Energy harvesting from landing and taxiing of commercial aircraft

We demonstrate a virtual proof-of-concept design and experiment for energy harvesting enabling economic and environment-friendly aircraft by recycling forces for power conversion. The harvesting uses piezoelectric materials for extracting energy from the impact at the touchdown during the landing of an aircraft and direct current (DC) generators powered by the rotational motion of the aircraft wheels during taxiing. The design begins with a multidomain model comprising multibody dynamics, mathematical descriptions, abstract behavioral blocks, and programmed code. Piezoelectric harvesting explores six types of materials consisting of ring and disk pad geometries. Both geometries are typical configurations in suspension systems. Recent advances have shown the potential of getting higher voltage out of new materials properties. Our objective is to determine the useful impact force during a touchdown on the pads and a pad type that maximizes the power transfer. The evaluation shows that the American Piezo Ceramics (APC) 860/porous material in the ring shape gives the maximum power. For constant power generation during taxiing, we analyze four configurations of the DC generator. The DC generation offers a rich system-level design trade-off in evaluating a steady output voltage as the generator spins cyclically and changes flux in the coil during the contact between the wheel and the runway. The methodology for harvesting energy through touchdown and taxiing is agile to experiment with loads and their release heights for evaluating other piezoelectric materials for their potential for generating power as well as for the parametric tradespace analysis in generator performance

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially