Static bending of granular beam: exact discrete and nonlocal solutions

Meccanica - This study is an attempt towards a better understanding of the length scale effects on the bending response of the granular beams. To this aim, a unidimensional discrete granular chain...     

Using an ANP performance management framework to manage the development of transversal competences in University degrees

Organisations are concerned about measuring the performance of the product/service they deliver to their customers. In all types of organisations, if a proper performance assessment is to be developed, it should be measured in different dimensions. At University, the new study programs include the development and assessment of transversal competences due to their importance in enhancing the abilities and improving the employability of students. The achievement of transversal competences can be assessed in different levels/stages; for example, the 1st and 2nd years of a Bachelor’s degree; the 3rd and 4th years of a Bachelor’s degree and at Master’s level. The purpose of this paper is to integrate the research into performance management in organisations to develop an approach consisting of four components (a methodology, a solid and integrated performance management framework, graphical diagrams and quantitative techniques) to assess and manage the achievement of transversal competences through the different levels of study using a consolidated approach. The proposal uses the Analytic Network Process (ANP) to model dependences and feedback among the elements of the competences.

     

A methodology to select suppliers to increase sustainability within supply chains

Central European Journal of Operations Research - Sustainability practice within supply chains remains in an early development phase. Enterprises still need tools that support the integration of...     

One Spot Microwave Synthesis and Characterization of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Dots with High Oxygen Content for Fluorometric Determination of Banned Sudan II Dye in Spice Samples

Journal of Fluorescence - A simple microwave-assisted synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon dots with high oxygen content (O-N-CDs) was carried out with citric acid as a carbon source and...     

The memory of thin polymer films generated by spin coating

The European Physical Journal E - The interstitial tumor microenvironment is composed of heterogeneously organized collagen-rich porous networks as well as channel-like structures and interfaces...     

On-line Method for Montelukast Determination in Bile Salt Medium with Multivariate Optimization and Fluorescent Detection

Journal of Analytical Chemistry - The present development involved a flow injection strategy using a mini-column of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and fluorescent detection (λex of 283 nm,...     

Freeze–Thaw-Promoted Fabrication of Clean and Hierarchically Structured Noble-Metal Aerogels for Electrocatalysis and Photoelectrocatalysis

Noble-metal aerogels (NMAs) have drawn increasing attention because of their self-supported conductive networks, high surface areas, and numerous optically/catalytically active sites, enabling their impressive performance in diverse fields. However, the fabrication methods suffer from tedious procedures, long preparation times, unavoidable impurities, and uncontrolled multiscale structures, discouraging their developments. By utilizing the self-healing properties of noble-metal aggregates, the freezing-promoted salting-out behavior, and the ice-templating effect, a freeze–thaw method is crafted that is capable of preparing various hierarchically structured noble-metal gels within one day without extra additives. In light of their cleanliness, the multi-scale structures, and combined catalytic/optical properties, the electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic performance of NMAs are demonstrated, which surpasses that of commercial noble-metal catalysts.