Techno-Economic Analysis of a Seaweed Extraction Process

The goal of this thesis was to perform a techno-economic analysis of a seaweed polysaccharide extraction process that could estimate how economically viable it would be to harvest and process seaweed in Maine to produce algal polysaccharides. I pursued two investigations to answer this question: First, I continued the research I have been doing on an EPSCoR SEANET funded undergraduate research team working on the extraction and fractionation of sugar kelp (Saccharina Latissima) to produce three different separated polysaccharides: alginate, laminarin, and fucoidan. My contributions to this project were primarily to hydrolyze whole pieces of seaweed and extracted samples and quantify their saccharide composition by running the hydrolysates through HPLC. I also prepared samples for elemental analysis by ICP-MS and contributed to tasks associated with the extraction and fractionation work. The seaweed samples we used were harvested from various locations along the Maine coast and collected at different harvest times. Each of these samples were analyzed individually. In this way we could determine the relative amounts of each type of polysaccharide in the different samples. Second, I constructed a process model of our extraction process in the modeling software program ASPEN Plus. A principle task in constructing the model was to translate our multi step batch processes used in the laboratory into a continuous unit operations-based model. I used this model to develop financial viability criteria for the economics of extracting polysaccharides from Maine seaweeds. The desired output of the model was to generate estimated values of the harvested seaweeds to a potential seaweed harvester in Maine

A Method to Determine the Viability of Photovoltaic Systems in Various Climate Regions

The purpose of this study is to manufacture and disseminate 37 photovoltaic test systems which will be located at various United States Air Force installations worldwide. The Air Force\u27s goals in renewable energy are to determine the potential for systems to aid in promoting resiliency for an installation\u27s energy demands. The test systems are designed to collect climate and power production data from each test site and associated photovoltaic cells. The overall goal of the test system data collection is to determine the correlation between power output of photovoltaic panels and the associated geographic region climate classification. This study does not include a complete analysis of the data as a full year of data has not yet been recorded. A full year of data, including all four seasons, is required for a proper analysis to be completed. The conclusion which can be drawn from this study is that the test systems performed as expected. Not including hardware malfunctions, the systems were able to measure all data as designed. Analysis was able to be completed on four months data which provided initial results and observations on the climate region\u27s Performance

The object we aim at in life

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Leading from within: Distributing leadership to enhance eLearning at ACU

Research on academic leaders of Australian and international higher education institutions has shown how “the broader societal change forces that have unfolded over the past quarter century have generated a set of higher education specific pressures on universities to change, which, in turn, are testing the extent to which these institutions and their leaders are ‘change capable’” (Scott, Coates and Anderson, 2008, p. xiii). Australian Catholic University (ACU) which has six campuses across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory, is responding to these change forces in accord with its mission to provide quality teaching, research and service. ACU has focussed on the development of policy, procedures and strategic initiatives related to eLearning. This paper reports on embedding of an initial Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) project designed “to develop distributed leadership capacity in the pedagogical and evaluative dimensions of online teaching and learning” in which six academic staff members were funded for a new role as Online Advisers (OAs). The paper highlights the leadership learning which has occurred for the OAs, identifies ongoing challenges in terms of distributing leadership in a sustainable way for the enhancement of online teaching and learning (OTL) and offers eight insights and challenges into how such projects can be implemented by like institutions

A Long-Established Extension Education Course Goes On-Line

Technology is applied to an Extension education course. A grant was received to build an e-learning framework for Education 331. Instructor and staff created a learning environment that engaged students in field instruction. The course enhances students\u27 knowledge of Extension, agriculture, and adult/continuing education. Educational program development and design are key content areas. Transition to e-learning frameworks included on-line course materials and class time instruction in technologies for content delivery in the Extension System. Students applied content and technology through delivering on-line in-service for Cornell Cooperative Extension professionals

Knee angle affects posterior chain muscle activation during an isometric test used in soccer players

It has been suggested that altering the knee flexion angle during a commonly used supine isometric strength test developed with professional soccer players changes preferential hamstring muscle recruitment. The aim of this study was to examine the electromyography (EMG) knee joint-angle relationship during this test, as these data are currently unknown. Ten recreational male soccer athletes (age: 28 ± 2.4 years) were recruited and performed a supine isometric strength test on their dominant leg with the knee placed at two pre-selected flexion angles (30° and 90°). The surface EMG of the gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and medial gastrocnemius was measured, in addition to the within-session reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV)). Within-session reliability showed large variation dependent upon the test position and muscle measured (CV% = 8.8⁻36.1) Absolute mean EMG activity and percentage of maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) indicated different magnitudes of activation between the two test positions; however, significant mean differences were present for the biceps femoris only with greater activation recorded at the 30° knee angle (% MVIC: 31 ± 9 vs. 22 ± 7; = 0.002). These differences (30% mean difference) were greater than the observed typical measurement error (CV% = 13.1⁻14.3 for the 90° and 30° test positions, respectively). Furthermore, the percentage MVIC showed a trend of heightened activation of all muscles with the knee positioned at 30°, but there was also more within-subject variation, and this was more pronounced for the gluteus maximus (CV% = 36.1 vs. 19.8) and medial gastrocnemius (CV% 31 vs. 22.6). These results indicate that biceps femoris and overall posterior chain muscle activation is increased with the knee positioned at 30° of flexion; however, the 90° angle displayed less variation in performance within individual participants, especially in the gluteus maximus and medial gastrocnemius. Thus, practitioners using this test to assess hamstring muscle strength should ensure appropriate familiarisation is afforded, and then may wish to prioritise the 30° knee position

Search for Mars lander/rover/sample-return sites: A status review

Ten Mars sites were studied in the USA for four years. The sites are the Chasma Boreale (North Pole), Planum Australe (South Pole), Olympus Rupes, Mangala Valles, Memnonia Sulci, Candor Chasma, Kasel Valles, Nilosyrtis Mensae, Elysium Montes, and Apollinaris Patera. Seven sites are being studied by the USSR; their prime sites are located at the east mouth of Kasel Valles and near Uranius Patera. Thirteen geological maps of the first six USA sites are compiled and in review. Maps of the Mangala East and West sites at 1:1/2 million scale and a 1:2 million scale map show evidence of three episodes of small-channel formation interspersed with episodes of volcanism and tectonism that span the period from 3.5 to 0.6 b.y. ago. The tectonic and geological history of Mars, both ancient and modern, can be elucidated by sampling volcanic and fluvial geologic units at equatorial sites and layered deposits at polar sites. The evidence appears clear for multiple episodes of fluvial channeling, including some that are quite recent; this evidence contrasts with the theses of Baker and Partridge (1986) and many others that all channels are ancient. Verification of this hypothesis by Mars Observer will be an important step forward in the perception of the history of Mars

System architecture of a consulting engineering services firm and its application to information system development

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2007.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-119).Building Information Systems (IS) requires employees to have a clear understanding of not only the daily work of the company, but of value delivery mechanisms throughout the firm. The three major success factors for IS projects are: user involvement, executive management support and a clear statement of requirements according to the Standish Group (The Standish Group International, 1994). Identifying these factors requires a holistic understanding of the organization. Existing literature contains numerous frameworks for the analysis of organizational structure, management guidelines, and strategic decision making processes of service organizations. This thesis uses system architecture, a Systems Engineering methodology involving the analysis of the entire firm, to study a consulting, engineering, construction and operations (CECO) service company. The resulting architecture document provides a model of the organization that is useful in the evaluation, justification, and definition phases of internal information technology (IT) projects. The model combines, in a single document, the firm's beneficiaries and goals and the functions, processes and forms created within the firm to achieve those goals. Results show that, when an internal IT project is proposed, the idea can be projected onto the system architectural model to clarify the proposal's support for organizational goals and functions and therefore, discern the project's value. During the early design phases of the internal IT project, the model helps identify stakeholders, beneficiaries, related existing systems, scope and needs. The model contributes to the project by determining value and by providing the three most important factors of project success; identification of users, stakeholders and requirements.by Rachael Eileen Applebee Martino.S.M

Cornell Cooperative Extension Gains Efficiencies and Increases Capacity with a Central Database

Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) has developed a central database system that replaces many manual processes and streamlines many other administrative procedures. The history of the Central Database Project is provided, and major accomplishments are described. These improvements have increased CCE\u27s ability to comply with state and Federal regulations and with human resources policies. Daily operations are improved with easier access to data and analysis and administrative overhead is controlled, allowing staff to focus on program development and delivery. Finally, the improved technological capacity should increase technological credibility