Vowel allophony in Ness Gaelic: Phonetic and phonological patterns of laxing and retraction

The vowel system of the dialect of Scottish Gaelic spoken in Ness, Lewis differs from that of other dialects in several important ways. In particular, several vowels display patterns of allophony that have not been investigated instrumentally and, in some cases, have not been reported before for Scottish Gaelic. This paper documents the Ness system in detail, focusing in particular on the tense–lax opposition in /i e/ and retraction of /a(ː)/ next to velarised consonants. The results of a traditional linguistic fieldwork study are presented first, followed by a detailed acoustic study of nine speakers. The acoustic reality of these allophonic patterns, reflected in F1 and F2 values, is verified statistically using LME modelling. Bimodality in the distribution of tokens in acoustic space, confirmed statistically with Hartigan’s Dip Test, is taken as evidence for the existence of discrete phonological categories (Bermúdez-Otero & Trousdale 2011). It is found that speakers vary as to whether these allophonic oppositions are restricted to the phonetic grammar, or have undergone stabilisation and advanced into the categorical phonology (Bermúdez-Otero 2007, 2015). It is observed that laxing of /i e/ in Ness Gaelic occurs in exactly those contexts where there is a direct transition between the vowel and a following supra-glottal consonant. It is therefore proposed that this tense–lax opposition is grounded in conflicting strategies of contrast enhancement, whereby laxing increases the perceptual distinctiveness of a following consonant by allowing for more distinctive formant transitions, at the expense of the distinctiveness of the vowel itself (Storme 2019).

ESTABLISHMENT OF SOVIET AUTHORITY IN HRODNA AND HRODNA COUNT (SEPTEMBER 1939 - NOVEMBER 1939)

The purpose of the study is to reveal the process of formation of Soviet power in Hrodna and Hrodna Count during the period, the chronological framework of which is determined by the direct transition of the territories of Hrodna and Hrodna region under the control of the Red Army in September 1939, on the one hand, and their official incorporation into the BSSR in November 1939, on the other. This period, which preceded the formation of full-fledged Soviet authorities in the region, is defined in the article as transitional. The paper shows the process of forming interim administrations, notes the practice of sending civil servants, party and military figures from the regions of the BSSR and other regions of the USSR to Hrodna and Hrodna Count to recruit new local authorities and organize elections to the People's Assembly of Western Belorussia (PAWB), notes the goals and objectives of the PAWB activities set before it by the party leadership, reveals the specifics of organizing elections of deputies to the PAWB from Hrodna and Hrodna Count. The scientific contribution of the study was manifested in the coverage of the process of the initial stage of the formation of Soviet authorities on the territory of Hrodna and Hrodna county in the period preceding their official incorporation into the BSSR (September 1939 - November 1939). As a result, the dates of formation of interim administrations in Hrodna and Hrodna Count, the principle of recruitment of new government institutions, the undemocratic nature of the elections of deputies of the People's Assembly of Western Belorussia were determined. The assessment of the inclusion of Hrodna and Hrodna Count into the BSSR is given.

Study of Electronic Properties and UV-Vis Spectrum of a Single Molecule as Molecular Electronics

Current study deals with electronic properties and absorption spectrum calculations for a single molecule. The calculations were done based on the theory of density function DF. Our result showed the large basis sets 6-31G (d, P) with functional B3LYP is a suitable using for the relaxation of the studied structure. We showed a single molecule has small value of energy gap; it takes place in a wide range of molecular electronics as semiconductor material. The molecule is a soft molecule and can an electron to be transfer easily from valence band to conduction band. A single molecule can be interacting with the surrounding species due to it is higher electrophilic index. There is no direct transition from valence to conduction for a single molecule, the transition is recorded from sublevel in valence band to conduction band.

Sensitivity of Neutron-Rich Nuclear Isomer Behavior to Uncertainties in Direct Transitions

Nuclear isomers are populated in the rapid neutron capture process (r process) of nucleosynthesis. The r process may cover a wide range of temperatures, potentially starting from several tens of GK (several MeV) and then cooling as material is ejected from the event. As the r-process environment cools, isomers can freeze out of thermal equilibrium or be directly populated as astrophysically metastable isomers (astromers). Astromers can undergo reactions and decays at rates very different from the ground state, so they may need to be treated independently in nucleosythesis simulations. Two key behaviors of astromers—ground state ↔ isomer transition rates and thermalization temperatures—are determined by direct transition rates between pairs of nuclear states. We perform a sensitivity study to constrain the effects of unknown transitions on astromer behavior. Detailed balance ensures that ground → isomer and isomer → ground transitions are symmetric, so unknown transitions are equally impactful in both directions. We also introduce a categorization of astromers that describes their potential effects in hot environments. We provide a table of neutron-rich isomers that includes the astromer type, thermalization temperature, and key unmeasured transition rates.

Optical Properties of CaNb2O6 Single Crystals Grown by OFZ*

CaNb2O6 single crystals with an orthorhombic columbite structure are grown via an optical floating zone (OFZ) method. The as-grown crystals are colorless and free of low-angle grain boundaries and inclusions. They are transparent (up to 62%) in the visible to the infrared region (400–1000 nm) and have a low absorption coefficient (α = 1.56). The bandgap is determined as a direct transition and Eg = 4.28 eV. The wavelength-dependent refractive index and extinction coefficient of the CaNb2O6 crystals are derived from the obtained T and α spectra. Their photoluminescence spectra exhibit a strong and broad emission band centered at 465 nm.

Studies on the Formation and Processing of Aluminium Dross with Particular Focus on Special Metals

In terms of production volume, aluminium is the leading metal in non-ferrous metallurgy. In particular, the recycling of aluminium-containing residues has strongly increased in recent years and will continue to gain importance in the future. Due to the high affinity of aluminium to oxygen, the oxidation of the molten bath is unavoidable, which leads to the formation of dross on the surface. This has a high content of metallic aluminium and therefore represents a valuable residual material that must be further processed. In the presented work, a study is conducted on the formation and possible further processing of aluminium dross. Within the scope of this experimental work, the pyrometallurgical treatment of Al-dross in the salt drum furnace was evaluated on the basis of an experiment in a TBRC (top blown rotary converter) by adding a salt mixture. In addition, the behaviour of special metals, in particular the rare earth elements (REEs), was investigated during such a melting process. This knowledge will be particularly important in the future, as inadequate scrap processing leads to more of these partially valuable contaminants entering the aluminium scrap cycle. The result of the experimental study was that the metal yield of the dross used in the melting experiment at the Chair of Nonferrous Metallurgy was higher than that achieved by external reprocessing. Regarding the distribution of the rare earths, there was a direct transition of these from the dross into the emerging salt slag phase.