Fatal weather-related carbon monoxide poisonings in the United States

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause injury or death if inhaled. CO is a frequent secondary hazard induced by the aftereffects of natural hazards as individuals, families, and communities often seek alternative power sources for heating, cooking, lighting, and cleanup during the emergency and recovery phases of a disaster. These alternative power sources—such as portable generators, petroleum-based heaters, and vehicles—exhaust CO that can ultimately build to toxic levels in enclosed areas. Ever-increasing environmental and societal changes combined with an aging infrastructure are growing the odds of power failures during hazardous weather events, which, in turn, are increasing the likelihood of CO exposure, illness, and death. This study analyzed weather-related CO fatalities from 2000 to 2019 in the U.S. using death certificate data, providing one of the longest assessments of this mortality. Results reveal that over 8,300 CO fatalities occurred in the U.S. during the 20-year study period, with 17% of those deaths affiliated with weather perils. Cool-season perils such as ice storms, snowstorms, and extreme cold were the leading hazards that led to situations causing CO fatalities. States in the Southeast and Northeast had the highest CO fatality rates, with winter having the greatest seasonal mortality. In general, these preventable CO poisoning influxes are related to a deficiency of knowledge on generator safety and the absence of working detectors and alarms in the enclosed locations where poisonings occur. Education and prevention programs that target the most vulnerable populations will help prevent future weather-related CO fatalities.

Online Learning during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Web-Based Survey of Undergraduate Students of Pokhara University, Nepal

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has forced educational institutions throughout the world to shut, putting academic calendars in jeopardy. To continue the academic activities, most educational institutions have switched to online mode of learning. Objective: Against this backdrop, the study aims to identify the perception and attitude of the undergraduate students towards e-learning during Covid-19 pandemic, to determine the online learning characteristics of the students across different academic year, and to explore the factors that influence the online learning activities of the students. Method: The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional research design. The self-administered questionnaire was developed after a thorough assessment of the literature and consultation with topic specialists, and it included demographic information about the research participants, as well as their perceptions and attitudes regarding online classes. The questionnaire was created on Google Forms, and the link was distributed to the students of all the four schools through Viber and Messenger groups. Data was collected online from 300 undergraduate students at Pokhara University in Nepal. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage) and inferential statistics were used to examine and interpret the data. The Chi-squared test was employed to analyze the link between the student’s online learning characteristics and academic year. To discover the characteristics that impact online learning activities, exploratory factor analysis was performed. Result: The results indicated statistically significant association of online learning characteristics of students of different academic year with availability of alternative power source, internet service, digital platform used and availability of basic computer skill and continuation of online class. Majority of the students evinced a positive attitude towards online classes. Online learning was deemed advantageous since it offered learners with flexibility and convenience. Furthermore, teachers devote appropriate time to studying, motivate students to learn, and emphasize student-centered learning. However, students are dissatisfied with the teachers’ online teaching skills owing to a lack of training and familiarity with modern information technology. Conclusion: The study concluded that although students reported positive attitude towards online classes, there are serious challenges of power backup or alternative power supply, poor connectivity, unfamiliarity of digital platforms and poor ICT skills among students. Teachers need to be trained properly for the effective and productive teaching and learning along with proper handling of digital platforms. The school/ college/ university must have a well-established IT infrastructure for the smooth operation of online classes.

Improvement evaluation methodology of vehicle load and energy efficiency

Problem. There was a need to expand the well-known concept of vehicle operational properties – fuel efficiency arose in connection with the advent of new alternative power plants (electric motors, flywheel engines, hybrid power plants, etc.), which requires the inclusion of not only the thermal energy of the fuel, but also other types of energy (electrical and mechanical). In the paper the research of choice and justification of the vehicle energy efficiency indicators by assessing the energy costs of the engine for its movement was made. The analysis of the relationship between energy characteristics of dynamics and vehicle efficiency was made. Goal. The aim of the study is to analyze methods for assessing the vehicle energy efficiency. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to determine indicators that will allow a comparative analysis of energy efficiency indicators of various vehicles. Methodology. The approaches taken in the work to solve this goal are based on substantiating the indicators of the energy efficiency of the car by assessing the energy consumption of the engine for its movement. Results. In our opinion, in projecting and evaluating the dynamic properties of vehicles, it is rational to use the energy indicators of the vehicle, for which it is necessary to develop appropriate assessment criteria. Analysis of the results of indicators calculation and, in table 1, has shown that the indicator in comparison with has less dispersion. Originality. The obtained results of the influence of the parameters of vehicles on the level of their energy load shows that the indicator has less dispersion than. In addition, the value does not correlate with the year of manufacture of the vehicle, which allows the use of this indicator at the design stage of vehicles. It is only necessary to set the rational normative value of this indicator. Practical value. The results obtained can be recommended to specialists for use in the design, production, certification and operation of automotive vehicles, vehicle energy efficiency, combined power plant.

Impact of a Synthetic Component on the Emission of Volatile Organic Compounds during the Combustion Process in a Miniature Turbine Engine

This paper refers to the study of biofuel as an alternative power source for turbine aviation engines. Blends of Jet A-1 fuel and synthesized hydrocarbons from Hydrotreated Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) technology at different proportions, such as 25%, 50% and 75%, were used for tests. All the test results were compared with the neat Jet A-1 fuel. A miniature GTM series turbojet engine was used in the test rig studies. During the tests conducted at a specific rotational speed, selected engine operating parameters as well as the emission of volatile organic compounds were measured. In terms of engine performance, no significant differences were found between the test fuels. The results of volatile organic compound emissions indicate that among the most toxic compounds the highest concentrations were obtained for benzene. The addition of the HEFA synthetic component and increasing its proportion in the blend resulted in the obtained concentration values for benzene showing a decreasing trend. The plotted utility profile indicates that the most optimal blend, i.e., the least toxic, is the blend with the share (v/v) of 62.5% of Jet A-1 fuel and 37.5% of HEFA component.

Analysis on Inlet Nozzle Design Geometry of Tesla Turbine

Tesla turbine is a bladeless turbine that uses a set of discs arranged at a certain distance to rotate and one of the parameters controlling turbine performance is the inlet parameter. The purpose of this study is to optimize the design of the inlet nozzle and analyse its effects on the flow of the fluid. A total of four nozzle designs have been proposed using CATIA while the Solidworks Flow Simulator is used to analyse the fluid flow at various inlet velocities. Then, the most efficient design is then fabricated via 3D printing and put to test by connecting it with the actual Tesla turbine model. Through the results obtained from the analysis, it is observed that Design 4 is the most efficient of all tested nozzles and the highest RPM and output voltage achieved from the nozzle is 7940 RPM and 13.56 V. The difference in velocity and pressure increases as the area of the nozzle outlet reduces, whereas nozzle efficiency decreases as the inlet velocity increases. The result of this study is a source material for increasing the effectiveness of an alternative power turbine in generating electricity by manipulating the inlet design geometry.

A Review of Compressed Air Engine in the Vehicle Propulsion System

Engines powered by compressed air as a source of propulsion are known for many years. Nevertheless, this type of drive is not commonly used. The main reason for not using commonly is the problem with the low energy density of the compressed air. They offer a number of advantages, primarily focusing on the possibility of significantly lowering the emissions of the engine. Their emissivity mainly depends on the method of obtaining compressed air. This also has an impact on the economic aspects of the drive. Currently there are only a few, ready to implement, compressed air powered engine solutions available on the market. A major advantage is the ability to convert internal combustion engines to run with compressed air. The study provides a literature review of solutions, focusing on a multifaceted analysis of pneumatic drives. Increasing vehicle approval requirements relating to their emissions performance are encouraging for the search of alternative power sources. This creates an opportunity for the development of unpopular propulsion systems, including pneumatic engines. Analysing the works of some researchers, it is possible to notice a significant increase in the efficiency of the drive, which may contribute to its popularisation.

A Nexus among Reliability Improvement of Distribution System with Optimal Placement and Capacity of Wind-Based Distributed Generation Management

Along with the world population growth, the need for a source of electrical energy is higher, so a reliable system with higher capacities is expected. Renewable energy becomes an alternative that supports the goal of reducing the risk of disruption, thus increasing the distribution system’s reliability. A lot of industries and public settlement uses renewable sources of energy as an alternative power supply to comply their energy needs. This research uses wind turbine as a source of renewable energy in the distributed generation (DG). However, the required investment in wind-based DG is commonly considered too costly to deploy and require a proper planning on its placement method. The flower pollination algorithm (FPA) method could be a solution to achieve optimal placement of wind-based DG, thus increase the distribution system’s reliability, which is indicated by minimum energy not supplied (ENS) index.