Evaluation of Hammermill Tip Speed, Air Assist and Screen Hole Diameter on Ground Corn Characteristics

This study was performed to evaluate hammermill tip speed, assistive airflow, and screen hole diameter on hammermill throughput and characteristics of ground corn. Corn was ground using two Andritz hammermills measuring 1 m in diameter each equipped with 72 hammers and 300 HP motors. Treatments were arranged in a 3 × 3 × 3 factorial design with three tip speeds (3774, 4975, and 6176 m/min), three screen hole diameters (2.3, 3.9, and 6.3 mm), and three air flow rates (1062, 1416, and 1770 fan revolutions per minute). Corn was ground on three separate days to create three replications and treatments were randomized within day. Samples were collected and analyzed for moisture, particle size, and flowability characteristics. There was a 3-way interaction (p = 0.029) for standard deviation (Sgw). There was a screen hole diameter × hammer tip speed interaction (p < 0.001) for geometric mean particle size dgw (p < 0.001) and composite flow index (CFI) (p < 0.001). When tip speed increased from 3774 to 6176 m/min, the rate of decrease in dgw was greater as screen hole diameter increased from 2.3 to 6.3 mm. For CFI, increasing tip speed decreased the CFI of ground corn when ground using the 3.9 and 6.3 mm screen. However, when grinding corn using the 2.3 mm screen, there was no evidence of difference in CFI when increasing tip speed. In conclusion, the air flow rate did not influence dgw of corn, but hammer tip speed and screen size were altered and achieved a range of dgw from 304 to 617 µm.

Systematic Review of Wastewater Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance in Human Populations

We systematically reviewed studies using wastewater for AMR surveillance in human populations, to determine: (i) the strength of the evidence for a wastewater-human AMR association, and (ii) methodological approaches which optimised identifying such an association, and which could be recommended as standard. We used Lin&rsquo;s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) to quantify agreement between AMR prevalence in wastewater and human compartments, and logistic regression to identify study features (e.g. sampling methods) associated with high-agreement (defined as wastewater-human AMR prevalences within &plusmn;10%). Of 8,867 records and 232 full-text methods reviewed, 29 studies were included. AMR prevalence data was extractable from 20 studies conducting phenotypic-only (n=11), genotypic-only (n=1) or combined (n=8) AMR detection. Overall wastewater-human AMR concordance was reasonably high for both phenotypic (CCC=0.81 [95% CI 0.74-0.87]) and genotypic comparisons (CCC=0.88 (95% CI 0.85-0.91)) despite diverse species-phenotypes/genotypes and study design. Logistic regression was limited by inconsistent reporting of study features, and limited sample size; no significant relationships between study features and high wastewater-human AMR agreement were identified. Based on descriptive synthesis, composite/flow-proportional sampling of wastewater influent, longitudinal sampling &gt;12 months, and time/location-matched comparisons generally had higher-agreement. Further research and clear and consistent reporting of study methods is required to confirm optimal practice.

149 Evaluation of Hammermill Tip Speed, Air Assist, and Screen Hole Diameter on Ground Corn Characteristics

This study was performed to evaluate hammermill tip speed, assistive airflow and screen hole diameter on hammermill throughput and characteristics of ground corn. Corn was ground using two Andritz hammermills (Model: 4330–6, Andritz Feed & Biofuel, Muncy,PA) measuring 1-m in diameter each equipped with 72 hammers and 300 HP motors. Treatments were arranged in a 3 × 3 × 3 factorial design with 3 tip speeds (3,774, 4,975, and 6,176 m/min), 3 screen hole diameters (2.3, 3.9 and 6.3 mm), and 3 air flow rates (1,062, 1,416, and 1,770 fan RPM). Corn was ground on 3 separate days to create 3 replications and treatments were randomized within day. Samples were collected and analyzed for moisture, particle size, and flowability characteristics. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS 9.4 with grinding run serving as the experimental unit and day serving as the block. There was a 3-way interaction for standard deviation (Sgw), (linear screen hole diameter × linear hammer tip speed × linear air flow, P = 0.029). There was a screen hole diameter × hammer tip speed interaction (P &lt; 0.001) for geometric mean particle size dgw (P &lt; 0.001) and composite flow index (CFI) (P &lt; 0.001). When tip speed increased from 3,774 to 6,176 m/min the rate of decrease in dgw was greater as screen hole diameter increased from 2.3 to 6.3 mm resulting in a 67, 111, and 254 µm decrease in dgw for corn ground using the 2.3, 3.9, and 6.3 mm screen hole diameter, respectively. For CFI, increasing tip speed decreased the CFI of ground corn when ground using the 3.9 and 6.3 mm screen. However, when grinding corn using the 2.3 mm screen, there was no evidence of difference in CFI when increasing tip speed. In conclusion, the air flow rate did not influence dgw of corn but hammer tip speed and screen size were altered and achieved a range of dgw from 304 to 617 µm.

Using a composite flow law to model deformation in the NEEM deep ice core, Greenland – Part 2: The role of grain size and premelting on ice deformation at high homologous temperature

The ice microstructure in the lower part of the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (NEEM) ice core consists of relatively fine-grained ice with a single maximum crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) alternated by much coarser-grained ice with a partial (great circle) girdle or multi-maxima CPO. In this study, the grain-size-sensitive (GSS) composite flow law of Goldsby and Kohlstedt (2001) was used to study the effects of grain size and premelting (liquid-like layer along the grain boundaries) on strain rate in the lower part of the NEEM ice core. The results show that the strain rates predicted in the fine-grained layers are about an order of magnitude higher than in the much coarser-grained layers. The dominant deformation mechanisms, based on the flow relation of Goldsby and Kohlstedt (2001), between the layers is also different, with basal slip rate limited by grain boundary sliding (GBS-limited creep) being the dominant deformation mechanism in the finer-grained layers, while GBS-limited creep and dislocation creep (basal slip rate limited by non-basal slip) contribute both roughly equally to bulk strain in the coarse-grained layers. Due to the large difference in microstructure between finer-grained ice and the coarse-grained ice at premelting temperatures (T>262 K), it is expected that the fine-grained layers deform at high strain rates, while the coarse-grained layers are relatively stagnant. The difference in microstructure, and consequently in viscosity, between impurity-rich and low-impurity ice can have important consequences for ice dynamics close to the bedrock.

Using a composite flow law to model deformation in the NEEM deep ice core, Greenland – Part 1: The role of grain size and grain size distribution on deformation of the upper 2207 m

The effect of grain size on strain rate of ice in the upper 2207 m in the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (NEEM) deep ice core was investigated using a rheological model based on the composite flow law of Goldsby and Kohlstedt (1997, 2001). The grain size was described by both a mean grain size and a grain size distribution, which allowed the strain rate to be calculated using two different model end-members: (i) the microscale constant stress model where each grain deforms by the same stress and (ii) the microscale constant strain rate model where each grain deforms by the same strain rate. The model results predict that grain-size-sensitive flow produces almost all of the deformation in the upper 2207 m of the NEEM ice core, while dislocation creep hardly contributes to deformation. The difference in calculated strain rate between the two model end-members is relatively small. The predicted strain rate in the fine-grained Glacial ice (that is, ice deposited during the last Glacial maximum at depths of 1419 to 2207 m) varies strongly within this depth range and, furthermore, is about 4–5 times higher than in the coarser-grained Holocene ice (0–1419 m). Two peaks in strain rate are predicted at about 1980 and 2100 m depth. The prediction that grain-size-sensitive creep is the fastest process is inconsistent with the microstructures in the Holocene age ice, indicating that the rate of dislocation creep is underestimated in the model. The occurrence of recrystallization processes in the polar ice that did not occur in the experiments may account for this discrepancy. The prediction of the composite flow law model is consistent with microstructures in the Glacial ice, suggesting that fine-grained layers in the Glacial ice may act as internal preferential sliding zones in the Greenland ice sheet.