1,720,956 research outputs found
Investigations on Stability of Polycarboxylate Superplasticizers in Alkaline Activators for Geopolymer Binders
Calcined clays are interesting starting materials to be used as SCMs (supplementary cementitious materials) in cements or to be converted to geopolymers by activation with a high alkaline activator. The adjustment of the properties in the fresh state, especially regarding the consistency of these binders, is almost exclusively achieved by the addition of water, since commercially available superplasticizers seem to be ineffective in low-calcium geopolymer systems. The aim of this study was a systematic investigation of various PCE (polycarboxylate ester/ether) superplasticizers (methacrylate ester PCE: MPEG, isoprenol ether PCE: IPEG, methallyl ether PCE: HPEG) with respect to their stability in different alkaline activators (NaOH, KOH, sodium and potassium silicate solutions). The effectiveness of superplasticizers (SPs) in low-calcium geopolymer binders was verified by rheological tests. Size exclusion chromatography was used to investigate if structural degradation of the superplasticizers occurs. The investigated PCE superplasticizers showed a thickening effect in the low-calcium geopolymer system. Depending on the alkalinity of the activator solution, a degradation process was detected for all the PCEs investigated. The side chains of the PCEs are cleaved off the backbone by basic ester and ether hydrolysis. The highest degree of degradation was found in sodium and potassium silicate solutions. In alkaline hydroxide solutions, the degradation process increases with increasing alkalinity
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
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
“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
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
Formation of Geopolymers Using Sodium Silicate Solution and Aluminum Orthophosphate
This paper reports the formation and structure of fast setting geopolymers activated by using three sodium silicate solutions with different modules (1.6, 2.0 and 2.4) and a berlinite-type aluminum orthophosphate. By varying the concentration of the aluminum orthophosphate, different Si/Al-ratios were established (6, 3 and 2). Reaction kinetics of binders were determined by isothermal calorimetric measurements at 20 °C. X-ray diffraction analysis as well as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements were performed on binders to determine differences in structure by varying the alkalinity of the sodium silicate solutions and the Si/Al-ratio. The calorimetric results indicated that the higher the alkalinity of the sodium silicate solution, the higher the solubility and degree of conversion of the aluminum orthophosphate. The results of X-ray diffraction and Rietveldt analysis, as well as the NMR measurements, confirmed the assumption of the calorimetric experiments that first the aluminum orthophosphate was dissolved and then a polycondensation to an amorphous aluminosilicate network occurred. The different amounts of amorphous phases formed as a function of the alkalinity of the sodium silicate solution, indicate that tetrahydroxoaluminate species were formed during the dissolution of the aluminum orthophosphate, which reduce the pH value. This led to no further dissolution of the aluminum orthophosphate, which remained unreacted
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
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
Effects of Bio-Based Plasticizers, Made From Starch, on the Properties of Fresh and Hardened Metakaolin-Geopolymer Mortar: Basic Investigations
Conventional superplasticizers based on polycarboxylate ether (PCE) show an intolerance to clay minerals due to intercalation of their polyethylene glycol (PEG) side chains into the interlayers of the clay mineral. An intolerance to very basic media is also known. This makes PCE an unsuitable choice as a superplasticizer for geopolymers. Bio-based superplasticizers derived from starch showed comparable effects to PCE in a cementitious system. The aim of the present study was to determine if starch superplasticizers (SSPs) could be a suitable additive for geopolymers by carrying out basic investigations with respect to slump, hardening, compressive and flexural strength, shrinkage, and porosity. Four SSPs were synthesized, differing in charge polarity and specific charge density. Two conventional PCE superplasticizers, differing in terms of molecular structure, were also included in this study. The results revealed that SSPs improved the slump of a metakaolin-based geopolymer (MK-geopolymer) mortar while the PCE investigated showed no improvement. The impact of superplasticizers on early hardening (up to 72 h) was negligible. Less linear shrinkage over the course of 56 days was seen for all samples in comparison with the reference. Compressive strengths of SSP specimens tested after 7 and 28 days of curing were comparable to the reference, while PCE led to a decline. The SSPs had a small impact on porosity with a shift to the formation of more gel pores while PCE caused an increase in porosity. Throughout this research, SSPs were identified as promising superplasticizers for MK-geopolymer mortar and concrete
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
We 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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