BIONOMER PILOT PLANT

The purpose of this project is to develop a pilot-scale process for the bacterial production of methacrylic acid (MAA) and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) from biomass feedstocks and the subsequent purification steps. The pilot plant will also be located on site at a sugar cane refinery in Brazil where the feedstock should be inexpensive and readily available. Although these sugar cane refineries only operate for 9 months each year, molasses can be stored so that the pilot plant runs year-round. To obtain useful information about the feasibility and scalability of the process, 30 M kg/yr of each product will be produced. The products will be tested for purity and samples will be sent out to consumers to demonstrate the quality of the product. The MAA and MEK must be of the same purity generated by current commercial processes. The pilot plant will be designed in three major parts. The first part consists of the bacterial fermentors that are used to produce and scale up MAA and MEK production. Relatively little is currently known about the efficiency of production of MAA and MEK by E. coli and this part of the plant will provide critical data about conditions required for the bacteria as well as production rates. The second part of the plant consists of the MAA purification process. Many options will be considered for the purification steps, many of which will have to be modeled in ASPEN because MAA is usually not produced in the aqueous phase. The final section of the plant will be used for MEK purification. To reduce plant costs, the design will try to share equipment between the two purification processes. The main goal of the plant is to obtain data and demonstrate feasibility, not to demonstrate sustainable profitability. Estimates for total capital investment and show that the plant will not be profitable for the first five years of operation, but the valuable data gained from the operation will be used to design the larger, more efficient, full-scale plant. The total capital investment required for the plant is approximately $ 6.33 million. Returns generated from sales are minimal compared to the capital investment and operating costs. A full scale plant is expected to be profitable over time because of economies of scale and the price of inputs and outputs of the process

Use of evidence to support healthy public policy: a policy effectiveness-feasibility loop

Public policy plays a key role in improving population health and in the control of diseases, including non-communicable diseases. However, an evidence-based approach to formulating healthy public policy has been difficult to implement, partly on account of barriers that hinder integrated work between researchers and policy-makers. This paper describes a “policy effectiveness–feasibility loop” (PEFL) that brings together epidemiological modelling, local situation analysis and option appraisal to foster collaboration between researchers and policy-makers. Epidemiological modelling explores the determinants of trends in disease and the potential health benefits of modifying them. Situation analysis investigates the current conceptualization of policy, the level of policy awareness and commitment among key stakeholders, and what actually happens in practice, thereby helping to identify policy gaps. Option appraisal integrates epidemiological modelling and situation analysis to investigate the feasibility, costs and likely health benefits of various policy options. The authors illustrate how PEFL was used in a project to inform public policy for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in four parts of the eastern Mediterranean. They conclude that PEFL may offer a useful framework for researchers and policy-makers to successfully work together to generate evidence-based policy, and they encourage further evaluation of this approach

Current tidal power technologies and their suitability for small-scale applications in shallow near-shore areas

A considerable body of research is currently being performed to quantify available tidal energy resources and to develop efficient devices with which to harness them. This work is naturally focussed on maximising power generation from the most promising sites, and a review of the literature suggests that the potential for smaller scale, local tidal power generation from shallow near-shore sites has not yet been investigated. If such generation is feasible, it could have the potential to provide sustainable electricity for nearby coastal homes and communities as part of a distributed generation strategy, and would benefit from easier installation and maintenance, lower cabling and infrastructure requirements and reduced capital costs when compared with larger scale projects. This article reviews tidal barrages and lagoons, tidal turbines, oscillating hydrofoils and tidal kites to assess their suitability for small-scale electricity generation in shallow waters. This is achieved by discussing the power density, scalability, durability, maintainability, economic potential and environmental impacts of each concept. The performance of each technology in each criterion is scored against axial-flow turbines, allowing for them to be ranked according to their overall suitability. The review suggests that tidal kites and range devices are not suitable for small-scale shallow water applications due to depth and size requirements respectively. Cross-flow turbines appear to be the most suitable technology, as they have high power densities and a maximum size that is not constrained by water depth

Support needs and experiences of young people living in families with mental illness

Introduction: Children and adolescents living in families affected by mental illness are at elevated risk of developing mental health problems. A range of interventions have been designed to help these young people; however, the effectiveness of these programs is, in some cases, mixed. Our aim was to understand in detail the support needs and experiences of a group of Australian children and adolescents living in families with mental illness. Methods: Our study is a qualitative in nature. In 2020−2021, we interviewed 25 Australian young people (Mage = 13.60, SD = 2.26, 20 females and 5 males) living with family members affected by mental illness to understand their (the young people's) experiences, and to identify the types of support that these young people considered important or effective. We conducted reflexive thematic analyses of interview data, underpinned by interpretivist assumptions. Results: We identified seven themes within two higher-order categories reflecting our aims to understand (1) lived experiences within families affected by mental illness (i.e., increased responsibilities, missing out, and stigmatization), and (2) support experiences, needs, and preferences (i.e., respite, shared experiences with like-minded others, education, and flexibility). Conclusions: Our findings hold substantial practical value by informing services, interventions, and conversations that better support young people living in families affected by mental illness

Traffic Safety Factors in the Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia

This study investigates the factors that affect traffic safety in the Qassim region. A questionnaire was developed on the basis of the Handbook of road safety and consisted of 85 items measuring seven dimensions: area-wide traffic calming (22 items), vehicle design and protective devices (26 items), road design (24 items), road maintenance (three items), traffic education (four items), police campaigns and sanctions (three items), and post-accident care (three items). A sample encompassing 1,500 Qassim University students, and visitors was randomly selected to collect data. A total of 1,500 questionnaires were distributed to students, and visitors of which 1,053 were retrieved. The elimination of data outliers resulted in a sample of 909 subjects. The results pointed out a moderate level of traffic safety in the Qassim region. Furthermore, 10 leading causes of road traffic accidents emerged, namely, excess speed, irregular bypasses, irregular rotations, lack of prioritization of other drivers, irregular stops, lack of road readiness, driver carelessness, use of a mobile phone while driving, noncompliance with traffic signals, and, finally, nonuse of seat belts. On the basis of these results, conclusions and policy implications were provided

Autonomous multispecies reaction-diffusion systems with more-than-two-site interactions

Autonomous multispecies systems with more-than-two-neighbor interactions are studied. Conditions necessary and sufficient for closedness of the evolution equations of the $n$-point functions are obtained. The average number of the particles at each site for one species and three-site interactions, and its generalization to the more-than-three-site interactions is explicitly obtained. Generalizations of the Glauber model in different directions, using generalized rates, generalized number of states at each site, and generalized number of interacting sites, are also investigated.Comment: 9 pages, LaTeX2

'My story is like a magic wand': a qualitative study of personal storytelling and activism to stop violence against women in Turkey.

Background: Telling personal stories of violence has been central to recent advocacy efforts to prevent violence against women around the world. In this paper, we explore the use of personal storytelling as a form of activism to prevent femicide in Turkey. This study is part of a broader storytelling initiative called SHAER (Storytelling for Health: Acknowledgement, Expression and Recovery) to alleviate the psychological and emotional suffering of women who have experienced gender-based violence in high-prevalence settings.Objectives: We conceptually explore personal stories of violence as a form of both distributed agency and activism. This conceptual framework is used to answer the following research question in the Turkish context: How do women use their personal stories of interpersonal violence for their own benefit (support) and that of others (activism)?Methods: Our study is based on 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews with women who have experienced violence and were purposefully recruited by the 'We Will End Femicide' Platform in Istanbul. Interviews were conducted between March and August 2019. We used inductive and deductive thematic analysis to identify instances of personal storytelling at three levels: intrapersonal, relational and collective.Results: Our results show how the use of personal storytelling can provide a means of healing from experiences of violence. However, this process is not linear and is often influenced by the surrounding context including: the listener of the story, their reaction, and what social networks the woman has to support her. In supportive social contexts, personal storytelling can be an effective support for activism against violence: personal stories can provide opportunities for individuals to shape broader discourses about violence against women and the right of women to share their stories.Conclusions: Telling one's personal story of violence can both support women's agency and contribute to the collective struggle against violence against women more broadly

Study of tree-shaped optimized fins in a heat sink filled by solid-solid nanocomposite phase change material

The aim of this work is to comprehensively study the effect of the material of the simple plate and tree-shaped optimized fins on the thermal behavior of an enclosed medium filled with a nanocomposite of neopentyl glycol/ CuO solid-solid PCM. Increasing the heat transfer rate using a fixed amount of material is an important task that improves the fin performance. The tree-shaped fin is optimized based upon the density-based structure optimization method. A transient model based upon the enthalpy method is employed to numerically study the thermal behavior of the enclosed medium containing the SS-PCM. The thermal performance of the heat sink with the tree-shaped optimized and simple plate fins made of different materials are explored. Results show that the aluminum and copper fins have the highest melting rate compared to the examined materials. Their melting rate is 50% higher than steel 302 in the case of flat plates, and 25% in the case of a tree structure. Also, the tree- shaped optimized fins outperform the plate structure fins by reaching the lowest temperature of the concentrated heat source and temperature non-uniformity under the condition that the two strucutures have the same height. When the two heights are different, the temperature distribution was optimized for materials with the lowest thermal conductivity. For steel materials, a 10% decrease in the maximum temperature was observed in the tree structure compared to the flat plates. Finally, it was shown that the nanoparticle fraction played a negligible role in heat transfer, as less than 1% change in melting rate and temperature parameters was obtained

Racism, anti-racist practice and social work: articulating the teaching and learning experiences of Black social workers

In the mid 1990s a Black practice teacher programme was established in Manchester and Merseyside with the primary aim to increase the number of Black practice teachers in social work organisations, and in turn provide a supportive and encouraging learning environment for Black student social workers whilst on placement. In the north‐west of England research has been undertaken, to establish the quality of the practice teaching and student learning taking place with Black practice teachers and students. This paper is an exploration of the ideas generated within the placement process that particularly focused on the discourse of racism and ant‐racist practice. Black students and practice teachers explain their understanding of racism and anti‐racist practice within social work. From the research, the paper will critique some of the ideas concerning anti‐racism. In particular, it will question whether anti‐racist social work practice needs to be re‐evaluated in the light of a context with new migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. It will concluded, by arguing that whilst the terms anti‐racism, Black and Minority Ethnic have resonance as a form of political strategic essentialism, it is important to develop more positive representations in the future

A comprehensive cost performance analysis for a QoS-based scheme in network mobility (NEMO)

By shifting the portability task away from a mobile network node and onto a mobile router, the NEMO BS protocol has been given the green light to run by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) working group. It is not effective to anticipate the mobility of each node in a train, bus, or ship individually. Hence, it would be reasonable to hire a Mobile Router (MR) that collectively handles the mobility of the entire mobile network. The NEMO BS protocol encourages efficient mobility for groups. Devices on a mobile network do not recognize the mobility of their network. Uninterrupted Internet connectivity is still given to mobile network nodes (i.e. the devices) despite the fact that the network’s connection point is shifted on the Internet. The NBS solution has severe performance limitations (e.g. triangular routing and signalling cost). To address the aforementioned issues, the Diff-FH NEMO pattern has formerly been proposed. This article built a methodology to evaluate signalling costs for major Diff-FH NEMO entities. For verification, the effectiveness of the proposed scheme Diff-FH NEMO is measured against that of the industrystandard NEMO BS protocol and the MIPv6-based Route Optimization (MIRON) scheme. Many important indicators, such as the length of time a user spends in a subnet and the total number of hops, are used to compare the signalling cost to (DiffServ Mobile Router (DMRs)