A binary system of complementizers in Cimbrian relative clauses

The system of Cimbrian relative clauses manifests itself in a complex scenario: two different complementizers occur in this context: i) the ‘autochthonous’ (Germanic) bo, cognate of Southern German wo, and ii) the ‘allochthonous’ ke, borrowed from Italian (che), which is gradually spreading. In our paper we provide empirical evidence for a crucial specialization of both complementizers: the former shows up only in restrictive relative clauses, the latter in both restrictive and non-restrictive relatives, giving rise to a binary system. In our analysis we aim to explain the binary system of Cimbrian relative complementizers directly addressing the general discussion about relative clauses, showing once more the relevance of both linguistic contact and microvariation for the theory of grammar

R1234ze(E) As Drop-In Replacement For R134a In A Micro-Fin Shell-And-Tube Evaporator: Experimental Tests And Calculation Model

For the planned phase-down of the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) R134a in vapor compression cycles, a reasonable and accepted long-term substitute is the hydrofluoro-olefin (HFO) R1234ze(E): due to similar operating pressures of the two fluids, an existing plant can be easily adapted to work with R1234ze(E) as a drop-in replacement for R134a. This works presents a direct comparison of the experimental and calculated performances obtained by using R134a and R1234ze(E) in the same water-cooled chiller at the same operating conditions, focusing on the evaporator, a direct expansion shell-and-tube heat exchanger with micro-fin copper tubes. The working conditions are set to typical air conditioning values: the evaporating temperature of the refrigerant ranges from 3.5 to 5.0 °C, and the outlet water temperature is kept at a constant value of 7 °C. As the refrigerant -2 -1 flows inside the tubes with one passage only, the mass flux values are quite low, ranging from 30 to 100 kg m s , with a constant inlet quality of 0.25 and an outlet superheating of 5 K. The average heat flux (referred to the whole heat exchanger) varies from 2 to 10 kW m-2. The compressor capacity is progressively varied from 30 % to 100 % at constant water flow rate in a first data set, and at constant inlet water temperature (12 °C) in a second one, running experimental tests in the Onda Heat Transfer Laboratory. The maximum heat fluxes obtained for the two different fluids differ each other reflecting the same difference in the volumetric capacity, being 25 % lower for R1234ze(E) than for R134a. Considering the evaporator, at a given capacity the value of the water-to-saturation temperature approach for R1234ze(E) results very similar to that of R134a. The experimental data are compared to the results of a software simulation developed specifically for the evaporator. The critical parameters for the model are the characteristics of the new HFO fluid and the low mass fluxes. Specific literature models were chosen for the water heat transfer coefficient, for the superheated vapor heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop (concentrated and distributed), for the dry-out inception quality, for the two-phase concentrated and distributed pressure drop. The evaporating heat transfer coefficient, instead, was calculated with two different literature models, respectively Cavallini et al. (2006) and Mehendale (2018). For both the models used, the simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental data

Lexicalised Locality: Local Domains and Non-Local Dependencies in a Lexicalised Tree Adjoining Grammar

Contemporary generative grammar assumes that syntactic structure is best described in terms of sets, and that locality conditions, as well as cross-linguistic variation, is determined at the level of designated functional heads. Syntactic operations (merge, MERGE, etc.) build a structure by deriving sets from lexical atoms and recursively (and monotonically) yielding sets of sets. Additional restrictions over the format of structural descriptions limit the number of elements involved in each operation to two at each derivational step, a head and a non-head. In this paper, we will explore an alternative direction for minimalist inquiry based on previous work, e.g., Frank (2002, 2006), albeit under novel assumptions. We propose a view of syntactic structure as a specification of relations in graphs, which correspond to the extended projection of lexical heads; these are elementary trees in Tree Adjoining Grammars. We present empirical motivation for a lexicalised approach to structure building, where the units of the grammar are elementary trees. Our proposal will be based on cross-linguistic evidence; we will consider the structure of elementary trees in Spanish, English and German. We will also explore the consequences of assuming that nodes in elementary trees are addresses for purposes of tree composition operations, substitution and adjunction

Feature Borrowing in Language Contact

In this paper, we consider mood selection in embedded clauses by focusing on a Germanbased minority language, Cimbrian, which is spoken in a northern Italian enclave. Mood selection in Cimbrian relies on the presence of two different complementizers, az and ke (the latter being borrowed from Romance varieties), each of which selectively require a specific mood. Az selects the mood subjunctive in modal sentences introduced by non-factive verbs, whereas ke co-occurs with the indicative in purely declarative clauses introduced by factive and semi-factive verbs. However, this binary distribution is challenged in the two following contexts, and it is precisely at this point that feature borrowing comes into play: (i) with the verb gloam ‘to believe/to think’, the expected binary pattern appears (irrealis az + subjunctive and the realis ke + indicative), but, crucially, a third construction emerges, namely ke + subj.; (ii) surprisingly, az + subj. displays some ‘gaps’ in its paradigm, specifically in the first person, which appeared in the data we collected via translation tasks from Italian into Cimbrian. Both phenomena shed light on how language contact works, not in terms of structural borrowing but rather in terms of the transfer of the specific features of a given lexical item

Experimental Investigation Of A New Low-Approach Evaporator With Reduced Refrigerant Charge

The impact of the refrigerant charge is growing more and more due to the high cost of the new synthetic refrigerants (HFO) and the increasing cost of the older refrigerants. In the field of the air conditioning, for the centrifugal systems using flooded evaporators it is useful to find alternative heat exchangers with lower refrigerant charge but the same performance. Namely, it is desired a low temperature approach between the water outlet and the evaporating refrigerant, both for increasing the COP of the machine and for reaching low pressure ratios, typically required in the centrifugal compressors. Nowadays, falling film or spray evaporators start to be considered and used. In general they require a complicated distribution system for the liquid inlet and for the flash gas dissipation, and a big volume of the shell in order to avoid liquid flowing to the compressor. Moreover, the performance at partial loads is problematic, as in general it is difficult to maintain wet all the tubes when varying the operating conditions. The present work describes a shell-and-tube evaporator with a completely new design, named “Hybrid Film Evaporator”, where the refrigerant evaporates on the external of the tubes, and the water is cooled flowing inside the tubes. In it there is a combination of a falling down motion of the liquid to be evaporated and a flooding of all the rows of tubes. The liquid is automatically redistributed on each row, and all the surface is always involved in the heat transfer. Two prototypes are investigated, one with four passes and one with six passes on the water side, in a oil-free centrifugal chiller. Both are 1 m long, and their shell diameter is 610 mm. The experimental analysis consists on the measurement of the capacity (ranging from 250 to 450 kW) in conjunction with the evaporating temperature (ranging from 5.5 to 6.5 °C) with R134a as refrigerant fluid. The water outlet temperature is kept at a constant value of 7 °C, and two different sets of experimental data are obtained, keeping constant either the water inlet temperature (at 12 °C) or the water flowrate (at 50 or 65 m³/h). The heat transfer coefficients (both global and external) are then studied. In addition, a flooded evaporator with the same overall geometry is experimentally studied and all the performance parameters are compared to the above ones. The conclusion is that the hybrid film evaporator reaches the same average heat transfer coefficient, and then the same temperature approach at a given heat flux, of a flooded evaporator with the same surface area, saving the refrigerant charge of a quantity between 30 and 40 %

A 64-Channel 965-μW Neural Recording SoC with UWB Wireless Transmission in 130-nm CMOS

This brief presents a 64-channel neural recording system-on-chip (SoC) with a 20-Mb/s wireless telemetry. Each channel of the analog front end consists of a low-noise bandpass amplifier, featuring a noise efficiency factor of 3.11 with an input-referred noise of 5.6 μVrms in a 0.001- to 10-kHz band and a 31.25-kSps 6-fJ/conversion-step 10-bit SAR analog-to-digital converter. The recorded signals are multiplexed in the digital domain and transmitted via an 11.7% efficiency pulse-position modulation ultrawideband transmitter, reaching a transmission range in excess of 7.5 m. The chip has been fabricated in a 130-nm CMOS process, measures 25 mm2, and dissipates 965 μW from a 0.5-V supply. This SoC features the lowest power per channel (15 μW) and the lowest energy per bit (48.2 pJ) among state-of-the-art wireless neural recording systems with a number of channels larger than 32. The proposed circuit is able to transmit the raw neural signal in a large bandwidth (up to 10 kHz) without performing any data compression or losing vital information, such as local field potentials

DNI Estimation Procedures for the Assessment of Solar Radiation Availability in Concentrating Systems

Abstract DNI (Direct Normal Irradiance) is the resource utilized by solar concentrators. Besides, the determination of DNI is needed in the models for the estimation of global irradiance on tilted planes, which is the input to flat-plate systems. This paper describes a study of different estimation procedures for the assessment of the DNI , using experimental data with a time scale of 1 min, taken at two different latitudes. The analyzed approaches include measuring techniques and models. The results show that the different estimation methods can lead to quite different conclusions when comparing the solar radiation availability in concentrating and flat-plate systems and this can affect the energy and economic evaluations. Based on the experimental analysis, indications for reducing the uncertainty in the estimation of DNI are discussed

experimental and numerical study of a parabolic trough linear cpvt system

Abstract The electric and thermal performance of a parabolic trough linear concentrating photovoltaic-thermal (CPVT) system operating in Padova (northern Italy) is experimentally investigated. The system moves about two axes and exhibits a geometrical concentration ratio around 130. The receiving module placed on the focus line displays a secondary optics made of two flat mirrors to gather some reflected radiation and to contribute to the concentrated flux on two lines of triple junction photovoltaic cells soldered on a ceramic substrate. The substrate is in thermal contact with a aluminium heat exchanger with water flow channels to cool the PV cells. During the test runs, the inlet water temperature ranges from 20 °C to 80 °C and the heat yield is obtained from mass flow rate and temperature measurements while a rheostat and a power analyzer are connected to the electric terminals of the module to assess the electrical production. The direct normal irradiation (DNI) is measured by a pyrherliometer mounted on a solar tracker. Experimental results are used to assess a numerical model of the solar receiver and the whole concentrator