Polypropylene Pall ring packing is widely used, which increases the direct economic benefits of chemical plants. Let us understand the application of polypropylene Pall rings in PVC. It has the advantages of simple structure, large empty tower speed change range and simple manufacture. Packed towers with a diameter of less than 1 meter are still widely used in PVC production enterprises. In the production of PVC, this packed tower usually uses corrosion-resistant non-metallic materials, such as ceramic packing.

Raschig ring packings made of ceramics are commonly used in the vinyl chloride synthesis section of plants. A few years later, the resistance of the alkali system was large, the alkali tower was blocked, and it was found that the mud in the circulating alkali solution increased. Due to the contact of alkaline medium, although the ceramic saddle ring packing with good strength and high efficiency is used, it is not easy to be blocked by suspended solids during production and operation, and the phenomenon of packing corrosion and blockage of the tower also occurs after use.

Ceramics are corrosion resistant, but not resistant to hydrofluoric acid and alkalis. It is a brittle material that tends to form fragments and block pipes and systems under the impact of airflow. The tensile strength is low, and when suddenly quenched and heated, it is easy to crack even if the thermal stress generated by repeated cold and hot cycles is not large.

The factory started to replace the ceramic packing with polypropylene Pall rings, which achieved good results, and there was no tower blockage caused by packing corrosion. Due to the light weight of the polypropylene Pall ring packing, the stacked weight is only 1/10 of the ceramic Raschig ring and 1/7 of the ceramic Pall ring, so the weight of the packing in the tower is greatly reduced, and the polypropylene Pall ring will not break and will not break. Produces debris that clogs pipes. But polypropylene Pall rings are lightweight and can easily be carried away by air currents, causing blockages in pipes and systems. A closing flower plate should be provided at the gas outlet. The use of polypropylene Pall rings to replace ceramic fillers has achieved good production benefits.

                                                                                       

 DESCRIPTION

* Pre-Order 15 days

Size / CM Bust Shirt Length Waist Hip Pants Length Height S 90 62.5 87 88 92 155 M 94 66.5 90 92 94 160 L 98 68.5 93 96 96 165 XL 102 70.5 96 100 98 170 2XL 110 72.5 99 104 100 175 3XL 120 74.5 102 108 102 180

 

Designer: Feng Ya Si Zhi 风雅司制

Please check HERE for more of her designs. 

 

VAMPIRE VAPE HEISENBERG COLA NIC SALT E-LIQUID

Vampire Vape Heisenberg Cola offers their revered trademark flavour of fruity and icy Heisenberg with the timeless taste of Original Coke, perfect for vapers looking to elevate their penchant for cola flavours.
Explore more of Vampire Vape ranges, such as their Bar Salts and Koncept Shortfills, for other fruity, menthol, and unique flavours. 

Specifications

• Flavours: Mixed Fruits, Menthol, Cola
• Nicotine Type: Nicotine Salt
• Bottle Size: 10ml
• Nicotine Strength: 10mg & 20mg
• VG/PG Ratio: 50/50
• Vaping Style: MTL
• Easy Fill Nozzle
• Childproof Cap

Since 2012, Vampire Vape has strived to become one of the leading e-liquid manufacturers, now receiving accolades worldwide for their award-winning flavours crafted through cutting-edge manufacturing. Through years of diligent research and state-of-the-art production, Vampire Vape has expanded from 12 classic flavours to a whopping 60 award-winning flavour combinations, such as Heisenberg and Pinkman.

With 10mg and 20mg nicotine salt strengths available, you can quickly satisfy your cravings. Using nicotine salts provides a smoother throat hit, enhancing your overall vaping experience. 

Perfectly balanced in a 50/50 PG/VG concentration, Vampire Vape Nic Salt e-liquids are perfect for mouth-to-lung vaping and are ideally used with Vape Starter Kits and Pod Vape Kits.

Are you new and trying out vaping for the first time? You should check out our beginners’ guide, where we simplify vaping to its fundamentals and explain the benefits of switching to your first vape kit.

Implementing projects has become a part of the rhythm of life for the vast majority of companies and organizations, regardless of the industry in which they operate. No wonder that the need for effective, successful project management has become a goal in itself, and a dense network of methodologies has emerged around project management in order to achieve it. In our article, we’ll present you some of them and advise you on how to choose the best methodology for your project.

Why may you need project management methodologies?

Project management is defined as a process during which the person managing the project carries out deliberate planning and control of the tasks included in the project, and ensures the appropriate allocation of funds assigned to the project, using the appropriate techniques and methods. They do all this in order to achieve the imposed requirements within the specified period and in accordance with the designated costs.

Project management as a discipline was born from the combination of several types of engineering, as early as the beginning of the 20th century. However, it took five decades to understand that without the right tools and techniques, achieving project success may be just a dream. A project, as a highly complex undertaking that requires the involvement of significant but limited resources, is characterised by high levels of uncertainty and risk. A properly selected project management method provides ways to deal with this, as well as with uncertainty and complexity, so that the project goal is achieved. By using recognized project methodologies, we can be sure that projects are managed in an optimal way, bringing business benefits within the project budget and specified time set.

According to the KPMG report from October 2019, nearly 70% of the surveyed Polish companies use their own internal proprietary project management methodology. Self-created solutions are considered the most effective because they are tailored to the specifics of the projects and the functioning of the organization. However, to develop your own project management method, you should rely on the commonly accepted and proven methodologies. Further in the article, we’ll present the most popular methodologies and tell you about our own project management method that works well at Droptica.

Waterfall Project Management

One of the most popular among the traditional project management methodologies is the Waterfall model. According to it, the tasks of the project should be performed one after another. Thus, only after completing one task can you start the next one. Hence, the planning stage is very extensive – precise schedules and cost estimates are created, and the design documentation is very broad.

Waterfall works well in projects where the products and scope of work are constant. It may not be the best choice for comprehensive IT projects, where the market is very dynamic and frequent changes are commonplace. The Waterfall method is less flexible than other project management methodologies because it isn’t possible to go back to the previous development phases. Therefore, after completing the planning phase, we must follow through with what was originally planned. What else makes Waterfall stand out?

Advantages:

• Good project documentation helps to control its course.
• The process is linear so its course is easy to understand or predict.
• At the planning stage, the client can see what will happen and when step by step (at least according to plans).

Disadvantages:

• Any changes to the design can’t be made in a flexible manner.
• The first changes are presented and put into action only after all the planned tasks have passed through every design stage.

Agile

In response to classic project management methods, agile methodologies were created around the Agile philosophy. Agile itself isn’t a methodology or a process – it’s a way of thinking based on flexibility, transparency and common sense. In contrast to the Waterfall model, Agile assumes that at the beginning of the project we aren’t able to precisely plan its entire course. Therefore, the work on a project, carried out in accordance with the spirit of agility, is divided into short cycles – iterations.

What does an iteration mean?

In the iterative approach to project implementation, we create detailed plans only for the nearest period of time, called the iteration. Each iteration has a clearly defined goal and, depending on its implementation, plans for the next one are created. In the course of implementing tasks, the project plan takes shape in response to the current needs – the project goals. This gives an unusual openness to changes in the scope of the project. It’s true that the final solution is delivered in smaller parts, but on a regular basis and with greater care for the current purpose of the project. In addition, dividing the work into short iterations allows you to improve the quality of the product – any potential errors or deviations from expectations are detected and removed on an ongoing basis. Iteration is the ground of all project management frameworks that were built based on the Agile philosophy.

Kanban

The Kanban methodology has its roots in the production industry, where kanban as a board was used to visualize the progress of the production tasks. A classic Kanban board includes the following task categories: To do, In Progress, and Done, representing the phase the task is in. The idea behind Kanban is to adjust the number of tasks to be performed by the team – avoiding too many tasks in progress and eliminating bottlenecks that disrupt the process.

The Kanban board in Jira, a project management tool. Source: Atlassian

Kanban is a perfect fit for projects that require a quick response to change while reducing the planning. It may not work well if the project is characterized by a high level of complexity and has multiple stages of implementation.

Advantages:

• Perfectly visualizes the current status of work.
• It helps to identify the tasks that are bottlenecks and directly affect the pace of task completion and downtime.

Disadvantages:

• It requires constant control and updating to correctly visualize the current course of the project.
• It won’t suit interdisciplinary, large project teams and task-rich projects well.
• It’s a very basic method, so it may not be enough for effective project management.

Scrum

Scrum assumes great involvement of the team and its self-organisation. Although it provides freedom in terms of implementation, its structure and basic principles are clearly defined and should be followed by the project team to take full advantage of this method. The Scrum methodology is easiest to describe through the 3-5-3 structure, which in turn corresponds to: 3 roles, 5 events, and 3 artifacts.

3 roles in Scrum

Product Owner is responsible for the product backlog, that is a set of all tasks to be performed. They set the priorities, have a clear product vision, and work closely with the rest of the design team to guide the works. They verify the value delivered on each iteration, but trust in their team’s abilities.

Scrum Master cares about adhering to the Scrum rules. They’re a coach, a mentor, and help the project team work effectively by identifying and reducing the bottlenecks. They make the team focused on achieving a common goal, ensure continuous improvement of the process and the value delivered to the client.

Development Team is a self-organising and self-managing team that carries out tasks included in the sprint backlog (the set of tasks to be completed in a given sprint), working closely with the Product Owner.

5 events in Scrum

Sprint is the time period (always the same within a given project) during which the project team completes the tasks scheduled in the sprint backlog. During a sprint, the Product Owner can test ready-made solutions on an ongoing basis, but they can’t change the content of the backlog.

Sprint planning is an event where the development team and Product Owner jointly define the priorities and scope of a future sprint.

Daily meeting is a daily 15-minute-long meeting of the development team with the Scrum Master or the Product Owner. During that time the team talks about what has been achieved the previous day, what will be done today, and reports whether there are any problems that may affect the success, that is – achieving the sprint’s goal.

Sprint Review is a meeting that consists in presenting the achieved results of a sprint. Of course, the review takes place at the end of a given sprint and is often combined with a retrospective. The entire project team – developers, the Scrum Master and the Product Owner – always participates in the sprint review. It isn’t uncommon for the stakeholders (individuals or organizations involved or interested in the project) to also be invited to the meeting.

Sprint retrospective is a meeting where the project team discusses the past sprint to determine what could’ve been done better and to be able to implement it in the next sprint.

3 artifacts

Product backlog is a set of tasks, the completion of which will lead to achieving the project goal.

Sprint backlog is a set of tasks from the product backlog, the completion of which will lead to achieving the sprint goal.

Product increment is the goal of every sprint, the specific value that the project team provides at the end of a given sprint.

 

When to use Scrum methodology?

Scrum works for highly flexible teams that can quickly adapt to change and are managed by experienced managers with a unique ability to prioritize tasks. The Scrum method is one of those iterative methodologies in which we can quickly test new solutions and immediately fix any errors.

Advantages:

• Focus on continuous improvement of the project implementation process.
• Ability to divide the project into smaller parts that can be implemented in accordance with the client’s priorities.

Disadvantages:

• The success of the project depends on the close cooperation of the team and compliance with the Scrum rules and regulations.
• The lack of breaks between sprints may cause the project team members to burn out quickly.

Scrumban

Scrumban was created as a combination of the Kanban and Scrum approaches. It employs the agile approach of Scrum, but takes it to an even higher level. Scrumban deviates from the restrictive use of sprints, thanks to which it allows for the freedom of choosing the tasks to be performed. The project team focuses on priorities without dreading the moment of reviewing what has been accomplished in accordance with the plan within a given time period.

Design on demand is Kanban’s domain, but Scrumban borrowed more from this methodology. As in Kanban, workflow visualization is very important in the Scrumban methodology. The use of a Kanban board provides all team members with constant access to project information.

Source: Kissflow

Scrumban works well for difficult, demanding projects, full of unexpected changes of priorities. It’s particularly perfect for project management consisting in improving a newly-created product or creating Proof of Concept solutions, where individual functionalities will be extended with successive iterations.

Advantages:

• It perfectly visualizes the workflow in the project.
• It helps to quickly identify which tasks contribute to the formation of bottlenecks.
• It cuts down the complex rules and theories, and reduces the number of meetings, which saves time and increases the efficiency of the project team.

Disadvantages:

• Every team member can work on no more than one task at a time.
• Giving up the daily meetings limits the role of the Project Manager in controlling the process and their possible rapid response.

What methodology do we use at Droptica?

At Droptica, we work in the spirit of Agile, based on flexibility, transparency and, above all, common sense. When managing projects, we always focus on the needs of our project teams and the individual requirements of the client.

Our very own project management method is characterised by agility, and during its creation we relied, for example, on the Scrum, Kanban and Scrumban methodologies.

As in Scrum, sprints set the rhythm for our work. We deliver value within short iterations, but we don’t always plan the entire sprint with perfect accuracy. Thanks to this, we leave some space for a change of priorities and implementation of small, but very important from a business point of view, tasks appearing “on the fly”. Scrumban gives us the freedom to choose the tasks to be performed. Thanks to its flexibility, the project team can always focus on the most important tasks.

For most projects, we use a Kanban board, which perfectly visualizes the progress of the team’s work and makes it easier for the Project Manager to remove possible bottlenecks. We decompose the requirements and estimate them twice a week during backlog grooming sessions. Before transferring tasks to a sprint, we make sure that they are in line with the client’s expectations (in terms of both budget and functions). We also rely on the needs of the company with which we collaborate in the case of reporting. We provide reports in accordance with the individual needs of the client, not necessarily on the basis of a sprint.

We meet every day for daily meetings and the Project Manager takes over the role of the Scrum Master in most projects.

We are guided by continuous development and process improvement, which is why retrospectives are held not only as part of the project sprints. We meet periodically to discuss the work of project teams and verify the effectiveness of internal processes and the tools used.

Which methodology is the best for your project?

Choosing a project management methodology isn’t easy. Every project is a unique, one-of-a-kind undertaking that requires special treatment. In addition, the method should meet the needs of the team that’ll be responsible for its implementation. Unfortunately, the black and white approach, recognizing the superiority of one of the methods, won’t work here. Each of them, in addition to the advantages, is burdened with the disadvantages that may arise in your project.

To choose the right methodology, we recommend looking for the answers to a few key questions:

1. How involved and available will the client or end user be in the project implementation process?
2. What are the client’s workflow tracking needs?
3. Does the client anticipate introducing a large number of changes?
4. How well-documented is the product specification?
5. How quickly must the product resulting from the project implementation be delivered?
6. What is the experience of the organization or members of the project team in working with a given method?

If the answers to the above questions and the knowledge you already have about popular project management methods are still not enough, and you feel lost among the many project management methodologies, our Drupal agency will be happy to help you. Together, we’ll take a look at your project, talk about its implementation and develop clear rules of cooperation. We’ll properly adjust the way of managing your project to ensure its success.

More and more companies and individuals are choosing to create and post content online rather than print it on paper. Is digital publishing really a better solution for those who have something to share with a larger audience? Read our article to find out the answer to this question.

What is digital publishing? Definition

Digital publishing consists of posting and distributing content online. The publication can be in the form of a digital file for download or available online for reading via computer, e-reader, tablet, or smartphone. This form of content dissemination is used by bloggers, magazines, editors, and other companies.

According to estimates from Statista, revenue from digital publishing should reach more than $26 billion in 2023. It is assumed that both the number of readers of digital content and the income from this industry will grow. Experts point to the creation and distribution of e-books as the largest segment of this market. 

Advantages of digital publishing

Digital publishing has many advantages. One of them is that it is quicker and cheaper to reach customers. The expenses involved in producing an article (or other content) in digital form are lower than those required to produce physical books or magazines. This enables the price of the final product to be reduced while making it possible to achieve an appropriate level of profit. The lack of a physical form also translates into faster publication, because putting the text online takes incomparably less time than printing and distributing it in stores.

Gaining access to a wide audience also affects the increase in profits. The lower prices of digital publications (due to reduced production and distribution costs) make readers more likely to reach for them. The presence of online or downloadable content means that it can be quickly purchased even by a reader who lives in a completely different part of the world from the creator or the company selling the publication. 

Ease of distribution is also important for consumers. Content is available anytime, anywhere. A digital publication can be purchased and read wherever there is Internet access (or a disk with a downloaded file). The text is always at hand whenever some person needs it. 

Readers appreciate not only the availability of digital publications but also their topicality. This can be achieved through the possibility of editing and improving content. It isn’t possible to correct an error in an already-printed book. However, it’s possible to modify different types of digital publications without any problems (e.g. by changing the content of articles on the newspaper’s website). Authors are also able to update downloads, thus limiting the dissemination of publications with errors or old data. 

Ease of modifying and improving files results in greater reader engagement. Publications in traditional form can only be enhanced with graphics. Digital content can include interactive elements such as buttons, videos, dynamic tables, and charts. 

The development of technology also makes it easier to track the results of a given project. By providing your readers with digital content, you can learn more about them. By integrating publishing tools with analytics solutions, you can gain access to more accurate data, which can then help you refine your business strategy.

Digital publishing examples

Digital publications can be in the form of downloadable files or online content (e.g. in an application or on a website). 

Blogs

Blogs are run by experts from different industries or entire companies to share specific knowledge with readers. Blog content can be divided into paid (downloadable or available on a subscription model) and free.

Online newspapers work in a similar way to blogs. They contain a variety of content – publicly available and with limited access (the reader can purchase a paid subscription). To monetize a blog or online magazine, it’s enough to have a suitable CMS system with e-commerce features.

Newsletters 

A newsletter is an organization’s digital bulletin. It’s an important marketing tool that companies use to communicate brand information and build relationships with their audiences (less commonly, it’s also used to support sales).

In order to receive the newsletter, the reader must fill in a form prepared by the company creating such content and agree to receive it. Messages are sent periodically (weekly, monthly, or quarterly) directly to the email address provided by the user on the form. There are specific email marketing tools (e.g. Mautic) that allow the creation and distribution of newsletters.

Other examples

Digital publications can also take the form of files to be downloaded to a private device. Some of these are some kind of presentation of an offer, e.g., online leaflets or catalogs. Another interesting form of explaining an offer is a presentation, which allows the potential advantages of using the company’s service or product to be discussed in more detail. 

Reports can also be presented using such forms. The results of various studies can also be featured in an e-book. This is nothing more than a digital book (or magazine). This type of publication is created by both companies and individuals who have knowledge in a certain field. Common examples of e-books include any type of book, trade magazines, cultural magazines, etc. Instructions for devices or software may also be provided in the form of a short guide. There are a number of useful publishing tools which a company creating such content should consider using. 

What digital publishing tools are worth using?

Digital publishing tools vary in the number of functionalities. It’s possible to find extensive software and simple applications on the market. They provide interesting solutions for companies (content creation and management, SEO optimization, distribution, sales, reporting, etc.) that want to use digital publishing in their businesses. 

Content creation and publication management 

Publishing platforms are ready-to-use systems (usually available in a SaaS model) that contain various useful tools for digital publishing. They often also offer creators ready-made ways of distributing the developed content – e.g. the possibility of placing a file in an online store.

Companies that prefer solutions better adjusted to the specifics of their work can choose CMS with interesting functionalities. The content management system can be customized to suit the needs of the editor. This may involve integrating additional systems or installing appropriate plugins or modules. These can include a properly adapted CMS, whose developers have built special functionalities for publishers and editors. One such solution is the Drupal content management system. It allows the free management of editorial work (access to individual files and processes) and articles and also gives the user the possibility of using e-commerce functionality.

Another solution is Thunder, a Drupal distribution designed specifically for editors. It facilitates publication planning as well as the use of social media in the dissemination of content. 

Using CKEditor or Gutenberg, also known as WYSIWYG editors, can also be a good approach. These show the user the content exactly as it will look on the web page after formatting. CKEditor is equipped with the text formatting capabilities necessary for someone creating digital publications. The editor can change the font, and text size, insert an enumeration (list), picture, etc. Additional modules introduce more advanced functionality into CKEditor, e.g., defining link attributes. In Drupal, this is the default solution. 

Another editor  – Gutenberg is a tool that provides elements that can be included in the content. This module shares with the user around 60 ready-to-use blocks. Among them are the elements that allow adding content from social media (e.g., from YouTube).

Ecommerce features 

Drupal can also be extended with ecommerce functionalities, thanks to the Drupal Commerce module. The most important features include:

• possibility of presenting different types of products (e-books, audiobooks),
• search engine and the possibility of filtering, creating categories and tags – making it easier for users to find material available on a given portal,
• payment (card, bank transfer, e-wallets) and the ability to use a subscription model – readers of digital publications need to purchase or access them temporarily, so it’s necessary to provide them with the ability to pay promptly for a product or service.

Additional tools 

Editors and companies need additional solutions to increase the online visibility of their content and monitor reader activity. Companies will also benefit from reporting tools. They make it possible to check how much interest there is in digital publications and from which channels readers are reaching them. This allows content to be better tailored to the needs of customers.

Business owners may wonder why traffic to a particular website is low. Sometimes this is due to its low visibility. SEO tools are used to position a web page, i.e., increase its visibility on the web. You can use sophisticated software or opt for a cheaper option – installing a suitable plugin to your CMS.

No less important are marketing automation tools (managing social media content, mailing). They help create, promote, and distribute digital publications through various communication channels.

Digital publishing on the example of WAM Publishing House

An example of the use of digital publishing tools is the website of the WAM Publishing House’s online bookshop. This company had an existing system on Drupal Commerce. Our team supported it in developing the website.

We implemented some interesting solutions to improve the reader experience:

• a module enabling customers to send purchased products as a gift to another person, 
• a module integrating Drupal Commerce with Freshmail, which allowed for better targeting of messages,
• a shop integration with a new delivery method.

What is digital publishing? Summary

Content in traditional form is slowly giving way to digital publications. The latter are often more attractive to the reader and involve less effort and resources for the publisher to create and distribute. Many types of content can be made available in digital form. The key to success is having the right tools to create and distribute publications. One of the best ways to develop and manage digital publications is to customize the right CMS for your business by installing the right plugins and modules and integrating additional tools. Find out more about CMS for media and publishers.

 

Oxytocin is an age-specific circulating hormone that is necessary for muscle maintenance and regeneration

C Elabd, W Cousin, P Upadhyayula, RY Chen, MS Chooljian, J Li, S Kung, KP Jiang, IM Conboy, Nature Communications, 5, Article number:4082, Published on line 10 June, 2014.

The regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle declines with age. Previous studies suggest that this process can be reversed by exposure to young circulation; however, systemic age-specific factors responsible for this phenomenon are largely unknown. Here we report that oxytocin—a hormone best known for its role in lactation, parturition and social behaviours—is required for proper muscle tissue regeneration and homeostasis, and that plasma levels of oxytocin decline with age. Inhibition of oxytocin signalling in young animals reduces muscle regeneration, whereas systemic administration of oxytocin rapidly improves muscle regeneration by enhancing aged muscle stem cell activation/proliferation through activation of the MAPK/ERK signalling pathway. We further show that the genetic lack of oxytocin does not cause a developmental defect in muscle but instead leads to premature sarcopenia. Considering that oxytocin is an FDA-approved drug, this work reveals a potential novel and safe way to combat or prevent skeletal muscle ageing.

SUICIDE BUNNY MOTHER’S MILK V2 SHORTFILL

Suicide Bunny Mother’s Milk V2 Reimagined is their legendary signature flavour, offering a succulent creamy custard blended perfectly with sweet juicy strawberries.
Explore the entire range of Suicide Bunny dessert-inspired shortfill creations designed to redeliver exceptionally well-balanced flavours. 

Specifications

• Flavours: Strawberry, Custard
• Bottle Size: 100ml of e-liquid in a 120ml shortfill bottle
• Nicotine Strength: 0mg
• Nic-Shots: Space for two 10ml nic shots
• VG/PG Ratio: 70/30
• Vaping Style: DTL
• Manufactured in the U.S.
• Childproof Cap with a tamper-proof seal
• Easy Fill Spout

Produced in the United States, the Suicide Bunny brand was originally crafted and concocted by renowned artisan Pip Gresham. It built a reputation other brands could only dream of, with countless reviews and awards for the delicious flavours they became famous for. These world-known flavour combinations have been stripped back, re-imagined and reworked, launched as version two by popular demand.

These renowned shortfill vape juices are provided in a mix of 70/30 VG/PG, all suitable and recommended for use with our sub-ohm Vape Kits and Pod Vape Kits.

Suicide Bunny shortfills are supplied in a 120 ml bottle with 100 ml of flavour, leaving enough space for two optional 10 ml nicotine shots to be added, achieving a total nicotine strength of approximately 3 mg.

Shortfill e-liquids are most commonly created with a blend of 70+ VG, which makes them thicker than a typical 50 VG blend. This increases cloud production and flavour when vaped at a higher wattage.

An event website can be a big challenge. Usually, you will have to do it quickly and cheaply, while ensuring its high quality. After all, the prestige of the event and, consequently, the high turnout of guests and visitors, depends directly on its quality. How to reconcile a tight budget with great quality? If you are looking for a good solution to this conundrum, you can go with Droopler, Droptica’s distribution based on Drupal.

The event industry is characterised by many contradictions. The organisers are aware of the fact that they create something temporary, but at the same time, they use their experience for each subsequent event. It is wise for them to use tools and resources that will last them longer than just one season. The same principle applies to websites. Choosing the right CMS can significantly reduce the cost of deploying further websites. This is why it is worth going with Droopler.

What is Droopler?

Droopler is a free and open distribution of Drupal 8. It combines ease of use with a broad range of expansion possibilities.

While creating various business and corporate websites for our clients we found ourselves creating very similar components over and over again. Eventually, we decided to create a base. That is how Droopler came to be.

Droopler is different from other similar solutions that after installation you get a ready-made website pre-filled with content (you can see its demo right now). After all, changing existing content is much easier and faster than creating everything from scratch. This way of making websites also works well in the case of event sites. If, for example, you are organising a classical music festival, it will take you only a few minutes of fiddling and adjusting to achieve this result:

Impressive, isn’t it? By default, you get a modern, responsive layout, with a user-friendly content management system “underneath.” Creating banners, text blocks, galleries and forms are similar to building blocks here. There is no need to look into the HTML code at all. After a short training, everybody will be able to add new subpages and their components.

Is it possible to expand the website with new elements?

Please note that Droopler is not a trivially simple distribution. After all, it is based on Drupal 8, which is a very complex framework that offers endless possibilities for modification. This is why it is ideally suited for the event industry.

Every event has its own requirements. It is sometimes necessary to implement an extensive agenda, launch ticket sales, publish news, integrate with external services or, for example, receive applications from participants. All this can be implemented in a relatively short timeframe, and in a way that allows everything to be reused in future projects.

Therefore, you are not limited to a few basic elements to choose from if you want to edit your content.  An example of this is the website of DrupalCamp 2018, a conference organised by Droptica. On the basis of several basic Drupal functionalities (content types, views and taxonomy) we have created an extensive subpage for the programme, available in two languages. Editing it is so simple that it can be delegated to almost anyone who has had at least minimal contact with Drupal:

How to stand out?

The functionality of a website is not everything, because design also matters. Droopler offers the same template for all pages built in it; however, this does not mean that every page will look the same.

A bit of knowledge of SCSS is enough to completely change the look of your website. We have designed an architecture in which only a few lines of code need to be written to adjust basic colours and parameters. Thanks to this, you can quickly change the look of your website without wasting a lot of time on it. This is very important if you want to emphasise individuality.

The extent of the modifications depends only on your budget. Of course, nothing stops you from using the default template. With the right selection of photos, you can definitely give it a personal touch, just like on the example festival website presented above.

How to reuse a website?

As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, reusing resources to organise future events can save you a lot of money and time. So why not copy an existing website and then adapt its content and appearance to the new requirements?

Droopler favours this approach. A few small changes in the template files can drastically change the visual layer of the page, while a simple way to edit content will allow for a painless update. Any additional functionalities that may be required will continue to work. The next event’s website will be created in almost no time and at minimal cost.

What happens after the event?

Once the dust has settled after the event, the website is no longer needed, but sometimes you might want to keep it up as a memento. Leaving your website unattended and without updates on a server will never end well – regardless of the technology you use.

The best way out of this situation is to convert the website to pure HTML code, resistant to outside attacks. This can be done using httrack software, available for Windows and Linux. Currently, Droopler’s standard distribution is fully compatible with httrack, and this support will continue in future versions as well.

The archived site does not require any further attention from the organiser. What is more, making any changes in the future is still possible, if somewhat difficult.

Try Droopler today!

The Droopler distribution is available at https://droopler.com and https://www.drupal.org/project/droopler. We encourage you to install it and use it to organise your events. If you need more custom drupal development. Contact us.
 

Drake Plastics’ Product & Process Development team recently developed a process to produce Seal Segments for finish machining into split or segmented seals, bearings, labyrinth seals and thrust washers. Seal Segments can be made from 12-in. (300 mm) minimum up to 200-in. (5,000 mm) maximum diameter.

Seal Segments enabled Torlon 4301 to be used in a dynamic shaft seal assembly for the U. S. Navy. Testing was also conducted with Seal Segments made from Bearing Grade PEEK 450FC30, but Torlon’s higher PV capability lead to its qualification and Torlon being specified. The Torlon Seal Segments are sub-assembled onto stainless steel holders and the two halves are installed around an 18-in. (457 mm) shaft then coupled together.

Drake’s proprietary melt process yields physical properties in line with data sheet values. Additionally, material test reports are provided for Seal Segments and 100% traceability is maintained. Material certs confirm the resin’s compliance to Mil, AMS or ASTM standards.

Seal Segments reduce material cost and machining time by eliminating the need to split over sized compression molded tube or nesting arcs in extruded plate stock. Seal Segments are available in all Torlon and PEEK grades, and offer reduced machining times while delivering the best mechanical and wear properties these high performance polymers offer.

Seal Segments enable two-piece splits rather than multiple-piece segment construction improving both the cost to manufacture, and the performance of the seal by reducing leak paths.

Seal Segments, the newest form of machinable shapes, is another example of Drake’s commitment to serving customers needs in the leanest way possible. Tooling costs are low for custom sizes (cross-section, radius, and arc length), and lead-times are modest. According to Steven Quance, Drake’s President, “this development will help accelerate the adoption of high performance polymer bearings and seals into large rotating equipment by reducing cost and improving quality and consistency.”

Potential applications include: split wear rings and seals greater than 12-in. diameter- especially large centrifugal pump seals, turbo compressor labyrinth seals, turret bearings and seals, marine shaft seals, blast furnace seals and any other applications which require large seals or bearings from the ultra-high performance polymers, PEEK or Torlon PAI.

Drake Plastics
drakeplastics.com

A new paper describes a flexible and transparent superhydrophobic coating on cotton fabrics with high mechanical and chemical stability for underwater insulation.

Achieving both stretchability and excellent transparency of superhydrophobic surfaces simultaneously is a major challenge. Researchers utilised three acrylic monomers 1H,1H,2H,2H-heptadecafluorodecyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate to polymerise flexible, transparent, low surface energy random copolymers (PHMK) as the coating. The coating has excellent transparency (90.2 %) and the coated elastic cotton fabric exhibits superhydrophobicity (WCA = 160°) even at the tensile strain of 0–300 %.

Potential application in fields such as life jackets

The water droplets on the surface can bounce repeatedly in a stretched state. The coating has excellent chemical and mechanical stability and maintains superhydrophobicity under various treatments such as in various organic solvents and HCl (pH = 1) immersion, 20 washing cycles, the Martindale abrasion test 1000 times, and the tape peeling test 600 times. In addition, the coated cotton fabric also has excellent underwater thermal insulation performance, which has great potential application in fields such as life jackets.

The study has been published in Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 185, December 2023.