Techno-Economic Modeling of Coproduct Processing in a Corn Based Ethanol Plant in 2012

Coproducts, such as Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS), produced during ethanol production are essential to the economic sustainability of each ethanol plant as they provide an additional source of revenue. DDGS is extensively used as animal feed, but has a relatively low market value compared to the biofuel. By fractioning DDGS into lighter and heavier fractions, the overall composition changes potentially increasing the value of the coproducts as they become more desirable to different markets. Earlier studies have examined fractionating DDGS using sieves and aspirators. This project examined the techno-economics of adding fractionation systems onto an existing 40 million gal/y ethanol plant. The model allowed for estimations of fixed capital costs, annual operating costs, annual revenues, and net profits, in order to determine the economic feasibility of adding three different fractionation systems. The first fractionation system consisted of a single sieve, and the retained material was passed through an aspirator. The second system was similar to the first but with a second sieve and aspirator. The third system added a third set of them. In addition to utilizing different fractionation systems, the scenarios examined the effects extracting corn oil and producing DWG in addition to DDGS. The fractionation systems examined in this study increased the capital costs associated with the facility, but did not greatly affect the overall annual operating costs. The net profits in the four most profitable scenarios were $0.349/gal EtOH/y (scenario 14),$0.350/gal EtOH/y (scenarios 6 and 10), and $0.351/gal EtOH/y (scenario 2)

Point-of-sale tobacco advertising in Beirut, Lebanon following a national advertising ban

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to conduct an audit of point-of-sale (POS) tobacco advertising and assess compliance with an advertising ban in a large district of Beirut, Lebanon. Methods The audit was conducted 3 months following the ban on tobacco advertising. Trained students observed all tobacco retail outlets (n = 100) and entered data into a web-based form using iPad® technology. Presence of tobacco advertisements was assessed to determine compliance with the national advertising ban. Results Among the 100 tobacco retail outlets, 62% had tobacco advertisements, including 7% with a tobacco brand logo as part of the main exterior store sign. Conclusions POS tobacco advertising is widespread in Beirut despite the national advertising ban. These findings point to an urgent need for the enforcement of the advertisement ban with tobacco retail outlets in Lebanon

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II Supernova Survey: Search Algorithm and Follow-up Observations

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II Supernova Survey has identified a large number of new transient sources in a 300 sq. deg. region along the celestial equator during its first two seasons of a three-season campaign. Multi-band (ugriz) light curves were measured for most of the sources, which include solar system objects, Galactic variable stars, active galactic nuclei, supernovae (SNe), and other astronomical transients. The imaging survey is augmented by an extensive spectroscopic follow-up program to identify SNe, measure their redshifts, and study the physical conditions of the explosions and their environment through spectroscopic diagnostics. During the survey, light curves are rapidly evaluated to provide an initial photometric type of the SNe, and a selected sample of sources are targeted for spectroscopic observations. In the first two seasons, 476 sources were selected for spectroscopic observations, of which 403 were identified as SNe. For the Type Ia SNe, the main driver for the Survey, our photometric typing and targeting efficiency is 90%. Only 6% of the photometric SN Ia candidates were spectroscopically classified as non-SN Ia instead, and the remaining 4% resulted in low signal-to-noise, unclassified spectra. This paper describes the search algorithm and the software, and the real-time processing of the SDSS imaging data. We also present the details of the supernova candidate selection procedures and strategies for follow-up spectroscopic and imaging observations of the discovered sources.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal (66 pages, 13 figures); typos correcte

Disclosing genetic risk for Alzheimer’s dementia to individuals with mild cognitive impairment

IntroductionThe safety of predicting conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia using apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping is unknown.MethodsWe randomized 114 individuals with MCI to receive estimates of 3‐year risk of conversion to AD dementia informed by APOE genotyping (disclosure arm) or not (non‐disclosure arm) in a non‐inferiority clinical trial. Primary outcomes were anxiety and depression scores. Secondary outcomes included other psychological measures.ResultsUpper confidence limits for randomization arm differences were 2.3 on the State Trait Anxiety Index and 0.5 on the Geriatric Depression Scale, below non‐inferiority margins of 3.3 and 1.0. Moreover, mean scores were lower in the disclosure arm than non‐disclosure arm for test‐related positive impact (difference: ‐1.9, indicating more positive feelings) and AD concern (difference: ‐0.3).DiscussionProviding genetic information to individuals with MCI about imminent risk for AD does not increase risks of anxiety or depression and may provide psychological benefits.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154645/1/trc212002_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154645/2/trc212002.pd

First-year Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II (SDSS-II) Supernova Results: Hubble Diagram and Cosmological Parameters

We present measurements of the Hubble diagram for 103 Type Ia supernovae (SNe) with redshifts 0.04 < z < 0.42, discovered during the first season (Fall 2005) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II (SDSS-II) Supernova Survey. These data fill in the redshift "desert" between low- and high-redshift SN Ia surveys. We combine the SDSS-II measurements with new distance estimates for published SN data from the ESSENCE survey, the Supernova Legacy Survey, the Hubble Space Telescope, and a compilation of nearby SN Ia measurements. Combining the SN Hubble diagram with measurements of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations from the SDSS Luminous Red Galaxy sample and with CMB temperature anisotropy measurements from WMAP, we estimate the cosmological parameters w and Omega_M, assuming a spatially flat cosmological model (FwCDM) with constant dark energy equation of state parameter, w. For the FwCDM model and the combined sample of 288 SNe Ia, we find w = -0.76 +- 0.07(stat) +- 0.11(syst), Omega_M = 0.306 +- 0.019(stat) +- 0.023(syst) using MLCS2k2 and w = -0.96 +- 0.06(stat) +- 0.12(syst), Omega_M = 0.265 +- 0.016(stat) +- 0.025(syst) using the SALT-II fitter. We trace the discrepancy between these results to a difference in the rest-frame UV model combined with a different luminosity correction from color variations; these differences mostly affect the distance estimates for the SNLS and HST supernovae. We present detailed discussions of systematic errors for both light-curve methods and find that they both show data-model discrepancies in rest-frame $U$-band. For the SALT-II approach, we also see strong evidence for redshift-dependence of the color-luminosity parameter (beta). Restricting the analysis to the 136 SNe Ia in the Nearby+SDSS-II samples, we find much better agreement between the two analysis methods but with larger uncertainties.Comment: Accepted for publication by ApJ

A Search for Dark Higgs Bosons

Recent astrophysical and terrestrial experiments have motivated the proposal of a dark sector with GeV-scale gauge boson force carriers and new Higgs bosons. We present a search for a dark Higgs boson using 516 fb-1 of data collected with the BABAR detector. We do not observe a significant signal and we set 90% confidence level upper limits on the product of the Standard Model-dark sector mixing angle and the dark sector coupling constant.Comment: 7 pages, 5 postscript figures, published version with improved plots for b/w printin