Bidirectional Heuristic Search Reconsidered

The assessment of bidirectional heuristic search has been incorrect since it was first published more than a quarter of a century ago. For quite a long time, this search strategy did not achieve the expected results, and there was a major misunderstanding about the reasons behind it. Although there is still wide-spread belief that bidirectional heuristic search is afflicted by the problem of search frontiers passing each other, we demonstrate that this conjecture is wrong. Based on this finding, we present both a new generic approach to bidirectional heuristic search and a new approach to dynamically improving heuristic values that is feasible in bidirectional search only. These approaches are put into perspective with both the traditional and more recently proposed approaches in order to facilitate a better overall understanding. Empirical results of experiments with our new approaches show that bidirectional heuristic search can be performed very efficiently and also with limited memory. These results suggest that bidirectional heuristic search appears to be better for solving certain difficult problems than corresponding unidirectional search. This provides some evidence for the usefulness of a search strategy that was long neglected. In summary, we show that bidirectional heuristic search is viable and consequently propose that it be reconsidered.Comment: See http://www.jair.org/ for any accompanying file

Interview and interior: Procedures of narrative surveys around 1900

In the spring of 1893, the Austrian writer and critic Hermann Bahr began interviewing various people on antisemitism, a subject of heated discussion in the European feuilleton around 1900. “Once again, I am travelling the world sounding out people’s opinions and listening to what they have to say,” he wrote in his introduction to a series of articles on that issue that appeared in the feuilleton of the Deutsche Zeitung between March and September 1893. A year later, the Berlin publishing house S. Fischer turned Bahr’s articles into a book. Bahr conducted a total of thirty-eight interviews with prominent personages, such as August Bebel, Theodor Mommsen, Ernst Haeckel, Henrik Ibsen and Jules Simon. Bahr did not focus on the arguments in favour or against antisemitism. Instead, he set out explicitly to investigate the sentiments, perceptions and opinions on this topic within the cultured classes. Yet, as I will show in this article, Bahr tried to capture not only the “sentiments” [Empfindungen] aired by his interviewees, but also the settings and interiors in which the interviews took place. I argue that these descriptions of physical space served Bahr as authentication, as a three-dimensional certificate for the “facts of opinion” [Meinungstatsachen] he recorded.Peer Reviewe

Interpretation of X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy in the Presence of Surface Hybridization

X-ray absorption spectroscopy yields direct access to the electronic and geometric structure of hybrid inorganic-organic interfaces formed upon adsorption of complex molecules at metal surfaces. The unambiguous interpretation of corresponding spectra is challenged by the intrinsic geometric flexibility of the adsorbates and the chemical interactions with the interface. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations of the extended adsorbate-substrate system are an established tool to guide peak assignment in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of complex interfaces. We extend this to the simulation and interpretation of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) data in the context of functional organic molecules on metal surfaces using dispersion-corrected DFT calculations within the transition potential approach. On the example of X-ray absorption signatures for the prototypical case of 2H-porphine adsorbed on Ag(111) and Cu(111) substrates, we follow the two main effects of the molecule/surface interaction on XAS: (1) the substrate-induced chemical shift of the 1s core levels that dominates in physisorbed systems and (2) the hybridization-induced broadening and loss of distinct resonances that dominates in more chemisorbed systems.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Wissenstopografien des Grenzraums: Die ruthenisch-ukrainisch bewohnten Ostkarpaten im Visier von ,frontier‘-Wissenschaften des langen 19. Jahrhunderts

In the course of the long 19th century, the Eastern Carpathians – as a borderland of two imperial and several national projects – became a contested landscape through the conjunctures of ethnic thinking. Political ideologies approaching the multilateral contact zone facilitated different approaches to the production of knowledge, which led to highly complex knowledge topographies. Thereby, the Ruthenian-Ukrainian population of the borderland appears as a plaything of surrounding ideological projects, which instrumentalized ideas of ethnic diversity and/or uniformity according to their own ideological perceptions. This article examines these topographies in a synthetic approach to uncover the regional co-production of knowledge, which led to several interconnections of these ideological projects. However, knowledge as a circulating good could be instrumentalized by actors not belonging such networks, as the problem of circulating type photographs illustrates. Thereby, the author argues that frontier sciences were not solely tools of national enmities, even in one of the more contested spaces of East-Central Europe. Rather, cooperations which allowed involved actors to pursue their self-interests are observed. Methodologically, the paper argues that approaches of imperial histories, borderland studies, and transcultural contact zones should be seen as loose concepts, which can greatly enrich one another

Dolmetscher aus Laiensicht

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Berufsgruppe der Dolmetscher aus Laiensicht. Konkret werden Image, Status und Prestige des Berufsstandes thematisiert und untersucht. Wenngleich die Forschung im Bereich der Translationswissenschaft seit ihren Anfängen viele Früchte getragen hat, gibt es zu dem Thema der vorliegenden Arbeit erst sehr wenig Literatur. Aus diesem Grund erschien der Autorin die Erforschung der Fremdansicht des Berufes sinnvoll. Zu Beginn der Arbeit werden die essenziellen Begriffe Image, Status, Prestige, Dolmetschen, DolmetscherIn und KonferenzdolmetscherIn erklärt und vor allem aus soziologischer Sicht analysiert. Danach wird das Berufsbild des/der DolmetscherIn einer genaueren Betrachtung unterzogen, verschiedene Dolmetschformen, die für den Dolmetschberuf nötige Ausbildung, für DolmetscherInnen mögliche Karriereoptionen sowie typische Eigenschaften von DolmetscherInnen werden hier dargestellt. Nach den oben genannten einleitenden Kapiteln werden Image, Status und Prestige des Dolmetschberufs von verschiedenen Seiten betrachtet: Die geschichtliche Entwicklung der Berufsgruppe wird dem Leser kurz geschildert und es wird versucht, Image, Status und Prestige von DolmetscherInnen im Verlauf der Zeit nachzuzeichnen. Im darauffolgenden Abschnitt werden Untersuchungen anderer AutorInnen im Bereich der Translationswissenschaft zusammengefasst, die sich mit verwandten Themen beschäftigen. Im Anschluss an dieses Kapitel folgt ein Überblick über drei Sammelbände, in denen Werke aus dem Bereich der Unterhaltungsliteratur, in denen ÜbersetzerInnen und DolmetscherInnen vorkommen, von praktizierenden ÜbersetzerInnen, DolmetscherInnen und TranslationswissenschaftlerInnen analysiert werden. Danach werden von der Autorin der vorliegenden Arbeit selbst einige belletristische Werke analysiert, in denen die Hauptfiguren DolmetscherInnen sind – auch hier werden die Texte in Hinblick auf Image, Status und Prestige der fiktiven DolmetscherInnen untersucht. Nach diesen literaturgestützten Untersuchungen folgen die Abschnitte, in denen die empirische Forschung, die im Rahmen der vorliegenden Masterarbeit durchgeführt wurde, dargestellt wird. Nach einer Einführung in die Entstehung und die Methoden der durchgeführten Befragungen, wird auf die Forschungsergebnisse eingegangen. Im Anschluss an die Präsentation der Forschungsergebnisse der empirischen Datenerhebung, werden die Gesamtresultate der im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit durchgeführten Forschung miteinander abgeglichen und diskutiert. Nach einer Zusammenfassung der Arbeit enthält das letzte Kapitel noch einige Anmerkungen sowie einen Ausblick.The present paper deals with the group of professional interpreters from a layman’s perspective. To be more precise – image, status und prestige of the profession are subject to analysis. Whereas research in the field of translation studies has been widespread, hitherto there is little literature concerning the above-mentioned topic of this paper. The outsider perspective of the profession is thus considered as a useful parameter for this author. At the beginning of the paper the essential terms image, status, prestige, interpreting, interpreter and conference interpreter are clarified and analyzed from a sociological point of view. Then a description of the interpreting profession is given – starting with a list of interpreting forms, the necessary education, possible career options for interpreters and ending with the characteristical traits of the interpreters. Thereupon the image, status and prestige of the interpreting profession are examined from several different viewpoints: the reader is given a short overview of the profession’s historical development and then the interpreters’ image, status and prestige throughout history is provided. The next section contains summaries of other authors’ research in the field of translation studies that cover similar topics. Subsequent to this section is an overview of three volumes that contain analyses of fictional literature where interpreters play a role, these analyses were compiled by practicing translators, interpreters and researchers in the field of translations studies. After this section the author of the present paper analyses a number of fictional works where the hero or heroine is an interpreter – always bearing the important factors of image, status and prestige of the fictional interpreters in mind. Following this literature-based research the following sections describe the empirical research that was conducted during the course of this thesis. After an introduction to the development and methods of the survey carried out by the author, the research results are presented. Subsequent to the presentation of the results the overall outcome of the research conducted for this thesis is compared and discussed. After a summary of the thesis, some final remarks and an outlook are contained in the last part of this paper

Analysis of silica-supported vanadia by X-ray absorption spectroscopy: Combined theoretical and experimental studies

In this study we combine density-functional theory (DFT) calculations on oxygen core excitations in vanadia-silica model clusters with in situ X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) measurements near the oxygen K-edge of vanadia model catalysts supported by silica SBA-15 in order to analyze structural details of the vanadia species. The silica support is found to contribute to the NEXAFS spectrum in an energy range well above that of the vanadium oxide units allowing a clear separation between the corresponding contributions. Further, differently coordinated oxygen which is characteristic for particular vanadia species, monomeric or non-monomeric, can be identified in the theoretical spectra consistent with the oxygen K-edge NEXAFS measurements. The comparison of the theoretical and experimental NEXAFS spectra provides clear evidence that under in situ conditions different molecular vanadia species, in particular non-monomeric VxOy, exist at the catalyst surface and the exclusive presence of monomeric vanadia groups can be ruled out. The present analysis goes beyond earlier work applying vibrational spectroscopy to the present systems where, as a result of extended vibrational coupling, a separation between vanadia, silica, and interface contributions was less successful

Flexible working for all? How collective constructions by Austrian employers and employees perpetuate gendered inequalities

Objective: This paper pursues the question as to how extended flexible working possibilities in the labor market are legitimized among employers and employees and whether they have potential to mitigate inequalities. Background: Persistent and increasing gendered inequalities in Austria are reflected in the unequal division of unpaid family work in parental couples and in men’s stable full-time employment while women increasingly work part-time. In recent years, employers have expanded flexible working possibilities for all employees, regardless of their gender, also in leading positions and especially for those with family responsibilities. Method: We conducted six focus groups and 16 semi-structured interviews with employers (n=30) and employees (n=25) from 29 contrasting companies across Austria. An in-depth reconstructive analysis facilitated our exploration of collective notions and concepts associated with flexible work and career opportunities. Results: The respondents constructed part-time and flexible work as a new norm strongly connected to women with (potential) children. At the same time, employers and employees legitimized that these women must be protected from penalties resulting from the ideal worker norm still in force and must be variously supported by employers. However, men - the partners of women they could support by making use of these options and taking over childcare - are not constructed as a target group. Conclusion: In a cultural context such as Austria, family-friendly flexible working opportunities perpetuate rather than level gendered inequalities, as men’s need for those opportunities do not emerge in the constructions. The lack thereof is neither explicitly addressed nor challenged.Fragestellung: Dieser Artikel befasst sich mit der Frage, wie erweiterte Optionen flexibler Erwerbstätigkeit von Arbeitgeber*innen und Arbeitnehmer*innen legitimiert werden und ob diese Potential haben, ungleiche Arbeitsaufteilung zwischen Frauen und Männern zu verringern. Hintergrund: Geschlechterungleichheiten halten sich in Österreich sehr hartnäckig. Zum einen zeigen sich diese in der bestehenden ungleichen Aufteilung von unbezahlter Familienarbeit zwischen Elternteilen, zum anderen in der unveränderten Vollzeitbeschäftigung von Männern, während Frauen zunehmend in Teilzeit erwerbstätig sind. In den vergangenen Jahren wurden die Möglichkeiten flexibler Arbeitszeiten und Arbeitsorte für Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer zunehmend ausgebaut, insbesondere für jene mit familiären Verpflichtungen und auch für Führungskräfte. Methode: Zur Beantwortung der Forschungsfrage wurden sechs Gruppendiskussionen und 16 leitfadengestützte Interviews durchgeführt und analysiert, mit Arbeitgeber*innen (n=39) und Arbeitnehmer*innen (n=25) von insgesamt 29 kontrastierenden Unternehmen aus ganz Österreich. Die rekonstruktive Analyse ermöglichte es, die kollektiven Orientierungsmuster zu erfassen, die flexiblen Erwerbsarbeitsmodellen und Karriereoptionen zugrunde liegen. Ergebnisse: Insbesondere Teilzeiterwerbstätigkeit und die damit zusammenhängende Flexibilität wurde als neue Norm konstruiert, vor allem für Frauen, die (potenziell) Kinder haben. Gleichzeitig legitimierten die Arbeitgeber*innen und Arbeitnehmer*innen jedoch, dass Frauen von jeglichen daraus resultierenden Nachteilen beschützt werden müssten, die wiederum auf der nach wie vor bestehenden Norm der idealen Arbeitskraft beruhen. Männer - die als Partner dieser Frauen unterstützend wirken könnten, indem sie ebenso von diesen Optionen Gebrauch machten, um die Kinderbetreuung zu übernehmen - wurden nicht als Zielgruppe konstruiert. Schlussfolgerung: Im kulturellen Kontext von Österreich führt das Angebot an familienfreundlichen, flexiblen Arbeitsmodellen demzufolge eher dazu, Geschlechterungleichheiten zu reproduzieren und aufrechtzuerhalten, weil Männern kein Bedürfnis und kein Bedarf nach diesen Optionen zugesprochen wird und dieser Umstand von den Befragten auch nicht explizit problematisiert wird

Efficient simulation of near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) in density-functional theory: Comparison of core-level constraining approaches

Widely employed Near-Edge X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy probes a system by excitation of core electrons to unoccupied states. A variety of different methodologies are available to simulate corresponding spectra from first-principles. Core-level occupation constraints within ground-state Density-Functional Theory represent a numerically most efficient means to this end that provides access to large systems, examples being surface adsorption, proteins, polymers, liquids, and buried, condensed phase interfaces (e.g., solid-liquid and solid-solid). Here, we systematically investigate the performance of different realizations of this approximate approach through the simulation of K-edge NEXAFS-spectra of a set of carbon and nitrogen-containing organic molecules. Variational collapse to the ground state and oscillatory convergence are the major complications of these approximate computational protocols. We present a modified version of the maximum-overlap method to achieve a self-consistent inclusion of electrons in virtual states for systems where convergence is hampered due to degeneracies. Our results demonstrate that reliable spectra allowing for a semi-quantitative analysis of experimental data are already obtained at the semi-local level of density functionals and with standard numeric atomic orbital basis sets

From Operation to Action: Process-Orientation in Interpreting Studies

The notion of ‘process’ is identified as a prominent idea in systematic reflection on interpreting, and various incarnations of the ‘process(ing) supermeme’ are reviewed. With reference to selected models of the interpreting process, the need for a broader concept of ‘process’ in interpreting research is discussed, with special reference to the (inter)action-theoretical approach championed by German translation scholars in the 1980s. Based on an interactant model of the interpreting situation, the author highlights the relevance of contextual as well as cognitive factors and suggests ways in which various conceptual approaches can be reconciled to establish a more comprehensive sort of process-orientation in interpreting studies.La notion du processus constitue une des idées clefs dans la réflexion systématique sur l’interprétation. Ainsi, différentes formes du méta-concept « processus » vont être passées en revue. En évoquant des modèles spécifiques du processus d’interprétation, le besoin d’une notion plus large de « processus » dans la recherche de l’interprétation va être le sujet de cette étude en soulignant tout particulièrement l’approche actiono-théorique de chercheurs allemands dans les années 1980. Se basant sur un modèle interactif de la situation interprétative, l’auteur souligne l’importance de facteurs contextuels et cognitifs en indiquant des chemins par lesquels différentes approches conceptuelles peuvent être mises ensemble afin d’établir un avenir plus compréhensif des processus dans les études en interprétation