Improvements to the ILC Upstream Polarimeter

The physics programme of the ILC requires polarimetry with yet unprecedented precision. This note focusses on aspects of the upstream polarimeter as described in the ILC Reference Design Report which are not compatible with the extraordinary precision goals. In conclusion, recommendations for improving the design are given.Comment: to appear in the proceedings of LCWS 200

Credibility at stake? News representations and discursive constructions of national environmental reputation and place brand image: The case of clean, green New Zealand

This thesis explores news media representations and discursive constructions of a country’s environmental reputation and “green” place brand image using the example of clean, green New Zealand. In particular, it examines Australian, UK and US press coverage of New Zealand’s environmental performance linked to carbon emissions, and its branding, to determine the perceived credibility and potential vulnerability of the country’s clean, green and 100% Pure global environmental positioning. The thesis follows the argumentation that, as calls for environmental responsibility are growing louder, the global competitiveness of nations and places increasingly depends on their ability to convince audiences both domestic and overseas of their environmental credentials and integrity. As a main carrier of country reputation and channel through which place image travels, the mass media play a crucial role with regard to the perceived legitimacy and credibility of a place’s brand positioning. Guided by a qualitative, mild social constructionist research paradigm and software-assisted discourse analysis and qualitative content analysis, the thesis establishes the background, context and meaning of clean, green New Zealand through a review of secondary data. It further examines the amount and nature of Australian, UK and US press coverage of New Zealand’s environmental performance (carbon emissions) and branding (clean, green and 100% Pure) during 2008-2012. Findings are discussed both with regard to existing theories on media representations and perceptions of places and national reputation, and the factors influencing environmental news coverage, such as news media’s indexing tendency, newsworthiness, journalistic norms, issue cycles and media attention spans. Particular attention is paid to the possible reasons for changes in coverage over time and differences across countries. With regard to NZ’s perceived environmental credibility, findings indicate that within the country there is growing unrest and uncertainty about the legitimacy of the clean, green and 100% Pure brand positioning. Changes in political discourse from sustainability to economic growth built on measures not easily compatible with the branding, position the country at a critical juncture regarding the legitimacy of its global environmental positioning. In terms of overseas news coverage, the study shows that, contrary to a generally favourable perception at the beginning of the study period in 2008, ending the year 2012 NZ was no longer in the spotlight as an environmental leader with regard to carbon emissions, but instead had become a minor player the global community largely ignored in the climate change arena. Judging from Australian media coverage, NZ’s environmental reputation was still largely intact there, while in the UK and the US isolated unfavourable articles could be first signals of a shift in perceptions. In the absence of both symbolic actions and the coverage needed to maintain the image and reputation, NZ’s global environmental positioning has become more vulnerable. Having said that, because unfavourable coverage of clean, green and 100% Pure was found to be comparatively scarce, the study concludes that there is still an opportunity to maintain NZ’s environmental reputation by backing it up with business and government leadership in the environmental arena

Who is Multimodal? An Analysis of Commuting in Chicago

The goal of this research is to learn about the commuting behaviors and preferences of people living in the city of Chicago. Specifically, we want to examine the characteristics of people who use multiple travel options, or modes, to get to work; this is referred to as multimodal commuting. We hypothesize that there are factors that influence an individual\u27s mode of commute, and that time spent commuting is a critical factor. We also want to test if these factors relate to an individual being a multimodal commuter

Transforming Analogous Time Series Data to Improve Natural Gas Demand Forecast Accuracy

This work improves daily natural gas demand forecasting models for days with unusual weather patterns through the use of analogous data (also known as surrogate data). To develop accurate mathematical models, data are required that describe the system. When this data does not completely describe the system or all possible events in the system, alternative methods are used to account for this lack of information. Improved models can be built by supplementing the lack of data with data or models from sources where more information is available. Time series forecasting involves building models using a set of historical data. When enough historical data are available, the set used to train models exhibits ample variation. This results in higher accuracy in GasDay natural gas demand forecasting models, since there is a wide range of history to describe. In real-world applications, this also means that the data are more realistic, due to the stochastic nature of real events. However, it is not always the case that enough historical data are available. This may be due to few years of available historical data, or a case where available data does not exhibit as much variation as desired. By taking advantage of GasDay\u27s many customers from various geographical locations, a large pool of data sets may be used to address this problem of insufficient data. Data from utilities of similar climate or gas use may be used to build useful models for other utilities. In other words, available data sets may be used as analogues or surrogates for building models for areas with insufficient data. The results show that the use of surrogate data improves forecasting models. Notably, forecasts for days with unusual weather patterns are improved. By applying clever transformation methods and carefully selecting donor areas, the methods discussed in this thesis help GasDay to improve forecasts for natural gas demand across the United States

Sampling design may obscure species–area relationships in landscape-scale field studies

We investigated 1) the role of area per se in explaining anuran species richness on reservoir forest islands, after controlling for several confounding factors. We also assessed 2) how sampling design affects the inferential power of island species–area relationships (ISARs) aiming to 3) provide guidelines to yield reliable estimates of area-induced species losses in patchy systems. We surveyed anurans with autonomous recording units at 151 plots located on 74 islands and four continuous forest sites at the Balbina Hydroelectric Reservoir landscape, central Brazilian Amazonia. We applied semi-log ISAR models to assess the effect of sampling design on the fit and slope of species–area curves. To do so, we subsampled our surveyed islands following both a 1) stratified and 2) non-stratified random selection of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 islands covering 1) the full range in island size (0.45–1699 ha) and 2) only islands smaller than 100 ha, respectively. We also compiled 25 datasets from the literature to assess the generality of our findings. Island size explained ca half of the variation in species richness. The fit and slope of species–area curves were affected mainly by the range in island size considered, and to a very small extent by the number of islands surveyed. In our literature review, all datasets covering a range of patch sizes larger than 300 ha yielded a positive ISAR, whereas the number of patches alone did not affect the detection of ISARs. We conclude that 1) area per se plays a major role in explaining anuran species richness on forest islands within an Amazonian anthropogenic archipelago; 2) the inferential power of island species–area relationships is severely degraded by sub-optimal sampling designs; 3) at least 10 habitat patches spanning three orders of magnitude in size should be surveyed to yield reliable species–area estimates in patchy systems

Hormonal suppression of mini-puberty in a neonate with mosaic 45X/46XY disorder of sexual development

Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) are some of the most controversial and challenging conditions that pediatric urologists treat. This may be especially true in mosaic 45X/46XY DSD, due to the inability to ascertain in the neonatal period which gender identity will best suit a given child with this condition. It has therefore been proposed to forgo any irreversible surgical interventions. In order to address the concern of early testosterone production in a nonsurgical manner we describe a case in which we treat a patient with a GnRH agonist to block the early physiologic rise in testosterone during the neonatal mini-puberty

Treatment of the Enlarged Clitoris

Management of the enlarged clitoris, because of its import for sexual function, has been and remains one of the most controversial topics in pediatric urology. Early controversy surrounding clitoroplasty resulted from many factors including an incomplete understanding of clitoral anatomy and incorrect assumptions of the role of the clitoris in sexual function. With a better understanding of anatomy and function, procedures have evolved to preserve clitoral tissue, especially with respect to the neurovascular bundles. These changes have been made in an effort to preserve clitoral sensation and preserve orgasmic potential. It is the goal of this manuscript to describe the different procedures that have been developed for the surgical management of clitoromegally, with emphasis on the risks and benefits of each. Equally important to any discussion of such a sensitive topic is an understanding of long-term patient outcomes. As we will see, despite its importance, there has been a dearth of data in this regard. Future work in the arena of patient satisfaction will undoubtedly play a major role in directing our surgical approach

Existenzanalyse und Sinnfindung nach Viktor E. Frankl und deren Anwendbarkeit auf das Alter

Je älter der Mensch wird, umso intensiver wird er mit der Frage nach dem Sinn seiner Existenz konfrontiert. Die in den letzten Jahrzehnten gestiegene Lebenserwartung – und die damit länger zur Verfügung stehende Zeit im Alter - stellt den Menschen vor Orientierungsschwierigkeiten. Die Bewältigungsstrategien der Sinnkrisen werden in dieser Arbeit ausgehend von der Existenzanalyse Viktor E. Frankls beleuchtet. Es wird untersucht, wie Viktor E. Frankl seine Lehre entwickelt hat, und welche wesentlichen Bestandteile der Existenzanalyse und der damit zusammenhängenden Sinnfindungsmöglichkeiten, für die Menschen allgemein und insbesondere im Alter, angewendet werden können. Ergänzend werden Alterstheorien und Alter(n)sbegriffe erläutert, und die Perspektive der demographischen Entwicklung im Überblick beschrieben. Um die Entwicklung des Themas Alter und Alternsbewältigung in der bisherigen Philosophiegeschichte darzustellen, sind in dieser Arbeit ein historischer Bericht zu den Alternsproblemen von Marcus Tullius Cicero, und ein kurzer geschichtlicher Abriss der Stellung der Alten aus kulturphilosophischer Sicht, enthalten. Ebenso wird Simone de Beauvoirs sozialkritisches Werk „Das Alter“ - eines der wenigen philosophischen Werke zum Thema Alter des 20. Jahrhunderts - und das Werk des zeitgenössischen Sozialphilosophen Leopold Rosenmayr im Überblick beschrieben. Alle Werke werden mit den Lehren Frankls einem Vergleich unterzogen