Study of hydrodynamic behaviour in a conical fluidized bed dryer using pressure fluctuation analysis and X-ray densitometry

Fluidized bed dryers (FBDs) are used in the pharmaceutical industry to remove excess moisture from granule prior to tablet formation. As granule moisture content is reduced from its initial to final state, the velocity required to fully fluidize the granule decreases and the bed voidage decreases. The change in these fluidization properties are attributed to the decrease in the interparticle force load created by a reduction in liquid bridging as moisture is removed. During constant velocity drying, these fluidization properties result in a bubbling fluidization state, which evolves into a bubble coalescing regime as drying proceeds. This behaviour was identifiable using pressure fluctuation time-series analysis techniques. Distributor design studies using dry and wet granule in a conical fluidized bed suggest that the punched plate design limits bubble coalescence when compared to the perforated plate and Dutch weave mesh designs. Furthermore, the Dutch weave results in extensive segregation, which is undesirable from a fluidization perspective. Local drying hydrodynamic measurements using x-ray densitometry found that the punched and perforated plates generate a centralized bubbling core region during drying with a defluidized bed periphery. This fluidized core region grows as drying proceeds until the defluidized region disappears. Under the same operating conditions, a porous plate distributor creates extensive channelling and defluidization across the entire bed cross-section during the constant rate period of drying. These poor fluidization characteristics are a result of the porous plate introducing the gas into the bed as a fine dispersion. Lastly, the hydrodynamics associated with the conical vessel geometry improves the circulation and mixing patterns in fluidized bed dryers. This is especially the case in the entry region of the conical bed where the high inlet gas velocity prevents defluidization around the periphery of the bed. The straight walled geometry of the cylindrical bed resulted in defluidization in this area. As a result, the hydrodynamics associated with bubbling differ significantly between the geometries over the course of drying

Job satisfaction in rural and remote nursing : comparison of registered nurses in nurse practitioner vs. non-nurse practitioner roles

In Canada, the nursing shortage and high turnover rate of nurses are expected to worsen over the next ten years, making the recruitment and retention of nurses a priority for health care. Previous research has indicated that job satisfaction influences the recruitment and retention of nurses. Most of the research on job satisfaction, thus far, has focused on nurses practicing in urban, acute-care settings. There has been little research on job satisfaction of nurses practicing in rural and remote settings in Canada, and even less on nurses practicing in advanced nursing practice (ANP) roles, specifically nurse practitioner (NP) roles. A secondary analysis of data from the national survey The Nature of Nursing Practice in Rural and Remote Canada was conducted with a group of 327 RNs practicing in NP roles and 1,151 RNs practicing in non-NP roles. The objectives of the present study were to describe similarities and differences between RNs in NP versus non-NP practice roles in rural and remote settings in Canada in relation to: (1) demographic profile, (2) job satisfaction, and (3) community satisfaction. The final objective of the study was to explore what the most important work-related attributes for RNs whose practice roles were categorized as NP. A modified version of Stamp’s (1997) Index of Work Satisfaction (IWS) was used to measure job satisfaction and the Community Satisfaction Scale (Henderson-Betkus & MacLeod, 2003) was used to operationalize community satisfaction. The study found that the reported overall level of job satisfaction was higher for RNs practicing in NP roles versus non-NP roles. Further findings suggested that the reported level of intrinsic job satisfaction factors was higher for RNs practicing in NP roles versus non-NP roles. The themes that were identified during the content analysis of NPs’ responses to the open-ended survey question related to the most important work-related attributes included: the nature of advanced nursing practice in rural and remote areas, work life, personal and professional development, practice philosophy, and the community. The findings of the present study provide useful information for health care administrators and policy makers on factors associated with job satisfaction of nurses practicing in NP and non-NP roles in rural and remote settings in Canada

The Influence of Distributor Design on Fluidized Bed Dryer Hydrodynamics

The influence of perforated plate, punched plate and Dutch weave mesh distributor designs on fluidized bed dryer hydrodynamics was studied for a range of bed loadings and superficial gas velocities. The punched plate performs better than the other designs at a gas velocity of 1.5 m/s and bed loadings greater than 1.0 kg

Estudo de viabilidade econômico-financeira de uma clínica de fisioterapia em Curitiba/PR

Orientador: Luis Alberto EstevesMonografia (Especialização) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas, Curso de Especialização em Projetos Empresariais Públicos e PrivadosResumo: Este estudo possui o objetivo de analisar a viabilidade econômico-financeira da instalação de uma clínica de fisioterapia na região de Curitiba. O projeto foi estruturado para que o leitor possa acompanhar a lógica desenvolvida no trabalho e para que os resultados sejam facilmente assimilados. Os primeiros quatro capítulos analisam o mercado de fisioterapia sob diversos pontos (aspectos gerais do mercado, mercado de insumos e mão-de-obra). O quarto capítulo analisa a localização do projeto. Os capítulos subseqüentes destacam o estudo de viabilidade financeira do projeto em seus diversos aspectos tais como investimento fixo, necessidade de insumos, financiamento, estimativa de custos e receitas, finalizando com a capacidade de pagamento do projeto. O capítulo nove apresenta uma análise de risco do projeto através do método Monte Carl

Moving Towards the Local: The Barriers and Opportunities for Localizing Food Systems in Canada

Increasing globalization of the food system has led to a loss of food sovereignty and security in communities throughout the world. This globalized system has adopted industrial techniques of standardization and specialization as the solution to producing an abundant cheap food supply. Over time this system has become concentrated in the hands of a few transnational corporations that increasingly control every step of production from farm inputs, to distributing and processing. As a result, we have experienced the emergence of a counter movement to the corporate controlled and globally sourced dominant food system we have today. The rise of local food systems in industrialized countries developed to help solve the issues created by the current food system. This study provides insight into the barriers and opportunities to the development of local food systems, as well as the universality of these barriers. To achieve this, a multi-case study was conducted in Nelson, British Columbia; Lethbridge, Alberta; and Waterloo, Ontario. In each of these locations information was consolidated from food 'experts' or key informants, consumers, farmers, and supermarket owners/managers. Research methods included semi-structured interviews, a consumer survey, interpretation of government documents, and study site observation. Results from this study add to the empirical work on local food systems in Canada and offer a multi-stakeholder perspective of the barriers and opportunities to localization efforts. Findings suggest that the barriers to the development of local food systems are largely universal and are supportive of other empirical and theoretical works. Barriers included issues such as federal agricultural policy, health and safety regulations, consolidation of food retailing, and a demand for cheap food. The opportunities for a local food system, although more diverse and different between regions, can all for the most part be universally applied. While many opportunities exist for municipalities to enhance local food in their region, barriers created by government and industry will ultimately limit any notable movement toward a more localized food system without more significant policy changes from above. This study supports the idea that local food systems will require government assistance in order for changes from the grassroots to make significant strides in becoming less dependent on food imports

Alimentos de rua em Florianóplis: perfil do manipulador e características dos alimentos comercializados

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências da Saúde. Programa de Pós-Graduação em NutriçãoO comércio informal de alimentos de rua desempenha papel importante em muitos países, destacando-se como fonte de emprego e de variedade de alimentos convenientes e acessíveis para as pessoas. Por outro lado, apresenta aspectos que podem comprometer a segurança dos alimentos comercializados. Apesar da importância dos alimentos de rua há poucos estudos na maioria dos municípios brasileiros, inclusive em Florianópolis, onde o estudo foi realizado. O objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar o perfil do manipulador de alimentos de rua e os alimentos comercializados na região central da cidade de Florianópolis-SC. Realizou-se um estudo exploratório, descritivo, de natureza quali-quantitativa, com todos os vendedores de alimentos de rua cadastrados na lista da prefeitura local, que operavam em pontos de venda estacionários. Foram coletadas informações sobre as características sociodemográficas, gerais, do ponto de venda e as práticas de higiene do vendedor por meio de observação e de um roteiro de entrevista estruturado, pré-testado, entre novembro e dezembro de 2011. Dentre os 50 participantes do estudo, 60% eram do sexo masculino, a maior parte era casada e tinha idade entre 40 e 59 anos. Predominaram vendedores sem ensino formal ou fundamental incompleto e com estimativa de venda em reais de até dois salários mínimos. A partir dos dados sobre a atividade laboral, verificou-se que os pontos de vendas eram operados, em sua maioria, por um vendedor e que 90% não tinham outra fonte de renda. O interesse e a dificuldade em encontrar outro emprego foram os principais motivos que levaram os vendedores a trabalharem com a atividade. Dentre os vendedores, 46% nunca haviam realizado o curso para manipulação de alimentos e 28% não tinham o atestado de saúde. Com relação às práticas de higiene, foi observado que 86% dos vendedores usavam jaleco e o mantinham limpo. A maioria protegia parcialmente os cabelos com touca ou boné e quase ¾ usavam adornos. Dentre os 15 tabagistas deste estudo, 20% informaram fumar durante o preparo dos alimentos. Observou-se que quase todos manipulavam o dinheiro e o alimento, sem higienizar as mãos. Com base nas informações sobre o tipo de alimento comercializado, verificou-se que 30% dos participantes vendiam pipoca preparada no ponto de venda; 28%, doces e salgadinhos industrializados; 20%, cachorro-quente e churrasquinho; 22%, alimentos preparados com antecedência ou pré-preparados e finalizados no ponto de venda. O percentual de vendedores que tinha o curso para manipulação de alimentos foi maior para os de alimentos preparados antecipadamente ou pré-preparados e finalizados no ponto de venda, do que os de industrializados. A partir deste estudo, verificou-se que o comércio de alimentos de rua representa para muitos vendedores sua única fonte de renda e, que a maioria dos pontos de venda é operada por apenas um vendedor, que não movimenta a economia. Por meio dos vendedores, as pessoas que transitam pelo centro da cidade e os comerciantes têm disponíveis alimentos prontos e regionais, como o pinhão. Embora uma exigência legal, verificou-se que quase metade dos vendedores nunca havia feito o curso para manipulação de alimentos e 28% não tinham o atestado de saúde. Entre as práticas de higiene inadequadas observadas neste estudo destacam-se: manuseio de dinheiro e alimento sem higienizar as mãos; fumar durante o preparo dos alimentos; proteção parcial dos cabelos e uso de adornos. Constata-se a necessidade de repensar os treinamentos ofertados, a fim de que sejam efetivos para que os vendedores cumpram as normas básicas de higiene. Aos órgãos competentes cabe verificar a razão pela qual as exigências dispostas na lei não estão sendo cumpridas e o vendedor continua tendo seu alvará de licença renovado. Ainda, tornar mais eficientes as maneiras de verificar as razões pelas quais tais exigências e as boas práticas de higiene não estão sendo seguidas. Por fim, formular normas específicas para a venda de alimentos de rua e proporcionar infraestrutura básica e adequada ao vendedor.The informal trade of street food plays an important role in many countries, especially as a source of employment and of convenient and affordable food for people. On the other hand, it has aspects that may compromise food safety. Despite the importance of street food, there are few studies in most Brazilian cities, including Florianópolis, where this research was conducted. The aim of this study was to characterize the street food vendor profile and the food marketed in the central region of the city of Florianópolis-SC. An exploratory, descriptive, qualitative and quantitative study was held with all street food vendors registered with the local government, which operated in stationary points of sale. Information regarding general and sociodemographic characteristics, as well as good manipulation practices of the stationary vendors was collected through a pre-tested and well structured interview questionnaire, between November and December 2011. Among the 50 participants of the study, 60% were male; most were married and aged between 49 and 50 years. Their level of education was predominantly low and their average monthly income was between one and two minimum wages. The data collected about labour activity showed that the semi-permanent stationary vending stalls were mostly operated by a single seller and that 90% of them had no other source of income. The interest and the difficulty in finding another job were the main reasons that led vendors to work on this activity. Among the sellers, 46% had not received training in food handling and 72% had a health certificate. In relation to hygienic handling of street-vended foods, it was observed that 86% of the sellers wore a uniform or overall, changed daily and kept clean. More than half of the sellers partially covered their hair with a hair cap and approximately ¾ wore jewelry. Among the 15 sellers who were smokers, 20% informed smoking during food preparation. It was observed that almost all sellers handled money and food without cleaning their hands. Based on information about the type of food marketed, it was found that 30% of the participants sold prepared popcorn at the point of sale; 28% sold industrialized snacks and sweets and 20%, hot dog and barbecue; 22% sold food previously prepared or pre-prepared and finalized on the point of sale. The percentage of sellers that had taken the food handling course was higher for sellers of previously prepared or finalized food on the point of sale (cocada, pamonha, bonbon and churros), than those of industrialized snacks and sweets. From this study, it would appear that the street food trade represents, for many sellers, a source of employment and the only source of income. It was also observed that most of the points of sale were operated by only one seller that does not move the economy. Through the work of these street food vendors, people going through the city center, as well as traders, have available local and ready-to-eat foods, like the pine nut. Although a legal obligation, it was observed that almost half of the sellers had never had course of food handling and 28% had no health certificate. Among the inadequate hygienic practices observed in this study the following outstand: the handling of money and food without cleaning hands, smoking during food preparation, partial protection of the hair and use of jewelry. There is a need to rethink the trainings offered in order to be more effective and have the sellers following the basic rules of hygiene. With regards to regulatory organizations, it is their responsibility to verify why obligations existing in the law are not being followed and sellers continue to have permits renewed. Nevertheless, it is necessary to find more efficient ways to verify the reasons why these obligations and good handling practices are not being followed. Finally, it is necessary to formulate specific rules for the street food segment and provide some basic and adequate infrastructure to vendor

Coating quality as affected by core particle segregation in fluidized bed processing

[EN] Fluidized bed coating is an important technique in the food powder industry, where often particles of a wide size distribution are dealt with. In this paper, glass beads of different particle size distribution were coated with sodium caseinate in a top-spray fluid bed unit. Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) was used to visualize and quantify the particle motion in the fluidized bed. Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy combined with image analysis were used to investigate the effect of core particle size and its distribution on the thickness and quality of the coating. Particle size significantly affected the thickness and quality of the coating, due to differences in the corresponding fluidization patterns, as corroborated by PEPT observations. As the particle size distribution becomes narrower, segregation is less likely to occur. This results in a thicker coating which is, however, less uniform compared to when cores of a wider particle size distribution are spray coated. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The authors wish to thank the financial support received from the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders (Belgium) (F.W.O.-Vlaanderen), as well as from the Programa de Apoyo a la Investigacion y Desarrollo from the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Atarés Huerta, LM.; Depypere, F.; Pieters, J.; Dewettinck, K. (2012). Coating quality as affected by core particle segregation in fluidized bed processing. Journal of Food Engineering. 113(3):415-421. doi:10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2012.06.012S415421113

Design Impact on Airflow Patterns in Fluidization Units

The airflow behavior in a fluidization unit was integrally studied by means of experimental work and computational fluid dynamics simulation. The computational domain included the gas inlet pipe, plenum, perforated plate, fluidization chamber, and air outlet pipe. Different scenarios were simulated to allow distinguishing the best way to represent perforated-plate distributors and elucidate the impact of the grid design on the fluidization performance. The simulated pressure drop across the distributor and the plenum flow pattern were in concordance with the experimental data. It was found that the distance between the peripheral holes and walls has a great impact on the airflow downstream the distributor.Fil: Renaudo, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Bertin, Diego Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Bucala, Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentin

Incidence of Influenza in Healthy Adults and Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Working in healthcare is often considered a risk factor for influenza; however, this risk has not been quantified. We aimed to systematically review evidence describing the annual incidence of influenza among healthy adults and healthcare workers (HCWs). METHODS AND FINDINGS: We searched OVID MEDLINE (1950 to 2010), EMBASE (1947 to 2010) and reference lists of identified articles. Observational studies or randomized trials reporting full season or annual influenza infection rates for healthy, working age adult subjects and HCWs were included. Influenza infection was defined as a four-fold rise in antibody titer, or positive viral culture or polymerase chain reaction. From 24,707 citations, 29 studies covering 97 influenza seasons with 58,245 study participants were included. Pooled influenza incidence rates (IR) (95% confidence intervals (CI)) per 100 HCWs per season and corresponding incidence rate ratios (IRR) (95% CI) as compared to healthy adults were as follows. All infections: IR 18.7 (95% CI, 15.8 to 22.1), IRR 3.4 (95% CI, 1.2 to 5.7) in unvaccinated HCWs; IR 6.5 (95% CI, 4.6 to 9.1), IRR 5.4 (95% CI, 2.8 to 8.0) in vaccinated HCWs. Symptomatic infections: IR 7.5 (95% CI, 4.9 to 11.7), IRR 1.5 (95% CI, 0.4 to 2.5) in unvaccinated HCWs, IR 4.8 (95% CI, 3.2 to 7.2), IRR 1.6 (95% CI, 0.5 to 2.7) in vaccinated HCWs. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to adults working in non-healthcare settings, HCWs are at significantly higher risk of influenza

The everchanging epidemiology of meningococcal disease worldwide and the potential for prevention through vaccination.

Neisseria meningitidis is a major cause of bacterial meningitis and septicaemia worldwide and is associated with high case fatality rates and serious life-long complications among survivors. Twelve serogroups are recognised, of which six (A, B, C, W, X and Y) are responsible for nearly all cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). The incidence of IMD and responsible serogroups vary widely both geographically and over time. For the first time, effective vaccines against all these serogroups are available or nearing licensure. Over the past two decades, IMD incidence has been declining across most parts of the world through a combination of successful meningococcal immunisation programmes and secular trends. The introduction of meningococcal C conjugate vaccines in the early 2000s was associated with rapid declines in meningococcal C disease, whilst implementation of a meningococcal A conjugate vaccine across the African meningitis belt led to near-elimination of meningococcal A disease. Consequently, other serogroups have become more important causes of IMD. In particular, the emergence of a hypervirulent meningococcal group W clone has led many countries to shift from monovalent meningococcal C to quadrivalent ACWY conjugate vaccines in their national immunisation programmes. Additionally, the recent licensure of two protein-based, broad-spectrum meningococcal B vaccines finally provides protection against the most common group responsible for childhood IMD across Europe and Australia. This review describes global IMD epidemiology across each continent and trends over time, the serogroups responsible for IMD, the impact of meningococcal immunisation programmes and future needs to eliminate this devastating disease