University of Konstanz

About: University of Konstanz is a education organization based out in Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Membrane. The organization has 12115 authors who have published 27401 publications receiving 951162 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Constance & Universität Konstanz.

A dual-stage two-phase model of selective attention.

Abstract: The dual-stage two-phase (DSTP) model is introduced as a formal and general model of selective attention that includes both an early and a late stage of stimulus selection. Whereas at the early stage information is selected by perceptual filters whose selectivity is relatively limited, at the late stage stimuli are selected more efficiently on a categorical basis. Consequently, selectivity is first low but then abruptly increases during the course of stimulus processing. Although intended as a general model of selective attention, in the present study the DSTP model was applied to account for the distributional data of 3 flanker task experiments. The fit of the model to the data was not only rather good but also superior to those of alternative single-stage models with a continuously increasing selectivity. All together, the model provides a comprehensive account of how early and late stages of attention interact in the control of performance.

When planning is not enough: Fighting unhealthy snacking habits by mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII)

Abstract: In two experiments a self-regulatory strategy combining mental contrasting with the formation of implementation intentions (MCII) was tested for its effectiveness in diminishing unhealthy snacking habits. Study 1 (N ¼51) showed that participants in the MCII condition consumed fewer unhealthy snacks than participants in a control condition who thought about and listed healthy options for snacks. In Study 2 (N ¼59) MCII was more effective than mental contrasting or formulating implementationintentions alone and mental contrasting was found to increase perceived clarity about critical cues for unhealthy snacking. Together, these findings suggest that MCII is an effective strategy for fighting habits and that one of the underlying processes making MCII superior to implementation intentions alone may be that mental contrasting produces clarity about the critical cues for the unwanted habitual behavior. Copyright # 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Better models by discarding data

Abstract: In macromolecular X-ray crystallography, typical data sets have substantial multiplicity. This can be used to calculate the consistency of repeated measurements and thereby assess data quality. Recently, the properties of a correlation coefficient, CC1/2, that can be used for this purpose were characterized and it was shown that CC1/2 has superior properties compared with `merging' R values. A derived quantity, CC*, links data and model quality. Using experimental data sets, the behaviour of CC1/2 and the more conventional indicators were compared in two situations of practical importance: merging data sets from different crystals and selectively rejecting weak observations or (merged) unique reflections from a data set. In these situations controlled `paired-refinement' tests show that even though discarding the weaker data leads to improvements in the merging R values, the refined models based on these data are of lower quality. These results show the folly of such data-filtering practices aimed at improving the merging R values. Interestingly, in all of these tests CC1/2 is the one data-quality indicator for which the behaviour accurately reflects which of the alternative data-handling strategies results in the best-quality refined model. Its properties in the presence of systematic error are documented and discussed.

High Performance Thermoelectric Tl 9 BiTe 6 with an Extremely Low Thermal Conductivity

Abstract: $\mathrm{Tl}{}_{9}\mathrm{BiTe}{}_{6}$ exhibits a thermoelectric figure of merit of $\mathrm{ZT}\ensuremath{\sim}1.2$ around 500 K, which significantly exceeds the state-of-the-art materials in this temperature range. The extraordinary thermoelectric performance is mainly due to the extremely low thermal conductivity of $\mathrm{Tl}{}_{9}\mathrm{BiTe}{}_{6}$ [ $0.39\mathrm{W}/(\mathrm{m}\ifmmode \dot{}\else \.{}\fi{}\mathrm{K})$ at 300 K]. In fact, the minimum lifetime of the phonons has to be taken into account to describe the thermal conductivity data.

Islam and Democracy

Abstract: Using the POLITY IV and Freedom House indices, Rowley and Smith (2009) found that countries with Muslim majorities enjoy less freedom and are less democratic than countries in which Muslims are a minority. Because the POLITY IV and Freedom House indices have been criticized on several grounds, I reinvestigate Rowley and Smith’s finding using the new Democracy-Dictatorship data from Cheibub et al. (2010). The empirical results confirm that countries with Muslim majorities are indeed less likely to be democratic.