From waste to food : optimising the breakdown of oil palm waste to provide substrate for insects farmed as animal feed

Waste biomass from the palm oil industry is currently burned as a means of disposal and solutions are required to reduce the environmental impact. Whilst some waste biomass can be recycled to provide green energy such as biogas, this investigation aimed to optimise experimental conditions for recycling palm waste into substrate for insects, farmed as a sustainable high-protein animal feed. NMR spectroscopy and LC-HRMS were used to analyse the composition of palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) under experimental conditions optimised to produce nutritious substrate rather than biogas. Statistical pattern recognition techniques were used to investigate differences in composition for various combinations of pre-processing and anaerobic digestion (AD) methods. Pre-processing methods included steaming, pressure cooking, composting, microwaving, and breaking down the EFB using ionic liquids. AD conditions which were modified in combination with pre-processing methods were ratios of EFB:digestate and pH. Results show that the selection of pre-processing method affects the breakdown of the palm waste and subsequently the substrate composition and biogas production. Although large-scale insect feeding trials will be required to determine nutritional content, we found that conditions can be optimised to recycle palm waste for the production of substrate for insect rearing. Pre-processing EFB using ionic liquid before AD at pH6 with a 2:1 digestate:EFB ratio were found to be the best combination of experimental conditions

Assessing internet competence

This study examines the current state of Internet usage among Information Technology Management (ITM) students at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). ITM students are the Department of Defense (DoD) Information Technology (IT) experts of tomorrow. Their ability to use the Internet is an integral part of their future job performance. This study uses direct observation to determine ITM students' ability level in performing basic Internet tasks. The results of these observations are used to show trends and changes in ability, between ITM sections. These trends are used to draw conclusions as to the methods and sources current used to instruct ITM students in Internet usage. This study showed a need for more formalized Internet instruction at NPS. Recommendations are made for both tutorials and classroom instruction. Future research into the effectiveness of new instructional methods is also recommended. These results and recommendations are applicable for export to all DoD Internet users.http://archive.org/details/assessinginterne1094531601NANAU.S. Navy (U.S.N.) author

Evaluating the Utility and Usability of Palatal Plane in 2D and 3D

Background and Objective: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the utility of the palatal plane in both 2D and 3D. The first aim is to study and compare the correlation between the sella nasion-to-mandibular plane angle (SN-MP), to the palatal plane-to-mandibular plane angle (PP-MP), and open bite tendency. The second aim is to develop a method of identifying the palatal plane, mandibular plane, and associated landmarks in 3D on CBCT. The third aim is to test and compare the reliability of landmarks identification involved in palatal plane, mandibular plane, and associated measurements in 3D and 2D. The last aim is to evaluate the difference between the palatal and mandibular plane associated measurements identified from the 3D CBCT analysis and 2D lateral cephalographs.Materials and Methods: Aim 1: 50 subjects in permanent dentition were randomly chosen at UCSF. Their lateral cephalographs were collected to measure and compare the correlation between SN-MP, PP-MP, and overbite. Aim 2: A protocol was developed to use a hybrid between volumetric rendering and multi-planar reconstruction to trace palatal plane, mandibular plane, and associated measurements in 3D using Anatomage Invivo5. Aim 3: Precision of the landmarks were compared between 3D tracing on CBCT and 2D lateral cephalographs, both overall as well as per individual axis. Aim 4: associated measurements, PP-MP, U1-PP, and L1-MP, were measured and compared between 3D and 2D tracings. Results: There was a strong correlation between SN-MP and PP-MP (R= 0.859) and no significant difference between SN-MP to open bite and PP-MP to open bite. Generally, landmark identification was significantly more precise in 3D tracing than 2D tracing (0.549mm vs 1.440mm). In 3D, tracing was more precise in Y-axis than X-axis (0.168mm vs 0.367mm), whereas in 2D, it was more precise in X-axis than in Y-axis (0.640mm vs 0.823mm). Incisor crown tips ranked high on precision ranking in both 3D and 2D. and PNS ranked low in both 3D and 2D, while root apices ranked higher on 3D than in 2D. U1-PP measurements in 3D were significantly lower than that of 2D (-3.73 degrees), L1-MP measurements in 3D were significantly higher than that of 2D (+2.35 degrees), but PP-MP measurements did not significantly differ between 3D and 2D. Conclusions: PP-MP, similar to SN-MP, is valuable in evaluating vertical jaw relationship and open bite tendencies. Overall, landmark identification in 3D is significantly more reliable and precise than in 2D. However, the patterns of precision differ between different landmarks and different axes. Measurements such as U1-PP and L1-MP significantly differ when measured in 3D compared to 2D

Development of acid‐base‐enzyme pretreatment and hydrolysis of palm oil mill effluent for bioethanol production

Nowadays, palm oil mill effluent (POME) is the main water stream pollutant in Malaysia. This paper reviews the development in the methods of bioethanol production from POME by acid-base-enzyme pretreatment and hydrolysis processes. The methods currently used to treat POME are inefficient in terms of either cost or environmental preservation. Several techniques of pretreatment of POME are discussed, where the structure of POME is broken down and made more accessible to the cellulase enzymes. Generally, hydrolysis process is used as a mild acid-base-enzyme for monomeric sugar production from POME. The acid-base-enzyme consists of H2SO4, NaOH and cellulase enzymes to run the hydrolysis process. In this paper, different strategies are also described for hydrolysis processes, including concentrate acid, dilute acid and enzymatic hydrolysis. In addition, the production of bioethanol by fermentation of sugars obtained from the hydrolysis process is discussed and it points out some key properties that should be targeted for cost-effective and innovative pretreatment processes