Influence of Particle Size Distribution,Moisture Content,and Particle Shape on the Flow Properties of Bulk Solids

Abstract

There has been a great deal of research on characterising bulk solids. However, some of the characteristics, particularly the time‐dependent and random changes of properties, still remain insufficiently understood. The focus of this article is to study the influence of particle size, size distribution, moisture content, and particle shape on the unconfined yield strength of bulk solids. We present some interesting results about the influence of the particle size distribution on the unconfined yield strength of a bulk solid and a new method for determining the influence of particle shape on the unconfined yield strength of a bulk solid, which was made possible by the design and use of a novel attritor.     

The Role of Vitamin A in Retinal Diseases

Vitamin A is an essential fat-soluble vitamin that occurs in various chemical forms. It is essential for several physiological processes. Either hyper- or hypovitaminosis can be harmful. One of the most important vitamin A functions is its involvement in visual phototransduction, where it serves as the crucial part of photopigment, the first molecule in the process of transforming photons of light into electrical signals. In this process, large quantities of vitamin A in the form of 11-cis-retinal are being isomerized to all-trans-retinal and then quickly recycled back to 11-cis-retinal. Complex machinery of transporters and enzymes is involved in this process (i.e., the visual cycle). Any fault in the machinery may not only reduce the efficiency of visual detection but also cause the accumulation of toxic chemicals in the retina. This review provides a comprehensive overview of diseases that are directly or indirectly connected with vitamin A pathways in the retina. It includes the pathophysiological background and clinical presentation of each disease and summarizes the already existing therapeutic and prospective interventions.     

Cleaner bioprocesses for promoting zero-emission biofuels production in Vojvodina

In this study, the policy, market conditions and food security of biomass energy sources are assessed for supplying the future needs of Vojvodina. The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province in Serbia, containing about 27% of its total population according to the 2002 Census. It is located in the northern part of the country, in the Pannonia plain, in southeastern Europe. Vojvodina is an energy-deficient province. The incentives to invest human and financial resources in the research and development of cleaner bioprocesses are high, considering the benefits which might be achieved in terms of environment protection and manufacturing costs. In the near and medium tenu, the development of bioprocesses for waste recycling and resource recovery might be one of the most viable options, considering much research work has already been done. In Vojvodina, there are technological solutions that biofuels produced in a closed cycle, so that the quantity of waste reduced to a minimum. These solutions include the stillage (remainder after distillation) used for fattening cattle, and cattle excrement to produce biogas and manure as fertilizer. The energy required for the production of bioethanol is obtained combustion lignocelullose residual waste from the production of basic raw materials starch, or biogas. Ash from the burned biomass returned to soil as a source of minerals for plants and replacement of mineral fertilizer. Such a closed cycle is economical for small farms in Vojvodina.     

Kinetic modeling of the peroxide cross-linking of polymers: From a theoretical model framework to its application for a complex polymer system

Peroxides react with polymers in a variety of ways. The fundamental comprehension and prediction of pertinent kinetics of reactions is consequently indispensable. Based on the mechanisms of reactions of cross-linking process, a new theoretical kinetic model framework was developed. The kinetic model was then applied to the reactions of cross-linking process of various peroxides and a chosen complex polymer compound, namely partially hydrogenated poly(acrylonitrile-co-1,3-butadiene). Whereas the initial macromolecular backbone structure was determined utilizing attached proton test carbon nuclear magnetic resonance, the evolution of overall concentration of cross-links was monitored through viscoelastic characteristics of the system. The model demonstrated good agreement with experimentally measured data and, moreover; the evolution of concentrations of various crucial species inherent to the cross-linking process were predicted. The most significant advantage of the developed kinetic model is that it may be readily applied to an assortment of polymer/peroxide systems.     

Predicting Chemical Parameters of River Water Quality from Bioindicator Data

We address the problem of inferring chemical parameters of river water quality from biological ones. This task is important for enabling selective chemical monitoring of river water quality. We apply machine learning, in particular regression tree induction, to biological and chemical data on the water quality of Slovenian rivers. Regression trees are constructed that predict values of chemical parameters from data on the presence of bioindicator taxa at the species and family levels.     

Aryl acrylate porous functional polymer supports from water‐in‐oil‐in‐water multiple emulsions

Porous functional polymer supports are a class of material of wide interest due to the possibility of immobilising reactive species. A simplified procedure was applied for the preparation of porous polymer supports using a water‐in‐oil‐in‐water multiple emulsion. The primary emulsion was a high internal phase emulsion, having a volume fraction of water phase up to 95%. Two reactive acrylates, namely 4‐nitrophenyl acrylate and 2,4,6‐trichlorophenyl acrylate, were (separately) incorporated in the oil phase in order to obtain porous reactive polymer supports. Both acrylates were crosslinked with either divinylbenzene or ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and beads of size ca 60 µm were obtained after the polymerisation of droplets suspended into the secondary aqueous phase. In the case of 4‐nitrophenyl acrylate and divinylbenzene as a crosslinker, particles with a star shape, the core being ca 60 µm in diameter and the arms ca 180 µm in length, were obtained. The polymers were functionalised with morpholine, tris(2‐aminoethyl)amine, piperidine or piperazine yielding supports with loadings of reactive groups of between 2.6 and 6.6 mmol g^?1. The results show that multiple emulsions can be precursors for porous polymer preparation. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

The influence of the coordinate reduction on the identification of the joint dynamic properties

A problem of establishing a theoretical model of a joint from the measured frequency-response function (FRF) data is discussed in this paper. The model of the joint is considered as a coupled dynamic stiffness matrix, which generally includes six degrees of freedom (DoFs). For two types of least-squares solution the terms of use are clarified. The effect of coordinate reduction on the identification results is demonstrated numerically. Also the effect of added noise is studied. Using a substructure synthesis method and the identified joint dynamic properties the assembly response is reconstructed.     

Kinetics and modeling of diethylene glycol bisallyl carbonate bulk polymerization

The free‐radical polymerization kinetics of diethylene glycol bisallyl carbonate in bulk were investigated with Fourier transform infrared and Fourier transform Raman techniques in a wide temperature range of 50–140°C with four different peroxide initiators. In addition, the ratios of the degradative kinetic rate constant to the propagation rate constant under different reaction conditions were obtained from molecular weight measurements under various reaction conditions. The ratio of the chemically controlled termination and propagation rate constants of the polymerization system were obtained with the initial rates of polymerization and the number‐average molecular weight data, which were between 8.22 × 10^?5 and 1.47 × 10^?3 L mol^?1 s^?1. The initiator efficiencies were evaluated with special experiments at low initiator concentrations with the theory of dead‐end polymerization. The computed conversions from the developed kinetic model were in good agreement with the conversion and molecular weight measured data. The values of the diffusion‐controlled propagation and termination rate constants, with clear and physical meaning, were the only two parameters obtained from the developed kinetic model fitting the measured conversion points. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 345–357, 2005     

A modified element‐free Galerkin method with essential boundary conditions enforced by an extended partition of unity finite element weight function

In this work we propose a method which combines the element‐free Galerkin (EFG) with an extended partition of unity finite element method (PUFEM), that is able to enforce, in some limiting sense, the essential boundary conditions as done in the finite element method (FEM). The proposed extended PUFEM is based on the moving least square approximation (MLSA) and is capable of overcoming singularity problems, in the global shape functions, resulting from the consideration of linear and higher order base functions. With the objective of avoiding the presence of singular points, the extended PUFEM considers an extension of the support of the classical PUFE weight function. Since the extended PUFEM is closely related to the EFG method there is no need for special approximation functions with complex implementation procedures, and no use of the penalty and/or multiplier method is required in order to approximately impose the essential boundary condition. Thus, a relatively simple procedure is needed to combine both methods. In order to attest the performance of the method we consider the solution of an analytical elastic problem and also some coupled elastoplastic‐damage problems. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.