Search

Biomass is a viable and accessible source of energy that can help address the problem of energy shortages in rural and remote areas. Another important issue for societies today is the lack of clean water, especially in places with high populations and low rainfall. To address both of these concerns, a sustainable biomass-fueled power cycle integrated with a double-stage reverse osmosis water-desalination unit has been designed. The double-stage reverse osmosis system is provided by the 20% of generated power from the bottoming cycles and this allocation can be altered based on the needs for freshwater or power. This system is assessed from energy, exergy, thermoeconomic, and environmental perspectives, and two distinct multi-objective optimization scenarios are applied featuring various objective functions. The considered parameters for this assessment are gas turbine inlet temperature, compressor's pressure ratio, and cold end temperature differences in heat exchangers 2 and 3. In the first optimization scenario, considering the pollution index, the total unit cost of exergy products, and exergy efficiency as objective functions, the optimal values are, respectively, identified as 0.7644 kg/kWh, 32.7 USD/GJ, and 44%. Conversely, in the second optimization scenario, featuring the emission index, total unit cost of exergy products, and output net power as objective functions, the optimal values are 0.7684 kg/kWh, 27.82 USD/GJ, and 2615.9 kW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel tri-generation system powered by geothermal energy is assessed from exergo-economic and thermodynamic perspectives. The proposed system consists of a geothermal single flash cycle, an ORC with the OFOH and the IHE, a HDH desalination system, and a double-effect absorption refrigeration system. This system aims to produce power, cooling load, and the freshwater. The design parameters effects such as geothermal inlet temperature, the flash chamber inlet pressure, HPG temperature difference, and steamturbine outlet pressure on the main indicators, including exergy efficiency, cooling load, total product unit cost, and produced freshwater mass flow rate. Moreover, the multi-objective optimization is applied using machine learning method and Grey wolf algorithm to optimize the total product unit cost, the net generated power rate, and the exergy efficiency. Under base design conditions, the total product unit cost and the exergy efficiency are 77.8 $/GJ and 44.2%, respectively. Moreover, the results for the exergy efficiency, the total product unit cost, and the net generated power rate of the system under multi-objective optimization are 54%, 62.5 $/GJ, and 180 kW. Among all elements of the current system, TEG1 has the greatest rate of the exergy destruction, which is 94.02 kW. Additionally, the rate of the overall system exergy destruction is 221.72 kW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a unique clinical scenario of a 58-year-old male with a past medical history of hypertension who initially presented with chest pain and was ruled in for non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) but rapidly developed respiratory failure secondary to aortic insufficiency complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS), attributed to aortic valve prolapse. Intriguingly, the patient had a normal ECG on presentation, underscoring the dynamic nature of valvular pathology. The development of CS highlights the importance of early recognition, prompt diagnosis, and interdisciplinary management in such complex cases., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Kilaru et al.)

Background: Data on the impact of chronic thrombocytopenia (CT) on outcomes following chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) is limited. Most studies are case reports and focused on postprocedural thrombocytopenia. The purpose of this present study is to assess the impact of CT (> one year) on health resource utilization (HRU), in-hospital outcomes, and cost following CTO PCI., Methods: We used discharge data from the 2016-2018 National Inpatient Sample and propensity score-weighted approach to examine the association between CT and HRU among patients undergoing CTO PCI. HRU was measured as a binary indicator defined as a length of stay greater than seven days and/or discharge to a non-home setting. The cost was measured as total charges standardized to 2018 dollars. Both outcomes were assessed using generalized linear models adjusted for survey year, and baseline characteristics., Results: Relative to its absence, the presence of CT following CTO PCI was associated with a 4.8% increased probability of high HRU (Population Average Treatment Effect (PATE) estimate = 0.048; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.041-0.055; P<0.001) and approximately $18,000 more in total hospital charges (PATE estimate = +$18,297.98; 95% CI = $15,101.33-$21,494.63, P<0.001)., Conclusion: Among chronic total occlusion patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, those with chronic thrombocytopenia had higher resource use, including total hospital charges, and worse in-hospital outcomes when compared with those without chronic thrombocytopenia., Competing Interests: None., (AJCD Copyright © 2024.)