1,720,959 research outputs found
Modelling solubility in semi-crystalline polymers: a critical comparative review
No full textThe prediction of gases and vapors solubility isotherms in semi-crystalline polymers is still an unsolved problem of great technological relevance. This work provides an overview of the existing models developed for the assessment of solubility in semi-crystalline materials and presents a comparative discussion of their strengths and limitations. Experimental evidence suggests that the presence of impermeable crystalline domains is responsible for a reduced sorption capacity of the amorphous network compared to the unconstrained amorphous state. Three different modeling categories are distinguished. A set of models ascribes the reduced sorption capacity exhibited by the amorphous phase to an increased density state induced by the confinement provided by the crystals, which is represented with the application of a hydrostatic constraint pressure term. Using a different perspective, other modeling strategies assume the fraction of elastically effective chains, or ‘tie-chains’ linking crystal domains, to be responsible for increased activity of the penetrating molecules in the matrix and consequently for their lower solubility. Finally, the last category of models proposes the application of the Non-Equilibrium Lattice Fluid theory to the amorphous phase, which is regarded as in a pseudo glassy state, due to the presence of the surrounding crystallites, which are responsible for a hindered structure mobility. The theoretical foundations of the listed approaches are presented, and the relative results are collected and discussed. In conclusion, some prospective work guidelines for modeling strategies improvement are provided
Molecular Simulations of Hydrogen Sorption in Semicrystalline High-Density Polyethylene: The Impact of the Surface Fraction of Tie-Chains
Full text linkThe modeling of the barrier properties of semicrystalline polymers has gained interest following the possible application of such materials as protective liners for the safe supply of pressurized hydrogen. The mass transport in such systems is intimately related to the complex intercalation between the crystal and amorphous phases, which was approached in this work through an all-atom representation of high-density polyethylene structures with a tailored fraction of amorphous-crystalline connections (tie-chains). Simulations of the polymer pressure-volume-temperature data and hydrogen sorption were performed by means of molecular dynamics and the Widom test particle insertion method. The discretization of the simulation domains of the semicrystalline structures allowed us to obtain profiles of density, degree of order, and gas solubility. The results indicated that the gas sorption in the crystalline regions is negligible and that the confinement of the amorphous phase between crystals induces a significant increase in density and a drop in the sorption capacity, even in the absence of tie-chains. Adding ties between the crystal and the amorphous phase results in further densification, an increase of the lamella tilt angle, and a decrease in the degree of crystallinity and hydrogen sorption coefficient, in agreement with several literature references
CO2 monitoring in non-invasive ventilation (NIV) helmets: A bench study assessment of sensor integration
Full text linkNoninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a well-established technique for managing acute respiratory failure in various clinical settings. However, safety concerns in clinical NIV applications emerge due to the absence of robust monitoring and alarm systems, potentially leading to issues such as CO2 rebreathing during flow-block events. This work aims to enhance the safety and monitoring of NIV systems by studying the integration of two types of carbon dioxide (CO2) sensors within NIV helmets. The investigation encompasses two main analyses. The first analysis explores the impact of varying the fresh inlet gas flow rate on local CO2 concentrations within the helmet. The second analysis investigates the response of CO2 sensors during simulated flow-block events, a critical safety concern in NIV therapy. In both analyses the effect of the sensor positioning is also investigated. Results demonstrate that higher fresh gas flow rates enhance CO2 washout within the helmet, highlighting the importance of optimizing gas flow rates to mitigate CO2 rebreathing. The positioning of CO2 sensors within the helmet was also found to significantly influence measurements by affecting signal stability and response to flow-block events. Overall, this study demonstrated the potential of integrating CO2 sensors within NIV helmets to enhance patient safety and treatment effectiveness. The knowledge gained from this study can be used to guide the design and optimization of NIV systems
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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