Effect of particle shape on flow in discrete element method simulation of a rotary batch seed coater

In the seed processing industry, rotary batch seed coaters are widely used for providing a protective coating layer (consisting of various ingredients including fertilisers and crop protection chemicals) on the seeds. Seed motion and mixing are important in ensuring uniform coating. In the rotary batch seed coater, the base of a cylindrical vessel rotates, whilst the cylindrical wall is stationary and two baffles turn the bed over for mixing. In the present study, the Discrete Element Method (DEM) is used to simulate the effect of particle shape on motion and mixing in this device. Corn seed is used as a model material and the effect of its shape on motion is analysed by considering two approaches: (1) manipulation of rolling friction to account for shape as it is commonly used in the field; (2) approximation of the actual shape by a number of overlapping spheres of various sizes. The geometry of corn seeds is captured using X-ray microtomography and then the ASG2013 software (Cogency, South Africa) is used to generate and optimise the arrangement of the overlapping spheres. A comparison is made of the predicted tangential and radial velocity distributions of the particles from DEM and those measured experimentally. It is concluded that for rapid shearing systems with short collisional contacts a small number of clumped spheres suffice to provide a reasonable agreement with experimental results. Equally well, manipulating the rolling friction coefficient can provide results that match experiments but its most suitable value is unknown a priori, hence the approach is empirical rather than predictive

Decolorisation of reactive red 11 and 152 azo dyes under aerobic conditions

422-424A microorganism isolated from a textile-dyeing effluent disposal site was found to decolorise textile azo dyes viz. reactive red 11 and reactive red 152 (200 mg L-1) within 24 h of incubation at room temperature and neutral pH. Fast decolorisation (within 42 h) was observed with higher concentration of azo dyes (1000 mg L-1) and the decolorisation took place strictly under aerobic conditions. Thus, this microorganism seems to have potential for effective bioremediation of textile-dyeing industry effluents

Synthesis and antibacterial activities of new dibenzothiazepine derivatives

1196-1201A number of substituted dibenzo[b,f][1,4]thiazepines analogues carrying heterocyclic and aliphatic moiety attached to C-11 position have been synthesized and evaluated their antibacterial activities against gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Derivatives of imidazole, 2-methyl imidazole and pyrrolidine exhibit significant antibacterial activities

Public knowledge and attitudes towards bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in Ghana, West Africa.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Early bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is one of the most important predictors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) survival. There is a dearth of literature on CPR engagement in countries such as Ghana, where cardiovascular events are increasingly prevalent. In this study, we sought to evaluate Ghanaians\u27 knowledge of and attitudes towards bystander CPR, in the context of the country\u27s nascent emergency medicine network. METHODS:Capitalizing on the growing ubiquity and use of social media across the country, we used a novel social media sampling strategy for this study. We created, pre-tested, and distributed an online survey, using the two most utilized social media platforms in Ghana: WhatsApp and Facebook. An airtime data incentive of 5 US dollars, worth between 5 and 10 GB of cellular data based on mobile phone carrier, was provided as incentive. Inclusion criteria were (1) ≥ 18 years of age, (2) living in Ghana. Survey participants were encouraged to distribute the survey within their own networks to expand its reach. We stratified participants\u27 responses by healthcare affiliation, and further grouped healthcare workers into ambulance and non-ambulance personnel. We used chi-square (χ2)/Fisher\u27s Exact tests to compare differences in responses between the groups. Based on the question have you ever heard of CPR? , an alpha of 0.05 and a 95% confidence interval, we expected to have 80% power to detect a 15% difference in responses between lay and healthcare providers with an estimated sample size of 246 study participants. RESULTS:The survey was launched on 8 July 2019 and closed approximately 51 h post-launch. With a 64% completion rate and 479 unique survey completions, the study was overpowered at 96% power, to detect differences in responses between the groups. There was geographic representation across all 10 historic regions of Ghana. Over half (57.8%, n = 277) of the respondents were non-medically affiliated, and 71.9% were women. Healthcare workers were more aware of CPR than lay respondents (96.5% vs 68.1%; p \u3c 0.001). Eighty-five percent of respondents were aware that CPR involves chest compressions, and almost 70% indicated that mouth to mouth is a necessary component of CPR. Fewer than 10% were unwilling to administer CPR. Lack of skills (44.9%) and fear of causing harm (25.5%) were barriers noted by respondents for not administering CPR. Notably, a quarter of ambulance workers reported never having received CPR training. If they were to witness a collapse, 62.0% would call an ambulance, and 32.6% would hail a taxi. CONCLUSION:The majority of participants are willing to perform CPR. Contextualized training that emphasizes hands-only CPR and builds participants\u27 confidence may increase bystander willingness and engagement

High Performance CFD/DEM Approach in Complex Geometries on Unstructured Meshes

International audienc

High Performance CFD/DEM Approach in Complex Geometries on Unstructured Meshes

International audienc

Decolorization and biodegradation of azo dye, reactive blue 59 by aerobic granules

The present study deals with development of aerobic granules from textile wastewater sludge and challenged with different concentration of reactive blue 59 (RB59) to test their dye degradation potential. The granules efficiently degraded reactive blue 59 and also sustained higher dye loading of up to 5.0 g l−1. The significant induction of enzymes azoreductase and cytochrome P-450 indicated their prominent role in the dye degradation while genotoxicity studies demonstrated that the biotransformed product of the dye as non-toxic. The microbial community of the textile dyes degrading aerobic sludge granules analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE), revealed significantly diverse dye degrading microbial community belonging to alpha-, beta-, and gamma-proteobacteria