Blockchain technology in the area of e-Governance – Guidelines for implementation

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Information Systems and Technologies ManagementThe perception of the public administration among society is widely associated with the area before the digital age and the information revolution: Less efficiency, less democratic, partially transparent, majorly bureaucratic, insufficient service quality, and slow responsiveness. Driven by information and communication technologies, there is an urgent need for disrupting the public sector to improve government decisions, increase the trust of citizens and their participation possibilities as well as enhance government accountability and transparency. The blockchain as a novel and innovative technology with its underlaying technological concept provides a plausible solution to reinvent the public administration processes and transactions with other governments, businesses, or citizens. This dissertation follows a design science research approach to apply multiple analytical methods and perspectives to create an artifact. The type of evidence within this methodology is a systematic literature review, with the goal to attain insights into the current state-of-the-art research of blockchain technology in the area of e-Governance. Additionally, proven best practices from the industry are examined in depth to further strengthen the credibility. Thereby, the systematic literature review shall be used to pinpoint, analyze, and comprehend the obtainable empirical studies and research questions. This methodology supports the main goal of this dissertation, to develop and propose evidence-based practice guidelines for the implementation of blockchain technology that can be followed by the public administration

Numerical Studies on the Magnetism of Fe-Ni-Mn Alloys in the Invar Region

By means of self-consistent semi-empirical LCAO calculations we study the itinerant magnetism of (Fe_{0.65}Ni_{0.35})_{1-y} Mn_y alloys for y between 0 and 0.22 at T=0 K, neglecting only the transverse spin components. We find that the magnetic behaviour is quite complicated on a local scale. In addition to ferromagnetic behaviour, also metastable spin-glass-like configurations are found. In the same approach, using a direct numerical calculation by the Kubo-Formalism without any fit parameters, we also calculate the electrical conductance in the magnetic state and find that the $y$-dependence observed in the experiments is well reproduced by our calculations, except of an overall factor of rougly 5, by which our resistivities are too large.Comment: 12 pages (Latex, to be applied 2 times) + 13 figures (eps-files

Ab-initio-calculations of the GMR-effect in Fe/V multilayers

In a self-consistent semi-empirical numerical approach based on ab-initio-calculations for small samples, we evaluate the GMR effect for disordered (001)-(3--Fe/3--V)$_\infty$ multilayers by means of a Kubo formalism. We consider four different types of disorder arrangements: In case (i) and (ii), the disorder consists in the random interchange of some Fe and V atoms, respectively, at interface layers; in case (iii) in the formation of small groups of three substitutional Fe atoms in a V interface layer and a similar V group in a Fe layer at a different interface; and for case (iv) in the substitution of some V atoms in the innermost V layers by Fe. For cases (i) and (ii), depending on the distribution of the impurities, the GMR effect is enhanced or reduced by increasing disorder, in case (iii) the GMR effect is highest, whereas finally, in case (iv), a negative GMR is obtained (''inverse GMR'').Comment: LaTex, 30 pages, including 16 drawings; to appear in JMM

Fachsprachenförderung durch Mittlerorganisationen: Aktuelle Entwicklungen im Spannungsfeld von wirtschaftspolitischen Interessen und weltweiten Veränderungen in der Nachfrage nach Deutsch

Dem Beitrag liegt die Beobachtung zugrunde, dass sich die Auswärtige Kultur- und Bildungspolitik (AKBP) der Bundesrepublik Deutschland nicht nur an kultur-, bildungs- und wissenschaftspolitischen Zielsetzungen, sondern zumindest in Teilen auch an wirtschaftspolitischen Interessen orientiert. Im Aufgabenbereich der deutschen Mittlerorganisationen betrifft dies insbesondere die Sprachförderung, vor allem mit Fach- und Berufsbezug. Zugleich lässt sich auch auf der Nachfrageseite seit einigen Jahren ein steigendes Interesse an Deutsch mit Anwendungsbezug und im Hinblick auf konkrete berufliche Perspektiven beobachten. Ziel des Beitrags ist es, nach einer einführenden Bestimmung des Begriffs Fachsprache aktuelle konjunkturelle Entwicklungen in Deutschland auf der einen und Tendenzen in der Deutschlehrerausbildung an ausländischen Hochschulen auf der anderen Seite zu beleuchten. Ausgehend von den skizzierten Begründungszusammenhängen werden anschließend die wichtigsten Programme und Initiativen verschiedener Mittlerorganisationen im Bereich der Fachsprachenförderung vorgestellt und systematisiert. In der Abschlussbetrachtung erfolgt eine kritische Reflexion der damit in Verbindung stehenden Herausforderungen sowie die Formulierung zentraler Desiderata.This article is based on the observation that Germany’s cultural relations and education policy does not only take into account objectives in cultural, educational and scientific policy, but also economic aims. In the remit of German intermediary organisations, this observation mainly concerns the promotion of German language, especially for technical and vocational contexts. At the same time, the demand for German language training for job-related purposes with strong application possibilities has increased in the last couple of years. Following an introductory definition of ‘technical language’, this article aims at examining the current development of the German economy on the one and global tendencies in German teacher training at universities abroad on the other side. Based on this outline, important programmes and initiatives run by different German intermediary organisations will be presented and systematized. A critical reflexion of the challenges in this field and some essential desiderata will be presented in the conclusion

Fachsprachenförderung durch Mittlerorganisationen: Aktuelle Entwicklungen im Spannungsfeld von wirtschaftspolitischen Interessen und weltweiten Veränderungen in der Nachfrage nach Deutsch

Dem Beitrag liegt die Beobachtung zugrunde, dass sich die Auswärtige Kultur- und Bildungspolitik (AKBP) der Bundesrepublik Deutschland nicht nur an kultur-, bildungs- und wissenschaftspolitischen Zielsetzungen, sondern zumindest in Teilen auch an wirtschaftspolitischen Interessen orientiert. Im Aufgabenbereich der deutschen Mittlerorganisationen betrifft dies insbesondere die Sprachförderung, vor allem mit Fach- und Berufsbezug. Zugleich lässt sich auch auf der Nachfrageseite seit einigen Jahren ein steigendes Interesse an Deutsch mit Anwendungsbezug und im Hinblick auf konkrete berufliche Perspektiven beobachten. Ziel des Beitrags ist es, nach einer einführenden Bestimmung des Begriffs Fachsprache aktuelle konjunkturelle Entwicklungen in Deutschland auf der einen und Tendenzen in der Deutschlehrerausbildung an ausländischen Hochschulen auf der anderen Seite zu beleuchten. Ausgehend von den skizzierten Begründungszusammenhängen werden anschließend die wichtigsten Programme und Initiativen verschiedener Mittlerorganisationen im Bereich der Fachsprachenförderung vorgestellt und systematisiert. In der Abschlussbetrachtung erfolgt eine kritische Reflexion der damit in Verbindung stehenden Herausforderungen sowie die Formulierung zentraler Desiderata

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument Plant Community Composition and Structure Monitoring, 2011 Annual Report

Executive Summary The Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network (NGPN) was established to develop and provide scientifically credible information on the current status and long-term trends of the composition, structure, and function of ecosystems in thirteen parks located in five northern Great Plains states. NGPN identified upland plant communities, exotic plant early detection, and riparian lowland communities as vital signs that can be used to better understand the condition of terrestrial park ecosystems (Gitzen et al. 2010). Upland and riparian ecosystems are important targets for vegetation monitoring because the status and trends in plant communities provide critical insights into the status and trends of other biotic components within those ecosystems. In 2011, NGPN began plant community monitoring in Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (AGFO). We visited six long-term monitoring plots from June 13-16th, 2011, and recorded a total of 109 vascular plant species. This effort was the first year in a multiple-year venture to understand the status of upland plant communities in AGFO. At the end of five years, there will be an in-depth report describing the status of the plant community. In 2013, we will also revisit legacy plots that were established as part of the Prairie Cluster prototype monitoring. In this report, we provide a simple summary of our results from sampling in 2011. We found the following: • There was considerable variation among plots, but on average bare soil was one-third of ground cover. The absolute vascular plant cover was high due to a wet spring and early summer. Grasses and sedges made up the bulk of vascular plant cover at all sites. • The sites at AGFO had a large diversity of vascular plants. Average native species richness in the 10 m2 plots was 15 ± 2.9 species. Forbs, or broad-leaved herbaceous plants, were more diverse than graminoids, despite making up less of the total cover. • Exotic species occurred in all six plots we visited; however, the relative cover of exotics species was less than 10% across the plots. • The most common disturbance in plots at AGFO was small mammal burrowing, which occurred at four of the six sites

Ökonomische Analyse europäischer Bankenregulierung: Verbriefung und Interbankenmarkt im Fokus

Die Bankenneuregulierung der Europäische Kommission sieht eine Beschränkung der Kreditvergabe im Interbankenmarkt auf 25 % des Eigenkapitals sowie einen Selbsteinbehalt des Originators in Höhe von 5 % am gesamten zu verbriefenden Forderungsportfolio vor. Eine starre Regulierung führt aber nicht zwingend zu einer dauerhaften Krisenprävention, wie die vorliegende Arbeit modelltheoretisch belegt. Eine starre Kreditvergabebeschränkung erreicht zwar eine Mindestdiversifikation und Eigenkapitalaufstockung im Bankensektor, wodurch das systemische Risiko gesenkt wird. Allerdings geht dies mit steigenden Transaktionskosten einher. Anhand eines Modells von Fender und Mitchell werden die Auswirkungen auf die Screening-Anstrengungen bei Verbriefungen mit komplettem Portfolioselbsteinbehalt, Einbehalt der Equity Tranche und Einbehalt eines vertikalen Anteils durch den Originator untersucht. Aus dem Modell wird ersichtlich, dass ein vertikaler Einbehalt kleiner 100 % des Forderungspools, wie er von der Europäischen Kommission vorgesehen ist, in keiner Situation zu einem optimalen Screening-Einsatz führt, sondern sogar teilweise eine Verschlechterung im Vergleich zum Einbehalt der Equity Tranche darstellt. Eine pauschale Regulierung ist deshalb abzulehnen und eine qualitative, dynamische Regulierung, die mehr Transparenz schafft, zu befürworten. -- The new regulation for banks by the European Commission contains a restriction to 25 % of the equity for credit allocation on the interbank market and an enduring participation of the originator in the whole receivables portfolio of 5 %. But an inflexible regulation does not permanently prevent the market from further financial crisis, which is theoretically analysed in the presented paper. Indeed an inflexible restriction of the equity for credit allocation achieves a minimum diversification and an equity increase on the banking sector, which reduces the systemic risk. Admittedly, this can only occur by acceptance of increasing transaction costs. By applying a model from Fender and Mitchell the impact of the screening efforts for securitizations with complete retention of the portfolio, the retention of the equity tranche and the retention of the vertical fraction by the originator is analysed. The model shows that a vertical retention smaller than 100 % of the pool of receivables, as proposed by the European Commission, does not lead to an optimal level of screening in any situation and might even cause a worsening in comparison to the retention of the equity tranche. Considering the complexity of the financial system, a sweeping regulation must be rejected and a qualitative, dynamic regulation that establishes a higher level of transparency is recommended.Bankenregulierung,Verbriefung,Selbstbehalt,Interbankenmarkt

Second sound in the crossover from the Bose-Einstein condensate to the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superfluid

Second sound is an entropy wave which propagates in the superfluid component of a quantum liquid. Because it is an entropy wave, it probes the thermodynamic properties of the quantum liquid. Here, we study second sound propagation for a large range of interaction strengths within the crossover between a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) and the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superfluid, extending previous work at unitarity. In particular, we investigate the strongly-interacting regime where currently theoretical predictions only exist in terms of an interpolation in the crossover. Working with a quantum gas of ultracold fermionic 6Li atoms with tunable interactions, we show that the second sound speed varies only slightly in the crossover regime. By varying the excitation procedure, we gain deeper insight on sound propagation. We compare our measurement results with classical-field simulations, which help with the interpretation of our experiments