Design of urea granulator with energy optimization

Urea granules are one of the popular fertilizers among synthetic fertilizer industry. Its main function is to provide nitrogen which enhances leaf growth on plant. Urea granules are produced from the process of granulation. Granulation process is divided to wet and dry granulation. Generally, there are two type of dry granulator which is slugger and roller compactor. Roller compactor or also known as roll press is using two counter rotating rolls to compact raw material such as powder to become ribbons or granules. If ribbons instead of granules arc produced from compaction, milling will be used to produce granules. It is difficult obtain a numerical result of the process due to the variety of parameters. Therefore, this work will only consider the parameters which are related to feeder system and roller. The parameters include the feeding rate of feeder, roller force, roller pressure, and roller gap size. While powder flow to roller from feeder, overfeeding may occurs. Overfeeding is harmful because it will cause motor failure. To overcome this problem, the function of roller needs to be improved. The roller will be modified and hence, a new design will be produced

DESIGN OF A UREA GRANULATOR WITH ENERGY OPTIMIZATION

Urea granules are one of the popular fertilizers among synthetic fertilizer industry. Its main function is to provide nitrogen which enhances leaf growth on plant. Urea granules are produced from the process of granulation. Granulation process is divided to wet and dry granulation. Generally, there are two type of dry granulator which is slugger and roller compactor. Roller compactor or also known as roll press is using two counter rotating rolls to compact raw material such as powder to become ribbons or granules. If ribbons instead of granules are produced from compaction, milling will be used to produce granules. It is difficult obtain a numerical result of the process due to the variety of parameters. Therefore, this work will only consider the parameters which are related to feeder system and roller. The parameters include the feeding rate of feeder, roller force, roller pressure, and roller gap size. While powder flow to roller from feeder, overfeeding may occurs. Overfeeding is harmful because it will cause motor failure. To overcome this problem, the function of roller needs to be improved. The roller will be modified and hence, a new design will be produced

Prognostic Value of Leucocyte Telomere Length in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Introduction: Leucocyte telomere length (LTL) has been described as a marker of biological age, endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. The association between LTL and clinical characteristics of Asian patients, and their outcomes following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been inconclusive. Objective: To investigate the relationship between LTL and developing AMI, the association of LTL with inpatient and 30-day mortality, and the comparison to LTL with established AMI risk scores in predicting these outcomes. Methodology: 100 patients aged 30-70 years admitted with an AMI to a tertiary referral center between May-Oct 2017 were enrolled; these were matched with 100 non-AMI ('healthy') controls for gender and age (+/- 1 year). Clinical data was obtained prospectively; inpatient and 30-day outcomes documented. LTL was reflected by a well described variable called a tis ratio (TSR). The TSR was measured at enrolment using a quantitative PCR-based methods (qPCR) and results blinded to the clinician

International Consortium on Mammographic Density:methodology and population diversity captured across 22 countries

Mammographic density (MD) is a quantitative trait, measurable in all women, and is among the strongest markers of breast cancer risk. The population-based epidemiology of MD has revealed genetic, lifestyle and societal/environmental determinants, but studies have largely been conducted in women with similar westernized lifestyles living in countries with high breast cancer incidence rates. To benefit from the heterogeneity in risk factors and their combinations worldwide, we created an International Consortium on Mammographic Density (ICMD) to pool individual-level epidemiological and MD data from general population studies worldwide. ICMD aims to characterize determinants of MD more precisely, and to evaluate whether they are consistent across populations worldwide. We included 11755 women, from 27 studies in 22 countries, on whom individual-level risk factor data were pooled and original mammographic images were re-read for ICMD to obtain standardized comparable MD data. In the present article, we present (i) the rationale for this consortium; (ii) characteristics of the studies and women included; and (iii) study methodology to obtain comparable MD data from original re-read films. We also highlight the risk factor heterogeneity captured by such an effort and, thus, the unique insight the pooled study promises to offer through wider exposure ranges, different confounding structures and enhanced power for sub-group analyses

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correlation of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Viral Load with Disease Severity and Prolonged Viral Shedding in Children

Younger children may require a longer isolation period and more aggressive treatment