Techno-Economic Feasibility of Distributed Torrefaction Systems Using Corn Stover Feedstock

This study investigated the economic feasibility of distributed torrefaction biorefining systems using corn stover feedstock to generate value-­‐added products. Distributed torrefaction systems have the potential to operate on private agricultural enterprises as well as community-­‐scale processing facilities, similar in scale to local grain elevators. Distributed systems will thus, reduce the need for large capital investments for dedicated commercial biorefining facilities and decrease logistical concerns for harvesting and marketing the torrefied corn stover products. In this study, a techno-­‐economic model was developed to analyze the economics of harvesting techniques, logistics, processing requirements, and end product utilization. Results were determined using baseline and sensitivity analyses to determine the effects of varied parameters on the performance of the torrefaction system and the value added products. This study indicated that distributed torrefaction could be economically viable under an array of cases of variable harvest, processing rates, and system sizes. Overall, appealing profits, payback periods, and return on investments were shown to occur

Ellensburg Drug Prevention Project

There is a need in many communities for materials and management guidelines for developing community-wide drug abuse prevention efforts that have a clear focus of intent. This project plans to fill that need by producing a sequence of video tape lessons with accompanying workbooks that will direct fifth graders and their families in learning experiences to reduce the drug abuse risk. A management guide will be developed to assist interested individuals (lay or professional) in organizing the community resources for successful implementation of the programs

Hydrovolcanism in Okmok caldera, Alaska

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2003Hydrovolcanic activity in Okmok Caldera predominated on the crater floor during approximately the first 775 years after the caldera collapsed at 2050 yr. B.P. Interactions between rising magma and shallow water (<100 m) controlled the development of lithofacies observed in the early post-caldera deposits. The distinctive lithofacies reflect the eruptive processes active as Cone D, a composite tuff, lava flow, and cinder cone, breached the surface of a lake which once covered the caldera floor. Three phases of eruptive activity constructed Cone D: first, a subaqueous cycle; second, emergent; and finally a purely subaerial strombolian and hawaiian phase built the edifice to its current height. Radiocarbon dates provide constraining ages for a catastrophic flood that emptied the 4.3 x 10⁹ m³ caldera lake and exposed the subaqueous lithofacies. An effusion rate of 2.7 x 10⁶ m³yr⁻¹ for this early eruptive period is calculated using eruptive volumes determined from a 5-m resolution DEM, based on AirSAR data. The prehistoric effusion rate determined for Cone D is on the same order of magnitude as the calculated historic effusion rate of 5.3 x 10⁶ m³yr⁻¹ from Cone A, based on mapped extents and thicknesses of lava flows and the cone itself

Surveillance Strategy for Detecting Pseudogymnoascus Destructans (PD) and White-Nose Syndrome in Montana 2016-2017

The devastating bat disease, White-Nose Syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), was detected in western Washington state in March of 2016.  This detection was 1,300 miles from the previous westernmost detection and highlighted the urgency for surveillance in other western states like Montana.  Early detection of the disease may provide valuable insights into the statewide status of WNS, research opportunities, mitigation options and cave management.  The goals of Montana’s surveillance plan include 1) surveying for WNS/Pd in new geographic areas outside the WNS-affected zone and/or biologically important sites and 2) surveying for WNS infection in bat species that are not currently known to be susceptible.  In the absence of information or a risk assessment to help Montana focus on priority surveillance areas other than winter hibernacula, the 2017 strategy focuses on sampling at six hibernacula representing all regions where aggregations of bats overwinter.  Both active and passive sampling of bats and hibernacula environments will be conducted.  Active sampling can detect Pd from swabs of bats or in hibernacula soils.  Passive sampling will be conducted into the early summer specifically targeting bats found dead outside of hibernacula, bats showing clear signs of WNS infection, and bats found dead as part of a large mortality event.  Bats submitted for rabies testing may also be sampled when circumstances or characteristics of the carcass indicate WNS may be the cause of mortality.  While surveillance efforts can be costly it may provide information with enough time to better inform decision making

2015 Wildlife Disease Retrospective

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is developing a Wildlife Health Program.  One of the functions of the program is to integrate disease surveillance, population health monitoring, and wildlife health diagnostic services to provide information to the public and wildlife professionals on the dynamics, risk, and impacts of disease in Montana’s wildlife.   The knowledge gained from this program is aimed at improving conservation efforts and the safety of both humans and domestic animals.  The Wildlife Health Laboratory is a statewide lab that receives hundreds to thousands of biological samples each year for disease surveillance projects, epidemiologic and morbidity investigations, and forensics.  An overview of notable zoonotic and non-zoonotic diseases detected from 2015 laboratory submissions will be discussed, providing relevance, repercussions and general background or recent history of the diseases in Montana

Hemorrhagic Disease in Montana’s Wild Ruminants

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease and bluetongue virus have been documented in Montana for decades.  Montana has experienced localized and variable population declines in wild cervids when these outbreaks occur.  Transmission is seasonal in North America, with infection occurring in the late summer and fall.  In northern states, transmission ends once adult vectors cease activity with the onset of winter.  Montana is in an epidemic zone where outbreaks appear periodically and mortality events can be significant.  Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife health lab has tested samples from suspected outbreak events, research captures and opportunistically for detection of EHD and BTV.  Environmental factors and virus-vector-host interactions are knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to improve our understanding of these orbivirus dynamics.  Enhanced reporting, surveillance, and research efforts are potential tools that may improve our understanding of the role these viruses play in wild ruminant populations across the state

"Jeg forstår matematikken, jeg kan bare ikke bevise det" - bevisets og argumentasjonens stilling i matematikkfaget i norsk skole sett i lys av TIMSS og PISA resultater

Master's thesis in Didactics of mathematics for primary schoolBakgrunnen for å gå i gang med arbeidet med denne oppgaven var at jeg hadde lagt merke til at jeg stadig hørte om norske elevers resultater på internasjonale tester som Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) og Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), gjerne med fokus på at vi scorer relativt dårlig i matematikk sammenlignet med andre deltagerland, som for eksempel Japan og Finland. Da begynte jeg å lure på hva man gjorde i andre land som man ikke gjorde her i Norge, og om man kunne lære noe som hadde en overføringsverdi til norsk skole. Jeg hadde særlig merket meg hvor ulikt man jobber med matematikkfaget i Japan sammenlignet med i norsk skole, og lurte derfor på hvordan dette kunne ha en innvirkning på elevenes prestasjoner. Forskningsspørsmålene jeg har jobbet med i denne masteroppgaven har vært: Forskningsspørsmål 1 (F1): Hvilke forklaringer på forskjeller i japanske og norske elever sine resultater på TIMSS og PISA testene kan man finne ved å analysere rapporten fra TIMSS 1999 Video Study ut i fra et undervisningskulturelt fokus? Forskningsspørsmål2 (F2): Hvilke matematiske refleksjoner og opplevelser har elever på ulike ferdighetsnivåer i matematikk i norsk videregående skole knyttet til matematiske resonnementer og bevisføring? Metodene jeg benyttet i tilknytning til datainnsamling i forbindelse med mine forskningsspørsmål var for F1 kvalitativ innholdsanalyse av rapporten fra TIMSS 1999 Video Study. Datainnsamling til F2 ble gjort ved bruk av klasseromsobservasjoner ved hjelp av video, lydopptaker og feltnotater, samt elevintervjuer tatt opp ved hjelp av lydopptaker. Klasseromsobservasjonene ble også supplert med elevnotater fra den observerte undervisningsøkten. Resultatene for F1 viste antydninger til at det kunne være visse elementer som var særlig tydelige i japansk matematikkundervisning, som blant annet; fokus på resonnering, forståelse og bevisføring, som kanskje kunne forklare noe av japanske elevers gode prestasjoner i matematikk. Resultatene for F2 var mer uklare, fordi datagrunnlaget var så lite, men de elevene jeg observerte og intervjuet hadde tilsynelatende lite erfaring med matematisk bevis og matematisk resonnering

Dance - a free space to experience a positive body image?

Masteroppgave - Lektor i kroppsøving og idrettsfag - 202

Risk‐ och exponeringsreducering i ett tillverkande företag

The foundation of this thesis has been to investigate the possibilities of giving Stena Aluminium, a company recycling aluminium, increased control to regulate and steer the risk they are taking when exposing raw material and finished goods. Stena Aluminium wants to minimize the risk of losses on raw material and finished goods when prices change. This is a large problem for instance when raw material is stored a long time thus making it sensitive to volatile prices. Today, Stena Aluminium bases their operations on the experience and tested methods that exists in the company and tried methods without actual possibilities for controlled optimization and regulation. After an evaluation of today’s conditions we arrived at the conclusion that we need to create a model to be able to systematically approach the problem of risk and exposure. To investigate this, we have put forward some questions at issue that initially control if Stena Aluminium’s forecasting is sufficiently good enough to base subsequent investigations on. The basis of a low level of exposure is that the forecasts have a forecasting error as small as possible. To measure how good Stena Aluminium’s forecasts are we tried to forecast the actual result ourselves using quantitative methods. To sharpen our forecasting we classified their articles according to the demand pattern, making it possible to choose the best forecasting method for respective class. We concluded that Stena Aluminium’s own qualitative way of forecasting is to be preferred, as they actually have a very good take on the demand a month in advance, but that quantitative forecasting could be used as a complement to level out the quality of the forecasts. When having an almost deterministic demand, uncertainties in time are bigger than uncertainties in quantity. The next step was so explore the possibility of affecting the exposure of raw material through optimizing of purchasing. We reduced the problem to a minimization of the total cost by introducing concepts like carrying cost, ordering cost and an easy way to vary the carrying cost on the basis of volatility of the price. Optimal purchasing lots were then established by using a cost optimizing algorithm on varying demand. We also tested a way of taking forward prices into accord by varying the carrying cost, making it possible to take advantage of low price. A significant reduction of the total cost was, however, not found. We also evaluated different ways of calculating safety time. To systematically establish appropriate safety times for finished goods we recommend Stena Aluminium to register their customers´ tendencies to change the delivery date of their orders and on the basis of this calculate the safety times. We compel Stena Aluminium to register more data to be able to have enough information to evaluate all parts of the material management in a thorough way. This will help in future performance improving projects

La propagande par le film : les longues marches de Gustave Cauvin

Gustave Cauvin (1886-1951) tint au début du XXe siècle un rôle pionnier et méconnu dans la projection de films dans des lieux de sociabilités spécifiques au mouvement ouvrier, les Bourses du travail et les Maisons du peuple principalement. À la veille de la Première Guerre mondiale, ce militant antimilitariste, alors proche des anarchistes et des groupes ouvriers néo-malthusiens, parcourut la France pour diffuser sa bonne parole révolutionnaire et des bobines destinées à faire réagir et agir le public. Après la guerre et un revirement militariste, sa pratique de l’itinérance cinématographique perdura mais se modifia en se notabilisant. Son militantisme énergique épousa de nouvelles obédiences : après une période radical-socialiste et franc-maçonne dans l’entre-deux-guerres, Cauvin devint communiste, s’adaptant ainsi aux différentes tendances majeures du mouvement ouvrier français de la première moitié du XXe siècle.At the start of the 20th century Gustave Cauvin (1886-1951) played a pioneering but neglected role in the projection of films in social spaces specific to the workers’movement, principally employment exchanges and “ houses of the people ”. On the eve of World War One, this militant pacifist, then close to the anarchists and the neo-Malthusian workers’groups, travelled throughout France spreading the revolutionary gospel and showing films intended to inspire the public to action. After the war, and a change of heart regarding militarism, he continued his practice of itinerant film exhibition, while joining more mainstream politics. His militant energy espoused new causes: after a period of radical-socialism and freemasonry between the wars, Cauvin became a Communist, thus following the main trends of the French workers’movement in the first half of the 20th century