Search results for " barrier"
showing 10 items of 540 documents
Bolstering firm growth : Kasvu Open 2014
2015
There has been a significant increase in SME growth research in recent years as its macroeconomic effect has become better understood. Firm growth has a significant influence on national economic health, especially small economies such as Finland, yet scholars agree that little is known about the phenomena. Authors of this study aim deliver a broader and more holistic approach to firm growth research and integrate currently fragmented constructs. By studying participants of Kasvu Open 2014, this study contributes to firm growth research by providing a new and unique context. Existing firm growth research has examined the effect of growth intention on firm growth, but few studies have addres…
Biological groundwater denitrification systems: Lab-scale trials aimed at nitrous oxide production and emission assessment
2018
Bio-trenches are a sustainable option for treating nitrate contamination in groundwater. However, a possible side effect of this technology is the production of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that can be found both dissolved in the liquid effluent as well as emitted as off gas. The aim of this study was to analyze NO3 − removal and N2O production in lab-scale column trials. The column contained olive nut as organic carbon media. The experimental study was divided into three phases (I, II and III) each characterized by different inlet NO3 − concentrations (30, 50, 75 mg NO3-N L−1 respectively). Sampling ports deployed along the length of the column allowed to observe the denitrification pro…
Protecting emergency workers and armed forces from volatile toxic compounds: Applicability of reversible conductive polymer-based sensors in barrier …
2019
International audience; Barrier materials have wide applicability in both professional (military, medical, industrial) and non-professional(leisure and sports) fields. This paper focuses on the preparation of real conductive polymer (CP) sensors, for thestudy of the permeation of volatile toxic compounds through barrier materials. Use of such a CP sensor can helpimprove the quality of barrier materials used in protective clothing. Several types of platforms have beenmanufactured or purchased for use as comb sensors with different electrode dimensions, and a suitable methodof applying the detection layer of conductive polymers (polyaniline and poly-pyrrole) has been developed. Prepared senso…
Features and application of coupled cold plasma and photocatalysis processes for decontamination of water
2020
Dielectric barrier discharge plasma and photocatalysis have been proposed as tools for decontamination of process water, especially in food industry. The present investigation aims to redefine and identify the features of coupling the two technologies in terms of degradation efficiency of a model compound. Results show that, when the process is carried out in plasma activated water in the presence of irradiated TiO2, the efficiency of the integrated process is lower than the sum of the two processes acting separately. It is proposed that afterglow species, e.g. hydrogen peroxide and/or peroxynitrites could be activated by UVA light irradiation producing hydroxyl radicals in the liquid phase…
Investigation of amorphous oxide film-electrolyte junctions by AC techniques
1992
Current AC (alternating current) techniques are used often to characterize the energetics at a semiconducting solid phase/electrolyte interface. For thin layers having a strongly disordered or amorphous structure (such as oxide-passive layers anodically grown on valve metals), interpretative models currently used for crystalline semiconductors may produce misleading data. A new interpretation of the admittance data, based on recent models for amorphous semiconductors (a-Sc) Schottky barriers, is presented for passive films of Nb, W and Ti. The physical bases of the model are presented as well as its advantages and disadvantages. The new theory views the solid/electrolyte interface more sati…
Polmunary epithelial barrier formation on biodegradable poly-L-lactic-acid (PLLA) membrane
2016
Aims: Investigation of epithelial barrier formation using PLLA membranes for application in bioengineering. Background: The development of functional and biocompatible substitutes for damaged tissue or organs is a major challenge in biomedical engineering. The epithelial barrier plays a central role in tissue homeostasis and immunity preventing damage and contamination of the interstitial tissues. Different in vitro models of the lung and intestinal epithelial barriers have been well characterized, however these tend to use non-biodegradable and/or poorly biocompatible scaffolds. Therefore, there is a need for better supports for epithelial cells for future applications in tissue engineerin…
Impact of Transport Costs on International Trade: The Case of Spanish Ceramic Exports
2003
This paper aims to investigate the determinants of maritime and overland transport costs and the role they play in deterring trade across countries. We estimate a transport cost function using data on maritime and overland transport of the ceramic sector (tiles) obtained from interviews held with Spanish logistics operators. We also study the relationship between transport costs and trade and estimate an import demand model for ceramic products. Additionally, we present a discussion on the sensitivity of trade flows and transportation costs to the existence of back-hauling, special conditions for transport and number of reloads.1 The study of modal transport (overland versus maritime) and i…
The Influence of Microbiome Dysbiosis and Bacterial Biofilms on Epidermal Barrier Function in Atopic Dermatitis—An Update
2021
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory dermatosis affecting up to 30% of children and 10% of adults worldwide. AD is primarily driven by an epidermal barrier defect which triggers immune dysregulation within the skin. According to recent research such phenomena are closely related to the microbial dysbiosis of the skin. There is growing evidence that cutaneous microbiota and bacterial biofilms negatively affect skin barrier function, contributing to the onset and exacerbation of AD. This review summarizes the latest data on the mechanisms leading to microbiome dysbiosis and biofilm formation in AD, and the influence of these phenomena on skin barrier function.
Multiphonon couplings in the sub-barrier fusion of 36S+140Ce
2006
Fusion cross sections have been measured for the system 36S + 140Ce in the energy range encompassing the Coulomb barrier. A representation of the fusion barrier distribution has been obtained from the second energy derivative of the excitation function. The data are well described by coupled‐channels calculations including two‐phonon states of quadrupole and octupole character in the target (140Ce) and one octupole phonon in the projectile. The importance of 140Ce low‐lying inelastic excitations has been pointed out.
Experimental study of the quasifission, fusion-fission, and de-excitation of Cf compound nuclei
2015
Background: The fusion-evaporation reaction at energies around the Coulomb barrier is presently the only way to produce the heaviest elements. However, formation of evaporation residues is strongly hindered due to the competing fusion-fission and quasifission processes. Presently, a full understanding of these processes and their relationships has not been reached.Purpose: This work aims to use new fission measurements and existing evaporation residue and fission excitation function data for reactions forming Cf isotopes to investigate the dependence of the quasifission probability and characteristics on the identities of the two colliding nuclei in heavy element formation reactions.Method:…