Malawi Opens Tourism Doors No visa’s needed for Chinese tourists and others,as Malawi makes visits more convenient

When Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera delivered a State of the Nation Address at the 50th Parliamentary Session and Budget Meeting in February,tourism was top of mind.

General laws of funding for scientific citations:how citations change in funded and unfunded research between basic and applied sciences

Purpose:The goal of this study is to analyze the relationship between funded and unfunded papers and their citations in both basic and applied sciences.Design/methodology/approach:A power law model analyzes the relationship between research funding and citations of papers using 831,337 documents recorded in the Web of Science database.Findings:The original results reveal general characteristics of the diffusion of science in research fields:a)Funded articles receive higher citations compared to unfunded papers in journals;b)Funded articles exhibit a super-linear growth in citations,surpassing the increase seen in unfunded articles.This finding reveals a higher diffusion of scientific knowledge in funded articles.Moreover,c)funded articles in both basic and applied sciences demonstrate a similar expected change in citations,equivalent to about 1.23%,when the number of funded papers increases by 1%in journals.This result suggests,for the first time,that funding effect of scientific research is an invariant driver,irrespective of the nature of the basic or applied sciences.Originality/value:This evidence suggests empirical laws of funding for scientific citations that explain the importance of robust funding mechanisms for achieving impactful research outcomes in science and society.These findings here also highlight that funding for scientific research is a critical driving force in supporting citations and the dissemination of scientific knowledge in recorded documents in both basic and applied sciences.Practical implications:This comprehensive result provides a holistic view of the relationship between funding and citation performance in science to guide policymakers and R&D managers with science policies by directing funding to research in promoting the scientific development and higher diffusion of results for the progress of human society.

Weber Law Based Approach for Multi-Class Image Forgery Detection

Today’s forensic science introduces a new research area for digital image analysis formultimedia security.So,Image authentication issues have been raised due to the wide use of image manipulation software to obtain an illegitimate benefit or createmisleading publicity by using tempered images.Exiting forgery detectionmethods can classify only one of the most widely used Copy-Move and splicing forgeries.However,an image can contain one or more types of forgeries.This study has proposed a hybridmethod for classifying Copy-Move and splicing images using texture information of images in the spatial domain.Firstly,images are divided into equal blocks to get scale-invariant features.Weber law has been used for getting texture features,and finally,XGBOOST is used to classify both Copy-Move and splicing forgery.The proposed method classified three types of forgeries,i.e.,splicing,Copy-Move,and healthy.Benchmarked(CASIA 2.0,MICCF200)and RCMFD datasets are used for training and testing.On average,the proposed method achieved 97.3% accuracy on benchmarked datasets and 98.3% on RCMFD datasets by applying 10-fold cross-validation,which is far better than existing methods.

Competition Law in the GCC Countries： The Tale of a Blurry Enforcement

countries, and emphasizes that the application of the rules in force represents the weak point of systems in which the competition policy awareness is much needed but still anchored at a rudimentary stage. This is especially evident when considering that, although such laws have been built up following the European Union model as regards to the forbidden practices, and the US system-with its combination of monetary fines and criminal approach-for the sanctions, the establishment of a legal environment “friendly competition” is far from effective enforcement. After providing an overview of the competition laws passed by the six GCC members, the paper highlights that, notwithstanding the wide arsenal of legal tools to curb possible anticompetitive practices made available under the national regimes, in all countries role and powers of the competition authorities are somewhat underrated. Due to such generalized lack of implementation, the article underlines the need for effective enforcement standards accompanied by a joint harmonized action against illegal competition to be undertaken at regional level in order to facilitate the flow of commerce, and strengthen the economy in the GCC marketplace.

The Accounting Profession： A Descriptive Study of the Common and Code Law Countries

The accounting profession does not have a long history. It is mainly evolved in the last 150 years in the modem sense. Many factors influence the development of accounting and there are many reasons why countries have developed different accounting systems. Among these factors, the relationship between the legal system and the accounting profession is considered worthy of examination. For this purpose, the accounting professions of selected countries are studied. This study clearly demonstrates that the accounting profession in a country has been significantly affected by the judicial system of that country. In addition, the accounting and auditing environment is divided into two separate professions in the code law countries, whereas in the common law countries the profession is mainly organized under one title. However, because of historical or cultural influences, exceptions do exist in countries like Japan, Bulgaria, and Greece.

Empirical Test of Wagner＇s law in New Public Management Countries＇ Tax Revenue

The essence of empirical test of Wagner characteristic in new public management countries＇ tax revenue is to test the influence of economic growth on tax growth since new public management movement. Under IMF statistical framework, by using E-G two-step method in co-integration test and Granger causality test and empirically testing of the gross tax revenue and classified tax revenue in Australian, Canada, France, America, Britain these five countries, we can find that most indicators in most countries do not confirm to Wagner＇ s law. With the growth of GDP, tax revenue as a percentage of GDP rises periodically but not permanently. This period can be called the validity period of Wagner＇ s law in financial scale.

A Study on the Model of Teachers’ Instructional Intervention in Trilingual Teaching Based on the Law of Mother Tongue Acquisition

The research on Trilingual Teaching Model in ethnic areas has become a hot spot.By analyzing the data of the questionnaire,this paper discusses the teachers’instructional intervention model,based on the law of mother tongue acquisition.Trilingual teachers should highlight the role of reading in vocabulary learning and even in improving reading ability.The law of mother tongue acquisition can be one of the main strategies to solve the problems in Tibetan students’English learning.

基于多尺度Laws纹理能量和低秩分解的织物疵点检测算法

为提高织物疵点检测算法对简单纹理织物、模式纹理织物及条纹纹理织物检测时的普适性和准确性,提出了一种基于多尺度Laws纹理能量和低秩分解的织物疵点检测算法。首先,对织物图像进行直方图均衡化并将处理后的图像均匀划分为子图像块;其次,对每个子图像块提取28个纹理能量特征(利用7个Laws滤波模板在4个尺度上提取),计算所有子图像块提取到的特征均值并组成特征矩阵;然后,利用特征矩阵构建低秩分解模型,通过方向交替方法(ADM)优化求解,得到低秩部分和稀疏部分;最后,由稀疏部分生成疵点显著图,采用迭代阈值分割法对其进行分割,得到织物疵点检测结果。为验证该算法的有效性,在织物图像数据集选取了包含错纬、断经、跳花、破洞等常见疵点的织物图像,并将实验结果与已有3种算法进行了对比。实验结果表明,该算法在简单纹理织物、模式纹理织物及条纹纹理织物检测上具有更好的普适性和准确性,且检测效率具有一定优势。

Scaling Laws Behind Penetrative Turbulence:History and Perspectives

An unstably stratified flow entering into a stably stratified flow is referred to as penetrative convection,which is crucial to many physical processes and has been thought of as a key factor for extreme weather conditions.Past theoretical,numerical,and experimental studies on penetrative convection are reviewed,along with field studies providing insights into turbulence modeling.The physical factors that initiate penetrative convection,including internal heat sources,nonlinear constitutive relationships,centrifugal forces and other complicated factors are summarized.Cutting-edge methods for understanding transport mechanisms and statistical properties of penetrative turbulence are also documented,e.g.,the variational approach and quasilinear approach,which derive scaling laws embedded in penetrative turbulence.Exploring these scaling laws in penetrative convection can improve our understanding of large-scale geophysical and astrophysical motions.To better the model of penetrative turbulence towards a practical situation,new directions,e.g.,penetrative convection in spheres,and radiation-forced convection,are proposed.

Closed-form guidance law for velocity maximization with impact angle constraint

Final velocity and impact angle are critical to missile guidance.Computationally efficient guidance law with compre-hensive consideration of the two performance merits is challeng-ing yet remains less addressed.Therefore,this paper seeks to solve a type of optimal control problem that maximizes final velocity subject to equality point constraint of impact angle con-straint.It is proved that the crude problem of maximizing final velocity is equivalent to minimizing a quadratic-form cost of cur-vature.The closed-form guidance law is henceforth derived using optimal control theory.The derived analytical guidance law coincides with the widely-used optimal guidance law with impact angle constraint(OGL-IAC)with a set of navigation parameters of two and six.On this basis,the optimal emission angle is determined to further increase the final velocity.The derived optimal value depends solely on the initial line-of-sight angle and impact angle constraint,and thus practical for real-world appli-cations.The proposed guidance law is validated by numerical simulation.The results show that the OGL-IAC is superior to the benchmark guidance laws both in terms of final velocity and missing distance.

Nonuniform Dependence on the Initial Data for Solutions of Conservation Laws

In this paper,we study systems of conservation laws in one space dimension.We prove that for classical solutions in Sobolev spaces H^(s),with s>3/2,the data-to-solution map is not uniformly continuous.Our results apply to all nonlinear scalar conservation laws and to nonlinear hyperbolic systems of two equations.

Triple reverse order law for the Drazin inverse

In this paper,we investigate the reverse order law for Drazin inverse of three bound-ed linear operators under some commutation relations.Moreover,the Drazin invertibility of sum is also obtained for two bounded linear operators and its expression is presented.

Literature overview of basic characteristics and flotation laws of flocs

Flocculation flotation is the most efficient method for recovering fine-grained minerals,and its essence lies in flotation and recovery of flocs.Fundamental physical characteristics of flocs are mainly determined by their apparent particle size and structure(density and morphology).Substantial researches have been conducted regarding the effect of floc characteristics on particle settling and water treatment.However,the influence of floc characteristics on flotation has not been widely studied.Based on the floc formation and flocculation flotation,this study reviews the fundamental physical characteristics of flocs from the perspectives of floc particle size and structure,summarizing the interaction between floc particle size and structure.Moreover,it thoroughly discusses the effect of floc particle size and structure on floc floatability,further revealing the influence of floc characteristics on bubble collision and adhesion and elucidating the mechanisms of interaction between flocs and bubbles.Thus,it is observed that floc particle size is not the only factor influencing flocculation flotation.Within the appropriate apparent particle size range,flocs with a compact structure exhibit higher efficiency in bubble collision and adhesion during flotation,thereby resulting in enhanced flotation performance.This study aims to provide a reference for flocculation flotation,targeting the development of more efficient and refined flocculation flotation processes in the future.

Dimension by Dimension Finite Volume HWENO Method for Hyperbolic Conservation Laws

In this paper,we propose a finite volume Hermite weighted essentially non-oscillatory(HWENO)method based on the dimension by dimension framework to solve hyperbolic conservation laws.It can maintain the high accuracy in the smooth region and obtain the high resolution solution when the discontinuity appears,and it is compact which will be good for giving the numerical boundary conditions.Furthermore,it avoids complicated least square procedure when we implement the genuine two dimensional(2D)finite volume HWENO reconstruction,and it can be regarded as a generalization of the one dimensional(1D)HWENO method.Extensive numerical tests are performed to verify the high resolution and high accuracy of the scheme.

On the Use of Monotonicity-Preserving Interpolatory Techniques in Multilevel Schemes for Balance Laws

Cost-effective multilevel techniques for homogeneous hyperbolic conservation laws are very successful in reducing the computational cost associated to high resolution shock capturing numerical schemes.Because they do not involve any special data structure,and do not induce savings in memory requirements,they are easily implemented on existing codes and are recommended for 1D and 2D simulations when intensive testing is required.The multilevel technique can also be applied to balance laws,but in this case,numerical errors may be induced by the technique.We present a series of numerical tests that point out that the use of monotonicity-preserving interpolatory techniques eliminates the numerical errors observed when using the usual 4-point centered Lagrange interpolation,and leads to a more robust multilevel code for balance laws,while maintaining the efficiency rates observed forhyperbolic conservation laws.

REFINED CONSERVATION LAW FOR AN EVEN ORDER ELLIPTIC SYSTEM WITH ANTISYMMETRIC POTENTIAL

Conservation law plays a very important role in many geometric variational problems and related elliptic systems.In this note,we refine the conservation law obtained by Lamm-Rivière for fourth order systems and de Longueville-Gastel for general even order systems.

Distribution law and susceptibility of geohazards across a gradient belt of the Western Sichuan Plateau

Across a gradient belt of the Western Sichuan Plateau,geohazards have seriously limited economic and social development.According to incomplete statistics,15,673 geohazards have been recorded in the study area.In order to mitigate the threat of geohazards to human engineering activities in the region,an overall understanding of the distribution pattern of geohazards and susceptibility assessment are necessary.In this paper,a gradient belt of the Western Sichuan Plateau and its zoning criteria were defined.Subsequently,on the basis of relief amplitude,distance to faults,rainfall,and human activities,three indicators of endogenic process were introduced:Bouguer gravity anomaly gradient,vertical deformation gradient,and horizontal deformation gradient.Thereafter,the distribution patterns of geohazards were investigated through mathematical statistics and ArcGIS software.By randomly selecting 10,449 hazards,a geohazard susceptibility map was generated using the Information Value(IV)model.Finally,the IV model was validated against 5224 hazards using the Area Under Curve(AUC)method.The results show that 47.6%of the geohazards were distributed in the zone of steep slope.Geohazards showed strong responses to distance to faults,human activities,and annual rainfall.The distribution of geohazards in the gradient belt of the Western Sichuan Plateau is more sensitive to vertical internal dynamics factors(such as vertical deformation gradient and Bouguer gravity anomaly gradient)without any apparent sensitivity to horizontal internal dynamics factors.The areas of high and very-high risk account for up to 32.22%,mainly distributed in the Longmenshan and Anning River faults.According to the AUC plot,the success rate of the IV model for generating the susceptibility map is 76%.This susceptibility map and geohazard distribution pattern can provide a reference for geological disaster monitoring,preparation of post-disaster emergency measures,and town planning.

Nuclear magnetic resonance experiments on the time-varying law of oil viscosity and wettability in high-multiple waterflooding sandstone cores

A simulated oil viscosity prediction model is established according to the relationship between simulated oil viscosity and geometric mean value of T2spectrum,and the time-varying law of simulated oil viscosity in porous media is quantitatively characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)experiments of high multiple waterflooding.A new NMR wettability index formula is derived based on NMR relaxation theory to quantitatively characterize the time-varying law of rock wettability during waterflooding combined with high-multiple waterflooding experiment in sandstone cores.The remaining oil viscosity in the core is positively correlated with the displacing water multiple.The remaining oil viscosity increases rapidly when the displacing water multiple is low,and increases slowly when the displacing water multiple is high.The variation of remaining oil viscosity is related to the reservoir heterogeneity.The stronger the reservoir homogeneity,the higher the content of heavy components in the remaining oil and the higher the viscosity.The reservoir wettability changes after water injection:the oil-wet reservoir changes into water-wet reservoir,while the water-wet reservoir becomes more hydrophilic;the degree of change enhances with the increase of displacing water multiple.There is a high correlation between the time-varying oil viscosity and the time-varying wettability,and the change of oil viscosity cannot be ignored.The NMR wettability index calculated by considering the change of oil viscosity is more consistent with the tested Amott(spontaneous imbibition)wettability index,which agrees more with the time-varying law of reservoir wettability.

Malus’ Law Derived from Deterministic Particle Behavior

A polarized beam of energy is usually interpreted as a set of particles, all having the same polarization state. Difference in behavior between the one and the other particle is then explained by a number of counter-intuitive quantum mechanical concepts like probability distribution, superposition, entanglement and quantized spin. Alternatively, I propose that a polarized beam is composed of a set of particles with a cosine distribution of polarization angles within a polarization area. I show that Malus’ law for the intensity of a beam of polarized light can be derived in a straightforward manner from this distribution. I then show that none of the above-mentioned counter-intuitive concepts are necessary to explain particle behavior and that the ontology of particles, passing through a polarizer, can be easily and intuitively understood. I conclude by formulating some questions for follow-up research.

Rate Law for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Over CuO

Photocatalytic splitting of water over p-type semiconductors is a promising strategy for production of hydrogen.However,the determination of rate law is rarely reported.To this purpose,copper oxide(CuO)is selected as a model photocathode in this study,and the photogenerated surface charge density,interfacial charge transfer rate constant and their relation to the water reduction rate(in terms of photocurrent)were investigated by a combination of(photo)electrochemical techniques.The results showed that the charge transfer rate constant is exponential-dependent on the surface charge density,and that the photocurrent equals to the product of the charge transfer rate constant and surface charge density.The reaction is first-order in terms of surface charge density.Such an unconventional rate law contrasts with the reports in literature.The charge density-dependent rate constant results from the Fermi level pinning(i.e.,Galvani potential is the main driving force for the reaction)due to accumulation of charge in the surface states and/or Frumkin behavior(i.e.,chemical potential is the main driving force).This study,therefore,may be helpful for further investigation on the mechanism of hydrogen evolution over a CuO photocathode and for designing more efficient CuO-based photocatalysts.