This paper presents an experimental technique for tuning the size of spherical agglomerates together with a simple model that provides qualitative information on the agglomerate size. Spherical agglomerates of benzoic acid of varying sizes using toluene as the bridging liquid were obtained with a very good reproducibility. The bridging liquid was injected into the crystal suspension via a capillary to control the initial size of the bridging liquid droplets. Experimental results obtained at different operating conditions show a clear correlation between the initial droplet size and the agglomerate size. Agglomerate size noticeably decreases with reducing the capillary size. Horizontal injection of the bridging liquid produces smaller agglomerates as compared to those produced with a vertical injection, while the size of agglomerates is insensitive to the different injection positions used in this study. Agglomerate size decreases along with the increasing stirring rate. The presented model adequately captures the behavior of the system and gives a qualitative agreement with the experimental results.

A comprehensive description of the barium sulfate precipitation process in a wide range of supersaturations is presented. By using an additive to stabilize the particles, the decoupling of the primary from the secondary processes, as well as the agglomeration from aggregation was possible. By being able to study the two processes independently, a model describing the agglomeration of barium sulfate in the range of high supersaturations was validated experimentally for the first time.The proposed model has proven to describe the experiments with a high degree of accuracy in the whole range of supersaturations investigated. Additionally, by comparing agglomeration kernels of various complexity, ranges where simplifications are possible were identified, thus enabling the future development of models with better performance.

Background: The study aimed to analyze the burden and territorial diversification of adolescent suicide and the link between suicide attempts and selected socioeconomic variables in Poland. Methods: Rates of suicide by voivodeships for years 1999–2019 were obtained from the General Police Headquarters of Poland database. The burden of premature death was expressed in years of life lost (YLL) and costs of lost productivity, which were estimated using the human capital approach. The link between suicide rates and socioeconomic determinants has been analyzed with Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: Over the analyzed period, an increase in suicide attempt rates and a decrease in suicide death rates have been observed. Mean YLL and costs of lost productivity per year amounted to 11,982 and 153,172,415 PLN, respectively. Territorial diversification in suicide attempt rates corresponds to the living condition, poverty, association-based capital, and satisfaction with family situation in individual voivodeships. The number of deaths due to suicide is negatively correlated with an indicator of good living conditions. Conclusions: Our findings provide quantitative evidence of the national impact of suicide and suggest that addressing social capital and poverty may have a role in preventing adolescent mortality due to suicide.

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