Methods for Ethanol Production from the Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Fermentation of Sugar Beet Pulp

Sugar beet pulp (SBP), the residue remaining after sucrose extraction, is currently sold as an animal feed. Humans cannot digest the cellulose in the pulp unlike ruminant animals. The pulp is primarily comprised of cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin which can be hydrolyzed with commercial enzymes into fermentable sugars such as, glucose, arabinose, galacturonic acid, xylose, and galactose. These sugars can be fermented to produce ethanol. This research tested the variation of several enzymes, enzyme loading rates, solids loading rates, and fermenting organisms to increase ethanol yields from sugar beet pulp. Several commercial enzymes (cellulases, hemicellulases, pectinases, and proteases) were tested to determine impact on SBP hydrolysis. Two commercial enzyme preparations (Viscozyme and Pectinex) were compared. Viscozyme produced the highest sugar yields because of increased cellulose hydrolysis, while Pectinex showed less cellulase activity. All enzyme treatments resulted in similar hemicellulose and pectin hydrolysis. Pretreatment with proteases reduced sugar yields from hydrolysis by 10-30% compared to hydrolysis without pretreatment. Escherichia coli K011, a genetically modified organism (GMO), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were used to ferment SBP hydrolyzate to increase ethanol yields (g EtOH/g SBP) and concentrations (g/L). In the "Parallel" fermentation, pectinase was used to solubilize pectin and hemicellulose. After separation, the liquid stream was fermented with E. coli K011 and the high-cellulose solid fraction was fermented using S. cerevisiae and additional cellulase enzymes (Celluclast and Novozyme 188). The "Parallel" method initially produced under 0.15 g EtOH/g SBP but was improved with pH regulation to yield 0.23 g EtOH/g SBP. The separation method limited ethanol production. The ethanol yields from three additional fermentation methods ("E. coli K011 Only", "Serial", and "Reverse Serial") were compared. The "E. coli K011 Only" method was the baseline fermentation for comparison of the remaining three fermentation methods. SBP was hydrolyzed with pectinase, cellulase, and cellobiase before fermentation with E. coli K011 to yield 0.192 g ethanol/ g SBP. The total hydrolysis of the SBP limited ethanol production. The "Serial" fermentation began by solubilizing pectin and hemicellulose with pectinases. All of the flask contents were fermented with E. coli K011. The remaining cellulose-rich SBP was then hydrolyzed with cellulases and fermented by S. cerevisiae. Initial ethanol yields were under 0.15 g EtOH/g SBP but improved to 0.238 g EtOH/g SBP. Acetic acid concentrations limited ethanol production by S. cerevisiae. The "Reverse Serial" simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) started with pectinases, cellulases, cellobiases, and S. cerevisiae. Remaining arabinose and galacturonic acid were fermented with E. coli K011 to produce a peak ethanol yield of 0.299 g EtOH/g SBP. The methods approached and exceeded published results (0.277 g EtOH/g SBP) (Doran and Foster, 2000) to successfully increase ethanol yields. Ethanol concentrations were limited by high SBP moisture content and low solids loading rates

New State of Mind: A Living Learning Community for Out-Of-State Students

The term out-of-state resonates with any person who does not permanently live in a particular state but has visited from across state lines multiple times. In this case it is in relation to students who have decided to pursue their education at an institution that is located in a different state. This thesis examines the lack of resources for OOS students living within the university\u27s walls using the lens of transition theory. With the lack of resources, this creates a barrier between the student and their potential for their success. New State of Mind is a proposed intervention, which opens a space where students can feel welcomed to expand their identity while the university gains new insight on who these students are and what they may be capable of

Cereal rye cover crop effects on soil physical and chemical properties in southeastern Indiana

Cover crops are growing in popularity in the Midwest, although questions remain about how to include them most effectively in a corn-soybean ( Zea mays L. - Glycine max L.) rotation. This study was conducted to determine the effects of cereal rye ( Secale cereale L.) on soil bulk density and water retention, soil organic carbon, soil nitrogen, and water stable aggregate mean weight diameter after four years of cover crop growth and the effects on soil moisture over a five year period. The study was conducted at the Southeast Purdue Agricultural Center (SEPAC) on silt loam soils. A 14 hectare field was laid out in a split plot design with four blocks of four treatments in each block for a total of sixteen plots. Treatments were corn with cereal rye, corn with no cover, soybean with cereal rye, and soybean with no cover, all four treatments every year, with the corn and soybeans alternating yearly. The field site was established in the spring of 2011 and baseline samples were taken in the summer of that year before the first establishment of the cover crop in fall 2011. Measurements were taken at 0-10, 10-20, 20-40, and 40-60 cm depth intervals in 2011 and 2015 for bulk density, water retention, soil organic carbon, total soil nitrogen, and aggregate stability. Soil moisture and temperature were measured at five minute intervals from 2011-2016 at 10, 20, 40, 60, and 100 cm depths. After four years of a cereal rye cover crop, wet soil aggregate mean weight diameter increased 55% when compared to the no cover control in the 0 to 10 cm depth and 29% in the 10 to 20 cm depth. Bulk density, water retention, soil organic carbon, and total soil nitrogen showed no change between cover crop treatments. Differences in soil moisture were detected throughout the year but further analysis is needed to fully quantify the effects of the cover crop as results were mixed throughout the time periods analyzed. Overall, in the early spring before cash crop planting, cereal rye either had significantly lower soil moisture or had no effect on soil moisture compared to no cover, while during the cash crop growing season in the 40 and 60 cm depths five of eight plot pairs showed relatively higher soil moisture and three of eight plot pairs showed lower soil moisture with cereal rye than with no cover. Cereal rye can be an effective soil conservation tool, protecting the soil surface from erosive forces, taking up excess nutrients at the end of a growing season, and helping feed soil microbes during a typically fallow period, but some of the improvements it has been reported to make may require a longer time period to change than the years included in this study

Zoning—Judicial Enforcement of the Duty to Serve the Regional Welfare in Zoning Decisions—SAVE v. City of Bothell, 89 Wn. 2d 862, 576 P.2d 401 (1978)

After briefly noting the background of relevant Washington law, Part I of this note analyzes the SAVE court\u27s reasoning to reveal indications of an underlying interventionism in its review of the rezone. Part II assesses the problems of such judicial intervention, first in the exclusionary zoning cases relied upon by the SAVE court for its regional welfare standard, and then in the context of zoning actions with the kind of extralocal environmental impacts presented by SAVE. Finally, arguments favoring increased judicial intervention are presented. The note concludes that there are both practical and doctrinal justifications for heightened judicial scrutiny of environmental impacts in the multijurisdictional setting in cases like SAVE. However, an awareness of the social costs of an overly interventionist judiciary is likely to moderate the intensity of judicial review. From this perspective, the court\u27s result and its opinion in SAVE are approved

Understanding Utilization and Perception of Public Spaces and Mapping Economic Investments in Downtown Lewiston

This project, and Lewiston’s broader plan to transform the Tree Streets Neighborhood and downtown corridor is situated in a broader environmental justice movement and green gentrification paradigm, where the creation of renewed or revitalized green spaces and urban centers can lead to the displacement of longtime residents. Public spaces play a critical role in the health of a community, and nodes of community culture grow up around them. The City of Lewiston is looking to build safer, healthier environments and allow all residents living here to thrive. However, the city must strike a delicate balance that provides these benefits, maintains the character of the community, and while maintaining ensures that residents can afford to stay and will not be pushed out by rising costs due to gentrification. In conjunction with the City of Lewiston Economic and Community Development Department, our project aimed to understand the utilization and perception of three public spaces in Lewiston through observation and interviews, create a replicable methodology so that the study of these spaces and others could be reproduced throughout the future, and map economic investment in downtown Lewiston using ArcGIS Storymaps. Our study centered around three spaces: The Lisbon Street Corridor spanning between Main Street and Ash Street, Simard-Payne Memorial Park, and Marcotte Park. For the Lisbon Street Corridor, we observed increasing numbers of pedestrians and business interaction as the day got later, centering around the afternoon after working hours. Further, we observed higher proportions of pedestrians interacting with businesses on Lisbon Street on the weekends before dinner time, with interaction predominantly occurring with restaurants and dispensaries. Usage for Simard-Payne centered predominantly around the running path, with elevated levels of usage occurring in the afternoon hours. Simard-Payne is also frequented as a fishing spot, with individuals taking advantage of the waterfront access to the Androscoggin River. Marcotte Park, while seeing some pass-through usage, was used in the most part for its accessible playground. We observed high rates of usage by children on the weekends, with adult or teen chaperones spending time on the provided benches and tables while the children played on the park infrastructure. These observations and observational methodology, data records, and analysis methodology have all been recorded and organized in this report so that the City of Lewiston Economic and Community Development Department is able to easily replicate this work. Listed in the appendices are our park characteristic sheets, sampling criteria tables, interview questions, and all else needed to replicate our study. We hope to have aided the city of Lewiston in its ability to understand its past investments, and how future investments might change utilization and perception of public spaces within the city

Exploring Meaningful Patient Engagement in ADAPTABLE (Aspirin Dosing: A Patient-centric Trial Assessing Benefits and Long-term Effectiveness).

BackgroundGenuine patient engagement can improve research relevance, impact and is required for studies using the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network including major multicenter research projects. It is unclear, however, how best to integrate patients into governance of such projects.MethodsADAPTABLE (Aspirin Dosing: A Patient-centric Trial Assessing Benefits and Long-term Effectiveness) is the first major multicenter research project to be conducted in National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network. Here, we provide a description of how we implemented patient engagement in ADAPTABLE thus far, including a description of committee structures and composition, first-hand patient testimonials, specific contributions, and lessons learned during the planning and early implementation of ADAPTABLE.ResultsWe recruited 1 patient leader from 6 of the 7 enrolling networks to serve on a Patient Review Board for ADAPTABLE, supported the Board with an experienced patient engagement team including an "investigator-advocate" not otherwise involved in the trial, and facilitated bidirectional communication between the Board and ADAPTABLE Coordinating Center. The Board has reviewed and provided substantial input on the informed consent procedure, recruitment materials, patient portal design, and study policy including compensation of participants. Although it was "too late" for some suggested modifications, most modifications suggested by the patient leaders have been implemented, and they are enthusiastic about the study and their role. The patient leaders also attend Steering and Executive Committee calls; these experiences have been somewhat less productive.ConclusionsWith adequate support, a cadre of committed patient leaders can provide substantial value to design and implementation of a major multicenter clinical trial

\u3ci\u3eLa pareja de la luna\u3c/i\u3e: The moon couple

Written by Natalie Rorick, Alana Schaffer, John Cowie, Cody May Translated by Mirela Butnar