Experimental investigation of flow and segregation behaviour of bulk solids in silos under high gravity conditions

Many researchers have investigated the flow and segregation behaviour in model scale experimental silos at normal gravity conditions. However it is known that the stresses experienced by the bulk solid in industrial silos are high when compared to model silos. Therefore it is important to understand the effect of stress level on flow and segregation behaviour and establish the scaling laws governing this behaviour. The objective of this paper is to understand the effect of gravity on the flow and segregation behaviour of bulk solids in a silo centrifuge model. The materials used were two mixtures composed of Polyamide and glass beads. The discharge of two bi-disperse bulk solids in a silo centrifuge model were recorded under accelerations ranging from 1g to 15g. The velocity distribution during discharge was evaluated using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) techniques and the concentration distribution of large and small particles were obtained by imaging processing techniques. The flow and segregation behaviour at high gravities were then quantified and compared with the empirical equations available in the literature.

An analytical solution for solid stresses in a silo with an inner tube

This paper presents an analytical solution for the solid stresses in a silo with an internal tube. The research was conducted to support the design of a group of full scale silos with large inner concrete tubes. The silos were blasted and formed out of solid rock underground for storing iron ore pellets. Each of these silos is 40m in diameter and has a 10m diameter concrete tube with five levels of openings constructed at the centre of each rock silo. A large scale model was constructed to investigate the stress regime for the stored pellets and to evaluate the solids flow pattern and the loading on the concrete tube. This paper focuses on the development of an analytical solution for stresses in the iron ore pellets in the silo and the effect of the central tube on the stress regimes. The solution is verified using finite element analysis before being applied to analyse stresses in the solid in the full scale silo and the effect of the size of the tube.

Medication Reconciliation at Discharge from Hospital: A Systematic Review of the Quantitative Literature

Medicines reconciliation is a way to identify and act on discrepancies in patients’ medical histories and it is found to play a key role in patient safety. This review focuses on discrepancies and medical errors that occurred at point of discharge from hospital. Studies were identified through the following electronic databases: PubMed, Sciences Direct, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Cochrane Reviews and CINAHL. Each of the six databases was screened from inception to end of January 2014. To determine eligibility of the studies; the title, abstract and full manuscript were screened to find 15 articles that meet the inclusion criteria. The median number of discrepancies across the articles was found to be 60%. In average patient had between 1.2–5.3 discrepancies when leaving the hospital. More studies also found a relation between the numbers of drugs a patient was on and the number of discrepancies. The variation in the number of discrepancies found in the 15 studies could be due to the fact that some studies excluded patient taking more than 5 drugs at admission. Medication reconciliation would be a way to avoid the high number of discrepancies that was found in this literature review and thereby increase patient safety.

Physical rehabilitation interventions for adult intensive care patients across the continuum of recovery (i.e. within the intensive care unit (ICU) and following ICU and hospital discharge): an overview of systematic reviews

Background
Patients admitted to the intensive care unit with critical illness often experience significant physical impairments, which typically persist for many years following resolution of the original illness. Physical rehabilitation interventions that enhance restoration of physical function have been evaluated across the continuum of recovery following critical illness including within the intensive care unit, following discharge to the ward and beyond hospital discharge. Multiple systematic reviews have been published appraising the expanding evidence investigating these physical rehabilitation interventions, although there appears to be variability in review methodology and quality. We aim to conduct an overview of existing systematic reviews of physical rehabilitation interventions for adult intensive care patients across the continuum of recovery.

Methods/design
This protocol has been developed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocol (PRISMA-P) guidelines. We will search the Cochrane Systematic Review Database, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Excerpta Medica Database and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases. We will include systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials of adult patients, admitted to the intensive care unit and who have received physical rehabilitation interventions at any time point during their recovery. Data extraction will include systematic review aims and rationale, study types, populations, interventions, comparators, outcomes and quality appraisal method. Primary outcomes of interest will focus on findings reflecting recovery of physical function. Quality of reporting and methodological quality will be appraised using the PRISMA checklist and the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews tool.

Discussion
We anticipate the findings from this novel overview of systematic reviews will contribute to the synthesis and interpretation of existing evidence regarding physical rehabilitation interventions and physical recovery in post-critical illness patients across the continuum of recovery.

Comparative Raman Study of Carbon Nanotubes Prepared by D.C. Arc Discharge and Catalytic Methods

The Raman spectra of carbon nanotubes prepared by catalytic (C-CNT) and d.c. arc discharge (D-CNT) methods are reported. A previously unnoticed third-order Raman peak at ca. 4248 cm-1 was observed in the Raman spectrum of D-CNT. The Raman features of D-CNT and C-CNT are similar to those of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and active carbon, respectively. The data also suggest that the increase in disorder in D-CNT compared with HOPG is due to structural defects in D-CNT. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.