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Fluentive grammatical alignment in Benue-Congo
No full textThe study of grammatical alignments has emphasized cases of grammatical relations that are primarily sensitive to thematic roles or the referential characteristics of arguments (e.g., animacy). Benue-Congo languages, by contrast, show evidence for grammatical relations that are primarily driven by information structure, and this points to the possibility of an additional class of alignment patterns connected, in particular, to the encoding of focus. This chapter lays out some initial evidence for this class of alignment patterns, labeling them fluentive alignments, drawing on examples from a number of Benue-Congo languages. It considers data involving linear order, the coding of grammatical oppositions on arguments, non-referential elements, and voice-like alternations
Frication noise in edentulous clicks
No full textClick consonants exhibit complex aerodynamic and articulatory properties, yet the role of dental structures in generating frication noise remains unclear. This study investigates whether the presence of upper teeth affects the frication noise characteristics of coronal click consonants, particularly the so-called noisy clicks [ǀ] and [ǁ]. The analysis is based on longitudinal data from a single male Gǀui speaker, recorded over a 28-year period. Two sets of recordings were compared: one from 1995, when the speaker had a full set of upper teeth (dentate condition), and another from 2023, after he had lost all upper teeth (edentulous condition). A qualitative acoustic analysis of controlled wordlists reveals that frication noise characteristics, such as duration and intensity, remain largely unchanged across conditions. Contrary to Hagman’s (1977) hypothesis, which suggests that the rough surface of teeth contributes to turbulence generation, the findings indicate that dental structures are not crucial for producing frication noise in clicks. Instead, the results suggest that factors such as anterior release speed play a more significant role. This study contributes to the understanding of turbulence generation mechanisms in click consonants and highlights the need for further investigation into age-related articulatory changes
Classification of materials based on similarity measures
No full textDie Entdeckung und Charakterisierung neuer Materialien sind von entscheidender Bedeutung für technologische Fortschritte, jedoch stellt die Suche nach geeigneten Materialien aufgrund ihrer diversen und teils widersprüchlichen Anforderungen eine Herausforderung dar. Materialeigenschaften werden in vielen Fällen mit verschiedenen physikalischen Näherungen und numerischen Parametern berechnet, was ihre Vergleichbarkeit erschwert. In dieser Dissertation verwenden wir Deskriptoren und Metriken, um die Ähnlichkeit von Materialien quantitativ zu evaluieren. Wir haben ein Softwareframework entwickelt, um Datensätze zu verwalten, Deskriptoren und Metriken zu definieren und Methoden des unüberwachten Lernens anzuwenden. Ein neuartiger Deskriptor, der spektrale Fingerabdruck, stellt Spektren als binäre Rasterbilder dar und ermöglicht den Vergleich spektraler Größen wie elektronischen Zustandsdichten oder optischen Absorptionsspektren. Wir nutzen unsere Methoden, um die Qualität von Materialdaten zu beurteilen und große Datenräume zu erkunden. Wir zeigen, dass der spektrale Fingerabdruck Unterschiede zwischen Ergebnissen, die mit verschiedenen numerischen Parametern oder physikalischen Näherungen durchgeführt wurden, abbilden kann. Diese Korrelationen ermöglichen die Identifikation von Rechnungen mit unterschiedlichen Parametern, die dennoch ähnliche Ergebnisse liefern. Wir zeigen ebenfalls die Anwendbarkeit unserer Methoden auf experimentelle Daten. Bei der Erkundung großer Datenräume führen wir Ähnlichkeitssuchen durch, die unerwartete Ähnlichkeiten zwischen Materialien aufdecken. Ein Clustering-Algorithmus wird verwendet, um Gruppen von Materialien mit ähnlicher elektronischer Struktur zu finden. Wir identifizieren und begründen die Mechanismen, die zu diesen Ähnlichkeiten führen, und finden Ausnahmefälle, die sich nicht durch einfache Regeln erklären lassen. Schließlich vergleichen wir verschiedene Ähnlichkeitsmaße und zeigen Korrelationen zwischen ihnen auf.The discovery and characterization of novel materials are crucial for technological advancement, however, the search for suitable materials is challenging due to diverse and sometimes contradictory requirements. Material properties are, in many cases, computed using different physical approximations and numerical parameters, which hinder their comparability. In this thesis, we make use of descriptors and metrics to qualitatively evaluate the similarity of materials. We have developed a software framework to manage datasets, define descriptors and metrics, and employ methods of unsupervised learning. A novel descriptor, the spectral fingerprint, represents spectra as binary-valued raster images, and enables the comparison of spectral quantities like the electronic density-of-states or optical absorption spectra. We use our methodology to assess the quality of materials data, and to explore large data spaces. We show that the spectral fingerprint can represent the differences between results that have been obtained with distinct numerical parameters or physical approximations. These correlations allow for the identification of calculations employing different parameters, which still yield similar results. We furthermore show the applicability of our methods to experimental data. For the exploration of large data spaces, we perform similarity searches, which uncover unexpected similarities between materials. A clustering algorithm is used to find sets of materials with similar electronic structure. We identify and rationalize the mechanisms leading to these similarities, and find outliers that can not be explained by simple rules. Finally, we compare different similarity measures and show correlations between them
Creativity, paradigms and morphological constructions: evidence from Dutch pseudoparticiples
No full textPseudoparticiples follow phonotactic, morphological, and syntactic rules for regular participles, but they are special in that they lack corresponding verbal forms. This article offers a constructionist account of two types of pseudoparticiples in Dutch, i.e., those with a nominal base and the prefix ont- or be- , e.g., ontkoeid ‘de-cowed’ or bedauwd ‘bedewed’. Their properties raise interesting questions regarding the nature of morphological creativity, back-formation, and the establishment of new schemas or paradigms. Using data from the nlTenTen14 corpus, we consider constraints on the formation of verbal paradigms from such pseudoparticiples, and what this tells us about the nature of morphological creativity. Our corpus data suggest substantial differences between be - and ont -pseudoparticiples in terms of frequency distributions, productivity, and syntactic behavior. Drawing on concepts from cognitive linguistics generally and Construction Morphology in particular, this article addresses the usefulness of the distinction between full and partial sanction as a means to explain the variation (i) within the pseudoparticiple sets and (ii) between regular and pseudoparticiples. We also suggest some revisions to the notions of E- and F-creativity to account for differences between the be - and ont - sets.Peer Reviewe
a Festschrift for Tom Güldemann
No full textThis festschrift celebrates Tom Güldemann, an outstanding Africanist and linguist. It presents a collection of papers organised in a way that reflects his macro-areal approach to African linguistics (Güldemann 2018, inter alia). As such, the Festschrift comprises sections on the Kalahari Basin, the Bantu spread zone, the Macro-Sudan belt, the Central transition sphere ([a] the Sahel), and the Nuba mountain accretion zone. Some papers treat whole regions, others treat pools of languages, and some have scope over the entire continent. The Festschrift rounds up with some papers exploring language Beyond Africa
Dynamic bioreactor hyporheic zone - CO2 production and attenuation of trace organic compounds in streambeds
No full textDie hyporheische Zone (HZ) ist ein zentraler Bestandteil von Flussökosystemen und spielt eine entscheidende Rolle für die Wasserqualität. Sie bezeichnet den Bereich im Flussbett, der alle Porenwasserfließpfade umfasst, die an der Sedimentoberfläche beginnen und enden. Die HZ fungiert als „Bioreaktor“, der organischen Kohlenstoff umwandelt und organische Spurenstoffe (TrOCs) abbaut. Ziel der vorliegenden Dissertation ist es, den Einfluss dynamischer Faktoren auf die HZ besser zu verstehen. Untersucht wird, wie Flussregime die Bewegung des Flusssediments, den hyporheischen Austausch und biogeochemische Prozesse beeinflussen. Darüber hinaus werden der Einfluss der saisonalen Variabilität sowie die Zusammensetzung gelöster organischer Substanzen auf den Abbau von TrOCs betrachtet. Diese Ziele wurden in fünf Studien behandelt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Fortbewegung von Bettformen einen tiefgreifenden Einfluss auf den hyporheischen Austausch, die Verteilung von O₂ und CO₂ sowie auf die Atmungsraten in Flussbetten hat. Bereits sehr langsame Bewegungen führen zu deutlich höheren Atmungsraten im Vergleich zu unbewegten Sedimenten. Obwohl für dynamische Abflussregime insgesamt höhere Atmungsraten erwartet wurden, reduzieren die deutlich niedrigeren Raten in den unbewegten Phasen die insgesamt verbrauchte O₂- und produzierte CO₂-Menge. Angesichts des starken Einflusses der Bewegung von Sedimentstrukturen auf die Atmungsraten sollte die zukünftige Forschung untersuchen, wie Abflussregime und Bettformbewegungen den Abbau von TrOCs beeinflussen. Die Dissertation zeigt, dass der Abbau von TrOCs überwiegend in der HZ stattfindet. Entgegen den Erwartungen wurden TrOCs im Winter besser abgebaut. Dies lässt sich durch längere Aufenthaltszeiten des Porenwassers im Flussbett infolge eines eingeschränkten hyporheischen Austauschs erklären. Längere Aufenthaltszeiten und ein lokaler starker Abbau im Flussbett führen jedoch nicht zwingend zu einem hohen Gesamtabbau im Flusssystem.The hyporheic zone (HZ) is a valuable component of stream ecosystems, playing a critical role in regulating streamwater quality through various processes. It is defined as the zone of the streambed containing all porewater flow paths that begin and end at the sediment-water interface. The HZ is a "bioreactor” that transforms organic carbon (C) and attenuates trace organic compounds (TrOCs). The aim of the present thesis is to better understand the influence of dynamic factors on HZs by understanding how flow regimes influence sediment migration, hyporheic exchange, and biogeochemical processes. Additionally, it investigates how seasonal variability and dissolved organic matter composition affect TrOC attenuation. These objectives were addressed through five research studies. The results demonstrate that bedform celerity profoundly affects hyporheic exchange, the distribution of O2 and CO2, and respiration rates in streambeds. Especially, even slow bedform movements result in markedly higher respiration rates compared to non-moving sediments, emphasizing the need to consider moving sediments in future studies. Although dynamic flow regimes were expected to show overall higher respiration rates, the much lower rates observed during the non-moving periods of dynamic flows reduced the total amount of O2 consumed and CO2 produced. Given the strong influence of moving bedforms on respiration rates, future research should investigate how flow regimes and bedform movement affect TrOC attenuation. This thesis showed that the attenuation of TrOCs occurred predominately in the HZ rather than in streamwater. Contrary to expectations, TrOCs were better attenuated in winter assumably due to higher residence times of porewater in the streambed. However, longer residence times and locally high attenuation in streambeds do not necessarily translate to high overall stream attenuation. A limited HZ would only contribute little to the total attenuation of TrOCs in stream systems
Kam pronouns: synchrony and diachronic hypotheses
No full textThis paper presents the pronominal system of Kam (Nigeria, ISO 639-3: kdx) within the broader context of Niger-Congo languages. It presents two key contributions: (1) a refined analysis of animacy distinctions in Kam's third-person singular pronouns, and (2) the first explicit comparative study of Kam's pronouns in relation to other Niger-Congo languages. The findings provide new evidence supporting Kam's classification within Niger-Congo. The study also identifies a distinctive third-person plural pronoun (í), which may reflect a shared innovation with neighboring languages like Mumuyic and Yendangic, raising questions about Kam’s areal and genealogical relationships. Additionally, Kam’s pronominal system exhibits features common in the Macro-Sudan Belt, such as logophoric pronouns and subject-tense-aspect-mood-polarity (STAMP) morphs. The paper argues that while Kam lacks a traditional noun class system, its pronominal animacy distinctions recall patterns found in some Ubangi languages further eastwards
Amount of Organic Waste Affects the Composition and Interactions of Vertebrate Scavengers at Gambian Slaughterhouses
No full textSlaughterhouses in The Gambia serve as critical feeding sites for diverse vertebrate scavenger communities, including hooded vultures, domestic dogs, pigs and avian species such as pied crows, black kites and cattle egrets. This study investigated how the quantity and type of organic waste influence the composition and competitive interactions of scavengers across five slaughterhouses. Using multivariate statistical models, we found that waste quantity was the strongest predictor of scavenger community composition, explaining 32.7% of the variation, with hooded vultures being most abundant at high‐waste sites. Specific waste types influenced feeding behaviour, suggesting niche differentiation among species; for instance, cattle egrets focused on blood and insects, while vultures dominated meat‐based resources. Competitive interactions varied by species, with domestic dogs frequently displacing vultures without physical conflict, whereas hooded vultures dominated interactions against other birds. Activity patterns revealed temporal separation, with vultures and dogs active primarily in the morning, and other avian scavengers more active in the afternoon, reducing interspecific competition. The study highlights the essential role of hooded vultures in waste management and disease mitigation but also emphasises how poor fencing facilitates mammalian access, intensifying competition and potentially threatening obligate scavengers. Improving fencing, controlling feeding, and incorporating targeted waste management strategies are recommended to support scavenger conservation and enhance ecosystem services in urbanised environments.Dallas ZooThe Peregrine Fund 10.13039/100017308Peer Reviewe
an der Technischen Universität Berlin, der Freien Universität Berlin und der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
No full textSupporting Research – Consulting Infrastructures and Organizational Development
No full textDer Beitrag thematisiert aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven Handlungsbedarfe und -optionen für Beratung und Unterstützung interdisziplinärer Forschungs- und Lehrprojekte sowie ihrer digitalen Methoden. Er fragt nach Förderfähigkeit digitaler Vorhaben; Digitalität in Forschung, Lehre und Vermittlung unabhängig von der Förderfähigkeit sowie Nachhaltigkeit digitaler Aktivitäten in den tragenden Institutionen. Die Lösungsansätze zeigen, dass sich das Zusammenspiel technischer und personeller Infrastruktur sowie der Arbeitsweisen in den beratenden begleitenden Organisationseinheiten und der Forschenden vor dem Hintergrund sich wandelnder Bedarfe in Forschung, Lehre und Vermittlung regelmäßig anpassen muss. Dafür ist eine flexible Organisationsentwicklung wesentlich.This article examines the needs and strategic options for advising and supporting interdisciplinary research and teaching projects from different perspectives, particularly concerning digital methods. It explores the eligibility of digital initiatives for funding, the role of digitality in research, teaching, and dissemination beyond funding considerations, and the sustainability of digital activities within institutional frameworks. The proposed solutions highlight the necessity of continuously adapting the interaction between technical and human infrastructure, as well as work processes, to meet evolving demands in research, teaching, and dissemination. To achieve this, flexible organizational development is essential.Peer Reviewe