Two-dimensional Ising model on random lattices with constant coordination number

We study the two-dimensional Ising model on a network with a novel type of quenched topological (connectivity) disorder. We construct random lattices of constant coordination number and perform large scale Monte Carlo simulations in order to obtain critical exponents using finite-size scaling relations. We find disorder-dependent effective critical exponents, similar to diluted models, showing thus no clear universal behavior. Considering the very recent results for the two-dimensional Ising model on proximity graphs and the coordination number correlation analysis suggested by Barghathi and Vojta (2014), our results indicate that the planarity and connectedness of the lattice play an important role on deciding whether the phase transition is stable against quenched topological disorder.Comment: LaTeX, 20 pages, 12 figure

Large and lasting regional disparities in municipal investments

The regional dispersion of local public investment in Germany is very uneven. Even a comparison between the states shows considerable differences in gross investment. Municipalities in Bavaria currently invest more than three times as much per capita as those in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. There are even greater differences between districts and independent cities, both nationwide and within the federal states. In 2013, the district of Munich invested 724 euros per inhabitant, in other words, almost 700 euros more than the independent city of Wilhelmshaven in Lower Saxony (35 euros per inhabitant). There are disparities within Bavaria, too, with the independent city of Weiden spending 560 euros less (160 euros per inhabitant) than the district of Munich. Our analysis demonstrates that there have been virtually no changes in the regional dispersion of investment spending over time. Around 83 percent of the weakest quartile of all municipalities in 2000 were still in the lower half of the distribution 14 years later. Overall, investment in economically strong municipalities is considerably higher than in the structurally weak regions. The level of investment has a positive correlation with high tax revenues and a negative one with high social security spending, a negative fiscal balance, and high levels of debt. Municipalities that are less competitive today will continue to struggle in the long term due to a lack of investment. This compounds differences in infrastructure and quality of location which are important general conditions for future economic performance

Picosecond ionization dynamics in femtosecond filaments at high pressures

We investigate the plasma dynamics inside a femtosecond-pulse-induced filament generated in an argon gas for a wide range of pressures up to 60 bar. At higher pressures, we observe ionization immediately following a pulse, with up to a threefold increase in the electron density within 30 ps after the filamentary propagation of a femtosecond pulse. Our study suggests that this picosecond evolution can be attributed to collisional ionization including Penning and associative ionizations and electron-impact ionization of excited atoms generated during the pulse. The dominance of excited atoms over ionized atoms at the end of the pulse also indicates an intrapulse inhibition of avalanche ionization. This delayed ionization dynamics provides evidence for diagnosing atomic and molecular excitation and ionization in intense laser interaction with high-pressure gases

Lights, Camera, Inquiry!: Setting the Stage for a Year of Inquiry

This article describes my own inquiry. As I work to prepare and start a new school year. I show how I consider the classroom environment to have a strong connection to the success of inquiry in the science classroom. I describe how I use the process of inquiry as a starting point and how I use specific actions to create an environment that pushes students to move beyond restating known information. Finally, I address the need for a teacher\u27s own change and the importance for our own risk-taking behaviors. This article promotes National Science Education Content Standards A and B, and Iowa Teaching Standards 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6

Cracking Down: A Longitudinal Study of the Judiciary\u27s Changing War on Drugs

In the United States, drugs continue to be a longstanding problem, causing the addictions and deaths of millions of people. Although drug and drug epidemic trends change with the passage of time, their similarly harmful effects on humanity and society have remained the same. Through drug rehabilitation, particularly Drug Courts, a great deal of the chaos caused by drugs has been stopped. Through research, including the examination of studies, facts, epidemics, drug trends over time, and personal experience working with judges who have helped to create Drug Courts, I conclude that adaptability and group effort were the key pieces in successful -- sobering and lasting -- treatment for drug addicts, particularly those whose addictions are the nexus for criminal lifestyles. This research is of great importance, as there is potential for it to be used in many different rehabilitation programs to pinpoint the best ways to treat addiction and greatly change the way society deals with addiction

Vol. 9 No. 2, Spring 2018; Law is a Battlefield: Why Musicians and Politicians Both Lose with Blanket Licensing

When musicians allege that politicians they dislike have used their music without authorization, those allegations make the news, but rarely, if ever, do those news sources mention when the politicians have purchased licenses for that music. Unsurprisingly, copyright law is never a topic of media mention. Licensing is a straightforward, nondiscriminatory procedure that allows anyone who pays the necessary fee the right to exercise the license. When it comes to political uses, however, copyright law loses in a landslide to public opinion, which dictates how vocal opponents think licenses should work without acknowledging how licenses do work. Academia can count on one hand the number of times legal scholars have attempted to reconcile these misconceptions and misrepresentations with reality, though those few attempts have yet to strike a chord. Those that have proposed changes to licensing have not been able to do so without implementing biases for the benefit of musicians, nor without unintentionally proposing reforms that set up the possibility of discrimination in licensing. This Comment explores the need for music licensing reform specifically for political uses, and suggests means of implementing reforms into licensing practice that do not write discrimination into the necessarily neutral process

The portrayal of the nature of science in early childhood instructional materials

One issue plaguing science education and science teaching is the way in which the nature of science is portrayed in science classrooms. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which the nature of science is presented in early childhood instructional materials and the accuracy of those NOS portrayals. This study demonstrates that the current representation of NOS is accurate but implicit in most instances. The researcher describes several implications and suggestions for further research in this area