Reduction of Fossil Fuel Usage and Emissions of Diesel Engines by the Application of Quaternary Blends and Varied Fuel Injection Pressures.

The increasing energy demand has led to the exhaustion of mineral fuel resources and an environmental menace. Biodiesel and alcohol, as oxygenated fuels, offer promising potential for diesel engines. Moreover, the deviation in the fuel injection pressure (IP) favors improvement of the engine performance and reduction of flue gases. The contemporary research aims to explore sustainable biofuel that is an alternative to diesel and to achieve cleaner emissions with enhanced engine performance. The experiment involves testing of a diesel engine tank by quaternary blends comprising diesel, sunflower biodiesel, sunflower oil, and alcohol in the volumetric ratio of 50:25:5:20. The IP was varied from 300, 400, 500, to 600 bar at different engine loads of 10 and 20 N m at 1800 rpm of shaft speed. The quality of the quaternary blend was varied by the inclusion of alcohol having different carbon-chain lengths, namely, ethanol, propanol, butanol, heptanol, and decanol. The effect of alcohol inclusion and variation in the IP led to minimal brake-specific fuel consumption and maximal brake thermal efficiency for blended fuel containing 20% propanol, which was 17.39% lower and 8.70% higher than diesel, respectively. The same composition of the fuel blend offered the lowest smoke and CO2 emissions, which were 92.85 and 27.9% lesser than diesel; moreover, 7.36% lower NO x emission than diesel was achieved.

Can Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) endure the future climate and land use change scenario in the East Himalayan Region? Perspective from a multiple model framework.

Large mammals are susceptible to land use and climate change, unless they are safeguarded within large, protected areas. It is crucial to comprehend the effects of these changes on mammals to develop a conservation plan. We identified ecological hotspots that can sustain an ecosystem for the endangered Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), an umbrella species. We developed three distinct ensemble species distribution models (SDMs) for the Bengal tiger in the Indian East Himalayan Region (IEHR). The first model served as the baseline and considered habitat type, climate, land cover, and anthropogenic threats. The second model focused on climate, land use, and anthropogenic threats, the third model focused on climate variables. We projected the second and third models onto two future climate scenarios: RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. We evaluated the threats possess to protected areas within eco-sensitive zone based on the potential tiger habitat. Finally, we compared the potential habitat with the IUCN tiger range. Our study revealed that the Brahmaputra valley will serve as the primary habitat for tigers in the future. However, considering the projected severe climate scenarios, it is anticipated that tigers will undergo a range shift towards the north and east, especially in high-altitude regions. Very high conservation priority areas, which make up 3.4% of the total area, are predominantly located in the riverine corridor of Assam. High conservation priority areas, which make up 5.5% of total area are located in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It is important to note that conservation priority areas outside of protected areas pose a greater threat to tigers. We recommend reassessing the IUCN Red List's assigned range map for tigers in the IEHR, as it is over-predicted. Our study has led us to conclude both land use and climate change possess threats to the future habitat of tigers. The outcomes of our study will provide crucial information on identifying habitat hotspots and facilitate appropriate conservation planning efforts.

Attempt to mitigate marine engine emissions with improved performance by the investigation of alcohol inclusion in sunflower biodiesel-sunflower oil-diesel blend.

The quaternary blends (diesel-biodiesel-vegetable oil-alcohol) offer enormous potential for reducing fossil fuel usage and mitigating air pollution caused by marine diesel engines. Biodiesel and alcohol are alternate fuels possessing high oxygen content, ensuring clean combustion. Vegetable oil is beneficial in saving diesel contribution and increasing engine lubrication. The objective of the present work was to reduce the dependency on conventional diesel and to come up with cleaner fuel that can also improve engine performance. This experimental work aims to lower exhaust emissions by fueling a single-cylinder, four-stroke direct-injection diesel engine with novel quaternary blends comprising diesel (50%), sunflower biodiesel (25%), sunflower oil (5%), and alcohol (20%). In order to develop cleaner fuel than diesel, different quaternary blends were prepared by varying the length of the carbon chain of alcohols in the blends, namely, DBOEth20, DBOProp20, DBOBut20, DBOHep20, and DBODec20. The performance emissions of quaternary blends were tested at varied engine loads from 5 to 20 Nm (full load), while engine speed was fixed at 1800 rpm. The results indicate that DBOProp20 resulted in the lowest fuel consumption and highest thermal efficiency. DBOProp20 reduced CO2, NOx, and smoke emissions by 19.6%, 9.9%, and 85.7%, as compared to diesel. However, DBODec20 succeed in mitigating CO emission by 41.37% at 100% load. DBOBut20 proved to be most promising in reducing UHC emission by a maximum of 71.69% at 100% load. The highest BTE of 10.98% with lowest BSFC of 13.04% was recorded for DBOProp20 at 100% engine load, in comparison to pure diesel.

Quality of life in Nepalese Patients with Melasma: An Observational Cross-Sectional Study at a Tertiary Center.

BACKGROUND: Melasma is an acquired pigmentation disorder of the sun exposed parts of the body, particularly face. It is a significant cosmetic concern for the young adults, which is the most frequently affected age-group. Finding the level of impairment in quality of life in melasma patients and correlating with the severity. METHODS: All consenting patients with melasma visiting our out-patient from December 2020 to June 2021 were enrolled. Clinical evaluation was done by the same single reviewer in all cases using modified Melasma Area and Severity Index. Dermatology Life Quality Index (Nepali version) was asked to complete to the patient. Data were collected and analyzed. Frequency and mean were calculated for all variables, comparison of means by Mann-Whitney U test and correlation analyses by Spearman's correlation test were performed. RESULTS: Females were 82.5%(99) of total cases. Among these 70.8%(85) were married, 68.3%(82) had family history of melasma and 65%(78) had centro-facial phenotype. Mean Dermatology Life Quality Index score was 10.25±0.54. Mean score of females was higher than that of males. The daily activities sub-domain was the worst affected with 50.67% of impairment. Females suffered significantly more than males in symptom and feeling sub-domain. Modified Melasma Area and Severity Index was significantly higher in males (7.12±.56 Vs. 5.66±.28). The severity and duration of melasma did not correlate to the quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Melasma had a moderately negative impact in the quality of life of the patients. Females suffered more due to melasma. The clinical severity of melasma did not correlate with the quality of life impairment. Thus, psychological assessment to all the melasma patients seem to be an important aspect of management.

Chronic Urticaria and Its Impact on the Quality of Life of Nepalese Patients.

Chronic urticaria (CU) is a skin condition characterized by sudden and recurrent episodes of wheals, angioedema, or both and commonly associated with itching for a duration of more than six weeks. The available data indicate that urticaria markedly affects both objective functioning and subjective well-being of patients. A review of patients' records with chronic urticaria attending Civil Service Hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 was done. A detailed demographic data of all patients with chronic urticaria was also retrieved. Dermatology Life Quality Index questionnaire (DLQI) Nepalese version was used for the assessment of the impact of disease on life quality. Mann-Whitney U-test was applied to compare means, and principle component analysis for factor analysis was used. A total of 149 patients were included, with a male-to-female ratio of 1 : 1.9. The mean age of the study population was 32.86 ± 12.837 years. The mean DLQI score was 8.30 ± 6.73 with men having a significantly greater score than women (p < 0.02). DLQI scores negatively correlated with age (p < 0.01). There was a high internal consistency among items (Cronbach's alpha 0.89), and all items had satisfactory correlation with each other as well. Principle component extraction revealed that there were two underlying factors in the DLQI questionnaire on measuring quality of life in chronic urticaria. Males had a greater impairment in quality of life than females due to chronic urticaria. Most severe impairment was seen in symptoms/feelings subdomain. It also revealed that there were two different underlying factors in DLQI questionnaire.