bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
No space for luxury?
Authors: Bloomfield Mark
Published: October 2019

When considering luxury as a state of great comfort founded on excess, has the time come to shift our interpretation, taking into consideration contemporary notions of luxury and our concerns for the preservation of our natural resources? Has luxury become a catch-all phrase whose meaning is no longer relevant? Taking into account the historical journey that brought us to this point in time and space, what could luxury become that enables a new voyage of discovery, one where the destination is unknown, undefined and constantly changing to reflect the state of space we now occupy? Our technological dependence and diminishing capacity for attention is making it easy for old luxury to grow and prosper. And our compliance no longer questions as luxury becomes available at the click of a button. But if we take the route of great comfort and rethink the excess, can luxury instil a sense of wellbeing, of intellectual curiosity, something that’s not solely tied to the product manifestation or experience, but one that nurtures both a philosophical and psychological insight than transcends any trophy?
The Fondation Louis Vuitton: A utopian space apart from the world of luxury retail
Authors: Manlow Veronica
Published: October 2019

Luxury brands have developed new strategies to enhance their value in a more competitive terrain where the exclusivity of luxury is called into question. In a consumer society the definition of luxury has broadened and the scope of luxury has enlarged due to the globalization of luxury brands, increased awareness of these brands and the availability of products to a larger audience on more platforms. While profit margins of some of the top brands are showing impressive growth in order to retain some of the requisite qualities traditionally associated with luxury, – rarity, beauty, timelessness – luxury enterprises must broaden their scope beyond the commercial realm. Many luxury fashion brands have accomplished this through collaborations with artists, engaging renowned architects to create extraordinary flagship stores, showing the work of artists in flagship stores, and in some cases, creating separate spaces within stores for exhibitions. Some brands have entered into collaborations with museums, and a few have created foundations apart from their flagship stores. We will consider the evolution and meaning behind the development of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, an exemplar of this strategy that ties the brand to the world of contemporary art through the realization of a utopian structure within the Bois de Boulogne in Paris.
Analysing the impact of operational challenges on value perceptions of South African luxury fashion brands
Authors: Appiah-Nimo Kenneth
Published: October 2019

South Africa is the leading luxury fashion market in Africa. The growing significance of its luxury market driven by a sophisticated and rapidly expanding retail industry has attracted the biggest footprint of international luxury fashion brands in the continent. The influx of international brands has intensified competition in the local luxury industry and introduced new complexities to the management of local luxury fashion brands. A major drawback to the growth potential of local luxury fashion brands is the prevalence of weak brand value, with a consequent negative disposition of consumers to local luxury fashion brands, which adversely impacts their ability to command premium prices. We explore the operational environment of five local luxury fashion brands to understand the factors militating against their efforts at building valuable brands. A number of challenges were identified in the value and supply chain of local brands, which inhibits the ability of local brands to attract premium prices. This article provides insight into the marketing of local luxury brands in emerging markets with a specific reference to South Africa.
Reifying luxury, gold to golden: How the showroom became a digital showreel, from object (gold) to experience (golden) – experiencing luxury by abstracting the object
Authors: Carta Silvio , de Kock Pieter
Published: October 2019

This article focuses on the notion of space of luxury. It explores the passage of time; in how showrooms and flagship stores, embedded in the tradition of symbolism and paradigms of symbolic elements, intersect with cutting-edge digital technologies. Also analysed is the resulting customer experience, evident at this meeting between old and new technologies. This study consists of three parts. First, a framework is established by way of a discussion of key concepts underpinning the physical, symbolical and cultural characteristics of the architecture of consumerism and luxury. Second, several case studies are examined to help understand the transition from the use of physical elements (materials, spatial qualities, lighting and surfaces), which generate exclusivity, surprise and sophistication in high-end showrooms, to the employment of new digital technologies – where the luxury component is provided by access to exclusive information and experience. The final part discusses how data and information technologies are radically transforming the current luxury market, where luxury is based on accessibility, visibility and perception. Traditionally luxury spaces were based on a physical demarcation of territories of exclusivity. This contrasts with new luxury spaces that allow for exclusivity to be invisible and ubiquitous; enhancing not only its own imposition of narrow market segmentation, but also acting as bridging elements into every other market sector. Traditionally, the quality and durability of experience around visual meaning, has always been a prerequisite for luxury. As our visual world reorients around the invisible, what we cannot see still has to be sustainable to the point of scarcity. This study holds that visual sustainability, as part of the larger orbit of perception’s five senses, still remains the primary container of meaning, because we see through our experience. Through this experience then, luxury is reinventing itself as a digital showreel; not only of what exists, but of what is possible.
Dernier cri: Continuity and convergence in technology and luxury
Authors: Houy-Towner Stéphane
Published: October 2019

Historically, luxury relies on new technologies but the connection between luxury and technology is not new. I will illustrate how ritual, wealth, science and technology are embodied in luxury. I will point to ancient archaeological and architectural treasures and will discuss how mining, advanced construction and soldering techniques and the transformation of bronze alloy, for example, represented an integration between the highest levels of taste, craftsmanship and scientific technology. Luxury is modernity and in antiquity we see it as a forward moving force at the highest levels of development. When we think of haute couture, there seems to be nothing in common with say, for example, Hipsters or Silicon Valley engineers. But when we think of technology as a common node, we find that concern with artistry, provenance, the importance of the maker, as well as science, are common denominators. Luxury impacts everyday life and answers to contemporary culture at large.
Willingness to pay premium prices in accommodation establishments
Authors: Fragkogianni Marietta
Published: October 2019

Although tourism research often involves the phenomenon of ‘willingness to pay premium prices’, it has under-researched the relevant propensity with respect to brand identification in the hospitality sector as a component of tourism activity overall. This study examines the perceptions of 328 holidaymakers leaving Athens, Greece. The findings unveiled relationships between multiple elements of brand identity, such as brand image, price and quality, need for belonging, need for uniqueness and the conformity to consumption trend. Moreover, they suggest that the stronger the brand identification, the less likely holiday makers are to pay premium prices. In addition to its theoretical and managerial contribution, the research presents relevant implications and provides suggestions for further study.
Service experience in hospitality firms from a network perspective
Authors: González-Torres Thais , Pelechano-Barahona Eva , García-Muiña Fernando Enrique
Published: October 2019

The aim of this conceptual article is to provide a better understanding of hospitality by designing a theoretical model capable of capturing the complexity of an assembled service provided by multiple agents, with a strong experiential component. The network approach allows us to expand the traditional marketing approach to study the service experience – based on the customer’s subjective perceptions – towards a strategic and managerial perspective by incorporating the necessity to collaborate with multiple partners. The study has been conducted as a systematic literature review. Thus, the main theoretical contributions are aimed at emphasizing the role of the service experience not simply as a key motivator of consumption, but also as a strategic success factor for hospitality firms. Another significant contribution is the consideration of the complete set of alliances of the hospitality firm, given its role as resource integrator.
How hospitality fosters new businesses on the Internet
Authors: Gavioli Maria Cláudia , Bastos Sênia Regina
Published: October 2019

This work aims to show how commensality, a dimension of hospitality, operates in the context of new Internet businesses. It uses theories of hospitality to analyse meal-sharing websites that seek to capitalize on the booming interest in gastronomy and the growing trend of the sharing economy. This article is one piece of a broader research project that aims to identify and characterize the protagonists of a new type of gastronomy and commensality business conducted in domestic environments, and promoted on meal-sharing websites in which professional or amateur chefs (hosts) and diners (guests) are connected with one another. To perform the study we conducted documentary research through Internet searches on shared gastronomic experiences; netnographic research on meal-sharing websites; and interviews with hosts registered on these platforms and with the owner of the Brazilian website Dinneer. Using a theoretical framework focusing on hospitality and commensality, which deals with the relations between hosts and guests, their motivations and wishes, and the tacit and explicit rules by which they are bound, we analysed the contents of the websites and the interview transcripts. The results of our research reveal a paradox about the services offered on the websites and the reality of the business for hosts and diners.
Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in deer and nearby water sources at Safari parks in Bangladesh
Authors: Sarker Md Samun , Ahad Abdul , Ghosh Saurav Kumar , Mannan Md Shahriar , Sen Arup , Islam Sirazul , Bayzid Md , Bupasha Zamila Bueaza
Published: October 2019

Background and Aim: The emergence and rapid dissemination of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in different ecosystems is a growing concern to human health, animal health, and the environment in recent years. The study aimed to determine the antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli from deer and nearby water sources at two different Safari parks in Bangladesh.

Materials and Methods: A number of 55 fresh fecal samples of deer and six water samples from nearby lakes were collected from two Safari parks. Samples were processed, cultured, and carried out biochemical tests for E. coli. The antibiotic susceptibility was determined by disk diffusion method. To identify the resistance genes, polymerase chain reaction was performed.

Results: A total of 32 E. coli isolates from 55 fecal samples and 6 of 6 E. coli isolates from lake water were isolated. From fecal E. coli isolates, ampicillin and sulfamethoxazole were 90.63% (n=29/32) resistant and 87.5% (n=28/32) were resistant to tetracycline and nalidixic acid. High resistance was also observed to other antibiotics. On the contrary, all E. coli isolates from water sources were 100% (n=6/6) resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole, and nalidixic acid. MDR was revealed in all water samples, whereas 96.88% (n=31/32) was found in fecal isolates. A number of blaTEM, tetA, and Sul2 genes were detected from both isolates.

Conclusion: This study for the 1st time highlights, a significant proportion of E. coli isolates in wildlife deer and nearby water sources were MDR in Bangladesh.
Detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Shiga toxin 2a gene in pork, pig feces, and clean water at Jagalan slaughterhouse in Surakarta, Central Java Province, Indonesia
Authors: Goma Maria Kristiani Epi , Indraswari Alvita , Haryanto Aris , Widiasih Dyah Ayu
Published: October 2019

Background and Aim: The feasibility assessment of food products on the market becomes one of the milestones of food safety. The quality of food safety of animal origin especially pork need to get attention and more real action from the parties related and concerned. Since pork is also a source of transmission for the contagion of foodborne disease so that the study of the existence of several agents in the pork and its products become the benchmark of safety level. This study aimed to isolate, identify, and detect the Shiga toxin 2a (stx2a) gene from Escherichia coli O157:H7 in pork, pig feces, and clean water in the Jagalan slaughterhouse.

Materials and Methods: A total of 70 samples consisting of 32 pork samples, 32 pig fecal samples, and 6 clean water samples were used to isolate and identify E. coli O157:H7 and the stx2a gene. Isolation and identification of E. coli O157:H7 were performed using culture on eosin methylene blue agar and Sorbitol-MacConkey agar media and confirmed molecularly with polymerase chain reaction to amplify the target genes rfbE (317 bp) and fliC (381 bp). The isolates, which were identified as E. coli O157:H7, were investigated for the stx2a gene (553 bp).

Results: The results of this study show that of the total collected samples, E. coli O157:H7 was 28.6% in Jagalan slaughterhouse and consisted of 25% of pork samples, 31.25% of pig fecal samples, and 33.3% of clean water samples. The isolates that were identified to be E. coli O157:H7 mostly contained the stx2a gene, which was equal to 75%, and consisted of seven isolates from pork samples, seven isolates from fecal samples, and one isolate from clean water samples.

Conclusion: E. coli O157:H7 was found in 28.6% of pork, pig feces, and clean water in Jagalan slaughterhouse and 75% of identified E. coli O157:H7 contained the stx2a gene.
Qualidade de águas subterrâneas sob embasamento cristalino em porção do sertão central cearense
Authors: Alencar Francisco Klayton Marques de , Lima Gustavo Ross Ribeiro , Souza Stephanie De Oliveira , Araújo Andrea Limaverde de , Silva Fernando José Araújo da
Published: October 2019

Este trabalho caracterizou, através da análise dos constituintes químicos e com o auxílio de índices de qualidade de água, as águas subterrâneas, sob embasamento cristalino, de parte do semiárido cearense, localizado entre os municípios de Banabuiú, Quixadá e Quixeramobim. Os índices de estabilidade mostraram uma forte tendência corrosiva das águas. Os índices de irrigação indicaram que parte das águas apresentam elevado risco de sodificação e salinização do solo, não sendo adequadas para o uso na agricultura. Os índices gerais de qualidade dividiram as águas em dois tipos: de boa qualidade e uso adequado e de qualidade inadequada e uso restrito.
Education markets and schools’ mechanisms of exclusion: The case of Chile
Authors: Zancajo Adrián
Published: October 2019

Education market advocates frequently argue that socioeconomically disadvantaged  students could be the main beneficiaries of privatization and market policies. However, the international evidence has shown how privatization and pro-market policies have a negative impact in terms of equity, which particularly affect socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, increase school segregation and stratification, and foster educational inequalities. The main objective of this paper is to analyze how the responses developed by educational providers in marketized environments especially impact poor populations and can act as mechanisms of exclusion. In this context, Chile is an optimal case study due to the extreme version of privatization and market policies it adopted four decades ago. Based on the case study of two municipalities in Chile, which represent two local education markets, the presented evidence combines in-depth interviews with school principals and families. The paper analyses how schools’ responses in the context of a competitive environment produce, among other effects, processes of exclusion affecting students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, foster school segregation and increase educational inequalities. Finally, the paper elaborates on the limits of education markets and privatization policies, as well as market regulation reforms, in providing better educational opportunities to socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
Educating on a budget: The subsistence model of low-fee private schooling in Peru
Authors: Balarin María , Fontdevila Clara , Marius Paola , Rodríguez María Fernanda
Published: October 2019

Over the last decades, Peru has experienced an extraordinary rise of low-fee private schools (LFPSs). While global debates on the quality of this modality of schooling have been gaining currency, research on the organizational practices of LFPSs remains comparatively underdeveloped. This paper aims at identifying and describing the managerial, business and organizational practices exhibited by Peruvian LFPSs– and at understanding them in relation to the social norms and institutional arrangements specific to the context in which they operate. The study draws on a combination of archival analysis, interviews with decision-makers, and interviews with school owners and principals. The results of our research show that the specificities of the socioeconomic, cultural and regulative environments in which Peruvian LFPSs operate have led to the consolidation of a particular subsistence model of LFPS where profit-making appears to play a limited role. This model is also characterized by the low formalization of management routines, the impossibility to generate economies of scale, and the reliance on interpersonal trust as a means to reduce risk – in a context of low bureaucratization and limited regulatory oversight. We argue that, in view of the distinctly low achievement levels of Peruvian LFPSs, gaining a fine-grained understanding of their organizational practices (and the incentives they respond to) remains a relevant task, and a necessary step to devise effective policy strategies.
Speaking cooperation, acting competition: Supply-side subsidies and private schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts in Buenos Aires
Authors: Moschetti Mauro C. , Snaider Carolina
Published: October 2019

Few studies have explored how schools respond to competition in socially embedded education quasi-markets. This study focuses on how state-subsidized privately-run low-fee schools (S-LFPSs) compete with free public schools in some of the poorest neighborhoods of the City of Buenos Aires. In particular, we explore how S-LFPSs follow different logics of action to attract (and shape) enrollment profiting from their extended autonomy and some regulatory gaps. We applied discourse analysis on data from eight months of ethnographic case study research in nine S-LFPSs. Student selection and operational changes (e.g., increasing the student/teacher ratio) prevail over academic and curricular changes. Selection is operated by means of aptitude tests and screening interviews, and other symbolic artifacts aimed at signaling differences with state-run schools and the potential fit between schools and families. We present a heuristic typology of the different logics of action systematizing the schools’ responses as their leading orientations toward the competitive environment. We suggest that policy inconsistencies and deficient governmental oversight tilt the field against state-run schools. Rather than ensuring equality of educational opportunity, the policy contributes to shape and deepen a highly segregated and inequitable educational landscape.
Motivations to set up and manage low-fee private schools in India
Authors: Mond Hannah , Prakash Poorvaja
Published: October 2019

Low-fee private schools (LFPS) educate some of India’s poorest children. They have grown dramatically over the last decade in India and have changed the country’s educational landscape (Srivastava, 2016), yet there is little conclusive evidence that the schools significantly help their students. Our study aims to better understand why and how the schools have grown, and we use a social entrepreneurship theory – the push and pull theory – to guide our research questions. We interviewed eight owners and asked: “what are the motivations of individual actors in setting up low fee private schools?” and “how do these actors justify continuing their work when presented with empirical research on these schools’ mixed impact on the quality of education they provide?  There were more pull than push factors. Owners’ distrust of government schools, and the characteristically low-income nature of the communities drove them to choose the low-fee private school model. They justified their work despite evidence of these schools’ mixed impact, arguing that their schools were different from the regular LFPS and that there is high parental support for their schools. We recommend policies to better support such individuals and provide them with an awareness of alternative paths to contribute to improving education.
Low-fee private schools, the state, and globalization: A market analysis within the political sociology of education and development
Authors: Edwards Jr. D. Brent , Okitsu Taeko , Mwanza Peggy
Published: October 2019

This study investigates the emergence and supply-demand dynamics of a market for low-fee private schools (LFPS) at the level of early childhood care and education (ECCE) in a slum of Lusaka, Zambia. Based on data collection over 1.5 years, the study reveals that, despite a government policy to support ECCE, over 90% of ECCE centers are private; that school operators tend to be former teachers, businessmen/women, and religious leaders; and that LFPSs charge, on average, 2.5 times as much as government ECCE centers for tuition, not including additional indirect costs. The paper discusses how teachers in LFPSs are caught in the middle, making less than the average income earned by others in the surrounding slum, and are unable to afford LFPS fees themselves. Importantly, the paper highlights that lower income quintiles spend a greater percentage of their income on ECCE, and that a majority of families in the study must make tradeoffs between ECCE, food, housing, and other basic expenditures in order to afford private ECCE, which is a necessity given the inadequate supply of government ECCE centers. In addition to addressing school strategies for keeping costs down, this study reports on parental decision-making when it comes to school selection. Finally, beyond a straight market analysis of LFPSs at the ECCE level in Zambia, this article also comments on how this market fits into the dialectical nature of local and global contexts. That is, it draws attention to the workings of the Zambian state and its precarious position in the global capitalist economy.
Education privatization in the United States: Increasing saturation and segregation
Authors: Adamson Frank , Galloway Meredith
Published: October 2019

This article outlines different forms of education privatization operating globally, examines their prevalence within the United States, and analyzes whether student marginalization and segregation occurs at the local level. We analyze six U.S. districts with higher saturation levels of charter schools, the most predominant type of privatization (Camden, NJ, Washington DC, Flint, MI, Detroit, MI, Natomas, CA, and Oakland, CA). We find education privatization increasing in the US, but unevenly dispersed, with charter schools concentrated primarily in urban areas serving students of color. Furthermore, segregation in education remains a major issue for all types of schools, with students of color in urban contexts often attending intensely segregated schools (over 90% students of color). Instead of mitigating the segregation problem, student selection by charter school appears to exacerbate it, specifically for special education students.
A Comparison of the Efficacy of New Monopyridinium Oximes with the Oxime HI-6 Against Mevinphos in Mice
Authors: Kassa Jiří , Bielavský Jiří
Published: October 2019

1. The therapeutic efficacy of three new monopyridinium oximes (2,4-PAEtM, 2,5-PAEtM, 2,5-PAAM) and the bispyridinium oxime HI-6 was evaluated in combination with benactyzine against acute poisoning with the organophosphorus insecticide mevinphos in mice. 2. When mice were treated two min after mevinphos poisoning, no significant differences in the therapeutic effectiveness of tested oximes were observed. They increased the 24h LD50 values of mevinphos about three times in comparison with non-treated intoxicated animals. 3. On the other hand, there were significant differences in their therapeutic efficacy when they were administered 30 sec following mevinphos challenge. The monopyridinium oxime 2,5-PAEtM seems to be the most efficacious against mevinphos toxicity. 4. Use of new monopyridinium oxime 2,5-PAEtM appears to be the improvement in the antidotal treatment of poisoning with organophosphorus insecticide mevinphos in comparison with HI-6.
Soluble Interleukin 2 Receptors' Levels Versus Thyroid Hormones Levels in Nonthyroidal Disease
Authors: Ilias Ioannis , Panoutsopoulos Georgios , Filippou Nikiforos , Dima Anna , Christakopoulou Ioulia , Roussou Paraskevi
Published: October 2019

Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels, basal thyrotropin, total thyroxine, total triiodothyronine and free triodothyronine were assayed in 29 - otherwise healthy - patients with pulmonary tuberculosis before initiation of anti-tuberculosis treatment and after two weeks of therapy. Twenty seven out of 29 patients presented low-normal total triiodothyronine levels, showing a statistical elevation after anti-tuberculosis therapy. Total triiodothyronine levels before anti-tuberculosis therapy were inversely correlated with levels of serum soluble interleukin-2 receptors. Further investigation on the relationship between soluble interleukin-2 receptorÕs levels and thyroid hormones in non-thyroidal disease can be envisaged.
Changes of Signal-Averaged ECG in Normal Subjects After One Year
Authors: Ceral Jiří , Kvasnička Jiří , Jandík Josef
Published: October 2019

Repeated signal-averaged electrocardiograms (SA ECG) were recorded twice with a mean interval of 13 months in 11 healthy volunteers in order to acquire basic information on long-term changes of SA ECG. After one year the duration of filtered QRS remains the most stable parameter of SA ECG on the contrary to parameters describing end of fQRS - i.e. both HFLA and RMS. Moreover fQRS seems to have better specificity in comparison to HFLA and RMS. An estimation of significant long-term changes in individual parameters of SA ECG was obtained. According to our results, only changes in QRS ± 13 ms, fQRS ± 8 ms, HFLA ± 22 ms and RMS ± 17 mV should be considered significant when found in a long-term follow-up of patients with a heart disease.
Thoracic Electrical Bioimpedance Versus Thermodilution in Patients Post Open-Heart Surgery
Authors: Žáček Pavel , Kuneš Pavel , Kobzová Eva , Dominik Jan
Published: October 2019

Thoracic electrical bioimpedance cardiography is a non-invasive, continuous and low-cost method of estimation of cardiac output and other haemodynamic parameters. Though subject to continuous technological refinement controversial opinions exist on its validity in subsets of critically ill patients, patients with heart disease or after cardiac surgery. A comparison study between thermodilution (TD) and bioimpedance (TEB) was performed in 28 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery (CABG, aortic or mitral valve replacement or combined procedures). 128 pairs of cardiac index estimates at specific time points during 20 hours at the postoperative ICU were evaluated. A poor correlation (r = 0.26, p<0.05, bias -0.07 l.min-1.m2, precision + 1.1 l.min-1.m-2, 95% limits of agreement -2.27 - 2.13 l.min-1.m-2) between TD and TEB cannot support the routine use of TEB monitoring in early postoperative period after open-heart surgery. Possible reasons of lack of agreement in this population are discussed. Further studies with technically improved bioimpedance cardiographs will be needed.
Inguinal Hernioplasty According to Lotheissen and McVay
Authors: Vobořil Zbyněk
Published: October 2019

Inguinal hernioplasty represents one of the most frequently performed operation in surgery. In the article the author describes the technique of inguinal hernioplasty according to Lotheissen and McVay. He has an excellent experience when using this procedure. This communication tried to focus the attention of surgical community on this method.
University Students During Historical Developments of the University, 650 Years of the Journey to Knowledge and Understanding
Authors: Schirger Alexander
Published: October 2019

Article without abstract.
History of Pathological Anatomy in Hradec Králové
Authors: Nožička Zdeněk
Published: October 2019

Article without abstract.
“Zhores” — Petaflops supercomputer for data-driven modeling, machine learning and artificial intelligence installed in Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology
Authors: Zacharov Igor , Arslanov Rinat , Gunin Maksim , Stefonishin Daniil , Bykov Andrey , Pavlov Sergey , Panarin Oleg , Maliutin Anton , Rykovanov Sergey , Fedorov Maxim
Published: October 2019

The Petaflops supercomputer “Zhores” recently launched in the “Center for Computational and Data-Intensive Science and Engineering” (CDISE) of Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) opens up new exciting opportunities for scientific discoveries in the institute especially in the areas of data-driven modeling, machine learning and artificial intelligence. This supercomputer utilizes the latest generation of Intel and NVidia processors to provide resources for the most compute intensive tasks of the Skoltech scientists working in digital pharma, predictive analytics, photonics, material science, image processing, plasma physics and many more. Currently it places 7th in the Russian and CIS TOP-50 (2019) supercomputer list. In this article we summarize the cluster properties and discuss the measured performance and usage modes of this new scientific instrument in Skoltech.
Theory of particle swarm optimization: A survey of the power of the swarm’s potential
Authors: Bassimir Bernd , Raß Alexander , Schmitt Manuel
Published: October 2019

This paper presents a survey on different showcases for potential measures on particle swarm optimization (PSO). First, a potential is analyzed to prove convergence to non-optimal points. Second, one can apply a minor modification to PSO to prevent convergence to non-optimal points by using an easy potential measure. Finally, analyzing this potential measure yields a reliable stopping criterion for the modified PSO.
Assessment of inner reliability in the Gauss-Helmert model
Authors: Ettlinger Andreas , Neuner Hans
Published: October 2019

In this contribution, the minimum detectable bias (MDB) as well as the statistical tests to identify disturbed observations are introduced for the Gauss-Helmert model. Especially, if the observations are uncorrelated, these quantities will have the same structure as in the Gauss-Markov model, where the redundancy numbers play a key role. All the derivations are based on one-dimensional and additive observation errors respectively offsets which are modeled as additional parameters to be estimated. The formulas to compute these additional parameters with the corresponding variances are also derived in this contribution. The numerical examples of plane fitting and yaw computation show, that the MDB is also in the GHM an appropriate measure to analyze the ability of an implemented least-squares algorithm to detect if outliers are present. Two sources negatively influencing detectability are identified: columns close to the zero vector in the observation matrix B and sub-optimal configuration in the design matrix A. Even if these issues can be excluded, it can be difficult to identify the correct observation as being erroneous. Therefore, the correlation coefficients between two test values are derived and analyzed. Together with the MDB these correlation coefficients are an useful tool to assess the inner reliability – and therefore the detection and identification of outliers – in the Gauss-Helmert model.
Statistical inference and residual analysis for the evaluation of datum transformation models developed on 3D coordinate data
Authors: Hassan Abubakr , Huang Dingfa , Mustafa Elhadi K. , Mahama Yahaya , Damos Mohamed A. , Jiang Zhongshan , Zhang Lupeng
Published: October 2019

The evaluation of geoscience data is a far-reaching topic which cannot be systematically covered. The purpose of inferential statistics is to harness useful information from data for making decisions. This paper conducts in-depth statistical study for the Bursa-Wolf and Molodensky Badekas models of the three-dimensional transformation parameters. We also considered the combined and observation equations scenarios of these methods for the comparative study. Four key indicators are conducted to evaluate the performance of the two transformation models according to the residual results. These include root mean square error (RMSE), paired t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Cohen’s d effect size measure. RMSE evaluation is based on the mean difference between model estimates and observed values. The correlations in the model results is investigated based on paired t-test. Wilcoxon signed-rank test assesses the statistical significance of the model’s paired differences. To estimate the effect size of the performance differences, Cohen’s d measures are computed. Further, the residuals of the estimated parameters are plotted according to their respective control points. The inference results of these tests generally show that Badekas transformation approach is more precise than Bursa-Wolf. Specifically, Badekas combined case is the most precise, followed by its observation case, then Bursa-Wolf combined and finally its observation case is the least performing model. The application of various data analysis and statistical verifications make the task of data interpretation and best model selection easier.
Varying social roles and networks on a family farm: Evidence from Swedish immigrant letters, 1880s to 1930s
Authors: Hoffman Angela , Kytö Merja
Published: October 2019

The present study investigates patterns of language use in the ego documents written by three Swedish immigrants: Nils Blomberg (born in 1839), Mathilda Blomberg, (b. 1863), and Anton Blomberg (b. 1885), their eldest son. The empirical foundation of the investigation is a set of 32 family letters sent over a period of nearly fifty years (1885–1934) from the rural Smoky Valley in Kansas to Mathilda’s home village in Östergötland, Sweden. We analyze the writers’ lexis, discourse patterning (formulaic versus free-flowing), and re-current topics, and the social roles and networks that are manifest in their correspondence. The three writers continued to correspond in the Swedish language over the years. Our diachronic analysis of their lexis and discourse patterning reveals individual variation across the authors’ production. For example, Mathilda’s correspondence contains some evidence of heritage Swedish (i.e. Swedish that has diverged from the home country, due to geographical separation and language contact with English). Across her lifespan, Mathilda integrates some vocabulary for plants, places, and jobs that diverges from the lexis she recalls from her early years in Sweden, and she draws attention to this lexical divergence for the sake of her readers. Anton, a childhood bilingual in Swedish and English, systematically translates English lexis to Swedish in letters, presumably with the goal to bring his Kansas experiences closer to his Swedish relatives. In particular, the letters, especially those by Mathilda, reveal not only how the individuals communicate information about their social roles in rural Kansas, but also their desires to maintain the networks connecting their family farm in the U.S. to Mathilda’s home village in Sweden.
Canadian heritage German across three generations: A diary-based study of language shift in action
Authors: Stolberg Doris
Published: October 2019

It is well known that migration has an effect on language use and language choice. If the language of origin is maintained after migration, it tends to change in the new contact setting. Often, migrants shift to the new majority language within few generations. The current paper examines a diary corpus containing data from three generations of one German-Canadian family, ranging from 1867 to 1909, and covering the second to fourth generation after immigration. The paper analyzes changes that can be observed between the generations, with respect to the language system as well as to the individuals’ decision on language choice. The data not only offer insight into the dynamics of acquiring a written register of a heritage language, and the eventual shift to the majority language. They also allow us to identify different linguistic profiles of heritage speakers within one community. It is discussed how these profiles can be linked to the individuals’ family backgrounds and how the combination of these backgrounds may have contributed to giving up the heritage language in favor of the majority language.
Historical heritage language ego-documents: From home, from away, and from below
Authors: Brown Joshua R.
Published: October 2019

Recent research into heritage languages has shown the results of language contact structurally and socially. This work is almost exclusively synchronic. This special issue presents five papers that look at the historical record of language contact in migration contexts. In using ego-documents written by everyday users of the languages in contact, we uncover the usefulness of incorporating historical sociolinguistic analysis into heritage language research.
Evolution of Adder and Subtractor Circuit Using Si3N4 Microring Resonator
Authors: Saharia Ankur , Ghunawat Ashish Kumar , Tiwari Manish , Bourdine Anton V. , Burdin Vladimir A. , Maddila Ravi Kumar , Singh Ghanshyam
Published: October 2019

All-optical processor capable of processing optical bits has been a long-standing goal of photonics. In this paper, we report the results obtained by numerical simulations regarding the designing of an all-optical combinational circuit of an adder and subtractor circuits based on Si3N4 microring resonators. The designs of combinational circuit like adders and subtractor based on the use of all-optical basic logic gates are discussed while presenting the numerically simulated results. Extinction ratios of 5.2 dB, 3.5 dB and 2.7 dB are obtained for the half adder, full adder and half subtractor, respectively.
Power Enhancement of the U-shape Cavity Microring Resonator Through Gap and Material Characterizations
Authors: Amiri IS , Rashed Ahmed Nabih Zaki
Published: October 2019

A U-shape cavity including the microring resonator with a radius of 3 µm has been modeled and studied for the throughput and drop output power enhancement of the microring resonator. We have obtained the maximum output power of the silicon microring resonator by varying the bandgap between the microring and the coupled bus waveguides. The outputs can be further affected by using the different semiconductor materials such as GaAs and InAs as core waveguides, which show significant power enhancement at the throughput and drop, respectively. A time delay of 347 fs is realized for the generated results, which is occurred due to the different light propagation patch.
Polar Polarization Mode and Average Radical Flux Intensity Measurements Based on All Optical Spatial Communication Systems
Authors: Amiri I. S. , Rashed Ahmed Nabih Zaki , Jahan Sohely , Paul Bikash Kumar , Ahmed Kawsar
Published: October 2019

This study presents the polar polarization mode and average radical intensity flux distribution measurements based on all optical spatial communication systems. The numerical technique that is applied with the simulation model is the diffraction fast Fourier integral transform. Spatial optical sources are used such as continuous wave (CW) laser and vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with spatial connector and spatial aperture. Spatial temporal polarization effects are taken into account. Percentage encircled flux/average flux radical intensity and polar radical polarization are measured with spatial connector distance and spatial aperture width. The encircled flux is constant at 95 % of its value in the case of VCSEL laser source at a radical distance of exactly 10 μm. However, the encircled flux is constant at 92 %of its value in the case of CW laser source at a radical distance of exactly 6 μm. It is noticed that the encircled flux increases with increasing radial distance of spatial apertures that are used with two suggested light sources. The encircled flux is constant at 93 % of its value in the case of VCSEL laser source at a radical distance of exactly 10 μm.
The Engagement of Hybrid Ultra High Space Division Multiplexing with Maximum Time Division Multiplexing Techniques for High-Speed Single-Mode Fiber Cable Systems
Authors: Amiri I. S. , Kuppusamy P. G. , Rashed Ahmed Nabih Zaki , Jayarajan P. , Thiyagupriyadharsan M. R. , Yupapin P.
Published: October 2019

High-speed single-mode fiber-optic communication systems have been presented based on various hybrid multiplexing schemes. Refractive index step and silica-doped germanium percentage parameters are also preserved during their technological boundaries of attention. It is noticed that the connect design parameters suffer more nonlinearity with the number of connects. Two different propagation techniques have been used to investigate the transmitted data rates as a criterion to enhance system performance. The first technique is soliton propagation, where the control parameters lead to equilibrium between the pulse spreading due to dispersion and the pulse shrinking because of nonlinearity. The second technique is the MTDM technique where the parameters are adjusted to lead to minimum dispersion. Two cases are investigated: no dispersion cancellation and dispersion cancellation. The investigations are conducted over an enormous range of the set of control parameters. Thermal effects are considered through three basic quantities, namely the transmission data rates, the dispersion characteristics, and the spectral losses.
Performance Analysis of OWC Using NOP Technique
Authors: Kumar Ghanendra , Kumar Chakresh
Published: October 2019

In this review paper, the turbulence of the channel through which the light photons are scattered has been modeled. The channel here is essentially the lower lithosphere. A two-step algorithm called the Method of Expectation–Maximization has been used for the analysis and calculations of the parameters involved. Statistical methods have been used to check temporal correlation and the tolerance of the communication system involved. The simulations and results have been presented and the conclusions show decent performance. The approaches have been applied to the UV scattering channel experiment, NLOS experiment and for link gain at a distance of 0.5 km.
A quantitative obstruction to collapsing surfaces
Authors: Katz Mikhail G.
Published: October 2019

We provide a quantitative obstruction to collapsing surfaces of genus at least 2 under a lower curvature bound and an upper diameter bound.
Anatomical workspace study of Endonasal Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Approach
Authors: Chumnanvej Sorayouth , Pattamarakha Duangkamol , Sudsang Thanwa , Suthakorn Jackrit
Published: October 2019

Purpose

To determine the workspace through an anatomical dimensional study of the skull base to further facilitate the design of the robot for endonasal endoscopic transsphenoidal (EET) surgery.

Methods

There were 120 cases having a paranasal sinus CT scan in the database. The internal volumes of the nasal cavities (NC), the volumes of the sphenoid sinuses (SS), and the distance between the anterior nasal spine and base of the sellar (d-ANS-BS) were measured.

Results

The Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) between the relevant distances and the volumes of the right NC was 0.32; between the relevant distances and the volumes of the left NC was 0.43; and between the relevant distances and volumes of NC was 0.41; with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). All PCCs had a statistically significant meaningful difference (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

The volume of NCs were significantly correlated with distances (p < 0.05). The safest and shortest distance to guide the robotic arm length in the EET approach could be represented by d-ANS-BS. This result was also used as primary information for further robotic design.
Non-surgical removal of dens invaginatus in maxillary lateral incisor using CBCT: Two-year follow-up case report
Authors: Pradhan Babita , Gao Yuan , He Libang , Li Jiyao
Published: October 2019

A 14-year female presented with an atypical looking tooth #7 with a sinus tract on tooth #8. A gutta-percha point inserted into the sinus tract confirmed the affected tooth #7. A radiographic examination of tooth showed a lateral radiolucency with respect to tooth #7. Cone-beam computed tomographic imaging was done for the three-dimensional reconstruction analysis. Dens invaginatus (Oehler’s type III) with pulp necrosis and chronic apical periodontitis was the definitive diagnosis. Use of the dental operating microscope and ultrasonics helped in the removal of the invaginated structure. At the two year follow-up, no clinical and radiographic evidence of infection was observed.
The pseudosymmetric low temperature polymorph of catena-poly[(μ2-4,4′-bipyridyl-κN,N′)-bis(O,O′-diethyldithiophosphato-κS)-cadmium(II)], {C18H28CdN2O4P2S4}n
Authors: Tan Yee Seng , Tiekink Edward R.T.
Published: October 2019

C18H28CdN2O4P2S4, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 10.3735(1) Å, b = 15.2066(2) Å, c = 26.5231(2) Å, α = 85.178(1)°, β = 81.311(1)°, γ = 71.541(1)°, V = 3920.17(7) Å3, Z = 6, R
gt(F) = 0.0214, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.0556, T = 100(2) K.
The crystal structure of tert-butyl (tert-butoxy(oxo)methyl)(5-bromo-2-fluorophenyl)carbamate, C16H21BrFNO4
Authors: Ji Chun , Qin Yu-Mei
Published: October 2019

C16H21BrFNO4, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 9.0896(4) Å, b = 10.8609(4) Å, c = 18.5637(8) Å, β = 99.5050(10)°, V = 1807.47(13) Å3, Z = 4, R
gt(F) = 0.0382, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.0900, T = 170 K.
Deontic and epistemic necessity in Turkish sign language (TİD)
Authors: Özkul Asli
Published: October 2019

This study investigates two flavors of the necessity modal sign NECESSARY in TİD and investigates their semantic and syntactic properties and how these properties interact. First, the modal flavors of this modal sign were identified through the contexts they occur in, based on the analysis by Kratzer (1981, 1991). Epistemic and deontic flavors of modality were searched for in the data, which was collected by spontaneous and semistructured elicitation tasks. Then, questionnaires that involve felicity and grammaticality judgment tasks were carried out to explore the semantic and syntactic properties of these modal signs in more detail. A total of 29 TİD signers participated in the data collection. The results of this investigation show that (i) NECESSARY is a necessity modal sign which has both epistemic and deontic interpretations, (ii) NECESSARY has a restricted syntactic position in a clause, (iii) non-manual markers differentiate between the epistemic and deontic interpretations of NECESSARY, which indicates that non-manual markers in TİD have both syntactic and prosodic functions.