Development of Archaeal and Algalytic Bacteria Detection Systems

Many methods for the production of methane are being developed in response to the growing energy crisis. One such method is the digestion of wastewater algae in a UASB (Up-Flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket) reactor. In this reactor, algae grown in wastewater treatment facilities can be digested by alga-lytic bacteria into its carbon rich substituents and later used by methanogenic archaebacteria to produce methane. The objective of this project is to design detection systems that employ specific DNA primers that will precisely target two bacterial groups: alga-lytic and archaeal bacteria. If successful, these systems will allow us to identify the bacteria in environmental samples, such as sludge from the UASB, and determine the relative amounts of microorganisms present. DNA primers for methanogenic bacteria detection have been successfully designed in previous experiments and will be used as a control. Design of specific DNA primers for archaeal bacteria was not successful and therefore is the focus of this project. In addition, the design of alga-lytic bacteria targeting primers has not yet been attempted and is a novel secondary objective

Characterization of Rhodopseudomonas Palustris Strains for the Production of Fixed Nitrogen Fertilizer for Mars

The purpose of this project was to characterize the potential of various strains of purple non-sulfur bacteria for the production of fixed nitrogen fertilizers for the manned Mars missions. Six strains of Rhodopseudomonas palustris (CGA009, CGA010, TIE-1, NifA*, and PB23) were all investigated. Through initial growth trial experiments, R. palustris NifA* and PB23 were selected for their engineered nitrogen fixation and rapid growth respectively. Growth curves and ammonium concentrations were collected over time in pilot scale batch photobioreactors (200 mL). Biomass production was then scaled up to benchtop photobioreactors (1.5 L). Fourteen liters of both NifA* and PB23 were then grown at scale. Cells were harvested via centrifugation, and nitrogen degradation was characterized using both volatile ammonia and soluble nitrogen arrays. While PB23 was found to grow more rapidly at small scale, NifA* performed better in scale up. Further studies will quantify rates of nitrogen degradation using the arrays developed in this study

Evaluating a 1:1 Computer Program in a Secondary School

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the success of the Lewis Central High School 1:1 Chromebook initiative. This evaluation replicated a study by Dr. Don Johnson evaluating a 1:1 Ipad initiative within the Fort Calhoun Community Schools. The resulting data is intended to provide the Lewis Central Community School District results and feedback to be used toward the implementation of future school-wide initiatives in a more effective and efficient manner. Using Developmental Evaluation model/design, the research findings will be reported to the school board, the Lewis Central High School Building Leadership Team, and to the local Phi Delta Kappa chapter in a poster session. Questionnaires were answered by students, parents, and staff related to this research to formulate all conclusions. Longitudinal student performance data was considered as a means to interpret the survey results as well as statements garnered through the open-ended question survey responses. The data collected for this research project indicates that the implementation of the 1:1 Chromebook initiative at Lewis Central High School had a positive impact upon exposure, use, and attitudes about technology among students, staff, and parents alike. While themes exist among all three groups concerning areas of improvement, such as internet connectivity in the school, blocking of websites, and the reliability of the technology, the overall perception about the 1:1 Chromebook initiative at Lewis Central High School was positive

Using an Action Research Approach to Embed Service Design in a Higher Education Institution

Design Thinking can address the political and cultural divides in higher education and improve the focus on student experience. The challenge is reshaping a traditional organisation into a more modern one and at the same time creating an environment that is favourable towards change brought about by design-led thinking. In one higher education institute, almost two years into the journey and despite some challenges along the way, Service Design methods are demonstrating their capacity to change the processes and procedures that support the delivery of student services in higher education. An action research approach is currently being used to assess how the tools of Design Thinking are applied to real organisational problems and the consequences of design-led action. This research introduces a new set of tools and techniques to an organisation and analyses the effects of this fresh approach on the organisation via a number of action research cycles. There are many stages on the road to introduce Design Thinking as a bottom-up approach to changing an organisation into a more innovative, progressive, efficient and user-centred one

Recognizing readiness in manufacturing firms

This article presents a framework for manufacturers to assess their readiness for taking a service design approach to the development of product-service systems (PSS). The framework is developed from the results of interviews with three manufacturing firms that have begun the servitization journey. The selected companies have traditionally been involved in goods production, and have recently started engaging with services in different ways. The readiness framework attempts to bridge the previous studies and models offering companies a self-assessment tool based on the service implementation readiness measured along nine dimensions that apply to manufacturing firms to adopt a more customer-centric approach that fits into their company and suits their needs

Carsey Perspectives: Bridging Farm and Table: The Harvest to Market Innovation

Buying food locally is a goal to which many consumers aspire. Local produce is likely to be fresher than food shipped from hundreds or thousands of miles away, less shipping means less reliance on fossil fuels, and local farmers receive the benefits of local spending.But what makes sense in theory can be difficult in practice. Try, for example, to find and purchase a locally grown carrot. In the traditional food system, local farmers and buyers have trouble connecting. A consumer seeking to check off a lengthy shopping list with local produce will have to identify and then travel to many farms, since most farms produce only a few types of food. Farmers have few marketing resources, and a farmer's base of individual customers tends to be restricted to the most conscientious buyers who live within a reasonable driving distance. In the end, many small farmers resort to typical distribution channels that involve numerous levels of shipping, processing, and handling, and the consumer buys at the supermarket. One result of our reliance on this food distribution system, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Dollar Series, is that only 17.2 cents of every dollar spent on a farmer's produce goes to the farmer

Design for Multi-Dimensional Stages of Lymphoedema Self-Management

This study investigates the experience of people with the chronic medical condition lymphoedema, to inform the design of new products. Articles from literature that describe lived lymphoedema experiences are thematically synthesised from a behavioural lens. People with lymphoedema go through stages toward achieving levels of expertise, motivation and routine, to maintain effective self-management in the long-term. A preliminary framework is proposed that presents four themes (competence, autonomy, daily routine and socio-psychological) and their stages. The purpose of the framework is to assist designers in understanding how people with lymphoedema experience self-management. Focusing on facilitating a transition through these multi-dimensional stages is suggested as a means to aid the design of supportive health products. Related design implementations are discussed through product examples. This framework is developed as part of a wider research project, where the following stages will be concerned with refinement of the framework through primary research with people with lymphoedema and their healthcare providers

Grid Governance in the Energy-Trilemma Era: Remedying the Democracy Deficit

Transforming the electric power grid is central to any viable scenario for addressing global climate change, but the process and politics of this transformation are complex. The desire to transform the grid creates an “energy trilemma” involving often conflicting desires for reliability, cost, and decarbonization; and, at least in the short run, it is difficult to avoid making tradeoffs between these different goals. It is somewhat shocking, then, that many crucial decisions about electric power service in the United States are made not by consumers or their utilities, nor by state public utilities commissions or federal regulators. Instead, for much of the country, those decisions are made by entities known as regional transmission organizations (RTOs). These RTOs, which straddle and blur the boundary between private and public methods of social ordering, establish and run wholesale electricity markets, coordinate dispatch, keep the grid in balance, and plan infrastructure for the grid of the future. These responsibilities put RTOs at the center of the energy trilemma—a position that sits in significant tension with their ambiguous status, incentives, and accountability.To fully understand how RTOs work and the role they are playing in the energy transition, it is necessary to examine where they came from, what assumptions animated their creation, and, finally, how those assumptions have been undermined by the changing landscape of the energy sector. This article aims to both explain what RTOS have become and highlight what might need to change to make them effective arbiters of the tensions at the heart of the energy trilemma. Our central argument is that RTOs emerged as institutions wedded to a peculiar model of democratic governance—corporatism—that no longer fits in the trilemma era. Corporatist governance lodges responsibility for negotiating public policy in an exclusive committee of representative stakeholders from the private sphere, and this neatly encapsulates the historical roots and contemporary practice of RTOs. However, we argue that the challenges facing the corporatist model of grid governance have become intractable, as the energy trilemma has not only raised the stakes of the tradeoffs involved but has also introduced new tradeoffs and new stakeholders who have no seat at the corporatist table. As a result, a democratic deficit threatens to impede efforts to navigate the energy trilemma unless reforms are implemented—specifically, reforms to make RTOs more open and responsive to the full range of stakeholders in the energy trilemma era