1,354,424 research outputs found
Improvements in electrochemical glucose biosensors
No full textDiabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world. Even
though insulin was discovered in 1920, an intense research on diabetes has been
conducted during the last five decades and this is because of the market size. The
huge demand is creating the need for the development of new approaches. This
project involved the research aimed at better understanding and improvements in
performance of glucose biosensors.
In general, high surface area electrodes are desired as the high surface area
provides more active sites for electrochemical reactions, and hence higher kinetic
rate capability. Therefore, the determination of the active electrochemical surface
area of the electrode is very important. A study has been conducted to determine the
real electrochemical surface area of the Pelikan screen printed electrodes (SPEs)
and a method has been optimised and established by Pelikan for the evaluation of
their SPEs. Another very important issue that most of the current blood glucose
monitoring tests are facing is the haematocrit effect, since the haematocrit
differences observed in the blood samples can significantly affect glucose
measurements. Therefore a study has been conducted in order to observe the
absorption of the blood samples into the working electrode paste according to the
haematocrit level.
The second part of the study included the characterisation of the novel conjugated
polymer made of N-(N, N’ diethyldicarbamoyl ethyl amido ethyl) aniline (NDDEAEA),
the optimization of the conditions for the electrochemical polymerization, their
application in grafting and finally the development of NDDEAEA based glucose
biosensor. The new conducting polymer, acted as a matrix for the biosensor
fabrication in this study, possesses macroiniferter properties and is capable of
initiation free radical initiated addition polymerisation after formation of the
polyaniline (PANI) material while preserving or even enhancing some of the PANI’s
electrochemical properties. This material can potentially be used in the construction
of novel Pelikan electrodes with enhanced integration functionalities, e.g. grafting
non adhesive polymer coatings to assure that the poor performance in sensors as a
result of impact of blood components can be mitigated.
The final study included the development and optimisation of the reaction conditions
for grafting a hyperbranched polymer onto the surface of the multi walled carbon
nanotubes (MWCNT), using the A3 and B2 approach (described below). The aim of
this work was achieving further increase in the sensitivity of Pelikan sensors
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe 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
No full text“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
No full textWe 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
Developing a multi-scale parallelised coupled system for wave-current interactions at regional scales
No full textAt coastal areas, the interplay between waves and currents is crucial. This interaction impacts many phenomena and applications, highlighting the necessity for accuracy and speed
in the numerical representation of Wave-Current Interactions (WCI). These applications
encompass a wide spectrum, including coastal morphology, sediment transport, offshore
structure scouring, pollutant mixing, infrastructure design, marine energy projects, and
storm surges. The complexity in representing WCI stems from incorporating multi-scale
processes with diverse temporal and spatial scales. For example, wind wave periods range
from seconds to hours, while the wavelengths span from centimetres to kilometres. In
contrast, tides showcase much larger scales with periods in the order of hours and wave-lengths in the order of thousands of kilometres. Practically, reconciling all these processes
and scales within a single model is improbable, leading to the need for coupled systems
to address this challenge.
This study presents the development of a Python-interfaced multi-scale parallelised coupled modelling system for WCI. It is formed by coupling the spectral wave model Simulat ing WAves Nearshore (SWAN) with the 2-D shallow-water equation hydrodynamics model
Thetis. The coupling is facilitated by the Basic Model Interface (BMI), a lightweight
generic coupling interface. The impact of waves on current is introduced via the radiation
stress formulation, accompanied by the integration of wave-roller effects. Two coupling
options are offered: online and offline. The online choice supports both one-way and
two-way coupling, while the offline alternative is focused on one-way coupling.
Considering that only few existing WCI models report on validation in controlled environments, a suite of benchmarking scenarios is established consisting of analytical and
experimental scenarios in quasi 1-D and 2-D configurations. In these cases, sensitivity
analyses are performed spanning various parameters in both models. The results underscore the importance of customising each coupled configuration when WCI are prominent,
rather than solely relying on recommended or “default” values. Calibrated results align
well with the data and often showcase the same level of accuracy as other 3-D WCI. This
efficiency means less computational cost, as the developed model converges faster and
requires less CPU time compared to alternative options.
A month-long numerical representation of the field configuration located in Duck, North
Carolina, investigates the coupled system’s performance under moderate wind conditions.
This scenario serves to assess the influence of various coupling approaches on its predictions. Since this area is primarily influenced by waves and features low current speeds, the
coupling modes have minor impact on wave predictions. However, with coupling modes
transitioning from no to two-way coupling, the hydrodynamics predictions exhibit substantial improvement in regions where WCI are evident. The improved accuracy does not
encompass areas characterised by rip currents or other processes that require a vertical
discretisation for their hydrodynamics. Discrepancies between online and offline one-way
coupling configurations are evident, with the most pronounced differences observed in the
SWAN-to-Thetis coupling. They can be attributed to different interpolation methodologies.
Ultimately, the WCI system is applied in a regional configuration within the Orkney
archipelagos, UK. Specifically, the model simulates the waters of Westray Firth, a region
known for its energetic tidal conditions, to assess its capacity for effectively depicting
WCI phenomena in regional scales. Our predictions correlate well with the observations,
accurately mirroring the sinusoidal pattern of the measured wave parameters, usually
attributed to tidal effects. Furthermore, our model showcases similar precision to a 3-D
WCI coupled system implemented in the same region at lower computational cost.
The coupled system developed during this thesis presents an efficient tool for incorporating WCI phenomena across various scales, exhibiting performance comparable to its 3-D
counterparts. Its efficiency is highlighted by: (a) minimising computational resource usage, as evidenced by a 38% reduction in the number of cores employed during the Westray
Firth application; (b) reducing elapsed real times; and (c) accelerating convergence, such
as achieving convergence 1.4 to 18 times faster in benchmarking scenarios. It provides
a crucial foundation for researchers and stakeholders that seek to adopt a precise and
efficient solution, independent of the 3-D nature of WCI. This unlocks new opportunities for its versatile employment in a range of applications spanning from initial research
and decision-making stages to optimisation studies and to the development of forecasting
systems
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe 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
Author, publisher and bookseller : a tripartite synergy in Nigerian book industry
No full textThis work is about the roles of Author, Publisher and Bookseller in Book development in
Nigeria. The paper started by delving into the history of Book Publishing in Nigeria after
which it proceeded by defining who an author, a publisher, and a bookseller is and
expatiated on the indispensable roles of these key actors in Nigerian Book Industry and in
the emerging Information Society. Furthermore, the various constraints to book
development were identified while the paper advised on how the Book Industry can be
further promoted in Nigeria. However, the paper concluded and made recommendations
on how the Book sector can help in enhancing scholarship in the country
The Thursday Murder Club: Launching a megabrand author - a publishing case study
No full textIn 2020, the Christmas book charts in the UK made headlines: Barack Obama’s eagerly awaited autobiography, The Promised Land, was beaten to the top spot by The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, a debut cosy crime novel set in a retirement village. Not only did Osman’s book beat the former US president’s expected bestseller, it also broke records, becoming the fastest-selling debut crime novel of all time. Although Osman has a certain level of fame in the UK from his TV appearances on shows such as Pointless, his celebrity status does not entirely explain the novel’s huge sales. This article tracks the acquisition, publication, and promotion journey of The Thursday Murder Club in order to understand the industry and cultural context of its success and to interrogate the role of celebrity in the creation of author brands. The findings suggest that the unexpected scale of the success of the book owed to a number of factors, including in-depth editing by the novel’s agent, editor, and author to tighten up the plot, an extensive and strategic promotional campaign, the pandemic (which drove interest in the book’s genre and themes), and the quality of the writing. We find that the book’s success was accentuated by Osman’s celebrity status rather than being entirely reliant on it. This research adds to the growing scholarship on celebrity authorship by means of an in-depth case study and provides insight into the processes behind publishing a ‘celebrity’ book and launching a megabrand author
Author Under Sail The Imagination of Jack London, 1893-1902
No full textIn Author Under Sail, Jay Williams offers the first complete literary biography of Jack London as a professional writer engaged in the labor of writing. It examines the authorial imagination in London's work, the use of imagination in both his fiction and nonfiction, and the ways he defined imagination in the creative process in his business dealings with his publishers, editors, and agents. In this first volume of a two-volume biography, Williams traverses the years 1893 to 1902, from London's "Story of a Typhoon" to The People of the Abyss. The Jack London who emerges in the pages of Author Under Sail is a writer whose partnership with publishers, most notably his productive alliance with George Brett of Macmillan, was one of the most formative in American literary history. London pioneered many author models during the heyday of realism and naturalism, blurring the boundaries of these popular genres by focusing on absorption and theatricality and the representation of the seen and unseen. London created an impassioned, sincere, and extremely personal realism unlike that of other American writers of the time. Author Under Sail is a literary tour de force that reveals the full range of London as writer, creative citizen, and entrepreneur at the same time it sheds light on the maverick side of machine-age literature.Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Spirit Truth -- 2. From Absorption to Theatricality and Back Again -- 3. "I Will Build a New Present" -- 4. Sons as Authors -- 5. Fathers as Publishers -- 6. The Daughter as Author -- 7. Lovers as Authors -- 8. At Sea with the Family -- 9. Yellow News, Yellow Stories -- 10. The Return Home -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- About Jay WilliamsIn Author Under Sail, Jay Williams offers the first complete literary biography of Jack London as a professional writer engaged in the labor of writing. It examines the authorial imagination in London's work, the use of imagination in both his fiction and nonfiction, and the ways he defined imagination in the creative process in his business dealings with his publishers, editors, and agents. In this first volume of a two-volume biography, Williams traverses the years 1893 to 1902, from London's "Story of a Typhoon" to The People of the Abyss. The Jack London who emerges in the pages of Author Under Sail is a writer whose partnership with publishers, most notably his productive alliance with George Brett of Macmillan, was one of the most formative in American literary history. London pioneered many author models during the heyday of realism and naturalism, blurring the boundaries of these popular genres by focusing on absorption and theatricality and the representation of the seen and unseen. London created an impassioned, sincere, and extremely personal realism unlike that of other American writers of the time. Author Under Sail is a literary tour de force that reveals the full range of London as writer, creative citizen, and entrepreneur at the same time it sheds light on the maverick side of machine-age literature.Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries
The vanishing author in computer-generated works: a critical analysis of recent Australian case law
No full textAbstract
The use of software is ubiquitous in the creation of many copyright works, yet the requirement in copyright law that every work have a human author who engages in independent intellectual effort means that its use may prevent copyright subsistence. Several recent Australian cases have refocused attention on authorship as an essential criterion of copyright subsistence, and these cases suggest that much computer-produced output may be authorless and thus lack copyright protection. This article, the first in a two-part series, analyses how each case deals with the question of authorship of computer-produced works and why the use of software diminishes copyright protection for a significant number of computer-generated works. The article critiques the application of conventional notions of human authorship developed in the pre-computer age to modern productions and suggests alternative approaches to authorship that satisfy both the major objectives of copyright policy and the need to adapt to the computer age. The article argues that, without a broader judicial approach to authorship of computer-generated works, Parliament must remedy the lacuna in protection for these ‘authorless’ works. Possible solutions for reform are suggested. In a forthcoming article, the author comprehensively examines those reform proposals
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