Products from salt cake residue-oxide

This paper describes some of the work done in Phase 1 of a multi-year, five-phase program aimed at demonstrating the economic feasibility of producing commercial-scale quantities of commodity materials derived from salt cake residue-oxide. The amount of salt cake generated annually in the U. S. is estimated to be 510,000 tons, including 340,000 tons of residue-oxide. Used beverage can (UBC) processing accounts for the majority of residue-oxide that could be made available for further processing into commercial products. To characterize the composition of residue-oxide, eight residue-oxide samples from various secondary processors were obtained and analyzed. Surprisingly, the composition of residue-oxide was found to be independent of source or alloy family being processed, with the exception of slightly elevated silicon levels in 3XX and UBC residue-oxide samples. Major phases detected in the residue-oxide were alumina, spinel, and aluminum hydroxides. Preliminary economic analyses indicated that the refractory market appears to be the best choice for high value-added products produced from residue-oxide with minimum processing. Bench-scale tests indicated that low silicon-containing residue-oxide is ready to enter this market, but the elevated silicon content of UBC and 3XX residue-oxide preclude this possibility. A separation technology should be ed to remove silicon-containing species from the alumina and spinel values present in oxide. This technology would then allow UBC and 3XX residue-oxides to be d to significantly higher value-added products

Gene–Environment Interactions at Nucleotide Resolution

Interactions among genes and the environment are a common source of phenotypic variation. To characterize the interplay between genetics and the environment at single nucleotide resolution, we quantified the genetic and environmental interactions of four quantitative trait nucleotides (QTN) that govern yeast sporulation efficiency. We first constructed a panel of strains that together carry all 32 possible combinations of the 4 QTN genotypes in 2 distinct genetic backgrounds. We then measured the sporulation efficiencies of these 32 strains across 8 controlled environments. This dataset shows that variation in sporulation efficiency is shaped largely by genetic and environmental interactions. We find clear examples of QTN:environment, QTN: background, and environment:background interactions. However, we find no QTN:QTN interactions that occur consistently across the entire dataset. Instead, interactions between QTN only occur under specific combinations of environment and genetic background. Thus, what might appear to be a QTN:QTN interaction in one background and environment becomes a more complex QTN:QTN:environment:background interaction when we consider the entire dataset as a whole. As a result, the phenotypic impact of a set of QTN alleles cannot be predicted from genotype alone. Our results instead demonstrate that the effects of QTN and their interactions are inextricably linked both to genetic background and to environmental variation

The Lantern, 2022-2023

The Genie and the Scotsman • Taxi Driver Savior Complex • Midnight Waltz • Eulogy of Caution • Don\u27t cry over spilled milk!! • I am the spider • The Lamb • The Witch and the Shepherd • Nostalgia • In the Summer I Want Light • I Am (Not) • Thanatophobia • We\u27re not children anymore • Hamlet\u27s Fool • Lemon • the last two people in the world • Amongst Chaos (what captivated me) • How About Now, Billy Joel • Bug Trap • Spring, Musser Hall, Room 219 • Time\u27s Denial • A Song of History • A Haiku for You • Hello! My Name Is: • Toilet Humor • Waterfalls • Communion • Shift • Mama Told Me Not To Waste My Life • Writer\u27s Block • Sharp-Tongued Women • Off Trail • Paper Bag Town • Serenity • Landscape of Ursinus Courtyard • Image #07, Affinist designer • Love Birds • Discount Narnia • False Security • Stripes and Illusions • The Burning of Ophelia • Molly\u27s Folly • The Son of Bethany • Meta • Little Blue Sailboats • Grease Trap • Hitchhiking With My Eyes Closed • The Donna of Our Time • The Magic of Cooking • The Closing Shift • A Baptism of Teeth • Dear Beloved • How Kansas Got to Chicago • Anywhere, if you look hard enoughhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1191/thumbnail.jp

The study of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles via microfluidically generated droplets

Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) play a significant role in the climate and hydrological cycle by triggering ice formation in supercooled clouds, thereby causing precipitation and affecting cloud lifetimes and their radiative properties. However, despite their importance, INP often comprise only 1 in 10³–10⁶ ambient particles, making it difficult to ascertain and predict their type, source, and concentration. The typical techniques for quantifying INP concentrations tend to be highly labour-intensive, suffer from poor time resolution, or are limited in sensitivity to low concentrations. Here, we present the application of microfluidic devices to the study of atmospheric INPs via the simple and rapid production of monodisperse droplets and their subsequent freezing on a cold stage. This device offers the potential for the testing of INP concentrations in aqueous samples with high sensitivity and high counting statistics. Various INPs were tested for validation of the platform, including mineral dust and biological species, with results compared to literature values. We also describe a methodology for sampling atmospheric aerosol in a manner that minimises sampling biases and which is compatible with the microfluidic device. We present results for INP concentrations in air sampled during two field campaigns: (1) from a rural location in the UK and (2) during the UK’s annual Bonfire Night festival. These initial results will provide a route for deployment of the microfluidic platform for the study and quantification of INPs in upcoming field campaigns around the globe, while providing a benchmark for future lab-on-a-chip-based INP studies

The hunger-obesity paradox: Exploring food banking system characteristics and obesity inequities among food-insecure pantry clients.

PurposeHeightened obesity risk among food-insecure food pantry clients is a health equity issue because the co-occurrence of obesity and hunger is deeply-rooted in systematic social disadvantage and historical oppression. This qualitative study examined key stakeholders' perspectives of the relationship between the U.S. food banking system and obesity disparities among food insecure clients.MethodsWe conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 10 key stakeholders (e.g., food bank director, food bank board member, advocate) who are familiar with food bank operations. Data were transcribed verbatim, coded in NVivo [v11], and analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsMultiple themes emerged drawing linkages between structural characteristics of the food banking system and disparities in the dual burden of food insecurity and obesity: [a] access to unhealthy food from donors; [b] federal emergency food policy and programming; [c] state-level emergency food policy and programming; [d] geography-based risk profiles; and [e] inadequate food supply versus client need. Interviewees also identified social challenges between system leaders and clients that maintain disparities in obesity risk among individuals with very low food security including: [a] media representation and stereotypes about food pantry clients; [b] mistrust in communities of color; [c] lack of inclusion/representation among food bank system leaders; and [d] access to information.ConclusionFuture efforts to alleviate obesity inequities among clients chronically burdened by food insecurity, especially among certain subpopulations of clients, should prioritize policy, systems, and environmental strategies to overcome these structural and social challenges within the food banking system

Quantitative trait loci mapping of phenotypic plasticity and genotype–environment interactions in plant and insect performance

Community genetic studies generally ignore the plasticity of the functional traits through which the effect is passed from individuals to the associated community. However, the ability of organisms to be phenotypically plastic allows them to rapidly adapt to changing environments and plasticity is commonly observed across all taxa. Owing to the fitness benefits of phenotypic plasticity, evolutionary biologists are interested in its genetic basis, which could explain how phenotypic plasticity is involved in the evolution of species interactions. Two current ideas exist: (i) phenotypic plasticity is caused by environmentally sensitive loci associated with a phenotype; (ii) phenotypic plasticity is caused by regulatory genes that simply influence the plasticity of a phenotype. Here, we designed a quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping experiment to locate QTL on the barley genome associated with barley performance when the environment varies in the presence of aphids, and the composition of the rhizosphere. We simultaneously mapped aphid performance across variable rhizosphere environments. We mapped main effects, QTL × environment interaction (QTL×E), and phenotypic plasticity (measured as the difference in mean trait values) for barley and aphid performance onto the barley genome using an interval mapping procedure. We found that QTL associated with phenotypic plasticity were co-located with main effect QTL and QTL×E. We also located phenotypic plasticity QTL that were located separately from main effect QTL. These results support both of the current ideas of how phenotypic plasticity is genetically based and provide an initial insight into the functional genetic basis of how phenotypically plastic traits may still be important sources of community genetic effects