TY - JOUR A1 - Diachkova, Yana A1 - Nikolaeva, Sofiya A1 - Guertler, Katherine T1 - Communication in International Humanitarian Relief: Profiling Ukrainian Boundary Spanners JF - Journal of Intercultural Communication N2 - Boundary spanning—the actions and roles individuals or organizations undertake to bridge differences and facilitate communication, collaboration, and understanding across diverse cultural, organizational, or geographical divisions—is an essential element of international cooperation. Set against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war, The purpose of this study is to explore the type of boundary spanning in this uncertain context, the linguistic characteristics of boundary spanners, the necessary skills and competencies required to navigate the complex socio-political landscape, and the role of boundary spanners in humanitarian assistance. This study employs a qualitative research approach, using semi-structured interviews with informants actively engaged in relief efforts and cross-cultural collaboration. The findings emphasized the significance of English as the primary language of communication, the importance of cultural sensitivity and awareness, and the need for intercultural competence in effective boundary spanning. The study concludes with insights from the ongoing Ukrainian experience of bridging geodemographic boundaries and the role of boundary spanners in this process, highlighting key aspects of boundary spanning. Overall, the study contributes to the theoretical background of boundary spanning and enhances the understanding of how linguistic and cultural boundary spanning can drive positive change and improve outcomes in humanitarian aid. The implications of this study suggest that underscore the critical need for collaboration with experienced boundary spanners in educational settings. Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v25i1.1019 SN - 1404-1634 N1 - Corresponding author der Partnerhochschule aus Kiew: Yana Diachkova VL - 25 IS - 1 SP - 98 EP - 106 PB - ICR Publications ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eiler, Julian A1 - Weber, Stefan A1 - Gerlesberger, Peter A1 - Plöchinger, Heinz A1 - Schreiner, Rupert T1 - Active heat-loss compensated miniaturized pirani sensor chip JF - IEEE Sensors Letters N2 - Due to the limited measuring range of commercial Pirani sensors in lower pressure regimes, attempts are being made to extend the measuring range of the sensors. Our approach to extend the measuring range toward lower pressures is a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) Pirani sensor with active heat compensation on the suspensions. The sensor element has the shape of a microhotplate and consists of a nickel heating meander embedded in two silicon nitride layers. The whole structure is built on a silicon wafer. The sensor element is suspended on all four corners of the substrate. On each of the suspensions, there is an additional heating structure that minimizes the heat flux from the hot sensor element toward the substrate. The sensor is driven at a constant temperature through a self-balancing Wheatstone bridge. A constant voltage is applied to the heating structures on the suspensions. It has been demonstrated that with these additional heaters, the sensitivity of the sensor can be increased in the high-vacuum regime. This enables reliable vacuum measurements down to 10−6 mbar. KW - Temperature measurement KW - Heating systems KW - Temperature sensors KW - Sensitivity KW - Pressure measurement KW - Voltage measurement KW - Heat sinks KW - Semiconductor device measurement KW - Noise measurement KW - Bridge circuits Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/LSENS.2025.3605747 SN - 2475-1472 VL - 9 IS - 10 PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pierobon, Chiara A1 - Sharshenova, Aijan T1 - German and Russian Public Diplomacy Efforts in Kyrgyzstan: A Comparative Study of Norm Entrepreneurship JF - Europe-Asia Studies N2 - This article explores Russian and German public diplomacy efforts in Central Asia through the example of Kyrgyzstan. Due to a difficult economic and socio-political situation, Kyrgyzstan remains open to externally funded programmes and projects, including initiatives funded by foreign governments, and thus offers a unique environment for the study of public diplomacy. The article looks at transnational public diplomacy actors such as German political foundations and Russian-sponsored organisations active in the country. Overall, the article offers interesting insights into the nature and substance of the soft power policies pursued by Germany and Russia that are relevant for Kyrgyzstan and beyond. Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-87380 VL - 75 IS - 8 SP - 1384 EP - 1407 PB - Taylor & Francis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pierobon, Chiara T1 - European Union, civil society and local ownership in Kyrgyzstan: analysing patterns of adaptation, reinterpretation and contestation in the prevention of violent extremism (PVE) JF - Central Asian Survey N2 - In the last decade, a growing body of literature has investigated the promotion of good governance, rule of law, democracy and human rights in Central Asia through funding from the European Union (EU). Most of this research has taken an EU-centric approach and is concerned with the supply side of external democratization. As a result, little is known about how EU projects are implemented on the ground and what EU-funded civil society organizations consider to be their priorities. This article investigates the agency of such organizations in Kyrgyzstan by focusing on their contribution to one particular EU instrument: the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP), and its programme: Strengthening Resilience to Violence and Extremism (STRIVE). The findings offer new insights into the processes of adaptation, reinterpretation and contestation through which EU-funded organizations exercise ownership while engaging in the prevention of violent extremism (PVE). Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-87378 VL - 41 IS - 4 SP - 752 EP - 769 PB - Taylor & Francis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pierobon, Chiara T1 - EU’s support to civil society in Kazakhstan: A pilot evaluation of the social capital generated JF - Evaluation N2 - In the last decade, several studies have been devoted to the analysis of the EU’s support to civil society abroad, but only recently has scholarly attention turned to Central Asia. Most of the research in this field has adopted a macro-level perspective, concerned with the supply side of external democratization, and has examined external assistance to civil society in terms of democratization ideal types and typologies. The main contribution of this study consists of a meso-level analysis of the outcomes of the EU’s support to civil society in terms of production of social capital, conceived as the raw material of civil society itself. More precisely, the article evaluates the first wave of grants awarded to civil society organizations in Kazakhstan as part of two EU funding schemes—the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights and the Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development. The article sheds new light on the use of social capital and its two dimensions-structural and cognitive-as heuristic tools for evaluating civil society support programs. Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-87394 VL - 25 IS - 2 SP - 207 EP - 223 PB - Sage ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wolfgramm, Alex A1 - Abb, Valerius A1 - Samp, Artur A1 - Samp, Rafal A1 - Hoffmann, Jens Christoph A1 - Müller, Rainer A1 - Kammler, Martin T1 - Structural and functional evolution of HKUST-1 nanoparticles induced by ball milling JF - Next Materials N2 - In this study, the effect of post-synthetic ball milling on the structural and functional properties of as-synthesized nanoparticles of the copper-based metal-organic framework (MOF) HKUST-1 was investigated for the first time. Nanoparticles were synthesized using sodium formate as a capping agent. The crystalline particles were subjected to a controlled ball milling process, which induced significant structural changes. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) revealed a reduction in crystallite size from 91 nm to 21 nm and the introduction of microstrain, partially disrupting the MOF's long-range crystalline order, as evidenced by peak broadening and the diminished intensity of high-angle reflections. Particle morphology pre- and post-milling was further studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging, verifying a narrow particle size distribution of ± 22 nm after milling. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated protonation of carboxylate groups in the larger pores of the framework, likely due to moisture incorporation during milling. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis showed a substantial decrease in specific surface area from 521 m²/g to 226 m²/g, suggesting a partial collapse of the porous framework. We discuss the applicability of ball milling as a versatile means of post-synthetic approach to reduce MOF particle sizes, a key element in the preparation of MOF-based thin films using inks or polymers. KW - Ball milling KW - Copper-based metal-organic framework KW - HKUST-1 KW - Nitrogen adsorption Y1 - 2026 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nxmate.2025.101544 N1 - Corresponding author der OTH Regensburg: Alex Wolfgramm VL - 10 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Buchner, Philipp A1 - Hausladen, Matthias A1 - Bartl, Mathias A1 - Bachmann, Michael A1 - Schreiner, Rupert T1 - High current field emission from Si nanowires on pillar structures JF - Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B: Nanotechnology and Microelectronics N2 - We investigate the influence of the geometry and doping level on the performance of n-type silicon nanowire field emitters on silicon pillar structures. Therefore, multiple cathodes with 50 by 50 pillar arrays (diameter: 5 μm, height: 30 μm, spacing: 50 μm) were fabricated and measured in diode configuration. In the first experiment, we compared two geometry types using the same material. Geometry 1 is black silicon, which is a highly dense surface covering a forest of tightly spaced silicon needles resulting from self-masking during a plasma etching process of single crystal silicon. Geometry 2 are silicon nanowires, which are individual spaced-out nanowires in a crownlike shape resulting from a plasma etching process of single crystal silicon. In the second experiment, we compared two different silicon doping levels [n-type (P), 1–10 and <0.005 Ω cm] for the same geometry. The best performance was achieved with lower doped silicon nanowire samples, emitting 2 mA at an extraction voltage of 1 kV. The geometry/material combination with the best performance was used to assemble an integrated electron source. These electron sources were measured in a triode configuration and reached onset voltages of about 125 V and emission currents of 2.5 mA at extraction voltages of 400 V, while achieving electron transmission rates as high as 85.0%. KW - Doping KW - Electron sources KW - Nanowires KW - Plasma processing KW - Field emitter arrays KW - Triodes KW - Semiconductors Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0003384 SN - 2166-2754 VL - 42 IS - 2 PB - AIP ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tan, Jing Jie A1 - Schreiner, Rupert A1 - Hausladen, Matthias A1 - Asgharzade, Ali A1 - Edler, Simon A1 - Bartsch, Julian A1 - Bachmann, Michael A1 - Schels, Andreas A1 - Kwan, Ban-Hoe A1 - Ng, Danny Wee-Kiat A1 - Hum, Yan-Chai T1 - SiMiC: Context-aware silicon microstructure characterization using attention-based convolutional neural networks for field-emission tip analysis JF - Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B N2 - Accurate characterization of silicon microstructures is essential for advancing microscale fabrication, quality control, and device performance. Traditional analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) often requires labor-intensive, manual evaluation of feature geometry, limiting throughput and reproducibility. In this study, we propose SiMiC: Context-aware Silicon Microstructure Characterization Using Attention-based Convolutional Neural Networks for Field-Emission Tip Analysis. By leveraging deep learning, our approach efficiently extracts morphological features—such as size, shape, and apex curvature—from SEM images, significantly reducing human intervention while improving measurement consistency. A specialized dataset of silicon-based field-emitter tips was developed, and a customized convolutional neural network architecture incorporating attention mechanisms was trained for multiclass microstructure classification and dimensional prediction. Comparative analysis with classical image processing techniques demonstrates that SiMiC achieves high accuracy while maintaining interpretability. The proposed framework establishes a foundation for data-driven microstructure analysis directly linked to field-emission performance, opening avenues for correlating emitter geometry with emission behavior and guiding the design of optimized cold-cathode and SEM electron sources. The related dataset and algorithm repository that could serve as a baseline in this area can be found at https://research.jingjietan.com/?q=SIMIC. KW - Field emitter arrays KW - Quality assurance KW - Convolutional neural network KW - Deep learning KW - Image processing KW - Machine learning KW - Cold cathodes KW - Scanning electron microscopy KW - Electron sources KW - Chemical elements Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0005068 VL - 43 IS - 6 PB - AVS ER -