Experimental Study of Electrophoretic Deposited Carbon Nanotubes on Microstrip Transmission Line Resonators and Filters

The electrical properties of single-walled carbon nanotube electrophoreses deposition on different types of gold-plated microstrip devices are investigated. Simple transmission lines, transmission line resonators and filters were subjected to deposition of functionalized tubes in an aqueous solution. It is found that the process lowers the resonant frequency of the resonators and filters compared to the untreated devices, at the cost of increased insertion loss and reduced resonator Q-factor

Die bepaling van die ‘sentrum van hoofbelange’ by oorgrens insolvensies: Is die Parmalat-benadering voldoende om die behoeftes van moderne handel te bevredig?

Despite various viewpoints on the determination of the centre of main interest (COMI), the legal question in this investigation is whether, and to what extent, the approach in In re Eurofood IFSC Ltd (the Parmalat case) brings about an effective solution for the determination of the location of the COMI of individual companies, either unattached or as part of a group (in contrast with companies forming a so called economic unit). There exists a presumption that the COMI is situated there where the company’s registered office is. This is the physical factor in determining the COMI. There is also a mental or psychological factor. The COMI must correspond with the place which third parties (including foreigners) regard as the place where the debtor ordinarily manages its business and most prominent interests on a regular basis. If the registered office is situated at one place and the judgment of third parties with regard to the COMI is elsewhere, the presumption will not come into operation and the ordinary onus of proof will rest on the party concerned. If the subsidiary’s registered office and the opinion of third parties point to the same location (in order for the presumption to come into operation) the holding company should lead more substantial evidence so as to rebut the presumption. The presumption shall not be rebutted easily. An essential and delicate process of weighing up relevant factors should take place. The COMI must be identified with reference to criteria which are objectively foreseeable by all parties involved

Risk factors associated with peri-implant mucositis

Magister Chirurgiae Dentium - MChDAim: To determine the prevalence of peri-implant mucositis and the association between systemic and local risk factor

A Preliminary Checklist of the Moths of Butler County, Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Zoology, Miami UniversityUsing a combination of blacklight, mercury vapor light, and sugar bait sampling techniques, we collected moths over a 2-yr period in Butler County, OH, and compiled a list of 392 species. Seventy-eight percent (305) of these species were found to be new county records. A checklist is provided as a baseline catalogue of the moths of Butler County, OH. An analysis of historical county records revealed a bias towards large or colorful species. Although many species we collected are considered common, several infrequently encountered species were discovered. Our effort suggests that biological surveys in fragmented landscapes may reveal unexpected biological diversity

Investigation into the International Financial Reporting Standards 9 model flaws exposed during the pandemic

Orientation: Market events during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exposed flaws in the econometric models used to derive International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 9 impairments. Models were unable to capture the level of government intervention or predict the economic recovery process because of the unprecedented nature of the pandemic. Research purpose: This study examines the causes of the challenges experienced with the IFRS 9 models during the pandemic and approaches to minimise this risk in the future. Motivation for the study: Structural correlation breaks forced banks to replace the IFRS 9 models with expert overlays or rapidly rebuild the models to reduce impairment volatility and manage the impact on earnings. Expert judgement may lead to biased outcomes. Research approach/design and method: Behavioural finance theory suggests that emotion and cognitive biases often lead to irrational investment decisions with disastrous consequences to the market. The link between market sentiment and economic outcomes is tested with natural language processing. Archimedean copulas are used to compare the dependence structures of market variables between different stress periods. Main findings: Market sentiment is closely related to the trends observed in major macroeconomic indicators. The nature of the dependence structures differs between stress periods. Practical/managerial implications: Sentiment may be a valuable exogenous variable to incorporate into economic forecast models. Learnings from one stress period are not necessarily applicable to another. Contribution/value-add: Government intervention and market sentiment had a significant impact on the economic outcomes and correlation breaks observed during the pandemic. Developing bespoke models for the different phases of the economic cycle may not necessarily lead to improved outcomes

Photonic realization of the relativistic Dirac oscillator

A photonic realization of the Dirac oscillator (DO), i.e. of the relativistic extension of the quantum harmonic oscillator, is proposed for light propagation in fiber Bragg gratings. Transmission spectra clearly show the existence of electron and positron bound states of the DO, corresponding to resonance modes above and below the Bragg frequency, as well as the asymmetry of the energy spectrum for electron and positron branches

Additive opportunistic capture explains group hunting benefits in African wild dogs

African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) are described as highly collaborative endurance pursuit hunters based on observations derived primarily from the grass plains of East Africa. However, the remaining population of this endangered species mainly occupies mixed woodland savannah where hunting strategies appear to differ from those previously described. We used high-resolution GPS and inertial technology to record fine-scale movement of all members of a single pack of six adult African wild dogs in northern Botswana. The dogs used multiple short-distance hunting attempts with a low individual kill rate (15.5%), but high group feeding rate due to the sharing of prey. Use of high-level cooperative chase strategies (coordination and collaboration) was not recorded. In the mixed woodland habitats typical of their current range, simultaneous, opportunistic, short-distance chasing by dogs pursuing multiple prey (rather than long collaborative pursuits of single prey by multiple individuals) could be the key to their relative success in these habitats