Recent developments in heterogeneous catalysis for the sustainable production of biodiesel

The quest for energy security and widespread acceptance of the anthropogenic origin of rising CO2 emissions and associated climate change from combusting fossil derived carbon sources, is driving academic and commercial research into new routes to sustainable fuels to meet the demands of a rapidly rising global population. Biodiesel is one of the most readily implemented and low cost, alternative source of transportation fuels to meet future societal demands. However, current practises to produce biodiesel via transesterification employing homogeneous acids and bases result in costly fuel purification processes and undesired pollution. Life-cycle calculations on biodiesel synthesis from soybean feedstock show that the single most energy intensive step is the catalytic conversion of TAGs into biodiesel, accounting for 87% of the total primary energy input, which largely arises from the quench and separation steps. The development of solid acid and base catalysts that respectively remove undesired free fatty acid (FFA) impurities, and transform naturally occurring triglycerides found within plant oils into clean biodiesel would be desirable to improve process efficiency. However, the microporous nature of many conventional catalysts limits their ability to convert bulky and viscous feeds typical of plant or algal oils. Here we describe how improved catalyst performance, and overall process efficiency can result from a combination of new synthetic materials based upon templated solid acids and bases with hierarchical structures, tailored surface properties and use of intensified process allowing continuous operation.

Heterogeneous catalysis for sustainable biodiesel production via esterification and transesterification

Concern over the economics of accessing fossil fuel reserves, and widespread acceptance of the anthropogenic origin of rising CO2 emissions and associated climate change from combusting such carbon sources, is driving academic and commercial research into new routes to sustainable fuels to meet the demands of a rapidly rising global population. Here we discuss catalytic esterification and transesterification solutions to the clean synthesis of biodiesel, the most readily implemented and low cost, alternative source of transportation fuels to meet future societal demands.

Optimising yeast as a host for recombinant protein production (review)

Having access to suitably stable, functional recombinant protein samples underpins diverse academic and industrial research efforts to understand the workings of the cell in health and disease. Synthesising a protein in recombinant host cells typically allows the isolation of the pure protein in quantities much higher than those found in the protein's native source. Yeast is a popular host as it is a eukaryote with similar synthetic machinery to the native human source cells of many proteins of interest, while also being quick, easy, and cheap to grow and process. Even in these cells the production of some proteins can be plagued by low functional yields. We have identified molecular mechanisms and culture parameters underpinning high yields and have consolidated our findings to engineer improved yeast cell factories. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the opportunities available to improve yeast as a host system for recombinant protein production.

The relationship of student and teacher variables on academic achievement in Florida schools

Since 1995, Florida has been one of the leading states in the country initiating a high-stakes school accountability system. Public schools in Florida receive letter grades based on their performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). These school grades have significant effects on schools' reputations and funding. Consequently, the plan has been criticized for grading all schools in the same manner, without taking into account such variables as student poverty and mobility rates which are beyond the control of the school. ^ The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of student variables (poverty and mobility rates) and teacher variables (average years of teacher experience and attained degree level) on FCAT math and reading performance. This research utilized an education production function model to examine which set of inputs (student or teacher) has a stronger influence on student academic output as measured by the FCAT. ^ The data collected for this study was from over 1500 public elementary schools in Florida that listed all pertinent information for 2 school years (1998/1999 & 1999/2000) on the Florida Department of Education's website. ^ It was concluded that student poverty, teacher average years of experience and student mobility taken together, provide a strong predictive measure of FCAT reading and math performance. However, the set of student inputs was significantly stronger than the teacher inputs. High student poverty was highly correlated with low FCAT scores. Teacher experience and student mobility rates were not nearly as strongly related to FCAT scores as was student poverty. The results of this study provide evidence for educators and other school stakeholders of the relative degree to which student and teacher variables are related to student academic achievement. The underlying reasons for these relationships will require further examination in future studies. These results raise questions for Florida's school policymakers about the educational equity of the state's accountability system and its implementation. ^

Production of Referring Expressions for an Unknown Audience : a Computational Model of Communal Common Ground

The research reported in this article is based on the Ph.D. project of Dr. RK, which was funded by the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA). KvD acknowledges support from the EPSRC under the RefNet grant (EP/J019615/1).

La ética hacker frente al capitalismo netárquíco: software libre y peer production en las iniciativas de Economía Colaborativa en Andalucía

En los últimos años el término Economía Colaborativa se ha popularizado sin que, hasta el momento, haya sido definido de manera inequívoca. Bajo esta denominación se engloban experiencias tan diversas como bancos de tiempo, huertos urbanos, startups o grandes plataformas digitales. La proliferación de este tipo de iniciativas puede relacionarse con una multiplicidad de factores tales como el desarrollo tecnológico, la recesión económica y otras crisis superpuestas (medioambiental, de cuidados, de valores, de lo político) y un cierto cambio en los valores sociales. Entre 2014-2015 se han realizado dos investigaciones en Andalucía de manera casi paralela y con una metodología similar. La primera de ellas pretendía identificar prácticas de Economía Colaborativa en el entorno universitario. La segunda investigación identificaba experiencias de emprendimiento a nivel autonómico. A luz de los resultados obtenidos se plantea la siguiente cuestión sobre la naturaleza misma de la Economía Colaborativa: ¿nos encontramos ante prácticas postcapitalistas que abren el camino a una sociedad más justa e igualitaria o, más bien, estamos ante una respuesta del capital para, una vez más, seguir extrayendo de manera privada el valor que se genera socialmente? Este artículo, partiendo del análisis del conjunto de iniciativas detentadas en Andalucía, se centra en aquellas basadas en el software libre y la producción digital concluyendo cómo, gracias a la incorporación de ciertos aspectos de la ética hacker y las lógicas del conocimiento abierto, éstas pueden situarse dentro de un escenario de fomento de los comunes globales frente a las lógicas imperantes del capitalismo netárquico. 

Risque de prix et décisions de production et d'exportation : le cas de l'agriculture au Québec

Cette thèse porte sur l’effet du risque de prix sur la décision des agriculteurs et les transformateurs québécois. Elle se divise en trois chapitres. Le premier chapitre revient sur la littérature. Le deuxième chapitre examine l’effet du risque de prix sur la production de trois produits, à savoir le maïs grain, la viande de porc et la viande d’agneau dans la province Québec. Le dernier chapitre est centré sur l’analyse de changement des préférences du transformateur québécois de porc pour ce qui est du choix de marché. Le premier chapitre vise à montrer l’importance de l’effet du risque du prix sur la quantité produite par les agriculteurs, tel que mis en évidence par la littérature. En effet, la littérature révèle l’importance du risque de prix à l’exportation sur le commerce international. Le deuxième chapitre est consacré à l’étude des facteurs du risque (les anticipations des prix et la volatilité des prix) dans la fonction de l’offre. Un modèle d’hétéroscédasticité conditionnelle autorégressive généralisée (GARCH) est utilisé afin de modéliser ces facteurs du risque. Les paramètres du modèle sont estimés par la méthode de l’Information Complète Maximum Vraisemblance (FIML). Les résultats empiriques montrent l’effet négatif de la volatilité du prix sur la production alors que la prévisibilité des prix a un effet positif sur la quantité produite. Comme attendu, nous constatons que l’application du programme d’assurance-stabilisation des revenus agricoles (ASRA) au Québec induit une plus importante sensibilité de l’offre par rapport au prix effectif (le prix incluant la compensation de l’ASRA) que par rapport au prix du marché. Par ailleurs, l’offre est moins sensible au prix des intrants qu’au prix de l’output. La diminution de l’aversion au risque de producteur est une autre conséquence de l’application de ce programme. En outre, l’estimation de la prime marginale relative au risque révèle que le producteur du maïs est le producteur le moins averse au risque (comparativement à celui de porc ou d’agneau). Le troisième chapitre consiste en l’analyse du changement de préférence du transformateur québécois du porc pour ce qui est du choix de marché. Nous supposons que le transformateur a la possibilité de fournir les produits sur deux marchés : étranger et local. Le modèle théorique explique l’offre relative comme étant une fonction à la fois d’anticipation relative et de volatilité relative des prix. Ainsi, ce modèle révèle que la sensibilité de l’offre relative par rapport à la volatilité relative de prix dépend de deux facteurs : d’une part, la part de l’exportation dans la production totale et d’autre part, l’élasticité de substitution entre les deux marchés. Un modèle à correction d’erreurs est utilisé lors d’estimation des paramètres du modèle. Les résultats montrent l’effet positif et significatif de l’anticipation relative du prix sur l’offre relative à court terme. Ces résultats montrent donc qu’une hausse de la volatilité du prix sur le marché étranger par rapport à celle sur le marché local entraine une baisse de l’offre relative sur le marché étranger à long terme. De plus, selon les résultats, les marchés étranger et local sont plus substituables à long terme qu’à court terme.

Phytoplankton versus macrophyte contribution to primary production and biogeochemical cycles of a coastal mesotidal system. A modelling approach

This study presents an assessment of the contributions of various primary producers to the global annual production and N/P cycles of a coastal system, namely the Arcachon Bay, by means of a numerical model. This 3D model fully couples hydrodynamic with ecological processes and simulates nitrogen, silicon and phosphorus cycles as well as phytoplankton, macroalgae and seagrasses. Total annual production rates for the different components were calculated for different years (2005, 2007 and 2009) during a time period of drastic reduction in seagrass beds since 2005. The total demand of nitrogen and phosphorus was also calculated and discussed with regards to the riverine inputs. Moreover, this study presents the first estimation of particulate organic carbon export to the adjacent open ocean. The calculated annual net production for the Arcachon Bay (except microphytobenthos, not included in the model) ranges between 22,850 and 35,300 tons of carbon. The main producers are seagrasses in all the years considered with a contribution ranging from 56% to 81% of global production. According to our model, the -30% reduction in seagrass bed surface between 2005 and 2007, led to an approximate 55% reduction in seagrass production, while during the same period of time, macroalgae and phytoplankton enhanced their productions by about +83% and +46% respectively. Nonetheless, the phytoplankton production remains about eightfold higher than the macroalgae production. Our results also highlight the importance of remineralisation inside the Bay, since riverine inputs only fulfill at maximum 73% nitrogen and 13% phosphorus demands during the years 2005, 2007 and 2009. Calculated advection allowed a rough estimate of the organic matter export: about 10% of the total production in the bay was exported, originating mainly from the seagrass compartment, since most of the labile organic matter was remineralised inside the bay.

Multiraciality Enters the University: Mixed Race Identity and Knowledge Production in Higher Education

“Multiraciality Enters the University: Mixed Race Identity and Knowledge Production in Higher Education,” explores how the category of “mixed race” has underpinned university politics in California, through student organizing, admissions debates, and the development of a new field of study. By treating the concept of privatization as central to both multiraciality and the neoliberal university, this project asks how and in what capacity has the discourses of multiracialism and the growing recognition of mixed race student populations shaped administrative, social, and academic debates at the state’s flagship universities—the University of California at Berkeley and Los Angeles. This project argues that the mixed race population symbolizing so-called “post-racial societies” is fundamentally attached to the concept of self-authorship, which can work to challenge the rights and resources for college students of color. Through a close reading of texts, including archival materials, policy and media debates, and interviews, I assert that the contemporary deployment of mixed race within the US academy represents a particularly post-civil rights development, undergirded by a genealogy of U.S. liberal individualism. This project ultimately reveals the pressing need to rethink ways to disrupt institutionalized racism in the new millennium.

Measuring and improving production efficiency of paint filling and packing line

Tutkittu yritys on suomalainen maaleja ja lakkoja kansainvälisesti valmistava ja myyvä toimija. Yrityksessä otettiin vuonna 2010 käyttöön uudet tuotannon ja toimitusketjun tavoitteet ja suunnitelmat ja tämä tutkimus on osa tuota kokonaisvaltaista kehittämissuuntaa. Tutkimuksessa käsitellään tuotannon ja kunnossapidon tehokkuuden parantamis- ja mittaustyökalu OEE:tä ja tuotevaihtoaikojen pienentämiseen tarkoitettua SMED -työkalua. Työn teoriaosuus perustuu lähinnä akateemisiin julkaisuihin, mutta myös haastatteluihin, kirjoihin, internet sivuihin ja yhteen vuosikertomukseen. Empiriaosuudessa OEE:n käyttöönoton ongelmia ja onnistumista tutkittiin toistettavalla käyttäjäkyselyllä. OEE:n potentiaalia ja käyttöönottoa tutkittiin myös tarkastelemalla tuotanto- ja käytettävyysdataa, jota oli kerätty tuotantolinjalta. SMED:iä tutkittiin siihen perustuvan tietokoneohjelman avulla. SMED:iä tutkittiin teoreettisella tasolla, eikä sitä implementoitu vielä käytäntöön. Tutkimustuloksien mukaan OEE ja SMED sopivat hyvin esimerkkiyritykselle ja niissä on paljon potentiaalia. OEE ei ainoastaan paljasta käytettävyyshäviöiden määrää, mutta myös niiden rakenteen. OEE -tulosten avulla yritys voi suunnata rajalliset tuotannon ja kunnossapidon parantamisen resurssit oikeisiin paikkoihin. Työssä käsiteltävä tuotantolinja ei tuottanut mitään 56 % kaikesta suunnitellusta tuotantoajasta huhtikuussa 2016. Linjan pysähdyksistä ajallisesti 44 % johtui vaihto-, aloitus- tai lopetustöistä. Tuloksista voidaan päätellä, että käytettävyyshäviöt ovat vakava ongelma yrityksen tuotannontehokkuudessa ja vaihtotöiden vähentäminen on tärkeä kehityskohde. Vaihtoaikaa voitaisiin vähentää ~15 % yksinkertaisilla ja halvoilla SMED:illä löydetyillä muutoksilla työjärjestyksessä ja työkaluissa. Parannus olisi vielä suurempi kattavimmilla muutoksilla. SMED:in suurin potentiaali ei välttämättä ole vaihtoaikojen lyhentämisessä vaan niiden standardisoinnissa.

Towards an Orthodox Marxian Reading of Subsumption(s) of Academic Labour

This paper deploys an orthodox Marxian reading of the concept of subsumption of labour under capital. It does so through a brief, critical overview of the components of the Marxian conceptual instrument of subsumption of labour under capital (formal, real, hybrid and ideal subsumption). Recapitulating Marx’s concept, it sheds some light on the consequences of such a reading as a way of understanding the current transformation of the global higher education sector into a capitalist production sector per se. The reconstruction is then considered here as an attempt to approximate the specifics of the subsumption of labour under capital within the higher education sector. Moreover, the paper aims at showing that a discussion of the university dominated by capital with reference to the functioning or constituting of markets does not provide real opportunities for the understanding and solution of such problems as precarization, exploitation or acceleration of academic work. Thus, it joins a wider stream of Marxist higher education research and could be seen as a conceptual contribution to a critique of the political economy of higher education.

Traditional part-time grazing: a more sustainable sheep milk and cheese production in the Basque Country

[EN] The concept of sustainability when referring to food production rests, in general, on 3 main aspects: 1) respect for the environment; 2) economic and social benefits for all involved in production; and 3) production of sufficient quantity of quality food at an accessible price. In this contribution we focus on the main aspects of the traditional sheep's milk and cheese production (under the Denomination of Origin Idiazabal Cheese) in the Basque Country that contribute primarily to its sustainability. It is based on the local latxa or carranzana breeds of sheep, adapted to the mountainous terrain. The sheepherder takes advantage of local resources to reduce management costs by combining indoor dry forage and concentrates with outdoor grazing throughout lactation, according to local pasture availability, and thus avoiding having to buy large amounts of feed. This system facilitates recycling of manure, fertilising pastures and forest at the same time. Use of local breeds helps maintain biodiversity of sheep breeds. Cheese is produced industrially (44.5% of the total cheese produced in 2008) from milk of many flocks, or artisanally (38.3%) by the sheepherders with the milk from their own flocks. Transforming their own milk into cheese is advantageous for the following reasons: 1) higher economic returns as compared to selling the milk to cheese factories because cheese price directly sold to consumers is more competitive than industrial cheese sold in supermarkets; 2) increases the value of women's work (over 80% of the cheese makers are women) in the community and their self-esteem; 3) it creates rural jobs and contributes to rural development; 4) we have demonstrated both with experimental and commercial flocks that part-time grazing allows the sheepherder to obtain high yields of milk, and cheese, of high nutritional and functional quality. Currently a less sustainable, intensive sheep's milk production with foreign, imported breeds kept indoors constantly is gaining favour among milk producers because of its perceived higher economic profitability.

The Academic-enterprise experiences framework as a guide for design education

The establishment of support platforms for the development of a new culture in design education, in order to achieve both research exploitation and its results, as an approach to the industrial community, challenges higher education institutions to rethink their functioning, divided between investigation on their own initiative or on demand, and its usefulness / practical application. At the same time, through design education, how can they be the engine that aggregates all these frequently antagonistic interests? Polytechnic institutes are predisposed to collaboration and interdisciplinarity. In our course of Technology and Design of Furniture, the availability of a production unit, testing laboratories, and expertise in engineering, design and marketing, encourage the development of a holistic project. In order to develop such knowledge, we adapt three important ways of thinking in designing interactions influenced by the traditional approach, namely, 1) identifying and understanding a design problem, i.e. a market need, 2) defining the design process and knowing what can be used for design education, i.e. opportunities for design education, and 3) sustainability of this framework and design projects' alignment with education in the same field. We explain our approach by arguing from the academicenterprise experiences perspective. This concept is proposed as a way to achieve those three ways of thinking in design education. Then, a set of interaction attributes is defined to explain how engineering and product design education can enhance meaningful relations with manufacturers, stakeholders and society in general. A final discussion is presented with the implications and benefits of this approach. The results suggest that through academic-enterprise partnerships in design, several goals such as students' motivation, product design innovation and potential for knowledge transfer to industries can be achieved.

Additive Manufacturing by LPBF and WAAM of metals: correlation between production process, microstructure and mechanical properties

In the most recent years, Additive Manufacturing (AM) has drawn the attention of both academic research and industry, as it might deeply change and improve several industrial sectors. From the material point of view, AM results in a peculiar microstructure that strictly depends on the conditions of the additive process and directly affects mechanical properties. The present PhD research project aimed at investigating the process-microstructure-properties relationship of additively manufactured metal components. Two technologies belonging to the AM family were considered: Laser-based Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and Wire-and-Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). The experimental activity was carried out on different metals of industrial interest: a CoCrMo biomedical alloy and an AlSi7Mg0.6 alloy processed by LPBF, an AlMg4.5Mn alloy and an AISI 304L austenitic stainless steel processed by WAAM. In case of LPBF, great attention was paid to the influence that feedstock material and process parameters exert on hardness, morphological and microstructural features of the produced samples. The analyses, targeted at minimizing microstructural defects, lead to process optimization. For heat-treatable LPBF alloys, innovative post-process heat treatments, tailored on the peculiar hierarchical microstructure induced by LPBF, were developed and deeply investigated. Main mechanical properties of as-built and heat-treated alloys were assessed and they were well-correlated to the specific LPBF microstructure. Results showed that, if properly optimized, samples exhibit a good trade-off between strength and ductility yet in the as-built condition. However, tailored heat treatments succeeded in improving the overall performance of the LPBF alloys. Characterization of WAAM alloys, instead, evidenced the microstructural and mechanical anisotropy typical of AM metals. Experiments revealed also an outstanding anisotropy in the elastic modulus of the austenitic stainless-steel that, along with other mechanical properties, was explained on the basis of microstructural analyses.

An Asp49 Phospholipase A2 From Snake Venom Induces Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression And Prostaglandin E2 Production Via Activation Of Nf-κb, P38mapk, And Pkc In Macrophages.

Phospholipases A2 (PLA2) are key enzymes for production of lipid mediators. We previously demonstrated that a snake venom sPLA2 named MT-III leads to prostaglandin (PG)E2 biosynthesis in macrophages by inducing the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Herein, we explored the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways leading to these MT-III-induced effects. Results demonstrated that MT-III induced activation of the transcription factor NF-κB in isolated macrophages. By using NF-κB selective inhibitors, the involvement of this factor in MT-III-induced COX-2 expression and PGE2 production was demonstrated. Moreover, MT-III-induced COX-2 protein expression and PGE2 release were attenuated by pretreatment of macrophages with SB202190, and Ly294002, and H-7-dihydro compounds, indicating the involvement of p38MAPK, PI3K, and PKC pathways, respectively. Consistent with this, MT-III triggered early phosphorylation of p38MAPK, PI3K, and PKC. Furthermore, SB202190, H-7-dihydro, but not Ly294002 treatment, abrogated activation of NF-κB induced by MT-III. Altogether, these results show for the first time that the induction of COX-2 protein expression and PGE2 release, which occur via NF-κB activation induced by the sPLA2-MT-III in macrophages, are modulated by p38MAPK and PKC, but not by PI3K signaling proteins.