Prediction of net energy consumption based on economic indicators (GNP and GDP) in Turkey

The most important theme in this study is to obtain equations based on economic indicators (gross national product—GNP and gross domestic product—GDP) and population increase to predict the net energy consumption of Turkey using artificial neural networks (ANNs) in order to determine future level of the energy consumption and make correct investments in Turkey. In this study, three different models were used in order to train the ANN. In one of them (Model 1), energy indicators such as installed capacity, generation, energy import and energy export, in second (Model 2), GNP was used and in the third (Model 3), GDP was used as the input layer of the network. The net energy consumption (NEC) is in the output layer for all models. In order to train the neural network, economic and energy data for last 37 years (1968–2005) are used in network for all models. The aim of used different models is to demonstrate the effect of economic indicators on the estimation of NEC. The maximum mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) was found to be 2.322732, 1.110525 and 1.122048 for Models 1, 2 and 3, respectively. R² values were obtained as 0.999444, 0.999903 and 0.999903 for training data of Models 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The ANN approach shows greater accuracy for evaluating NEC based on economic indicators. Based on the outputs of the study, the ANN model can be used to estimate the NEC from the country's population and economic indicators with high confidence for planing future projections.     

Modelling of a new hydro-compressed air-storage system

The interest in energy storage systems is increasing, since it provides an excellent solution to store the low-cost excess energy from the energy sources, which are available at peak demand hours. This paper presents a new compressed-air storage system that combines ambient air and hydraulic oil, in order to store energy in compressed-air form and benefit from the advantages of both pneumatic and hydraulic systems. The process consists of charging and discharging cycles, however, this paper investigates the discharging cycle, where a new technique of Small-Scale Compressed Air Energy Storage (SS-CAES) system is realised. The new idea in RC-CAHES is to obtain higher efficiency in energy conversion machines during charging and discharging processes with numerous advantages over conventional types of energy storage systems. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of this technique by proving that it has higher efficiency than a similar Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) systems.     

Environmental investigation using geophysical data at East Sadat City,Egypt

Three geophysical techniques such as resistivity, seismic refraction, and GPR have been applied to delineate the depth to the groundwater surface, subsurface stratigraphy and subsurface structures which control the configuration and distribution of the groundwater aquifer. Five vertical electrical sounding (VES) were measured by using Syscal-R2 instrument of electrode separation ranging from AB/2?=?1–500?m to reach depth of investigation about 150?m. The results of quantitative interpretation of the VES data indicate that the subsurface sequence composed of six geoelectric units; the first unit is characterized by resistivity values up to 2007?Ohm.m corresponding to sand & gravel and thickness up to 1.2?m. The second geoelectric unit is corresponding to sandy clay which exhibits resistivity up to 235?Ohm.m and depth up to 1.2?m. The third geoelectric unit is characterized by resistivity values up to 1483?Ohm.m corresponding to dry sand which of depth up to 2.6?m. The fourth geoelectrical unit consists of sand saturated with ground water and exhibits resistivity values ranging from 20.2 to 52.9?Ohm.m and depth ranging from 7 to 16.8?m. The fifth geoelectrical unit reveals resistivity values ranging from 7 to 32.6?Ohm.m and consists of sandy clay saturated with groundwater of depth up to 111?m overlaying the sixth unit which reached to depth up to 165?m and characterized by resistivity values ranging from 54 to 91?Ohm.m corresponding to sandstone saturated with ground water. Five shallow seismic refraction spreads of geophone spacing 4?m were measured to investigate the subsurface sequence, where the results of interpretation indicate that the subsurface section consists of three seismic layers; the first layer is unsaturated overburden with seismic velocity range from 280 to 770?m/s and thickness reach about 6?m. The second layer is sand saturated with ground water with velocity range from 760 to 1300?m/s and maximum thickness of about 7?m overlaying the third layer reached to depth up to 24?m and corresponding sandy clay saturated with groundwater with seismic velocity range from 1130 to 2260?m/s. Five GPR profiles are measured using MALA RAMAC GPR System with a Rough Terrain Antenna (RTA) system of central frequency of 100?MHz. The interpretation of GPR data indicate that the expected water table ranging from 8?m to 11?m in the study area. Interpretation of the obtained results and correlation with the available geological and different geophysical data revealed that, the depth to the groundwater table of the investigated area ranges between 7 and 16.8?m.     

Rev-erbα Knockout Reduces Ethanol Consumption and Preference in Male and Female Mice

Alcohol use is a contributor in the premature deaths of approximately 3 million people annually. Among the risk factors for alcohol misuse is circadian rhythm disruption; however, this connection remains poorly understood. Inhibition of the circadian nuclear receptor REV-ERBα is known to disrupt molecular feedback loops integral to daily oscillations, and impact diurnal fluctuations in the expression of proteins required for reward-related neurotransmission. However, the role of REV-ERBα in alcohol and substance use-related phenotypes is unknown. Herein, we used a Rev-erbα knockout mouse line and ethanol two-bottle choice preference testing to show that disruption of Rev-erbα reduces ethanol preference in male and female mice. Rev-erbα null mice showed the lowest ethanol preference in a two-bottle choice test across all genotypes, whereas there were no ethanol preference differences between heterozygotes and wildtypes. In a separate experiment, alcohol-consuming wildtype C57Bl/6N mice were administered the REV-ERBα/β inhibitor SR8278 (25 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg) for 7 days and alcohol preference was evaluated daily. No differences in alcohol preference were observed between the treatment and vehicle groups. Our data provides evidence that genetic variation in REV-ERBα may contribute to differences in alcohol drinking.     

Metabolic fingerprint of patients showing responsiveness to treatment of septic shock in intensive care unit

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine - An early metabolic signature associated with the responsiveness to treatment can be useful in the better management of septic shock...     

Selection of Wind Turbine Systems for the Sultanate of Oman

The Sultanate of Oman has been dealing with a severe renewable energy issue for the past few decades, and the government has struggled to find a solution. In addition, Oman’s strategy for converting power generation to sources of renewable energy includes a goal of 60 percent of national energy demands being met by renewables by 2040, including solar and wind turbines. Furthermore, the use of small-scale energy from wind devices has been on the rise in recent years. This upward trend is attributed to advancements in wind turbine technology, which have lowered the cost of energy from wind. To calculate the internal and external factors that affect the small-scale energy of wind technologies, the study used a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process technique for order of preference by similarity to an ideal solution. As a result, in the decision model, four criteria, seventeen sub-criteria, and three resources of renewable energy were calculated as options from the viewpoint of the Sultanate of Oman. This research is based on an examination of statistics on energy produced by wind turbines at various locations in the Sultanate of Oman. Further, six distinct miniature wind turbines were investigated for four different locations. The outcomes of this study indicate that the tiny wind turbine has a lot of potential in the Sultanate of Oman for applications such as homes, schools, college campuses, irrigation, greenhouses, communities, and small businesses. The government should also use renewable energy resources to help with the renewable energy issue and make sure that the country has enough renewable energy for its long-term growth.     

Effects of repeated frying on physicochemical characteristics,oxidative stress,and free radical scavenging potential of canola oil and ghee

The repeated use of cooking oils and ghee for the deep frying of food materials may affect their nutritional quality. The present study evaluated the effect of repeated frying on the physicochemical characteristics and antiradical potential of canola oil and ghee. The oil and ghee were used for frying of fish and chicken for 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 frying cycles followed by the analysis of physicochemical, oxidative stress, and antiradical parameters. Regression analysis of the data showed a frying cycle-dependent significant linear increase in saponification (R² = 0.9507–0.9748), peroxide and acid values (R² = 0.956–0.9915), and malondialdehyde (MDA) production (R² = 0.9058–0.9557) of canola oil and ghee subjected to fish and chicken frying but exponential increase in saponification value (R² = 0.9778) and MDA production (R² = 0.7407) of canola oil and ghee used for fish frying. The increase in the number of frying cycles linearly decreased the iodine value (R² = 0.9781–0.9924), and 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl, and 2, 2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging potential (R² = 0.9089–0.9979) of canola oil and ghee. Repeated frying in cooking oil and ghee increases oxidative stress and decreases their physicochemical and antioxidant qualities. Canola oil was comparatively more oxidative resistant than canola ghee. The regression equations derived from regression analysis will guide researchers to conduct similar types of univariate studies.     

Nanoarchitectonics: Porous Hydrogel as Bio-sorbent for Effective Remediation of Hazardous Contaminants

The increasing use of heavy metals, dyes, and other metallic or chemical elements causes crucial environmental pollution. Sewage that contains these heavy metals and dyes is discharged into the atmosphere and goes directly into the food cycle, causing cancerous diseases and health deterioration in living organisms. The supreme concern of today’s research is to treat wastewater and effectively remove the hazardous dye molecules from aqueous media and other environmental matrices. Nowadays, technologies are applied to rectify organic and inorganic pollutants from sewage. Among them, adsorption is a fascinating way because it is environmentally friendly, feasible, and economical biomaterials. Chitosan (CS) as bio-sorbent is endowed with valuable characteristics, such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, high reactivity, low-cost, and functional groups (–OH and NH₂) on its surface. CS is used for many applications, either as a single component or composite form. The use of CS as bio-adsorbents is beneficial over regular adsorbents. Chitosan-based hydrogel is one of the very important bio-adsorbents. All these bio-adsorbents are highly used to eradicate toxic dyes, digest harmful industrial sewage, and eliminate pesticides, climatic hazardous waste, and contaminated materials from the environment.

     

Synthesis and Characterization of Some Complexes Derived from Isatin Dye Ligand and Study of their Biological Potency and Anticorrosive Behavior on Aluminum Metal in Acidic Medium

Divalent Mn, Ni, Zn, and trivalent La complexes of H₃L ligand [N’,2-bis((Z)-2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)hydrazine-1 carbohydrazide] were synthesized and characterized via diverse spectroscopic methods (FT-IR, NMR, electronic, PXRD, and GC-MS), molar conductance and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The different ways of binding for the H₃L ligand with metal ions were inferred, as the H₃L ligand acted in mono-negative N²O tridentate, mono-negative N²O³ pentadentate, bi-negative N²O³ pentadentate, and tri-negative N²O³ pentadentate manners in coordination to Mn²⁺, Zn²⁺, La³⁺, and Ni²⁺ metal ions, respectively. DFT modeling was performed using the DMOL³/material studio software, and some of the experimental outcomes were interpreted and authenticated. Electrochemical performance of Mn²⁺ ions in the existence and absence of H₃L ligand was considered via cyclic voltammetry. The corrosion effectiveness of the H₃L ligand (inhibitor) to aluminum metal was evaluated, and the molecular dynamic (MD) simulations for adsorption of the H₃L inhibitor on Al surface were performed via FORCITE quench code. The isolated compounds were inspected for their antimicrobial (against C. albicans fungi, G⁺ bacteria S. aureus and B. subtilis, and G^? bacteria P. aeruginosa and E. coli), cytotoxic, and antioxidant (ABTS, and SOD) activities. A molecular docking study was performed to give the favorable binding sites for the ligand to E. coli, and S. aureus proteins.