Following a landmark ruling by the Constitutional Court in 2005, more than half of Germany’s universities started charging tuition fees, which also applied to incumbent students. We exploit this unusual lack of grandfathering together with register data covering the universe of students to show that tuition fees increased degree completion among incumbent students. Investigating mechanisms, we do

PurposeDrylands account for 47.2% of land area and contain 15.5% of global carbon (C). However, the variation in organic and inorganic C stocks across latitudinal gradients in arid and semiarid shrubland ecosystems remains understudied, and we lack in-depth understanding of the main drivers of C variation at this spatial scale.MethodsHere, we sampled soils from 95 sites across a latitudinal gradie

Dose-response association between level of impairment of semen quality and risk of morbidity or premature death has been reported. Therefore, it can be presumed that men utilizing donated spermatozoa, i.e. patients with non-obstructive azoospermia, are at highest risk for adverse health outcomes. To evaluate the risks of prescription of medications for common metabolic disturbances and testosteron

Under what conditions do firms in buyer-supplier relationships learn to contract? Contract design capabilities are typically understood as a function of the contractual problems faced by firms. However, a firms’ learning to contract is also likely affected by the organizational and institutional conditions in which contracts are entered. Based on five inductive case studies of buyer-supplier relat

BACKGROUND: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a common cardiovascular autonomic disorder characterized by excessive heart rate (HR) increase on standing and symptoms of orthostatic intolerance, posing significant limitations on functional capacity. No objective tool exists to classify symptom burden in POTS.METHODS: We conducted a case-control study in 62 POTS patients and 50 hea

Objectives: To examine potential sex differences in longitudinal cognitive and activities of daily living (ADL) performance and life expectancy between early- and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: The Swedish Alzheimer Treatment Study is a prospective, observational, multicentre study that was used in a routine clinical setting including 1,017 patients diagnosed with mild-to-moderate A

The lifetimes of the terms 3p2P, 3d2D, 4s2S, 4p2P, 4d2D, 4f2F, 5g2G, 6g2G, 6h2H, 7h2H, 7i2I and 8k2K in sodiumlike sulfur, S VI, have been determined using the beam-foil excitation technique. Most of the decay curves were analyzed by means of the ANDC method which corrects for cascading in a very detailed way. Accurate results were thereby obtained which show that an excellent agreement exists bet

The spectrum emitted from a nickel hollow cathode has been recorded with a Fourier transform spectrometer. Two dense groups of lines just above 18 000 Å have been identified as the transitions 3d8 (3F)5f-3d8 (3F)6g and 3d8 (3F)5g-3d8 (3F)6h in Ni II. The level structure of the configurations involved in these transitions has been studied by fitting the Slater parameters of the energy matrices to t

Direct neuronal reprogramming of a somatic cell into therapeutic neurons, without a transient pluripotent state, provides new promise for the large number of individuals afflicted by neurodegenerative diseases or brain injury. This approach could be potentially applied directly in the brain by targeting resident cells as a source of new neurons. Direct neuronal conversion of resident glial cells i

Interviews where photographs taken by the respondent are used in order to stimulate the conversation and to gain rich empirical material are increasingly employed by researchers. The ubiquitous use of mobile cameras and digital platforms such as Instagram has made it easier for the researcher as well as for the interviewees to take and share photographs. The limitations of participatory visual metInterviews where photographs taken by the respondent are used in order to stimulate the conversation and to gain rich empirical material are increasingly employed by researchers. The ubiquitous use of mobile cameras and digital platforms such as Instagram has made it easier for the researcher as well as for the interviewees to take and share photographs. The limitations of participatory visual met

As legislators and platforms tackle the challenge of suppressing hate speech online, questions about its definition remain unresolved. In this review we discuss three issues: What are the main challenges encountered when defining hate speech? What alternatives are there for the definition of hate speech? What is the relationship between the nature and scope of the definition and its operationabili

Methane was studied with mid-infrared polarization spectroscopy (PS) in an atmospheric gas jet. Detection limit was investigated and laser induced fluorescence and PS spectra for the P, Q, and R branch are presented.

Curved crystals are a simple but powerful approach to bridge the gap between single crystal surfaces and nanoparticle catalysts, by allowing a rational assessment of the role of active step sites in gas-surface reactions. Using a curved Rh(111) crystal, here, we investigate the effect of A-type (square geometry) and B-type (triangular geometry) atomic packing of steps on the catalytic CO oxidation

Two-dimensional laser-induced photofragmentation fluorescence (LIPF) was employed to quantitatively visualize the potassium hydroxide (KOH) and potassium chloride (KCl) vapor in the plume above burning wood and straw pellets. In the LIPF measurement, two excitation lasers at 266 and 193 nm were adopted to discriminate KOH and KCl. Meanwhile, tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS), las

Visualization of the reaction zone of flames using CH radicals as markers is restricted by the low concentration of CH in fuel-lean conditions. To address this, methyl radicals (CH3) are employed as a substitution of CH in premixed methane/air flames. A pump-probe method was adopted with the pump laser photolyzing CH3 and the probe laser detecting the photolyzed CH(X25) fragments. Laser excitation

Ignition has a significant impact on combustion efficiency and combustion emissions. Long-gap spark discharge ignition can increase the initial flame kernel and reduce the flame propagation time. However, long-gap spark discharge ignition requires increased discharge voltage and suffers from the fluctuation in ignition time and position. Here, we propose a long-gap ignition technique using femtose