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Reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) is successfully performed in water in the presence of a poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) macromolecular chain transfer agent (macroCTA) leading to the formation of self‐stabilized PMAA‐b‐PMMA amphiphilic block copolymer particles. At pH 3.7, the reactions are well‐controlled with narrow molar mass distributions. Increasing the initial pH, particularly above 5.6, results in a partial loss of reactivity of the PMAA macroCTA. The effect of the degree of polymerization (DPn) of the PMMA block, the solids content, the nature of the hydrophobic segment, and the pH on the morphology of the obtained diblock copolymer particles is then investigated. Worm‐like micelles are formed for a DPn of PMMA of 20 (PMMA20), while "onion‐like" particles and spherical vesicles are obtained for PMMA30 and PMMA50, respectively. In contrast, spherical particles are obtained for the DPns higher than 150. This unusual evolution of particle morphologies upon increasing the DPn of the PMMA block seems to be related to hydrogen bonds between hydrophilic MAA and hydrophobic MMA units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Localized chemotherapy is emerging as a potential strategy for cancer treatment due to its low systemic toxicity. However, the immune evasion of tumor cells and the lack of an intelligent design of the delivery system limit its clinical application. Herein, photothermal responsive microcarriers are designed by microfluidic electrospray for colorectal tumor treatment. The microcarriers loaded with Cangrelor, 5‐FU and MXene (G‐M@F/C+NIR) show sustained delivery of antiplatelet drug Cangrelor, thus inhibiting the activity of platelets, interactions of platelet‐tumor cell, as well as the tumor cells invasion and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT). In addition, the sustained delivery of chemotherapeutics 5‐FU and the photothermal effect provided by MXene enable the microcarriers to inhibit tumor cells proliferation and migration. In vivo studies validate that the G‐M@F/C+NIR microcarriers significantly inhibites tumor growth, decreased the expression of Ki‐67 in tumor cells and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the tumor microenvironment, while increased the expression of E‐cadherin. It is believe that by means of the proposed photothermal responsive microcarriers, the synergistic strategy of platelet inhibition, chemotherapy, and photothermal therapy can find practical applications in cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The USEPA issued the "Framework for Metal Risk Assessment" in 2007, recognizing that human and environmental exposure to metals and metalloids (MMEs) poses challenges risk assessment. Inhalation of aerosols containing MMEs is a primary pathway for exposure in the occupational setting, for consumer exposure, and to general population exposure associated with point‐source emissions or ambient sources. The impacts of inhalation can be at the point of deposition (local exposure) or may manifest after uptake into the body (systemic exposure). Both local and systemic exposure can vary with factors that determine the regional deposition of MME‐containing aerosols. Aerosol characteristics such as particle size combine with species‐specific characteristics of airway morphology and lung function to modulate the deposition and clearance of MME particulates. In contrast to oral exposure, often monitored by measuring MME levels in blood or urine, inhalation exposure can produce local pulmonary impacts in the absence of significant systemic distribution. Exposure assessment for nutritionally essential MMEs can be further complicated by homeostatic controls that regulate systemic MME levels. Predictions of local exposure can be facilitated by computer models that estimate regional patterns of aerosol deposition, permitting calculation of exposure intensity in different regions of the respiratory tract. The utility of deposition modeling has been demonstrated in assessments of nutritionally essential MMEs regulated by homeostatic controls and in the comparison of results from inhalation studies in experimental animals. This facilitates extrapolation from animal data to humans and comparisons of exposures possessing mechanistic linkages to pulmonary toxicity and carcinogenesis. Pulmonary deposition models have significantly advanced and have been applied by USEPA in evaluations of particulate matter. However, regional deposition modeling has yet to be incorporated into the general guidance offered by the agency for evaluating inhalation exposure. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:952–964. © 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). Key Points: The USEPA is urged to promote the application of models for regional deposition in assessing impacts of inhalation exposure to metal and metalloid particulate matter.The local and systemic impacts of inhaled metals and metalloids are determined by patterns of regional deposition in the respiratory tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mist chemical vapor deposition (mist‐CVD) is expected to be a potentially low‐environment‐impact and low‐cost crystal growth technique. With mist‐CVD, soluble materials are usually selected as raw materials, and mist is usually generated from an aqueous solution including raw materials. However, any substances to be included in the mist can be potentially supplied as raw materials. Namely, there is no need for the substances to be dissolved in some solvent. Therefore, as a trial, it is demonstrated that mist including poorly soluble particles are used as raw materials for mist‐CVD crystal growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanomaterials are unique with excellent functionality and diverse structures. However, agglomerated structures are commonly formed because of small‐size effects and surface effects. Their hierarchical assembly into micro particles enables carbon nanomaterials to break the boundaries of classical Geldart particle classification before stable fluidization under gas‐solid interactions. Currently, there are few systematic reports regarding the structural evolution and fluidization mechanism of carbon nano agglomerations. Based on existing research on carbon nanomaterials, this article reviews the fluidized structure control and fluidization principles of prototypical carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as well as their nanocomposites. The controlled agglomerate fluidization technology leads to the successful mass production of agglomerated and aligned CNTs. In addition, the self‐similar agglomeration of individual ultralong CNTs and nanocomposites with silicon as model systems further exemplify the important role of surface structure and particle‐fluid interactions. These emerging nano agglomerations have endowed classical fluidization technology with more innovations in advanced applications like energy storage, biomedical, and electronics. This review aims to provide insights into the connections between fluidization and carbon nanomaterials by highlighting their hierarchical structural evolution and the principle of agglomerated fluidization, expecting to showcase the vitality and connotation of fluidization science and technology in the new era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past evaluation of particle contamination on packaged implants has typically been conducted using US Pharmacopeia (USP) 788, a 1970s pharmaceutical guideline created to evaluate contaminant particles in injectable fluids and syringes. Our objective was to reestablish relevant acceptance criteria for residual orthopedic and other implant debris, including smaller particles (i.e., <10 μm in diameter). Packaged total hip arthroplasty (THA) titanium (Ti6Al4V)‐alloy femoral stems were used (hydroxyapatite [HA]‐coated and non‐coated stems). Short‐term ultrasonication and longer‐term 24‐hour soak/agitation methods were used to elute surface‐bound contaminant particles, and released particles were analyzed via scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive x‐ray analysis, image analysis, and particle characterization. For HA‐coated THA‐stems, >99% of eluted particles were calcium phosphate. For plain non‐coated THA‐stems, >99% of eluted particles were titanium‐alloy‐based. The number‐based median size of particles in both groups was approximately 1.5 μm in diameter despite being composed of different materials. The total volume of particulate removed from HA‐coated stems was 0.037 mm3 (671 × 103 particles total), which was approximately >50‐fold more volume than that on plain non‐coated stems at 0.0006 mm3 (89 × 103 particles total). Only non‐coated THA stems passed reestablished USP788 acceptance criteria, compared by using equivalent total volumes of contaminant particulate within new and legacy guideline ranges of >10 and >25 μm ECD, that is, <1.0 × 107 particles for <1 μm diameter in size, <600,000 for <1–10 μm, <6000 for 10–25 μm and <600 for >25 μm. These results fill a knowledge gap on how much residual debris can be expected to exist on packaged implants and can be used as a basis for updating acceptance criteria (i.e., termed USP788‐Implant [USP788‐I]). Residual implant particulate assessment is critical given the increasing implant complexity and new manufacturing techniques (e.g., additive manufacturing). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noble metal nanoparticles supported on porous silica materials represent an important class of heterogeneous catalysts. Recently, a remarkable progress has been made concerning the synthesis, characterization, and catalytic application of noble metal nanoparticles immobilized on zeolites and mesoporous silica‐based materials. Various synthesis strategies have been developed, including the application of ligand‐assisted metal precursors, multistep synthesis procedures, post‐synthetic modifications, and magnetic mesoporous silica particles. Emphasis has been laid on the introduction of green procedures, based on the utilization of environmentally friendly solvents, efficient stabilizing agents, non‐toxic reagents, and mild reaction conditions. Palladium nanoparticles have long been recognized as the most efficient catalysts in a wide range of organic transformations, including the Heck, Suzuki, Stille, and Sonogashira reactions. Although these transformations have been extensively investigated in homogeneous catalytic systems, the application of heterogeneous catalysts, including silica‐supported Pd0 nanoparticles, has gained in increasing importance. This may be due to the easy handling and recovery of the latter catalysts, which facilitates their repeated applications. The aim of this review is to provide an outlook on the current research progress achieved on the development of novel synthetic procedures, affording highly dispersed Pd0 nanoparticles immobilized on porous silica materials, which proved to be efficient and recyclable catalysts in C−C coupling and cross‐coupling reactions. The focus of this review is on results published in the last six years with a handful of examples in previous years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper numerically investigates the effect of pulsating flow on the settling dynamics of rigid circular particles. This is an interdisciplinary subject and spans several areas ranging from mathematical and numerical modeling to fluid mechanics. For this purpose, pulsatile flow characteristics are embedded in the combination of the direct‐forcing immersed boundary method and the split‐forcing lattice Boltzmann method. Inter‐collision forces between the solid boundaries (particles and boundaries) and the added mass force due to acceleration are considered. Adequate verification tests are done to ensure the credibility of the findings. The critical parameters of pulsating flow, such as amplitude and frequency of pulsation, are investigated in detail. The paper especially puts emphasis on the interaction between particles and studies the well‐known drafting, kissing, and tumbling (DKT) phenomena. Two different scenarios are taken into account and also compared with the stationary flow. The first case is when the pulsating flow is in the direction of gravity (co‐flow), while in the latter, there is an opposing flow (counterflow). The sedimentation manners of 12 particles in a vertical channel are also presented. The findings shed light on the importance of pulsating flow and the extension of the proposed computational method for such problems. It is also revealed that pulsation and its variables can alter DKT by either postponing or speeding up the process. Also, in some cases, the cycle of DKT can be maintained incompletely, and particles would just stick together. The results can be useful for various engineering problems like filtration and particle sorting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of artificial silk spinning approaches are attempted to mimic the natural spinning process found in silkworms and spiders, yet instantaneous silk fiber formation with hierarchical structure under physiological and ambient conditions without post‐treatment procedures remains unaddressed. Here, this work reports a new strategy to fabricate silk protein‐based aerosols and silk fibers instantaneously in situ using a spray device, avoiding complicated and costly advanced manufacturing techniques. The key to success is the instantaneous conformational transition of silk fibroin from random coil to β‐sheet right before spraying by mixing silk and polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutions in the spray device, allowing aerosols and silk fibers to be sprayed, with further control achieved via the molecular weight of silk. The spinning process of the spray device is based on the use of green solvents, that is, all steps of instant conformational transition of silk fibroin are carried out in aqueous conditions or with buffers at ambient conditions, in combination with shear and elongational flow caused by the hydraulic pressure generated in the spray container. The system supports a portable and user‐friendly system that could be used for drug delivery carriers, wound coating materials, and rapid silk fiber conformal coatings on surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated microreaction system of a microreactor with a Taylor–Couette reactor (TCR) for continuous synthesis of 2,2′‐dibenzothiazole disulfide has been developed, so as to improve the process efficiency and the stability with solid product generation compared with the current batch process. The homogeneous oxidation with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by phosphotungstic acid was applied. In the microreaction system, two feedstocks can be rapidly mixed through the microreactor; stable particle flow ability and high conversion can be achieved through the TCR, due to the flow characteristics of high shear stress and limited back‐mixing. Under the conditions of stable operation, the conversion can reach over 90%. The purity of the product is over 99%. The space–time yield can reach 160 g L−1 h−1, which is much higher than that in the batch reactor. The microreaction system is stable for long‐term running, which provides an effective design strategy for continuous flow processes with solid generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of particle concentration and size on hydrodynamics and mass transport in an air–water slurry bubble column were experimentally studied. When the particle concentration αs increased from 0% to 20%, the averaged gas holdup decreased by ~30%, gas holdup of small bubbles and gas–liquid volumetric mass transfer coefficient decreased by up to 50%, while the gas holdup of large bubbles increased slightly. The overall effect of particle size was insignificant. A liquid turbulence attenuation model which could quantitatively describe the effects of particle concentration and size was first proposed. Semi‐empirical correlations were obtained based on extensive experimental data in a wide range of operating conditions and corrected liquid properties. The gas holdup and mass transfer coefficient calculated by the correlations agreed with the experimental data from both two‐phase and three‐phase bubble columns, with a maximum error <25%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erythrocytes are the most abundant cells in the blood. As the results of long‐term natural selection, their specific biconcave discoid morphology and cellular composition are responsible for gaining excellent biological performance. Inspired by the intrinsic features of erythrocytes, various artificial biomaterials emerge and find broad prospects in biomedical applications such as therapeutic delivery, bioimaging, and tissue engineering. Here, a comprehensive review from the fabrication to the applications of erythrocyte‐inspired functional materials is given. After summarizing the biomaterials mimicking the biological functions of erythrocytes, the synthesis strategies of particles with erythrocyte‐inspired morphologies are presented. The emphasis is on practical biomedical applications of these bioinspired functional materials. The perspectives for the future possibilities of the advanced erythrocyte‐inspired biomaterials are also discussed. It is hoped that the summary of existing studies can inspire researchers to develop novel biomaterials; thus, accelerating the progress of these biomaterials toward clinical biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Random defects, which account for more than 90% of electronic product manufacturing defects, are defects caused by foreign substances. Although the detection ability has been improved through various efforts using optical inspection and image features, the ultimate enhancement to improve quality and yield cannot be achieved just by detecting defects. In particular, there was a limit to classifying and specifying the failure source because the ingredients were not known, and it was often impossible to eliminate defects even after spending a lot of time. We developed a world first in‐fab Raman spectroscopy microscopy to be applied to the analysis of foreign substances in the entire area of the 8.5th generation glass substrate and applied it in real time between manufacturing. As a result, it is possible to detect defective sources in real time and to improve quality and yield through process control and ultimate improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its biocompatibility, electrical conductivity, and tissue‐like elasticity, poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) constitutes a highly promising material regarding the fabrication of smart cell culture substrates. However, until now, high‐throughput synthesis of pure PEDOT:PSS geometries was restricted to flat sheets and fibers. In this publication, the first microfluidic process for the synthesis of spherical, highly porous, pure PEDOT:PSS particles of adjustable material properties is presented. The particles are synthesized by the generation of PEDOT:PSS emulsion droplets within a 1‐octanol continuous phase and their subsequent coagulation and partial crystallization in an isopropanol (IPA)/sulfuric acid (SA) bath. The process allows to tailor central particle characteristics such as crystallinity, particle diameter, pore size as well as electrochemical and mechanical properties by simply adjusting the IPA:SA ratio during droplet coagulation. To demonstrate the applicability of PEDOT:PSS particles as potential cell culture substrate, cultivations of L929 mouse fibroblast cells and MRC‐5 human fibroblast cells are conducted. Both cell lines present exponential growth on PEDOT:PSS particles and reach confluency with cell viabilities above 95 vol.% on culture day 9. Single cell analysis could moreover reveal that mechanotransduction and cell infiltration can be controlled by the adjustment of particle crystallinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the proportion of external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) installed in the Federal Republic of Germany has increased significantly due to energy requirements. Currently, there is a significant increase in ETICS waste, for which there is no established recycling strategy. For this reason, in this work ETICS waste was processed in the sense of the circular economy in order to make the secondary raw materials obtained industrially usable. In order to enable targeted recycling and to close the material cycle of ETICS in the long term, particulate properties such as the comminution ratio, sphericity, dispersity as well as the flowability and compressibility of the recyclates were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flotation process is a multi‐phase and multi‐scale complex flow system, in which hydrodynamics plays an indispensable role. In recent years, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation has gradually become a powerful tool for studying flotation. In this review, the theories of CFD numerical simulation in flotation research were reviewed, involving various turbulence models and multi‐phase flow simulation approaches. An attempt has been made to analyze and discuss the characteristics and applicability of different turbulence models and multi‐phase flow simulation approaches in flotation researches in detail. The CFD simulation of two commonly used flotation devices, that is, mechanically agitated flotation machine and flotation column, has been reviewed in detail. The detailed principles, operation, and hydrodynamic of flotation devices were discussed from the viewpoint of CFD. The advances made in CFD simulation for studying flotation process, including particle suspension, bubble dispersion, particle–bubble collision, attachment, and detachment subprocesses have been critically analyzed. Focused analysis was given on the influence mechanism of turbulence on the particle–bubble interactions. Finally, the gaps in the available literature are discussed and potential research directions are also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecotoxicological effect assessment of particulate materials and sparingly soluble substances is an emerging field. Current standard toxicity tests of aquatic organisms are based on soluble substances which are added to the aqueous phase. Although soluble substances distribute homogeneously, particles can form aggregates, resulting in inhomogeneous distribution and unpredictable exposure. Therefore, test scenarios need to be adapted to overcome these uncertainties. We present a dietary particle exposure tool for the toxicity testing of sparingly soluble substances or particles in combination with a standardizable food source for gammarids based on decomposition and consumption tablets (DECOTABs). Four food supplements in the DEOCOTAB formulation were compared to test their influence on the energy reserves of gammarids. Although feeding rate was constant for most supplements, mortality and energy reserves revealed clear differences. Tabs supplemented with algae‐based phyll or animal protein–based trout food best met all of the requirements. Fluorescent plastic microparticles (10–65 µm) were homogenously distributed and stable in the DECOTABs. Constant feeding was observed, and the number of ingested microparticles by Gammarus roeseli was quantified in relation to the consumed food. The developed method provides a realistic and methodologically reliable uptake from the oral pathway and allows the quantification of inner exposition via feeding rate, providing a promising tool for standardized dietary exposure scenarios with particles. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1463–1476. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is dedicated to Dr. Jean-Paul Kappler. We have studied the magnetic properties of various Boron particles obtained by different methods and have found evidence of soft ferromagnetism in all. While our study cannot unequivocally exclude that Boron is at the origin of the magnetism, we suggest that various impurities which are either the result of the synthetic process or come from the intentional doping of the Boron particles are indeed responsible for the observed magnetic properties. The phenomenon bears similarities with what is observed in magnetic oxides such as MgO or ZnO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A new particle Galerkin method is introduced to solve the Naiver‐Stokes equations in a Lagrangian fashion. The present method aims to suppress key numerical instabilities observed in the strong form Lagrangian particle methods such as smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), incompressible SPH, and moving particle semi‐implicit for incompressible free surface flow simulations. It is well‐known that strong form Lagrangian particle methods usually rely on ad hoc particle stabilization techniques based on particle shifting, artificial viscosity, or density‐invariant condition due to some formulation inconsistency issues. In the present method, we introduce a momentum‐consistent velocity smoothing algorithm which is used to combine with the second‐order rotational incremental pressure‐correction scheme to stabilize the pressure field as well as to enforce the consistency of Neumann boundary condition. To further impose slip‐free or nonslip boundary conditions for the fluid flow, a penalty method which is free of ghost or dummy particles is developed. Finally, a particle insertion‐deletion adaptive scheme is proposed when the violent fluid flow is considered. Four numerical examples are studied to validate the accuracy and stability of the present method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron is a key micronutrient in seawater, but concentrations would be negligible without the presence of organic ligands. The processes influencing the ligand pool composition are poorly constrained, limiting our understanding of the controls on dissolved iron distributions. To address this, the release of iron and iron‐binding ligands during the microbial remineralization of sinking particles was investigated by deploying in situ particle interceptor/incubator devices at subsurface sites in the Mediterranean Sea and Subantarctic. Analyses revealed that the pool of released ligands was largely dominated by electroactive humic substances (74 ± 28%). The release of ligands during remineralization ensured that concurrently released iron remained in solution, which is crucial for iron regeneration. This study presents compelling evidence of the key role of humic ligands in the subsurface replenishment of dissolved iron and thus on the wider oceanic dissolved iron inventory, which ultimately controls the magnitude of iron resupplied to the euphotic zone. Plain Language Summary: Microscopic plants and animals in seawater require nutrients to survive. One of these key nutrients is iron, dissolved in seawater at very low concentrations. The growth of around half of the microscopic life in the upper ocean is dependent on the availability of this dissolved iron. These organisms form the bottom of the food chain, and their growth is linked to marine productivity and the drawdown of carbon into the deep ocean, in turn influencing climate change. Because iron tends to not dissolve easily in seawater, it must bind with compounds known as ligands, which help keep iron dissolved. However, processes controlling the composition of this ligand pool are poorly understood. As material sinks through the water column, it is broken down by marine microbes, releasing iron and ligands. Here we have studied the release of iron, ligands, and a specific type of ligand known as humic substances, during the microbial degradation of sinking particles. By doing this, we have identified a large fraction of the released ligand pool. This furthers our understanding of the processes controlling dissolved iron concentrations and distributions in ocean waters, providing key information for biogeochemical modeling and for calculating carbon sequestration in seawater. Key Points: Electroactive humic substances contribute significantly to iron‐binding ligands released during microbial decomposition of mesopelagic particlesMicrobial degradation of settling biogenic particles supplies more electroactive humic substances than those where the lithogenic fraction is predominantConcurrent release of ligands and consumption by microbes can, in some cases, decrease the concentration of electroactive humic ligands [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effects of deposition surface shape on temperature distribution of fused silica glass by SiCl4 chemical vapor deposition and performs the optimization of deposition surface shape to obtain the glass with a small temperature gradient. The computational model is first developed to describe the complicated physical and chemical phenomenon in the system. Numerical simulations are then performed to evaluate the effects of SiCl4 injection position on flame characteristics and SiO2 deposition rate. It is found that the SiO2 deposition rates with the unimodal, uniform, and bimodal distributions are obtained when SiCl4 is injected from the central, secondary layer and fourth layer nozzles, respectively. The deposition surface shape is mainly determined by the gas temperature gradient and particle number density near the deposition surface. Thereafter, the temperature distributions in synthetic silica glass are presented for the cases with convex, flat, and concave deposition surface shapes. Large temperature gradients exist at the side of glass if the convex and concave surfaces are formed, although a high temperature uniformity is obtained in the center of glass for the convex deposition surface. The optimal surface shape that has a very small temperature gradient in glass is obtained by the optimization of deposition surface depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effect of titanium (Ti) particles and ions on oral biofilm growth and composition. Background: Particles and ions of Ti released from dental implants can trigger unfavorable biological responses in human cells. However, their effect on oral biofilms composition has not been tested. Methods: In this blind in situ study, volunteers wore a palatal appliance containing Ti disks for 7 days to allow biofilm formation. Disks were then collected and biofilms were treated, in vitro, with Ti particles (0.75% and 1%), ions (10 and 20 ppm), or a combination of both (1% particles + 20 ppm ions). Biofilms exposed only to medium was used as control group. After 24 hours, biofilms were collected and analyzed by checkerboard DNA‐DNA hybridization. Direct effects of Ti particles and ions on biofilm/cellular morphology were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results: Ti particles affected biofilm composition, increasing population of four bacterial species (P <.05), while Ti ions showed higher levels of putative pathogens from the orange complex with reduction in species from the yellow complex (P <.05), compared with control. The combination of particles + ions increased green complex and reduced yellow complex proportions (P <.05). TEM showed clusters of particles agglomerated in extracellular environment, while Ti ions were precipitated in both extracellular and intracellular sites. Conclusions: Ti products, especially Ti ions, have the potential to change the microbiological composition of biofilms formed on Ti surfaces. Therefore, the presence of Ti products around dental implants may contribute to microbial dysbiosis and peri‐implantitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of clinical complications such as granuloma formation and sarcoidosis is often seen in black tattoos and may be associated with agglomeration of black pigment. Aim: To measure count and dimensions of agglomerates in black tattoo inks vs red inks and to compare old inks and new inks of identical brands. Method: Examination was performed by light microscopy (Olympus BX51™) with magnification 40X, immersion oil. Photographs (Jenoptik Gryphax RGB camera) were taken of each ink sample and analysed by ImageJ software; count, area, width, height, circumference and circularity index were measured. Agglomerates were defined as width and height of objects above 800 nm. Twenty‐one new unopened black inks and 17 new unopened red inks were compared. Furthermore, five old black inks and five old red inks, that had been opened and stocked for over 2 years, were compared with new products of the same brands. Results: Black agglomerates were area wise and with respect to width, height and circumference significantly larger compared with red agglomerates and more circularly shaped. Count of agglomerates was lower in black inks than in red inks, in accordance with bigger dimensions of black agglomerates. Comparison of old and new inks indicated old inks have larger agglomerates but variable bottle size and storage conditions may have confounded results. Conclusion: Pigment agglomerates in black tattoo ink stock products were sized larger than agglomerates in red inks. Agglomerates found directly in black inks may predispose to granuloma formation in black tattoos causing sarcoid reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle dissolution process refers to the dissolving of one liquid or solid phase into another solvent phase. This process is of vital importance in the engineering material science, and chemical engineering, etc. Here, we develop a phase‐field model with diffusion‐controlled processes at interfaces for isothermal dissolution of alumina inclusion particles in molten silicates, referred as "slag," with comprehensive compositions applied in process metallurgy. The interfacial energy between solid inclusion particle and molten silicate can vary with different temperatures and chemical compositions. This model is validated using experimental data of high‐temperature confocal laser scanning microscopy (HT‐CLSM) technique. Moreover, the developed model is applicable to predict the dissolution behavior of solid particle in a realistic size scale. The possibility of the model application is illustrated with studies of different physical parameters that affect particle dissolution behavior. The phase‐field simulations show that inclusion morphology influences both the dissolution profile and time, and the influence decreases with the increased temperature. Increasing same amount of Al2O3 component in slag, the increased degrees of the alumina dissolution time in silicates with different V‐ratio values, a ratio between the mass percent of CaO and that of SiO2, are almost the same. If the V‐ratio of slag is relatively small, an increased MgO component in the silicate will significantly decrease the particle dissolution time. On the contrary, the change in MgO component in the silicate will have a minor effect if the value of V‐ratio is quite large. In order to rapidly dissolve the inclusion, basicity index (BI) of molten silicate should be larger than 1.4. A balance between BI and MgO component in slag is suggested to be considered to design or optimize molten silicate (slag) for its application in the refining process of steel manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A heat transfer model based on the discrete element software EDEM and the secondary development tool C++ is developed to simulate the mixing and heat transfer process of particles under different parameters. This model is validated by comparison with experimental data and proved reasonable. It aims to study the heat transfer law of flowing particles in an externally heated rotary kiln and reveal the correlation between mixing and heat transfer from the mechanism. The results show that the combination of the total contact area between adherent particles and the drum wall, the mean temperature difference between adherent particles and the drum wall, the total contact area between particles, and the mean temperature difference between particles affect the heat transfer process. Changes in the temperature differences caused by the mixing rate dominate the heat transfer at different speeds or filling rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass transfer around spherical bubbles, drops, and solid particles in uniaxial and biaxial nonlinear extensional creeping flows at large Peclet numbers is the subject of this theoretical report. The fluid mechanics problem is governed by the viscosity ratio (λ) and the nonlinear intensity of the flow (E). The flow outside such bodies reveals a different picture than the linear case (E = 0) such as separating surfaces or closed circulations. There is a range: −1.04 < E < 0 (bubbles and drops) and −0.490 < E < 0 (particles) where the mass transfer rate is lower than the linear case. Outside these ranges, the mass transfer rate is higher than the linear case and in general it increases as |E| increases. Same mass transfer rates are expected in uniaxial and biaxial flows, except in the presence of external closed circulations where the biaxial flow overcomes the uniaxial flow. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 65: 398–408, 2019 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This research aims at active detection of fog and smoke composed of micrometer/submicrometer order particles. Fog scatters light and causes poor visibility of the driver. Since poor visibility can cause serious traffic accidents, detection, and measurement of fog is an important technique in road traffic. Detection of smoke constituted by particles as well as mist is also an important technique for rapid extinguishing of fire. In this paper, we focused attention on the phenomenon that particles composing fog and smoke scatter and attenuate near infrared light. And we examined active detection combining discrete near infrared light and a near infrared camera. As a result, it was shown that detection is possible in both fog and smoke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being the only link between reduced and oxidized nitrogen, the impact of environmental factors on nitrification, temperature and particles, in particular, remains unclear for coastal zones. By using the 15NH4+-labeling technique, we determined nitrification rates in bulk (NTRB) and free-living (NTRF, after removing particles >3 μm) for water samples with varying particle concentrations (as sampled at different tidal stages) during autumn, winter, and summer in a eutrophic coastal bay in southern China. The highest NTRB occurred in autumn, when particle concentrations were highest. In general, particle-associated nitrification rates (NTRP, >3 μm) were higher than NTRF and increased with particle abundance. Regardless of seasonally distinctive temperature and particle concentrations, nitrification exhibited consistent temperature dependence in all cases (including bulk, particle-associated, and free-living) with a Q10 value of ~2.2. Meanwhile, the optimum temperature for NTRP was ~29°C, 5°C higher than that for NTRF although the causes for such a difference remained unclear. Strong temperature dependence and particle association suggest that nitrification is sensitive to temperature change (seasonality and global warming) and to ocean dynamics (wave and tide). Our results can potentially be applied to biogeochemical models of the nitrogen cycle for future predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a minimal model aiming to describe heat transfer between particles (i.e. grains) and gases in a model of flighted rotary kilns. It considers a channel in which a convective gas interacts with a granular suspension and a granular bed. Despite its simplicity it captures the main experimental findings in the case of dilute suspension of heavy grains typical of what can be observed in many industrial rotary kilns. Energy balance between each phase takes into account the main heat transfer mechanisms between the transverse granular motion and the convective gas. In the absence of radiation heat transfer, the model predicts exponential variations of the temperatures characterized by a length which depends on the granular and gas heat flow rates as well as on the exchange areas. When radiation is taken into account, the model can be solved numerically. For this case, the temperature variations can be fitted by stretched exponentials whose parameters are found to be independent of the studied phases. Finally, an efficiency criterion is proposed to optimize the length of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most drug-drug interactions involve overlap or competition in drug metabolic pathways. However, there are medications, typically resins, whose function is to bind injurious substances such as bile acids or potassium within the digestive tract. The objective of this article is to review the functions of the stomach and the kinetics of emptying of different food forms or formulations to make recommendations on timing of medication administration in order to avoid intragastric drug interactions. Based on the profiles and kinetics of emptying of liquid nutrients and homogenized solids, a window of 3 h between administration of a resin drug and another 'target' medication would be expected to allow a median of 80% of medications with particle size <1 mm to empty from the stomach and, hence, avoid potential interaction such as binding of the 'target' medication within the stomach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Pesticides are routinely applied to residential impervious outdoor surfaces for structural pest control. This residential usage has been linked to the occurrence of toxic levels of pesticides in urban water bodies. It is believed that run-off water transports particles that have sorbed hydrophobic pesticides. However, concentrations of particle-bound pesticides have not been directly measured on impervious surfaces, and the role of these particles as a source of contamination is unknown. RESULTS Pesticides were detected in 99.4% of samples, with >75% of samples containing at least five pesticides. Assuming all particles were transferred with run-off, the run-off amount of pesticide during each rainfall would be >5 mg. We also used the US EPA Storm Water Management Model and estimated that 43 and 65% of the pesticides would be washed off during two rainfall events, with run-off concentrations ranging from 10.0 to 54.6 ng L−1 and from 13.3 to 109.1 ng L−1 respectively. The model-predicted pesticide run-off concentrations were similar to the levels monitored in urban run-off and sediments. Most (78%) particle samples contained aggregate toxicities above the Hyalella azteca LC50. CONCLUSION The results suggest that loose particles on residential impervious surfaces are not only carriers but also an important source of hydrophobic pesticides in urban run-off and contribute to downstream aquatic toxicities. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to study the gas-particle heat transfer in gas-phase olefin polymerizations. Particularly, the effects of particle rotation on the gas-particle heat transfer coefficient and internal particle temperatures are evaluated, showing that particle rotation can exert a significant impact on observed temperature profiles, so that this effect should not be neglected during detailed CFD process simulations. As a consequence, particle rotation can lead to particle cooling and development of spherical gradient symmetry, validating the use of simpler modeling schemes that are based on reaction-diffusion in symmetrical spherical geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enrichment of hydrogels with inorganic particles improves their suitability for bone regeneration by enhancing their mechanical properties, mineralizability, and bioactivity as well as adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of bone-forming cells, while maintaining injectability. Low aggregation and homogeneous distribution maximize particle surface area, promoting mineralization, cell-particle interactions, and homogenous tissue regeneration. Hence, determination of the size and distribution of particles/particle agglomerates in the hydrogel is desirable. Commonly used techniques have drawbacks. High-resolution techniques (e.g., SEM) require drying. Distribution in the dry state is not representative of the wet state. Techniques in the wet state (histology, µCT) are of lower resolution. Here, self-gelling, injectable composites of Gellan Gum (GG) hydrogel and two different types of sol-gel-derived bioactive glass (bioglass) particles were analyzed in the wet state using Synchrotron X-ray radiation, enabling high-resolution determination of particle size and spatial distribution. The lower detection limit volume was 9 × 10−5 mm3. Bioglass particle suspensions were also studied using zeta potential measurements and Coulter analysis. Aggregation of bioglass particles in the GG hydrogels occurred and aggregate distribution was inhomogeneous. Bioglass promoted attachment of rat mesenchymal stem cells (rMSC) and mineralization. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 1194-1201, 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of its high energy density, boron particles have been a subject of interest for the use as propellant in propulsion systems for many years. A cheap and fast opportunity to investigate multiphase reacting flows in such systems is offered by numerical simulations. Therefore, a detailed knowledge of the chemistry and kinetics of boron combustion in different gaseous surroundings is required. The main topic of this contribution is the experimental investigation of the influence of the equivalence ratio of reacting methane-air mixtures on the combustion time of boron particles. Additionally, numerical calculations were performed using a combustion model proposed by Yeh et al. [1] and modified by Hussmann et al. [2, 3]. The experimental results show that for small particles there exists an optimal stoichiometry, at which the combustion time of boron particles is minimized. High equivalence ratios yield larger burning times because of a low concentration of oxygen. Low equivalence ratios are accompanied by low flame temperatures also leading to large burning times, because of a slow reactive evaporation of the boron-oxide layer. With increasing particle size the burning process is dominated by the evaporation process. Numerical results are in a good agreement with the experiments for small particles. For larger particles, the predicted burning time is too high due to the fact that boron particles cannot be treated as a sphere as assumed in the original model. By implementing a sphericity factor good agreement with the experiments can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional particle tracking in biological systems is a quickly growing field, many techniques have been developed providing tracking characters. Digital in-line holographic microscopy is a valuable technique for particle tracking. However, the speckle noise, out-of-focus signals and twin image influenced the particle tracking. Here an adaptive noise reduction method based on bidimensional ensemble empirical mode decomposition is introduced into digital in-line holographic microscopy. It can eliminate the speckle noise and background of the hologram adaptively. Combined with the three-dimensional deconvolution approach in the reconstruction, the particle feature would be identified effectively. Tracking the fixed beads on the cover-glass with piezoelectric stage through multiple holographic images demonstrate the tracking resolution, which approaches 2 nm in axial direction and 1 nm in transverse direction. This would facilitate the development and use in the biological area such as living cells and single-molecule approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the effect of the difference in the carbon structure of particles on their reactivity towards O2. Particles with three types of carbon structures were captured in the exhaust of a diesel engine fueled with blends of diesel with 0, 5, and 15 vol % methanol (designated here as M0, M5, and M15). The Raman spectra were used to designate the particles as a high graphitization structure (L1), a secondary graphitization structure (L2), or a low graphitization structure (L3) according to the carbon cluster content, degree of graphitization, and degree of graphite structure disorder. Additional parameters were measured by thermo-gravimetric analysis, including the conversion rates, activation energies, ignition temperatures, and combustion and burnout characteristic indices of L1, L2, and L3. The results indicate that the particle conversion differed minimally in the low-temperature region; however, when the temperature rose to 350°C, the conversion of L3 was much higher than that of L1 or L2. The conversion rates of L1, L2, and L3 each showed a single peak, with corresponding temperatures of 452°C, 427°C, and 400°C, respectively. The conversion rate of L3 was significantly higher than that of L1 or L2. The average activation energy of L3 particles was found to be lower than that of L1 particles by 34 kJ/mol. The ignition temperature of L3 particles was found to be lower than that of L1 particles by 82°C. The combustion and burnout characteristic indices were higher for L3 particles than for L1 and L2. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 34: 1063-1071, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proton beam radiotherapy mainly has been used in the gynecological field in patients with cervical cancer. The efficacy of proton beam therapy in patients with recurrent endometrial cancer has not yet been determined. A 77-year-old endometrial cancer patient presented with recurrence in the vagina without distant metastasis following hysterectomy. A hard mass measuring 6 cm originated from the apex of the vagina, surrounded the vaginal cavity, and infiltrated the proximal and distal vagina. The patient received proton beam radiotherapy using a less invasive particle treatment system while minimizing the dose to the surrounding normal tissues. The dose to the planning target volume was 74 Gy (relative biological effectiveness) with 37 fractions. The patient was treated with 150-210- MeV proton beams for 53 days. Proton beam therapy led to the disappearance of tumors without any complications except for grade 1 cystitis although evidence of further complications is not available past our 6-month follow-up period. Proton beam therapy may become a useful treatment modality for recurrent endometrial cancer as well as cervical uterine cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microfiltration of particle suspensions is widely used, especially in bioprocess engineering. However, particle accumulation at the filter surface reduces productivity and can modify selectivity of the separation. Numerous macroscopic models have been developed to predict filtration performance and help in device design, assuming a uniform cake formation. In order to improve the model accuracy, cake formation mechanisms have to be better understood at the microscale level. The objective of this work is to study the cake build up at the particle level and to establish correlations with microfiltration performance measured at the process scale. 3D characterization of microsieves fouling was achieved using Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) and a filtration chamber allowing direct microscopic observations of particle deposition and cake characterization, specially designed for in situ observations. Suspensions of fluorescent monodispersed and bidispersed spherical particle (1 µm and 4.8 µm) were filtered under constant flow rate through 0.8 µm pore diameters silicon nitride microsieve. Online images of particle deposition were recorded and the cake build up was followed layer by layer. The relations between cake resistance and particle organizations were studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Template assisted change in morphology from particles to nanofibers was shown for low molar mass amphiphilic block copolymers by side-by-side electrospinning. The reversibly cross-linkable particles and fibers could be easily obtained from the same polymeric material by choosing proper processing conditions and spinning nozzles. The conventional electrospinning with single-component nozzle provided only particles. The morphology of the particles was controlled by varying the electrospraying conditions and characterized by SEM, optical microscope, and AFM. The same low molecular weight non-spinnable polymers provided fibrous morphology by Template Assisted Method (TAM) using side-by-side electrospinning nozzle with PEO as sacrificial polymer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large amounts of soot are continuously deposited on the global ocean. Even though significant concentrations of soot particles are found in marine waters, the effects of these aerosols on ocean ecosystems are currently unknown. Using a combination of in situ and experimental data, and results from an atmospheric transport model, we show that the deposition of soot particles from an oil-fired power plant impacted biogeochemical properties and the functioning of the pelagic ecosystem in tropical oligotrophic oceanic waters off New Caledonia. Deposition was followed by a major increase in the volume concentration of suspended particles, a change in the particle size spectra that resulted from a stimulation of aggregation processes, a 5% decrease in the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), a decreases of 33 and 23% in viral and free bacterial abundances, respectively, and a factor ~2 increase in the activity of particle-attached bacteria suggesting that soot introduced in the system favored bacterial growth. These patterns were confirmed by experiments with natural seawater conducted with both soot aerosols collected in the study area and standard diesel soot. The data suggest a strong impact of soot deposition on ocean surface particles, DOC, and microbial processes, at least near emission hot spots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol transmission routes of respiratory viruses have been classified by the WHO on the basis of equilibrium particle size. Droplet transmission is associated with particles sized >5 μm in diameter and airborne transmission is associated with particles sized ≤5 μm in diameter. Current infection control measures for respiratory viruses are directed at preventing droplet transmission, although epidemiological evidence suggests concurrent airborne transmission also occurs. Understanding the size of particles carrying viruses can be used to inform infection control procedures and therefore reduce virus transmission. This study determined the size of particles carrying respiratory viral RNA produced on coughing and breathing by 12 adults and 41 children with symptomatic respiratory infections. A modified six-stage Andersen Sampler collected expelled particles. Each stage was washed to recover samples for viral RNA extraction. Influenza A and B, parainfluenza 1, 2 and 3, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus and human rhinoviruses (hRV) were detected using RT-PCR. On breathing, 58% of participants produced large particles (>5 μm) containing viral RNA and 80% produced small particles (≤5 μm) carrying viral RNA. On coughing, 57% of participants produced large particles containing viral RNA and 82% produced small particles containing viral RNA. Forty five percent of participants produced samples positive for hRV viral RNA and 26% of participants produced samples positive for viral RNA from parainfluenza viruses. This study demonstrates that individuals with symptomatic respiratory viral infections produce both large and small particles carrying viral RNA on coughing and breathing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors investigated the kinetics of transfer of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) from water, suspended sediment, and bottom sediment to a marine benthic fish, the marbled flounder ( Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae). Fish were exposed in 3 treatments to PFOS in combinations of these exposure media for 28 d and then depurated for 84 d. A major part (37-66%) of PFOS in the fish was in the carcass (i.e., whole body minus muscle and internal organs). Three first-order-kinetic models that differed in exposure media, that is, 1) sum of dissolved and particulate phases and sediment; 2) dissolved phase, particulate phase, and sediment; and 3) dissolved phase only, were fitted to the data assuming common rate constants among the treatments. The uptake efficiency of dissolved PFOS at the respiratory surfaces was estimated to be 3.2% that of oxygen, and the half-life of PFOS in the whole body to be 29 d to 31 d. The better fit of models 1 and 2 and the values of the estimated uptake rate constants suggested that the PFOS in suspended and bottom sediments, in addition to that dissolved in water, contributed to the observed body burden of the fish. Based on an evaluation of several possible contributing factors to the uptake of PFOS from suspended and bottom sediments, the authors propose that further investigation is necessary regarding the mechanisms responsible for the uptake. Environ Toxicol Chem 2013;32:2009-2017. © 2013 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc., on behalf of SETAC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Particle manifold method (PMM) is a new extension of the numerical manifold method (NMM). PMM uses a mathematical cover system to describe the motion and deformation of a particle-based physical domain. By introducing the concept of particle into NMM, PMM takes the advantages of easy topological and contact operations with particles. In this article, the methodology, formulations and implementation of the method are presented, together with modelling examples for validation. It is found that good solutions for both continuous and discontinuous problems are obtained by the new developed PMM. Due to the underlying coupled continuum-discontinuum property of PMM, it has great potential for modelling of geomechanical problems. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a simple device that volumetrically samples poured liquids and draws buoyant materials into a single field of view for quantitative particle microscopy. Our approach relies on the formation of axisymmetric menisci and computational models of the static fluid developed using surface evolver showed close agreement with experiment. The apparatus was evaluated by counting pollen and demonstrated utility for the field analysis of microparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports the epitaxial growth of cadmium telluride (CdTe) particles by thermal deposition on cleaved planes of (001)NaCl and (001)KBr. Using high resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction it was shown that CdTe particles could have different orientation and phase (cubic or hexagonal) depending on the substrate temperature. Their most common defects are twins and stacking faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method for inline characterization of particles in high concentrated dispersions by ultrasonic backscattering is described, that is sensitive against particle size and concentration. Analyzing the backscattering signal yields the sound attenuation as well as a scattering intensity equivalent. The measurement can be performed without sampling and minimally invasive directly in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slush nitrogen is a mixture of solid nitrogen particles and liquid nitrogen, and its flow characteristics in a horizontal pipe are investigated experimentally and theoretically in this study. Pressure drop of slush nitrogen is higher than that of subcooled liquid nitrogen due to the viscous and the mechanical frictions, and the dependence of pressure drop on the mean velocity varies under different flow conditions. The solid volume fraction distributions and the velocity throughout the pipe cross-section of slush nitrogen flow are investigated with the Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase approach incorporated with the kinetic theory of granular flow. The flow patterns of slush nitrogen are determined as the pseudo-homogeneous flow, the heterogeneous flow and the bedload flow from the experimental and numerical results. The relationship between the friction factor and the Reynolds number for slush nitrogen with various solid volume fractions is obtained by using the slush Reynolds number. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 1762-1773, 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rosin-Rammler particle size distribution is used for a broad range of applications. Physical and statistical properties of the Rosin-Rammler distribution and its parameters were investigated to evaluate their suitability in the particulate area. The Rosin-Rammler volume density distribution is identical to the Weibull density distribution describing material failure and fatigue phenomena. The physical meaning of the Rosin-Rammler location parameter depends on the value of its spread parameter. This makes the location parameter physically uninterpretable and less suitable for development of physical models. The distribution can still be used for, e.g., production control purposes. Rosin-Rammler distributions with spread parameter values less than three cannot exist. They can at most give a rough description of size distributions within the measured particle size range. They should not be expected to describe correctly the quantity of small particles outside the measured size range. Their parameters are unsuitable for model development aiming at estimating parameters explaining/predicting physical product or process parameters. Two data sets were used for validation. Mean particle diameters (Moment-Ratio notation) and the Rosin-Rammler parameters are mathematically related, but the relationship is not valid for mean parameter values of a set of size distributions. It is not possible to predict a type of mean particle diameter showing a behavior close to that of the Rosin-Rammler location parameter. For both data sets, the quality of the relationship of physical product property with proper mean particle diameter type is better than that with the Rosin Rammler location parameter. For process control applications a replacement of the Rosin-Rammler location parameter by a mean particle diameter (Moment-Ratio) should be considered. The type of mean particle diameter to be chosen depends on the values of the Rosin-Rammler spread parameter occurring in the process. Two steps in the migration path are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]