag anhand einer Studie mit 60 Lehrkräften der Geographie (Sekun darstufe I) aus Baden-Württemberg und Rheinland-Pfalz versucht, die Intention, KU in der Geographie durchzufüh ren, als Zusammenspiel verschiedener Einflussgrößen, nämlich von Einstellungen und normativen Überzeugungen zu KU, die wiederum durch Wissen über KU und Alter bzw. Lehrerfahrung beeinflusst werden, zu betrachten. Die vorliegende Studie zeigt, dass in der genannten Stichprobe ein breites Spektrum an Wissen über und Einstellungen zu KU vorhanden ist und dass die Lehrpersonen in ihren Intentionen, im nächsten Schuljahr KU einzusetzen, variieren. Diese Intentionen waren, ebenso wie das Wissen über KU, abhängig vom Alter der Lehrpersonen. Das Alter der Lehrpersonen korreliert außerdem negativ sowohl mit den Einstellungen zu KU als auch mit den normativen Überzeugungen zu KU. Nicht nur das Alter und das Wissen über KU, sondern auch die Einstellungen und normative Überzeugungen zu KU sagten die Intention vorher, kompetenzorientiert zu unterrichten, und klärten insgesamt etwa 79% der Varianz auf. Wenn jedoch Alter und Wissen über KU sowie die Einstellungen zu KU zuerst kontrolliert wur den, leisteten normative Überzeugungen zu KU keinen zusätzlichen Beitrag an der Varianzaufklärung mehr. Einstel lungen zu KU beeinflussten daher maßgeblich die Intentionen, solchen Unterricht einzusetzen. Es wird diskutiert, auf welche weiteren Faktoren, die restlichen 21% der Varianz zurückgeführt werden können.Teachers of geography appear to possess a good knowledge of how to teach in a competency-based manner but they hardly act upon that knowledge when teaching. To address this gap between theory and practice, a study was conducted involving 60 geography teachers from German secondary schools. The extent to which the geography teachers’ intentions to teach competency-based could be predicted by their attitudes towards and normative beliefs about competency-based teaching was assessed. Furthermore, the interplay of those predictors with knowledge about competency-based teaching of geography and teacher’s age was examined. In this sample, a wide range of knowledge and differing attitudes towards teaching geography in a competency-based manner was found. This group of teachers also differed widely in terms of their intentions to teach geography competency-based within the next school year. The teachers’ age had an influence on both the intentions as well as the knowledge of compe tency-based teaching. Age was also negatively correlated with both attitudes towards and normative beliefs about teaching geography in a competency-based way. Age, knowledge, attitudes and normative beliefs were all predictors of teachers’ intentions to teach geography in a competency-based manner, explaining 79% of the variance. However, only attitudes towards competency- based teaching of geography predicted variance in intentions, even after the effects of age, knowledge and normative beliefs were controlled for. This suggests that teachers’ attitudes towards teaching geography competency-based significantly influence their intentions to use this teaching approach. Other factors, which might explain the variance that could not be accounted for, are discussed

Post-Quantum TLS on Embedded Systems

We present our integration of post-quantum cryptography (PQC), more specifically of the post-quantum KEM scheme Kyber for key establishment and the post-quantum signature scheme SPHINCS$^+$, into the embedded TLS library mbed TLS. We measure the performance of these post-quantum primitives on four different embedded platforms with three different ARM processors and an Xtensa LX6 processor. Furthermore, we compare the performance of our experimental PQC cipher suite to a classical TLS variant using elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). Post-quantum key establishment and signature schemes have been either integrated into TLS or ported to embedded devices before. However, to the best of our knowledge, we are the first to combine TLS, post-quantum schemes, and embedded systems and to measure and evaluate the performance of post-quantum TLS on embedded platforms. Our results show that post-quantum key establishment with Kyber performs well in TLS on embedded devices compared to ECC variants. The use of SPHINCS$^+$ signatures comes with certain challenges in terms of signature size and signing time, which mainly affects the use of embedded systems as PQC-TLS server but does not necessarily prevent embedded systems to act as PQC-TLS clients

Shaping The Future: Developing Principles for Policy Recommendations for Responsible Innovation in Virtual Worlds

As Extended Reality (XR) technologies continue to evolve at a rapid pace, they hold the promise of transforming the way we interact both with digital information and the physical world. Whilst Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies offer unbridled opportunities for social connections, productivity, and play, these rapid technological advancements also pose critical challenges to ethics, privacy, accessibility, and safety. At present, there is little policy documentation that directly addresses the novel affordances posed by XR technologies, leading to a ‘policy void’ in this space. Having clear and effective policy frameworks prior to the widespread adoption of technology encourages and enables responsible and ethical innovation of XR technologies. This workshop is therefore dedicated to developing forward-thinking principles to guide policy recommendations that address potential future vulnerabilities posed by the widespread adoption of XR technologies whilst simultaneously encouraging the responsible innovation of new advancements within XR. To ensure these policy recommendations promote responsible innovation, the workshop will assemble multidisciplinary academics, industry developers and international policymakers. Our goal is to ensure that all perspectives are considered such that we can collaboratively chart a responsible and sustainable course for the XR landscape

Temperature dependence of the dielectric function in the spectral range (0.5–8.5) eV of an In2O3 thin film

We present the dielectric function of a bcc-In2O3 thin film in the wide spectral range from nearinfrared to vacuum-ultraviolet and for temperatures 10 K–300K, determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. From the temperature dependence of electronic transition energies, we derive electron-phonon coupling properties and found hints that the direct parabolic band-band transitions involve In-d states. Further we discuss possible excitonic contributions to the dielectric function

Structural snapshot of a bacterial phytochrome in its functional intermediate state

Phytochromes are modular photoreceptors of plants, bacteria and fungi that use light as a source of information to regulate fundamental physiological processes. Interconversion between the active and inactive states is accomplished by a photoinduced reaction sequence which couples the sensor with the output module. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is yet not fully understood due to the lack of structural data of functionally relevant intermediate states. Here we report the crystal structure of a Meta-F intermediate state of an Agp2 variant from Agrobacterium fabrum. This intermediate, the identity of which was verified by resonance Raman spectroscopy, was formed by irradiation of the parent Pfr state and displays significant reorientations of almost all amino acids surrounding the chromophore. Structural comparisons allow identifying structural motifs that might serve as conformational switch for initiating the functional secondary structure change that is linked to the (de-)activation of these photoreceptors

Anonymität und Mobilität - Whitepaper zum Begriffs- und Domänenverständnis des Kompetenzcluster ANYMOS – Anonymisierung für vernetzte Mobilitätssysteme

In ANYMOS werden Anforderungen und Methoden für eine Anonymisierung und anschließende Auswertung von zuvor personenbezogenen Daten untersucht. Dabei wird im Kompetenzcluster die Anwendungsdomäne Mobilität betrachtet und sich auf den Personenverkehr, da durch die Mobilität von Gütern nicht immer unmittelbar personenbezogene Daten anfallen, fokussiert. Die Notwendigkeit des Kompetenzclusters ANYMOS ergibt sich daraus, dass im Mobilitätsbereich bei zahlreichen Anwendungen große Datenmengen anfallen und es aufgrund der zu erwartenden Entwicklungen zu einem weiteren Anstieg dieser Datenmenge kommen wird. Um diese Daten in Zukunft sinnvoll nutzen zu können, ohne dabei durch die Verwendung personenbezogener Daten Persönlichkeitsrechte und/oder rechtliche Vorgaben zu verletzen, muss zunächst erforscht werden, wann diese Daten gesammelt werden und inwieweit sie auch nach einer Anonymisierung noch über einen Nutzwert verfügen. Im zweiten Abschnitt des Whitepapers wird daher zunächst Anonymität beschrieben und das Spannungsfeld zwischen juristischem und technischen Begriffsverständnis erörtert. Im dritten Abschnitt erfolgt eine Strukturierung der Mobilitätsdomäne. Dadurch soll das gemeinsame Verständnis der Begrifflichkeiten und der Relevanz der verschiedenen Themenbereiche für das Kompetenzcluster ANYMOS gefördert werden. Abschließend wird ein Ausblick – auch auf die weiteren Arbeiten in ANYMOS gegeben

Optimized management of urolithiasis by coloured stent-stone contrast using dual-energy computed tomography (DECT)

Background We analysed in vitro the appearance of commonly used ureteral stents with dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) and we used these characteristics to optimize the differentiation between stents and adjacent stone. Methods We analysed in vitro a selection of 36 different stents from 7 manufacturers. They were placed in a self-build phantom model and measured using the SOMATOM® Force Dual Source CT-Scanner (Siemens, Forchheim, Germany). Each sample was scanned at various tube potentials of 80 and 150 peak kilovoltage (kVp), 90 and 150 kVp and 100 and 150 kVp. The syngo Post-Processing Suite software program (Siemens, Forchheim, Germany) was used for differentiation based on a 3–material decomposition algorithm (UA, calcium, urine) according to our standard stone protocol. Results Stents composed of polyurethane appeared blue and silicon-based stents were red on the image. The determined appearances were constant for various peak kilovoltage (kVp) values. The coloured stent-stone-contrast displayed on DECT improves monitoring, especially of small calculi adjacent to indwelling ureteral stents. Conclusion Both urinary calculi and ureteral stents can be accurately differentiated by a distinct appearance on DECT. For the management of urolithiasis patients can be monitored more easily and accurately using DECT if the stent shows a different colour than the adjacent stone