Modelling dielectric and magnetic properties of ferroconcrete

This contribution discusses the modelling and parameterization of dielectric and magnetic properties of ferroconcrete by using numerical electromagnetic field analysis software. The software is based on the Method of Moments (MoM). The shielding effectiveness (SE) of the ferroconcrete DUT was already measured in a study by order of the government. According to these results, the ferroconcrete DUT is modelled and calculated. Therefore the DUT is subdivided into two parts. The first part represents the reinforcement mesh; the second part represents the lossy concrete with complex permittivity. Afterwards, the reflection and transmission properties of numerical analysed building materials are validated and compared with the measurement results in a frequency range of 30-1000 MHz

Shielding effectiveness of original and modified building materials

This contribution deals with the determination of the shielding effectiveness of building materials used for office, factory and government buildings. Besides the examination of standard materials, measurements were also performed on modified materials, e.g. ferro concrete with enhanced shielding effectiveness due to a changed mixture or structure of the reinforcement. The measurements of original and modified materials were carried out in a fully anechoic room (FAR) according to IEEE 299-1997 from 80 MHz up to 10 GHz

A Flow-Oriented Process Model of Social Media Services Use

While social media has been a popular subject to extant research, we know little about the conditions and the flows of action of social media use, including staying, discontinuance, and switching behavior. This makes it difficult to understand platform choices and usage patterns of social media services. Based on a flow-oriented theoretical approach, we conduct an exploratory multiple case study of five popular social media services. We conceptualize a multidimensional perspective of social media use behavior. We identify four flows of action – “adjusting”, “coextending”, “fading out”, and “intensifying” – and develop a flow-oriented process model of social media service use. Our results help to understand the wide spectrum of use behavior and motives in social media services and provide new avenues to future research. Furthermore, we provide platform providers with insights to better understand the dynamics of social media services

The rise of (Chiral) 3D mechanical metamaterials

On the occasion of this special issue, we start by briefly outlining some of the history and future perspectives of the field of 3D metamaterials in general and 3D mechanical metamaterials in particular. Next, in the spirit of a specific example, we present our original numerical as well as experimental results on the phenomenon of acoustical activity, the mechanical counterpart of optical activity. We consider a three-dimensional chiral cubic mechanical metamaterial architecture that is different from the one that we have investigated in recent early experiments. We find even larger linear-polarization rotation angles per metamaterial crystal lattice constant than previously and a slower decrease of the effects towards the bulk lim

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW: AN UPDATE ON MODELING AND DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR AGRICULTURAL DOSE-RESPONSE EXPERIMENTS

Research investigating dose-response relationships is common in agricultural science. This paper is an expansion on previous work by Guo, et al. (2006) motivated by plant nutrition research in horticulture. Plant response to level of nutrient applied is typically sigmoidal, i.e. no response at very low levels, observable response at mid-levels, point-of-diminishing returns and plateau at high levels. Plant scientists need accurate estimates of these response relationships for many reasons, including determining the lower threshold below which plants show deficiency symptoms and the point of diminishing returns, above which excessive doses are economically and environmentally costly. Guo et al. presented models and designs that address these requirements and a simulation study to assess and compare the small-sample behavior of these models and designs. This paper expands on that simulation study. In addition, a simulation study based procedure for exploring designs for experimental scenarios fitting this description is presented. This simulation study approach utilizes simulation based fit statistics in conjunction with various lack-of-fit plots to produce a design robust to multiple candidate models

A modified delphi involving laboratory faculty to define essential skills for pharmacy graduates

Objective. To define essential skills for Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) graduates that are needed in the four most common sectors of pharmacy practice as determined by expert faculty who instruct within pharmacy skills laboratories. Methods. A three-round Delphi method was used to establish consensus. In the first round, participants were asked what skills were needed by students at entry to practice in community, health-system, ambulatory care, and managed care pharmacy settings. In rounds two and three, participants were asked to rate each skill with a level of importance using a 10-point Likert scale (1=not important to 10=very important). Results. In round one, participants produced a collective list of 289 essential skills. These skill state-ments were sent to participants in rounds two and three to assign a level of importance. After the third round, participants reached consensus using a mean level of importance for a final list of 69 community pharmacy skills, 47 health-system, 60 ambulatory care, and 15 managed care skills. These skills were then mapped to entrustable professional activities domains for schools and colleges pharmacy to use as a resource when assessing core competency development in the curriculum. Conclusion. The Delphi technique was used successfully with expert pharmacy skills laboratory faculty to identify laboratory-focused essential skills that recent PharmD graduates should have prior to entering community, health-system, ambulatory care, or managed care pharmacy practice. These essential skills can be used to guide curriculum development, develop milestone markers, and help ensure students are practice ready

Global Tellurium Supply Potential from Electrolytic Copper Refining

The transition towards renewable energy requires increasing quantities of nonfuel mineral commodities, including tellurium used in certain photovoltaics. While demand for tellurium may increase markedly, the potential to increase tellurium supply is not well-understood. In this analysis, we estimate the quantity of tellurium contained in anode slimes generated by electrolytic copper refining by country between 1986 and 2018, including uncertainties. For 2018, the results indicate that 1930 (1500-2700, 95% confidence interval) metric tons of tellurium were contained in anode slimes globally. This is nearly quadruple the reported tellurium production for that year. China has the greatest potential to increase tellurium supplies. However, most of the tellurium potentially recoverable by Chinese refineries appears to come from copper mined elsewhere. Further research into the business decisions associated with tellurium recovery may help translate the physical availability of tellurium into economic availability. The methodology presented here can be applied to other byproduct elements