Steam Exploded Pine Wood: The Influence of Particle Size on Mixture Reactivity

Power generation using waste material from the processing of agricultural crops can be a viable biomass energy source. However, there is scant data on their burning properties and this work presents measurements of the minimum explosion concentration (MEC), flame speed, Kst , and peak pressure for pulverised pine wood and steam exploded (black pellets) pine wood. The ISO 1 m3 dust explosion vessel was used, modified to operate on relatively coarse paticles, using a hemispherical dust disperser on the floor of the vessel and an external blast of 20bar compressed air. The pulverized material was sieved into the size fractions <500µm, <63, 63-15-, 150-300, 300-500µm to study the coarse particles used in biomass power generation. The MEC was measured in the range of 0.6-0.85 burnt equivalence ratio, Øburnt,. The measured Kst (25-60 bar m/s) and turbulent flame speeds (~1.5 - 5 m/s) These results show that the steam exploded pine biomass was more reactive than the raw pine, due to the finer particle size for the steam explosed biomass

Assessment of axial bone rigidity in rats with metabolic diseases using CT-based structural rigidity analysis

Objectives: This study aims to assess the correlation of CT-based structural rigidity analysis with mechanically determined axial rigidity in normal and metabolically diseased rat bone. Methods: A total of 30 rats were divided equally into normal, ovariectomized, and partially nephrectomized groups. Cortical and trabecular bone segments from each animal underwent micro-CT to assess their average and minimum axial rigidities using structural rigidity analysis. Following imaging, all specimens were subjected to uniaxial compression and assessment of mechanically-derived axial rigidity. Results: The average structural rigidity-based axial rigidity was well correlated with the average mechanically-derived axial rigidity results (R$^2$ = 0.74). This correlation improved significantly (p < 0.0001) when the CT-based Structural Rigidity Analysis (CTRA) minimum axial rigidity was correlated to the mechanically-derived minimum axial rigidity results (R$^2$ = 0.84). Tests of slopes in the mixed model regression analysis indicated a significantly steeper slope for the average axial rigidity compared with the minimum axial rigidity (p = 0.028) and a significant difference in the intercepts (p = 0.022). The CTRA average and minimum axial rigidities were correlated with the mechanically-derived average and minimum axial rigidities using paired t-test analysis (p = 0.37 and p = 0.18, respectively). Conclusions: In summary, the results of this study suggest that structural rigidity analysis of micro-CT data can be used to accurately and quantitatively measure the axial rigidity of bones with metabolic pathologies in an experimental rat model. It appears that minimum axial rigidity is a better model for measuring bone rigidity than average axial rigidity

Microstructural, Densitometric and Metabolic Variations in Bones from Rats with Normal or Altered Skeletal States

Background: High resolution μCT, and combined μPET/CT have emerged as non-invasive techniques to enhance or even replace dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as the current preferred approach for fragility fracture risk assessment. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of µPET/CT imaging to differentiate changes in rat bone tissue density and microstructure induced by metabolic bone diseases more accurately than current available methods. Methods: Thirty three rats were divided into three groups of control, ovariectomy and vitamin-D deficiency. At the conclusion of the study, animals were subjected to glucose (18FDG) and sodium fluoride (Na18F) PET/CT scanning. Then, specimens were subjected to µCT imaging and tensile mechanical testing. Results: Compared to control, those allocated to ovariectomy and vitamin D deficiency groups showed 4% and 22% (significant) increase in 18FDG uptake values, respectively. DXA-based bone mineral density was higher in the vitamin D deficiency group when compared to the other groups (cortical bone), yet μCT-based apparent and mineral density results were not different between groups. DXA-based bone mineral density was lower in the ovariectomy group when compared to the other groups (cancellous bone); yet μCT-based mineral density results were not different between groups, and the μCT-based apparent density results were lower in the ovariectomy group compared to the other groups. Conclusion: PET and micro-CT provide an accurate three-dimensional measurement of the changes in bone tissue mineral density, as well as microstructure for cortical and cancellous bone and metabolic activity. As osteomalacia is characterized by impaired bone mineralization, the use of densitometric analyses may lead to misinterpretation of the condition as osteoporosis. In contrast, µCT alone and in combination with the PET component certainly provides an accurate three-dimensional measurement of the changes in both bone tissue mineral density, as well as microstructure for cortical and cancellous bone and metabolic activity

Risk and Return Money Saving di Reksadana dan Bank Digital

In the era of the industrial revolution 4.0, as it is now, digitizing the banking and financial sector is important, considering that technological disruption has touched almost all aspects of life. In the world of investment and banking, the system used is already digital-based. The financial literacy level of the Indonesian people in 2022 will increase to 49.68%. This means that people are now smarter when it comes to choosing the financial products they will use. Currently, many financial institutions offer the advantages of each product by offering quite competitive returns. As an effort to increase public literacy, this study intends to compare the two financial products, namely mutual funds in seed applications and financial products at Bank Neo Commerce (BNC). The methodology used in this research is descriptive qualitative. The results of this study state that mutual funds and money savings at BNC both have advantages in terms of features and convenience. However, both have differences in the returns offered and the risks borne. Where digital banks offer greater returns with a lower level of risk. Interestingly, investment activities have the concept of compounding interest which has the possibility of obtaining much greater returns on the condition that the investment period is extended

Death by electrocution: a retrospective analysis of three medico-legal mortuaries in the eThekwini district of KwaZulu Natal from 2006 to 2016.

Background: Electrocution is a well-documented cause of unnatural death globally. Identification of demographic and spatial trends in developed countries has assisted in highlighting contributing factors and identifying areas at risk. This information and the appropriate institution of changes have proven worthwhile in reducing fatalities internationally. Less developed countries have shown increasing trends in electrocution fatalities related to rural-urban migration and growing electricity demand. Additional challenges plaguing such countries include illegal electricity connections and load shedding. The association of such issues to electrocution deaths have been sparsely explored. There remains a paucity of information regarding electrocution fatalities in South Africa and Africa as a whole. A general trend of increasing electrocution fatalities referred for medico-legal autopsy was observed at three medico-legal mortuaries in the eThekwini district of Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa, from 2006 to 2016. Objectives This study aimed to analyse the epidemiology, characteristics and trends of deaths resulting from electrocutions. Methods. A retrospective descriptive study was conducted. Fatal non-lightning electrocutions autopsied at three medico-legal mortuaries in the eThekwini district over an 11year period, from 1st January 2006 to 31st December 2016, were analysed. Data sources included clinician notes, emergency services documentation, scene scripts including South African Police Services(SAPS) 180 form completed by SAPS representatives, postmortem and histology reports, toxicology reports from Forensic Toxicology unit, contemporaneous notes, postmortem death registers, daily listings of postmortem case allocations and electronic postmortem databases. Data were collated and categorised on an Excel spreadsheet and then analysed on statistical package STATA 13 (Stata Corp, TX, USA). 12 Results: There were 512 non-lightning electrocution fatalities from 1 st January 2006 to 31st December 2016. The trend of electrocutions indicates a general increase in cases from 2006, reaching a peak in 2013 followed by a gradual decrease until 2016. Most fatal electrocutions occurred in domestic environments amongst males in the third and fourth decade of life. However, a bimodal distribution showed a considerable number of electrocutions under 10 years of age, predominantly amongst females. The largest number of electrocutions were admitted to the chief medico-legal mortuary servicing the metro, Gale Street mortuary (43,95%). However, the highest concentration of cases was observed in Tongaat, a suburb on the outskirts of the metro. This contributed to the highest prevalence of electrocution cases (1,25% of all electrocution cases) being admitted to the Phoenix medico-legal mortuary, which serves predominantly Northern eThekwini, including Tongaat, and which lies on the fringe of the metro. Deaths from electrocution tend to occur mainly during the midday period, during the weekends, and commonly during the summer months. Injuries associated with fatal electrocutions in all age groups studied generally affected the extremities and predominantly involved the upper limbs. Blood alcohol concentrations were established in just over a quarter of cases and were mostly negative. Conclusion: Electrocution is an easily preventable unnatural death that remains poorly documented and analysed, especially in developing countries, with a paucity of studies in South Africa. Preventative measures and protocols cannot be generalised amongst populations. An appreciation of the demographic and temporal trends of electrocutions is crucial in order to institute preventative policy

EFFECT OF ENERGY SUPPLEMENTATION FROM BY-PRODUCT FEED PELLETS ON PRODUCTIVITY AND NUTRIENT UTILIZATION OF CATTLE GRAZING STOCKPILED CRESTED WHEATGRASS (Agropyron cristatum L.)

Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of source (experiment 1), frequency, and level (experiments 2 and 3) of energy supplementation on performance, forage utilization and intake, productivity, rumen fermentation, and nutrient digestibility of growing beef cattle fed stockpiled forage. In experiment 1 (EXP1) and experiment 2 (EXP2), 45 cross bred yearling steers were managed on stockpiled crested wheatgrass pasture over 70 days during summer/fall of 2011 and 2012. Steers were stratified by IBW (EXP1 = 334±1.2 kg; EXP2 = 358±1.8 kg) and allocated randomly to 1 of 9 crested wheatgrass pastures (5 steers/pasture). Each pasture was randomly assigned to 1 of 3 replicated (n = 3) treatments. In EXP1, two isonitrogenous and isocaloric by-product feed pellets that differed in starch and degradable fiber content were used in one of three supplementation strategies: 1) no supplement (CON), or supplemented at 0.6 % of BW with 2) low starch/high fibre (LS/HF) pellet (40.3% starch; 29.5% NDF DM basis) pellet, or 3) high starch/low fibre (HS/LF; 48.6% starch; 22.8% NDF DM basis) pellet. In EXP2 a by-product feed pellet was formulated to provide ruminal and post-ruminal energy (30.3 % NDF; 32.0 % starch; 7.2 % fat) supplementation strategies included: 1) daily (DLY) supplementation at 0.6 % of BW, 2) low-alternate (LA) supplementation at 0.9 % of BW, and 3) high-alternate (HA) supplementation at 1.2 % of BW. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of treatment on forage utilization in either experiment. In EXP 1, final BW and ADG were not different (P > 0.05) between LS/HF (435 kg; 1.4 kg d-1) and HS/LF (439 kg; 1.5 kg d-1). However, supplemented cattle had higher (P 0.05) was observed for final BW and ADG among DLY (435 kg; 1.1 kg d-1), LA (424 kg; 0.9 kg d-1), and HA (428 kg; 1.0 kg d-1). Production costs were reduced by 23 % with alternate supplementation and LA had 19 % less production costs than HA. In experiment three (EXP 3), four ruminally cannulated beef heifers were individually fed a stockpiled grass hay and offered the same pelleted supplement as in EXP2. Treatments consisted of 4 supplementation strategies: 1) no supplement (CON), 2) daily (DLY) supplementation at 0.6% BW, 3) low-alternate (LA) supplementation at 0.9 % of BW, and 4) high-alternate (HA) supplementation at 1.2 % of BW. Forage intake, rumen fermentation parameters, and apparent total tract digestibility were measured. Three data sets were analyzed: 1) overall (average of all collection days), 2) day of supplementation (DS) and 3) non-supplementation day (NSD) for alternating treatments. Overall, hay DMI (kg d-1) was lower (P = 0.04) for DLY (7.1) vs. CON (8.1), but no different (P ≥ 0.11) for DLY vs. LA (6.9), or vs. HA (6.4). On DS, hay DMI (kg d-1) of DLY (7.3) differed (P < 0.05) vs. HA (6.0), but was not different (P = 0.16) vs. LA (6.4). On NSD, hay DMI (kg d-1) of DLY (7.0) was not different (P ≥ 0.48) to those of LA (7.3) and HA (6.9). Overall, total VFA concentration (mM) was lower (P < 0.01) for CON (69.2) vs. DLY (77.1); but not different (P ≥ 0.45) for DLY vs. LA (75.8) or HA (75.1). Rumen NH3 (mg/dL) was lower (P < 0.01) for CON (3.4) and higher (P < 0.01) for LA (5.8) vs. DLY (4.6), but not different (P = 0.37) for DLY vs. HA (4.3). Overall, ruminal pH was lower (P ≤ 0.04) for DLY (6.65) vs. CON (6.75) and HA (6.72), but similar (P = 0.18) for DLY vs. LA (6.70). On DS, ruminal pH was lower (P = 0.04) for HA (6.59) vs. DLY (6.64), but higher (P < 0.01) on NSD for HA (6.85) vs. DLY (6.67). Apparent DM, OM and GE digestibility coefficients were lower (P ≤ 0.03) for CON and LA vs. DLY, but no difference (P ≥ 0.36) for DLY vs. HA. These results indicate that beef steers grazing stockpiled crested wheatgrass were limited in energy intake and that supplementation of metabolizable energy improved animal performance regardless of the source of energy. Reducing the frequency of energy supplementation and level offered on alternate days do not affect animal performance and reduces the production costs of the system. Negative effects of alternate day supplementation on forage intake and rumen fermentation are reduced when a lower level is offered relative to simply doubling the daily amount of supplement

BENEFITS OF A HYBRID LEARNING ENVIRONMENT ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE

This study explores the impact of hybrid learning on the work-life balance of graduate-level students, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges associated with this evolving educational model. Hybrid learning offers flexibility, enabling students to balance academic responsibilities with professional and personal commitments. Many students benefit from reduced commuting time, asynchronous learning options, and the ability to tailor their schedules to fit their needs. However, the study also reveals challenges, including difficulties in maintaining clear boundaries between work, school, and personal life, and the potential for increased workload perception and burnout. Through a qualitative, phenomenological approach, this research captures the lived experiences of graduate students as they navigate hybrid learning. Findings suggest that instructor engagement, peer collaboration, and institutional support play critical roles in shaping students’ academic success and well-being. While hybrid learning offers accessibility and autonomy, it also necessitates strong time management skills and substantial institutional investments in digital infrastructure and instructor training. As higher education continues integrating hybrid learning, future research should focus on optimizing engagement strategies, addressing digital inequalities, and refining policies supporting students’ work-life balance in this dynamic learning environment