Succinic Acid as a Byproduct in a Corn-based Ethanol Biorefinery

MBI endeavored to develop a process for succinic acid production suitable for integration into a corn-based ethanol biorefinery. The project investigated the fermentative production of succinic acid using byproducts of corn mill operations. The fermentation process was attuned to include raw starch, endosperm, as the sugar source. A clean-not-sterile process was established to treat the endosperm and release the monomeric sugars. We developed the fermentation process to utilize a byproduct of corn ethanol fermentations, thin stillage, as the source of complex nitrogen and vitamin components needed to support succinic acid production in A. succinogenes. Further supplementations were eliminated without lowering titers and yields and a productivity above 0.6 g l-1 hr-1was achieved. Strain development was accomplished through generation of a recombinant strain that increased yields of succinic acid production. Isolation of additional strains with improved features was also pursued and frozen stocks were prepared from enriched, characterized cultures. Two recovery processes were evaluated at pilot scale and data obtained was incorporated into our economic analyses

A Hybrid NoC Combining SDM-TDM Based Circuit-switching with Packet-switching for Real-Time Applications

This paper proposes a hybrid Network-on-Chip “NoC” which takes advantage of the best of packet switching and circuit-switching in order to handle efficiently both best- effort and streaming traffics generated by real-time applications. The proposed hybrid NoC consists of two sub-networks: a circuit- switched sub-network and a packet-switched sub-network. The circuit-switched sub-network combines Spatial Division Multi- plexing “SDM” and Time Division Multiplexing “TDM” in order to increase path diversity in the NoC and to improve resources usage, in this way, quality of service is easily provided for streaming traffic while the packet-switched sub-network handles the best-effort traffic. A 7*7 2D mesh NoC is built and simulated. Simulation results show that this approach allows an increase of the probability of establishing paths through the NoC, reducing thereby contention in the NoC with a reasonable hardware cost as shown in synthesis results

MPSoCDK: A framework for prototyping and validating MPSoC projects on FPGAs

With the increasing complexity and functionality of Real-Time embedded applications, Multiprocessor System-on- chip “MPSoC” offers the best tradeoffs in computation per- formances and power consumption. Designing MPSoC projects is time consuming and, often requires several competences and steps, spanning from hardware architecture to mapping application on the platform. This paper presents MPSoCDK, an integrated framework for rapid prototyping and validating MPSoC projects targeting FPGA devices. This platform, which includes several environments and toolchains, allows the designer to shorten the process of designing and exploring MPSoC projects, by simplifying the creation, the validation and the exploration of components in the MPSoC platform. Results show that the proposed framework can efficiently speedup the process of exploring, generating and programming multiprocessor plat- forms using a Graphical User Interface (GUI)

A paradox of alliance management : resource contamination in the recorded music industry

This paper deals with the problem of resource contamination in alliances, where incompatible resources may be transferred into or accessed by partner firms, thereby devaluing their own resources. Theory explains how collaborations between organizations can allow mutually beneficial resource combinations through the transfer of, or access to, the assets and/or capabilities of each partner. Research has focused on how to facilitate intended resource transfer while limiting unplanned appropriation of other resources. Here, we address how organizations can protect themselves from contamination by their partners. Resource inimicality arises from idiosyncratic path-dependent processes that create organizations with very different skills, assets and institutions. Thus, a paradox emerges where resources that are complementary may nonetheless be hostile if brought together in one firm: the exposure of one partner to another may erode the distinctive properties that make the partnership valuable. This paper explores this resource contamination perspective using interview data from managers of one Major music company and several smaller Independent partners. In this industry it is common for collaborations to occur between organizations whose resources are focused on the identification and creation of new artistic products, and partners whose resources exploit such products. These resources are complementary but also potentially hostile. We discuss the role of institutional structures and boundary spanners, individuals who mediate resource transfer across the organizations' boundaries, in resolving this paradox and inhibiting contamination