Efficient Appliances Research Articles

A novel appliance for Class II dentoalveolar correction.

In recent years, a segmental approach to Class II correction has gained popularity among orthodontists. This concept is best represented by the Carrière Motion 3D™ Class II Appliance (CMA), which is an efficient and effective appliance for the treatment of Class II malocclusions. Although it is original and innovative, it also has some inherent flaws that can potentially interfere with its daily use. A segmental approach is described, based on a section of 0.016 × 0.022-inch stainless steel archwire connected to a molar band distally and to a bracket on the mesial side. This simple alternative presents a 'do-it-yourself' and an easy-to-construct mechanism that employs the same principles and identical mechanics to achieve Class II correction yet overcomes most of the disadvantages of other modalities. In our clinic, we found that this optional, useful sectional appliance can correct Class II malocclusion effectively, predictively and on a regular basis.

Experimental study of energy efficiency of kitchen electrical appliances for boiling water

Introduction. Steady growth in the number of powerful electrical appliances and devices in households leads to an increase in electricity consumption. It significantly affects the economic costs of consumers and the deterioration of the ecological situation in the environment. Problem. The cost of electricity tariffs for the population tends to be relatively steadily increasing, which makes the issue of energy efficiency particularly relevant for consumers. The use of energy-efficient technologies in everyday life allows reducing electricity costs and increasing the economic efficiency of households. Energy efficiency of household electrical appliances is a pressing issue for ensuring a stable energy supply in the context of growing electricity consumption. Goal. An analytical study of the operating features of kitchen electrical appliances for boiling water and an experimental study of their energy efficiency. Methodology. The energy efficiency of the most common kitchen electrical appliances for boiling water was analyzed through experimental studies. Results. In terms of energy efficiency, the flow-through thermopot turned out to be the best among the studied electrical appliances, followed by an electric kettle and a traditional thermopot. Practical value. The use of energy-efficient technologies in modern household appliances is an important task, especially in winter and in conditions of shortage of electric power during military aggression from Russia and large-scale destruction of critical infrastructure and power facilities in our country. Further research will help reduce energy consumption and increase the energy efficiency of household appliances.

Evaluation of water hardness treatment methods using sodium hydroxide and their impact on water quality

Hard water is an environmental and technical challenge caused by high concentrations of calcium (Ca²⁺) and magnesium (Mg²⁺) ions, leading to scale formation that affects the efficiency of household and industrial appliances and increases maintenance and treatment costs. Additionally, hard water can pose health risks and reduce its quality for daily use. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different doses of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in treating water hardness and improving water quality by reducing total hardness (TH) and adjusting the physicochemical properties of water. Three main dosages were tested: the first dosage (5 g/L of NaOH), which assessed the basic effectiveness of sodium hydroxide; the second dosage (2.5 g/L of NaOH and 2.5 g/L of Na₂CO₃ with HCl and acid), aimed at balancing hardness reduction with mineral retention; and the optimized dosages (10, 20, and 30 mg/L of NaOH), which proved to be the most effective and balanced. The optimized doses successfully reduced total hardness to levels compliant with Algerian standards while maintaining calcium and magnesium concentrations within acceptable ranges. Furthermore, electrical conductivity (EC) remained within safe limits without significant increases, ensuring the water did not become oversaturated with dissolved salts. The slight increase in sodium (Na⁺) concentration also remained within permissible levels, enhancing the water's suitability for drinking and other uses. Based on these results, the optimized NaOH dosages are the optimal solution for water hardness treatment, achieving a balance between reducing hardness and ensuring water quality in compliance with local standards.

Comparison of clinical efficiency between pendulum and distal jet appliance - A randomized control trial

The study was to compare the clinical efficiency of Pendulum and distal jet appliances using both cephalometric parameters as well as dental cast analysis at two-time intervals T1-pre-treatment and T2-post-distalization. 10 patients with Angle's Class II malocclusion were enrolled in the study. The patients were divided into two groups: pendulum group & distal jet group (n = 5) for intra oral molar distalization. Lateral cephalogram and dental cast were obtained at T1 and T2. Molar distalization of 4.4 ± 1.1 mm in 4.68 ± 0.67 months in pendulum group and of 3.8 ± 0.4 mm in 5.84 ± 0.7 months in distal jet group. Relative intrusion of upper incisors was found to be more in pendulum group as compared to distal jet group. Mesial tipping of premolars and distal tipping of first molar was observed with both the groups. The transverse expansion at the level of first molars was significantly more in distal jet group as compared to pendulum group. Thus, Pendulum and distal jet appliances were found to be equally effective clinically in distalizing the maxillary molars, although the distalization period was shorter in pendulum group as compared to distal jet group owing to more distal tipping of maxillary first molars in pendulum group. The expansion was significantly more in distal jet group compared to the pendulum group which could be beneficial for patients who have Class II malocclusion with mild posterior crossbite.

Two decades of progressive cost reduction: A paradigm shift for distributed solar photovoltaics and energy efficiency

The increasing deployment of renewable energy resources has led to massive energy cost reductions worldwide in the past decade. The emergence of this cost revolution led electricity consumers to increasingly adopt distributed renewable energy resources to decrease dependence on traditional power grids. This paper applies the integrated resource planning framework, the objective of which is to design a least-cost electricity system by looking at renewable energy resources, efficient appliances, and demand response management strategies to reduce electricity bills. The results show that the commercial entity can save its electricity bill by $0.16 if it installs 6 MW solar PV over the lifetime of the solar PV plants. Besides, it was observed that wind turbines were not economically feasible to install at the site because of low wind resources. Biogas power plant is too expensive mainly because of the cost of fuel (waste). It also shows that by retrofitting 2000 compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) with light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the company can save $0.15 million. By shifting between 0.5 MW and 1.4 MW of heating and cooling demand to periods of low tariff costs, the company can save $0.013 million annually. The climate transition plan for this company relies on PV, efficiency interventions and demand response. The study also demonstrates that an integrated resource planning framework can be used to plan a mini-grid.

The Impact of 3D Printing Technology on the Improvement of External Wall Thermal Efficiency—An Experimental Study

Three-dimensional printing technology continues to evolve, enabling new applications in manufacturing. Extensive research in the field of biomimetics underscores the significant impact of the internal geometry of building envelopes on their thermal performance. Although 3D printing holds great promise for improving thermal efficiency in construction, its full potential has yet to be realized, and the thermal performance of printed building components remains unexplored. The aim of this paper is to experimentally examine the thermal insulation characteristics of prototype cellular materials created using 3D additive manufacturing technologies (SLS and DLP). This study concentrates on exploring advanced thermal insulation solutions that could enhance the energy efficiency of buildings, cooling systems, appliances, or equipment. To this end, virtual models of sandwich composites with an open-cell foam core modeled after a Kelvin cell were created. They were characterized by a constant porosity of 0.95 and a pore diameter of the inner core of the composites of 6 mm. The independent variables included the different material from which the composites were made, the non-uniform number of layers in the composite (one, two, three, and five layers) and the total thickness of the composite (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 mm). The impact of three independent parameters defining the prototype composite on its thermal insulation properties was assessed, including the heat flux (q) and the heat transfer coefficient (U). According to the experimental tests, a five-layer composite with a thickness of 100 mm made of soybean oil-based resin obtained the lowest coefficient with a value of U = 0.147 W/m2·K.

Empowering the circular economy practices: Lifecycle assessment and machine learning-driven residual value prediction in IoT-enabled microwave oven

In an era of resource scarcity and environmental concerns, integrating Internet of Things (IoT) technology into the circular economy (CE), particularly for household appliances like microwaves, is crucial. The lack of systematic assessment of their post-use residual values often reduces utilization and shortens lifespans. Inadequate disposal and management contribute to electronic waste and environmental pollution. Addressing these challenges is vital for efficient appliance management within resource constraints, ensuring meaningful contributions to sustainable resource management. Thus, this study addresses these concerns by integrating IoT technology into microwave ovens, enabling real-time monitoring of key parameters such as voltage, current, door closures, and motor/blade rotations. Data from integrated sensors enables performance analysis and trend tracking, offering potential for advancing CE practices and sustainable product management. Subsequently, utilizing the insights stored from IoT data analysis and tailored surveys, a predictive maintenance model is developed, aiming to predict the life cycles of microwave oven components and categorize them within the CE principles, including reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and cascade. Finally, to mitigate the challenges of lower effective utilization and shortened operating lifespans observed in household appliances, this research employs machine learning models such as Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Decision Tree to accurately predict the residual values of IoT-enabled microwaves. Notably, Random Forest demonstrates superior accuracy compared to the other models. Therefore, these technological advancements allow household appliances to be utilized more effectively, thereby enhancing resource utilization.

Electricity Consumption Profile of Urban Households in Nsukka, Enugu State

In recent times, the uncontrollably rising global energy consumption has become a global problem with its attendant socio-economic and environmental consequences. Hence, this study utilized linear regression model to examine how households’ socio-economic attributes and use of appliances together determine electricity consumption and savings in Nsukka metropolis, Enugu state, Nigeria. Socio-economic variables found to have positive and significant effect on electricity consumption were age of working-class respondents, being married, household size, household active members, unemployed household members, prepaid and estimated electricity billing system, monthly income and high electricity supply hours. In terms of electrical appliances, high hours of electronics’ use per week, incandescent and LED bulbs usage, high number of bulbs, cooling hours of 9 and above per week, lighting hours of 16 and above and weekly heating hours were positively related to electricity consumption and statistically significant. We suggest that the creation of energy efficiency awareness at the household and educational institution levels should be vigorously pursued. Government should subsidize the prices of energy efficient appliances to encourage purchases by low-income earners. Constant overbilling of estimated and postpaid electricity users, as lamented by respondents in the survey, should be discouraged by electricity users. This will enable users to conserve energy and not waste energy as revenge tactics for overbilling. The promotion and full deployment of prepaid meters in the study area by electricity providers would go a long way in complementing the efforts for clean development mechanism in Nigeria.

Uncovering urban water consumption patterns through time series clustering and entropy analysis

Sustainable urban water management is crucial for meeting the growing demands of urban populations. This study presents a novel approach that combines time series clustering, seasonal analysis, and entropy analysis to uncover residential water consumption patterns and their drivers. Using a three-year dataset from the SmartH2o project, encompassing 374 households, we identify nine distinct water consumption patterns through time series clustering, leveraging Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) as the optimal similarity measure. Multiple linear regression reveals key household characteristics influencing water usage behaviors, such as the number of bathrooms and appliance efficiency ratings. Seasonal analysis uncovers temporal dynamics, highlighting shifts towards lower consumption during summer months and increased variability in transitional seasons. Entropy analysis quantifies the diversity and complexity of water consumption at both cluster and household levels, informing targeted interventions. This comprehensive, granular approach enables the development of personalized water conservation strategies and policies, empowering water utilities to optimize resource management and contribute to sustainable urban water practices.

Short and sweet: balancing energy savings and cleaning performance to identify efficient short-cycles for domestic dishwashers

Abstract Optimizing the energy efficiency of household appliances is crucial to appliance manufacturers, energy suppliers, governments and, almost importantly, consumers. For the reliable cleaning of normally soiled dishes, consumers can save energy by using Eco-programs instead of Intensive- or Auto-programs, but this means that they have to accept cleaning times of up to 4 h. Consequently, the acceptance for these programs is not very high, despite consumers’ high willingness to save energy and water. Short-cycles that run for less than 55 min and use equal to less energy on average than Eco-programs have a high consumer potential. However, according to manufacturers, these are rather designed for lightly soiled or pre-treated dishes. Considering the Sinner’s circle, the cleaning result depends on the interaction of temperature, time, mechanics and chemistry, so we investigated the extent to which using a commercially available detergent, thus fully exploiting the “chemistry” component of the Sinner’s circle, can save time, temperature, water and, most importantly, energy in the end. Our results show that there are Short-program combinations using a commercially available detergent that reliably clean normally soiled dishes in less than 55 min and typically 30–40 min with significantly lower energy consumption than average Eco-cycles.

Reducing e-waste in Europe: Examining the impact of environmental and financial literacy on the premature replacement of appliances across owner-occupier and rental residential properties using the EVIDENT serious game

AimAs premature replacement of residential appliances drives rising e-waste levels in Europe, analysis of the factors impacting consumer decision-making when faced with opportunities to extend (repair) or reduce appliance lifespans (premature replacement) is needed. This manuscript seeks to explore the impact of environmental and financial literacy on consumer willingness to seek repair of home appliances (over replacement) across owner-occupier and rental properties. The impact of financial salience within the informational frames of these decisions is also explored. MethodAn online discrete choice experiment was conducted using the EVIDENT serious game, a life-simulation game in which players manage a virtual home and face energy decisions. Participants (n = 1056) completed a series of 3 choice experiments exploring repair/replace decision-making and willingness to pay for repair. Prior to the game, measures of environmental literacy, financial literacy, household type, and sociodemographic factors were obtained using a pre-game survey. For rental properties, a further stated preference experiment was conducted to determine the impact of financial incentives on willingness to invest in more efficient appliances for both landlords and tenants. ResultsWhile an overall willingness to seek repair for broken home appliances was found, most participants selected to prematurely replace their broken appliance with a more efficient alternative. Participants aged over 51 were significantly less likely to choose a repair (p < .001), while those in non-full-time employment more likely to select a repair (p < .001). Limited impact of environmental and financial literacy on repair/replace decision-making was found, though financial knowledge, environmental knowledge, and environmental skills were associated with willingness to pay for repair. Willingness towards repair in rental properties (landlords and tenants) was found with tenants willing to pay 34–71.3 % more than homeowners for repair and landlords willing to pay 93.3–108.8 % more depending on the appliance. Mixed impacts of financial incentives in rental properties to surmount impacts of split incentives were found. While 86.6 % of landlords were willing to accept a small fee from tenants towards a more efficient appliances, 65.2 % of tenants were unwilling to pay such a fee. ConclusionResults cast light on the specific impacts of individual financial and environmental literacy, demographic factors, and residence type on early replacement decisions, providing valuable direction for future policy actions.

Machine learning-based virtual sensors for reduced energy consumption in frost-free refrigerators

AbstractThis study explores Machine Learning (ML) integration for household refrigerator efficiency. The ML approach allows to optimize defrost cycles, offering energy savings without complexity or cost escalation. The paper initially presents a State-of-the-Art of ML potential to improve functionality and efficiency of refrigerators. Since frost is the cause of significant energy losses, a ML-based Virtual Sensor was developed to predict frost formation on the evaporator also in low -level refrigerators. The results show the environmental significance of ML in enhancing appliance efficiency.

Achieving net negative sensible heat release from buildings

Heat is added to the surroundings as a result of replacing natural landscapes with buildings. This includes waste heat from air conditioning systems and heat transferred into the environment from exterior surfaces. Here, we propose a new concept of “negative sensible heat release” from buildings—that is, buildings that put less sensible heat into the environment than that released from the unbuilt terrain upon which the building was constructed. We explore the potential for net negative sensible heat releasing buildings through simulation studies in hot arid and humid cities—Phoenix, and Houston. Results show that it is possible to achieve net negative sensible heat release from low-rise office buildings by simply increasing roof and wall solar reflectance using existing technologies. While typical 2-story office buildings can generate average heat fluxes of around 100 W/m2 (based on building footprint area), by increasing solar reflectance of the roof from 0.2 to 0.9 and solar reflectance of the walls from 0.2 to 0.65, the same building can generate net negative sensible heating of 20 to 40 W/m2. Increasing building insulation and energy efficiency of appliances and air conditioning equipment can further reduce the heat release from buildings. This points to a compelling mechanism whereby buildings can be designed or retrofitted to have a beneficial impact on the local thermal environment.

Advanced proactive anomaly detection in multi-pattern home appliances for energy optimization

As far as home appliances are concerned, a major issue arises as malfunctions frequently go unnoticed by homeowners, consuming a significant amount of energy. Identifying this problem highlights the need for an error detection technique, which is vital to minimize energy waste while enhancing household appliance efficiency. This paper introduces an innovative method for advanced proactive anomaly detection in multi-pattern home appliances using variational autoencoders (VAE). Specifically, a CNN-LSTM based VAE integrating a novel dynamic threshold method is exploited for identifying abnormal consumption usage. The overall suggested framework is a complete integrated approach comprising a training and testing phase. Both phases are initiated from robust feature engineering to enhance the multipattern operation program classification. Additionally, a smoothing and decomposition process is applied to optimize the performance of the CNN-LSTM VAE. The efficacy of the method is evaluated on data from 26 different front-load washing machines, demonstrating its effectiveness in identifying anomaly points across various washing programs. Furthermore, compared to the same approach with a static threshold, the proposed method showed improvements of up to 11. 4% on the F1 score. Finally, simulated use case scenarios indicate a reduction of nearly 30% of energy consumption, due to error prevention. As a result, the suggested approach is a robust and applicable tool for energy and demand side management.

A Study on Consumer’s Perception on Green Home Appliances

A household is the building block of the society and home appliances are the main power consumers in a household. Hence, they are the best means to save energy at a household level and achieve a reduction in per capita power consumption. If the household units save energy, the nation saves the energy and thereby the ideal place to initiate the green change at the consumer level is through the home appliances sector. Appliances more than 10 years old are clunkers as they use up most of the energy. If consumers replace them with energy efficient appliances, it will not only save billions of kilowatts of energy annually but also billions of tonnes of carbon emissions globally. Most of the home appliances have a longer life. Hence its medium to long term benefits should be weighed while making a purchase decision. “Despite various green initiatives and a vibrant consumer electronics market, consumer adoption of green home appliances is still lagging behind contributing to the high-power consumption and monetary loss to the individual and the country. The study made an attempt to understand consumer understanding, perceptions and acceptance of Green Home Appliances.

Evaluation of RURS elbow guard in the management of thumb-sucking habit in children with and without intellectual disability.

Digit sucking is a common oral habit among many children, which involves placing the thumb/finger into the mouth, which can cause malocclusion in mixed and permanent dentition. To evaluate the efficacy of the RURS elbow guard in the management of thumb-sucking habits in children with intellectual disabilities and those without in terms of the mean duration of appliance therapy. The secondary objective was to compare the RURS elbow guard with an intraoral crib in healthy children (without intellectual disabilities) to manage the habit of thumb-sucking. Children with intellectual disabilities and those without between the age of 4 and 16 years were included in the study and categorised into three groups, namely group I (50 normal children; intraoral crib appliance), group II (50 normal children; RURS elbow guard) and group III (50 children with intellectual disabilities; RURS elbow guard). The mean duration of appliance therapy for groups I, II and III were 200.20 ± 20.43days, 204.34 ± 20.56days, and 218.43 ± 15.66days, respectively (p < 0.001). The differences in the mean duration between group I and group II were statistically non-significant, with statistically significant differences between group I and group III (p < 0.001) and between group II and group III (p < 0.05). The RURS elbow guard was found to be an efficient appliance in treating thumb-sucking among children who had mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. RURS elbow guard was equally efficient as an intraoral crib appliance in managing thumb-sucking habits in children without intellectual disabilities.

Consumer energy efficiency gap and the rebound effect across households income groups

The paper sets up a model which reconciles the energy efficiency gap and the decline of the rebound effect with households’ income. It is shown that the two phenomena can be explained in a framework with a utility-maximizing household that enjoys an income-independent endowment of energy services. Energy service endowment is a barrier against the adoption of the most energy-efficient appliances and leads to the so-called energy efficiency gap. Low-income households only use endowments and do not use energy-consuming appliances (cars, wall insulation, etc.). Higr-income households buy an appliance whose energy efficiency depends on the household’s income. Only households with income above a threshold buy the most efficient appliance. For households that replace their appliance with a more efficient one, there will be a rebound effect (the realized energy saving is less than the presumed one). It is shown that the rebound effect is higher at lower income levels because income and substitution effects from a decline in energy service prices are stronger. These stronger effects come from the endowment of energy services. The numerical example shows that the model can reproduce the patterns for the rebound effects of household income groups and their expenditure shares. It is also shown that other causes of the energy efficiency gap, such as credit constraints, do not lead to higher rebound effects at lower income levels.

Clear Aligners in Pediatric Dentistry: A Short Review

Clear aligners are efficient orthodontic appliances widely used in the past few decades gaining immense popularity due to their high aesthetic appeal. These thermoplastic aligners are thin transparent removable appliances which are clear in appearance. Evidence on the effectiveness of clear aligners in pediatric dentistry is generally sparse. Therefore this article explores their use in pediatric dentistry.

Policies and measures for energy efficiency improvement at households: A bibliometric analysis

Recently, governmental subsidies have led to increased renewable energy adoption and household CO2 emissions reduction. However, energy efficiency improvement and greenhouse gas emission reduction potential in households’ sector are not yet fully realized. Decision-making by individuals is also a crucial factor in adopting energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies, which is why this study analyses some important behavioral change-linked issues. This study also focuses on various policies and measures to achieve energy efficiency improvements in households, such as use of renewable energy sources, renovation of residential buildings, use of energy efficient appliances etc. The methodology of the study contains a bibliometric analysis in the field of energy efficiency at households, covering the years of publication 2010-2023 and organizing all documents into 9 classifications. Among them 6 classifications have been further considered: Citation analysis; Authors’ networks; High impact journals of publishing; Knowledge mapping of co-authorship collaboration among institutions; Co-authorship among countries; Keywords concurrence analysis. Following a systematic literature review the bibliometric findings reveal the steady increase of literature production in the field of energy efficiency at households, showing also the pivotal role of institutions among developed and industrialized economies. Moreover, there is a densely and steadily growing network of keywords reported, implying the thematic expansion of this topic from the modelling-pilot scales towards the real world and in field applications. Finally, identified research constraints of energy efficiency improvement are that of: high costs, lack of information and knowledge, low priority to environmental and climate change mitigation concerns, and resistance to behavioral change.

Particulate matter air pollution in the Republic of Slovenia and its national spatial emissions release

In this work, an impact of particulate matter (PM) on air pollution and its emissions released is investigated. Concentration levels of PM10 and PM2.5 in the Republic of Slovenia (RS) were analyzed on daily, weekly, monthly, quartile, and annual data and then compared. The study was conducted from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 at two monitoring stations, so-called urban traffic and urban industrial. Obtained results showed that the highest concentrations of PM in air were during the cold months of the year when the temperatures are lower (&lt; 6%). Results from heating seasons (from October 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020 and from October 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021) showed the highest concentration levels of PM10 between 9:00 and 14:00 and between 18:00 and 22:00, with highest concentrations recorded during the winter months (January and February). Additionally, emission building inventory was built based on PM10 and PM2.5 emissions released. The study includes yearly spatial building emissions release model considering currently installed high PM emitted stoves. The building model for the Republic of Slovenia has been developed by using 500 x 500 m model grid. Obtained results showed that changing currently low efficient appliance with advanced appliance would result in significant lower PM emissions released from building sector.