Ocena indywidualnych naukowców i zespołów naukowych

The value and quality of original scientific research cannot be described in well defined quantitative terms. Therefore, evaluation of scientific achievements, research projects, must be qualitative and subjective. This does not exclude efforts to make evaluation more objective and reliable. Two basic tools can be used for this purpose: peer review and analysis of qualitative indices of achievement and scientific reputation. Number of publications (of various types), courses and lectures, papers presented in scientific meetings, form a quantitative pattern of activity and achievements. The indices of reputation include, int. al., the number of citations, scientific awards, membership in prestigious societies and scientific committees. All factors should be taken into account in the evaluation process but do not automatically imply the result. Requirements for people participating in the evaluation process and decision making, and their mutual relations are discussed. Evaluation resembles a non-contradictory court procedure and the roles of judges, witnesses, defendants must be clearly defined and separated.Wartości oryginalnej, twórczej pracy naukowej nie da się opisać w kategoriach ścisłych i ilościowych wskaźników. Dlatego wszelkie oceny muszą mieć charakter subiektywny i jakościowy. Nie wyklucza to jednak dążenia do uczynienia ocen bardziej obiektywnymi i wiarygodnymi. Służą do tego celu dwa podstawowe narzędzia: opinie specjalistów (peer reviews) oraz analiza wskaźników ilościowych charakteryzujących osiągnięcia i reputację ocenianego naukowca (zespołu). Wskaźnikami osiągnięć są m.in. liczba publikacji (różnego rodzaju), wykłady i seminaria, liczba wypromowanych doktorów. Reputację charakteryzują cytowania w literaturze naukowej, nagrody naukowe, uczestnictwo we władzach towarzystw naukowych, komitetach itp. Wszystkie wskaźniki składające się na obraz dorobku i reputacji powinny być uwzględniane w procesie oceniania, lecz nie przesądzają automatycznie wyniku oceny. Autor rozważa wymagania, jakie należy stawiać uczestnikom procesu oceniania i podejmowania decyzji, a także ich wzajemnym stosunkom. Ocenianie przypomina bowiem niesporny proces sądowy, w którym role sędziów, świadków i podsądnych muszą być dobrze określone oraz rozdzielone

Komunikacja globalna w czasach internetu - dostosowanie (do) języków narodowych

Global communication (via e-mail and Internet requires new tools for transmission and analysis of multilingual texts and databases. The new system of coding Unicode makes possible transmission of information in any writing system including all alphabets and main ideograms, without the necessity of transcription or transliteration. A problem is ordering of words and data, indispensable for efficient use of databases, catalogues and indexes. The principles of ordering in different languages (also languages using Roman alphabet) are mutually incompatible and ordering of multilingual sets requires a compromising, unified system. Consequences of the introduction of such a simplified system proposed by international standard ISO 12199 is analysed and discussed.Komunikacja globalna (internet, poczta elektroniczna) wymaga rozwoju narzędzi umożliwiających zapisanie i przesyłanie informacji w rozmaitych językach. Nowy system kodowania pisma Unicode pozwala na przekazywanie informacji zapisanych dowolnym alfabetem bądź systemem ideogramów bez konieczności transkrypcji lub transliteracji. Trudności sprawia natomiast, niezbędne do efektywnego korzystania z baz danych, porządkowanie wyrazów i danych. Zasady porządkowania w różnych językach (nawet w językach posługujących się alfabetem łacińskim) są sprzeczne i porządkowanie zbiorów wielojęzycznych wymaga przyjęcia jednolitych (kompromisowych) zasad. W artykule przedyskutowano konsekwencje wprowadzenia międzynarodowej normy ISO 12199 dla różnych języków europejskich

Fermion Masses and Mixings in a String-Inspired Model

We study quark and lepton mass matrix textures in a model containing an additional $U(1)_X$ gauge symmetry with origins in string compactification. The $U(1)_X$ symmetry is broken near the string scale, and we assume that the anomalies are canceled by the Green-Schwarz mechanism. We also assume that fermion mass matrices are generated by an additional scalar field through an approach analogous to that of Froggatt and Nielsen. By requiring that supersymmetry not be broken at the high scale, we can derive the vacuum expectation value of this scalar field to then predict fermion masses and mixings for any given $X$ charge assignment. We examine the possible solutions, and although in the simplest model they do not completely agree with experiment, the results are close enough to merit further inspection.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figure included in text, plain LaTeX. Minor corrections, two references adde

The role of flow-induced crystallisation in melt spinning

Abstract Flow-induced crystallisation in the course of melt spinning changes properties of as-spun fibres and modifies dynamics of the process. Velocity, stress and temperature profiles depend on the speed of on-line crystallisation. Very important but little studied is coupling between crystallinity and rheological properties of the polymer melt. Effects of crystallisation on the dynamics of melt spinning and on the rheological behaviour have been discussed and compared with model calculations and available experimental data

Random field sampling for a simplified model of melt-blowing considering turbulent velocity fluctuations

In melt-blowing very thin liquid fiber jets are spun due to high-velocity air streams. In literature there is a clear, unsolved discrepancy between the measured and computed jet attenuation. In this paper we will verify numerically that the turbulent velocity fluctuations causing a random aerodynamic drag on the fiber jets -- that has been neglected so far -- are the crucial effect to close this gap. For this purpose, we model the velocity fluctuations as vector Gaussian random fields on top of a k-epsilon turbulence description and develop an efficient sampling procedure. Taking advantage of the special covariance structure the effort of the sampling is linear in the discretization and makes the realization possible

Uniaxially aligned electrospun fibers for advanced nanocomposites based on a model PVOH-epoxy system

This work demonstrates the potential of aligned electrospun fibers as the sole reinforcement in nanocom- posite materials. Poly(vinyl alcohol) and epoxy resin were selected as a model system and the effect of electrospun fiber loading on polymer properties was examined in conjunction with two manufacturing methods. A proprietary electrospinning technology for production of uniaxially aligned electrospun fiber arrays was used. A conventional wet lay-up fabrication method is compared against a novel, hybrid electrospinning–electrospraying approach. The structure and thermomechanical properties of resulting composite materials were examined using scanning electron microscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and tensile testing. The result demonstrate that using aligned electrospun fibers significantly enhances material properties compared to unreinforced resin, especially when manufactured using the hybrid electrospinning–electrospraying method. For example, tensile strength of such a material containing only 0.13 vol% of fiber was increased by �700%, and Young’s modulus by �250%, with concomitant increase in ductility