Evaluating Identification and Sorting Technologies for Improved Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Recycling

Metals recycling is one of the oldest industries in the United States that now employs over 530,000 individuals. It has always played a significant role in the economy, contributing $109.78 billion to the US economy in 2018. Furthermore, recycling supplies extensive goods and services, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) reported that every year greater than 900M Mt of scrap (~2 billion pounds) are consumed by manufactures globally, equating to 40% of the raw material demand. Additionally, as climate change becomes a greater threat, we must seek practices to lessen our carbon footprint, and recycling helps to reduce the environmental impact of metal production. Relying on this industry as an alternative to make-take-waste habits means understanding how the industry’s efficiency is being challenged by growing feed volumes of diverse, complex product designs. This work details the internal and external factors that impact the development of ferrous and nonferrous recycling operations. This knowledge is then applied to design and perform an extensive “true to yard” analysis with technologies that have potential for addressing inbound inspection and material identification challenges. These results allowed us to understand the limitations that would arise when attempting their deployment at material handling facilities, and then use these factors to build a model capable of quantifying and comparing these techniques, which is not available in previous literature. Inbound inspection and material identification are critical; they are the first opportunity once material is received to prevent comingling, downcycling, and contamination. Scrap yards identify and sort specific alloys from large quantities of mixed metals by means of visual and cognitive recognition with the aid of a few standard tools (a magnet, file, acids, and/or grinding wheel). This work tested handheld analyzers (HHs) that utilize x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technology to determine the level of technological assistance they can provide to improving identification during the inspection process. Beforehand, we had a good indication of how HHs perform on material that has clean, smooth, uncoated surfaces (prompt scrap) but, what we aim to find is their response when used on “unprepared materials,” like those coming out of stock that are old, used, weathered, and/or warped (obsolete scrap). For these instruments to be deemed useful for inbound inspection/ identification purposes, it is crucial to understand and evaluate their limitations on scrap that is not altered and thus, true to a yard setting. Results indicate that in their current state, HHs can inform and verify content for a significant range of materials. They also show grade matching (identification of an alloy by name) is possible but less likely on unprepared scrap. However, the ability to register and share elemental composition percentages at rapid speeds, allows a trained user to know immediately what contaminants are present, often being high levels of Si and Fe. In addition to understanding how these technologies perform under real world conditions, it is also important to quantify whether their benefits outweigh their costs. This work examined five different scenarios for sorting and identification, each scenario offering different levels of alloy-specific sorting capabilities. The model that was created allowed for return on investment (ROI) comparisons, and evaluated the impacts of different market conditions, changes in volume, volume distribution, and uncertainty. This technoeconomic assessment showed that even a high amount of comingled material can be profitable at high volumes under certain market conditions. Although, comingling led to diminished profits, where segregating proved beneficial even at lower volumes. As we continue to invest, educate, and execute sustainable practices, we must understand that recycling should only come as an attempt after we have exhausted our efforts to reduce and reuse. Moreover, we can work to obtain a better balance along the supply chain by encouraging and creating more practices like design for recycling (DfR) and extended producer responsibility. Being that these behaviors will require a lot of societal reform, we need to ensure that we work to reduce landfill feed by providing the recycling industry with the tools and practices that are effective and efficient at getting materials identified and sorted

I nevertheless am a historian : Digital Historical Practice and Malpractice Around Black Confederate Soldiers

I have a good deal of interest in how members of the public who are not academically trained historians do history. For me, then, public history does not mean just projects, programs, and exhibits created by professional historians for the public, but rather the very broad and complex intersection of the public with historical practice. Provision those occupying this intersection with freely available digital tools and platforms, and things become interesting quickly. Because setting up a blog, wiki, or discussion forum means only a few mouse clicks, and archival resources are increasingly digitized, we are seeing a burgeoning of sites that coalesce communities around historical topics of interest. Even those who have no interest in setting up their own websites can participate in history-specific Facebook groups, blogging communities, and genealogy sites. Such digital spaces expand and blur considerably the spectrum of what counts as historical practice. For example, on Ancestry.com, users piece together family histories by synthesizing government records and crowdsourced resources of varying origin and credibility. Professional historians might take an active interest, then, in how digital archival and communication resources affect the spread or containment of particular historical myths.1 It is not clear, however, how these technologies aid academic historians in participating, or impede them from intervening, in these discussions. This chapter uses discourses about black Confederate soldiers to explore how digital technologies are changing who researches and writes history—as well as what authorial roles scholars are playing in the fuzzy edges of historical practice where crowdsourcing and the lay public are creating new research resources and narratives. These digital tools and resources not only are democratizing historical practice, but also providing professional historians with new opportunities and modes for expanding historical literacy

SNP Miniplexes for Individual Identification of Random-Bred Domestic Cats.

Phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of the cat can be obtained from single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) analyses of fur. This study developed miniplexes using SNPs with high discriminating power for random-bred domestic cats, focusing on individual and phenotypic identification. Seventy-eight SNPs were investigated using a multiplex PCR followed by a fluorescently labeled single base extension (SBE) technique (SNaPshot(®) ). The SNP miniplexes were evaluated for reliability, reproducibility, sensitivity, species specificity, detection limitations, and assignment accuracy. Six SNPplexes were developed containing 39 intergenic SNPs and 26 phenotypic SNPs, including a sex identification marker, ZFXY. The combined random match probability (cRMP) was 6.58 × 10(-19) across all Western cat populations and the likelihood ratio was 1.52 × 10(18) . These SNPplexes can distinguish individual cats and their phenotypic traits, which could provide insight into crime reconstructions. A SNP database of 237 cats from 13 worldwide populations is now available for forensic applications

\u3cem\u3eAlsea Valley Alliance v. Evans\u3c/em\u3e and the Meaning of Species Under the Endangered Species Act: A Return to Congressional Intent

This article examines whether the Alsea decision\u27s definition of species is consistent with the Endangered Species Act by examining the language of the ESA and Congressional intent. This article then examines some of the implications of the Alsea decision in the Northwest. Counting hatchery salmon would likely result in the removal of most salmon ESUs from the endangered or threatened list, ending many of the costly restrictions imposed by the ESA. In particular, Part I discusses the ESA provisions and congressional intent regarding the definition of species that is pertinent to understanding Alsea. Part II describes some of the effects of salmon listings in the Northwest. Part III describes the Alsea case, including the history of the Oregon coastal coho ESU listing and the procedural history of the case. Part IV analyzes the court\u27s legal reasoning in Alsea. Finally, Part V considers the implications of the case and the potential structure and outcome of the current NMFS\u27s policy review

\u3cem\u3eAlsea Valley Alliance v. Evans\u3c/em\u3e and the Meaning of Species Under the Endangered Species Act: A Return to Congressional Intent

This article examines whether the Alsea decision\u27s definition of species is consistent with the Endangered Species Act by examining the language of the ESA and Congressional intent. This article then examines some of the implications of the Alsea decision in the Northwest. Counting hatchery salmon would likely result in the removal of most salmon ESUs from the endangered or threatened list, ending many of the costly restrictions imposed by the ESA. In particular, Part I discusses the ESA provisions and congressional intent regarding the definition of species that is pertinent to understanding Alsea. Part II describes some of the effects of salmon listings in the Northwest. Part III describes the Alsea case, including the history of the Oregon coastal coho ESU listing and the procedural history of the case. Part IV analyzes the court\u27s legal reasoning in Alsea. Finally, Part V considers the implications of the case and the potential structure and outcome of the current NMFS\u27s policy review

Student's perceptions of generic skills for effective collaborative learning relative to student achievement

Collaborative and cooperative learning in small groups are generally considered effective learning approaches. Successful group activities, however, assume competence in a range of skills. This empirical paper seeks to identify whether undergraduate students with different levels of academic achievement have different perceptions of the relative importance of Ehrman and Dornyei's (1998) generic sub-skills, i.e. do high performing students emphasise different skills? Students in a first year management subject were surveyed. No differences were found between high achieving and low achieving students in terms of the importance that they place on the various generic sub-skills. Productivity focussed skills were considered most important followed by relationship and communication skills. The implications for preparing students for group work are considered

Children's Developing Intuitions About the Truth Conditions and Implications of Novel Generics Versus Quantified Statements

Generic statements express generalizations about categories and present a unique semantic profile that is distinct from quantified statements. This paper reports two studies examining the development of children's intuitions about the semantics of generics and how they differ from statements quantified by all, most, and some. Results reveal that, like adults, preschoolers (a) recognize that generics have flexible truth conditions and are capable of representing a wide range of prevalence levels; and (b) interpret novel generics as having near‐universal prevalence implications. Results further show that by age 4, children are beginning to differentiate the meaning of generics and quantified statements; however, even 7‐ to 11‐year‐olds are not adultlike in their intuitions about the meaning of most‐quantified statements. Overall, these studies suggest that by preschool, children interpret generics in much the same way that adults do; however, mastery of the semantics of quantified statements follows a more protracted course.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111169/1/cogs12176.pd