Aggregates contain pores of varying sizes; while some are completely enclosed within the particles, others open onto the surface, allowing water to penetrate. The porosity of aggregates is a major factor contributing to the overall porosity of concrete, given that aggregates constitute about three-quarters of concrete's volume.
When all pores in an aggregate are filled with water, the aggregate is considered saturated and surface-dry. If left in dry air, water will evaporate until the...

Permeability in the context of concrete refers to how easily liquids or gases can pass through the material. This quality is crucial for assessing the water-tightness and durability of concrete structures and their resistance to chemical attacks. Concrete permeability can be determined through comparative laboratory tests. These tests typically involve sealing a concrete specimen from the sides, applying water pressure to the top surface with pressure, and measuring the amount of water passing...

Pore transport and ion-pair formation are critical mechanisms for the absorption and distribution of drugs in the body.
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited  but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct...

The porosity of concrete is a measure of the void spaces within its structure. These spaces impact its strength and durability significantly. When water and cement interact, a chemical reaction called hydration creates a semi-solid paste. This paste includes combined water, making up approximately 23% of the cement's dry mass, and gel water, which fills minuscule voids known as gel pores, accounting for about 28% of the cement gel volume.
The balance of water to cement in the mix is...

In concrete, the pore size distribution significantly influences the material's properties. Capillary pores, markedly larger than gel pores, form a vast network within partially hydrated cement paste, reducing the concrete's strength and increasing its permeability. This heightened permeability leads to a greater risk of damage from environmental factors like freeze-thaw cycles and chemical attacks, with the extent of vulnerability also being tied to the water-to-cement ratio.
Adequate...

Drugs need to permeate cell membranes to reach their target sites after administration. Orally administered drugs must transcend intestinal epithelial membrane barriers to infiltrate the systemic circulation. Drugs with a molecular weight of less than 500 Daltons diffuse through gaps between neighboring cells, called paracellular pathways.
However, most drugs use the transcellular route, traversing directly through the cell membranes via two mechanisms: passive and active transport. Passive...