Bulk sensitive spectroscopies were performed for mixed valent compounds EuNi 2 (Si 1Àx Ge x ) 2 as a function of x, and Eu-sesquioxide (Eu 2 O 3 ), using techniques of high-resolution partial-fluorescence yield (PFY) and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) at the Eu L 3 absorption edge. The evolution of mean-valency as a function of chemical composition x in EuNi 2 (Si 1Àx Ge x ) 2 shows a drastic change between x ¼ 0:5 and 0.7. The experimental results also show a small amount of mixed valency for the end members, i.e., x ¼ 1 and 0 samples are also mixed valent. Single-impurity Anderson model calculations show good agreement with the PFY and RIXS experimental results, and thus provide a consistent set of electronic structure parameters. The composition controlled drastic change in meanvalence between x ¼ 0:5 and 0.7 is derived from a large hybridization change, consistent with the Kondo volume collapse picture.

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The Russian language in the first semester of the 2022 academic year in Japan This article analyzes the results of a survey carried out among Japanese students who start and continue to learn Russian alongside their majors at the Kyoto University. Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine which started on February 24th, 2022, Russian as a foreign language has been experiencing new challenges. In Japan, the academic year begins in April. Thus, the first semester (April through July) shows in the real time what the students think of learning the Russian language. Some students explain their choice of Russian with a great degree of attention paid to Russia in the media. Most students agree that learning a language broadens their worldview. Compared with the beginning of the semester, more students state their concerns regarding the stigmatization of the Russian language and its learners themselves. For Russian language teachers, revisiting the philosophy of their work is a vital task to reduce the students’ anxiety.