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Yacoub A Yousef,1 Mona Mohammad,1 Ibrahim AlNawaiseh,1 Reem AlJabari,1 Mario Damiano Toro,2,3 Almutez Gharaibeh,4 Robert Rejdak,5 Katarzyna Nowomiejska,5 Sandrine Zweifel,3 Teresio Avitabile,6 Magdalena Rejdak,6 Rashed Nazzal2 1Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), King Hussein Cancer Centre, Amman, Jordan; 2Faculty of Medical Sciences, Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, Warsaw, Poland; 3Department of Ophthalmology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; 4School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; 5Department of General Ophthalmology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland; 6Department of Ophthalmology, University of Catania, Catania, ItalyCorrespondence: Yacoub A YousefDepartment of Surgery (Ophthalmology), King Hussein Cancer Centre, Queen Rania St, Amman, 11941, JordanTel +96265355000Email yyousef@khcc.joMario Damiano ToroDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Zürich, Raemistrasse 100, Zürich, 8091, SwitzerlandTel +39 3495158220Email toro.mario@email.itPurpose: Ciliary body (CB) and iris thicknesses may change with certain eye diseases as well as between different populations. Here, we report Ultrasound Biomicroscopy Measurements (UBM) of the normal thickness for the CB and the iris from a homogenous population in the Middle East.Patients and Methods: Sonomed 35-MHz (SONOMED, INC. New York, USA) images were obtained at 4 radial meridians, and the thickness was measured at 3 locations along the radial length of the iris and at the thickest part of the CB. Parameters included mean thickness, median thickness, range, and standard deviation.Results: Of 46 adult patients, 83 normal eyes were included in this analysis. The overall mean, median iris thicknesses at the iris root, midway along the radial length of the iris, and at the juxtapupillary margin in mm were 0.42, 0.41 ± 0.08, 0.52, 0.51± 0.08, and 0.72, 0.71± 0.1, respectively. The overall mean, median thicknesses of the CB and CB + ciliary processes in mm were 0.72, 0.71 ± 0.1, and 1.42, 1.37 ± 0.2 respectively. Gender, age, side, and height had no impact on iris and/or CB thickness (p> 0.05). However, the iris thickness was significantly thicker in the superior quadrant than inferiorly, and in the nasal quadrant than the temporal quadrant (p=0.04), and the CB thickness and the CB + ciliary processes thickness were significantly thicker in the superior quadrant than inferiorly (P = 0.04 and 0.02 consecutively).Conclusion: We measured in this study the normal thickness of the CB and the iris in normal eyes from homogenous population in the Middle East using ultrasound biomicroscopy. Our findings are essential for the ophthalmic community worldwide and in the Middle East region and can be used as a normative thickness data for the iris and CB in healthy eyes.Keywords: ultrasound biomicroscopy, iris, ciliary body

The paper presents the effects pelletization process of torrefied waste forest biomass – sawmill wastes. The sawmill waste are generated in significant quantities and has significant energy potential. The use of torrefaction and pelletization process enables to produce mechanically durable fuel pellets. Aim of the studies was to evaluate the effect of different kind of additives (binders) to torrefied waste forest biomass on pelletization process characteristic (production capacity, energy consumption) and properties of produced pellets (i.e. density, mechanical durability). The most effective binder among the tested was modified wheat starch. Pellets made with this addition were characterized by the highest mechanical strength.

Coal Water Slurry (CWS) is a specific form of solid fuel. It occurs in the form of finely ground coal particles and water. Depending on the use, the content of combustible matter is from 40 to 70% by weight. The attractiveness of the fuel is primarily its properties, i.e. liquid form, high energy efficiency (for water evaporation 4% energy is used – for CSW with 70% concentration of coal), decreased environmental impurities (lower NOx emission) and reduced risk of explosion. The advantages of CWS fuels, the possibility of independence from petrochemical fuels, wide availability of coal and emphasis on the use of cleaner technologies are the driving force for development of slurry fuel technologies. The major parameters characterizing the fuel suspension are: solid phase concentration (share of coal in the slurry expressed as either weight or volume fraction of dry coal), time stability (resistance to delamination and separation of the dispersed phase from the continuous phase) and viscosity, determining the flow of suspension. The mentioned parameters are dependent on the susceptibility of coal for production of aqueous suspensions (slurrability), conditioned by natural properties of coal, such as: coalification degree, petrographic composition and surface properties. They are also dependent on the slurry fuel preparation process: particle size, solid phase concentration, used additives (stabilizing and dispersion agents) and modification of primary coal properties (ash removal, change of surface properties). Preparation of sustainable, high concentrated CWS fuel coal is promoted by the hydrophobic nature of the coal surface, characteristic for coals of higher coalification. A great technological problem is to obtain a highly concentrated coal slurry fuel from less coalified hydrophilic steam coals. The paper presents the results of lab scale research on the CWS prepared from Polish steam coal by wet grinding in mill drum and vibrating. The milling process was carried out in a batch system by varying the composition of the grinding media and varying degrees of working space filling. The feed was pre-ground steam coal mixed with water at the ratio of 1: 1. The changes of particle size, viscosity and stability of suspensions in time were assessed. The milling effectiveness was higher for the vibrating mill. After the same milling time the quality of the obtained product was higher. The obtained milling degree was depended on the share and composition of grinding aids. In the investigated range (10-30% share mill working space), the use of higher share of grinding aids caused higher milling degree of coal. A trend was observed that stronger fragmentation of coal was achieved with the use of polydisperse composition of aids distinguished by smaller diameters. The changes of granulation influenced the viscosity and stability of the obtained product. The lower the mean particle size, the higher the viscosity and stability of the obtained product was particularly noted for the vibrating mill.