1,721,048 research outputs found

    CLOSED-FORM EXPRESSION FOR THE POTENTIAL WITHIN A FACE-CENTRED CUBIC IONIC CRYSTAL

    No full text
    In this work we deal with the electrostatic potential generated by a periodical system of charges in the space. Specifically, we consider a three-dimensional mesh having cubic cells, whose nodes are occupied by point charges +Q or- Q; so that each positive (negative) charge is surrounded by six negative (positive) charges at distances d: This system clearly models a face centred cubic (FCC) ionic crystal that we further assume to extend to infinity in every direction. Considering ions as point particles subject only to coulombic interactions, the potential here concerned can be expressed by means of an alternating series that exhibits a very slowconvergence, giving rise to computational difficulties. In the following we illustrate an alternative formula for the potential, consisting in a closedform expression involving the elliptic Jacobi Theta functions. Such formula provides either an immediate interpretation from an analytical point of view, and a fast converging procedure for numerical purposes. Finally, we illustrate an application of our methodology concerning the calculus of the Madelung constant in the case of an ideal FCC ionic crystal. Numerical accuracy and computational costs are comparable with those of the most rapidly converging formulas previously known

    Mean activity coefficient of electrolyte solutions

    No full text
    In this paper, we deal with the mean activity coefficient, of electrolyte solutions. The case mean activity cofficient <= 1 is investigated. As generally recognized, the most accepted models (specific ion interaction/Pitzer theory) have the disadvantage of the dependence on semiempirical parameters. These are not directly accessible from experimental measurements, but can only be estimated by means of best-fitting numerical techniques from experimental data. In the general context of research devoted to the achievement of some reduction of complexity, we propose a model of electrolyte solution that allows us to calculate the mean activity coefficient without using fitting parameters where the (upper) concentration exists at which the electrolyte solution exhibits a mean activity coefficient = 1 (molality scale). In the remaining cases, we show that a unique parameter is required, that is, the concentration that should ideally give a mean activity coefficient =1 for the electrolyte. Compared to other models that do not require adjustable parameters, the present one is generally applicable over a wider range of concentrations; moreover, it does not impose any restriction on the ion-size variations. Our model follows a pseudolattice approach, starting from the primitive idea of a disordered lattice of solute ions within a continuous solvent at extremely dilute solutions and coming to a disordered lattice of local arrangements of both solute ions and solvent dipoles at higher concentrations. Compared to other theories based on lattice models, this work stresses the role of statistical deviations from any time-averaged (lattice) configuration. All formulas in this paper are applied for 1:1, 2:2, 1:2, and 2:1 aqueous electrolytes at 25 °C

    Effects of time-variant extremely-low-frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) on cholinesterase activity in Dictyostelium discoideum

    No full text
    Recently, we detected propionylcholinesterase (PrChE) activity in single-cell amoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum using cytochemical, electrophoretic, and spectrophotometric methods. The involvement of this enzyme activity in cell-cell and cell-environment interactions was suggested. In this work, we found that exposure of single-cell amoebae to an extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) of 300 μT, 50 Hz, from 1 h up to 48 h at 21 ± 1 °C affected PrChE activity

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

    Full text link
    The 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 link
    We 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 link
    We 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
    corecore