Data‐Driven Modelling of Quality and Performance Indices in Sintermaking

In developing data‐driven models of complex real‐world systems, a common problem is how to select relevant inputs from a large set of measurements. If the observations of the outputs to be predicted by the model are scarce, which may be the case if the outputs are indices determined in toilsome laboratory tests, strict constraints have to be imposed on the number of model parameters. In neural network modelling, this limitation in practice also restricts the number of hidden nodes as well as the number of input variables, since the dimension of the weight vector strongly depends on these. This paper presents a systematic method for data‐driven modelling with feedforward layered neural networks, including a method for the selection of input variables. The method is illustrated on a problem from ironmaking industry, where sinter quality indices are predicted on the basis of raw material properties. Furthermore, an inversion technique of the resulting network models is proposed, where an optimization problem is solved to maximize the performance of the sintering operation by manipulating the inputs.     

Heckel Plots as Indicators of Elastic Properties of Pharmaceuticals

In this study the usefulness of different kind of Heckel treatments to describe the elastic properties of the compressed materials was evaluated. Two methods were used to find the values for Heckel function, namely, tablet-in-die method and ejected tablets method. The slope values were calculated by means of the first derivative of the Heckel function. The reliable conclusions from the total elastic recovery were possible to obtain using the reciprocal of the difference of the Heckel upward plot slopes obtained from the two methods used-in this study. The downward part of the Heckel plot was noticed to be useful for describing the fast elasticity during the tableting process.     

Compressional Behaviour of an Agglomerated Cellulose Powder

The ability of an agglomerated cellulose powder to total and plastic deformation was evaluated and compared with those of Avicel PH 101, Emcocel and an experimental depolymerized cellulose powder. The elastic recovery of compressed cellulose tablets was also measured. The effects of deformation of the material during the tableting process and recovery of tablet after maximum compression on the mechanical strength of tablets were also discussed.

The apparent net work done into tablets during compression as well as the yield pressures to total and plastic deformation, determined from the Heckel treatment, showed no great differences between the agglomerated cellulose powder and the other cellulose powders. Thus all the cellulose materials studied had rather similar ability to total, i.e. elastic and plastic, deformation and to permanent, i.e. pure plastic, deformation. The obvious fragmentation of the agglomerated cellulose powder already at low compressional pressure, however, seemed to be advantageous for the formation of strong compacts.

Both rapid and total elastic recovery of compressed cellulose tablets showed clear differences between the cellulose materials and these differences correlated with the previously measured strength of cellulose tablets. The agglomerated cellulose powder had the smallest tendency to both kind of elastic recoveries of tablets. Obviously, due to the large interparticle contact areas, the ability of this material to establish more bonds between adjacent particles during compression was greater than those of other celluloses. The elastic recovery was greatest for depolymerized cellulose tablets indicating the poorest binding ability of the particles of this material.     

Rapid Development of Fasting-Induced Hepatic Lipidosis in the American Mink (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Neovison vison</Emphasis>): Effects of Food Deprivation and Re-Alimentation on Body Fat Depots,Tissue Fatty Acid Profiles,Hematology and Endocrinology

Hepatic lipidosis is a common pathological finding in the American mink (Neovison vison) and can be caused by nutritional imbalance due to obesity or rapid body weight loss. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the timeline and characterize the development of hepatic lipidosis in mink in response to 0–7 days of food deprivation and liver recovery after 28 days of re-feeding. We report here the effects on hematological and endocrine variables, body fat mobilization, the development of hepatic lipidosis and the alterations in the liver lipid classes and tissue fatty acid (FA) sums. Food deprivation resulted in the rapid mobilization of body fat, most notably visceral, causing elevated hepatosomatic index and increased liver triacylglycerol content. The increased absolute amounts of liver total phospholipids and phosphatidylcholine suggested endoplasmic reticulum stress. The hepatic lipid infiltration and the altered liver lipid profiles were associated with a significantly reduced proportion of n-3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) in the livers and the decrease was more evident in the females. Likewise, re-feeding of the female mink resulted in a more pronounced recovery of the liver n-3 PUFA. The rapid decrease in the n-3/n-6 PUFA ratio in response to food deprivation could trigger an inflammatory response in the liver. This could be a key contributor to the pathophysiology of fatty liver disease in mink influencing disease progression.     

Almost Stable Matchings by Truncating the Gale–Shapley Algorithm

We show that the ratio of matched individuals to blocking pairs grows linearly with the number of propose–accept rounds executed by the Gale–Shapley algorithm for the stable marriage problem. Consequently, the participants can arrive at an almost stable matching even without full information about the problem instance; for each participant, knowing only its local neighbourhood is enough. In distributed-systems parlance, this means that if each person has only a constant number of acceptable partners, an almost stable matching emerges after a constant number of synchronous communication rounds.     

Effects of ethanol to water ratio in feed solution on the crystallinity of spray-dried lactose

In the present study, the effects of ethanol to water ratio in feed solution on the physical properties of spray-dried alpha-lactose monohydrate were evaluated. Crystallinity of the spray-dried lactose was determined by isothermal microcalorimetry (IMC) and by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Water content of the spray-dried lactose was determined by thermogravimetric analysis and the surface area was evaluated by Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) method. The crystallinity of spray-dried lactose varied from 0% to 100%, depending on the ratio of ethanol to water in the feed solution. Lactose spray dried from pure ethanol was 100% crystalline and contained hydrate water. Lactose spray dried from pure water was 100% amorphous. The feed solution substantially affected the ratio of surface water to hydrate water, as the content of surface water increased and hydrate water decreased, while the crystallinity of spray-dried lactose decreased. Surface area of the spray-dried lactose increased as a function of amorphous content.