Economic Costs Research Articles

Hospital-Acquired Complications in Critically Ill Children and PICU Length of Stay, Duration of Respiratory Support, and Economics: Propensity Score Matching in a Single-Center Cohort, 2015-2020.

To identify the health and economic costs of hospital-acquired complications (HACs) in children who require PICU admission. Propensity score matched cohort study analyzing routinely collected medical and costing data collected by the health service over 6 years (2015-2020). Tertiary referral PICU in Queensland, Australia. All children admitted to the PICU were included. None. We assessed ventilator- and respiratory support-free days at 30 days post-PICU admission, length of PICU stay, prevalence of individual HACs, and attributable healthcare costs. A total of 8437 admissions, representing 6054 unique patients were included in the analysis. Median (interquartile range) for cohort age was 2.1 years (0.4-7.7 yr), 56% were male. Healthcare-associated infections contributed the largest proportion of HACs (incidence rate per 100 bed days, 46.5; 95% CI, 29.5-47.9). In the propensity score matched analyses (total 3852; 1306 HAC and 1371 no HAC), HAC events were associated with reduced ventilator- (adjusted subhazard ratio [aSHR], 0.88 [95% CI, 0.82-0.94]) and respiratory support-free days (aSHR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.69-0.79]) and increased PICU length of stay (aSHR, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.58-0.68]). Healthcare costs for children who developed a HAC were higher compared with children with no HAC, with mean additional cost ranging from Australian dollar (A$) 77,825 (one HAC [95% CI, $57,501-98,150]) to $310,877 (≥ 4 HACs [95% CI, $214,572-407,181]; in 2022, the average conversion of A$ to U.S. dollar was 0.74). In our PICU (2015-2020), the burden of HAC for critically ill children was highest for healthcare-associated infections. Further high-quality evidence regarding HAC prevention and prospective risk assessment could lead to improved patient outcomes and reduced costs.

A Novel Tool for Soybean Pods and Branches Recognition by Deep Learning Based Approach

ABSTRACTPhenotypic trait identification is crucial in cultivating new soybean varieties with high yield and quality. The traditional soybean phenotypic trait identification relies on manual pod counting and plant height measuring with a ruler. The heavy workload causes the data collected by human resources to be extremely prone to error. Therefore, developing an efficient and high‐quality method to obtain phenotypic data of soybean pods and branches is urgently needed. Three network models including ResNet‐101, Swin‐S and ConvNeXt‐S are compared in this study, and the ConvNeXt‐S model is identified as optimal, with a mAP@0.5 of 0.95, which could reach 74.2%. A deep learning–based approach soybean plant phenotype detection and data storage system is developed, including information on plants, pods and branches. The R2 between the number of pods detected by the system and the true value reached 0.995. These results indicate that the system is more accurate and stable than the manual phenotype identification. Our study paves the way for reducing economic and time costs as well as improving phenotype identification efficiency and accuracy in detecting soybean phenotypes.

A New Methodology for Optimization of Lashing Lines in the Securing Arrangement of Non-Standardized Cargo on Ships

The stowage plan and the securing arrangement of non-standardized cargo are some of the most important aspects in terms of cargo safety and economic costs. For this reason, the optimization of this operation is crucial and a daily challenge for securing planners trying to fulfill both requirements. In the present paper, a new methodological optimization is proposed presenting novel mathematical models and new 3D maps useful for the people in charge of stowage and securing arrangement. For this goal, the materials followed were the Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing (CSS) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) because many ships’ Cargo Securing Manuals refer to this international standard. Using an initial case study and making use of response surface techniques of design of experiments (DOE), multiple numerical simulations were performed to obtain novel mathematical models, revealing a high precision. Moreover, new 3D maps were presented and are very interesting tools due to their ease of understanding. The obtained results were compared with other simulations carried out where different variables were employed. The presented models of this methodology can predict the best securing arrangement to fulfill the balance forces in any stowage position (vertical and longitudinal) using the minimum securing devices and keeping the standards of safety. These methodological tools offer valuable advice to the shipping industry with responsibilities involved in the securing design of non-standardized cargo items.

Local Anesthesia With 1% Lidocaine Versus General Anesthesia for Percutaneous Endoscopic Interlaminar Discectomy at L5/S1 Disc Herniation​​​: A Prospective Randomized Study.

A prospective randomized clinical trial. In this study, we compared local anesthesia with 1% lidocaine (LA) and general anesthesia (GA) utilized in PEID at L5/S1 disc herniation. Given the anatomic characteristics of L5/S1 segment, interlaminar approach was preferred to perform endoscopic discectomy for L5/S1 disc herniation. Typically, general anesthesia was used for interlaminar approach. However, with general anesthesia, nerve damage during surgery due to being unable to monitor patient status is a main concerned for surgeons. As an alternative option, local anesthesia has been developed recently. But, the optimal type of anesthesia for PEID remains controversial. From March 2021 to March 2023, 103 consecutive patients with L5/S1 disc herniation who planned to undergo PEID in our unit were randomized to the LA group (n=53) or GA group (n=50). Both groups were followed up for at least 24 months. Surgical-related parameters, clinical outcomes, and complications were compared between the 2 groups. The mean operative time and bed rest time were shorter in the LA group than in the GA group (both P<0.001). The estimated blood loss in the LA group was greater than that in the GA group (P<0.001). The cost of hospitalization in the LA group was significantly lower than that in the GA group (P<0.001). At every time point of follow-up, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of VAS, ODI, and modified MacNab criteria. The satisfaction surveys showed that more patients in the LA group would choose contrary anesthesia, including 6 patients who were administered extravenously injected sufentanil intraoperatively due to intensive pain. Postoperative neuropathic abnormalities were rarer in the LA group. Both local anesthesia using 1% lidocaine and general anesthesia are effective and safe for PEID at the L5/S1 segment. The use of local anesthesia is preferable due to its associated reductions in operative time, bed rest duration, and economic costs.

The health and economic burden of rare endocrine disease: Often ignored, always important.

Rare endocrine diseases (RED) often pose chronic and life-threatening challenges, yet their economic costs and societal impact remains have not been precisely quantified. We obtained patient data from the 2018 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) and the Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD), identifying RED patients through International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision codes. The difference of economic burden between RED patients and the control group, including hospital length of stay, hospitalisation costs, and readmission rates, was assessed using chi-square tests. We extracted 638 083 (2.98%) RED-related records from the NIS database. Compared to patients with common conditions, RED patients showed an exceedingly high burden of disease, including significantly extended hospital stays (P < 0.05), elevated total charges (P < 0.05), and heightened mortality rates (P < 0.05). They also had a substantially increased 30-day all-cause readmission rate based on the NRD database (P < 0.05). Although the different subgroups of RED patients had varying patterns of health care utilisation and economic burdens, they all surpassed those of patients with common conditions. There is a need for novel strategies aimed at mitigating the substantial RED-related burdens borne by individuals, families, and society in general, as well as funding for research and clinical trials.

Evaluating the Economic Efficiency of Fuel Reduction Treatments in Sagebrush Ecosystems That Vary in Ecological Resilience and Invasion Resistance

The concepts of resilience and resistance (R&amp;R) have been used to improve wildland fuel treatment outcomes by identifying parts of the landscape that are more likely to respond well to treatment. This study examined how the economic benefits and costs of fuel treatments in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems varied with the resilience and resistance properties of the treatment site. Generalized ecological models were developed for the economic analysis of fuel treatments that integrated ecological succession, annual grass invasion, pinyon–juniper expansion, and wildfire to simulate ecosystem dynamics over time. The models incorporated resilience and resistance by varying model parameters related to each plant community’s ability to resist annual grass invasion and recover post-disturbance. Simulations produced estimates of the expected (ex ante) benefit–cost ratio for each treatment. The approach also considered the benefits associated with the system remaining in an ecologically favorable condition, allowing us to report a more holistic measure of the net economic benefits of fuel treatments. The results from the simulations indicated fuel treatment was economically efficient in late-successional sagebrush and early-successional juniper in mountain big sagebrush associations. For sagebrush associations where treatment was economically efficient, higher R&amp;R status sites had higher benefit–cost ratios. The results suggested that treatment costs were more determinative of economic efficiency than treatment benefits.

Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity in brain damage (scientific review). Part 1

Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) is a separate form of fever of central origin and is a neurological syndrome characterized by simultaneous paroxysmal occurrence of hypertension, hyperpyrexia, tachycardia, tachypnea, increased sweating and dystonic posture due to sympathetic activation in brain damage. PSH is a syndrome that can manifest itself in a wide range of clinical symptoms. Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperacti-vity is an example of a clinical correlate of central and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Almost all cases of PSH are associated with craniocerebral trauma, hypoxia, and acute cerebrovascular accident. There is a disengagement theory and a model of the excitation-inhibition relationship of the PSH pathogenesis. In 2014, an expert consensus group proposed a PSH-assessment measure (PSH-AM), which can not only serve as a reliable diagnostic criterion but also stratify the severity of PSH. Assuming clinical evaluation as the current gold standard, PSH-AM has a sensiti-vity of 94 % when used retrospectively. In the treatment of patients with traumatic brain injury, PSH-AM can help avoid misdiagnosis, increase diagnostic efficiency, save time, and reduce economic costs. Hypodiagnosis of PSH can lead to an increase in mortality, disability, length of hospital stay and material costs, but timely diagnosis will allow optimizing treatment for PSH.

Distributed Low-Carbon Energy Management of Urban Campus for Renewable Energy Consumption

In order to solve the mismatch between renewable energy and load in urban building microgrids, that is, the problem of renewable energy consumption in building microgrid clusters, while preserving the privacy of each user, this paper proposes a distributed low-carbon energy management method for urban building microgrid clusters. First, a low-carbon energy management method for the urban building microgrid is proposed in order to coordinate the power sharing of various subjects to minimize the total economic cost, unleash the consumption potential of low-carbon building clusters for renewable energy, and reduce carbon emissions on the spatial and time scale. Second, an ADMM-based distributed optimal energy management method is proposed to meet user energy needs while preserving local privacy; this includes energy storage systems, renewable energy generation, and the loads within each urban building microgrid. Finally, simulation experiments are conducted based on actual data from a certain area in Hangzhou, China, and the results verify the effectiveness of the model.

Economic Viability of Organic Fertilization in Forage Oats (Avena sativa L.) in the Mexicali Valley

O Objective: To economically evaluate the use of chemical, organic and organic-mineral fertilizers in of forage oat production in the Mexicali Valley; and to determine the profitability of each fertilization type. Design/methodology/approach: Three treatments were established, one chemically fertilized (T1), one with organic fertilization (T2), and one with organic-mineral fertilization (T3) with two replications under a completely randomized design. Cash flow, financial costs and economic costs were calculated. Results: Fertilization costs accounted for between 37% and 52% of the cost structure. Treatments T2 and T3 did not cover production costs. Only treatment T1 treatment demonstrated the ability to cover both production and financial costs. None of the treatments covered economic costs. Limitations on study/implications: It is suggested to replicate the economic viability analyses in consecutive productive cycles, as other studies have shown positive impacts on soil fertility. Findings/conclusions: The organic and organic-mineral fertilization systems (T2 and T3) were not profitable in the short term. The chemical fertilization system (T1) demonstrated the ability to cover, in addition to production costs, the depreciation costs of fixed assets. However, none of the treatments showed the ability to compensate the risk of investing in the activity.

Micro-costing analysis of a combination intervention for improved mental health and HIV risk behaviors among school-going adolescent girls in Uganda

Suubi4Her is a combination intervention that integrates a savings-led family-based economic empowerment intervention through youth development accounts with a family strengthening intervention delivered via multiple family groups. It aims to improve mental health and reduce HIV risk behaviors among school-going adolescent girls in Uganda. This micro-costing study was conducted as part of a three-armed randomized control trial between 2017–2022, involving 1,260 participants aged 14–17 years across 47 secondary schools. Adopting a provider perspective, we prospectively identified, measured, and computed the costs associated with all program activities. These costs were then aggregated and divided by the actual number of adolescent girls in each study arm to conservatively obtain the per-adolescent costs for each arm. The per-adolescent costs of economic empowerment intervention alone and in combination with the family strengthening intervention were US$476 and US$812, respectively. Personnel costs were the key cost driver due to the intensive supervision of intervention delivery and quality assurance efforts. This study is the first to estimate the economic costs of an evidence-based combination intervention targeting the multifaceted risk factors underlying HIV risk among adolescent girls in a low-resource setting. The per-adolescent cost of US$812 for the Suubi4Her intervention falls within the cost range reported for other family-based interventions (US$500-US$900); however, published comparisons are limited. Accurate and reliable cost estimates are key to assessing the feasibility, affordability, and economic value of interventions. There is a pressing need for more costing studies on evidence-based combination interventions, especially in low-resource settings (Trial registration: Clinical Trials NCT03307226; IRB approvals: Washington University in St. Louis (IRB #201703102), the Uganda Virus Research Institute (GC/127/17/07/619), and the Uganda National Council of Science and Technology (SS4406).

How is parenting stress related to parental burnout among children’s mothers in China: the mediating role of marital satisfaction and the moderating role of socioeconomic status

IntroductionAlthough parenting is a worthwhile and joyful process, it can also cause stress, potentially leading to parental burnout. With the implementation of the three-child policy in China, more parenting hours and higher economic costs may increase the risk of parental burnout.ObjectivesThis study investigated how was maternal parenting stress related to mothers’ parental burnout, as well as the potential mediating effect of their marital satisfaction and the moderating effect of their socioeconomic status on this relationship.MethodsData were collected from 314 mothers living in mainland China. The Chinese versions of the Parenting Burnout Assessment Scale, Parenting Stress Index, and Marriage Perception Scale were used to measure mothers’ parental burnout, parenting stress, and marital satisfaction.ResultsMothers‘ parenting stress was significantly and positively related to mothers’ parenting burnout. Mothers’ marital satisfaction mediated this relationship. Mothers’ socioeconomic status moderated the first half of the mediation model, and parenting stress exhibited a greater effect on marital satisfaction when mothers had a higher socioeconomic status.DiscussionThese findings indicated that mothers’ parenting stress could be alleviated by increasing marital satisfaction, which, in turn, reduced the risk of parental burnout. Furthermore, socioeconomic status may enhance the negative effects of parenting stress on marital satisfaction among mothers.

Assessing the economic impact of obesity and overweight on employers: identifying opportunities to improve work force health and well-being

Background and objectivesObesity is a major public health issue, significantly affecting national and individual health and economic well-being. This study quantifies the economic impact of excess body weight on employers and employees in 2023, offering insights for obesity prevention and treatment.MethodsWe utilized data from the National Health Interview Survey, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, and Current Population Survey. Published reports and original estimates were combined to assess the economic burden for the U.S. and across seven major industries (Construction, Education & Health, Financial Activities, Government, Manufacturing, Professional & Business Services, and Transportation & Utilities). We compared the economic outcomes for adults with obesity and overweight to those with healthy weight, focusing on direct and indirect costs. Potential savings from different weight loss scenarios were estimated using the Disease Prevention & Treatment Microsimulation Model.ResultsIn 2023, among 158 million civilian employees on nonfarm payrolls, 30% had obesity and 34% had overweight, resulting in a combined economic burden of $425.5 billion (obesity: $347.5 billion; overweight: $78 billion). This includes excess medical costs of obesity ($115 billion), presenteeism (obesity: $113.8 billion; overweight: $46.5 billion), absenteeism from obesity ($82.3 billion), excess medical costs of overweight ($31.5 billion), obesity-related disability payments ($31.1 billion), and workers’ compensation payments ($5.2 billion). For a hypothetical firm with 10,000 employees (plus dependents), the annual costs were $22 million for obesity and $4.9 million for overweight, with average costs of $6472 per employee with obesity, $1244 per employee with overweight, $1514 per adult dependent with obesity, and $380 per adult dependent with overweight. Medical savings over 5 years range from $153.3 billion with a 5% weight loss to $326.1 billion with 25% weight loss at the industry level.ConclusionThe substantial economic costs imposed by obesity and overweight on employers and employees highlight the need for resources dedicated to treatment and prevention, which can result in reduced medical expenses and improved productivity.

Evaluation of the potential of bryophytes to support seedlings development on waste rocks: a mesocosm study.

Revegetating waste rocks is essential for re-establishing a functional ecosystem, but it poses significant challenges. Nutrient-poor soil and high exposure to elements cause high seedling mortality in the first year. Survival can be increased by amending soil with organic matter before plantation to improve water retention and nutrient availability. However, this method comes with high environmental and economic costs. Using mesocosms, we tested the use of bryophytes as an alternative to improve seedling survival due to their ability to create a beneficial microclimate with improved soil humidity and increased nutrient availability, especially through biological nitrogen fixation. Two bryophyte species (Racomitrium canescens (Hedw.) Brid., an early succession, and Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt., a late succession species) were evaluated with three higher plant species (Pinus banksiana, Rhododendron groenlandicum, and Populus balsamifera) planted in waste rocks. We further evaluated two distinct techniques for the application of bryophytes on waste rocks: evenly spreading fragments on the soil surface and regrouping the fragments around the higher plant stem. Results showed that R. canescens fixed significantly more nitrogen than P. schreberi on waste rock. On the contrary, P. schreberi released more nitrogen into the soil than R. canescens, likely due to higher mortality and nutrient loss during drying/rewetting cycles. While the short-term impact of bryophytes on seedlings was limited in this 6-month experiment, results suggest that bryophytes have the potential to support higher plants in the challenging conditions of waste rock revegetation by increasing nitrogen supply to seedlings.

Tradeoff optimization of urban roof systems oriented to food-water-energy nexus

Urban roof development serve as a form of urban tinkering that could provide favorable conditions to meet wicked food, water, and energy challenges. In this research, three urban roof systems are designed featuring food production, rainwater collection, building energy saving, and photovoltaic power generation, which are named the bare roof system, green roof system, and open-air farming roof system. Here we establish a generalizable framework to reveal the multifaceted tradeoffs of urban roof schemes integrating geographic information system, life cycle assessment, and multi-objective optimization and decision-making. Testing the framework in a typical compact city Shenzhen, China, results show that the rooftop suitability for food-water-energy function development within the city ranges from 26.21 % to 42.83 %. When implementing a city-wide roof system upscaling, the harvested rainwater on rooftops would contribute to 82.5 % of urban recycled water utilization target in 2035 and exhibit the fewest economic costs, but comes at the cost of life cycle carbon emissions and land occupation with 1850 kt and 140 km2. City-wide roof farming scenario shows potential to achieve the local self-sufficiency of vegetables, and stands out as the avoided transboundary energy footprints which are 4.5 times greater than life cycle energy consumption. Our research can foster the multiple tradeoff understanding between upscaling roof systems and urban food-water-energy nexus. The findings will assist in multi-objective decision-making for roof planning and sustainable transition in cities.

Measuring domestic violence against Egyptian women and its consequent cost using a latent variable model

BackgroundDomestic Violence is a threatening worldwide problem. Its consequences against women can be dramatic, as it negatively affects women’s quality of life reflected in their general wellbeing including physical, mental, emotional and sexual health, in addition to the economic cost. Both domestic violence and its cost are multidimensional constructs that cannot be directly measured.MethodologyIn this study, a latent trait model is used by applying item response theory to measure both domestic violence and its consequent cost via thirty-five observed variables. Accordingly, the study fills a gap in the literature since it is the first attempt to examine the relationship between domestic violence and its consequent cost in Egypt using latent variable modelling rather than simple descriptive statistics. Each construct is considered as a multidimensional latent variable. The overall latent trait model also estimates the relationship between domestic violence and its consequent cost. The effect of a number of socioeconomic covariates on domestic violence is examined within the model. The proposed model is fitted to data from the 2015 Egypt Economic Cost of Gender-Based Violence Survey (ECGBVS) using Mplus software.ResultsThe study shows that psychological violence is equally important in measuring domestic violence, as physical violence. The cost resulting from domestic violence relies in its measurement both on the reduced quality of life and the monetary cost endured by the violated woman and children. For socioeconomic covariates, it is shown that domestic violence is affected by women’s and husband’s age, educational level, and husband’s occupational status.ConclusionDomestic violence is measured by summarizing four forms of violence: physical, psychological, sexual and economic violence, in a single continuous latent variable measuring “Domestic Violence”. Similarly, Cost is measured by summarizing three forms of consequent cost of violence: economic cost, cost on children and cost on women’s quality of life, in another a single continuous latent variable “Cost”. Each of these dimensions is measured by a number of aspects, reflecting the multidimensional nature of the variables. The fitted latent trait model ensured the positive relationship between Domestic Violence and its consequent multidimensional cost.

The costs of competition in distributing scarce research funds

Research funding systems fundamentally influence how science operates. This paper aims to analyze the allocation of competitive research funding from different perspectives: How reliable are decision processes for funding? What are the economic costs of competitive funding? How does competition for funds affect doing risky research? How do competitive funding environments affect scientists themselves, and which ethical issues must be considered? We attempt to identify gaps in our knowledge of research funding systems; we propose recommendations for policymakers and funding agencies, including empirical experiments of decision processes and the collection of data on these processes. With our recommendations, we hope to contribute to developing improved ways of organizing research funding.

Accelerated Bacterial Identification with MALDI-TOF MS Leads to Fewer Diagnostic Tests and Cost Savings

Introduction: Rapid microbiology reporting can enhance both clinical and economic outcomes. Material and Methods: This three-year, quasi-experimental study, single-group pretest–posttest study, conducted at a university medical center, aimed to evaluate the clinical and economic impact of rapid microbiological identification reporting using MALDI-TOF MS. A total of 363 consecutive hospitalized patients with bacterial infections were evaluated, comparing a historical control group (CG, n = 183) with an intervention group (IG, n = 180). In the CG, microbiological information (bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility) was provided between 18:00 and 22:00 h, while in the IG, bacterial identification was reported between 12:00 and 14:00 h, and antibiotic susceptibility was reported between 18:00 and 22:00 h. Results: The IG demonstrated a significant reduction in the number of patients undergoing Microbiology (p = 0.01), Biochemistry (p = 0.05), C-Reactive Protein (p = 0.02), Radiological Tests (p = 0.05), Computed Tomography Tests (p = 0.04), and Pathology (p = 0.01). However, no statistically significant reduction was observed in economic costs related to microbiological testing (p = 0.76) or antibiotic consumption (p = 0.59). The timely reporting of microbiological identification to clinicians resulted in fewer patients undergoing additional diagnostic tests, ultimately contributing to reduced healthcare resource utilization without adversely affecting clinical outcomes.

Economic optimization scheduling of microgrid group based on chaotic mapping optimization BOA algorithm

Due to the intermittency and volatility of distributed power sources, the microgrid system has poor stability and high operation cost. Therefore, the study proposes an economic optimization scheduling strategy based on the chaotic mapping butterfly optimization algorithm and the mathematical model of microgrid group system. The study creates simulation trials of function poles and microgrid group operation to confirm the strategy’s efficacy. According to the experimental findings, the multimodal function of the enhanced butterfly optimization method had a variance of 0.0000E + 00, and the function’s optimal value was less than 10–30, and the calculation time is 4.5s. The variance on the fixed dimensional function was 0.0000E + 00 and the optimal value of the function was 10 − 3.5,and the calculation time is 4.7s. The algorithmic curve all digging depth was maximum and convergence speed was fastest. The microgrid group system had the lowest economic cost of 4029.32 yuan in the grid-connected mode and 3343.39 yuan in the off-grid mode. The study proves that the energy coordination and economic management of this strategy are greatly optimized, which can effectively protect the energy storage equipment and guarantee the smooth power consumption of the system. This provides an innovative theoretical basis for optimization scheduling of microgrid group.

Impacts of Environmental Conditions on Thermal, Emissions and Economic Performance of Gas Turbine Using Different Types of Fuels: An Experimental Investigation

Gas turbine has been used widely for electrical power generation based on simple cycle system. However, the relatively low thermal efficiency engages the researchers in investigating possible methods to enhance gas turbine performance. In the current study, three different types of fuels were used (crude oil, light oil, and natural gas) to operate the gas power plant in Qayyara, Mosul, Iraq and to evaluate the plant's performance, environmental impact and economic cost. The Aspen Husys package was used for simulation based on data recorded by the control department. Results showed that the software applied was highly valid. The external environmental temperature influenced the performance and efficiency of the station significantly with maximum values obtained for winter by 114MW and thermal efficiency of 32.02% for natural. The emissions of CO2, SO2, and NOX gases are decreased, whereas CO emission is increased when the temperature of the external environment is raised with fewer emissions obtained for natural gas. The cost of three fuels in (summer) is the highest among the four months, with the higher cost for light fuel by 68.2 Iraqi diners/kiloWatt.hour. Therefore, light fuel cannot be used for the permanent operation of gas turbines, and natural gas fuel gives better performance and lower emissions than the other two types of fuels.

Optimization design of rural residences in severe cold zone of China weighing the dual-control objectives of life cycle carbon emission and economic cost

Optimization design of rural residences in severe cold zone of China weighing the dual-control objectives of life cycle carbon emission and economic cost