Towards an Atlas of Folksong Idioms (online publication of a presentation at the conference of the International Musicological Society at Zurich)

E-print/Working paper (2007)

Gestes, pratiques, corporéité et polyfocalisation de l’action dans le travail de techniciennes de surface.

E-print/Working paper (2007)

Naturräumliche Gliederung der Großregion SaarLorLux

E-print/Working paper (2007)

The paper shows and explains the natural classification of the Greater Region SaarLorLux, following a consistent concept. The natural regions, their main groups as well as the natural space units, were ... [more ▼]

The paper shows and explains the natural classification of the Greater Region SaarLorLux, following a consistent concept. The natural regions, their main groups as well as the natural space units, were created according to the concept of Meynen & Schmithüsen (1953-1962). [less ▲]

Mittelalterliche Hospitäler in der Großregion SaarLorLux (von 600 bis 1500)

E-print/Working paper (2007)

Im Raum zwischen Rhein und Maas, Aachen und Basel gab es zwischen 600 und 1500 insgesamt, wenn auch nicht gleichzeitig 528 verschiedene Hospitäler, also Herbergen für Reisende und Pilger, Armenhospize ... [more ▼]

Im Raum zwischen Rhein und Maas, Aachen und Basel gab es zwischen 600 und 1500 insgesamt, wenn auch nicht gleichzeitig 528 verschiedene Hospitäler, also Herbergen für Reisende und Pilger, Armenhospize, Krankenhäuser, Entbindungsanstalten, Waisenheime, Pflegeheime für alte Menschen, Seniorenheime für reiche Pfründner u. ä. Beitrag und Karte fassen die Ergebnisse der Habilitationsschrift des Autors über „Hospitäler zwischen Maas und Rhein im Mittelalter. Typologische, topographische, funktionale und spirituelle Aspekte“ zusammen. [less ▲]

The financing of the European Union

E-print/Working paper (2007)

The European Union is a unique and exceptional organisation in many respects. Its financial system, whose rules and structure are very different from those of national budgetary law, has changed a great ... [more ▼]

The European Union is a unique and exceptional organisation in many respects. Its financial system, whose rules and structure are very different from those of national budgetary law, has changed a great deal and is still changing. The most significant changes include: — The unification of budgetary instruments. Initially, each Community had its own budget or budgets (administrative and operating). These have now been replaced by a single budget, the general budget of the European Union. — Progress towards financial autonomy. Following the example of the ECSC, which was financed by real ‘tax revenue’ from the time it was set up, the EEC and Euratom changed to a system of own resources on 1 January 1971. — Reform of the Community financial system. The financial perspective, a genuine multiannual financial framework and instrument of budgetary discipline, was introduced in 1988. It forms an integral part of an interinstitutional agreement between Parliament, the Council and the Commission. — The pursuit of an institutional balance between the Council, Parliament and the Commission in the exercise of budgetary power. Initially, budgetary power lay solely with the Council. Parliament and the Council subsequently became the two arms of budgetary authority. The Commission retains a right to propose legislation in that sphere. The development of the financial system of the European Union superstructure is testament to its extremely varied history encompassing five decades and six enlargements. [less ▲]

Wie Städte entstanden vornehmlich im mittelalterlichen und frühneuzeitlichen Nordwesteuropa

E-print/Working paper (2007)

Kultur als Mehrwert. Überlegungen zum methodologischen Potenzial kulturwissenschaftlicher Theoreme für die literaturwissenschaftliche Analyse. (Rezension über: Franziska Schößler: Literaturwissenschaft als Kulturwissenschaft. Eine Einführung. Tübingen, Basel 2006).

E-print/Working paper (2006)

Contracting out and labor demand elasticities

E-print/Working paper (2005)

We examine the relationship between contracting out and the wage elasticity of labor demand in outsourcing plants. A simple theoretical model suggests that firms engaged in contracting out have lower wage ... [more ▼]

We examine the relationship between contracting out and the wage elasticity of labor demand in outsourcing plants. A simple theoretical model suggests that firms engaged in contracting out have lower wage elasticities. Estimating plant level dynamic labor demand equations for Irish manufacturing we find evidence supportive of this. [less ▲]

Theories of Knowledge. Is a naturalised epistemology bound to leave unanswered some important epistemological questions?

E-print/Working paper (2005)

Critic of Amy Gutmann - The Constructive Potential of Communitarian Values for Liberalism

E-print/Working paper (2005)

The view of Amy Gutmann is that communitarians have been unsuccessful in undermining liberalism. However, she thinks that their work presents a welcome challenge to it. In her opinion, the communitarian ... [more ▼]

The view of Amy Gutmann is that communitarians have been unsuccessful in undermining liberalism. However, she thinks that their work presents a welcome challenge to it. In her opinion, the communitarian criticism, rather than giving good reason to abandon liberalism, is of use in an attempt to discover a liberalism that successfully combines communitarian with liberal values. This paper examines the extent to which Gutmann successfully shows that communitarian values, like kinship, affection, or a sense of common purpose, have the latent but unrealized capacity to serve to improve liberalism. [less ▲]

Special Education and the Risk of Becoming Less Educated in Germany and the US

E-print/Working paper (2004)

Competition over piratable goods

E-print/Working paper (2004)

The effects of (private, small-scale) copying on the pricing behavior of producers of information goods are studied within a unified model of vertical differentiation. Although information goods are ... [more ▼]

The effects of (private, small-scale) copying on the pricing behavior of producers of information goods are studied within a unified model of vertical differentiation. Although information goods are assumed to be perfectly horizon tally differentiated, demands are interdependent because the copying technology exhibits increasing returns to scale. We characterize the symmetric Nash equilibria of the pricing game played by n producers of information goods. We show thereby how the producers' attitudes towards piracy are interdependent and evolve with the relative attractiveness of copies. [less ▲]

The European Parliament and the Challenge of Internet Voting

E-print/Working paper (2003)

Daten und Fakten zu Migrantenjugendlichen an Sonderschulen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

E-print/Working paper (2001)

Zwischen 1965 und 1994 hat sich die Zahl der nichtdeutschen Schüler/innen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland verzwanzigfacht. Seit dem Jahr 1991 gehen mehr als eine Million Schüler/innen mit ... [more ▼]

Zwischen 1965 und 1994 hat sich die Zahl der nichtdeutschen Schüler/innen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland verzwanzigfacht. Seit dem Jahr 1991 gehen mehr als eine Million Schüler/innen mit ausländischem Pass in (west-)deutsche Schulen; d.h. circa jede/r zehnte Schüler/in hat eine nichtdeutsche Staatsangehörigkeit. Über diese zahlenmäßige Präsens hinaus bieten die Vergleiche zwischen deutschen und nichtdeutschen Schülern/innen allgemein und zwischen deutschen und nichtdeutschen Sonderschülern/innen eine Perspektive, welche die Herausforderungen des Bildungssystems der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in ihrer Institutionalisierung und Expansion darstellt. Gleichzeitig stellen „in der BRD (...) die Ausländerkinder eine Gruppe dar, der im Bildungswesen besondere Aufmerksamkeit gewidmet werden muß, wenn sie nicht schulisch erheblich benachteiligt werden soll“ (Arbeitsgruppe Bildungsbericht am MPIB, 1994: 364). Von 1970 bis 1979 stieg der Anteil nichtdeutscher Schüler/innen an den Sonderschulen im Vergleich zu den Schülern insgesamt kontinuierlich an (Trommer/Köhler 1981: 130). Dieser Trend setzte sich fort, so dass bis 1999 nahezu 15% aller Sonderschüler/innen nichtdeutscher Herkunft waren, obwohl Schüler/innen nichtdeutscher Herkunft nur 9,4% aller Schüler/innen in der Bundesrepublik ausmachten. Das bedeutet für 1999 eine Überrepräsentanz ausländischer Kinder und Jugendlicher an deutschen Sonderschulen von 1,56. Parallel dazu zeigen die folgenden Analysen eine hohe Varianz zwischen den Bundesländern in der Sonderschulzuweisung nichtdeutscher Schüler/innen sowie unter den europäischen Nationalitäten (im Schuljahr 1998/99: von 0,5% bis hin zu 13,6%). Zugleich gibt es historisch Verschiebungen in der Begründung des Förderbedarfs zwischen dem größten Förderschwerpunkt „Lernen“ (von 82% auf 54% zwischen 1970-98) und anderen Kategorien des Förderbedarfs, die an Bedeutung gewonnen haben. Regionale Unterschiede in der Verteilung von Migrantenjugendlichen unter den einzelnen Sonderschularten sind u.a. Ausdruck der Differenzen in der Bildungs- bzw. Schulpolitik der Länder. So existieren große Unterschiede in der Akzeptanz integrativer pädagogischer Ansätze und Konzepte, der Ausbildung der Lehrer/innen und in der historischen Entwicklung verschiedener Schulformen. Die Existenz von Hauptschulen und Sonderschulen als quasi „untere bzw. separate Bildungsgänge“ sowie die Veränderung ihrer Schülerschaft in Folge der Bildungsexpansion und eine allgemein höhere Bildungsbeteiligung resultieren unter anderem darin, dass zwei von zehn nichtdeutschen Schulentlassenen die Schule ohne Hauptschulabschluss verlassen und deren „Misserfolgsquote“ immer noch ca. 2,5-mal so hoch ist wie bei den deutschen Jugendlichen (Solga 2001). Um die ausgewiesenen Ergebnisse zu Jugendlichen mit Migrationshintergrund an deutschen Sonderschulen adäquat einordnen zu können, werden in diesem Arbeitspapier auch ausgewählte Daten und Fakten zur allgemeinen Bildungsbeteiligung von Jugendlichen ausländischer Herkunft dargestellt und es wird auf demographische Schlüsseldaten eingegangen. Insgesamt zeigen die im Folgenden dargestellten Zahlen deutlich, dass—wie es heute in der Politik und den Medien nun endlich reflektiert wird—Jugendliche nichtdeutscher Herkunft im deutschen Bildungssystem benachteiligt sind und man immer noch versucht, ihre „Lernbehinderung“—die zum Großteil auch auf eine gesellschaftliche „Lernblockierung“ zurückgeht—mittels Sonder- bzw. Förderschulen und damit mittels institutioneller Separierung statt Integration zu lösen. [less ▲]

On perfect, amicable, and sociable chains

E-print/Working paper (2000)

Let $\bfx = (x_0,\ldots,x_{n-1})$ be an $n$-chain, i.e., an $n$-tuple of non-negative integers $< n$. Consider the operator $s: \bfx \mapsto\bfx' = (x'_0,\ldots,x'_{n-1})$, where $x'_j$ represents the ... [more ▼]

Let $\bfx = (x_0,\ldots,x_{n-1})$ be an $n$-chain, i.e., an $n$-tuple of non-negative integers $< n$. Consider the operator $s: \bfx \mapsto\bfx' = (x'_0,\ldots,x'_{n-1})$, where $x'_j$ represents the number of $j$'s appearing among the components of $\bfx$. An $n$-chain $\bfx$ is said to be perfect if $s(\bfx) = \bfx$. For example, (2,1,2,0,0) is a perfect 5-chain. Analogously to the theory of perfect, amicable, and sociable numbers, one can define from the operator $s$ the concepts of amicable pair and sociable group of chains. In this paper we give an exhaustive list of all the perfect, amicable, and sociable chains. [less ▲]

Review of a BBS target article Lexical Entries and Rules of Language: A Multidisciplinary Study of German Inflection by Harald Clahsen to appear in BBS (1999) 22 (6)

E-print/Working paper (1999)

Many authors (e.g., Chomsky 1995, Pinker 1984, and Marcus 1998) argue that the architecture of the language faculty contains two separate components: a (structured) lexicon and a computational component ... [more ▼]

Many authors (e.g., Chomsky 1995, Pinker 1984, and Marcus 1998) argue that the architecture of the language faculty contains two separate components: a (structured) lexicon and a computational component. Clahsen presents in a current BBS target article (in press) new empirical evidences in favour of such a dual-mechanism model of language processing based on a multidisciplinary study of German inflection. In the following review, I will summarise and discuss the major points of Clahsen's paper. My focus will be on theoretical, methodological and empirical issues presented and discussed in the paper. An important issue will be the bearing of his empirical findings on the current debate in psycholinguistic modelling. I will as well speculate that at least a part of Clahsen's reasoning seems not to hold in the case of a language closely related to German, namely Luxembourgian. [less ▲]

Controlling the Error on Target Motion through Real-time Mesh Adaptation: Applications to Deep Brain Stimulation

E-print/Working paper (n.d.)

We present an error-controlled mesh refinement procedure for needle insertion simulation and apply it to the simulation of electrode implantation for deep brain stimulation, including brain shift. Our ... [more ▼]

We present an error-controlled mesh refinement procedure for needle insertion simulation and apply it to the simulation of electrode implantation for deep brain stimulation, including brain shift. Our approach enables to control the error in the computation of the displacement and stress fields around the needle tip and needle shaft by suitably refining the mesh, whilst maintaining a coarser mesh in other parts of the domain. We demonstrate through academic and practical examples that our approach increases the accuracy of the displacement and stress fields around the needle without increasing the computational expense. This enables real-time simulations. The proposed methodology has direct implications to increase the accuracy and control the computational expense of the simulation of percutaneous procedures such as biopsy, brachytherapy, regional anesthesia, or cryotherapy and can be essential to the development of robotic guidance. [less ▲]

Bayesian inference for the stochastic identification of elastoplastic material parameters: Introduction, misconceptions and insights

E-print/Working paper (n.d.)

We discuss Bayesian inference (BI) for the probabilistic identification of material parameters. This contribution aims to shed light on the use of BI for the identification of elastoplastic material ... [more ▼]

We discuss Bayesian inference (BI) for the probabilistic identification of material parameters. This contribution aims to shed light on the use of BI for the identification of elastoplastic material parameters. For this purpose a single spring is considered, for which the stress-strain curves are artificially created. Besides offering a didactic introduction to BI, this paper proposes an approach to incorporate statistical errors both in the measured stresses, and in the measured strains. It is assumed that the uncertainty is only due to measurement errors and the material is homogeneous. Furthermore, a number of possible misconceptions on BI are highlighted based on the purely elastic case. [less ▲]

$\mathcal{S}_0$-equivalent classes, a new direction to find better weightwise perfectly balanced functions, and more

E-print/Working paper (n.d.)

A local-global principle for polyquadratic twists of abelian surfaces

E-print/Working paper (n.d.)

Unified treatment of Artin-type problems II

E-print/Working paper (n.d.)