bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Paddy Plant Disease Recognition, Risk Analysis, and Classification Using Deep Convolution Neuro-Fuzzy Network
Authors: Kumar V. Vinoth , Raghunath K. M. Karthick , Rajesh N. , Venkatesan Muthukumaran , Joseph Rose Bindu , Thillaiarasu N.
Published: November 2021

A significant number of the world’s population is dependent on rice for survival. In addition to sugarcane and corn, rice is said to be the third most growing staple food in the world. As a consequence of intensive usage of man-made fertilizers, paddy plant diseases have also risen at a faster pace in current history. Exploring the possible disease spread and classifying to detect the consequent impact at an early stage will prevent the loss and improve rice production. The core task of this research is to recognize and quantify different kinds of infections (disease) affecting the paddy plant crop, such as brown spots, bacterial blight, and leaf blasts. Both detection and recognition are carried out based on the risk analysis of paddy crop leaf images. We suggest a Deep Convolutional Neuro-Fuzzy Method (DCNFM) that combines one of the advanced machine learning variant, namely deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) and uncertainty handler called fuzzy logic. The synthesis has the benefits of both fuzzy logic and DCNNs when dealing with unstructured data, extracting essential features from imprecise and ambiguous datasets. From the crop field, continuous image data are captured through image sensors and fed as a primary input to the proposed model to analyze the risk and then later to classify them for precise recognition/detection of the disease. The detection/recognition rate of the DCNFM is found to be 98.17% which is comparatively found to be effective in comparison with the traditional CNN model.
F-ONTOCOM: A Fuzzified Cost Estimation Approach for Ontology Engineering
Authors: Malik Sonika , Jain Sarika
Published: November 2021

Estimating effort is an essential prerequisite for the wide-scale dispersal of ontologies. Not much attention has yet been paid to this essential aspect of ontology building. To date, ONTOCOM is the most prominent model for ontology cost estimation. Many factors influencing the building cost of an ontology are depicted by linguistic terms like Very High, High, . . . and so on; making them vague and indistinct. This fuzziness is quite uncertain and must be taken into consideration. The available effort estimation models do not consider the uncertainty of fuzziness. In this work, we propose an effort estimation methodology for ontology engineering using Fuzzy Logic i.e. F-ONTOCOM (Fuzzy-ONTOCOM) to overcome of uncertainty and imprecision. We have defined the corresponding Fuzzy sets for each effort multiplier and its associated linguistic value, and represented the same by triangular membership functions. F-ONTOCOM is applied to a dataset of 148 ontology projects and evaluated over various evaluation criteria. FONTOCOM outperforms the existing effort-estimation models; it has been concluded that F-ONTOCOM improves the cost estimation accuracy and estimated cost is very close to actual cost.
Organic dye concentration monitoring through an optical microfiber enabled by multiwalled carbon nanotubes
Authors: Sun Dandan , Hao Yaohui , Fu Yongming , Ma Jie
Published: November 2021

A tapered microfiber sensor based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for detecting the concentration of alizarin red S dye is proposed and verified by experiments. MWCNTs fixed on the surface of optical fiber can adsorb the alizarin red S dye molecule due to its porous structure. The surface refractive index (RI) change caused by MWCNTs coated with the fiber surface adsorbing of red dye can be captured by optical microfiber, which converted into macroscopic wavelength drift in the interference spectrum. The sensor has a high RI sensitivity of 1942.25 nm/RIU and a temperature sensitivity of

−

0.03

n
m

/

∘

C

, which has a low temperature cross-sensitivity. The sensor provides rapid detection of alizarin red S dye in the concentration range of 0–1000 mg/L, and the sensitivity is 0.412 nm/(mg/L) in the low concentration range of 0–25 mg/L. The sensor is expected to be a high-quality platform for safety considerations in environmental protection.
Broadband complex two-mode quadratures for quantum optics
Authors: Bello Leon , Michael Yoad , Rosenbluh Michael , Cohen Eliahu , Pe’er Avi
Published: November 2021

In their seminal paper, Caves and Schumaker presented a new formalism for quantum optics, intended to serve as a building block for describing two-photon processes, in terms of new, generalized qudratures. The important, revolutionary concept in their formalism was that it was fundamentally two-mode, i.e. the related observables could not be attributed to any single one of the comprising modes, but rather to a generalized complex quadrature that could only be attributed to both of them. Here, we propose a subtle, but fundamentally meaningful modification to their important work. Unlike the above proposal, we deliberately choose a frequency-agnostic definition of the two-mode quadrature, that we motivate on physical grounds. This simple modification has far-reaching implications to the formalism – the real and imaginary parts of the quadratures now coincide with the famous EPR variables, and our two-mode operators transform trivially under two-mode and single-mode squeezing operations. Their quadratic forms, which we call the “quadrature powers” are shown to succinctly generate the SU(1, 1) algebra of squeezing Hamiltonians, and correspond directly to important, broadband physical observables, that have been directly measured in experiment and are explicitly related to properties like squeezing and entanglement. This new point of view gives a fresh perspective on two-mode processes that is completely agnostic to the bandwidth, and reveals intriguing new ways for understanding and measuring broadband two-mode squeezing.
730 mW, 2-8 μm supercontinuum generation and the precise estimation of multi-pulse spectral evolution in the soft-glass fibers cascaded nonlinear system
Authors: Huang Tao , Xia Kai , Wang Juan , Ren Hongfei , Bai Shengchuang , Yang Peilong , Ge Siyu , Yang Lingling , Qiu Miao , Yang Fan , Mo Shaohui , Zhang Peiqing , Zhao Ruwei , Liu Yongxing , Wang Xunsi , Dai Shixun , Nie Qiuhua
Published: November 2021

We experimentally demonstrate the 2-8 μm high-power supercontinuum generation and theoretically propose a statistical method for precise estimation of the multi-pulse spectral evolution in the ZBLAN and As2S3 fiber cascaded all-fiber structured nonlinear system. In the experiment, with the aid of the ultra-low loss fusion splice technology, high-efficiency fiber butt-coupling technology and precise thermal management technology, we obtained a record-breaking supercontinuum source with a spectrum spanning from 2 μm to 8 μm at a power of 730 mW. Considering the strong pulse splitting and soliton fission effects in fibers, to precisely estimate the multi-pulse spectral evolution in this system, we, for the first time, built a multi-pulse pump model with the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient method based multi-pulse selection mechanism. In combination with the existing approaches and some new programmatic work, finally, we verified that the simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental one.
Upregulation of DNA repair genes and cell extrusion underpin the remarkable radiation resistance of Trichoplax adhaerens
Authors: Fortunato Angelo , Fleming Alexis , Aktipis Athena , Maley Carlo C.
Published: November 2021

Trichoplax adhaerens is the simplest multicellular animal with tissue differentiation and somatic cell turnover. Like all other multicellular organisms, it should be vulnerable to cancer, yet there have been no reports of cancer in T. adhaerens or any other placozoan. We investigated the cancer resistance of T. adhaerens, discovering that they are able to tolerate high levels of radiation damage (218.6 Gy). To investigate how T. adhaerens survive levels of radiation that are lethal to other animals, we examined gene expression after the X-ray exposure, finding overexpression of genes involved in DNA repair and apoptosis including the MDM2 gene. We also discovered that T. adhaerens extrudes clusters of inviable cells after X-ray exposure. T. adhaerens is a valuable model organism for studying the molecular, genetic, and tissue-level mechanisms underlying cancer suppression.
Early childhood development and urban environment in Mexico
Authors: Prado-Galbarro Francisco-Javier , Pérez-Ferrer Carolina , Ortigoza Ana , López-Olmedo Nancy Paulina , Braverman-Bronstein Ariela , Rojas-Martínez Rosalba , de Castro Filipa , Barrientos-Gutiérrez Tonatiuh
Published: November 2021

Background

Childhood is considered the most important phase of human development; within it the period from birth to 5 years of age is particularly critical, given the speed at which changes occur. The context where children live can influence early childhood developmnent (ECD) by providing or limiting opportunities to learn, play and establish social interactions. This study explored the associations between characteristics of the urban environment and ECD in 2,194 children aged 36 to 59 months living in urban municipalities in Mexico

Methods

We obtained ECD information from the 2015 Survey of Boys, Girls, and Women (ENIM, for its Spanish acronym), measured with the Early Childhood Development Index. The urban environment was evaluated at the municipal level, considering variables from five environment domains: physical, social, service, socioeconomic, and governance. Multilevel logistic models were fitted to assess the association between urban environment characteristics and the inadequacy of ECD in general and by specific development domains: learning, socio-emotional, physical, and alpha-numeric.

Results

Inadequate ECD was inversely associated with the availability of libraries (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.72), and positively associated with population density (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.01–1.02). For the specific ECD domains, inadequate socio-emotional development was inversely associated with the availability of libraries (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.51, 0.85). Inadequate literacy-numeracy knowledge was associated inversely with the availability of daycare centers (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.97), and directly associated with the number of hospitals and clinics (OR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.29, 2.72). Finally, the marginalization index was positively associated with inadequacy in the learning domain (OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.06, 3.03).

Conclusions

Some aspects of the urban environment associated with ECD, suggest that intervening in the urban context could improve overall child development. Investment in resources oriented to improve socio-emotional development and literacy (such as libraries and daycare), could foster ECD in Mexico.
Fellowship program directors and trainees across the United States find parental leave policies to be inconsistent, inaccessible, and inadequate
Authors: Jamorabo Daniel Sabido , Khander Amrin , Koulouris Vasilios , Feith Jeremy Eli , Briggs William Matthew , Renelus Benjamin Dwight
Published: November 2021

Introduction

Determine the consistency, accessibility, and adequacy of parental leave policies for adult and pediatric medicine fellowship programs.

Methods

We administered a 40-question survey to fellowship program directors (PDs) and trainees in adult and pediatric cardiology, hematology/oncology, gastroenterology, and pulmonology/critical care fellowship programs in the United States. We used Chi-square tests to compare proportions for categorical variables and t-tests to compare means for continuous variables.

Results

A total of 190 PDs from 500 programs (38.0%) and 236 trainees from 142 programs (28.4%) responded. Most respondents did not believe that parental leave policies were accessible publicly (322/426; 75.6%), on password-protected intranet (343/426; 80.5%), or upon request (240/426; 56.3%). The PDs and trainees broadly felt that parental leave for fellows should be 5–10 weeks (156/426; 36.6%) or 11–15 weeks (165/426; 38.7%). A majority of PDs felt that there was no increased burden upon other fellows (122/190; 64.2%) or change in overall well-being (110/190; 57.9%). When asked about the biggest barrier to parental leave support, most PDs noted time constrains of fellowship (101/190; 53.1%) and the limited number of fellows (43/190; 22.6%). Trainees similarly selected the time constraints of training (88/236; 37.3%), but nearly one-fifth chose the culture in medicine (44/236; 18.6%). There were no statistically significant differences in answers based on the respondents’ sex, specialty, or subspecialty.

Discussion

Parental leave policies are broadly in place, but did not feel these were readily accessible, standardized, or of optimum length. PDs and trainees noted several barriers that undermine support for better parental leave policies, including time constraints of fellowship, the limited number of fellows for coverage, and workplace culture. Standardization of parental leave policies is advisable to allow trainees to pursue fellowship training and care for their newborns without undermining their educational experiences.
Opal: An open source ray-tracing propagation simulator for electromagnetic characterization
Authors: Egea-Lopez Esteban , Molina-Garcia-Pardo Jose Maria , Lienard Martine , Degauque Pierre
Published: November 2021

Accurate characterization and simulation of electromagnetic propagation can be obtained by ray-tracing methods, which are based on a high frequency approximation to the Maxwell equations and describe the propagating field as a set of propagating rays, reflecting, diffracting and scattering over environment elements. However, this approach has been usually too computationally costly to be used in large and dynamic scenarios, but this situation is changing thanks the increasing availability of efficient ray-tracing libraries for graphical processing units. In this paper we present Opal, an electromagnetic propagation simulation tool implemented with ray-tracing on graphical processing units, which is part of the Veneris framework. Opal can be used as a stand-alone ray-tracing simulator, but its main strength lies in its integration with the game engine, which allows to generate customized 3D environments quickly and intuitively. We describe its most relevant features and provide implementation details, highlighting the different simulation types it supports and its extension possibilites. We provide application examples and validate the simulation on demanding scenarios, such as tunnels, where we compare the results with theoretical solutions and further discuss the tradeoffs between the simulation types and its performance.
Breadth of CD8 T-cell mediated inhibition of replication of diverse HIV-1 transmitted-founder isolates correlates with the breadth of recognition within a comprehensive HIV-1 Gag, Nef, Env and Pol potential T-cell epitope (PTE) peptide set
Authors: Hayes Peter , Fernandez Natalia , Ochsenbauer Christina , Dalel Jama , Hare Jonathan , King Deborah , Black Lucas , Streatfield Claire , Kakarla Vanaja , Macharia Gladys , Makinde Julia , Price Matt , Hunter Eric ,   The IAVI protocol C investigators, Gilmour Jill
Published: November 2021

Full characterisation of functional HIV-1-specific T-cell responses, including identification of recognised epitopes linked with functional antiviral responses, would aid development of effective vaccines but is hampered by HIV-1 sequence diversity. Typical approaches to identify T-cell epitopes utilising extensive peptide sets require subjects’ cell numbers that exceed feasible sample volumes. To address this, CD8 T-cells were polyclonally expanded from PBMC from 13 anti-retroviral naïve subjects living with HIV using CD3/CD4 bi-specific antibody. Assessment of recognition of individual peptides within a set of 1408 HIV-1 Gag, Nef, Pol and Env potential T-cell epitope peptides was achieved by sequential IFNγ ELISpot assays using peptides pooled in 3-D matrices followed by confirmation with single peptides. A Renilla reniformis luciferase viral inhibition assay assessed CD8 T-cell-mediated inhibition of replication of a cross-clade panel of 10 HIV-1 isolates, including 9 transmitted-founder isolates. Polyclonal expansion from one frozen PBMC vial provided sufficient CD8 T-cells for both ELISpot steps in 12 of 13 subjects. A median of 33 peptides in 16 epitope regions were recognised including peptides located in previously characterised HIV-1 epitope-rich regions. There was no significant difference between ELISpot magnitudes for in vitro expanded CD8 T-cells and CD8 T-cells directly isolated from PBMCs. CD8 T-cells from all subjects inhibited a median of 7 HIV-1 isolates (range 4 to 10). The breadth of CD8 T-cell mediated HIV-1 inhibition was significantly positively correlated with CD8 T-cell breadth of peptide recognition. Polyclonal CD8 T-cell expansion allowed identification of HIV-1 isolates inhibited and peptides recognised within a large peptide set spanning the major HIV-1 proteins. This approach overcomes limitations associated with obtaining sufficient cell numbers to fully characterise HIV-1-specific CD8 T-cell responses by different functional readouts within the context of extreme HIV-1 diversity. Such an approach will have useful applications in clinical development for HIV-1 and other diseases.
Polystyrene microplastic particles induce endothelial activation
Authors: Vlacil Ann-Kathrin , Bänfer Sebastian , Jacob Ralf , Trippel Nicole , Kuzu Istemi , Schieffer Bernhard , Grote Karsten
Published: November 2021

Due to its increasing production, durability and multiple applications, plastic is a material we encounter every day. Small plastic particles from the μm to the mm range are classified as microplastics and produced for cosmetic and medical products, but are also a result of natural erosion and decomposition of macroplastics. Although being omnipresent in our environment and already detected in various organisms, less is known about the effects of microplastics on humans in general, or on vascular biology in particular. Here we investigated the effects of carboxylated polystyrene microplastic particles (PS, 1 μm) on murine endothelial and immune cells, which are both crucially involved in vascular inflammation, using in vitro and in vivo approaches. In vitro, PS induced adhesion molecule expression in endothelial cells with subsequent adhesion of leukocytes both under static and flow conditions. In monocytic cells, PS enhanced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and release. Accordingly, administering mice with PS led to enhanced aortic expression of cytokines and adhesion molecules. Furthermore, we identified neutrophils as the PS-clearing blood leukocyte population. The findings from this study for the first time indicate polystyrene microplastic as a new environmental risk factor for endothelial inflammation.
Ligações perigosas: comunicar na época do Romantismo e mais além
Authors: Namora Ricardo
Published: November 2021

Recensão crítica de Yohei Igarashi, The Connected Condition: Romanticism and the Dream of Communication, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 256 pp. ISBN 978-1503610736.
O livro de fotografia e a biblioteca: um estudo de caso
Authors: Fernandes Veloso Baralle Renata , Moacir Francelin Marivalde
Published: November 2021

Este artigo visa fornecer subsídios básicos para a compreensão do livro de fotografia no contexto da Biblioteconomia. Os livros de fotografia – especialmente os fotolivros – são definidos como documentos de potencial informacional visando práticas de literacia visual, ou seja, como potenciais instrumentos que podem ser trabalhados por educadores e leitores para o desenvolvimento de competências críticas acerca das mensagens visuais amplamente difundidas pelos meios de comunicação. Também foi realizado um levantamento das características particulares deste tipo de material e dos meios através dos quais este objeto pode ser demandado pelos usuários de uma biblioteca especializada. Para isso, foi analisado o histórico de pesquisas no catálogo virtual da Biblioteca de Fotografia do Instituto Moreira Salles, a partir do qual buscou-se identificar os principais tipos de termos demandados pelo público.
On the narrative potential of photobooks: an analysis of Alec Soth's Niagara's book
Authors: Brant Alfredo
Published: November 2021

Visual narratives have a long history in the context of human cultural artifacts. In any sequence of images, the juxtaposition of visual signs gives rise to narrative potential. The narrative qualities of photographic images have been explored since its early days through the medium of the book. Borrowing the book artifact from literature, photography has adapted it for its own purposes. Such appropriation invites an examination of the strategies that are employed in photobooks to promote the emergence of narratives. Drawing upon the field of Narrative Studies and the concepts of storyworld and worldmaking, this paper investigates the narrative construction in the photobook Niagara (2006), produced by photographer Alec Soth. The paper demonstrates that certain strategies used in literary texts are analogous to the photobook space. In conclusion, I argue that photobooks are cultural objects that offer invaluable narrative possibilities, especially because they afford agency for the reader’s/viewer’s worldmaking.
On the brass ewer unearthed from the crypt of the Shang-fang Śarīra Stupa of Qingshan Monastery in Lintong District, Shaanxi
Authors: Li Yusheng , Li Jianxi , Niu Jiangtao
Published: November 2021

A cast brass ewer was unearthed from the Shangfang Śarīra Stupa crypt at Qingshan Monastery. Most likely, it was made in the northwestern part of the South Asian subcontinent in the late seventh century. Integrating ancient Roman, Sassanian, and early Islamic styles, the shape of this ewer not only is a mixture of the elements of different eras and traditions but also reflects unique attributes. The multi-headed and multi-armed deities from Hinduism, especially Skanda, may have inspired the six-faced design on the body. Eventually, the ewer was taken to Chang’an by Indian or Kashmirian monks and buried in the pagoda’s crypt.
Modeling in semiotics: an integrative update
Authors: Yu Hongbing
Published: November 2021

This paper provides an integrative and updated view of modeling in semiotics. It postulates that the essence of modeling is supersession. In any act or instance of modeling, the model supersedes and is brought to the front for salience, accessibility, and operability, whereas at the same time the modeled recedes and exists in the background, inaccessible and inoperable. The paper goes on to differentiate between two major types of modeling, the underlying “existential modeling,” functioning as the fundamental scaffold and the genuine foundation of all other types of modeling as we know them, and the overlaying “semiotic modeling,” designating the process of creation and use of “forms of meaning,” a process that underlies both cognition and communication. By focusing on semiotic modeling, the paper features an unconventional view that casts a new light on the relation between a model and a sign and thus the relation between semiotic modeling and semiosis. Endorsing an embodied approach to meaning-making as semiotic modeling, the paper finds it important to stress the appropriateness and necessity of understanding the term “model” as a verb rather than as a noun, in that modeling is never static and should be properly regarded in terms of embodied action.
Serendipity or a Missed Chance? On the Interaction Between Vaccine Distribution and the EU Recovery Funds
Authors: Macchiarelli Corrado , Giacon Renato
Published: November 2021

In this article, we discuss the interaction between the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in EU member states and the effective use of grants and soft loans from the EU pandemic recovery fund. With some of the national spending plans for the Recovery Fund still awaiting initial submission (Bulgaria), others pending the Commission’s endorsement (Poland, Hungary) or formal Council’s approval (Romania, Estonia), and various other national plans in their implementation stage, the next challenge for policymakers will be to ensure that the initial and subsequent tranches of EU funds are released as economies reopen. We claim that special attention ought to be paid to Central and Eastern Europe, where some countries are lagging in their vaccine rollout and/or the preparation for their use of the EU recovery funds. This is likely to be an important test for EU institutions in determining the stability and coherence of the European project as a whole.
Wavelength-dependent photodegradation of wood and its effects on fluorescence
Authors: Peters Frank B. , Rapp Andreas O.
Published: November 2021

Apart from some strongly fluorescent wood species, the general fluorescence of wood has long been ignored. Recent studies suggest that each species has a distinct fluorescence, originating from both basic components and characteristic extractives. However, wood colour and fluorescence rapidly change upon exposure to sunlight. In this study, 288 samples of Acer pseudoplatanus, Quercus robur, Picea abies and Juglans nigra were irradiated with different bands of ultraviolet (UV) and visible (VIS) light. Photosensitivity was examined in regards of colour, infrared absorbance (FTIR), and fluorescence imaging. UV light caused strong yellowing in all examined species, mostly correlating with lignin degradation, carbonyl formation and the appearance of a broad banded fluorescence emission. VIS light above 420 nm, however, caused different, partly contradicting effects in colour and fluorescence, and did not affect lignin. J. nigra proved to be most sensitive towards VIS-induced yellowing and bleaching. The main new finding of this study is that the native long wave fluorescence of wood was strongly decreased by VIS-irradiation above 510 nm wavelength in all samples. This effect was not species-specific, probably originating from a cross-species wood component. The results have potential impacts on non-destructive image-based evaluation methods and wood identification.
Poéticas urbanas de loinforme: exploraciones subterráneas de la Ciudad de México en la literatura contemporánea
Authors: François Liesbeth
Published: November 2021

Este artículo estudia dos obras recientes que exploran la Ciudad de México desde la movilidad subterránea del metro:La penumbra inconveniente(2001) de Mauricio Montiel Figueiras yLos ingrávidos(2013) de Valeria Luiselli. Se demuestra que la perspectiva “desde abajo” en estos textos implica un cuestionamiento de la mirada estética predominante, que enfatiza el carácter caótico de la megalópolis desde una posición normativa. A partir del concepto de loinformede Martin Jay, el análisis iluminará cómo el movimiento bajo tierra apunta hacia una poética urbana alternativa, que encuentra su potencial estético en la disolución de las identidades y estructuras urbanas.
South and Southeast Asian languages and Renaissance Italy
Authors: Schweickard Wolfgang
Published: November 2021

The article deals with language contact between Italian and South and Southeast Asian languages in the age of the Renaissance. The focus is on South/Southeast Asian lexical elements in Italian travelogues, studies on natural history and missionary reports from the late 15th to the early 17th centuries and their lexicographical treatment.
Long-range qubit entanglement via rolled-up zero-index waveguide
Authors: Issah Ibrahim , Habib Mohsin , Caglayan Humeyra
Published: November 2021

Preservation of an entangled state in a quantum system is one of the major goals in quantum technological applications. However, entanglement can be quickly lost into dissipation when the effective interaction among the qubits becomes smaller compared to the noise-injection from the environment. Thus, a medium that can sustain the entanglement of distantly spaced qubits is essential for practical implementations. This work introduces the fabrication of a rolled-up zero-index waveguide which can serve as a unique reservoir for the long-range qubit–qubit entanglement. We also present the numerical evaluation of the concurrence (entanglement measure) via Ansys Lumerical FDTD simulations using the parameters determined experimentally. The calculations demonstrate the feasibility and supremacy of the experimental method. We develop and fabricate this novel structure using cost-effective self-rolling techniques. The results of this study redefine the range of light-matter interactions and show the potential of the rolled-up zero-index waveguides for various classical and quantum applications such as quantum communication, quantum information processing, and superradiance.
Conditions for establishing the “generalized Snell’s law of refraction” in all-dielectric metasurfaces: theoretical bases for design of high-efficiency beam deflection metasurfaces
Authors: Shen Siyuan , Ruan Zhaohui , Yuan Yuan , Tan Heping
Published: November 2021

The generalized Snell’s law dictates that introducing a phase gradient at the interface of two media can shape incident light and achieve anomalous reflection or refraction. However, when the introduced phase gradient is realized via the scattering of nanoparticles in the metasurfaces, this law needs to be modified; certain conditions need to be met when the law is established. We present the conditions for establishing the “generalized Snell’s law of refraction” in all-dielectric metasurfaces under the incidence of different polarized light. These conditions can provide theoretical bases for the subsequent design of high-efficiency beam deflection metasurfaces. The relationship between the highest achievable anomalous refraction efficiency and the number of nanoparticles within one period of the metasurface is also summarized. In addition, the generalized refraction should not depend on the polarization states of incident light; however, the previous realization conditions of anomalous refraction were sensitive to the polarization states. Thus, conditions for establishing the polarization-independent generalized Snell’s law of refraction in all-dielectric metasurfaces are presented.
Crystal structure of bis{hydridotris(3-trifluoromethyl-5-methylpyrazolyl-1-yl)borato-κN
3}manganese(II), C30H26B2F18MnN12
Authors: Ikarugi Riko , Fujisawa Kiyoshi , Tiekink Edward R. T.
Published: November 2021

C30H26B2F18MnN12, triclinic,

P

1
‾

$P\overline{1}$

(no. 2), a = 10.5322(3) Å, b = 10.6475(4) Å, c = 10.9890(4) Å, α = 111.755(3)°, β = 99.100(2)°, γ = 112.740(3)°, V = 988.07(7) Å3, Z = 1, R

gt
(F) = 0.0338, wR

ref
(F
2) = 0.0907, T = 178 K.
Reflections on linguistic pluricentricity
Authors: Auer Peter
Published: November 2021

This article argues that the notion of pluricentricity fails to capture the multitude of sociolinguistic contexts in which a language may have two or more standards, which is due to the fact that it was invented with a particular context in mind (that of emerging nation-states). The notion also suffers from a reliance on an undefined and unclear (perhaps metaphorical) notion of a centre (and a periphery). A more neutral term such as multi-standard language therefore appears more useful. It is also argued that pluriareality is not a notion that can fruitfully replace pluricentricity, as the two presuppose different approaches to standardisation: one usage-based, the other normative. This is demonstrated with reference to the on-going discussion of the Austrian variety of German.
Thanking actions: interactional variation in Swedish-language service encounters in Sweden and Finland
Authors: Grahn Inga-Lill
Published: November 2021

The social action of thanking is an everyday practice in most cultures and, as such, it has been the focus of contrastive studies of different languages, cultures, and countries. This article focuses on the sequential organisation of the action of thanking in Swedish, which is a pluricentric L1 in Sweden and Finland. The study’s data are actions of thanking realised through the Swedish interjection tack [‘thank you’] in service encounters in the two countries. By analysing the sequential position of actions that are similar in form, their potentially different interactional functions can be examined. The actions of thanking are described in two different sequential positions in relation to adjacency pairs, as either responsive or initiating thanking actions. After an initiating thanking action a response is conditionally relevant or expected. A contrastive analysis of these responses reveals that in 73 % of the cases they constitute another action of thanking with the word tack. In Finland, the proportion amounts to 81 % and in Sweden it amounts to 65 %. This contrasts with my earlier study on thanking in medical encounters in the two varieties (Grahn 2019), where a slightly higher proportion of thanking actions as responses to initiating thanks was reported in Sweden than in Finland. In sum, sequential position is highlighted as critical for the management of interpersonal relations and the organisation of this institutional setting.
„… wichtig ist dabei eine schlüssige und differenzierte Begründung“. Qualitätsmerkmale von Urteilsfähigkeit über ethische und religiöse Fragen in den Erwartungshorizonten schriftlicher Abituraufgabenstellungen
Authors: Muth Katharina
Published: November 2021

Urteilsfähigkeit wird in den Einheitlichen Prüfungsanforderungen als eine von fünf im Religionsunterricht zu erlernenden Kompetenzen benannt. Jedoch lassen sich in den bildungsadministrativen Vorgaben keine Qualitätsmerkmale finden, die eine differenzierte Erfassung der Kompetenz möglich machen. Der Beitrag stellt ausgewählte Forschungsergebnisse einer qualitativen Studie vor, die nach den Anforderungen an Urteilsfähigkeit fragt, die an Prüflinge im schriftlichen Abitur im Fach Evangelische Religion gestellt werden. Untersucht wurden dafür mittels einer qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse Abituraufgabenstellungen und die dazugehörigen Erwartungshorizonte insbesondere vor der Frage nach Bewertungskriterien für Urteilsfähigkeit und der Rolle der Bekenntnisorientierung im Erwartungshorizont. Die dargestellten Ergebnisse werden in den Forschungsdiskurs über Qualitätsmerkmale von Urteilsfähigkeit eingeordnet und münden in Empfehlungen für die Etablierung differenzierter Qualitätsmerkmale.
Embedding animal welfare in sustainability assessment: an indicator approach
Authors: Brennan M. , Hennessy T. , Dillon E.
Published: November 2021

In line with growing consumer interest in sustainable food production, a number of farm-level sustainability indicator studies have been published in recent years. Despite the importance of animal welfare, many such frameworks fail to adequately take account of it, mostly due to difficulties in accessing suitable data. This paper demonstrates that it is possible to develop indicators of animal welfare that can be embedded within a wider sustainability framework using a representative farm-level dataset such as the European Union (EU) Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) for Ireland, the Teagasc National Farm Survey. The paper presents a set of sustainability indicators for dairy farms in Ireland for the 2014–2017 period and examines the impact of policy reform on sustainability performance. Headline results show that welfare standards on dairy farms in Ireland have remained stable over the period despite the considerable intensification of the dairy sector following EU milk quota removal. Furthermore, dairy farms that have expanded herd size significantly have improved welfare standards more than farms that have not increased production. An analysis of synergies and trade-offs between the various aspects of sustainability reveals that positive correlations exist between welfare standards and economic and environmental performance. The analysis facilitates the identification of win-win farm-level strategies that can be adopted to improve economic, environmental and animal welfare outcomes. The framework developed here presents opportunities for evaluating policy impacts at the farm level on various aspects of sustainability. The use of the FADN demonstrates the capacity to extend such an approach across the EU.
Optimal Taxation and the Tradeoff Between Efficiency and Redistribution
Authors: Economides George , Rizos Anastasios
Published: November 2021

This paper studies the aggregate and distributional implications of introducing consumption taxes into an otherwise deterministic version of the standard neoclassical growth model with income taxes only and heterogeneity across agents. In particular, the economic agents differ among each other with respect to whether they are allowed to save (in physical capital) or not. Policy is optimally chosen by a benevolent Ramsey government. The main theoretical finding comes to confirm the widespread belief that the introduction of consumption taxes into a model with income taxes only, creates substantial efficiency gains for the economy as whole, but at the cost of higher income inequality. In other words, consumption taxes reduce the progressivity of the tax system, and maybe, from a normative point of view, this result justifies the design of a set of subsidies policies which will aim to outweigh the regressive effects of the otherwise more efficient consumption taxes.
Measuring U.S. 19th Century Economic Activity Using Unexploited Railway and Postal Micro-level Data
Authors: Dimand Robert W. , Gong Olivia , O'Reilly Michael , Velk Thomas , Zhao Mengyue
Published: November 2021

For the past several years, we have presented and published studies based on postal related data, from postmaster cash books and the Official Register, where we use postmaster salary data as a measure of local, highly disaggregate proxies for general economic activity at town and village level. Using micro-level, high frequency, nationally uniform and previously unknown data, we will report on the outcome of measuring levels of economic activity, political influence and social mobility phenomena. In our latest work, we will use a recently published work of railroad history investments in the 19th century. The railroad history we have is highly detailed, naming particular towns and routes. Our own micro data will allow us to associate our postmaster data with railway town information at the same micro level. Our data will also allow us to report the economic activity of non-railway towns. We will then have, at the micro-level, bi-annual comparisons made over the life of the railway routes. The relative economic, political and demographic impact of railway investment will be examined. For example, as we have the names, birthplaces and ethnic origins of postmasters in addition to their salaries. We can measure not just differences in economic activity between railway and non-railway towns but even examine questions like: "Are the railway towns places where new immigrants get to be postmasters more quickly than elsewhere?" Our larger purpose is to advertise our ever-expanding postal based dataset, which provides information of interest to economists, sociologists, historians and political scientists.
The Effects of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Premiums on Employment and Wages: Evidence from US Longitudinal Data.
Authors: Ciccarelli Nicola
Published: November 2021

We analyze the effect of employer-sponsored health insurance premiums on employment and annual wages in the US using a county-level panel dataset for the period 2005-2010. Using variation in medical malpractice payments and variation in medical malpractice legislation over time and within states as the source of identifying variation in the health insurance premiums, we estimate the causal effects of rising health insurance premiums on employment and annual wages. We find that a 10% increase in premiums reduces employment by 1.1 percentage points, and leads to a statistically insignificant reduction of annual wages. Since US counties are characterized by a varying degree of private health insurance coverage, we also test whether the private health insurance coverage is a moderating variable for the relationship between the health insurance premiums and the labor market outcomes analyzed in this study. We find that rising premiums negatively affect the labor market conditions faced by US workers, especially in areas that are characterized by high private health insurance coverage.
The Effect of Remittances on Imports in Eight Latin-American Countries
Authors: Hernández Julio César , Toledo Wilfredo
Published: November 2021

Remittances are an important source of external resources for developing countries.  These transfers may increase the levels of consumption and capital formation in these economies. This paper examines the economic impact of international remittances on different import categories.  A panel VAR was estimated using data from eight Latin-American economies during the 1991 to 2004 period. The impulse response functions show that remittances increase imports of capital, consumption, and intermediate goods.  It was also found that the accelerator is a plausible transmission mechanism from this type of income to investment.
Forecasting Price Spikes in Electricity Markets
Authors: Stathakis Efthymios , Papadimitriou Theophilos , Gogas Periklis
Published: November 2021

Electricity markets are considered to be the most volatile amongst commodity markets. The non-storability of electricity and the need for instantaneous balancing of demand and supply can often cause extreme short-lived fluctuations in electricity prices. These fluctuations are termed price spikes. In this paper, we employ a multiclass Support Vector Machine (SVM) model to forecast the occurrence of price spikes in the German intraday electricity market. As price spikes, we define the prices that lie above the 95th quantile estimated by fitting a Generalized Pareto distribution in the innovation distribution of an AR-EGARCH model. The generalization ability of the model is tested in an out-of-the-sample dataset consisting of 4080 hours. Furthermore, we compare the performance of our best SVM model against Neural Networks (NNs) and Gradient Boosted Machines (GBMs).
The Spatial Distribution of Labour Force Participation and Market Earnings at the Sub-National Level in Ireland
Authors: Morrissey Karyn , O'Donoghue Cathal
Published: November 2021

The main aim of this paper is to provide a spatial modelling framework for labour force

participation and income estimation. The development of a household income distribution for Ireland had previously been hampered by the lack of disaggregated data on individual earnings. Spatial microsimulation through a process of calibration provides a method which allows one to recreate the spatial distribution LFP and household market income at the small area level. Further analysis examines the relationship between LFP, occupational type and market income at the small area level in Co. Galway Ireland.
Uncertainty Effects of Inflation on Output: A MRS-IV Approach
Authors: Caglayan Mustafa , Kocaaslan Ozge Kandemir , Mouratidis Konstantinos
Published: November 2021

In this paper, we propose an analytical framework to explore the level and volatility effects of inflation on the output gap. Using quarterly US data over 1977:q2-2009:q4, we then examine the empirical implications of the model by implementing an instrumental variables Markov regime switching approach. We show that inflation uncertainty has a negative and regime dependent impact on the output gap but the level of inflation does not have any such effect. Our empirical investigation also provides evidence that the US economy is moving towards a period of turmoil before the recent financial crisis was imminent. The results are robust to the use of alternative measures of inflation uncertainty. Keywords: Output gap; inflation uncertainty; Markov-switching modeling; instrumental variables; endogeneity. JEL classification: E31, E32
Exchange Rate Volatility and other Determinants of Hysteresis in Exports - Empirical Evidence for the Euro Area
Authors: Belke Ansgar H. , Göcke Matthias , Werner Laura
Published: November 2021

This paper surveys export hysteresis on a micro (firm) level and an aggregate level if sunk adjustment costs matter for export market entry and exit decisions. Furthermore, the impacts of option-to-wait effects due to uncertainty on the aggregation procedure are illustrated. It then illustrates the so-called play-algorithm which allows an estimation of the aggregate/macro hysteresis loop taking into account the variable option value effects resulting from on changing volatility of exchange rates. The play regression model is then applied to empirical export equations (Euro Area member countries to the United States). We do not confine ourselves to the aggregate macro level but also take a sectoral/branch perspective. Analyzing one of the largest export destinations outside the Eurozone, the US, to which 12% of total EA exports were directed in 2012, we find hysteretic effects in many cases of EA member countries’ exports. However, not every increase or decrease of the exchange rate will, automatically, lead to positive or negative reactions of the volume of exports. But a large appreciation of the euro means passing the play-area (i.e. a kind of 'pain-threshold') and results in a strong reaction of exports, et vice versa.
Changes in Relative Ability as a Determinant of the U.S. College Premium
Authors: Martin Darius , Zhang Yongli
Published: November 2021

We develop a macroeconomic framework to estimate the importance of fluctuations in relative ability in accounting for trends in the college premium in the United States since 1965. The theoretical scaffolding is a heterogeneous agent model with two dimensions of ability and endogenous schooling choice, with exogenous skill-biased technological change (SBTC), college tuition, and noneconomic social forces. We solve for conditions under which SBTC reduces the relative ability of college educated workers, and show that these conditions are met in the data. We attribute the drop in the college premium over the 1970s to a 25.5% drop in the mean relative quality of college-educated workers from 1968 to 1977. We find that SBTC explains about two thirds of the increase in college attendance since 1965, and that absent both supply shifts and a supply response to SBTC, the relative wage of highly educated workers would have been 77.1% larger in 2013.
A Bayesian Spatial Propensity Score Matching Evaluation of the Regional Impact of Micro-finance
Authors: Gonzales Rolando , Aranda Patricia , Mendizabal Joel
Published: November 2021

A Bayesian Spatial-Propensity Score Matching estimator is proposed to measure the regional impact of microfinance on poverty reduction and women's empowerment. The impact of microfinance in Bolivia was tested with this estimator, using census and household survey data. The results suggest that microfinance was useful for poverty reduction and women’s empowerment at municipality level in Bolivia.