Acoustic detection of high energy neutrinos in sea water: status and prospects

The acoustic neutrino detection technique is a promising approach for future large-scale detectors with the aim of measuring the small expected flux of neutrinos at energies in the EeV-range and above. The technique is based on the thermo-acoustic model, which implies that the energy deposition by a particle cascade - resulting from a neutrino interaction in a medium with suitable thermal and acoustic properties - leads to a local heating and a subsequent characteristic pressure pulse that propagates in the surrounding medium. Current or recent test setups for acoustic neutrino detection have either been add-ons to optical neutrino telescopes or have been using acoustic arrays built for other purposes, typically for military use. While these arrays have been too small to derive competitive limits on neutrino fluxes, they allowed for detailed studies of the experimental technique. With the advent of the research infrastructure KM3NeT in the Mediterranean Sea, new possibilities will arise for acoustic neutrino detection. In this article, results from the "first generation" of acoustic arrays will be summarized and implications for the future of acoustic neutrino detection will be discussed.Comment: Contribution to proceedings of the ARENA 2016 workshop in Groningen (The Netherlands), June 7-10, 201

On the Politics and Ideologies of the Sovereignty Discourse in Cyberspace

This article critically examines the current discourse on the legal status and substance of the international law concept of sovereignty in cyberspace against the backdrop of conflicting political-ideological attitudes. It first traces the origins of the interpretation of respect for sovereignty as a primary rule of international law, and then discusses two approaches to cyberspace that challenge the emerging consensus: cyber imperialism, embodied by the US and the other Five Eyes members on the one hand, and cyber-Westphalia, represented by China, Russia, and Iran on the other. Both groups conceive cyberspace in ways fundamentally irreconcilable with prevailing legal views. A third group of states endorses the sovereignty-as-rule understanding but leaves this legal position vulnerable to both authoritarian co-optation and imperialist dismissal. This article contributes to the discussion on sovereignty by offering an alternative interpretation of state practice and international jurisprudence that constructs sovereignty as a principle with derivative primary rules. It shows that, despite not by itself having the status of a rule, the principle of sovereignty allows for the identification of rules that protect the territorial integrity and political independence of states beyond the traditional notions of the prohibition of intervention and the use of force. It carefully analyzes evidence in existing practice in support of this novel, doctrinally more precise understanding of sovereignty. Based on the argument\u27s legal implications, it concludes with an assessment of the policies of persistent engagement and cyber sovereignty

Feasibility study of a two-fluid small modular molten salt reactor with in core heat removal capability

A feasibility study of a two-fluid small modular molten salt reactor (MSR) with in core heat removal was performed. The initial fuel block dimension for the configuration was based on the Fuji MSR. The fuel was a mixed fluoride salt of density 3.25 g/cc, composed of 71 LiF - 16 BeF2 - 12 ThF4- 1 233UF4 molar percentages. The coolant salt was Li4(FLiBe) of density 1.94 g/cc. The work set out to establish whether or not such a reactor is thermodynamically feasible when optimized for various neutronics parameters. A Java based API was developed to facilitate the neutronics optimization of the reactor concept. In the simulation studies that followed (performed in MCNP), it was established that the optimal block dimension and fuel volume fraction to support under-moderation requirements are 20 cm across flats and 0.15 respectively. Fuel channel diameters varied from 12 cm to 9 cm such that neutron leakage could be suppressed while maintaining a radial power peaking factor of 2.20. In all the simulations except for temperature reactivity calculations, the reactor was assumed isothermal at 900 K. The average temperature coefficient of reactivity was calculated as -5.87E-5 Δk/k-K. Thermo hydraulic studies performed in STAR CCM+ revealed that complete in core heat removal cannot practically be achieved in a design purely optimized for neutronics. However, it was found that fractional heat removal ranging from 15% - 85% can be achieved with sufficient mass flow rates. Potential improvements necessary for complete in core heat removal are theorized and briefly discussed --Abstract, page iii

trends and confounding

Ergebnisse zur Dekubitusprävalenz sind wichtige Indikatoren für das Ausmaß der Erkrankung in unterschiedlichen Sektoren und Bereichen des deutschen Gesundheitswesens. Valide und präzise Zahlen zur Prävalenz sind zur Bewertung des Ressourcenbedarfs und Planung von Gesundheitsleistungen dringend erforderlich. Durch die vorliegenden Studien kann das Ausmaß der Dekubitushäufigkeit in bundesdeutschen Pflegeheimen und Krankenhäusern bestimmt werden. Es bestehen Hinweise, dass von einer externen Validität der Studienergebnisse ausgegangen werden kann. Dabei muss die bisherig angenommene hohe Prävalenz von 30% in Pflegeheimen deutlich nach unten korrigiert werden. Die standardisierten jährlichen Erhebungen lassen den Schluss zu, dass sich die Dekubitusprävalenz seit 2001 sowohl in Pflegeheimen als auch in Krankenhäusern reduziert hat. War vor 10 Jahren noch jeder zehnte Bewohner/ Patient von Dekubitus betroffen, so ist es im Jahre 2011 nur noch jeder 20. Kranken-hauspatient und nur noch jeder 25. Pflegeheimbewohner. Der Vergleich von institutsbezogener Prävalenz sollte ausschließlich risikoadjustiert erfolgen, da nur dadurch faire Vergleiche zwischen unterschiedlichen Sektoren, Bereichen und Einrichtungen möglich sind und der Einfluss von Confoundern weitestgehend reduziert wird. Die durchgeführten Studien ermöglichen die Weiterentwicklung von statistischen Modellen. Analog zu dem im Rahmen dieser Studie vorgestellten SRISAG Modell sollten derartige Modelle einfach und handhabbar sein und dadurch eine sinnvolle Problem- und Qualitätsbestimmung des Pflegeproblems Dekubitus in unterschiedlichen Institutionen des deutschen Gesundheitswesens ermöglichen.Results of studies about pressure ulcer prevalence are important parameters about the size of the problem in different sectors and areas of the German health care services, because valid and precise figures about its prevalence are necessary for the adequate planning of actual care needs. The provided studies of this Habilitation provide this information for German Hospitals and nursing homes. The results can be considered as sufficiently external valid. Former estimation of a high pressure ulcer prevalence of about 30 percent in German nursing homes have to be adjusted downwards notably. The standardized annual studies lead to the conclusion, that the pressure ulcer prevalence has dropped since 2001 in nursing homes and hospitals. Ten years ago, every 10th hospital patient and nursing home resident had at least one pressure ulcer. In the year 2011 this is only the case in every 20th hospital patient and every 25th nursing home residents. The comparison of institutional related prevalence rates should always be done by applying risk adjustment measures. Thus fair comparison between different sectors, areas and institutions will be guaranteed and the influence of possible confounders will be minimized. The preformed studies allow the further development of statistical models. Alike the in this habilitation proposed SRISAG-Modell, these models should be easy and manageable and can be used to determine the size of the problem and the quality of the nursing problem pressure ulcer in different institutions of the German health care system

Smart@home – supporting safety and mobility of elderly and care dependent people in their own homes through the use of technical assistance systems and conventional mobility supporting tools: a cross-sectional survey

Background: The use of technical solutions and conventional mobility supporting aids can support the independence of people into old age in their own homes. However, we found relatively few empirical investigations on the effects and costs of these systems. Methods: The aim of the study was to investigate usability, user satisfaction and the correlation between costs and benefits of different built-in smart home solutions and conventional mobility supporting tools in the home of elderly, partially care-dependent tenants (> 65 years). A cross-sectional survey was conducted from February to March 2018 with tenants of a housing association in apartments equipped with smart home technology and conventional mobility supporting tools. The response rate in the intervention group was n = 37 persons (out of 46 tenants with installed smart home and conventional solutions) and in the control group n = 64 persons (out of 100 tenants without built-in smart home and conventional solutions). Data were collected by a written questionnaire regarding usability and satisfaction of the tenants with the built-in smart home solutions and conventional mobility supporting tools. In addition, both the intervention and the control group were asked general questions about communication, safety and how to deal with the need for long-term care in their own living environment. Results: Results showed that with regard to usability, satisfaction and price performance ratio of the installed smart home solutions, the installation of the corresponding solutions with an overall score of 1.41 (on a scale of 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) was mostly positively evaluated by the tenants. Overall, users rated the installed smart home solutions better than the conventional mobility supporting tools (such as handholds and increased balcony floor level). Conclusions: Analysis of the price performance ratio showed that smart home solutions are generally more expensive than conventional tools, but also contribute significantly to an increased security of the tenants, and thus may enable longer living in a familiar environment. We recommend modularized offers consisting of various components of smart home solutions, since this significantly reduces installation costs and allows for an individual composition according to requirements. Moreover, smart home solutions should be considered to be listed as medical aids

Protection of Data in Armed Conflict

This article presents a novel way to conceptualize the protection of data in situations of armed conflict. Although the question of the targeting of data through adversarial military cyber operations and its implications for the qualification of such conduct under International Humanitarian Law has been on scholars’ and states’ radar for the last few years, there remain a number of misunderstandings as to how to think about the notion of “data.” Based on a number of fictional scenarios, the article clarifies the pertinent terminology and makes some expedient distinctions between various types of data. It then analyzes how existing international humanitarian and international human rights law applies to cyber operations whose effects have an impact on data. The authors argue that given the persisting ambiguities of traditional concepts such as “object” and “attack” under international humanitarian law, the targeting of content data continues to fall into a legal grey zone, which potentially has wide-ranging ramifications both for the rights of individual civilians and the functioning of civilian societies during situations of conflict. At the same time, much legal uncertainty surrounds the application of human rights law to these contexts, and existing data protection frameworks explicitly exclude taking effect in relation to issues of security. Acknowledging these gaps, the article attempts to advance the debate by proposing a paradigm shift: Instead of taking existing rules on armed conflict and applying them to “data,” we should contemplate applying the principles of data protection, data security, and privacy frameworks to military cyber operations in armed conflict

Theoretische Fragestellungen zur Bewertung von Unternehmen

Die vorliegende kumulative Dissertationsschrift beschäftigt sich mit theoretischen Fragestellungen der Finanzwissenschaft im Bereich des Asset Pricing und im Detail der Unternehmensbewertung. Dabei wird sowohl auf Problemstellungen der akademischen und praxisnahen Forschung eingegangen. Der erste Artikel beschäftigt sich mit der Fragestellung welche Implikationen die Annahme einer arithmetischen Brownschen Bewegung auf bestimmte Aspekte der Unternehmensbewertung hat. Es folgen drei Artikel die sich auf unterschiedliche Weise mit der Zinsschrankenregelung auseinandersetzen. Die darauf folgenden zwei Artikel behandeln hauptsächlich die Modellierung von Insolvenz im Rahmen der Unternehmensbewertung bei Annahme verschiedener Finanzierungspolitiken. Der achte Artikel geht näher auf die Thematik der empirischen Bestätigung bestimmter Kapitalstrukturtheorien ein. Die Dissertation schließt mit einem Artikel zu wichtigen Parametern für die Unternehmensbewertung.:1. Thematische Einordnung und Forschungsbeitrag … 1 2. The Arithmetic Brownian Motion in Corporate Valuation … 12 3. Die Bewertung der Zinsschranke … 52 4. Zinsschranke, Unternehmensbewertung und APV-Ansatz- eine Anmerkung zum Beitrag von Förster/Stöckl/Brenken (ZfB 2009, S. 985 ff.) … 97 5. Der Einfluss der Zinsschranke auf den Unternehmenswert … 122 6. Tax Shield, Insolvenz und Zinsschranke … 147 7. Tax Shield, Insolvenzwahrscheinlichkeit und Zinsschranke - eine empirische Analyse … 207 8. Zur Überprüfung von Kapitalstrukturtheorien in einer von Krisen geplagten Zeit … 249 9. Die Kapitalmarktdaten von www.finexpert.info und der Fachverlag Gruppe … 29