Experimental Parametric Analysis of Biodiesel Synthesis in Microreactors with Waste Cooking Oil

This study investigates biodiesel synthesis with waste cooking oil using a microchannel device thermally driven using rejected heat through a parallel heat exchange process. Rather than use a resource-intensive full factorial experimental analysis, a partial factorial Taguchi analysis was used to explore parametric effects and greatly reduce the amount of experiments needed. The reduction of free fatty acids in vegetable oil was first studied. While free fatty acid content of the oil was reduced to 0.2%, below the recommended level for transesterification (0.5%), large amounts of emulsions were created during purification which makes the process less feasible for large scale production use. The parametric effects of transesterification were then investigated using purified waste cooking oil. A biodiesel conversion of 98% was achieved which is very close to the industrially acceptable level of conversion. In addition to the high level of conversion, the reaction time of the synthesis was only 2 minutes which is much lower than the reaction times using traditional batch reactors. The analysis suggested that the conversion could be increased with an increase in catalyst concentration.Este estudo investiga a síntese de biodiesel com óleo de cozinha residual usando um dispositivo de microcanais acionado termicamente usando calor rejeitado através de um processo paralelo de troca de calor. Em vez de usar uma análise experimental fatorial completa com uso intensivo de recursos, uma análise fatorial parcial Taguchi foi usada para explorar os efeitos paramétricos e reduzir bastante a quantidade de experimentos necessários. A reduo de ácidos graxos livres no óleo vegetal foi estudada pela primeira vez. Enquanto o teor de ácidos graxos livres do óleo foi reduzido para 0,2%, abaixo do nível recomendado para transesterificação (0,5%), grandes quantidades de emulsões foram criadas durante a purificação, o que torna o processo menos viável para uso em larga escala de produção. Os efeitos paramétricos da transesterificação foram então investigados usando óleo de cozinha residual purificado. Uma conversão de biodiesel de 98% foi alcançada, o que é muito próximo do nível de conversão industrialmente aceitável. Além do alto nível de conversão, o tempo de reação da síntese foi de apenas 2 minutos, o que é muito menor do que os tempos de reação usando reatores tradicionais industriais. A análise sugeriu que a conversão poderia ser aumentada com um aumento na concentração de catalisador

OWLs Across Borders: An Exploratory Study on the place of Online Writing Labs in the EFL Context

The study reported on in this presentation at the 2013 Symposium on Second Language Writing (SSLW) examined the content creation best practices of four content development teams working on the Purdue OWL. Utilizing focus group methods the study sought to examine what strategies developers utilized to overcome the challenges faced while developing L2 instructional content for a global audience. By examining the various drafts of resources before they finally went live on the Purdue OWL, this study investigated the linguistic and rhetorical choices that developers made in an attempt to create content that would be of maximal user to L2 writers from a variety of national and linguistic backgrounds. From these data sources, possible best practices for OWL content development have been extracted

Neuromarketing : El neuromarketing en el proceso de decisión de compra

El presente informe de seminario de graduación con tema Neuromarketing y sub tema El Neuromarketing en el proceso de decisión de compra. El objetivo general del trabajo de seminario es analizar el estudio del Neuromarketing en el proceso de decisión de compra del consumidor para conocer el proceso de decicion de compra de los consumidores mediante los avances de las neurociencias y su aporte podemos conocer las necesidades y deseos de nuestros consumidores, de cómo esto influyen en la conducta y toma de decisiones. El Consumidor es una persona u organización que consume bienes o servicios, que los productores o proveedores ponen a su disposición y que decide demandar para satisfacer algún tipo de necesidad en el Mercado La metodología utilizada en este estudio fue la investigación documental de la cual se recopilo la informacion de los libros, cuyo autores mas influyente fueron: Marshal Cohen y Néstor Braidot especialistas en tematicas de neurocias y el consumidor, así mismos se utilizó el formato de normas apa sexta edición para la estructuración del documento. Para una mejor desarrolo de la investigación documental, se presenta agradecimientos, introducción, justificación, objetivos, desarrollo, conclusiones y bibliografía

An OWL Abroad: A Descriptive Study of OWL Use in the EFL Context

The project reported on in this presentation at the 2013 East Central Writing Centers Association conference will provide some preliminary findings from a research survey carried out by Purdue OWL staff regarding attitudes towards OWLs in the EFL context. It will conclude with tentative recommendations, as well as by discussing the next steps required for to complete data analysis

Implementing Neurophysiological Research into the Lives of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse High School Students

Implementing neurophysiological research-based strategies into the lives of culturally-linguistically diverse high school students can better help them strengthen essential neural learning and memory connection in their brain (Griffin, 2017; Choudhury et al., 2008). However, a research-to-practice gap, results in the lack of implementation of university-level research among high school students and families that may aid in their academic success and emotional wellbeing (King et al., 2018; Moir 2018). This study aimed to explore the strategies and challenges of implementing neurophysiological strategies by analyzing a group of twenty-one students of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds and three parents in Northern California. A mixed-methods design analyzed qualitative data from student focus groups and parent interviews as well as quantitative data from Likert scale surveys. The data showed that both high school students and parents understand the importance of implementing neurophysiological strategies despite any linguistic or cultural differences. However, barriers to implementation were presented, such as a presumed influential “ghost majority” composed of disinterested individuals as well as a need for increased access and education regarding these strategies. By allowing students to develop personal responsibility over the research topics and strategies as well as encouraging peer-to-peer communication between the students and their families during the implementation and presentation of information, students and parents were enabled to provide solutions to these barriers. With the school fueling connections between students, parents, school staff, and the neurophysiological research, educational institutions can become houses of learning and research implementation for entire communities, despite cultural or linguistic differences

Expanding Audiences for Online Writing Labs: OWLs in the English as a Foreign Language Context

This presentation from the 2014 Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) discusses online writing labs (OWLs), specifically the Purdue OWL, in the traditionally-defined English as a foreign language (EFL) context. The ELF context often presents unique challenges for the teaching of English writing, including challenges of finding appropriate resources. This may lead EFL writing practitioners to rely on the information presented by OWLs to supplement their teaching. However, many OWLs were originally designed for the so-called native speaker (North American, UK, Australian, New Zealand) audience. This raises the question of whether or not OWLs are meeting the needs of EFL practitioners

Model systems for the study of active phase evolution in complex bimetallic catalysts (PdZn)

This study used PdZn as a model system to investigate phase transformations and its influence on reactivity. Aerosol synthesis was used to study the oxide precursors of the PdZn system, spin coating was used to synthesize model PdZn nanoparticles for phase transformations studies and preliminary work with CO oxidation coupled with methanol steam reforming (MSR) was used to gain insight into in-situ surface reactivity of PdZn for MSR. Multiple characterization techniques including XRD, Raman Spectroscopy, XPS, EDX along with TEM and STEM were used to gain valuable insight into the nature of the samples used in these studies. Investigations into the Pd:Zn aerosol derived oxides demonstrated the existence of 2 mixed oxides, a previously undocumented (Pd,Zn)O and a greater characterized bulk (Zn,Pd)O. TEM and SEM were used to show to distinct phases of different morphologies and EDX showed the differences in Pd and Zn ratios for each phase. XRD was used to demonstrate the change in unit cell volume of PdO and Raman was used to show incorporation of Pd into the ZnO lattice. The model system synthesized via spin coating demonstrated a simple platform for the study of complex multimetallic catalysts. The use of the silica as a TEM support combined with aberration corrected HRSTEM, EDX, XPS and Raman allowed for a very detailed look into PdZn nanoparticle formation from (Pd,Zn)O → α-Pd → β1-PdZn → Pd2Zn and back to α-Pd. This study provided insight into the role of reduction temperature, showing that nanoparticles of the desired tetragonal PdZn phase can be formed at relatively low temperatures on suitable supports along with phase transformations leading to changes in activity. CO oxidation studies of 1wt% Pd/ZnO gave insight into the dynamic nature of the PdZn system at various reduction temperatures. The preliminary results suggest that the number of active sites decrease on Pd/ZnO with increase in reduction temperature while MSR activity remains constant, this implies that lager particles show higher turn over frequency for MSR

INTERNATIONALIZATION AGENDA: LANGUAGE AS A BARRIER

Internationalization is an important feature of a reputable university. In their mission to internationalize the campus population, universities often admit students from other countries into their programmes. This does not come without challenges especially in situation where students are different in their language backgrounds. The situation is more challenging when the language of instruction is also a foreign language to the local students. This study was conducted to find the reasons for the difficulties faced when communicating with each other between the local and international students at a public university in Malaysia. The students were observed and interviewed for the study. The difficulties in communicating were attributed to many reasons, which include native language interference, use of local variety of the language and students’ lack of confidence in using the language.Keywords: communication, interaction, internationalizatio

Encouraging the Growth of OWLs Worldwide: Utilizing Intercultural Rhetoric to Inform Best Practices

This presentation for the 8th Intercultural Rhetoric and Discourse Conference discusses work on the Purdue OWL, focusing on the resources targeting L2 writers writing for particular contexts (e.g., Writing for the Chinese Business Context), as these resource-types tend to be some of the early Purdue OWL spaces where the findings of intercultural rhetoric maybe more readily applied. This discussion will also provide an overview of recent research looking at the place of and practitioner attitudes towards OWLs in general and, more specifically, the Purdue OWL. The presenter will conclude by discussing new content development initiatives at the Purdue OWL and how intercultural rhetoric may be used to prepare these resources for deployment to the Purdue OWL. In closing, the presenter will also discuss some of the ways in which intercultural rhetoric can help to inform the creation of OWLs outside of North American—focusing on issues of usability and ESP content development