bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Compact cross-shaped parasitic strip based multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) dielectric resonator antenna for ultra-wideband (UWB) applications
Authors: Yadav Sachin Kumar , Kaur Amanpreet , Khanna Rajesh
Published: January 2021

In this article, cross-shaped metallic parasitic strips based two radiator element multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) is excited by quadrature wave transformer microstrip feedline, designed, simulated and fabricated for ultra-wideband (UWB) applications. The proposed MIMO antenna structure is implemented with the help of two rectangular-shaped radiator elements that supports three modes HE11δ
, HE21δ
, and HE12δ
at 4.4, 8.3, 10.8 GHz respectively. These fundamental and higher-order modes are supported to wide impedance bandwidth. Inverted T-shaped metallic strip and ground stub to improve the impedance bandwidth 104.6% (3.3–10.8 GHz) with 5.7 dBi peak gain, to enhance the coupling coefficient by stub, scissor-shaped defected ground structure and cross-shaped metallic parasitic strips are used in the existed structure. The MIMO diversity parameters are implemented as simulated ECC ≤ 0.003, DG ≥ 9.98 dB, and CCL ≤ 0.68. All the obtained MIMO antenna parameters are within the acceptable limit for providing high data rate for UWB applications.
Geomorphological immaturity as a factor conditioning the dynamics of channel processes in Rządza River
Authors: Bujakowski Filip , Falkowski Tomasz , Podlasek Anna
Published: January 2021

A major part of Poland, classified geographically as Polish Lowland, is covered by a layer of loose or cohesive sediments whose thickness increases toward the north. Numerous authors emphasize the impact of the protrusion of the erosional base level on the course of processes shaping modern river valleys. It has been demonstrated, among other things, that the culmination of the sub-alluvial, cohesive bedrock determines the manner in which the channel zone and the adjacent floodplain are formed, which is associated with the hydrological system of the river. A number (12) of geological documenting holes have been drilled to the bottom of the valley. Also, geological profiles were recorded for 34 natural outcrops. The range of the individual outcrops was determined using a geomorphological analysis based on, among other things, the data from airborne laser scanning. The main objective of the research based on geomorphological criteria was to identify the differences in valley morphology and geological structure as well as the dynamics of currently occurring fluvial processes, along with geological features influencing their development, in particular in the middle course of a river. The research allowed the distinction of three geologically and geomorphologically characteristic sections. This allowed an answer to the question: why is the river in the lowland similar to a mountain stream.
Irisin ameliorates endoplasmic reticulum stress and liver fibrosis through inhibiting PERK-mediated destabilization of HNRNPA1 in hepatic stellate cells
Authors: Liao Xin , Zhan Wei , Li Rui , Tian Tian , Yu Lei , Yang Qin
Published: January 2021

Liver fibrosis is a common consequence of chronic liver diseases involved with the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Irisin is a small polypeptide hormone that shows beneficial effects on metabolic disorders. The current study aimed to investigate the biological function of irisin on hepatic fibrosis. A mouse model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic fibrosis was established. CCl4-treated mice showed elevated serum levels of AST and ALT, increased collagen accumulation, induced ER stress, and upregulated expressions of pro-fibrotic proteins in the liver compared to the controls. The administration of irisin, however, ameliorated CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in both cultured HSCs and mice. PKR-like ER kinase (PERK) is a key component of the ER stress-associated signaling pathway. We found that irisin treatment improved the stability of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (HNRNPA1) via regulating the phosphorylation of PERK in mouse livers and isolated HSCs. Also, the knockdown of HNRNPA1 eliminated the hepatoprotective effects of irisin on hepatic fibrosis and ER stress. In summary, this study showed that irisin alleviated ER stress and hepatic fibrosis by inhibiting PERK-mediated HNRNPA1 destabilization, suggesting that irisin may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for patients with liver fibrosis.
Memories of Venice: Analysis of two thought experiments by Derek Parfit
Authors: Rozemberg Andrej
Published: January 2021

It is commonly believed that our episodic memory teaches us about the reality of personal identity over time. Derek Parfitt’s notion of quasi-memory challenges this belief. According to Parfit, q-memories provide us with knowledge of past experiences in the same way that memory does, without presupposing that the rememberer and the experiencer are the same person. Various aspects of Parfit’s theory have met with criticism from scholars such as D. Wiggins, J. McDowell, M. Schechtman, and others. In this paper, I will focus primarily on the holistic argument that q-memories cannot be squared with the complex nature of mental life. This is a well-known argument and, when understood as criticism of memory-trace copying, is accepted by some q-memory proponents. In this paper, I will try to show why it is impossible to defend quasi-memory, even when wholesale psychological continuity applies, and why post-fission persons are not genuine cases of q-memories.
Constitutional Review Complaint as an Evolution of the Kelsenian Model
Authors: Yun Jeong-In
Published: January 2021

A centralized constitutional review system, generally known as the Austrian Constitutional Court model established in 1920 by Hans Kelsen, has spread globally after World War II and is now the most active constitutional tribunal in Europe. Interestingly, although the Constitutional Court of Korea was classified as this Kelsenian model, besides a typical kind of constitutional review procedure, the Court runs an additional procedure for the constitutional review of legislation. The latter has some comparatively special and unusual requirements and procedure, but the statistics indicate it has been actively used. It takes the form of a constitutional complaint, but in practice, it is treated as the second type of constitutional review of legislation in Korean constitutional adjudication. Through this special procedure, individuals appear to participate in a tripartite conversation on constitutional interpretation along with the judicial branch and the Constitutional Court. Moreover, to some extent, this sui generis complaint is perceived to make up for the prohibition of constitutional complaint on judgments of ordinary courts (‘Urteilsbeschwerde’) in Korea. In Austria, the individual complaint on constitutional review of statutes was introduced by a constitutional amendment in 2013, whereby the individual parties of the pending cases are entitled to file a constitutional review with the Constitutional Court as of 1 January 2015. In terms of enabling the individual party to request to the Constitutional Court for constitutional review of legislation, the Austrian new complaint is similar to the Korean one, but their requirements and procedures are different. From the perspective of enhanced individual access to the Constitutional Court, however, both complaints may be viewed as an evolution of the Kelsenian model to meet the demands of the times. In this regard, the Korean practice for over three decades may provide useful insights into the implementation of a new practice and further improvement in Austria. This article will examine the Korean ‘Constitutional Review Complaint’ and compare it with the Austrian ‘Gesetzesbeschwerde (Parteiantrag auf Normenkontrolle)’ to explore mutual references that will help improve both institutions. Then, I will assess what this kind of evolutionary invention of the constitutional review implies to the centennial of the Austrian model.
Demystifying Deep Learning: Developing and Evaluating a User-Centered Learning App for Beginners to Gain Practical Experience
Authors: Schultze Sven , Gruenefeld Uwe , Boll Susanne
Published: January 2021

Deep Learning has revolutionized Machine Learning, enhancing our ability to solve complex computational problems. From image classification to speech recognition, the technology can be beneficial in a broad range of scenarios. However, the barrier to entry is quite high, especially when programming skills are missing. In this paper, we present the development of a learning application that is easy to use, yet powerful enough to solve practical Deep Learning problems. We followed the human-centered design approach and conducted a technical evaluation to identify solvable classification problems. Afterwards, we conducted an online user evaluation to gain insights on users’ experience with the app, and to understand positive as well as negative aspects of our implemented concept. Our results show that participants liked using the app and found it useful, especially for beginners. Nonetheless, future iterations of the learning app should step-wise include more features to support advancing users.
Explainable AI and Multi-Modal Causability in Medicine
Authors: Holzinger Andreas
Published: January 2021

Progress in statistical machine learning made AI in medicine successful, in certain classification tasks even beyond human level performance. Nevertheless, correlation is not causation and successful models are often complex “black-boxes”, which make it hard to understand why a result has been achieved. The explainable AI (xAI) community develops methods, e. g. to highlight which input parameters are relevant for a result; however, in the medical domain there is a need for causability: In the same way that usability encompasses measurements for the quality of use, causability encompasses measurements for the quality of explanations produced by xAI. The key for future human-AI interfaces is to map explainability with causability and to allow a domain expert to ask questions to understand why an AI came up with a result, and also to ask “what-if” questions (counterfactuals) to gain insight into the underlying independent explanatory factors of a result. A multi-modal causability is important in the medical domain because often different modalities contribute to a result.
Examining Autocompletion as a Basic Concept for Interaction with Generative AI
Authors: Lehmann Florian , Buschek Daniel
Published: January 2021

Autocompletion is an approach that extends and continues partial user input. We propose to interpret autocompletion as a basic interaction concept in human-AI interaction. We first describe the concept of autocompletion and dissect its user interface and interaction elements, using the well-established textual autocompletion in search engines as an example. We then highlight how these elements reoccur in other application domains, such as code completion, GUI sketching, and layouting. This comparison and transfer highlights an inherent role of such intelligent systems to extend and complete user input, in particular useful for designing interactions with and for generative AI. We reflect on and discuss our conceptual analysis of autocompletion to provide inspiration and a conceptual lens on current challenges in designing for human-AI interaction.
Multiple scaled symmetric distributions in allometric studies
Authors: Punzo Antonio , Bagnato Luca
Published: January 2021

In allometric studies, the joint distribution of the log-transformed morphometric variables is typically symmetric and with heavy tails. Moreover, in the bivariate case, it is customary to explain the morphometric variation of these variables by fitting a convenient line, as for example the first principal component (PC). To account for all these peculiarities, we propose the use of multiple scaled symmetric (MSS) distributions. These distributions have the advantage to be directly defined in the PC space, the kind of symmetry involved is less restrictive than the commonly considered elliptical symmetry, the behavior of the tails can vary across PCs, and their first PC is less sensitive to outliers. In the family of MSS distributions, we also propose the multiple scaled shifted exponential normal distribution, equivalent of the multivariate shifted exponential normal distribution in the MSS framework. For the sake of parsimony, we also allow the parameter governing the leptokurtosis on each PC, in the considered MSS distributions, to be tied across PCs. From an inferential point of view, we describe an EM algorithm to estimate the parameters by maximum likelihood, we illustrate how to compute standard errors of the obtained estimates, and we give statistical tests and confidence intervals for the parameters. We use artificial and real allometric data to appreciate the advantages of the MSS distributions over well-known elliptically symmetric distributions and to compare the robustness of the line from our models with respect to the lines fitted by well-established robust and non-robust methods available in the literature.
Kinetic studies on esterification of acetic acid with isopropyl alcohol in presence of novel solid catalyst
Authors: Mekala Mallaiah
Published: January 2021

The reaction of isopropyl alcohol with acetic acid was carried out in an isothermal batch reactor in presence of solid resin catalyst to produce isopropyl acetate and water. A novel solid resin catalyst Indion 140 was used in the present study. The temperature of reaction mixture was maintained in the range of 333.15 – 363.15 K. The effects of reaction temperature, catalyst loading, mole ratio, size of catalyst, agitation speed were investigated on acetic acid conversion. Further, pseudo-homogeneous kinetic model was developed for the catalyzed reaction. The forward reaction rate constants and activation energies were determined from the Arrhenius plot. The forward and backward activation energies are found to 53,459 J/mol and 54,748 J/mol, respectively. The heat of reaction is −1.289 kJ/mol with Indion 140 catalyst. The mathematical equation was developed for frequency factor as function of the catalyst loading and found that it follows a linear relationship between frequency factor and catalyst loading. The simulations were performed for pseudo homogeneous kinetic model and found that the model is able to predict the experimental data very well. The developed kinetic equation is useful for the simulation of a reactive distillation column for the synthesis of isopropyl acetate.
The stand-up comedian as an egocentric communicator
Authors: Filani Ibukun
Published: January 2021

The general perspective in pragmatics research on stand-up comedy is that the comedian co-produces humor with the audience. In this paper, I argue that the stand-up comedian’s communicative behavior is also partly rooted in egocentrism. To achieve this, I adopted a sociocognitive approach to intention and egocentrism in analyzing a routine that was performed in Chicago by Okey Bakassi, a Nigerian stand-up comedian. I operationalize egocentrism as one of the humor strategies of the comedian. While focusing on the propositional content of the comedian’s utterances, the analysis revealed strategies like privatization, ad hoc concept formation and ad hoc coherence, which the comedian used in individualizing the prior common ground to generate the needed incongruity for humor in the performance sphere.
Interventions of Speakers of Polish and British Parliaments in the light of politeness theory
Authors: Brzozowska Dorota , Chłopicki Władysław
Published: January 2021

The present study attempts to analyze the interventions of Speakers of Polish and British Parliaments in the selected exchanges from 2018 to 2019 in terms of discourse-sensitive politeness theory advanced by Jonathan Culpeper. He proposes to use three types of impoliteness that affect three types of interlocutors’ faces via a range of impoliteness strategies. In the analyses we consider the linguistic, personal, and cultural as well as political context of the exchanges against the background of the unique, historically rooted institutional circumstances, with a special emphasis on the role of different physical contexts of respective Parliamentary chambers. We emphasize the discursive nature and continuum of (im)polite/(in)appropriate behaviors. In conclusion, the study falls back on Brown and Levinson’s tradition, argued not to be incompatible with Culpeper’s system, and confirms the existence of largely negative and largely positive politeness cultures, emphasizing the prevalence of Polish formal, impersonal, sometimes also affective impoliteness in contrast to the British somewhat more person-oriented, coercive impoliteness.
On a family of the incomplete H-functions and associated integral transforms
Authors: Bansal Manish Kumar , Kumar Devendra
Published: January 2021

Recently, Srivastava, Saxena and Parmar
[H. M. Srivastava, R. K. Saxena and R. K. Parmar,
Some families of the incomplete H-functions and the incomplete

H
¯

{\overline{H}}

-functions and associated integral transforms and operators of fractional calculus with applications,
Russ. J. Math. Phys. 25 2018, 1, 116–138]
suggested incomplete H-functions (IHF) that paved the way to a natural extension and decomposition of H-function and other connected functions as well as to some important closed-form portrayals of definite and improper integrals of different kinds of special functions of physical sciences. In this article, our key aim is to present some new integral transform (Jacobi transform, Gegenbauer transform, Legendre transform and

𝖯
δ

{\mathsf{P}_{\delta}}

-transform) of this family of incomplete H-functions. Further, we give several interesting new and known results which are special cases our key results.
On strongly quasilinear elliptic systems with weak monotonicity
Authors: Azroul Elhoussine , Balaadich Farah
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we prove existence results in the setting of Sobolev spaces for a strongly quasilinear elliptic system by means of Young measures and mild monotonicity assumptions.
Predicting Contract Participation in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam: A Comparison Between the Artificial Neural Network and the Multinomial Logit Model
Authors: Dang Huy Duc , Pham Thuyen Thi
Published: January 2021

The research aims of this study are bi-fold: to study factors influencing the uptake of contract farming (CF) and to compare the predicting power of the artificial neural network model (ANN) and the Multinomial Logit Model (MNL) on predicting CF participation in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. ANN and MNL were employed to analyze on the basis of the transaction cost theory. To validate the ANN, a 10-fold cross-validation procedure was applied to avoid model overfitting. The sensitivity analysis of ANN was used to elicit the magnitude of the correlation between predictors. Multicollinearity was examined with all VIFs lower than two. Among predictors, the most influential roles of the cooperatives and the extension agents/services in supporting CF participation are reported. Also, farmers who conduct frequent access to the market incline to participate in CF. Risk perceptions and preferences are dissimilar across domains, which are also mainly interpreted that risk-averse farmers tend to opt for CF as an effective solution to risks perceived. Thus, heterogeneous approaches should be tailored to promote CF. The findings suggest that MNL outperforms ANN in terms of accuracy percentage and mean absolute error (MAE). However, this result should not be generalized base on the constraint of the data threshold as articulated in the study. The sensitivity analysis of ANN and the estimation results of the MNL relatively agreed on the importance of model predictors. This study is the first to investigate the impacts of the domain-specific risk perceptions and attitudes on CF and also contribute to the debate over the performance between the conventional econometric models versus machine learning techniques.
The Effect of Rapid Structural Change on Workers
Authors: Weigt Eva
Published: January 2021

This paper deals with the question how workers’ labour market and non-monetary outcomes are impacted by a negative sector-specific labour demand shock. This issue is analysed in a setting of rapid structural change that happened in Eastern Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The sector-specific labour demand shock can be assumed to be exogenous to other worker characteristics as it was not anticipated and as career planning was highly restricted in the GDR. Using survey data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), I find considerable and partly persistent losses in labour market outcomes of workers from declining compared to booming industries. Life satisfaction of workers from declining industries is decreased in the short run whereas the probability to move to the West and to identify with a left-wing political party is increased merely in the longer run.
The Nonlinear Dynamics of Corporate Bond Spreads: Regime-Dependent Effects of their Determinants
Authors: Fischer Henning , Stolper Oscar
Published: January 2021

This paper studies the behavior of corporate bond spreads during different market regimes between 2004 and 2016. Applying a Markov-switching vector autoregressive (MS-VAR) model, we document that the dynamic impact of spread determinants varies substantially with market conditions. In periods of high volatility, systematic credit risk—rather than interest rate movements—contributes to driving up spreads. Moreover, while market-wide liquidity risk is not priced when volatility is low, it becomes a crucial factor during stress periods. Our results challenge the notion that spreads predominantly capture credit risk and suggest it must be reassessed during periods of financial distress.
Trust, Trustworthiness, and Age: Experimental Evidence
Authors: Lukas Moritz , Nöth Markus
Published: January 2021

Based on an incentivized non-anonymous trust game with 230 elementary school pupils aged between 6 and 11 years, we investigate the development of trust and trustworthiness across age groups. Trust increases with age, thereby increasing the profits of both the trustor and the trustee. The trustee keeps most of the profits. These results replicate the findings of Sutter and Kocher (2007) in that trust increases with age and trustworthiness exists in all age groups that are examined in our study; however, the amounts transferred between subjects in our experiment are substantially higher, a result which is likely to be driven by the non-anonymity in our setting.
A finite element method for degenerate two-phase flow in porous media. Part I: Well-posedness
Authors: Girault Vivette , Riviere Beatrice , Cappanera Loic
Published: January 2021

A finite element method with mass-lumping and flux upwinding is formulated for solving the immiscible two-phase flow problem in porous media. The method approximates directly the wetting phase pressure and saturation, which are the primary unknowns. The discrete saturation satisfies a maximum principle. Stability of the scheme and existence of a solution are established.
A finite element method for degenerate two-phase flow in porous media. Part II: Convergence
Authors: Girault Vivette , Riviere Beatrice , Cappanera Loic
Published: January 2021

Convergence of a finite element method with mass-lumping and flux upwinding is formulated for solving the immiscible two-phase flow problem in porous media. The method approximates directly the wetting phase pressure and saturation, which are the primary unknowns. Well-posedness is obtained in [J. Numer. Math., 29(2), 2021]. Theoretical convergence is proved via a compactness argument. The numerical phase saturation converges strongly to a weak solution in L
2 in space and in time whereas the numerical phase pressures converge strongly to weak solutions in L
2 in space almost everywhere in time. The proof is not straightforward because of the degeneracy of the phase mobilities and the unboundedness of the derivative of the capillary pressure.
Schur complement spectral bounds for large hybrid FETI-DP clusters and huge three-dimensional scalar problems
Authors: Dostál Zdeněk , Brzobohatý Tomáš , Vlach Oldřich
Published: January 2021

Bounds on the spectrum of Schur complements of subdomain stiffness matrices with respect to the interior variables are key ingredients of the convergence analysis of FETI (finite element tearing and interconnecting) based domain decomposition methods. Here we give bounds on the regular condition number of Schur complements of ‘floating’ clusters arising from the discretization of 3D Laplacian on a cube decomposed into cube subdomains. The results show that the condition number of the cluster defined on a fixed domain decomposed into m × m × m cube subdomains connected by face and optionally edge averages increases proportionally to m. The estimates support scalability of unpreconditioned H-FETI-DP (hybrid FETI dual-primal) method. Though the research is most important for the solution of variational inequalities, the results of numerical experiments indicate that unpreconditioned H-FETI-DP with large clusters can be useful also for the solution of huge linear problems.
High birefringence and broadband dispersion compensation photonic crystal fiber
Authors: Hossain Md. Mahbub , Ahsan Md. Shamim , Sikder Niloy , Rahaman Md. Ekhlasur , Al-Mamun Bulbul Abdullah , Mondal Himadri Shekhar
Published: January 2021

We propose a perfectly square lattice photonic crystal fiber (PCF) which shows high birefringence and negative dispersion. To set up high asymmetry in the core, dual line imperfection is considered where the fill fraction ratio and defect air hole diameter exhibit significant impact on dispersion and birefringence. Numerical analyses of guiding properties of the proposed PCF are done using finite element method with perfectly matched layer boundary condition from 1.2 to 1.8 μm wavelength. The optimized square lattice PCF presents high birefringence of 2.48 × 10−2and dispersion of −777.66 (ps/nm.km) at 1.55 μm wavelength. In addition, the proposed PCF offers ultra-low confinement and insertion loss at 1.55 μm wavelength. Moreover, −0.45 (ps/nm2.km) dispersion slope and 0.0045 nm−1relative dispersion slope are observed at 1.55 μm wavelength. Additionally, the proposed PCF maintains dispersion and birefringence variation of ±30 (ps/nm.km) and ±0.00001 between 1.5 and 1.6 μm wavelength ranges, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed PCF shows high quality factor and low bit error rate at 10 dBm input power. We believe the proposed square lattice PCF can be deployed in wavelength division multiplexing based optical fiber transmission system for wide-band dispersion compensation.
Proposed model of all optical reversible and irreversible modules on a single photonic circuit
Authors: Shukla Ritvik , Bose Salini , Shukla Shubham , Upadhyay Kamal Kishor , Mishra Nikhlesh Kumar , Singh Ashutosh Kumar , Tiwari Pradeep , Tripathi Animesh , Arun Vanya , Shukla N. K.
Published: January 2021

In the current era of data communication everyone deals with the huge amount of data in form of text, audio, video and different other formats in which everyone want a secure and higher bandwidth channel to transmit and receive so, only the optical channel provides the solution of above said problem. The only difficulty with the existing model that the data from electrical domain first converted in form of light (optical domain) at the transmission end while after receiving the data at the receiver end it will be further converted in form of electrical signal for extracting the message. This type of conversion from one domain to other gives the energy loss. In the current research article, we proposed a model of optical processor which transmit and receive the data without conversion which provides an energy efficient optical technology. By adding reversibility, heat bender can be further reduced. In this manuscript, an arithmetical logic unit has been created, a photonic reversible complete subtractor and an irregular logic portal. SOA-MZI structure is the basic component of the architecture. The method is mainly carried out by the semiconductor Amplifier, using nonlinear properties such as cross-gain modulation and cross-phase modulation. The efficiency deciding factor for the whole system is 21.23 and 53.27 dB in the average extinction ratio. The cost of the arithmetic logic unit optically constructed is 9.
An all optical photonic crystal half adder suitable for optical processing applications
Authors: Azhdari Hamed , Javahernia Sahel
Published: January 2021

Increasing the speed of operation in all optical signal processing is very important. For reaching this goal one needs high speed optical devices. Optical half adders are one of the important building blocks required in optical processing. In this paper an optical half adder was proposed by combining nonlinear photonic crystal ring resonators with optical waveguides. Finite difference time domain method wase used for simulating the final structure. The simulation results confirmed that the rise time for the proposed structure is about 1 ps.
Modelling of symmetrical quadrature optical ring resonator with four different topologies and performance analysis using machine learning approach
Authors: Vyas Ajay Kumar , Dhiman Harsh , Hiran Kamal Kant
Published: January 2021

The communication network based on the optical system requires more precise and efficient devices and equipment. Optical ring resonator is a versatile device used as a filter, delay line, add/drop multiplexer, switch, sensor and analyzer etc. We modelled the new symmetrical quadrature optical ring resonator (SQORR) and proposed four different topologies architecture for the multiple optical ring resonator. The performance of the proposed symmetrical quadrature optical ring resonator is assessed using regression based machine learning (ML) approach utilizing an Artificial neural network (ANN) with various checks are done to validate the approximations like error histogram, time series response, error autocorrelation, input-error correlation and mean-square-error (MSE). The best validation performance is 8.8486e-9 stopped at 103 for rhombus topology, 8.347e-9 stopped at 242 epochs, 8.8486e-9 stopped at 311 epochs for horizontal topology and 5.8012e-09 stopped at 373 epochs for square topology. The significance of the work is to increase FSR (free spectral range) by adding rings and wide FSR achieved 299.79 THz (maximum) and throughput of 0.027 W/m for rhombus topology and other performance parameters of the optical ring resonator using symmetrical rings. Such structure is small in the size and easy to fabricate. Even by the same number of rings using different topologies structure, we can vary the performance parameters as per the different applications.
A Variance Gamma model for Rugby Union matches
Authors: Fry John , Smart Oliver , Serbera Jean-Philippe , Klar Bernhard
Published: January 2021

Amid much recent interest we discuss a Variance Gamma model for Rugby Union matches (applications to other sports are possible). Our model emerges as a special case of the recently introduced Gamma Difference distribution though there is a rich history of applied work using the Variance Gamma distribution – particularly in finance. Restricting to this special case adds analytical tractability and computational ease. Our three-dimensional model extends classical two-dimensional Poisson models for soccer. Analytical results are obtained for match outcomes, total score and the awarding of bonus points. Model calibration is demonstrated using historical results, bookmakers’ data and tournament simulations.
User Expectations and Acceptance of Library Services at the African Union Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights
Authors: Mutisya Fidelis Katonga , Onyancha Omwoyo Bosire
Published: January 2021

The study sought to assess user expectations and acceptance of library services at the African Union Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The study, which targeted 94 library users, employed LibQUAL and SERVQUAL protocols to collect data, which were subsequently analysed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that users have the lowest expectations of the physical aspects of the library, namely the library as a place and of its tangibles. By contrast, users had the highest expectations in aspects associated with people and of the library collection, namely the effect of service, information control, responsiveness and reliability. The study recommends the allocation of resources in a way that ensures that the human aspects of the library remain at high levels of service quality, while shortcomings related to information control, library space and equipment should be addressed. Further, the library should invest in electronic content that users can access remotely. The findings have implications for information practice, in that studying user expectations enables libraries to understand individual and group expectations. These, in turn, will inform decision-making processes in respect of service provision, and provide justification and accountability for the resources used during such service provision.
Health and Safety Information Behaviour of Coal Miners in Pakistan
Authors: Naveed Muhammad Asif , Ali Asif
Published: January 2021

This research investigated health and safety information behaviour of miners working at Makarwal Coal Mines, district Mianwali, Punjab, Pakistan. A survey method using a questionnaire was deployed for data collection from 136 coal workers. Descriptive statistics were applied for data analysis using SPSS. The results indicated that the miners’ information needs were cantered mainly on protection equipment, mining diseases, healthcare services, geological hazards, accidents associated with mining and modern mining techniques. These miners relied overwhelmingly on interpersonal relationships with fellow miners and friends for safety information followed by television and radio. A good number of the survey participants also utilized internet and social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp, etc. as information source. There was little evidence of the use of audio/visual materials, seminar/workshops, associations, government agencies, and printed materials for information acquisition. Computer illiteracy, poor financial conditions, lack of time, language barriers, lack of awareness and knowledge about safety information and non-availability of relevant materials were perceived as the major constraints in acquiring safety information. The results will not only be useful for planning a need-based information infrastructure for miners but also for policymakers, NGOs and human rights organizations working for rural development and uplifting occupational health. This research contributed in the existing research on miners’ information behaviour as only a few studies appeared.
From movement into action to manner of causation: changes in argument mapping in the into-causative
Authors: Flach Susanne
Published: January 2021

Over the last 300 years, the into-causative (he talked his father into giving him money) increased in frequency and lexical diversity. Changes of this kind are often taken as evidence of functional expansion. From a Construction Grammar (CxG) perspective, this paper argues that what appears to be a loss of restrictions on the verbal slot results from changes in argument mapping links. As the construction provides the argument roles by mapping semantics (causer, causee, result) onto syntax (subject, object, oblique), stronger mapping links increasingly facilitated the use of verbs that are semantically and syntactically atypical for the expression of causation. Data from the Corpus of Historical American English confirm three predictions of this hypothesis with respect to shifts in (i) the semantic classes of matrix verbs, (ii) their general argument structure preferences, and (iii) voice-marking. The results provide evidence for a subtle semantic change from movement into action to manner of causation. The increase in frequency and productivity are hence explained as the consequence of the syntactic form becoming a more reliable cue for causative meaning. We discuss implications for models of language change against the background of current issues in Diachronic Construction Grammar (DCxG) pertaining to constructionalization vs. constructional change.
Don’t feel obligated, lest it be undesirable: the relationship between prohibitives and apprehensives in Papapana and beyond
Authors: Smith-Dennis Ellen
Published: January 2021

This paper analyses the preverbal morphemete,used in both apprehensive ‘precautioning’ sentences and in one of two prohibitive constructions in Papapana (papa1265, Austronesian, Oceanic; Papua New Guinea). I aim to establish whether there is a diachronic relationship between the two functions ofte, and in which direction, how and why semantic change may have occurred. This requires consideration of the synchronic differences between Papapana prohibitives, comparisons with apprehensive and prohibitive constructions in other Oceanic languages, and an investigation of other languages where apprehensive and prohibitive morphemes are formally similar/identical. I argue that the two functions ofteare diachronically related, but not polysemous, and that the prohibitive meaning developed from the apprehensive meaning via insubordination. This supports Pakendorf, Brigitte & Ewa Schalley’s proposed pathway of development from possibility to prohibition, via apprehension and warning. However, I argue that their pathway does not, as claimed, run counter to the proposed grammaticalisation path of deontic to epistemic modality, because prohibitives are arguably not deontic. This paper contributes to the growing body of research on apprehensives, demonstrates that the pathway from apprehension to prohibition is perhaps not as rare as Pakendorf and Schalley thought, and contributes to research on language change and modality.
Acoustic investigation of anticipatory vowel nasalization in a Caribbean and a non-Caribbean dialect of Spanish
Authors: Bongiovanni Silvina
Published: January 2021

Spanish dialectology observes that dialects with a preference for velarized variants of /n/ (e.g. Caribbean dialects) include nasalized vocalic allophones in their inventory. Instrumental cross-dialectal comparisons of Spanish anticipatory nasalization, however, remain surprisingly rare. To this end, I compare the time-course of nasality in pre-nasal vowels in Argentine and Dominican Spanish, as well as across a number of linguistic variables described in the phonetic, sociolinguistic and historical literature. Twenty-eight speakers from Santo Domingo and twenty-six from Buenos Aires were recorded with a nasometer, an ideal instrument for data collection in the field. Measurements of nasal energy were extracted to acoustically characterize the time-course of nasality. Results indicate that Dominican speakers present more extensive anticipatory vowel nasalization than Argentine speakers. These findings are consistent with observations of allophonic nasalization (i.e. phonologized) in the Caribbean dialect under study, Dominican Spanish. Regarding the linguistic variables, stressed pre-nasal vowels showed earlier onset of nasalization, particularly among the Caribbean speakers, which further provides support for the phonological differences in vowel nasality.
Silicon integrated multi-mode ring resonator
Authors: Ye Mengyuan , Sun Chunlei , Yu Yu , Ding Yunhong , Zhang Xinliang
Published: January 2021

Ring resonator is an essential element in silicon integrated circuit, it is widely used as filter, wavelength multiplexer and switch in single-mode operation regime. As the rapid development of mode division multiplexing (MDM) technique, ring resonator that can process multi-mode signals simultaneously and uniformly is highly desired. However, the severe modal dispersion makes identical transmission for different modes very hard. In this paper, by breaking through the limitation of conventional multi-mode manipulation design with evanescent coupling or mode interference, we propose and demonstrate a multi-mode ring resonator (MMRR) inspired by the free space geometric optics. Arbitrary number of supporting modes can be achieved by simply widening the waveguide width. For proof-of-concept demonstration, an MMRR supporting four modes is fabricated with uniform transmittance. Furthermore, architecture of cascaded four MMRRs are also demonstrated experimentally.
What is Re-Globalization?
Authors: Benedikter Roland
Published: January 2021

Roland Benedikter explores the meaning and the potential significance of a new term.
Familiar Patterns and New Initiatives: UK Civil Society and Government Initial Responses to the Covid-19 Crisis
Authors: Harris Margaret
Published: January 2021

This paper describes and analyses the response of UK civil society in the early months of the Covid-19 crisis, roughly the period March to July 2020. While focussing primarily on civil society actors, the paper includes an exploration of how civil society and the national government interacted with each other. It considers the extent to which responses to the Covid-19 crisis reflect familiar patterns of behaviour by civil society in the UK, and in the relationship between the government and ‘third sector’. The paper concludes by pointing to emergent issues for civil society as the UK looked towards recovery from the initial wave of crisis.
Early-Responding Civil Society and a Late Coming State: Findings from Turkey during the Pandemic
Authors: Doğan Erhan , Genç H Deniz
Published: January 2021

By building on available literature and interview notes with the NGOs working mainly on refugees and irregular migrants, this study examines the experiences of civil society in Turkey in the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the main findings is that NGOs responded quite early and with agility to the sufferings of people before the state entered into the field and implemented its own rules and methods to deal with the crisis. The study also reveals that the pandemic affected the focus of the NGOs, their services, finances, and working methods in the field. The organizations we examined adapted to a new online working environment which increased demand for their services and aggravated difficulties in assuring clients access to needed healthcare services. The study finds that relations with the local and central governments remain difficult, and during the pandemic, the NGOs were compelled to act very cautiously. While suffering from their society’s political polarization, they report that xenophobia continues to rise and has been worsened by the impact of the pandemic.
Purification of 89Sr from FBTR irradiated Yttria target by extraction chromatography using HDEHP impregnated XAD-7 resin
Authors: Gundu Venkata Surya Ashok Kumar , Vithya Jayagopal , Rajarajan Senthilvadivu , Kumar Ramalingam
Published: January 2021

89Sr is used in bone pain palliative care of cancer patients and the same is being produced presently via the 89Y(n, p)89Sr reaction by irradiating yttria target in Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR). An efficient separation method was standardized for the removal of bulk yttrium target by extraction chromatography using di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP) impregnated on XAD-7 resin. In the present paper, the extraction behavior of Sr(II) and Y(III) was studied as a function of the concentration of nitric acid in the aqueous phase and concentration of HDEHP in the resin phase. The separation of Sr(II) and Y(III) was standardized using the above resins and the method was subsequently applied satisfactorily for the removal of yttrium from the dissolver solution of FBTR irradiated yttria pellet towards the purification of 89Sr. A baseline separation of 89Sr and Y was achieved. Leaching and breakthrough capacity studies were evaluated for the resins and it was established that the stability and capacity of the resins were satisfactory. The breakthrough capacity was found to be 12 mg Y(III) per gram of the HDHEP resin whereas the leaching studies established that the resins are stable for multiple cycle of operations.
Extraction of tetra- and hexavalent actinide ions from nitric acid solutions using some diglycolamide functionalized calix[4]arenes
Authors: Gujar Rajesh B. , Verma Parveen K. , Mohapatra Prasanta K. , Iqbal Mudassir , Huskens Jurriaan , Verboom Willem
Published: January 2021

Neptunium is one of the most important minor actinide elements with some of its isotopes having very long half-lives, therefore necessitating its separation from acidic radioactive wastes. Solvent extraction of Np4+ and NpO2
2+ was studied using three multiple diglycolamide (DGA) extractants with n-propyl, n-octyl and 3-pentyl substituents termed as L

I
, L

II
and L

III
, respectively, in a mixed diluent of 5% isodecanol and 95% n-dodecane. For comparison purpose, the extraction of Pu4+ and UO2
2+ was carried out under identical conditions. The extraction efficiency of the ligands for the tetravalent ions followed the trend: L

II
 > L

I
 > L

III
, which changed to L

III
 > L

II
 > L

I
for the hexavalent ions. While the extraction of the tetravalent ions was reasonably good (ca. 90–98%) with an extremely low (5.0 × 10−5 M) ligand concentration, poor extraction (ca. 5–16%) of the hexavalent ions was seen even with a 20 times higher concentration of the ligand. In general, Pu4+ was better extracted than Np4+, while NpO2
2+ was marginally better extracted then UO2
2+. A ‘solvation’ type extraction mechanism was proposed based on the extraction profiles obtained as a function of the concentrations of the feed nitric acid, extractant as well as nitrate ion. The extracted species were found out to be M(NO3)4·mL and MO2(NO3)2·nL (M = Np or Pu, 1 < m < 2, n ≃ 1).
Recent developments in catalyst pretreatment technologies for cobalt based Fisher–Tropsch synthesis
Authors: Shiba Nothando Cynthia , Yao Yali , Liu Xinying , Hildebrandt Diane
Published: January 2021

Stringent environmental regulations and energy insecurity necessitate the development of an integrated process to produce high-quality fuels from renewable resources and to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, in this case Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS). The FT activity and selectivity are significantly influenced by the pretreatment of the catalyst. This article reviews traditional and developing processes for pretreatment of cobalt catalysts with reference to their application in FTS. The activation atmosphere, drying, calcination, reduction conditions and type of support are critical factors that govern the reducibility, dispersion and crystallite size of the active phase. Compared to traditional high temperature H2 activation, both hydrogenation–carbidisation–hydrogenation and reduction–oxidation–reduction pretreatment cycles result in improved metal dispersion and exhibit much higher FTS activity. Cobalt carbide (Co2C) formed by CO treatment has the potential to provide a simpler and more effective way of producing lower olefins, and higher alcohols directly from syngas. Syngas activation or direct synthesis of the metallic cobalt catalyst has the potential to remove the expensive H2 pretreatment procedure, and consequently simplify the pretreatment process, which would make it more economical and thus more attractive to industry.