Application of HYDRUS (2D/3D) for Predicting the Influence of Subsurface Drainage on Soil Water Dynamics in a Rainfed-Canola Cropping System

The HYDRUS (2D/3D) model was applied to investigate the probable effects of different subsurface drainage systems on the soil water dynamics under a rainfed-canola cropping system in paddy fields. Field experiments were conducted during two rainfed-canola growing seasons on the subsurface-drained paddy fields of the Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. A drainage pilot consisting of subsurface drainage systems with different drain depths and spacings was designed. Canola was cultivated as the second crop after the rice harvest. Measurements of the groundwater table depth and drain discharge were taken during the growing seasons. The performance of the HYDRUS-2D model during the calibration and validation phases was evaluated using the model efficiency (EF), root mean square error (RMSE), normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) and mean bias error (MBE) measures. Based on the criteria indices (MBE = 0.01–0.17 cm, RMSE = 0.05–1.02 and EF = 0.84–0.96 for drainage fluxes, and MBE = 0.01–0.63, RMSE = 0.34–5.54 and EF = 0.89–0.99 for groundwater table depths), the model was capable of predicting drainage fluxes as well as groundwater table depths. The simulation results demonstrated that HYDRUS (2D/3D) is a powerful tool for proposing optimal scenario to achieve sustainable shallow aquifers in subsurface-drained paddy fields during winter cropping. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Questions as prosodic configurations: How prosody and context shape the multiparametric acoustic nature of rhetorical questions in German

Contrary to information-seeking questions (ISQs), rhetorical questions (RQs) occur in non-neutral contexts, e.g., to criticize, challenge, or persuade the addressee. We study the influence of two attitudinal contexts (disgust and mockery) on the prosodic realization of wh-RQs (Who likes lavender?) in German relative to a non-attitudinal control condition of ISQs realized in a sincere interest context. RQs show context-specific acoustic and phonological differences, but are, overall, more strongly separated from ISQ realizations. Moreover, the way in which RQs and ISQs differ from each other as well as from statements in German suggests that German questions represent a coherent bundle of parameters – a so-called "prosodic construction" – that is constituted to a larger extent by gradual acoustic parameters than by categorical phonological ones

Questions as prosodic configurations: How prosody and context shape the multiparametric acoustic nature of rhetorical questions in German

Contrary to information-seeking questions (ISQs), rhetorical questions (RQs) occur in non-neutral contexts, e.g., to criticize, challenge, or persuade the addressee. We study the influence of two attitudinal contexts (disgust and mockery) on the prosodic realization of wh-RQs (Who likes lavender?) in German relative to a non-attitudinal control condition of ISQs realized in a sincere interest context. RQs show context-specific acoustic and phonological differences, but are, overall, more strongly separated from ISQ realizations. Moreover, the way in which RQs and ISQs differ from each other as well as from statements in German suggests that German questions represent a coherent bundle of parameters – a so-called "prosodic construction" – that is constituted to a larger extent by gradual acoustic parameters than by categorical phonological ones

The truth below the surface:Towards quantifying and understanding the evaluation of German and Danish hate speech with EEG biosignals

The recipient is a stimulus-external factor that has so far hardly been investigated in hate-speech research. However, addressing this factor is essential to understand how and why hate speech unfolds its negative effects and which characteristics of the recipient influence these effects. The present study focuses on the recipient. Building on previous findings from explicit ratings and initial successful replications of such ratings through biosignals, we are conducting the first large-scale, systematic, and cross-linguistic biosignal study on hate speech based on two EEG measures: the beta-alpha ratio associated with arousal and the frontal alpha asymmetry associated with valence. A total of 50 Danish and German participants took part and were presented with spoken and written hate-speech stimuli, derived from authentic hate-speech posts on Twitter. Results show that Danes reacted more sensitively than Germans to hate speech containing figurative language (swear words), while Germans reacted more sensitively to hate speech with Holocaust references than Danes. In addition, teachers and lawyers showed less negative reactions to hate speech than church employees, students, and pensioners. The effect of the presentation medium depended on the respective hate speech type. In particular, speaking out hate speech based on irony and indirectness attenuated its effects on recipients to such an extent that it is questionable whether the stimuli were still perceived as instances of hate speech at all. We discuss the results in terms of key tasks of future studies and practical implication for the punishment and management of hate speech on social media.The recipient is a stimulus-external factor that has so far hardly been investigated in hate-speech research. However, addressing this factor is essential to understand how and why hate speech unfolds its negative effects and which characteristics of the recipient influence these effects. The present study focuses on the recipient. Building on previous findings from explicit ratings and initial successful replications of such ratings through biosignals, we are conducting the first large-scale, systematic, and cross-linguistic biosignal study on hate speech based on two EEG measures: the beta-alpha ratio associated with arousal and the frontal alpha asymmetry associated with valence. A total of 50 Danish and German participants took part and were presented with spoken and written hate-speech stimuli, derived from authentic hate-speech posts on Twitter. Results show that Danes reacted more sensitively than Germans to hate speech containing figurative language (swear words), while Germans reacted more sensitively to hate speech with Holocaust references than Danes. In addition, teachers and lawyers showed less negative reactions to hate speech than church employees, students, and pensioners. The effect of the presentation medium depended on the respective hate speech type. In particular, speaking out hate speech based on irony and indirectness attenuated its effects on recipients to such an extent that it is questionable whether the stimuli were still perceived as instances of hate speech at all. We discuss the results in terms of key tasks of future studies and practical implication for the punishment and management of hate speech on social media.<br/

Research on Rhetorical Devices in German:The Use of Rhetorical Questions in Sales Presentations

Previous literature recommends using stylistic (or rhetorical) devices in presentations such as rhetorical questions (RQs: Does anyone want bad teeth?) to make them more professional, to appear more charismatic, and to convince an audience. However, in oral presentations, it is not only the what that matters in using stylistic devices like RQs, but also the how, i.e., the RQs’ prosodic realization. To date, however, virtually no handbook on the way of giving a good presentation scrutinizes this prosodic how. Therefore, our investigation focuses on the prosodic realization of German RQs in sales pitches. Specifically, we carry out a perception experiment in which 72 listeners rated both the sales pitch and its speaker based on presentations that contained questions that were lexically biased towards a rhetorical interpretation. They were realized with either the prosody of RQs or information-seeking questions (ISQs: What time is it?). An additional baseline condition was constituted by regular declarative statements with the corresponding prosody. More precisely, we investigate whether particular identified prosodic realizations—previously found for German RQs and ISQs—meet the listeners’ expectation in the context of a presentation situation. We found that listeners prefer lexically marked RQs that are produced with a prosody that is characteristic of German ISQs. We therefore suggest that handbooks should provide their readers not only with clear definitions of RQs as a stylistic device in presentations (i.e., the what), but also with the respective prosodic realization (i.e., the how) to make them a properly implemented stylistic device

Development and production of explosively bonded 316SS/tantalum tubing

Explosively bonded 316SS/tantalum tubing for SNAP 8 boile

Questions as prosodic configurations: How prosody and context shape the multiparametric acoustic nature of rhetorical questions in German

Contrary to information-seeking questions (ISQs), rhetorical questions (RQs) occur in non-neutral contexts, e.g., to criticize, challenge, or persuade the addressee. We study the influence of two attitudinal contexts (disgust and mockery) on the prosodic realization of wh-RQs (Who likes lavender?) in German relative to a non-attitudinal control condition of ISQs realized in a sincere interest context. RQs show context-specific acoustic and phonological differences, but are, overall, more strongly separated from ISQ realizations. Moreover, the way in which RQs and ISQs differ from each other as well as from statements in German suggests that German questions represent a coherent bundle of parameters – a so-called "prosodic construction" – that is constituted to a larger extent by gradual acoustic parameters than by categorical phonological ones

Types of hate speech in German and their prosodic characteristics

The present pilot study investigates spoken hate-speech items, produced by a professional German speaker after actual Twitter and Facebook posts and reflecting characteristic morpho-syntactic features of German hate speech. Acoustic-prosodic signal analyses reveal a considerable featurespecific variation in the production of hate speech. Thus, at least at the level of phonetics and spoken hate speech, no evidence was found that hate speech is a separate communicative function conveyed by a set of uniformly realized prosodic characteristics

Types of hate speech in German and their prosodic characteristics

The present pilot study investigates spoken hate-speech items, produced by a professional German speaker after actual Twitter and Facebook posts and reflecting characteristic morpho-syntactic features of German hate speech. Acoustic-prosodic signal analyses reveal a considerable featurespecific variation in the production of hate speech. Thus, at least at the level of phonetics and spoken hate speech, no evidence was found that hate speech is a separate communicative function conveyed by a set of uniformly realized prosodic characteristics