Key operations in the wet-rendering of peanut for the isolation of protein, oil and starch

Separation of oil and suspended solids from peanut slurry are two important interdependent operations in wet rendering of peanuts. A 3-way centrifuge cannot be used efficiently for the separation of the different phases due to the large volume of fibrous suspended solids in peanut slurry. Removal of suspended solids from the slurry by filtration is too slow and incomplete, as the fine particles tend to block the screen. The alternative method of centrifugal sedimentation of the suspended solids causes emulsification of the oil and results in the inefficient separation of the oil. It is shown in the paper that efficiency of the separation of oil and carbohydrate fraction from peanut by wet rendering method depends on careful conditioning of the seed

Integrated processing of peanut for the separation of major constituents

Bench-scale experiments were carried out on the processing of peanut by a new method. The decuticled kernels were pasted, and the paste was subjected to the Skipin process to recover approximately 30% oil; the residual paste was made into a dispersion at 10.0 pH and clarified to get a carbohydrate meal (15.7% moisture-free); the clarified dispersion was centrifuged to obtain another 12% fat and the remaining dispersion was acidified to get the protein (21.9% moisture-free). Fifteen batches of 100-1b. (45.4 kg.) each have been processed, and the reproducibility of the yields has been ascertained. The scope for increasing the oil yield and for improving protein quality is discussed

Distinct element analysis of inter-particle coating variability in a batch seed coater

Coating of particulate solids by a thin film layer is of interest in many industrial applications such as seed and tablet coating. In seed processing, seeds are commonly coated with a protective coating layer consisting of fertilisers and crop protection products. Rotary drum batch coaters are typically used for this purpose. The coater consists of a cylindrical vessel with a rotating spray disk in the centre, onto which the coating liquid is fed. The seeds are driven around the vessel by its rotating base, and are mixed by two baffles; one on either side of the vessel. In the present study, DEM simulations are used to analyse the seed coating process. Corn seed is used as a model material and its shape is captured using X-Ray micro-tomography (XRT). The shape is incorporated into the simulations by the clumping multiple spheres to form a particle assembly. The coating uniformity of the seeds is predicted by implementing a coating model, whereby the coating mechanism is represented in the DEM by considering that once a droplet contacts a corn seed, it is removed from the simulation and its mass is attributed to the coating mass of the corn seed. The distribution of mass of sprayed spheres on the corn seeds and the coefficient of variation are evaluated for a range of process conditions, such as spinning disk rotational speed, droplets size and baffle arrangement and designs. In addition to evaluation of coating uniformity of particles, the scale-up rules for rotary drum batch coaters are investigated and reported. The outcome provides guidelines on scale-up rules and improvement of coating uniformity for rotary batch seed coaters

Essentialist Beliefs About Bodily Transplants in the United States and India

Psychological essentialism is the belief that some internal, unseen essence or force determines the common outward appearances and behaviors of category members. We investigated whether reasoning about transplants of bodily elements showed evidence of essentialist thinking. Both A mericans and I ndians endorsed the possibility of transplants conferring donors' personality, behavior, and luck on recipients, consistent with essentialism. Respondents also endorsed essentialist effects even when denying that transplants would change a recipient's category membership (e.g., predicting that a recipient of a pig's heart would act more pig‐like but denying that the recipient would become a pig). This finding runs counter to predictions from the strongest version of the “minimalist” position (Strevens,2000), an alternative to essentialism. Finally, studies asking about a broader range of donor‐to‐recipient transfers indicated that I ndians essentialized more types of transfers than A mericans, but neither sample essentialized monetary transfer. This suggests that results from bodily transplant conditions reflect genuine essentialism rather than broader magical thinking.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98212/1/cogs12023.pd

Inter-Particle Coating Variability in a Rotary Batch Seed Coater

Coating of particulate solids by a thin film layer is of interest in many industrial applications such as seed and tablet coating. In seed processing, seeds are commonly coated with a protective coating layer consisting of fertilisers and disease control agents, such as pesticides and fungicides. Batch coaters are commonly used for this purpose. A typical coater consists of a vertical axis cylindrical vessel with a rotating base and a spray disc in the centre, onto which the coating liquid is fed to atomise and spray-coat the seeds. The seeds are driven around the vessel by its rotating base, and are mixed by two baffles; one on either side of the vessel. In the present study, Distinct Element Method (DEM) simulations are used to model the seed coating process. Corn seed are used as a model material and their shape is captured using X-Ray Tomography (XRT), which is approximated in the DEM by clumped spheres. The coating uniformity of the seeds is predicted by implementing a coating model in the DEM, whereby the coating droplets are simulated as very fine spheres projecting tangentially from a ring at the edge of the spinning disk. The size and velocity of droplets leaving the spray disk are measured using high speed video imaging and implemented into DEM simulations. The coating mechanism is represented in the DEM by considering that once a droplet contacts a corn seed, it is removed from the simulation and its mass is attributed to the coating of the corn seed. The distribution of mass of sprayed spheres on the corn seeds and their coefficient of variation are evaluated for a range of process conditions, such as the base rotational speed, atomiser disc position relative to the base and baffle arrangement and designs. It is found that the atomiser disc vertical position, baffle angle and clearance to the wall are most influential, whilst the base rotational speed and baffle width and curvature have only minimal effect

European consensus statement on diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD: The European Network Adult ADHD.

BACKGROUND: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most common psychiatric disorders of childhood that persists into adulthood in the majority of cases. The evidence on persistence poses several difficulties for adult psychiatry considering the lack of expertise for diagnostic assessment, limited treatment options and patient facilities across Europe. METHODS: The European Network Adult ADHD, founded in 2003, aims to increase awareness of this disorder and improve knowledge and patient care for adults with ADHD across Europe. This Consensus Statement is one of the actions taken by the European Network Adult ADHD in order to support the clinician with research evidence and clinical experience from 18 European countries in which ADHD in adults is recognised and treated. RESULTS: Besides information on the genetics and neurobiology of ADHD, three major questions are addressed in this statement: (1) What is the clinical picture of ADHD in adults? (2) How can ADHD in adults be properly diagnosed? (3) How should ADHD in adults be effectively treated? CONCLUSIONS: ADHD often presents as an impairing lifelong condition in adults, yet it is currently underdiagnosed and treated in many European countries, leading to ineffective treatment and higher costs of illness. Expertise in diagnostic assessment and treatment of ADHD in adults must increase in psychiatry. Instruments for screening and diagnosis of ADHD in adults are available and appropriate treatments exist, although more research is needed in this age group

Modeling inter- and intra-tablet coating variability of pan coated tablets

This thesis work is focused on the modeling of inter- and intra-tablet coating variability of pan coated tablets. Tablets are coated for a number of reasons such as controlling the bioavailability and release profile of the drug (functional coatings), ensuring product identification and aesthetics, masking odor and taste and protecting the tablet core. Due to the critical nature of functional film coating, significant variations in coating between tablet-to-tablet (inter-tablet coating variation) and between different regions of a tablet, such as the cap and the band of a biconvex tablet (intra-tablet coating variation) will adversely affect product efficacy. Therefore, modeling the process is an important tool towards predicting and controlling variability and can help eliminate some of the problems caused by poor coating uniformity. The thesis work uses first principles analysis, Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations, and experiments to determine the variables that control coating uniformity. The parameters that can potentially affect inter-tablet coating variability and studied in this work are the pan speed, the tablet load, coefficient of friction, and spray zone size and location. The parameters that can potentially affect intra-tablet coating variability and studied in this work are the pan speed, the tablet load, tablet aspect ratio (and sphericity), and the effect of baffles. DEM models used to study intra-tablet coating variability are restricted to simple glued sphere particles instead of modeling true geometric primitives such as cylinders as this requires the implementation of prohibitively difficult contact detection algorithms and development of new force models. The combination of DEM simulations, experiments and analysis provides a comprehensive framework for the understanding of the processes that control coating variability and serves as a platform from which more complex models of coating processes can be developed and implemented. The thesis work investigates inter-tablet coating variability, specifically, tablet residence times within the spray zone. DEM computer simulations, experiments, and analytical investigations are performed to measure the residence time per pass, the circulation time, and appearance frequency of spherical shaped tablets for a range of pan speeds and tablet loads. In addition, the fractional residence time, defined as the ratio of time spent by a tablet in the spray zone to the total coating time, is measured. The average fractional residence time (averaged over all the tablets in the bed) is found to be equal to the ratio of the time-averaged number of tablets exposed to the spray to the total number of tablets in the pan, a result that is consistent with analyses. The average fractional residence time is observed to be independent of pan speed and total coating time. Furthermore, the fractional residence time is shown to be related to the residence time per pass and circulation time per pass. Circulation time per pass for a tablet is defined as the average time between successive appearances in the spray zone and residence time per pass is defined as the average time spent in the spray zone per pass. Appearance frequency is defined as the number of appearances a tablet makes in the spray zone per pan rotation. Simulations and analyses show that appearance frequency decreases with increasing pan speed. These various measures of residence time are all related, but from the standpoint of developing an analytical model for coating variability, fractional residence time is a more useful and intuitive parameter as it determines the fraction of total run time that a tablet spends in the spray. To study the coefficient of variation of the coating mass distribution, the variation in tablet residence times is studied, as both quantities are directly related. The DEM simulations indicate that the coefficient of variation of tablet residence times, and subsequently, of coating mass, decreases with time following a power law relation. The theoretical model demonstrates that the coefficient of variation of residence time for a randomly mixed tablet bed is inversely proportional to the square root of the number of coating “trials.” DEM simulations show that during each pan revolution, tablets in the spray zone remain in a quasi-segregated state from tablets located outside the spray zone for some time period termed Δ tseg. Increasing the pan’s Froude number (to ensure the tablet bed operates in the well-mixed rolling regime), the spanwise-to-streamwise spray zone aspect ratio, and the tablet-tablet and tablet-pan friction coefficient all act to decrease Δtseg, leading to more uniform residence times and less inter-tablet coating variability for a given operating time. (Abstract shortened by UMI.