Global energy agencies and commissions report a sharp increase in energy demand based on commercial, industrial, and residential activities. At this point, we need energy-efficient and high-performance systems to maintain a sustainable environment. More than 30% of the generated electricity has been consumed by HVAC-R units, and heat exchangers are the main components affecting the overall performance. This study combines experimental measurements, numerical investigations, and ANN-aided optimization studies to determine the optimal operating conditions of an industrial shell and tube heat exchanger system. The cold/hot stream temperature level is varied between 10 ℃ and 50 ℃ during the experiments and numerical investigations. Furthermore, the flow rates are altered in a range of 50–500 L/h to investigate the thermal and hydraulic performance under laminar and turbulent regime conditions. The experimental and numerical results indicate that U-tube bundles dominantly affect the total pumping power; therefore, the energy consumption experienced at the cold side is about ten times greater the one at the hot side. Once the required data sets are gathered via the experiments and numerical investigations, ANN-aided stochastic optimization algorithms detected the C10H50 scenario as the optimal operating case when the cold and hot stream flow rates are at 100 L/h and 500 L/h, respectively.
This study examined the impact of aluminium doping on the structural, electrical, and magnetic properties of Li(0.5)Co(0.75)AlxFe(2−x)O4 spinel ferrites (x =0.15 to 0.60). The samples were synthesised using the sol-gel auto-combustion technique, and they were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dielectric measurements, and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). All samples possessed a single-phase cubic spinel structure with Fd-3m space group, according to XRD analyses. SEM images showed the creation of homogeneous particles with an average size of about 21 nm. All samples had spinel ferrite phases, confirmed from FTIR spectra. DC electrical conductivity studies showed that the conductivity increased with increasing aluminium content up to x = 0.45 before dropping at x = 0.60. The maximum saturation magnetization value was found at x = 0.45, according to VSM measurements, which demonstrated that the magnetic characteristics were strongly correlated with the amount of aluminium.
The expanding adoption of artificial intelligence systems across high-impact sectors has catalyzed concerns regarding inherent biases and discrimination, leading to calls for greater transparency and accountability. Algorithm auditing has emerged as a pivotal method to assess fairness and mitigate risks in applied machine learning models. This systematic literature review comprehensively analyzes contemporary techniques for auditing the biases of black-box AI systems beyond traditional software testing approaches. An extensive search across technology, law, and social sciences publications identified 22 recent studies exemplifying innovations in quantitative benchmarking, model inspections, adversarial evaluations, and participatory engagements situated in applied contexts like clinical predictions, lending decisions, and employment screenings. A rigorous analytical lens spotlighted considerable limitations in current approaches, including predominant technical orientations divorced from lived realities, lack of transparent value deliberations, overwhelming reliance on one-shot assessments, scarce participation of affected communities, and limited corrective actions instituted in response to audits. At the same time, directions like subsidiarity analyses, human-cent
Rural sub-Saharan Africa faces limited medical access, healthcare worker shortages, and inadequate health information systems. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies offer potential solutions but remain underdeveloped in these settings. This review aims to explore the sociocultural context of mHealth adoption in rural sub-Saharan Africa to support sustainable implementation. A comprehensive Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research (ENTREQ) search was conducted in databases like PubMed, MEDLINE, and African Journals Online, covering peer-reviewed literature from 2010 to 2024. Qualitative studies of mHealth interventions were included, with quality assessed via the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) checklist and data synthesized using a meta-ethnographic approach. Out of 892 studies, 38 met the inclusion criteria. Key findings include sociocultural factors like community trust influencing technology acceptance, local implementation strategies, user empowerment in health decisions, and innovative solutions for infrastructure issues. Challenges include privacy concerns, increased healthcare worker workload, and intervention sustainability. While mHealth can reduce healthcare barriers, success depends on sociocultural alignment and adaptability. Future interventions should prioritize community co-design, privacy protection, and sustainable, infrastructure-aware models.
To investigate the effect of the location of vacuum insulation panels on the thermal insulation performance of marine reefer containers, a 20ft mechanical refrigeration reefer container was employed in this paper, and the physical and mathematical models of three kinds of envelopes composed of vacuum insulation panels (VIP) and polyurethane foam (PU) were numerically established. The heat transfer of three types of envelopes under unsteady conditions was simulated. In order to be able to analyze theoretically, the Rasch transform is used to analyze the thermal inertia magnitude by calculating the thermal transfer response frequency and the thermal transfer response coefficient for each model, and the results are compared with the simulation results. The results implied that the insulation performance of VIP external insulation is the best. The delay times of each model obtained from the simulation results are 0.81 h, 1.45 h, 2.03 h, and 2.24 h, while the attenuation ratios are 8.93, 20.39, 20.62, and 21.78, respectively; the delay times calculated from the theoretical analysis are 0.78 h, 1.43 h, 1.99 h, and 2.20 h, respectively; and the attenuation ratios are 8.84, 20.31, 20.55, and 21.72, respectively. The carbon reduction effect of VIP external insulation is also the best. The most considerable carbon reduction is 3.65894 kg less than the traditional PU structure within 24 h. The research has a guiding significance for the research and progress of the new generation of energy-saving reefer containers and the insulation design of the envelope of refrigerated transportation equipment.
The paper assesses the threshold at which climate change impacts banking system stability in selected Sub-Saharan economies by applying the panel threshold regression on data spanning 1996 to 2017. The study found that temperature reported a threshold of −0.7316 ℃. Further, precipitation had a threshold of 7.1646 mm, while the greenhouse gas threshold was 3.6680 GtCO2eq. In addition, the climate change index recorded a threshold of −0.1751%. Overall, a non-linear relationship was established between climate change variables and banking system stability in selected Sub-Saharan economies. The study recommends that central banks and policymakers propagate the importance of climate change uncertainties and their threshold effects to banking sectors to ensure effective and stable banking system operations.
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