The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between explicitation and directionality in simultaneous interpreting. Given that explicitation in this mode of interpretation is often triggered by the constraints inherent in the process of interpreting, it has been hypothesized that explicitating shifts might be more frequent in retour, which is considered to be more demanding. The study is both product- and process-oriented, relying on recordings and transcripts of interpreting outputs as well as retrospective protocols. The participants in the study were 36 advanced interpreting students. The analysed forms of explicitation range from cohesive explicitation (e.g. adding connectives, reiteration, etc.), through substituting nominalisations with verb phrases and disambiguating lexical metaphors, to inserting explanatory remarks. The present paper is aimed to be a pilot study for a larger project in progress.
The aim of the study study was to model, with the use of a neural network algorithm, the significance of a variety of factors influencing the development of hearing loss among industry workers. The workers were categorized into three groups, according to the A-weighted equivalent sound pressure level of noise exposure: Group 1 (LAeq < 70 dB), Group 2 (LAeq 70–80 dB), and Group 3 (LAeq > 85 dB). The results obtained for Group 1 indicate that the hearing thresholds at the frequencies of 8 kHz and 1 kHz had the maximum effect on the development of hearing loss. In Group 2, the factors with maximum weight were the hearing threshold at 4 kHz and the worker’s age. In Group 3, maximum weight was found for the factors of hearing threshold at a frequency of 4 kHz and duration of work experience. The article also reports the results of hearing loss modeling on combined data from the three groups. The study shows that neural data mining classification algorithms can be an effective tool for the identification of hearing hazards and greatly help in designing and conducting hearing conservation programs in the industry.
Luffa cylindrica M. Roem, is commonly called sponge gourd or Egyptian cucumber. In September 2018, several plants showing symptoms of powdery mildew were observed in some fields at different locations in Egypt. Identification and pathogenicity tests indicated that the causal fungus of powdery mildew disease of luffa cylindrica was Podosphaera xanthii. Results of surveyed luffa plants grown at different field localities of northern Egypt, for powdery mildew disease incidence revealed that the maximum record (57.33%) of disease occurrence was recorded in some fields belonging to Beheira governorate followed by, Alexandria and Sharqia (53.67% and 48.00%, respectively). Meanwhile, fewer occurrences were observed in Kafer El-Sheekh governorate (45.33%). We applied biocontrol agents as a foliar spray against powdery mildew in vitro and under field conditions. The effects of some essential oils, organic acid and bioproducts were also studied. All treatments significantly reduced P. xanthii compared to untreated plants. Chaetomium globosum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae alone or grown on rice straw and/or bagas showed highly reduced disease incidence compared to the other treatment. From the present study it could be suggested that the usage of biocontrol formulated on rice straw might be used as an easily applied, safe and cost effective control method against powdery mildew diseases.
Recently, transition metal oxides, which exhibit favorable catalytic abilities, have also been investigated as a material for the detection of hydrazine (N2H4). It has been reported that mixed metal oxides usually offer a higher electrochemical activity than binary oxides. In this work, a TiO2–Fe2O3 coupled system is presented as an enhanced material with major applications in electrochemical detectors. The electrochemical behavior of glassy carbon electrodes modified with TiO2–Fe2O3 in the absence and presence of hydrazine was evaluated via cyclic voltammetry (CV). Experimental results also suggest that the formation of the TiO2– Fe2O3 coupled system enhances electrochemical catalytic performance in N2H4 detection. The modification TiO2 + 2 mol% Fe2O3 provides good analytical performance of detection (0.13 mM) and quantification limits (0.39 mM). The presented coupled system provides the premise for a suitable material for a stable and sensitive N2H4 sensor.
Morphometric attributes of 705 stromatoporoid specimens from a number of exposures from the Silurian of Podolia (Ukraine) and the Devonian of the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland), representing a wide array of shallow water carbonate sedimentary environments, have been analysed. Taken into account were such parameters as: general shape of the skeleton, shape of the final growth form (living surface profile), upper surface character, latilaminae arrangement, burial ratio and type of initial surface. A number of new ratios has been introduced, designed mainly to improve the mapping of the outlines of the stromatoporoids upper surfaces. All studied specimens were treated as belonging to one group, and relations between particular attributes were tested. The results were analysed in terms of potential environmental factors influencing stromatoporoid morphometric features. Most of the distinguished attributes are common in the studied group and occur in various combinations, with an important exception of parameters designed to reflect the shape of the skeleton’s upper surface, which are distinctly predominated by convex variants. This indicates that surface concavity was a highly undesired feature among stromatoporoids. Upper surface convexity is interpreted herein as a response to the hazard of clogging of the animals pores by tiny sediment particles suspended in the bottom turbid water layer. Common low burial ratios of final living surface profiles and the occurrence of specimens with a smooth upper surface but a non-enveloping latilaminae arrangement are other reflections of this phenomenon. Burial by sediments and redeposition were also important factors governing stromatoporoid development. No direct arguments indicating photosensitivity of stromatoporoids can be deduced from the presented results. The hitherto postulated allometric tendency among stromatoporoids of starting growth as laminar forms and later adopting consecutively higher profile shapes has not been confirmed here. On the contrary, a tendency for gradual elimination of very high profile forms with increasing stromatoporoid size has been observed. The final shape of a stromatoporoid skeleton was always an effect of a combination of various agents.
We are presenting a new low-cost Single Sideband (SSB) modulated Radio-over Fiber (RoF) communication system for millimeter (mm)-wave multiband wireless communication at the frequencies of 40 GHz, 80 GHz and 120 GHz. Its principle lies in the Carrier Suppressed modulation through a nested dual electrode Mach–Zehnder Modulator (MZM) and product modulator based baseband signal decomposition. In this novel method, the optical signal is decomposed into different SSB signals using a power splitter and product modulators at the base station. This proposed method uses a different technique for a baseband signal decomposition from the existing method. The proposed signal decomposition technique has reduced the nonlinearities due to the FBGs. The proposed method is compared with the existing method in terms of BER, data rate and OSNR. The simulation results disclose that our proposed scheme outperforms the existing methods at a higher data rate of 80 Gbps with a minimum BER and privileged Q factor.
Results of the studies of optical properties of anti-reflective glasses with various texturization patterns, which were used as a coating for crystalline silicon solar cells, are presented. It was found that glass samples sorted by their optical transmittance demonstrated the same order as when sorted by their solar-cell short-circuit current enhancement parameter. The value of the latter depended on the parameters of texturization, such as the surface density of inclusions and their profile, and the depth of etching pits. A 2% relative increase of the solar cell efficiency was obtained for the best glass sample for null degree angle of incidence, proving enhanced light trapping properties of the studied glass.
Snowmelt is a very important component of freshwater resources in the polar environment. Seasonal fluctuations in the water supply to glacial drainage systems influence glacier dynamics and indirectly affect water circulation and stratification in fjords. Here, we present spatial distribution of the meltwater production from the snow cover on Hansbreen in southern Spitsbergen. We estimated the volume of freshwater coming from snow deposited over this glacier. As a case study, we used 2014 being one of the warmest season in the 21st century. The depth of snow cover was measured using a high frequency Ground Penetrating Radar close to the maximum stage of accumulation. Simultaneously, a series of studies were conducted to analyse the structure of the snowpack and its physical properties in three snow pits in different glacier elevation zones. These data were combined to construct a snow density model for the entire glacier, which together with snow depth distribution represents essential parameters to estimate glacier winter mass balance. A temperature index model was used to calculate snow ablation, applying an average temperature lapse rate and surface elevation changes. Applying variable with altitude degree day factor, we estimated an average daily rate of ablation between 0.023 m d-1 °C-1 (for the ablation zone) and 0.027 m d-1 °C-1 (in accumulation zone). This melting rate was further validated by direct ablation data at reference sites on the glacier. An average daily water production by snowmelt in 2014 ablation season was 0.0065 m w.e. (water equivalent) and 41.52·106 m3 of freshwater in total. This ablation concerned 85.5% of the total water accumulated during winter in snow cover. Extreme daily melting exceeded 0.020 m w.e. in June and September 2014 with a maximum on 6th July 2014 (0.027 m w.e.). The snow cover has completely disappeared at the end of ablation season on 75.8% of the surface of Hansbreen.