Susceptibility of airborne ultrasonic power to augment heat and mass transfer during hot air dehydration of peppermint leaves was investigated in the present study. To predict the moisture removal curves, a unique non-equilibrium mathematical model was developed. For the samples dried at temperatures of 40‒70 °C and the power intensities of 0‒104 kW m, the diffusion of moisture inside the leaves and coefficients for of mass and heat transfer varied from 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effect of ultrasonic pre-treatment on moisture removal characteristics of ginger in a convective dryer was investigated. The slabs were dried by practicing sonication durations of 0, 15 and 30 min at different levels of the air temperature and velocity. Following increasing the sonication duration and air temperature, required time and energy to dehydrate the samples were decreased.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Health Care Qual Assur
January 2013
Purpose: Few reports considering drug use among earthquake survivors exist. The present study aims to examine the Bam earthquake's impact on prescribing patterns and drug use among residents five years post-disaster.
Design/methodology/approach: In this study, 297,104 prescriptions, issued by general practitioners in Bam city in 2008, were investigated for drugs/prescriptions, drug name, drug category, using WHO appropriate general practice prescribing indicators.