Life cycle assessment and feasibility study of small wind power in Thailand

The Thai government’s implementation of its 10 year renewable energy plan was done to help increase energy independence and reduce emissions resulting from energy production. Due to Thailand’s wind regime, wind turbines which can operate in low wind speeds will be needed to meet this goal. Small wind turbines typically operate at higher efficiency in lower winds, and thus they might prove to be a good option for wind power production in Thailand. Incorporating small wind turbines into power production can be difficult because of the perception of high investment costs and because their net benefit has not been adequately studied. Using a functional unit of producing 50 kWh per month for 10 years we conducted a Life Cycle Assessment comparing the global warming potential (GWP), embodied energy (EE), and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of four small wind turbines (≤20 kW), a diesel generator, and the Thai Grid. When analyzing GWP of the turbines it was found that they had a lower overall GWP than the diesel generator when in areas with reasonable wind resources. The same is true for embodied energy. Interestingly, in most available wind speed categories in Thailand the LCOE for wind turbines was lower than for the diesel generator. However, neither could compare to the LCOE of the Thai Grid, except in the areas with the highest average wind speeds (7.0 -­‐9.4 m/s). With this in mind, it is clear that the most important factor when considering wind power generation is the wind regime available in an area. Because of the increased cost relative to the Thai grid, implementation of wind turbines in Thailand was not found to be economically viable. This could be changed given lower costs for turbines and/or government incentives

Is the water footprint an appropriate tool for forestry and forest products: The Fennoscandian case

The water footprint by the Water Footprint Network (WF) is an ambitious tool for measuring human appropriation and promoting sustainable use of fresh water. Using recent case studies and examples from water-abundant Fennoscandia, we consider whether it is an appropriate tool for evaluating the water use of forestry and forest-based products. We show that aggregating catchment level water consumption over a product life cycle does not consider fresh water as a renewable resource and is inconsistent with the principles of the hydrologic cycle. Currently, the WF assumes that all evapotranspiration (ET) from forests is a human appropriation of water although ET from managed forests in Fennoscandia is indistinguishable from that of unmanaged forests. We suggest that ET should not be included in the water footprint of rain-fed forestry and forest-based products. Tools for sustainable water management should always contextualize water use and water impacts with local water availability and environmental sensitivity

Public knowledge of chronic kidney disease evaluated using a validated questionnaire: a cross-sectional study

Background: Screening programs may help to address the burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Australia. Public awareness is an important determinant of the uptake of screening programs. However, data on the public knowledge of CKD in Australia is lacking. The aim of this study was to develop a validated questionnaire and assess the Australian public knowledge of CKD. Methods: A CKD knowledge questionnaire was developed after reviewing the literature and discussions with nephrology experts. Content validity was performed by nephrologists (n = 3), renal nurses (n = 3) and research personnel (n = 4). The questionnaire was piloted in 121 public participants. Next, discriminant validation was performed by recruiting two additional groups of participants: final year undergraduate pharmacy students (n = 28) and nephrologists (n = 27). Reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by calculating Cronbach’s alpha. Next, a cross-sectional survey of the Australian public (n = 943) was conducted by using the validated questionnaire. It was administered using an online Omnibus survey. Quota sampling was used for participant selection and to ensure that the final sample would match the key characteristics of the Australian population. Finally, a standard multiple regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of the public knowledge. Results: The median CKD knowledge scores of the public, students and nephrologists were 12, 19 and 23 (maximum score of 24), respectively, with statistically significant differences in the scores across the three groups (p < 0.001; Kruskal-Wallis test). The Cronbach’s alpha was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.86–0.91), indicating that the questionnaire had good internal consistency. In the cross-sectional survey of the Australian public, the participants’ mean (SD) age was 47.6 (±16.6) years and 51.2% were female. The mean (SD) knowledge score was 10.3 (± 5.0). The multivariate analysis showed that participants with a higher level of education; with a family history of kidney failure; with a personal history of diabetes; and currently or previously living in a relationship had significantly higher knowledge scores. Conclusion: The Australian public knowledge of CKD was relatively poor. Improving public knowledge may assist in increasing early detection and subsequent management of CKD in Australia

Urban Form Energy Use and Emissions in China: Preliminary Findings and Model Proof of Concept

Urbanization is reshaping China's economy, society, and energy system. Between 1990 and 2008 China added more than 300 million new urban residents, bringing the total urbanization rate to 46%. The ongoing population shift is spurring energy demand for new construction, as well as additional residential use with the replacement of rural biomass by urban commercial energy services. This project developed a modeling tool to quantify the full energy consequences of a particular form of urban residential development in order to identify energy- and carbon-efficient modes of neighborhood-level development and help mitigate resource and environmental implications of swelling cities. LBNL developed an integrated modeling tool that combines process-based lifecycle assessment with agent-based building operational energy use, personal transport, and consumption modeling. The lifecycle assessment approach was used to quantify energy and carbon emissions embodied in building materials production, construction, maintenance, and demolition. To provide more comprehensive analysis, LBNL developed an agent-based model as described below. The model was applied to LuJing, a residential development in Jinan, Shandong Province, to provide a case study and model proof of concept. This study produced results data that are unique by virtue of their scale, scope and type. Whereas most existing literature focuses on building-, city-, or national-level analysis, this study covers multi-building neighborhood-scale development. Likewise, while most existing studies focus exclusively on building operational energy use, this study also includes embodied energy related to personal consumption and buildings. Within the boundaries of this analysis, food is the single largest category of the building energy footprint, accounting for 23% of the total. On a policy level, the LCA approach can be useful for quantifying the energy and environmental benefits of longer average building lifespans. In addition to prospective analysis for standards and certification, urban form modeling can also be useful in calculating or verifying ex post facto, bottom-up carbon emissions inventories. Emissions inventories provide a benchmark for evaluating future outcomes and scenarios as well as an empirical basis for valuing low-carbon technologies. By highlighting the embodied energy and emissions of building materials, the LCA approach can also be used to identify the most intensive aspects of industrial production and the supply chain. The agent based modeling aspect of the model can be useful for understanding how policy incentives can impact individual behavior and the aggregate effects thereof. The most useful elaboration of the urban form assessment model would be to further generalize it for comparative analysis. Scenario analysis could be used for benchmarking and identification of policy priorities. If the model is to be used for inventories, it is important to disaggregate the energy use data for more accurate emissions modeling. Depending on the policy integration of the model, it may be useful to incorporate occupancy data for per-capita results. On the question of density and efficiency, it may also be useful to integrate a more explicit spatial scaling mechanism for modeling neighborhood and city-level energy use and emissions, i.e. to account for scaling effects in public infrastructure and transportation

Fuel ethanol from cane molasses in Thailand: Environmental and cost performance

In the context of the world's energy crisis and environmental concerns, crop-based ethanol has emerged as an energy alternative, the use of which can help reduce oil imports as well as emissions of CO2 and other air pollutants. However, a clear disadvantage of ethanol is its high cost over gasoline under the current pricing scheme that does not include externalities. The intent of this study is to perform a life cycle analysis comparing environmental and cost performance of molasses-based E10 with those of CG. The results show that although E10 provides reduction in fossil energy use, petroleum use, CO2 and NOx emissions, its total social costs are higher than those of gasoline due to higher direct production costs and external costs for other air emissions, e.g. CH4, N2O, CO, SO2, VOC and PM10. An analysis of projection scenarios shows that technological innovations towards cleaner production help maximize ethanol's benefits whilst minimizing its limitations.

Full chain energy analysis of fuel ethanol from cane molasses in Thailand

An analysis of energy performance and supply potential was performed to evaluate molasses utilization for fuel ethanol in Thailand. The Thai government recently has set up a production target of 1.925 million litres a day of sugar-based ethanol. The molasses-based ethanol (MoE) system involves three main segments: sugar cane cultivation, molasses generation, and ethanol conversion. Negative net energy value found for MoE is a consequence of not utilizing system co-products (e.g. stillage and cane trash) for energy. Taking into account only fossil fuel or petroleum inputs in the production cycle, the energy analysis provides results in favour of ethanol. A positive net energy of 5.95 MJ/L which corresponds to 39% energy gain shows that MoE is efficient as far as its potential to replace fossil fuels is concerned. Another encouraging result is that each MJ of petroleum inputs can produce 6.12 MJ of ethanol fuel. Regarding supply potential, if only the surplus molasses is utilized for ethanol, a shift of 8-10% sugar cane produce to fuel ethanol from its current use in sugar industry could be a probable solution.Molasses-based ethanol Life cycle assessment Net energy value Energy ratio Thailand

Logic devices based on inductive Josephson logics

10.1007/BF00618600Journal of Superconductivity14441-450JOUS

Telemedicine visits in an established multidisciplinary central nervous system clinic for radiation oncology and neurosurgery (RADIANS) in a community hospital setting.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of telemedicine visits, compared to in-person visits, on patient satisfaction in an established community hospital-based multidisciplinary central nervous system (CNS) clinic. METHODS: Telemedicine options - virtual visits and teleconferencing - were introduced in July 2020. Both radiation oncologist and neurosurgeon were simultaneously present for the telemedicine visit. Descriptive patient demographics, survey responses, and travel time and distance calculations were analyzed. Satisfaction score was compared to previously published data. RESULTS: A total of twenty-five telemedicine visits (n=22 video; n=3 phone) were completed since July 2020. Patient demographics are as follows: mean age was 59 years (range=22-81), women (9) and men (16), repeat telemedicine visits n=10, malignant CNS disease (17) and benign disease (5). Mean one-way distance traveled was 165.07 miles (median=114; range=0.8-358). Mean roundtrip travel time was estimated at 5h 5min. Mean telemedicine visit duration was 15.3 mins (range=4-46). Mean patient satisfaction score for telemedicine visits was 4.84. CONCLUSION: Patients who opted for the telemedicine visits found them just as effective as in-person visits, saving time and travel costs as well as ensuring patient safety during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The telemedicine visit platform facilitates the multidisciplinary clinic model and should be considered for more widespread utilization (Tab. 3, Fig. 1, Ref. 18)

HEMODYNAMIC EFFECTS OF SILDENAFIL ON RIGHT HEART FUNCTION IN LEFT VENTRICULAR DEVICES

Background: Right ventricular failure (RVF) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). There is limited data to support lowering pulmonary pressure with a phosphodiesterase inhibitor to improve right ventricular function. This study aims to evaluate the hemodynamic effects of sildenafil on right heart function in LVAD patients. Methods: This was a single center, retrospective, cohort study comparing LVAD patients on sildenafil versus those who were not (control group). Patients who received a LVAD from January 2010 to December 2015 were included in the study. Primary endpoint was right heart function at 1, 6, and 12 months post-LVAD implantation. Secondary endpoints include changes in CVP, PCWP, PAPs/d/m, LVEDD, TAPSE, FAC and dosage of sildenafil. Right heart failure was defined as CVP \u3e 20 and CVP:PCWP \u3e 0.63. Hemodynamic parameters are collected by manual review of echocardiograms for each patient at baseline, 1 month, 6 months and 12 months post-LVAD placement. Results: 168 patients were included in the analysis, of which 62 received sildenafil and 106 did not. The mean age was 55 ± 13. Heartmate II was the most common LVAD (82%). There were no differences in RVF at baseline (6.7 vs 4.9%, p = 0.726) and at 1 month (3.8 vs 4.2%, p = 1.00). There were no occurrences of RVF at 6 and 12 months in either group. Baseline CVP (mmHg) and PCWP (mmHg) were higher in the sildenafil group compared to control group (CVP 11 [6,21.8] vs 9 [6,18], p = 0.036; PCWP 24 [19.25,31] vs 19[15,24], p = 0.001), respectively. No difference was noted in CVP or PCWP between groups up to 12 months postLVAD. PAPs/d were higher at baseline and at 1 month in the sildenafil group but no differences at 6 and 12-month. PAPm at baseline was higher in sildenafil (38.5 [35,43.75] vs 32 [25.75,36], p \u3c 0.001) and at 1 month (26.5 [22.25,34.25] vs 18 [14.5,24.5], p = 0.002). No differences were noted between groups in FAC, TAPSE, and LVEDD. Conclusion: There were no differences observed in the incidence of RVF up to 12 months post-LVAD placement between patients who received sildenafil and those who did not. Sildenafil does not appear to have a significant effect on hemodynamic parameters in patients with LVAD