Die Arbeit untersucht lokale Geometrien, die Twistorspinoren zulassen auf pseudo-Riemannschen Mannigfaltigkeiten beliebiger Signatur. Hierzu entwickeln wir die benötigten Methoden, nämlich das konforme Traktorkalkül, welches eine konform-invariante Beschreibung von Twistorspinoren als parallele Objekte ermöglicht, weiter. In diesem Zusammenhang ist unser erstes zentrales Resultat ein Klassifikationssatz für konforme Strukturen, deren Holonomiegruppen einen total ausgearteten Unterraum beliebiger Dimension invariant lassen. Hierauf aufbauend können wir einen partiellen Klassifikationssatz für konforme Strukturen mit Twistorspinoren beweisen. Weiterhin studieren wir die Nullstellenmenge eines Twistorspinors unter Nutzung der Theorie der Orbitzerlegungen für parabolische Geometrien. Wir können die lokale geometrische Struktur der Nullstellenmenge vollständig beschreiben und zeigen, dass lokal jeder Twistorspinor mit Nullstelle konform äquivalent zu einem parallelem Spinor ist. Eine Anwendung dieser Resultate auf niedrig-dimensionale Split-Signaturen führt zu einer vollständigen geometrischen Beschreibung von Mannigfaltigkeiten mit nicht-generischen Twistorspinoren in den Signaturen (3,2) und (3,3) durch parallele Spinoren, was die schon bekannte Analyse des generischen Falls komplementiert. Darüberhinaus wenden wir das Traktorkalkül an, um einer konformen Spin- Mannigfaltigkeit auf natürliche Weise eine konforme Superalgebra zuzuordnen. Dieser Zugang führt zu verschiedenen Resultaten, die algebraische Eigenschaften dieser Superalgebra mit speziellen Geometrien auf der zugrundeliegenden Mannigfaltigkeit in Verbindung bringen. Weiterhin erhält man so neue Konstruktionsprinzipien für Twistorspinoren und konforme Killingformen. Zuletzt führen wir den Begriff der konformen Spin-c-Geometrie ein. Unter anderem liefern spezielle Spin-c-Twistorspinoren eine neue Charakterisierung von Fefferman-Räumen. / The present thesis studies local geometries admitting twistor spinors on pseudo- Riemannian manifolds of arbitrary signature. To this end, we refine and extend the necessary machinery of first prolongation of conformal structures and conformal tractor calculus which allows a conformally-invariant description of twistor spinors as parallel objects. In this context, our first main theorem is a classification result for conformal geometries whose conformal holonomy group admits a totally degenerate invariant subspace of arbitrary dimension. Based on this we are able to prove a partial classification result for conformal structures admitting twistor spinors. Moreover, we study the zero set of a twistor spinor using the theory of curved orbit decompositions for parabolic geometries. We can completely describe the local geometric structure of the zero set and show that locally every twistor spinor with zero is equivalent to a parallel spinor off the zero set. An application of these results in low-dimensional split-signatures leads to a complete geometric description of manifolds admitting non-generic twistor spinors in signatures (3,2) and (3,3) in terms of parallel spinors which complements the well-known analysis of the generic case. Moreover, we apply tractor calculus for the construction of a conformal superalgebra naturally associated to a conformal spin structure. This approach leads to various results linking algebraic properties of the superalgebra to special geometric structures on the underlying manifold. It also exhibits new construction principles for twistor spinors and conformal Killing forms. Finally, we introduce and elaborate on the notion of conformal Spin-c-geometry. Among other aspects, this gives rise to a new characterization of Fefferman spaces in terms of distinguished Spin-c-twistor spinors.

What is in common between the Kepler problem, a Hydrogen atom and a rotating black- hole? These systems are described by different physical theories, but much information about them can be obtained by separating an appropriate Hamilton-Jacobi equation. The separation of variables of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation is an old but still powerful tool for obtaining exact solutions. The goal of this thesis is to present the theory and application of a certain type of conformal Killing tensor (hereafter called concircular tensor) to the separation of variables problem. The application is to spaces of constant curvature, with special attention to spaces with Euclidean and Lorentzian signatures. The theory includes the general applicability of concircular tensors to the separation of variables problem and the application of warped products to studying Killing tensors in general and separable coordinates in particular. Our first main result shows how to use these tensors to construct a special class of separable coordinates (hereafter called Kalnins-Eisenhart-Miller (KEM) coordinates) on a given space. Conversely, the second result generalizes the Kalnins-Miller classification to show that any orthogonal separable coordinates in a space of constant curvature are KEM coordinates. A closely related recursive algorithm is defined which allows one to intrinsically (coordinate independently) search for KEM coordinates which separate a given (natural) Hamilton-Jacobi equation. This algorithm is exhaustive in spaces of constant curvature. Finally, sufficient details are worked out, so that one can apply these procedures in spaces of constant curvature using only (linear) algebraic operations. As an example, we apply the theory to study the separability of the Calogero-Moser system.

ABSTRACT CONSERVED CHARGES IN ASYMPTOTICALLY (ANTI)-DE SITTER SPACETIME G&Uuml / LL&Uuml / , iBRAHiM M.S., Department of Physics Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bayram Tekin August 2005, 77 pages. In this master&rsquo / s thesis, the Killing vectors are introduced and the Killing equation is derived. Also, some information is given about the cosmological constant. Then, the Abbott-Deser (AD) energy is reformulated by linearizing the Einstein equation with cosmological constant. From the linearized Einstein equation, Killing charges are derived by using the properties of Killing vectors. Using this formulation, energy is calculated for some specific cases by using the Schwarzschild-de Sitter metric. Last, the Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet model is studied. The equations of motion are calculated by solving the generic action at quadratic order. Following this, all energy calculations are renewed for this model. Some useful relations and calculations are shown in Appendix (A-B) parts. &Ouml / Z ASiMPTOTiK (ANTi)-DE SITTER UZAYZAMANINDA KORUNAN Y&Uuml / KLER G&Uuml / LL&Uuml / , iBRAHiM Y&uuml / ksek Lisans, Fizik B&ouml / l&uuml / m&uuml / Tez Y&ouml / neticisi: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bayram Tekin Agustos 2005, 77 sayfa. Bu master &ccedil / aliSmasinda, Killing vekt&ouml / rler tanimlandi ve Killing denklemi &ccedil / ikarildi. Ayrica evrenbilimsel sabit, de-Sitter ve Anti-de Sitter uzaylari hakkinda bilgi verildi. Sonra, Abbott-Deser (AD) enerjisi, evrenbilimsel sabitli Einstein denklemi dogrusallaStirilarak yeniden form&uuml / le edildi. DogrusallaStirilmiS Einstein denkleminden, Killing vekt&ouml / rlerin &ouml / zellikleri kullanilarak Killing y&uuml / kleri (Deser-Tekin denklemi) &ccedil / ikarildi. Schwarzschild-de Sitter metrigi kullanilarak &ouml / zel durumlar i&ccedil / in enerji hesaplandi. Son olarak Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet (GB) modeli &ccedil / aliSildi. ikinci dereceden genel eylem &ccedil / &ouml / z&uuml / lerek hareket denklemleri hesaplandi. Bundan sonra, t&uuml / m enerji hesaplamalari bu model i&ccedil / in tekrarlandi. Bazi faydali hesaplamalar ek (A-B) kisimlarinda g&ouml / sterilmiStir.

Uppsatsen analyserar Christina Wahldéns bok Fallen flicka (2009), Arkan Asaads bok Stjärnlösa nätter (2011) och Mats Berggrens två böcker Det finns inga skridskor i öknen (2003) och Din syster måste dö (2017). Böckerna behandlar hederskultur och dess problematik. Syftet med analysen är att undersöka hur hedersproblematik framställs i ungdomslitteratur och hur skönlitteratur kan användas i undervisningen för att upplysa elever om hederskultur och olika levnadsvillkor. Uppsatsen analyserar de roller som framställs i den valda litteraturen ur olika perspektiv. Det finns delade meningar huruvida hedersvåld som begrepp bör användas eller inte och det finns flera teorier om begreppet hederskultur och dess innebörd. Den analyserade litteraturen kopplas samman med Läroplanen för grundskolan, fritidshemmet och förskoleklassen 2011 som tydligt visar att eleverna ska utveckla förståelse för olika människor och kulturer. Analysen visar att det finns ungdomslitteratur som handlar om hedersproblematik men att det främst fokuseras på flickors livssituation samtidigt som pojkars perspektiv ej synliggörs i samma utsträckning. Analysen problematiserar också hur författarna framställer de olika karaktärerna och vad det kan få för konsekvenser.

Uppsatsen är en tillämpning av Linda Hutcheons adaptionsteoretiska analysmodell på dokumentärfilmen The Act of Killing - en film som beskrivits som både modig, banbrytande, skrämmande, avslöjande och viktig, men också opolitisk, provocerande, vilseledande, manipulativ och exploaterande. Uppsatsen undersöker med hjälp av Hutcheons genomgripande metodfrågor vad, vem, varför, hur, var och när, hur frågor om representation kan uppfattas så olika och hur kritiken kan vara så polariserad kring filmen. Filmens komplexa bakgrund, innehåll och form kräver en bred och djupgående analys för att få fatt på vad som döljer sig bakom dramatiserade drömmar, fantasier, minnen, rekonstruerade mord, intervjuer, metainslag och bakom-kameran-scener. Uppsatsen går igenom bakgrunden till de massmord som begicks på omkring en miljon människor i Indonesien 1965/66, medialiseringen kring dem, fylld av inhemsk propaganda och exotiserande västerländsk rapportering, och filmprocessen för filmen. Filmen visar några av mördarna och hur de än idag åtnjuter en straffrihet vilken gör det möjligt för dem att för Oppenheimers kamera skryta om hur de gick till väga. Uppsatsen fokuserar på representation av de i händelserna berörda parterna, av de verkliga händelserna i historien och av indoneser som etnisk grupp och följer kapitelvis samma uppställning som Hutcheon gör i sin bok A Theory of Adaptation med frågorna Vad, Vem och Varför, Hur och Var och När. / The essay is an application of Linda Hutcheon's adaptation theory analysis model on the documentary film The Act of Killing - a film that has been described as both brave, groundbreaking, frightening, revealing and important, but also unpolitical, provocative, misleading, manipulative and exploitative. The essay examines with the help of Hutcheon's pervasive questions what, who, why, how, where and when, how representation can be perceived so differently and how criticism can be so polarized around the film. The film's complex background, content and form require a broad and in-depth analysis to grasp what is hidden behind dramatized dreams, fantasies, memories, reconstructed murders, interviews, meta parts and behind-the-scenes scenes. The essay examines the background of the mass murders of about one million people in Indonesia in 1965/66, the medialization around them, filled with domestic propaganda and exoticizing Western reporting, and the film process for the film. The film shows some of the murderers and how they still enjoy an impunity today, which allows them to boast in front of Oppenheimer's camera about their actions. The essay focuses on the representation of the persons involved in the events, of the real events in history and of Indonesians as an ethnic group and follows the same set of chapters as Hutcheon does in her book A Theory of Adaptation with the questions What, Who and Why, How and Where and When.

This thesis seeks to provide an account of the role played by ideologies in acts of mass violence against civilians, such as genocides, murderous state repression, war crimes, and other ‘atrocities’. Mass violence of this kind has already received extensive study, with scholars frequently emphasising their belief that ideology is important. Until now, however, discussions of ideology have been held back by a lack of conceptual and theoretical development, leading to narrow portrayals of ideology’s role, vagueness over its relevance, and dubious assumptions about its theoretical implications. This thesis addresses these problems by building a more focused and integrative theoretical framework for analysing the ideological dynamics of atrocities. I engage in an extensive conceptual and methodological discussion, to establish the best way of defining and utilising the concept of ideology. In doing so, I emphasise how ideology can be important even for that majority of atrocity perpetrators who do not meet classic but misleading stereotypes of fanatical killers driven by burning hatred. I then detail my actual account of the ideological dynamics of deadly atrocities, which centres around the identification of six ‘justificatory mechanisms’: dehumanisation, guilt-attribution, threat-construction, deagentification, virtuetalk, and future-bias. These justificatory mechanisms describe sets of ideological processes that recur across different cases of violence against civilians, and which make that violence look permissible or even desirable to those who, in a variety of roles, carry it out. I then substantiate this account through three case studies: of Nazi atrocities, Stalinist oppression, and Allied area bombing in World War II. These cases demonstrate the cross-case applicability of the six justificatory mechanisms, and illustrate how the framework I offer allows us to construct more causally explicit, psychologically plausible, and comprehensive pictures of the way key ideologies feed in to the most destructive campaigns of violence against civilians.

No description available.

This study examined people’s attitudes towards killing bugs and their bug-killing behaviour in the context of nature vs. nurture explanations of bug killing. Previous research shows that exposure to genetic (i.e., nature) explanations could have undesirable effects on people’s attitudes and behaviour, compared to the exposure to experiential(i.e., nurture) explanations. Genetic explanations for killing may affect attitudes towards killing and killing behaviour, because they suggest that killing behaviour is predetermined or programmed by nature. Such explanations may also be used by individuals to overcome guilt and dissonance from prior killing or killing in which they are about to participate. This study tested the idea that exposure to genetic explanations for bug killing would lead people to view killing bugs as more morally acceptable, as well as lead them to kill more bugs. A sample of university students was randomly assigned into three conditions, in which they read either genetic or experiential explanations for why people kill bugs or read a neutral passage. The study utilised a procedure in which participants were led to believe that they were killing bugs (although in actuality no bugs were killed), to observe their killing behaviour in a self-paced killing task. Half of the participants were also asked to kill a bug prior to the self-paced killing task. Results showed that participants who read genetic explanations viewed bug killing as more morally acceptable, compared to participants who read experiential explanations, and this occurred particularly among those who engaged in the prior killing task. However, no similar effects emerged for the number of bugs killed, though there was a positive correlation between the moral acceptance of bug killing and the number of bugs killed. Implications of genetic explanations with respect to aggression and killing are discussed.

Copper cast alloys de-activate antibiotic-resistant bacteria on contact and could be very effective in decreasing potentially harmful microorganisms in the environment. In this study copper alloys with varying copper contents were utilized to evaluate their antimicrobial effects on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus faecium in changing environmental conditions. The survival rates of P. aeruginosa wild type and its derivative transposon mutants of the cin operon on copper cast alloys were investigated in order to demonstrate the influence of genes involved in copper resistance. The gene disruption of the response regulator of the cin operon resulted in shorter survival rates on copper alloys, which was also influenced by temperature and method of exposure. Bacteria often have acquired copper resistance mechanisms in order to withstand higher copper concentrations in their surroundings, which may be a factor in their survival rates on copper surfaces. Copper- and antibiotic-resistant E. coli and E. faecium strains were obtained from pigs raised on feeds containing copper sulfate and antibiotics. Survival rates of these bacteria were influenced by the percentage of copper in the alloys, varying moisture conditions on copper surfaces, suspension media used, and differences between strains. Survival was also dependent on copper corrosion rates since corrosion inhibition with benzotriazole or a thick surface layer of thermal oxide resulted in prolonged survival on copper surfaces. Corrosion of copper surfaces releases copper ions which directly affect bacterial survival on copper alloys. The results obtained in this study emphasize that copper alloys are effective as antimicrobial materials but changing environmental conditions can significantly influence bacterial survival on copper surfaces. These findings can be applied to a better utilization of copper alloys in water, food, and healthcare environments. Antibiotic- and copper ion-resistant bacteria can be killed on contact with copper alloys which makes the proliferation of these microorganisms less likely and reduces the risk to human health. However, in a very different environment copper ion-resistant microbes can be useful for plant-microbe associations in bioremediation of copper mining wastelands.

Evolution of Helicoverpa armigera resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton producing Cry1Ac is progressing in northern China, and replacement of Cry1Ac cotton by pyramided Bt cotton has been considered to counter such resistance. Here, we investigated four of the eight conditions underlying success of the refuge strategy for delaying resistance to Cry1Ac+Cry2Ab cotton, a pyramid that has been used extensively against H.armigera outside China. Laboratory bioassays of a Cry2Ab-selected strain (An2Ab) and a related unselected strain (An) reveal that resistance to Cry2Ab (130-fold) was nearly dominant, autosomally inherited, and controlled by more than one locus. Strong cross-resistance occurred between Cry2Ab and Cry2Aa (81-fold). Weaker cross-resistance (18- to 22-fold) between Cry2Ab and Cry1A toxins was also present and significantly increased survival of An2Ab relative to An on cotton cultivars producing the fusion protein Cry1Ac/Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac. Survival on Cry1Ac+Cry2Ab cotton was also significantly higher in An2Ab than in An, showing that redundant killing on this pyramid was incomplete. Survival on non-Bt cotton did not differ significantly between An2Ab and An, indicating an absence of fitness costs affecting this trait. These results indicate that a switch to three-toxin pyramided cotton could be valuable for increasing durability of Bt cotton in China.