THE POTENTIAL OF INDUSTRIAL WASTE AND AGRICULTURAL FEEDSTOCK TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE BIOFUELS PRODUCTION: TECHNO-ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT PERSPECTIVES

This Ph.D. research is comprised of three major components; (i) Characterization study to analyze the composition of defatted corn syrup (DCS) from a dry corn mill facility (ii) Hydrolysis experiments to optimize the production of fermentable sugars and amino acid platform using DCS and (iii) Sustainability analyses. Analyses of DCS included total solids, ash content, total protein, amino acids, inorganic elements, starch, total carbohydrates, lignin, organic acids, glycerol, and presence of functional groups. Total solids content was 37.4% (± 0.4%) by weight, and the mass balance closure was 101%. Total carbohydrates [27% (± 5%) wt.] comprised of starch (5.6%), soluble monomer carbohydrates (12%) and non-starch carbohydrates (10%). Hemicellulose components (structural and non-structural) were; xylan (6%), xylose (1%), mannan (1%), mannose (0.4%), arabinan (1%), arabinose (0.4%), galatactan (3%) and galactose (0.4%). Based on the measured physical and chemical components, bio-chemical conversion route and subsequent fermentation to value added products was identified as promising. DCS has potential to serve as an important fermentation feedstock for bio-based chemicals production. In the sugar hydrolysis experiments, reaction parameters such as acid concentration and retention time were analyzed to determine the optimal conditions to maximize monomer sugar yields while keeping the inhibitors at minimum. Total fermentable sugars produced can reach approximately 86% of theoretical yield when subjected to dilute acid pretreatment (DAP). DAP followed by subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis was most effective for 0 wt% acid hydrolysate samples and least efficient towards 1 and 2 wt% acid hydrolysate samples. The best hydrolysis scheme DCS from an industry\u27s point of view is standalone 60 minutes dilute acid hydrolysis at 2 wt% acid concentration. The combined effect of hydrolysis reaction time, temperature and ratio of enzyme to substrate ratio to develop hydrolysis process that optimizes the production of amino acids in DCS were studied. Four key hydrolysis pathways were investigated for the production of amino acids using DCS. The first hydrolysis pathway is the amino acid analysis using DAP. The second pathway is DAP of DCS followed by protein hydrolysis using proteases [Trypsin, Pronase E (Streptomyces griseus) and Protex 6L]. The third hydrolysis pathway investigated a standalone experiment using proteases (Trypsin, Pronase E, Protex 6L, and Alcalase) on the DCS without any pretreatment. The final pathway investigated the use of Accellerase 1500® and Protex 6L to simultaneously produce fermentable sugars and amino acids over a 24 hour hydrolysis reaction time. The 3 key objectives of the techno-economic analysis component of this PhD research included; (i) Development of a process design for the production of both the sugar and amino acid platforms with DAP using DCS (ii) A preliminary cost analysis to estimate the initial capital cost and operating cost of this facility (iii) A greenhouse gas analysis to understand the environmental impact of this facility. Using Aspen Plus®, a conceptual process design has been constructed. Finally, both Aspen Plus Economic Analyzer® and Simapro® sofware were employed to conduct the cost analysis as well as the carbon footprint emissions of this process facility respectively. Another section of my PhD research work focused on the life cycle assessment (LCA) of commonly used dairy feeds in the U.S. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions analysis was conducted for cultivation, harvesting, and production of common dairy feeds used for the production of dairy milk in the U.S. The goal was to determine the carbon footprint [grams CO2 equivalents (gCO2e)/kg of dry feed] in the U.S. on a regional basis, identify key inputs, and make recommendations for emissions reduction. The final section of my Ph.D. research work was an LCA of a single dairy feed mill located in Michigan, USA. The primary goal was to conduct a preliminary assessment of dairy feed mill operations and ultimately determine the GHG emissions for 1 kilogram of milled dairy feed

Origins of the Combinatorial Basis of Entropy

The combinatorial basis of entropy, given by Boltzmann, can be written $H = N^{-1} \ln \mathbb{W}$, where $H$ is the dimensionless entropy, $N$ is the number of entities and $\mathbb{W}$ is number of ways in which a given realization of a system can occur (its statistical weight). This can be broadened to give generalized combinatorial (or probabilistic) definitions of entropy and cross-entropy: $H=\kappa (\phi(\mathbb{W}) +C)$ and $D=-\kappa (\phi(\mathbb{P}) +C)$, where $\mathbb{P}$ is the probability of a given realization, $\phi$ is a convenient transformation function, $\kappa$ is a scaling parameter and $C$ an arbitrary constant. If $\mathbb{W}$ or $\mathbb{P}$ satisfy the multinomial weight or distribution, then using $\phi(\cdot)=\ln(\cdot)$ and $\kappa=N^{-1}$, $H$ and $D$ asymptotically converge to the Shannon and Kullback-Leibler functions. In general, however, $\mathbb{W}$ or $\mathbb{P}$ need not be multinomial, nor may they approach an asymptotic limit. In such cases, the entropy or cross-entropy function can be {\it defined} so that its extremization ("MaxEnt'' or "MinXEnt"), subject to the constraints, gives the ``most probable'' (``MaxProb'') realization of the system. This gives a probabilistic basis for MaxEnt and MinXEnt, independent of any information-theoretic justification. This work examines the origins of the governing distribution $\mathbb{P}$.... (truncated)Comment: MaxEnt07 manuscript, version 4 revise

Does automation improve stock market efficiency in Ghana?

The automation of the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) in 2008, among other reforms, was expected to improve the efficiency of the market. The extent of this truism has, however, not been empirically established for the GSE. In this study, we attempt to assess the impact of the automation on the efficiency of the GSE within the framework of the weak-form Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) based on the before and after approach. The study was done both at the aggregate and micro-level. The aggregate result showed that automation of the exchange did not improve the overall efficiency of the exchange. However, there is evidence that the number of market participants involved in the exchange has increased in the post-automation era. The results of the impact of the automation on the effi ciency of the microstructure are, however, mixed. Generally, the rejection of the null hypothesis under homoscedasticity was found to be robust to heteroscedasticity for some firms, but the reverse was the case for other fi rms. This implies that the rejection of the null hypothesis under homoscedasticity is due to both heteroscedasticity and serial correlation. Based on the findings, a mix of strategies aimed at improving the efficiency of the exchange are recommended.Keywords: automation; stock market efficiency; Ghana Stock Exchang

Macroeconomic Interdependence and Integration in Africa

There is a renewed interest in the debate on integration in Africa since the creation of the Africa Union in 2002. This study investigates the feasibility of a full-fledge union in Africa from an economic standpoint. Towards this goal, we examine both the contemporaneous and dynamic relations in the short- and long-run among six key macro variables--consumer price level, gross domestic product, consumption, investment, trade flows and government expenditures--in eight African countries. In the quarterly data from 1976 to 2005, we observe the existence of common trends in real output, price level, private consumption, government consumption, investment and trade flows among these eight countries. In addition, we also note that there exist common cycles in real output, investment and trade flows for these countries. These two critical findings indicate the existence of some macroeconomic interdependence among these countries. Thus, the chances for success of integration in Africa driven by these eight countries are appreciable

Currency Substitution in Selected African Countries

This study investigates the presence of currency substitution in eight African countries--Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Tunisia and Zambia--for the period 1976 to 2005 using both regional and US dollar as anchor currencies. We find that currency substitution is prevalent in Ghana and Nigeria when CFA franc is used as an anchor currency. However, when US dollar is used as an anchor currency there is no evidence of currency substitution in Ghana but we still observe the presence of currency substitution in Nigeria. Also we find presence of currency substitution in South Africa but not in Egypt when the US dollar is the anchor currency. For Kenya, Tunisia and Zambia there is no evidence of currency substitution irrespective of the anchor currencies considered. In the case of Morocco, we observe no evidence of currency substitution when the Egyptian pound is used as anchor currency but there is weak evidence of currency substitution when the US dollar is considered

Determinants of the level of informalization of enterprises: some evidence from Accra, Ghana

Based on the recognition that enterprises operate at different levels of informality, this paper evaluates the determinants of their degree of informalization. To do so, a 2016 survey of the varying degrees of informalization of 171 entrepreneurs in Ghana is reported. The finding is that only 21% of enterprises were wholly informal and 16% wholly formal. Nearly two-thirds (63%) were neither wholly informal nor wholly formal. Higher levels of informalization are significantly associated with younger entrepreneurs, those with lower levels of educational attainment, lower household incomes and younger enterprises. It is also significantly associated with the wider institutional compliance environment. Higher levels of informality are present among entrepreneurs unaware of the need for registration, who lack vertical trust (i.e., do not believe the state does anything for them, and perceive there to be public sector corruption), view informality as normal (i.e., a normal practice in their family) and view all similar businesses as operating informally (i.e., lack horizontal trust). The paper concludes by discussing the theoretical and policy implications

Evaluation of Mid-Year Review of 2014 Seminars: A case study of the CSIR-Water Research Institute, Ghana

Scientific seminars are organized to provide forum for participants to discuss and also bring into the public domain current activities of an organization. To ascertain whether the seminars are achieving its aim, evaluation is usually done to assess the effectiveness. It is against this background that Water Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research organized 2014 mid-year seminar to review its research activities as well as communicate findings of research undertaken by its scientist for the year under review. Hence, the main thrust of this paper is to evaluate the success of 2014 mid-year review seminar. The evaluation for the purposes of quality assurance and future organization of similar seminars were conducted using descriptive statistics analysis of the evaluation questionnaire. The results of the study revealed that 71% of the participants were males while 29% of them were females. Most of the respondents were of the view that the topics presented were relevant and the overall performance of the seminar was good as it was in line with the objectives of the institute, that is, to generate and provide scientific information. Keywords: CSIR-Water Research Institute, Scientific Seminars, Scientific Informatio

Relationship between Patient Anatomical Thickness and Radiographic Exposure Factors for Selected Radiologic Examinations

The most common cause of errors in radiographic examinations is inappropriate selection of exposure factors, which depends on the patient’s anatomical thickness. Inappropriate selection of exposure factors could lead to either underexposed or overexposed radiographs and unnecessary radiation exposure to the patient. The study sought to assess the relationship between patient anatomical thickness and their corresponding radiographic exposure factors used in the selected examinations. Anatomical thicknesses of patients aged 18 years and above, who presented for chest, lumbar spine or pelvis radiographic examinations at the Korle-Bu Polyclinic, from April to May 2014, were measured and recorded using a calliper of least count 0.1cm. The corresponding exposure factors (kVp and mAs) used for each examination were recorded as well as the demographic data of the patients. The study established a correlation between patient anatomical thickness and exposure factors. The results revealed a positive correlation between kVp, mAs and anatomical thickness in almost all the examinations under study. A low-negative correlation between mAs and kVp was recorded for lumbar spine lateral examinations. As mAs increases, kVp reduced marginally. KEYWORDS: kVp, mAs, anatomical thicknes

Natural enemies of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Ghana

Open Access JournalThe fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an invasive insect pest attacking maize in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa countries. Biological control will need to be an important management strategy, and a first step was to identify potential natural enemies. Sampling was conducted in different localities of the 10 regions of Ghana from May to Nov 2017. A total of 1,062 larvae were collected from 106 maize farms, and the presence of natural enemies was recorded in 18 (17.0%) farms. Among natural enemies recorded, 7 species were parasitoids: Chelonus bifoveolatus Szpligeti, Coccygidium luteum (Brull), Cotesia icipe Fernandez, Meteoridea testacea (Granger), and Bracon sp. (all Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Anatrichus erinaceus Loew (Diptera: Chloropidae), and an undetermined tachinid fly (Diptera: Tachinidae). The parasitism rate was 3.58%. Three predator species were collected: Pheidole megacephala (F.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Haematochares obscuripennis Stål, and Peprius nodulipes (Signoret) (both Heteroptera: Reduviidae). The 2 most abundant parasitoids were C. bifoveolatus and C. luteum with a relative abundance of 29.0% and 23.7%, respectively, and a parasitism rate of 1.04% and 0.85%, respectively. However, C. bifoveolatus was the most dispersed parasitoid, found in 6.6% of the inspected sites within all the agroecological zones of Ghana. This species is a good candidate as a biological control agent for fall armyworm in Africa. The predator that was most abundant (46.0%) and dispersed (3.8% of the farms) was P. megacephala. El cogollero, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), es una plaga de insectos invasora que ataca el maíz en Ghana y los países de África subsahariana. El control biológico deberá ser una estrategia de manejo importante, y un primer paso es identificar los enemigos naturales potenciales. Se realizó el muestreo en diferentes localidades de las 10 regiones de Ghana desde mayo hasta noviembre del 2017. Se recolectó un total de 1.062 larvas de 106 granjas de maíz, y se registró la presencia de enemigos naturales en 18 granjas (17.0%). Entre los enemigos naturales registrados, 7 especies fueron parasitoides: Chelonus bifoveolatus Szpligeti, Coccygidium luteum (Brull), Cotesia icipe Fernandez, Meteoridea testacea (Granger) y Bracon sp. (todos los Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Anatrichus erinaceus Loew (Diptera: Chloropidae) y una mosca taquinida indeterminada (Diptera: Tachinidae). La tasa de parasitismo fue del 3.58%. Se recolectaron tres especies de depredadores: Pheidole megacephala (F.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Haematochares obscuripennis Stål y Peprius nodulipes (Signoret) (ambos Heteroptera: Reduviidae). Los 2 parasitoides más abundantes fueron C. bifoveolatus y C. luteum con una abundancia relativa del 29.0% y 23.7%, respectivamente, y una tasa de parasitismo del 1.04% y 0.85%, respectivamente. Sin embargo, C. bifoveotus fue el parasitoide más disperso, encontrado en el 6.6% de los sitios inspeccionados dentro de todas las zonas agroecológicas de Ghana. Esta especie es un buen candidato como agente de control biológico para el cogollero en África. El depredador que fue más abundante (46.0%) y disperso (3.8% de las granjas) fue P. megacephala

Silencing by nuclear matrix attachment distinguishes cell-type specificity: association with increased proliferation capacity

DNA loop organization by nuclear scaffold/matrix attachment is a key regulator of gene expression that may provide a means to modulate phenotype. We have previously shown that attachment of genes to the NaCl-isolated nuclear matrix correlates with their silencing in HeLa cells. In contrast, expressed genes were associated with the lithium 3,5-diiodosalicylate (LIS)-isolated nuclear scaffold. To define their role in determining phenotype matrix attached regions (MARs) on human chromosomes 14–18 were identified as a function of expression in a primary cell line. The locations of MARs in aortic adventitial fibroblast (AoAF) cells were very stable (r = 0.909) and 96% of genes attached at MARs are silent (P < 0.001). Approximately one-third of the genes uniquely expressed in AoAF cells were associated with the HeLa cell nuclear matrix and silenced. Comparatively, 81% were associated with the AoAF cell nuclear scaffold (P < 0.001) and expressed. This suggests that nuclear scaffold/matrix association mediates a portion of cell type-specific gene expression thereby modulating phenotype. Interestingly, nuclear matrix attachment and thus silencing of specific genes that regulate proliferation and maintain the integrity of the HeLa cell genome suggests that transformation may at least in part be achieved through aberrant nuclear matrix attachment