Optimization and Analysis of a Styrene Production Process

The production of styrene from ethylbenzene in Unit 500 is designed to start up in 2024 and operate for 12 years after startup. The engineering team was tasked with designing the process, creating an economic model, and optimizing the net present value (NPV). The process was simulated in AVEVA PRO/II Simulation for the design process and to estimate the size of equipment. Parametric and topological optimization was performed subsequently on the unit operations in the process. The NPV was improved by $423M from a base case of -$919M to an optimized case of -$496M. The project is recommended to continue in terms of further optimization to make the project more financially attractive. However, a risk assessment and market analysis on the purchase of styrene is suggested before making a final decision. This optimization is detailed in part 1. A fluidized bed reactor was then simulated in PRO/II and optimized based on selectivity of the desired product, styrene. The fluidized bed optimization is discussed and compared to the adiabatic packed bed reactors that were originally designed to be used in the process. The fluidized bed reactor is detailed in part 2

Violent Videos: Criminal Defense in a Digital Age

Digital video evidence has exploded into criminal practice with far-reaching consequences for criminal defendants, their attorneys, and the criminal legal system as a whole. Defense attorneys now receive police body-worn camera footage, surveillance video footage, and cell phone video footage in discovery in even the most routine criminal cases. This Article explores the impact on defense attorneys of reviewing this avalanche of digital evidence. The author posits that the outsized role of digital evidence in criminal cases is taking a toll on defense attorneys in general—and public defenders in particular—resulting in increased burnout and secondary trauma. This Article includes results from a recent survey by the author that indicate that public defenders are increasingly exposed to disturbing digital content—videos capturing violence by clients, police, and others. The survey further suggests that these images are impactful, increasing the emotional workload of defense attorneys and exacerbating burnout. Videos with violent or emotional content can also strain the attorney–client relationship by collapsing the distance between attorney, client, and crime. Implicit racial bias can also color what we see when viewing violent videos. These trends raise new concerns about defense attorneys’ abilities to advocate zealously for their clients and meet constitutional standards, particularly for public defenders whose caseloads require more frequent interaction with digital video evidence and whose day-to-day practices have been reshaped dramatically by its presence. Finally, this Article suggests strategies to address the added toll of digital content on defense attorneys to ensure that defendants receive effective representation in the digital age

The Meaning of ΝΟΜΟε in the Epistles of St Paul

There is scarcely in the whole New Testament any greater difficulty than the ascertaining of the various meanings of νο̍μος in the Epistles of St. Paul,” wrote a renowned British scholar of a century ago. Was he overstating the matter when he wrote those words, or are there facts to confirm his judgment

Changing faculty perceptions and perspectives: A case study at a private, Midwestern, liberal arts university

This research was comprised of a case study conducted at Grand View University to determine faculty perceptions and perspectives of outcomes related to a Title III grant-funded, professional development program. The conceptual framework for the study was based on a systematic process called the logic model (W. K. Kellogg Foundation, 2004). A goal-free evaluation technique developed by Scriven in 1972 (Scriven, 1974) was the method utilized for conducting a utilization-focused evaluation (Patton, 1997). These evaluation processes were conducted through the use of semi-structured interviews of two focus groups and four key informants to determine the short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes of the program at this private, Midwestern, liberal arts university. Findings from the interviews revealed that the long-term effects on the university included a renewal of faculty commitment to teaching. Faculty involvement in professional development activities is now being used in hiring, promotion, and tenure decisions. In addition, there is a sustained retention of students, and classroom technology has become an expectation of the faculty

Information to Transformation: The Implementation and Effects of Sermon-Aligned Daily Bible Study on Spiritual Growth

What would occur if the biblical text that was preached in a weekend sermon was not relegated to a singular communication of information? What would change if the life of the sermon was extended through the practice of daily, scriptural study? What growth could we expect from an individual who is involved in daily Scripture that is not only integrated in the community of faith, but also aligned with the weekend sermon? It is precisely from questions such as these, that this thesis was formed. The purpose of this project was to study the implementation and effects of Sermon-Aligned Daily Bible Study on an individual’s level of spiritual growth. Combining the spheres of Biblical academia and educational assessment methodologies, this research establishes the validity of utilizing Bloom’s Taxonomy as a means to measure spiritual growth experienced by an individual involved in Sermon-Aligned Daily Bible Study. Simply stated, if individuals engage in daily biblical studies that are aligned with the upcoming weekend’s sermon, then there will be a sustained increase in spiritual growth (as it can be stratified using Bloom’s Taxonomy)

Coordinating Community Reintegration Services for “Deportable Alien” Defendants: A Moral and Financial Imperative

Recidivism rates for individuals who are convicted of illegal entry and re-entry (U.S.C. §§ 1325 and 1326) are quite high despite post-sentencing deportations. The “holistic defense” model developed in New York City at the Neighborhood Defender Services and Bronx Defenders has been instrumental in achieving better outcomes for criminal defendants and their communities, in large part due to an emphasis on re-entry or reintegration services for defendants being released from incarceration. However, that model is difficult to implement when applied to noncitizen defendants who are to be deported. This Article argues that some attention to re-entry services for deportable non-citizen defendants improves outcomes for the individual defendants and the communities they are prosecuted in. Deportable non-citizen inmates housed in United States Bureau of Prison facilities are provided fewer educational opportunities and minimal access to drug treatment. They are ineligible for placement in residential re-entry centers. Often, non-citizens have grown up in the United States and have limited connections to their “home countries.” The majority are deported to homelessness in Mexican cities along the United States border. Some defendants are not fluent in Spanish and many defendants lack legal Mexican identification—making it nearly impossible to find work in the communities to which they have been deported. This problem will only grow if deportation rates continue to rise. This Article suggests policy changes and data collection strategies to ameliorate the difficulties that non-citizen defendants face upon postsentencing deportation, with an eye towards improving recidivism rates and keeping communities safer

Infrared luminescence of ZnO:Cu²⁺(d⁹)

The 2E(D)→ 2T2(D) emission of substitutional Cu2+ in ZnO has been observed in the 3700–5800-cm−1 spectral range under 50-keV electron-beam excitation at cryogenic temperatures. The excitation mechanisms of this cathodoluminescence are discussed and compared with concurrent photoluminescence experiments