Techno-economic Aspects of Electricity Generation from a Farm BasedBiogas Plant

This study produces a technical and economic analysis of a farm- fed biogas plant that utilizes cow manure to produce electricity and heat via combined heat and power unit. The electricity generated is directly injected into the grid while heat is used within the biogas plant. The biogas system design was done depending on number of cows in the farm, which denotes the amount of manure available as feedstock. The economic performance of the proposed biogas plant was evaluated using various economic indicators. The levelized cost of electricity and the avoided greenhouse gas emissions were calculated too. The preliminary design and economic feasibility results proved the profitability of the manure-based biogas systems on wide range of farm sizes. The net present values of a 100-cow, 500-cow, 1,000-cow, 1,500-cow and 2,000-cow farms were all positive. The internal rate of return values were 11%, 12%, 13%, 16% and 17%, respectively, and the levelized cost of electricity values were 0.071, 0.069, 0.064, 0.055 and 0.055 JOD/kWh, respectively. The study also produced a design for a centralized anaerobic digestion plant depending on Jordan resources. The government role in promoting biogas-based electricity was discussed too

Perturbation Solution of the Jackson’s Dusty Gas Model Equations for Ternary Gaseous Systems

A perturbation technique was used to obtain an approximate closed-form solution for the mass balance equations when the dusty gas model (DGM) is used to calculate total molar fluxes of components of ternary gaseous systems. This technique employed the straight-forward expansion method to the second-order approximation. Steady-state, isobaric, isothermal and no reaction conditions were assumed. The obtained solution is a set of equations expressed to calculate mole fractions as functions of dimensionless length, boundary conditions, properties of the gases and parameters of transport mechanisms (i.e., Knudsen diffusivity and effective binary diffusivity). Three different systems represent field and experimental conditions were used to test the applicability of perturbation solution. Findings indicate that the obtained solution provides an effective tool to calculate mole fractions and total molar fluxes of components of ternary gaseous systems

The Role of Competitive Intelligence Practices for Achieving Competitive Advantage in the Higher Education Sector in the MENA Region

The article aims to conduct a systematic review to gather insights and evidence in the developing countries, mainly in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, to examine the role of competitive intelligence practises to achieve competitiveness, focusing more on the higher education sector. A Systematic Literature Review research approach was used to conduct this study, and thematic extraction was used to collect and analyse the respective secondary data, which is widely used and suggested in many studies. The researcher relied on key theories: research-based view, stakeholder theory, and competitive theory. The findings showed that the most common issues in Higher Education in the MENA region associated with competitive intelligence practice are technological challenges, lack of motivation and effective training, poor infrastructure, and low capacity with inadequate formal support. The findings reveal a lack of focus on higher education institutions. This study recommends that universities to develop professional training plans, shift from traditional structures, identify key barriers, incorporate cost control, conduct new research, and form partnerships with successful private universities to develop competitive intelligence systems

Cost Analysis of Implementing In-Pipe Hydro Turbine in the United Arab Emirates Water Network

Water transmission lines have potential reserved energy, which is usually lost. Therefore, targeting this clean energy to produce electricity to power up the auxiliaries and utilities of water plants or consumers is financially and environmentally beneficial. This paper aims to investigate the feasibility of installing an inline hydropower system in an existing transmission water pipe. It analyzes the feasibility of implementing a mini-hydropower plant in the transmission line of Liwa’s reservoir in the UAE. The maximum possible power harvested is 218.175 kW at the given water flow rate and net head. The payback period and the return on investment are analyzed based on different scenarios related to capital investment, operation, maintenance cost, and plant capacity factor. It is found that the payback period ranges between one to six years, where the return on investment can be as high as 85%. Furthermore, the expected CO2 emissions saving for this project is calculated to be between 395 and 1939 tons per year

Enhancing the Productivity of a Roof-Type Solar Still Utilizing Alumina Nanoparticles and Vacuum Pump

Unlike conventional fresh water producing systems, from saline or brackish water, the innovative solar water producing systems are efficient and effective. Experiments were conducted on two identical roof-type solar stills and simultaneously tested under the same weather conditions. One of these stills was modified by integrating a vacuum pump to lower the pressure inside while the other still was used as a reference unit. Different concentrations of Al2O3 nanoparticles were chosen, 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6%, and used with water inside the modified still. It was verified that the modified still, without nanoparticles, yields 34.84% more production than the conventional still. In addition, the modified still with a 0.4% of Al2O3 nanoparticles produced the highest percentage of distilled water, 44.42% in comparison to the one without the use of Al2O3 nanoparticles, followed by 37.94% and 24.07% for 0.6% and 0.2% of Al2O3 nanoparticles, respectively

Perbandingan Visual Analogue Scale antara Pemberian Analgetik Asam Mefenamat, Paracetamol dan Ibuprofen Peroral Sebelum Sirkumsisi

ABSTRAK Latar belakang: Nyeri akibat operasi merupakan  keadaan  yang sangat dikuatirkan oleh pasien sebelum menjalani operasi. Warfield  dan  Kahn melaporkan  57% dari pasien  yang  akan dioperasi menaruh perhatian yang serius terhadap kekuatiran nyeri pasca operasi dan 80% dari mereka ternyata mengalami nyeri sedang sampai berat setelah operasi. Dalam sirkusmsisi analgesik yang biasa digunakan yaitu Asam Mefenamat, Paracetamol, dan Ibuprofen. Tujuan: Penelitian ini beetujuan untuk mengetahui perbandingan visual analogue scale (VAS) 1 jam setelah sirkumsisi (T1),2 jam setelah sirkumsisi (T2) dan 3 jam setelah sirkumsisi (T3) antara pasien dengan pemberian analgetik  asam  mefenamat,  paracetamol,  dan  ibuprofen  peroral  pre  sirkumsisi.  Metode:  Jenispenelitian  ini  termasuk  penelitian  quasi-experimental  dengan  model     posttest  design  only  yang dilakukan di wilayah Kec. Abuki. Jumlah sampel pada penelitian ini adalah 30 sampel, yang terdiri dari 10 sampel asam mefenamat, 10 sampel paracetamol, dan 10 sampel ibuprofen. Penelitan ini dianalisis menggunakan SPSS dengan uji kruskal-wallis. Hasil: Pada T1 menunjukan bahwa terdapat perbedaan rata – rata pada tiap kelompok pemberian obat. Asam mefenamat memiliki nilai rata - rata VAS 2,50, paracetamol 3.00 dan ibuprofen 2,30 dengan p-value 0,018. Pada T2 rata – rata VAS yaitu asam mefenamat 4,30, paracetamol 4,70 dan ibuprofen 4,10 dengan p-value 0,252. Pada T3 rata – rata VAS tiap kelempok obat yaitu, asam mefenamat 7,00, paracetamol 7,50, dan ibuprofen6,40 dengan p-value 0,003. Simpulan: Terdapat perbedaan rata-rata VAS pada T1, T2 dan T3, dengan kelompok terendah yaitu pada kelompok ibuprofen.Kata kunci : Asam mefenamat, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, Sirkumsisi, Visual analogue scale

An MDM2 antagonist (MI-319) restores p53 functions and increases the life span of orally treated follicular lymphoma bearing animals

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>MI-319 is a synthetic small molecule designed to target the MDM2-P53 interaction. It is closely related to MDM2 antagonists MI-219 and Nutlin-3 in terms of the expected working mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate anti-lymphoma activity of MI-319 in WSU-FSCCL, a B-cell follicular lymphoma line. For comparison purpose, MI-319, MI-219 and Nutlin-3 were assessed side by side against FSCCL and three other B-cell hematological tumor cell lines in growth inhibition and gene expression profiling experiments.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>MI-319 was shown to bind to MDM2 protein with an affinity slightly higher than that of MI-219 and Nutlin-3. Nevertheless, cell growth inhibition and gene expression profiling experiments revealed that the three compounds have quite similar potency against the tumor cell lines tested in this study. <it>In vitro</it>, MI-319 exhibited the strongest anti-proliferation activity against FSCCL and four patient cells, which all have wild-type p53. Data obtained from Western blotting, cell cycle and apoptosis analysis experiments indicated that FSCCL exhibited strong cell cycle arrest and significant apoptotic cell death; cells with mutant p53 did not show significant apoptotic cell death with drug concentrations up to 10 μM, but displayed weaker and differential cell cycle responses. In our systemic mouse model for FSCCL, MI-319 was tolerated well by the animals, displayed effectiveness against FSCCL-lymphoma cells in blood, brain and bone marrow, and achieved significant therapeutic impact (p < 0.0001) by conferring the treatment group a > 28% (%ILS, 14.4 days) increase in median survival days.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Overall, MI-319 probably has an anti-lymphoma potency equal to that of MI-219 and Nutlin-3. It is a potent agent against FSCCL <it>in vitro </it>and <it>in vivo </it>and holds the promises to be developed further for the treatment of follicular lymphoma that retains wild-type p53.</p

irrespective of

their proliferative and differentiation statu

Stiff to Dilate and Risky to Cut Through: Iliac Radiation Arteritis

Radiation arteritis is not an uncommon clinical situation, given that almost 50% of patients with cancer receive radiotherapy in the course of treatment. Radiation effects are non-specific, and late radiation tissue injury presentation can be very variable. However, radiation arteritis has some unique clinical and radiological features, with consequent special therapeutic considerations. Iliac radiation arteritis may be accompanied by radiation-associated iliac vein disease and small vessel disease. Therefore, diagnostic and therapeutic plans should be directed toward all possible late radiation effects as relevant. Despite the complexity of the disease process and diagnostic challenges, treatment can be very straightforward if adequately planned. Otherwise, limb loss and/or life-threatening complications can rapidly ensue. This article highlights the natural history of radiation arteritis, with a particular emphasis on the iliac segment, and discusses the risk potentials of this condition, given that limb loss may be multifactorial, not merely because of the iliac arterial flow interruption. The main lines of management are also briefly discussed

Targeting Cellular Metabolism With CPI-613 Sensitizes Pancreatic Cancer Cells to Radiation Therapy

PURPOSE: Local tumor progression is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with surgically unresectable disease. Novel and effective approaches to accomplish durable local control are urgently needed. We tested whether CPI-613 (devimistat), a first-in-class investigational small molecule inhibitor of mitochondrial metabolism, was capable of altering cancer cell energy metabolism and sensitizing PDAC cells to radiation therapy (RT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: The effect of a combined treatment of RT with CPI-613 on the viability of, clonogenic potential of, and cell death induction in PDAC cells (MiaPaCa-2 and Panc-1) was determined using a trypan blue dye exclusion assay, a colony formation assay, and a 7-amino-actinomycin D assay, respectively. The synergistic effects of CPI-613-RT and chemotherapeutic agents (gemcitabine or 5-fluorouracil) were measured in MiaPaCa-2 cells using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and spheroid formation assay. Changes in energy metabolism were determined by profiling metabolites treated with either RT, CPI-613, or both using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: This study demonstrates that a combination of single-fraction RT (2 and 10 Gy) with CPI-613 significantly inhibits PDAC cell growth compared with RT alone. Molecular analysis revealed inhibition of α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase at the protein level. In addition, we demonstrate enhanced cell death of PDAC cells when treated with RT-CPI-613 combination. Targeted metabolomic analysis on PDAC cells post-CPI-613-RT treatment revealed alterations in key mitochondrial metabolites, with broader target engagement by the combination treatment, indicating the sensitization of CPI-613-treated PDAC cells to RT. Furthermore, a combination treatment of CPI-613 with either gemcitabine or 5-fluorouracil in the presence of 2 Gy RT synergistically inhibits PDAC cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support a novel combination of CPI-613-RT that warrants further preclinical and early-phase clinical investigations. A phase 1 trial designed to identify the maximum tolerated dose of CPI-613 in combination with chemo-RT in patients with PDAC was recently initiated (NCT05325281)