Colic incidence, risk factors, and therapeutic management in a working horse population in Tuban, Indonesia.

Background and Aim: Colic is the primary problem affecting equestrian care worldwide. The primary cause of colic is digestive diseases; however, they can also affect organs from different systems in the abdominal region. In addition to a prior history of the disease and its treatment, risk factors may be assessed to determine the etiology of the disease in horses without or with a history of colic. This study aimed to present a summary of the incidence, risk factors, and medical procedures for colic in horses. Materials and Methods: Based on owner reports, 223 horses in Tuban, Indonesia, suspected of having colic were investigated. During the investigation of clinical parameters, investigators went door-to-door with interested horse owners to gather information about potential risk factors related to equine colic. Information on horses diagnosed with colic was obtained from the medical records of treatment. A Chi-square test was used to investigate the potential association between the risk factors, medical protocol, and the outcome of colic in horses. Results: Of the 187 cases, spasmodic colic was the most common (48.13%), but 17 (9.09%) had no definitive diagnosis. Poor body condition scores (χ2 = 58.73; p < 0.001), wheat bran feeding (χ2 = 26.79; p < 0.001), concentrate (χ2 = 10.66; p < 0.01), less access to water (χ2 = 128.24; p < 0.001), recurrence of colic (χ2 = 85.64; p < 0.001), no deworming program (χ2 = 54.76; p < 0.001), the presence of gastrointestinal parasites (χ2 = 56.79; p < 0.001), stressed physical activity (χ2 = 28.53; p < 0.001), and summer season (χ2 = 7.83; p < 0.01) were the risk factors for colic. We further reported that 185 (98.93%) patients who received the following medical interventions recovered: injection of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was necessary, Vitamin B complex (χ2 = 39.98; p < 0.001), fluid therapy (χ2 = 92.99; p < 0.001), and gastric intubation (χ2 = 4.09; p < 0.05). Conclusion: The importance of colic was demonstrated in 187 (83.86%) of the 223 horses investigated in Tuban, Indonesia, documented. In this study, recommendations for medical procedures when colic risk factors have been determined are presented.

Sustainable Power Generation Through Solar-Driven Integration of Brayton and Transcritical CO2 Cycles: A Comprehensive 3E (Energy, Exergy, and Exergoenvironmental) Evaluation.

Solar power tower technology has strong potential among the other concentration solar power techniques for large power generation. Therefore, it is necessary to make a new and efficient power conversion system for utilizing the solar power tower system. In present research, a novel combined cycle is proposed to generate power for the application of the solar power tower. The pre-compression configuration of the Brayton cycle is used as a topping cycle in which helium is taken as the working fluid. The transcritical CO2 cycle is used as bottoming cycle for using the waste heat. The proposed system is investigated based on exergy, energy, and exergoenvironmental point of view using computational technique engineering equation solver. Also, the parametric analysis is carried out to check the impact of the different variables on the system performance. It is concluded that the overall plant's optimized thermal and exergy efficiencies are obtained as 31.59% and 33.12%, respectively, at 800 °C optimum temperature of combined cycle and 850 W m-2 of direct normal irradiation and 2.278 of compressor pressure ratio. However, exergetic stability factor and exergoenvironmental impact index are observed as 0.5952 and 0.6801 respectively. The present proposed system performs better than the previous studies with fewer components.

Thermodynamics, Environmental and Sustainability Impacts of a Turbofan Engine Under Different Design Conditions Considering Variable Needs in the Aviation Industry.

In this study, thermodynamic analysis is implemented to the kerosene-fuelled high by-pass turbofan (HBP-TF) engine to assess entropy, exergy, environmental, and sustainability metrics for different design variables such as pressure ratio of high-pressure compressor (HPC-PR) ranging from 7.5 to 8.5 and turbine inlet temperature (TIT) varying from 1400 to 1525 K considering variable needs in the aviation industry. As a novelty, entropic improvement potential (EIP) index for turbomachinery components and specific irreversibility production for the whole engine are calculated. Sustainability-based parameters for different cases are compared with the baseline values of the HBP-TF engine. The combustor has the highest entropy production of 44.4425 kW K-1 at the baseline. The higher TIT increases the entropy production of the combustor by 16.56%, whereas the higher HPC-PR decreases it by 5.83%. The higher TIT and HPC-PR favorably affect the sustainable efficiency factor of the engine, which is observed as 1.5482 at baseline and increases by 4.5% and 0.058% with the increment of TIT and HPC-PR, respectively. The higher TIT and higher HPC-PR results in lowering sustainability of the engine. The specific irreversibility production of the engine decreases by 3.78% and 0.1171% respectively, as TIT and HPC-PR reach the highest point considered in the study.

Exergoeconomic and Thermodynamic Analyses of Solar Power Tower Based Novel Combined Helium Brayton Cycle-Transcritical CO2 Cycle for Carbon Free Power Generation.

In the present study, a novel combined power cycle for solar power tower (SPT) system consisting of helium Brayton cycle (HBC) and transcritical CO2 (TCO2) for waste heat recovery is being studied for carbon-free generation. The performance of the proposed SPT based combined cycle (SPT-HBC-TCO2 cycle) is compared with SPT based basic cycle (SPT-HBC) based on exergoeconomic and thermodynamic analyses. It is concluded that the SPT-based combined cycle (SPT-HBC-TCO2 cycle) produces a thermal efficiency of 32.39% and exergy efficiency of 34.68% with an electricity cost of 1.613 UScent kWh-1. The exergy and thermal efficiency of the SPT-based combined cycle are enhanced by 13.18% and 13.21% respectively, while electricity cost is reduced by around 2% as compared to the SPT-based basic cycle (SPT-HBC) configuration at base conditions. A notable finding is that, despite the additional expenditures related to the bottoming cycle, the cost of electricity is lesser for the proposed combined cycle. Additionally, a comparison with the related prior published research exhibits that the performance of the current novel system is superior to that of the systems based on steam rankine cycle and supercritical CO2 cycles.

Maisotsenko Cycle for Heat Recovery in Gas Turbines: A Fundamental Thermodynamic Assessment.

This paper reports the Maisotsenko's cycle-based waste heat recovery system with enhanced humidification to exploit the maximum waste heat recovery potential of the gas turbine. This research uses an integrated methodology coupling thermodynamic balances with heat transfer model of air saturator. The performance of the system is deduced which are assisted with sensitivity analysis indicating the optimal mass flow rate ratio (0.7-0.8) and pressure ratio (4.5-5.0) between the topping and bottoming cycles, and the air saturator split (extraction) ratio (0.5). The net-work output, energy, and exergy efficiencies of the system are found to be ≈58.39 MW, ≈55.85%, and ≈52.79%, respectively. The maximum exergy destruction ratios are found as 68.2% for the combustion chamber, 16.0% for the topping turbine, 5.7% for topping compressor, 4.9% air saturator. The integration of Maisotsenko's cycle-based waste heat recovery system with a comprehensive thermodynamic model, as demonstrated in this research, offers valuable insights into enhancing the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and environmental impact of gas turbines. By presenting fundamental equations related to thermodynamic balances, this work serves as an invaluable educational resource, equipping future researchers and students with the knowledge and skills needed to advance the study of thermodynamics and sustainable energy solutions.

Energy, exergy, thermoecologic, environmental, enviroeconomic and sustainability analyses and assessments of the aircraft engine fueled with biofuel and jet fuel.

In this study, utilization of a bio-based fuel in a turbojet engine is comprehensively monitored with adapting various useful indicators for the scope of the study based on thermodynamic principles. In this regard, extensive energy and exergy, thermoecologic, environmental, enviroeconomic and sustainability analyses are performed for both the turbojet engines fueled by jet kerosene and fueled by a bio-based fuel. As per the main findings, the mass stream of combustion emissions is measured to be 4.547 kg s-1, when the engine is powered by biofuel. The specific fuel consumption and specific thrust are determined as 0.13 kg kN-1 s-1 and 147.81 kNs kg-1 for jet kerosene-powered case, while they are calculated as 0.15 kg kN-1 s-1 and 148.23 kNs kg-1 for biofuel-powered case. If biofuel is selected over jet-kerosene fuel, it is observed that the engine has better energy efficiency performance by 18.18%. The engine's environmental effect factor value is found as 4.88 for jet-kerosene usage condition, while it is found to be 4.93 for biofuel utilization case. The overall emitted CO2 emissions is measured as 336,672 kg-CO2 year-1 for jet-kerosene usage condition, while it is estimated as 222,012 kg-CO2 year-1 for the biofuel utilization case. Also, as far as biofuel is chosen as alternative to jet-kerosene, the environmental damage cost stream, namely the enviroeconomic parameter of the engine, falls from 59,254.27 US$ year-1 to 39,074.11 US$ year-1. It is observed that sustainable efficiency factor and exergetic sustainability index outputs of the components of air compressor are the same for jet-kerosene and biofuel utilization cases, which are 8.31 and 7.31, respectively.

Environmental impact assessments of different auxiliary power units used for commercial aircraft by using global warming potential approach.

In this paper, environmental impact analysis is applied to the various auxiliary power units (APUs) used for commercial aircraft in air transportation sector. The exhaust emissions of different auxiliary power units used in commercial aircraft are investigated. The emission index (EI), global warming potential (GWP) rate, global warming potential index (GWPI), environmental impact (EnI) rate, environmental impact index (EnII), environmental damage cost (EDC) rate, and environmental damage cost index (EDCI) of the exhaust emissions of APUs are computed. The GTCP36-300 model APU has the lowest total emission rate (TER) with 1.333 kg/h, the GTC85-129 model APU has the maximum total environmental index (TEI) by 24.719 g/kg-fuel, the GTCP36-300 model APU has the best total global warming potential value with 2709.176 kg/h CO2_eqv, the TSCP700 model APU has the worst global warming potential index rate as 52.481 kg/kWh CO2_eqv, the best total environmental damage cost rate is calculated to be 3.717 €/h for GTC85-72 model APU, the TSCP700 model APU has the highest environmental damage cost index with 0.130 €/kWh, the maximum total environmental impact is computed to be 5656.378 mPts/h for GTCP660 model APU, and the best total environmental impact index is determined for the GTC85-72 model APU.

Effects of cordierite particulate filters on diesel engine exhaust emissions in terms of pollution prevention approaches for better environmental management.

In this study, a specific diesel fuel is experimentally tested in a 4-cylindered diesel engine with and without a cordierite-based diesel particulate filter (CPF) to show the prevention of emissions by using an after treatment system (ATS). In this context, engine exhaust emissions, total particle concentration (TPC) and soot concentration are investigated. The diesel engine is firstly evaluated with the data directly measured from the engine output (DEO) (without after treatment option), and then the changes in the exhaust emission are examined by using an ATS which is a cordierite-based diesel particulate filter to prevent pollution. In this regard, total particle concentration of DEO option is found to be 6134041.20 1/cm3 and total particle concentration by using CPF is obtained to be 707.84 1/cm3. 99.99% reduction in TPC is achieved thanks to the use of CPF. The soot concentration of DEO option is calculated to be 2.158 mg/m3. However, the soot concentration is found to be 0.014 mg/m3 by using the CPF. The particulate matters are burned at high temperatures after being filtered at the exhaust output thanks to the regeneration process within the CPF after treatment. CO emissions decreased from 0.7489 g/kWh to 0.7273 g/kWh with the CPF utilization, while HC emissions decreased from 0.0965 g/kWh to 0.0900 g/kWh via CPF. However, an increase in CO2 and NOx emissions are observed due to oxidation in the CPF.

The effectiveness of oropharyngeal exercises compared to inspiratory muscle training in obstructive sleep apnea: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) and oropharyngeal exercises (OE) have different advantages and disadvantages and a comparison of these modalities has been recommended. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of IMT and OE on important outcomes for patients with OSAS. METHODS: This was a randomized controlled clinical trial. Forty-one clinically stable OSAS patients not receiving CPAP therapy were randomly divided into three groups. Patients in the IMT group (n = 15) trained with a threshold loading device 7 days/week for 12 weeks. Patients in the OE group (n = 14) practiced exercises 5 days/week for 12 weeks. Twelve patients served as control group. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), respiratory muscle strength, snoring severity and frequency (Berlin Questionnaire), daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale; ESS), sleep quality (Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index; PSQI), impact of sleepiness on daily life (Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire; FOSQ), and fatigue severity (Fatigue Severity Scale; FSS) were evaluated before and after the interventions. RESULTS: AHI and sleep efficiency did not change significantly in any of the groups. Significant decreases in snoring severity and frequency, FSS and PSQI total scores were found in the IMT and OE groups after the treatments (p < 0.05). There was a significant reduction in neck and waist circumference and significant improvement in respiratory muscle strength (MIP and MEP) in IMT group compared to control group (p < 0.05). The%MEPpred value and FOSQ total score significantly increased and ESS score reduced after the treatment in OE group compared to control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that both OE and IMT rehabilitation interventions are applicable in rehabilitation programs for OSAS patients who do not accept CPAP therapy. Our findings could lead to increase these methods' use among rehabilitation professionals and decrease in cost of CPAP treatment in OSAS.

Environmental pollution cost analyses of biodiesel and diesel fuels for a diesel engine.

In this study, Japanese Industrial Standard diesel no 2 and waste cooking oil biodiesel fuels are compared in terms of environmental pollution cost analysis. The experiments of the diesel and biodiesel fueled diesel engine are done at 100 Nm, 200 Nm and full load (294 Nm), while engine speed is constant at 1800 rpm. The method used in this study consists of a combination of economic and environmental parameters. According to the analyses, the total environmental pollution cost of the biodiesel is higher than the diesel fuel. On the other hand, the total cost of the CO2 emissions of the diesel fuel is generally found to be higher than biodiesel fuel in terms of the life cycle based environmental pollution cost. The specific environmental pollution cost is found as minimum at full load to be 2.217 US cent/kWh for the diesel fuel and 2.449 US cent/kWh for the biodiesel fuel at full load. On the other hand, the life cycle based specific environmental pollution cost is determined as minimum at full load to be 5.050 US cent/kWh for the diesel fuel and 5.309 US cent/kWh for the biodiesel fuel. The biodiesel fuel has higher values than diesel fuel in terms of the specific environmental pollution cost rates. The maximum total carbon dioxide emission rate is found as 0.2405 × 10-3 kg/kJ for the biodiesel fuel at 100 Nm engine torque and the minimum one is obtained as 0.1884 × 10-3 kg/kJ for the diesel fuel at full load. When the payback periods of the fuels are examined, biodiesel has longer period than diesel. The environmental payback period and life cycle based environmental payback period are also compared for fuels. In this context, the biodiesel has longer environmental payback periods rates than diesel. Consequently, the biodiesel fueled engine has higher environmental pollution cost rates than the diesel fueled engine, while the total carbon dioxide parameter of the diesel fuel is close to the biodiesel fuel's rate. Also, all of the other environmental parameters of diesel fuel is generally better than biodiesel. Consequently, the diesel fuel is generally better option than the biodiesel considering environmental aspects. For better environmental management, the diesel fuel utilization in the diesel engine is slightly better option than biodiesel fuel in terms of environmental pollution cost analysis.

Thermo-ecological analysis of industrial kilns.

In this study, thermo-ecological analysis has been applied by using ecologic objective function "ECO" and ecological coefficient of performance "ECOP" to the kilns used in the firing process of the ceramic plant. Five different environmental (dead state) temperatures (between 10 °C and 30 °C) are taken into account. The irreversibility, which are the most important criteria affecting ecological performance, occurs during the heat transfer in the burners and cooling in the kiln. The irreversibility and product exergy values are compared under different environmental temperatures. The ECO and ECOP values are inversely proportional to the environment temperatures. The maximum ECO and ECOP values are determined as -2387.156 kW and 0.051, respectively, while their corresponding minimum values are -2577.394 kW and 0.026, respectively. The results obtained can be a guide for the thermo-ecological design of industrial kilns. The losses of the kiln are high. It is necessary to reduce the losses to increase the performance and ecologic indicator results. The kilns are not environmentally benign at higher ambient temperatures. The optimum working condition of the kiln can be considered as 10 °C. Better insulations are necessary for the side, bottom and top surfaces of the kilns to reduce the losses. In this regard, the waste heat recovery for the gases can be taken into account for better efficiency and environmental assessment.

Black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) of Turkish Thrace, with a new record for Turkey.

BACKGROUND: This paper includes 2742 specimens of 18 species of black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) collected from 132 lotic sites in Turkish Thrace, the European part of Turkey, in the early summer of 2002 and 2003 and the spring of 2005 and 2006. NEW INFORMATION: All species are recorded from this region for the first time, and Metacnephianigra (Rubtsov, 1940) is a new record for Turkey. Distributional and taxonomical remarks are given for each species.