Universality of Brunnian (NN-body Borromean) four and five-body systems

We compute binding energies and root mean square radii for weakly bound systems of $N=4$ and $5$ identical bosons. Ground and first excited states of an $N$-body system appear below the threshold for binding the system with $N-1$ particles. Their root mean square radii approach constants in the limit of weak binding. Their probability distributions are on average located in non-classical regions of space which result in universal structures. Radii decrease with increasing particle number. The ground states for more than five particles are probably non-universal whereas excited states may be universal

«Throw a boomerang» : können neuartige, social-media-basierte Primärforschungsansätze die Marktforschung von heute revolutionieren?

Ausgangslage und Problemstellung: Valide und aktuelle Informationen zum Markt bilden das Fundament unternehmerischen Handelns, sowohl auf Marketing- als auch auf Geschäftsleitungsebene. Für Unternehmen ist es zentral den Markt, in dem sie agieren und dessen Veränderungen zu verstehen. Dies erweist sich jedoch mit steigender Dynamik der Märkte zunehmend als grosse Herausforderung. Entsprechend stark steigt die Relevanz von Geschwindigkeit und Regelmässigkeit in der Marktforschung. Vor allem kleinere und mittlere Unternehmen haben jedoch oft nicht die notwendigen Ressourcen, um Marktforschung zu betreiben. Diese Problematik verstärkt sich zusätzlich, da die derzeitigen Methoden zunehmend ressourcen- und zeitintensiver werden. Diese gegensätzlichen Entwicklungen führen dazu, dass Unternehmen zunehmend Entscheidungen ohne adäquate Informationsgrundlage treffen müssen. Zielsetzung: Dieser Konflikt führte dazu, dass in den letzten Jahren zunehmend neue Ansätze der Marktforschung aufgekommen sind. Sie nutzen neuartige Kommunikationswege (Social Media) um schnell und einfach an Informationen zum Markt zu gelangen. Einer dieser neuen Ansätze (Boomerang) erweist sich als besonders vielversprechend, da dieser im Gegensatz zu den meisten anderen neuartigen, social-media-basierten Ansätzen auf Primärforschung basiert. Mithilfe der Micro-Targeting-Funktionalitäten von Social Media sowie nutzer- und verhaltensbezogener Daten, können Zielgruppen punktgenau und ohne grosse Streuverluste schnell und einfach befragt werden. Es liegen bereits erste Indikatoren in Form einer Pre-Study der Universität Zürich vor, welche Evidenz für einen grossflächigen Einsatz in der Marktforschung liefern. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war es, weitere Indikatoren für die Eignung dieses Ansatzes zu liefern und so die Evidenzbasis weiter zu festigen. Methodisches Vorgehen: Die bestehende Evidenz validiert lediglich die Repräsentativität dieses neuen Ansatzes. Um die Aussagekraft der Evidenzbasis zu erhöhen, wurde dieser nun zusätzlich in komplexeren Gebieten der Marktforschung getestet. Dazu wurde ein Vergleichsexperiment mit dem derzeitigen Goldstandard im Bereich der Konsumentenverhaltens-Forschung durchgeführt. Die Hauptuntersuchung basierte dabei auf einem adaptierten, 2x2 faktoriellen Experimentaldesign, bei dem mittels t-Tests auf statistisch signifikante Unterschiede zwischen den Gruppen geprüft wurde. Resultate: Mit der Untersuchung konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Messergebnisse, welche mit dem derzeitigen Goldstandard erhoben wurden in den meisten Bereichen nicht signifikant von den Ergebnissen abweichen, welche mit Boomerang erzielt wurden. Entsprechend kann in diesem spezifischen Kontext auf eine Vergleichbarkeit der beiden Ansätze rückgeschlossen werden. Dadurch wird weitere Evidenz für die Eignung solcher neuen Ansätze, auch in komplexeren Bereichen der Marktforschung, geliefert. Fazit: Diese neuartigen Ansätze liefern also eine gute und vergleichbare Alternative zu den etablierten Methoden. Dabei zeigen sich deren Stärken primär in der schnellen, ein-fachen und ressourcenschonenden Möglichkeit Daten zu generieren – ein Aspekt, welcher in zunehmend dynamischen und schnelllebigen Märkten auch in Zukunft weiterhin an Bedeutung gewinnen wird

Picture-Hanging Puzzles

We show how to hang a picture by wrapping rope around n nails, making a polynomial number of twists, such that the picture falls whenever any k out of the n nails get removed, and the picture remains hanging when fewer than k nails get removed. This construction makes for some fun mathematical magic performances. More generally, we characterize the possible Boolean functions characterizing when the picture falls in terms of which nails get removed as all monotone Boolean functions. This construction requires an exponential number of twists in the worst case, but exponential complexity is almost always necessary for general functions.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, 11 puzzles. Journal version of FUN 2012 pape

Identification of a protein encoded in the EB-viral open reading frame BMRF2

Using monospecific rabbit sera against a peptide derived from a potential antigenic region of the Epstein-Barr viral amino acid sequence encoded in the open reading frame BMRF2 we could identify a protein-complex of 53/55 kDa in chemically induced B95-8, P3HR1 and Raji cell lines. This protein could be shown to be membrane-associated, as predicted by previous computer analysis of the secondary structure and hydrophilicity pattern, and may be a member of EBV-induced membrane proteins in lytically infected cells

High (but Not Low) Urinary Iodine Excretion Is Predicted by Iodine Excretion Levels from Five Years Ago

Background: It has not been investigated whether there are associations between urinary iodine (UI) excretion measurements some years apart, nor whether such an association remains after adjustment for nutritional habits. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between iodine-creatinine ratio (ICR) at two measuring points 5 years apart. Methods: Data from 2,659 individuals from the Study of Health in Pomerania were analyzed. Analysis of covariance and Poisson regressions were used to associate baseline with follow-up ICR. Results: Baseline ICR was associated with follow-up ICR. Particularly, baseline ICR >300 mu g/g was related to an ICR >300 mu g/g at follow-up (relative risk, RR: 2.20; p < 0.001). The association was stronger in males (RR: 2.64; p < 0.001) than in females (RR: 1.64; p = 0.007). In contrast, baseline ICR <100 mu g/g was only associated with an ICR <100 mu g/g at follow-up in males when considering unadjusted ICR. Conclusions: We detected only a weak correlation with respect to low ICR. Studies assessing iodine status in a population should take into account that an individual with a low UI excretion in one measurement is not necessarily permanently iodine deficient. On the other hand, current high ICR could have been predicted by high ICR 5 years ago. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base

The Q2Q^2-dependence of the generalised Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integral for the deuteron, proton and neutron

The Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn (GDH) sum rule connects the anomalous contribution to the magnetic moment of the target nucleus with an energy-weighted integral of the difference of the helicity-dependent photoabsorption cross sections. The data collected by HERMES with a deuterium target are presented together with a re-analysis of previous measurements on the proton. This provides a measurement of the generalised GDH integral covering simultaneously the nucleon-resonance and the deep inelastic scattering regions. The contribution of the nucleon-resonance region is seen to decrease rapidly with increasing $Q^2$. The DIS contribution is sizeable over the full measured range, even down to the lowest measured $Q^2$. As expected, at higher $Q^2$ the data are found to be in agreement with previous measurements of the first moment of $g_1$. From data on the deuteron and proton, the GDH integral for the neutron has been derived and the proton--neutron difference evaluated. This difference is found to satisfy the fundamental Bjorken sum rule at $Q^2 = 5$ GeV$^2$.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure

Evidence for Quark-Hadron Duality in the Proton Spin Asymmetry A1A_1

Spin-dependent lepton-nucleon scattering data have been used to investigate the validity of the concept of quark-hadron duality for the spin asymmetry $A_1$. Longitudinally polarised positrons were scattered off a longitudinally polarised hydrogen target for values of $Q^2$ between 1.2 and 12 GeV$^2$ and values of $W^2$ between 1 and 4 GeV$^2$. The average double-spin asymmetry in the nucleon resonance region is found to agree with that measured in deep-inelastic scattering at the same values of the Bjorken scaling variable $x$. This finding implies that the description of $A_1$ in terms of quark degrees of freedom is valid also in the nucleon resonance region for values of $Q^2$ above 1.6 GeV$^2$.Comment: 5 pages, 1 eps figure, table added, new references added, in print in Phys. Rev. Let

The Q^2-Dependence of Nuclear Transparency for Exclusive ρ0\rho^0 Production

Exclusive coherent and incoherent electroproduction of the $\rho^0$ meson from $^1$H and $^{14}$N targets has been studied at the HERMES experiment as a function of coherence length ($l_c$), corresponding to the lifetime of hadronic fluctuations of the virtual photon, and squared four-momentum of the virtual photon ($-Q^2$). The ratio of $^{14}$N to $^1$H cross sections per nucleon, known as nuclear transparency, was found to increase (decrease) with increasing coherence length for coherent (incoherent) $\rho^0$ electroproduction. For fixed coherence length, a rise of nuclear transparency with $Q^2$ is observed for both coherent and incoherent $\rho^0$ production, which is in agreement with theoretical calculations of color transparency.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Investigating the influence of product perception and geometric features

Research in emotional design and Kansei Engineering has shown that aesthetics play a significant role in the appeal of a product. This paper contributes to establishing a methodology to identify the relationships between perceptions, aesthetic features, desire to own and background of consumers. Surveys were conducted with 71 participants to gather their perceptions of 11 vase concepts. Advanced statistical analyses, including mixed models, were applied to allow generalisation of the results beyond the data sample. Significant relations between the desire to own a product and how the product is perceived were found (the desire to own was found to be related to beautiful, expensive, elegant, exciting, feminine, common and dynamic vases), as well as between the perceptions and the parameters describing the form of the vases (a vase was perceived as beautiful if it had many curved lines and was simple and tall). An automated mixed model analysis was conducted and revealed that general rules can be found between aesthetic features, perceptions and ownership, which can apply across gender and culture. The findings include design rules that link aesthetic features with perceptions. These contribute to research as guidelines for design synthesis and can either be implemented via shape grammars or parametric modelling approaches. These rules are also interesting for 3D printing applications, especially important when the consumer is the designer. Some of these design rules are linked to the desire to own a product, they have implications for industry, and they offer guidelines to creating attractive products that people want to own