Community-based micro grids: a common property resource problem

This paper introduces a new methodological and theoretical foundation for studying the reasons for successes and failures of community-based micro grids (CBMGs). While technical and financial factors involved are very critical they are comparatively well researched. This analysis argues that further research into, in particular, the institutional design of CBMGs is required in order to improve long-term sustainability. The paper suggests that the electricity in an isolated micro grid can be treated as a common property resource (CPR), which then opens up the established academic literature regarding collective action in the presence of CPRs. More specifically this paper analyses how the rich set of enabling conditions for collective action, which has been established in the context of traditional CPR situations such as water for irrigation or pasture for grazing, can be applied to the context of CBMGs. The goal is to arrive at workable recommendations for policy-makers and practitioners to inform the design and improve the long-term sustainability of CBMGs. Ultimately this has the potential to contribute towards efforts to bring modern energy services to significant parts of rural populations without electricity access

A diffraction effect in X-ray area detectors

When an X-ray area detector based on a single crystalline material, for instance, a state of the art hybrid pixel detector, is illuminated from a point source by monochromatic radiation, a pattern of lines appears which overlays the detected image. These lines can be easily found by scattering experiments with smooth patterns, such as small-angle X-ray scattering. The origin of this effect is the Bragg reflection in the sensor layer of the detector. Experimental images are presented over a photon energy range from 3.4 keV to 10 keV, together with a theoretical analysis. The intensity of this pattern is up to 20%, which can disturb the evaluation of scattering and diffraction experiments. The patterns can be exploited to check the alignment of the detector surface with the direct beam, and the alignment of individual detector modules with each other in the case of modular detectors, as well as for the energy calibration of the radiation.Comment: submitted to J Appl Crys

From Phase Space Representation to Amplitude Equations in a Pattern Forming Experiment

We describe and demonstrate a method to reconstruct an amplitude equation from the nonlinear relaxation dynamics in the succession of the Rosensweig instability. A flat layer of a ferrofluid is cooled such that the liquid has a relatively high viscosity. Consequently, the dynamics of the formation of the Rosensweig pattern becomes very slow. By sudden switching of the magnetic induction, the system is pushed to an arbitrary point in the phase space spanned by the pattern amplitude and the magnetic induction. Afterwards, it is allowed to relax to its equilibrium point. From the dynamics of this relaxation, we reconstruct the underlying fully nonlinear equation of motion of the pattern amplitude. The measured nonlinear dynamics serves to select the best weakly nonlinear expansion which describes this hysteretic transition.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figure

Characterization of an in-vacuum PILATUS 1M detector

A dedicated in-vacuum X-ray detector based on the hybrid pixel PILATUS 1M detector has been installed at the four-crystal monochromator beamline of PTB at the electron storage ring BESSY II in Berlin. Due to its windowless operation, the detector can be used in the entire photon energy range of the beamline from 10 keV down to 1.75 keV for small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments and anomalous SAXS (ASAXS) at absorption edges of light elements. The radiometric and geometric properties of the detector like quantum efficiency, pixel pitch and module alignment have been determined with low uncertainties. The first grazing incidence SAXS (GISAXS) results demonstrate the superior resolution in momentum transfer achievable at low photon energies.Comment: accepted by Journal of Synchrotron Radiatio

A Domain-General Perspective on Deviancy: People’s Sensitivity to Deviancy and its Social Consequences

In this dissertation, I propose that people’s sensitivity to deviancy is a domain-general phenomenon—an aspect of the individual experience that manifests across distinct domains. Supporting this possibility, across a multi-faceted approach (cross-cultural, developmental, nonconscious processes), I document that people’s responses to deviancy—their evaluative and affective responses to distortions in regularities and patterns—overlap across highly divergent domains (e.g., nonsocial stimuli, social actions, physical characteristics, nonvisual stimuli, visual stimuli). Additionally, in line with this broad conceptualization of deviancy, I find that people’s domain-general responding towards deviancy is largely negative in affect, emerges at a young age, exists cross-culturally, and may even causally contribute to complex social phenomena, such as prejudice. Collectively, these findings highlight the potential of adopting a broad domain-general conceptual understanding of deviancy to gain new traction on fundamental questions asked in social and cognitive psychology

Predicting and explaining transtheoretical model stage transitions in relation to condom-carrying behaviour

Objectives: The stages of change component of the transtheoretical model has been applied to safe sex behaviours in cross-sectional analyses, but have not yet been subject to prospective analysis. It was predicted that: (a) cross-sectional analyses would demonstrate good discrimination between the stages of change, (b) prospective analyses would allow for the identification of predictors of stage transitions, and (c) implementation intentions would explain progression from the preparation stage. Design: This study employed an experimental longitudinal design. Participants were randomly assigned to the experimental (implementation intention) or control conditions and completed questionnaires at baseline and at 2-months follow up. Methods: 525 adolescents who were broadly representative of the UK population completed questionnaires at baseline and follow up (n = 393) measuring: demographic variables, stage of change, theory of planned behaviour constructs, anticipated regret and moral norm in relation to condom carrying behaviour. The experimental condition completed a self-generated implementation intention to carry condoms at the end of the baseline questionnaire. Results: Discriminant function analyses indicated that the stages of change could be accurately discriminated from one another cross-sectionally and that, longitudinally, the measured variables were able to predict transitions between most stages. Implementation intentions caused people to progress from the preparation stage. Conclusions: Transitions between most stages were reliably predicted thereby providing potential targets for intervention. The brief implementation intention intervention was effective and could easily be utilised and expanded to encompass a broader range of sexual health behaviours.</p

Whistleblowing Paradigms

Operationalizing whistleblowing in a valid paradigm is an important yet challenging endeavor. In the present article, we review four categories of whistleblowing paradigms—scenario studies, autobiographical recalls, immersive behavioral paradigms, and economic games—and discuss how they capture the definitory features of whistleblowing. Moreover, we evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each paradigm along selected psychometric criteria. Our review suggests that each of these paradigms comes with individual strength and weaknesses regarding the robustness against socially desirable responding, their efficiency, and whether or not they avoid using deception. We call for future research to conduct multi-method studies combining the four categories of whistleblowing paradigms within the same sample in order to test their convergence empirically