More Like this

1. Recovering phosphorus as a coproduct from corn dry grind plants: A techno‐economic evaluation

   https://doi.org/10.1002/cche.10260  

   Juneja, Ankita ; Cusick, Roland ; Singh, Vijay ( February 2020 , Cereal Chemistry)

   The coproduct of ethanol industry, dried distiller's grains with solubles (DDGS), has phosphorus content in excess of the animal diet requirement, which leads to excess P in manure and causes environmental concerns. The objective of this study is to determine the technical and economic feasibility of recovering this excess P as a coproduct.

   The amount of P was observed to reduce from 9.26 to 3.25 mg/g (db) of DDGS, which is consistent with the animal diet requirement of 3–4 mg P/g animal diet. For an existing dry grind plant of 40 million gallon ethanol capacity, an additional fixed cost of $5.7 million was estimated, with an operating cost increase of $1.29 million/year.

   The total phosphorus recovered from the plant was estimated as 1,676 kg P/day, with an estimated operating cost of $2.33/kg P recovered.

   Approximately 37 million MT of DDGS is produced annually as animal food containing excess P, which is a serious concern for the environment. This study provides with an economically feasible solution to recover the excess P as a coproduct, which has a potential to be used as fertilizer on more than 56,000 acres of land annually, growing corn and soybean.

    

   more » « less
2. Children's engineering identities‐in‐practice : An exploration of child–adult interactions in an out‐of‐school context

   https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20553  

   Simpson, Amber ; Knox, Peter N. ; Yang, Jing ( August 2023 , Journal of Engineering Education)

   Research points to family talk and interactions involving STEM concepts as one of the most influential informal learning experiences that shape an individual's STEM identity development and encourage their pursuit of a STEM career. However, a recent literature review uncovers limited research regarding the development of engineering identity in young children.

   The purpose of this study was to add to this scant literature by exploring how children position themselves as engineers and how children are positioned as engineers through interactions with parents and other adults within a program focused on family engagement within an engineering design process.

   This study includes two parent–child dyads. We collected and analyzed approximately 19.5 h of video data of the two child–parent dyads interacting with one another throughout an engineering design process as part of an out‐of‐school program.

   Results highlight three ways in which the two children enacted various engineering identities through their positioning, negotiation, and acceptance and/or rejection of positionalities as they engaged in an engineering design process with a parent. These identity enactments included (a) possessing knowledge and authority to make decisions regarding the development of their self‐identified engineering problem and prototype; (b) questioning and challenging adult ideas, solutions, and construction of prototypes; and (c) documenting and communicating their thinking regarding the engineering design through sketches and notes.

   The significance of this study lies in its potential to change the landscape of those who pursue an engineering career and to contribute to the limited research and ongoing conversations about how to foster environments that support families in creative and collaborative learning specific to the engineering discipline.

    

   more » « less
3. Belonging in engineering: Exploring the predictive relevance of social interaction and individual factors on undergraduate students' belonging in engineering

   https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20599  

   Polmear, Madeline ; Hunsu, Nathaniel_J ; Simmons, Denise_R ; Olaogun, Olanrewaju_P ; Lu, Laura ( May 2024 , Journal of Engineering Education)

   Belonging in their academic discipline affects students' participation and retention in engineering. While prior studies have conceptualized belonging as a predictor of outcomes, this study examines belonging as an outcome that depends on interpersonal and intrapersonal variables.

   This quantitative study tested a conceptual model of academic belonging for undergraduate engineering students that hypothesized how intrapersonal and interpersonal variables predict belonging in engineering. The model proposed that engineering students' satisfaction with and valuing of their academic discipline mediate these predictors' effects on belonging.

   This study sampled undergraduate engineering students (n = 849) across six universities and used structural equation modeling to examine the direct and indirect effects of four exogenous variables (achievement striving, grit, peer interaction, faculty interaction) on one endogenous variable (academic belonging). The model included satisfaction with and valuing of their academic discipline as mediator variables.

   The direct effects of peer interaction, faculty interaction, as well as passion and perseverance (sub‐constructs of grit) on academic belonging were significant. The direct effects of achievement striving on predicting academic belonging were not significant. Satisfaction mediated the effects of the predictors on students' sense of belonging in engineering.

   Peer interaction was the most robust contributor to belonging, while faculty interaction and the value that students ascribe to their academic discipline predicted their sense of belonging in engineering. This work provides a novel model of belonging in engineering and its interpersonal and intrapersonal antecedents with educational, policy, and research implications to improve engineering students' belonging within their academic discipline.

    

   more » « less
4. The role of reward sensitivity and childhood maltreatment in predicting nonsuicidal self‐injury

   https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12718  

   Kautz, Marin M. ; Burke, Taylor A. ; Siegel, David M. ; Case, Julia ; Alloy, Lauren B. ( November 2020 , Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior)

   Findings from prior research on reward sensitivity in nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI) have been mixed. Childhood maltreatment is an independent risk factor for NSSI and for hyposensitivity to rewards. This study aimed to disentangle the role of reward sensitivity as a predictor of NSSI for those with an elevated severity of childhood maltreatment.

   In a diverse undergraduate sample (N = 586), trait reward sensitivity (i.e., behavioral approach system subscales) and the severity of maltreatment were assessed as predictors of a lifetime history of NSSI. In a subset of this sample (n = 51), predictors of NSSI urge intensity were measured using ecological momentary assessment.

   Individuals with elevated maltreatment who reported less positive responsiveness to rewards were more likely to have a lifetime history of NSSI. Those with elevated maltreatment who reported alowerlikelihood to approach rewards experienced more intense NSSI urges across the ten‐day observation period. However, those with elevated maltreatment who reported agreaterlikelihood to approach rewards experienced less intense NSSI urges.

   The role of reward sensitivity as a cognitive risk factor for NSSI varies depending on childhood maltreatment history. Findings indicate that, for those with elevated maltreatment, hypersensitivity to approaching rewards may decrease risk for NSSI urges.

    

   more » « less
5. Electrochemically Controlled Ruthenium-Catalyzed Olefin ­Metathesis

   https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0042-1751469  

   Nguyen, Jennifer A ; Cabanero, David C ; Rovis, Tomislav ( July 2023 , Synlett)

   The development of a system to electrochemically control ruthenium-catalyzed olefin metathesis is reported. Catalyzed by a commercially-available bis-NHC Ru complex, this system displays a broad substrate scope with very short reaction times, as well as excellent levels of temporal control over metathesis with only electricity as a stimulus.

    

   more » « less