The economic effects of the Protestant Reformation: Testing the Weber hypothesis in the German Lands

Many theories, most famously Max Weber s essay on the Protestant ethic, have hypothesizedthat Protestantism should have favored economic development. With their considerablereligious heterogeneity and stability of denominational affiliations until the 19th century, theGerman Lands of the Holy Roman Empire present an ideal testing ground for this hypothesis.Using population figures in a dataset comprising 272 cities in the years 1300 1900, I find no effectsof Protestantism on economic growth. The finding is robust to the inclusion of a varietyof controls, and does not appear to depend on data selection or small sample size. In addition,Protestantism has no effect when interacted with other likely determinants of economic development.I also analyze the endogeneity of religious choice; instrumental variables estimates ofthe effects of Protestantism are similar to the OLS results.

Protective or counter-productive? Labor market institutions and the effect of immigration on EU natives

We estimate the effect of immigrant flows on native employment in WesternEurope, and then ask whether the employment consequences of immigrationvary with institutions that affect labor market flexibility. Reducedflexibility may protect natives from immigrant competition in the nearterm, but our theoretical framework suggests that reduced flexibility islikely to increase the negative impact of immigration on equilibriumemployment. In models without interactions, OLS estimates for a panel ofEuropean countries in the 1980s and 1990s show small, mostly negativeimmigration effects. To reduce bias from the possible endogeneity ofimmigration flows, we use the fact that many immigrants arriving after1991 were refugees from the Balkan wars. An IV strategy based onvariation in the number of immigrants from former Yugoslavia generateslarger though mostly insignificant negative estimates. We then estimatemodels allowing interactions between the employment response toimmigration and institutional characteristics including business entrycosts. These results, limited to the sample of native men, generallysuggest that reduced flexibility increases the negative impact ofimmigration. Many of the estimated interaction terms are significant,and imply a significant negative effect on employment in countrieswith restrictive institutions.

Counter-ion effect on surfactant-DNA gel particles as controlled DNA delivery systems

The ability to entrap drugs within vehicles and subsequently release them has led to new treatments for a number of diseases. Based on an associative phase separation and interfacial diffusion approach, we developed a way to prepare DNA gel particles without adding any kind of cross-linker or organic solvent. Among the various agents studied, cationic surfactants offered particularly efficient control for encapsulation and DNA release from these DNA gel particles. The driving force for this strong association is the electrostatic interaction between the two components, as induced by the entropic increase due to the release of the respective counter-ions. However, little is known about the influence of the respective counter-ions on this surfactant-DNA interaction. Here we examined the effect of different counter-ions on the formation and properties of the DNA gel particles by mixing DNA (either single- (ssDNA) or double-stranded (dsDNA)) with the single chain surfactant dodecyltrimethylammonium (DTA). In particular, we used as counter-ions of this surfactant the hydrogen sulfate and trifluoromethane sulfonate anions and the two halides, chloride and bromide. Effects on the morphology of the particles obtained, the encapsulation of DNA and its release, as well as the haemocompatibility of these particles, are presented, using the counter-ion structure and the DNA conformation as controlling parameters. Analysis of the data indicates that the degree of counter-ion dissociation from the surfactant micelles and the polar/hydrophobic character of the counter-ion are important parameters in the final properties of the particles. The stronger interaction with amphiphiles for ssDNA than for dsDNA suggests the important role of hydrophobic interactions in DNA.

Monte Carlo simulation of a whole-body counter using IGOR phantoms.

Whole-body counting is a technique of choice for assessing the intake of gamma-emitting radionuclides. An appropriate calibration is necessary, which is done either by experimental measurement or by Monte Carlo (MC) calculation. The aim of this work was to validate a MC model for calibrating whole-body counters (WBCs) by comparing the results of computations with measurements performed on an anthropomorphic phantom and to investigate the effect of a change in phantom's position on the WBC counting sensitivity. GEANT MC code was used for the calculations, and an IGOR phantom loaded with several types of radionuclides was used for the experimental measurements. The results show a reasonable agreement between measurements and MC computation. A 1-cm error in phantom positioning changes the activity estimation by >2%. Considering that a 5-cm deviation of the positioning of the phantom may occur in a realistic counting scenario, this implies that the uncertainty of the activity measured by a WBC is ∼10-20%.

Characterisation of the PSI whole body counter by radiographic imaging.

A joint project between the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) and the Institute of Radiation Physics was initiated to characterise the PSI whole body counter in detail through measurements and Monte Carlo simulation. Accurate knowledge of the detector geometry is essential for reliable simulations of human body phantoms filled with known activity concentrations. Unfortunately, the technical drawings provided by the manufacturer are often not detailed enough and sometimes the specifications do not agree with the actual set-up. Therefore, the exact detector geometry and the position of the detector crystal inside the housing were determined through radiographic images. X-rays were used to analyse the structure of the detector, and (60)Co radiography was employed to measure the core of the germanium crystal. Moreover, the precise axial alignment of the detector within its housing was determined through a series of radiographic images with different incident angles. The hence obtained information enables us to optimise the Monte Carlo geometry model and to perform much more accurate and reliable simulations.

A Large-Sized Multiwire Proportional Counter for Radiological Survey of Large Areas and Surfaces

Työn tavoitteena oli selvittää, miten eri parametrit vaikuttavat monilankaisen verrannollisuuslaskurin laskennallisiin ominaisuuksiin sekä voidaanko suurikokoista monilankaverrannollisuuslaskuria käyttää tehokkaasti suurien pintojen ? - ja ?- kontaminaation mittaamiseen. Ensin selvitettiin EU:n nykyistä clearing-käytäntöä sekä hahmoteltiin tulevia materiaalivirtoja, esiteltiin verrannollisuuslaskurin ja sen monilankamallin toimintaperiaate sekä käytettävien materiaalien ominaisuudet. Kootun teorian pohjalta selvitettiin tärkeimpien parametrien vaikutus ilmaisimen laskennallisiin ominaisuuksiin. Lopuksi suoritettiin rakenteilla olevan monilankaverrannollisuuslaskurin alustava testaus. Tulevien vuosien aikana eri puolilla maailmaa suljettavat erityyppiset ydinlaitokset luovat suuren tarpeen tehokkaiden kontaminaatiomittauslaitteistojen kehittämiselle. Tällä hetkellä mittaukset suoritetaan lähinnä noin 1 dm2 käsi-instrumentein, joten suurikokoinen, automatisoitu mittauslaitteisto sekä tehostaisi mittausprosessia suuresti sekä säästäisi runsaasti miestyötunteja. Jatkotoimenpiteiksi ehdotetaan laitteiston jatkotestausta, liikkeen ja nopeuden testausta sekä lopulta paikkaherkkyystoiminnon toteuttamisperiaatteen valintaa ja testausta.

Counter-propagating dual-trap optical tweezers based on linear momentum conservation

We present a dual-trap optical tweezers setup which directly measures forces using linear momentum conservation. The setup uses a counter-propagating geometry, which allows momentum measurement on each beam separately. The experimental advantages of this setup include low drift due to all-optical manipulation, and a robust calibration (independent of the features of the trapped object or buffer medium) due to the force measurement method. Although this design does not attain the high-resolution of some co-propagating setups, we show that it can be used to perform different single molecule measurements: fluctuation-based molecular stiffness characterization at different forces and hopping experiments on molecular hairpins. Remarkably, in our setup it is possible to manipulate very short tethers (such as molecular hairpins with short handles) down to the limit where beads are almost in contact. The setup is used to illustrate a novel method for measuring the stiffness of optical traps and tethers on the basis of equilibrium force fluctuations, i.e., without the need of measuring the force vs molecular extension curve. This method is of general interest for dual trap optical tweezers setups and can be extended to setups which do not directly measure forces.

Multimodal counter-argumentation in the workplace : the contribution of gesture and gaze to the expression of disagreement

This paper examines argumentative talk-in-interaction in the workplace. It focuses on counter-argumentative references, which consist of the various resources that the opponent uses to refer to the origin/source of his/her opposition, namely the confronted position and the person who expressed it. Particular attention is paid to the relationship - in terms of sequential positioning and referential extension - between reported speech, polyphony, pointing gestures and shifts in gaze direction. Data are taken from workplace management meetings that have been recorded in New Zealand by the Language in the Workplace Project.

Implementation of counter testing in Nokia Automation System

In this study the performance measurement, a part of the research and development of the RNC, was improved by implementing counter testing to the Nokia Automation System. The automation of counter testing is a feature the customer ordered, because performing counter testing manually is rather complex. The objective was to implement an automated counter testing system, which once configured correctly, would manage to run the testing and perform the analysis. The requirements for the counter testing were first studied. It was investigated if the auto-mation of the feature was feasible in the meetings with the customer. The basic functionality required for the automation was also drawn. The technologies used in the architecture of the Nokia Automation System were studied. Based on the results of the study, a new technology, wxWidgets, was introduced. The new technology was necessary to facilitate the implementing of the required feature. Finally the implementation of the counter testing was defined and implemented. The result of this study was the automation of the counter testing method developed as a new feature for the Nokia Automation System. The feature meets the specifications and requirements set by the customer. The performing of the counter testing feature is totally automated. Only configuration of the test cases is done by the user. The customer has presented new requests to further develop the feature and there are plans by the Nokia Automation System developers to implement those in the near future. The study describes the implementation of the counter testing feature introduced. The results of the study give guidelines for further developing the feature.