Combustion and Performance Characteristics of CI Engine Running with Biodiesel

Biodiesel is one of the alternative fuels which is renewable and environmentally friendly and can be used in diesel engines with little or no modifications. In the present study, experimental investigations were carried out on the effects of biodiesel types, biodiesel fraction and physical properties on the combustion and performance characteristics of a compression ignition (CI) engine. The experimental work was conducted on a four-cylinder, four -stroke, direct injection (DI) and turbocharged diesel engine by using biodiesel of waste oil, rapeseed oil and corn oil and normal diesel. Based on the measured parameters, detailed analyses were carried out on cylinder pressure, heat release rate and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC). It has been seen that the biodiesel types do not result in any significant differences in peak cylinder pressure and BSFC. The results also clearly indicate that the engine running with biodiesel have slightly higher in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate than the engine running with normal diesel. The BSFC for the engine running with neat biodiesel was higher than the engine running with normal diesel by up to 15%. It is also noticed that the physical properties of the biodiesel affects significantly the performance of the engine

Epidemiology of Influenza-like Illness and Respiratory Viral Etiology in Adult Patients in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, China between 2018 and 2019

To determine the epidemiological status of influenza and understand the distribution of common respiratory viruses in adult patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) cases in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, China, epidemiological data between 2018 and 2019 were retrieved from the China Influenza Surveillance Information System, and two sentinel ILI surveillance hospitals were selected for sample collection. All specimens were screened for influenza virus (IFV) and the other 14 common respiratory viruses using real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results of the 2-year ILI surveillance showed that 26,205 (1.37%) of the 1,907,869 outpatients and emergency patients presented with ILI, with an average annual incidence of 297.75 per 100,000 individuals, and ILI cases were predominant in children <15 years (21,348 patients, 81.47%). Of the 2713 specimens collected from adult patients with ILI, the overall detection rate of respiratory viruses was 20.13%, with IFV being the most frequently detected (11.79%) and at a relatively lower rate than other respiratory viruses. Further subtype analysis indicated an alternating or mixed prevalence of H1N1 (2009), H3N2, Victoria, and Yamagata subtypes. This study provides a baseline epidemiological characterization of ILI and highlights the need for a nationwide detection and surveillance system for multiple respiratory pathogens