Theoretical and experimental study of the transport of granular materials by inclined vibratory conveyors

A theoretical and experimental study was made of the conveying speed with which granular materials are transported by vibratory conveyors. The basic assumption made is that the layer of granular material can be considered as a point mass. The theory incorporates rest, slide, and flight phases of the material. Although the emphasis of this study is on the effect of the inclination (and declination) of the conveyor on the conveying speed, the effects of throw number, friction coefficient and vibration angle on the conveying speed are also shown. A useful method is presented for measuring the coefficient of friction between granular material and vibratory conveyor. Experiments were performed in order to verify the point mass theory. The agreement between theory and experiment is fairly good for slide conveyors but for throw conveyors larger deviations are observed. Some possibilities for improvement to the theory are briefly investigated

The impact of brand and category characteristics on consumer stock-out reactions

We develop two models to test hypotheses on the specific impact ofbrand and category characteristics on consumer stock-out responses.Our empirical results show that both characteristics are importantdeterminants. Consumers are more product loyal in hedonic productgroups than in utilitarian product groups and consumers are more brandloyal to high equity brands than to low equity brands. Brand loyaltyis especially strong for high equity brands in hedonic product groups.Our study also confirms findings from prior research on OOS reactions.Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings of the studyare discussed.retailing;consumers;brand management;fast moving consumer goods;marketing-models

Communities of Change, Multi Stakeholder Processes, Lobby & Advocacy : More than 100 years of experience on HBC in Malawi & Zambia!

This training of four days focussed on two areas of capacity development of the home-based care (HBC) alliance in Malawi and Zambia: 1. Communities of Change (CoC) concept and practice linked to the Multi Stakeholder Process (MSP), and 2. Lobby & Advocacy (L&A). Since June 2010 Cordaid started together with the Centre of Development Innovation (CDI) a learning and development process on the Communities of Change concept and practice linked to the Multi Stakeholder Process with around 75 persons of her staff. In order to share and deepen the development of the COC & MSP concepts and practice further with the partners in the field, Cordaid organised this training. An effective working Alliance/CoC is a condition for effective lobby and advocacy. Therefore the CoC - MSP part of the training was directly linked to the part on lobby and advocacy. The lobby and advocacy trajectory had been started already three years ago with an initial training (also in Malawi) specifically on lobby and advocacy for home based care representatives of eight countries in Africa, amongst other Malawi and Zambia. The current training on lobby and advocacy is therefore also part of the follow up of that process

Smoking Behaviour of Cardiac Patients after Hospital Discharge: the Role of Craving, Motivational Factors and Anxiety

Het doel van dit onderzoek was het bestuderen van de invloed van hunkering, angst en motivationele factoren attitude, sociale invloed en eigen effectiviteit op (de intentie) tot stoppen met roken bij hartpatiënten. Daarnaast werd in deze studie de modererende invloed van angst op het verband tussen intentie tot stoppen met roken en het daadwerkelijk stoppen onderzocht. Tenslotte werd de samenhang tussen hunkering en angst en tussen hunkering en motivationele factoren bestudeerd

Complex Agent Networks explaining the HIV epidemic among homosexual men in Amsterdam

Simulating the evolution of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic requires a detailed description of the population network, especially for small populations in which individuals can be represented in detail and accuracy. In this paper, we introduce the concept of a Complex Agent Network(CAN) to model the HIV epidemics by combining agent-based modelling and complex networks, in which agents represent individuals that have sexual interactions. The applicability of CANs is demonstrated by constructing and executing a detailed HIV epidemic model for men who have sex with men (MSM) in Amsterdam, including a distinction between steady and casual relationships. We focus on MSM contacts because they play an important role in HIV epidemics and have been tracked in Amsterdam for a long time. Our experiments show good correspondence between the historical data of the Amsterdam cohort and the simulation results.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures, Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, added reference

High-temperature membrane reactor for catalytic gas-solid reactions

A mathematical model, based on the dusty-gas model extended with surface diffusion, is presented that describes mass transport owing to molecular diffusion and viscous flow, as well as an instantaneous reversible reaction inside a membrane reactor. The reactants are fed to opposite sides of the membrane, considering masstransfer resistances in the gas phase outside the membrane. The Claus reaction is chosen as a model reaction to study this membrane reactor. \ud The model is used to validate a previously presented simplified model. The simplified model predicts correct molar fluxes when it is very dilute and can therefore be considered a pseudo-binary system. Occurrence of a maximum or a minimum in the pressure profile inside the membrane, in the absence of an overall pressure difference over the membrane, depends not only on the stoichiometry of the reaction but on mobilities of the different species. \ud The Claus reaction is used to verify experimentally the transport model for a nonpermselective membrane reactor with a mean pore diameter of 350 nm. At 493 K and 542 K, molar fluxes experimentally determined are 10 to 20% lower than those predicted by the transport model. Conversions measured at pressures of 220 kPa and 500 kPa demonstrate that surface diffusion occurs as a transport mechanism despite the large pore diameter of the membrane. In the presence of a pressure difference over the membrane, there is a reasonable agreement between experimentally determined molar fluxes and those calculated by the transport model

Slope Instability of the Earthen Levee in Boston, UK: Numerical Simulation and Sensor Data Analysis

The paper presents a slope stability analysis for a heterogeneous earthen levee in Boston, UK, which is prone to occasional slope failures under tidal loads. Dynamic behavior of the levee under tidal fluctuations was simulated using a finite element model of variably saturated linear elastic perfectly plastic soil. Hydraulic conductivities of the soil strata have been calibrated according to piezometers readings, in order to obtain correct range of hydraulic loads in tidal mode. Finite element simulation was complemented with series of limit equilibrium analyses. Stability analyses have shown that slope failure occurs with the development of a circular slip surface located in the soft clay layer. Both models (FEM and LEM) confirm that the least stable hydraulic condition is the combination of the minimum river levels at low tide with the maximal saturation of soil layers. FEM results indicate that in winter time the levee is almost at its limit state, at the margin of safety (strength reduction factor values are 1.03 and 1.04 for the low-tide and high-tide phases, respectively); these results agree with real-life observations. The stability analyses have been implemented as real-time components integrated into the UrbanFlood early warning system for flood protection