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In this article, we propose a reconceptualization of the principles and parameters (P&P) framework. We argue that in lieu of discrete parameter values, a parameter value exists on a gradient plane that encodes a learner's confidence that a particular parametric structure licenses the utterances in the learner's linguistic input. Crucially, this gradient parameter hypothesis obviates the need for default parameter values. Default parameter values can be put to use effectively from the perspective of linguistic learnability but are lacking in terms of empirical and theoretical consistency. We present findings from a computational implementation of a gradient P&P learner. The findings suggest that the gradient parameter hypothesis provides the basis for a viable alternative to existing computational models of language acquisition in the classic P&P paradigm. We close with a brief discussion of how a gradient parameter space offers a path to address shortcomings that have been attributed to the P&P framework.

Oilseeds are one of the most important determinants of India's agricultural economy, next only to cereals and pulses. The selfsufficiently in oilseed obtained during the early 1990s could not be sustained sufficiently. Despite, being the fourth largest oilseed crop-producing nation in the world, India is also one of the largest importers of vegetable oils. This study appraises t he relationship between price and non-price factors to understand the behaviour of major oilseeds (mustard/rapeseed and groundnut) cultivated in India from 1997-98 to 2019-2020. Supply response is the responsiveness of supply, which can be identified using production response to different determining factors. Mustard/rapeseed and groundnut are the oilseeds that are mainly produced in India. This study specifically attempted to quantify the relationship between oilseed production and different factors, such as annual rainfall, annual temperature, yield, and revenue difference for both crops. The findings suggested that yield and revenue difference of mustard with wheat are the most determining factors for mustard production, whereas annual rainfall, the temperature during the growing season, and revenue difference between groundnut with rice and soyabean are the most significant determinants of groundnut's production response. Crop equivalent productivity further validated that groundnut competed and outperformed the two promising crops (soybean and paddy). The trend analysis (1997-98 to 2019-2020) also indicated that wheat was the dominant crop over mustard from 1997-98 to 2013-14. Afterwards, i.e., from 2014-15 to 2019-20, mustard surpassed wheat productivity (on equivalent terms) and outperformed cereal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a broadband miniaturized Fabry–Perot cavity resonator antenna (CRA) made of novel electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) superstrate as partially reflecting surface (PRS) and reactive impedance surface (RIS) backed rectangular patch antenna. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the proposed EBG exhibits the highest stopband bandwidth (BW) with a bandgap existing between 7.37 and 12.4 GHz (50.9%). Frequency-selective property of the EBG is utilized under plane wave incidence to demonstrate it as PRS superstrate in CRA antenna. The cavity is excited with a rectangular microstrip antenna which is made of two dielectric substrates with an additional RIS layer sandwiched between them. The RIS provides wideband impedance matching of the primary feed antenna. A 7 × 7 array of the EBG superstrate is loaded over the patch antenna having an overall lateral dimension of only 45 × 45 mm2 or 1.62 λ 0 × 1.62 λ 0 where λ 0 is the free space wavelength at the center frequency of 10.8 GHz. The proposed Fabry–Perot CRA (FP-CRA) achieves gain enhancement of 6.59 dB as compared with the reference antenna and has a 10 dB return loss BW of 23.79% from 10.07 to 12.79 GHz. A prototype of the FP-CRA is fabricated and experimentally tested with single and dual layers of EBG superstrate. Measured results show BWs of 21.5 and 24.8% for the two cases with peak realized gain of 12.05 and 14.3 dBi, respectively. Later a four-element antenna array with corporate feeding is designed as the primary feed of the CRA. The simulation result shows a flat gain of >13 dBi with gain variation <1.2 dB over the impedance BW of 13.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioactive compounds are the group of secondary metabolites of plants that have a potent impact on antimicrobial and antibiofilm agents. Although Curcuma longa (turmeric) is well known for its antimicrobial activity, the question arises if curcumin, the primary bioactive compound is only responsible for it or the synergistic and simultaneous contribution of more than one bioactive compound are responsible for this antibiofilm efficacy. The research work aims to determine the efficacy of the extract Curcuma longa has a higher potential of antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity than the purchased curcumin and standard antibiotic. Present work was initiated with GC-MS analysis of the ethanolic extract of Curcuma longa (turmeric) and showed that in addition to curcumin, methyl palmitate de-hydro zingerone had a higher percent of availability within the extract. The in-silico studies also showed that when targeted upon Gram-positive biofilm-forming protein of Staphylococcus aureus (3TIP), curcumin alone had a binding constant value of -6.33 Kcal/mol but showed a value of -17.811 Kcal/mol when acted in association with Dehydrozingerone. Similarly, the binding constant's value changed from -6.07 Kcal/mol to - 23.844 Kcal/mol, when Gram-negative biofilm-forming protein (3ZYB) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was acted upon by curcumin only and in association with methyl palmitate, respectively. Lower minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and higher effectivity in reducing the bacterial quorum sensing (QS) activity of the turmeric extract than pure Curcumin indicated the higher antimicrobial and antibiofilm efficiency of the extract, respectively. This indicated clearly that the synergistic action of all the bioactive compounds imparts the antibiofilm activity of turmeric. The result was further confirmed by the scanning electron microscopic (SEM) studies, fluorescent microscopic studies, and FTIR analysis of EPS as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]