In 2023, residential and commercial sectors together consumed approximately 27.6% of total United States (U.S.) energy, equivalent to about 20.6 quadrillion Btu. Factoring in the electrical system ...energy losses, the residential sector represented approximately 19.7% of total U.S. energy consumption during that time. There were approximately 144 million housing units in the United States in 2023, which is increasing yearly. In this study, information on energy usage in the United States residential sector has been analyzed and then represented as energy intensities to establish benchmark data and to compare energy consumption of varying sizes and locations. First, public sources were identified and data from these previously published sources were aggregated to determine the energy use of the residential sector within the US. Next, as part of this study, the energy data for seven houses/apartments from five different United States climate zones were collected firsthand. That data were analyzed, and the energy intensity of each home was calculated and then compared with the energy intensities of the other homes in the same states using Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) data. The energy intensity for each facility was calculated based on the actual energy bills. Finally, the study evaluated the carbon footprint associated with residential energy consumption in all 50 states to reinforce the importance of sustainable development initiatives.
Change analysis of land use and land cover (LULC) is a technique to study the environmental degradation and to control the unplanned development. Analysis of the past changing trend of LULC along ...with modeling future LULC provides a combined opportunity to evaluate and guide the present and future land use policy. The southwest coastal region of Bangladesh, especially Assasuni Upazila of Satkhira District, is the most vulnerable to natural disasters and has faced notable changes in its LULC due to the combined effects of natural and anthropogenic causes. The objectives of this study are to illustrate the temporal dynamics of LULC change in Assasuni Upazila over the last 27 years (i.e., between 1989 and 2015) and also to predict future land use change using CA-ANN (cellular automata and artificial neural network) model for the year 2028. Temporal dynamics of LULC change was analyzed, employing supervised classification of multi-temporal Landsat images. Then, prediction of future LULC was carried out by CA-ANN model using MOLUSCE plugin of QGIS. The analysis of LULC change revealed that the LULC of Assasuni had changed notably during 1989 to 2015. “Bare lands” decreased by 21% being occupied by other land uses, especially by “shrimp farms.” Shrimp farm area increased by 25.9% during this period, indicating a major occupational transformation from agriculture to shrimp aquaculture in the study area during the period under study. Reduction in “settlement” area revealed the trend of migration from the Upazila. The predicted LULC for the year 2028 showed that reduction in bare land area would continue and 1595.97 ha bare land would transform into shrimp farm during 2015 to 2028. Also, the impacts of the changing LULC on the livelihood of local people and migration status of the Upazila were analyzed from the data collected through focus group discussions and questionnaire surveys. The analysis revealed that the changing LULC and the occupational shift from paddy cultivation to shrimp farming were related to each other. Around 31.3% of the total respondents stated that at least one of their family members had migrated. Climate-driven southwestern coastal people usually migrate from the vulnerable rural areas towards the nearest relatively safe city due to adverse effects of natural disasters. To control the unplanned development and reduce the internal migration in Assasuni and other coastal areas, a comprehensive land use management plan was suggested that would accommodate the diversified uses of coastal lands and eventually lessen the threats to the life and livelihood of the local people.
In this research, the various physical properties of Nb-doped SrFeO
3
were investigated using the density functional theory (DFT), which was not experimentally investigated and reported in the ...previous literature. This is the first detailed theoretical study about these properties of this doped system. The calculated lattice parameters exhibited excellent conformity with the experimental data. In addition, the structural and mechanical stability of the studied compound was confirmed by the negative value of formation enthalpy and elastic constants (fulfilled the Born stability criteria), respectively. The metallic nature of SrFe
0.5
Nb
0.5
O
3
was revealed by their band structure and the density of states. A strong hybridization was observed among Fe-3
d
, Nb-4
p
, and O-2
p
states at the Fermi level, reflecting the covalent bonding of Fe/Nb–O. Furthermore, the mechanical properties including the elastic moduli, Poisson ratio, Pugh’s ratio, hardness, and machinability index of SrFe
1-
x
Nb
x
O
3
(
x
= 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6), were also studied in depth, and showed considerable effects of doping. Finally, a high level of anisotropy was noticed for SrFe
0.5
Nb
0.5
O
3
. Therefore, our simulation output clearly illustrated the influence of Nb doping in the theoretical results of the physical properties of the presently studied strontium ferrite.
The newly identified SARS-CoV-2 has now been reported from around 185 countries with more than a million confirmed human cases including more than 120,000 deaths. The genomes of SARS-COV-2 strains ...isolated from different parts of the world are now available and the unique features of constituent genes and proteins need to be explored to understand the biology of the virus. Spike glycoprotein is one of the major targets to be explored because of its role during the entry of coronaviruses into host cells. We analyzed 320 whole-genome sequences and 320 spike protein sequences of SARS-CoV-2 using multiple sequence alignment. In this study, 483 unique variations have been identified among the genomes of SARS-CoV-2 including 25 nonsynonymous mutations and one deletion in the spike (S) protein. Among the 26 variations detected in S, 12 variations were located at the N-terminal domain (NTD) and 6 variations at the receptor-binding domain (RBD) which might alter the interaction of S protein with the host receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Besides, 22 amino acid insertions were identified in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in comparison with that of SARS-CoV. Phylogenetic analyses of spike protein revealed that Bat coronavirus have a close evolutionary relationship with circulating SARS-CoV-2. The genetic variation analysis data presented in this study can help a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Based on results reported herein, potential inhibitors against S protein can be designed by considering these variations and their impact on protein structure.
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•There are 483 unique variations among SARS-CoV-2 genomes.•In SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein, there are 40 variations•14 synonymous and 25 non-synonymous mutations were observed in S glycoprotein.•12 non-synonymous mutations are located at the N-terminal domain of S glycoprotein.•6 non-synonymous mutations exist in at the receptor-binding domain (RBD).
Healthcare facilities in the United States account for 4.8% of the total area in the commercial sector and are responsible for 10.3% of total energy consumption in this sector. The number of ...healthcare facilities increased by 22% since 2003, leading to a 21% rise in energy consumption and an 8% reduction in energy intensity per unit of area (544.8 kWh/m2). This study provides an analytical overview of the end-use energy consumption data in healthcare systems for hospitals in the United States. The energy intensity of the U.S. hospitals ranges from 640.7 kWh/m2 in Zone 5 (very hot) to 781.1 kWh/m2 in Zone 1 (very cold), with an average of 738.5 kWh/m2. This is approximately 2.6 times higher than that of other commercial buildings. High energy intensity in the healthcare facilities, particularly in hospitals, along with energy costs and associated environmental concerns make energy analysis crucial for this type of facility. The proposed analysis shows that U.S. healthcare facilities have higher energy intensity than those of most other countries, especially the European ones. This necessitates the adoption of more energy-efficient approaches to the infrastructure and the management of healthcare facilities in the United States.
A single-phase, single-stage, differential boost inverter comprises two independently-controlled boost DC-DC converters, with the load connected between their outputs. The net voltage on the load is ...sinusoidal and has a controllable frequency and magnitude that is larger than that of the DC source. The present work first derives steady-state and small-signal models of the inverter with parasitic elements. The results obtained from the line-to-output transfer function, control-to-output transfer function, open-loop input impedance, and open-loop output impedance models are compared with that of the ones obtained from the experimental testbed. Using the new models, a voltage mode controller is designed in the synchronous reference frame. The regulator design is explored through the use of an example. The results are verified against the small-signal model, then PLECS simulations, and finally a laboratory experiment. The results indicate excellent agreement between the model and experiment during transients in voltage reference, input source voltage, and output load. A sensitivity analysis is performed based on the inverter model considering the parameter variation. Finally, loss and efficiency estimations are provided in this work.
Safe drinking water scarcity is an acute problem in the coastal regions of Bangladesh which is mainly caused by salinity intrusion. In this context, drinking water sources are severely affected, ...including adverse effects on agriculture, health, fisheries and the ecosystem. This research investigates i) selected water quality parameters ii) local people's perception on drinking water scarcity iii) how local people's cope with safe drinking water scarcity. This research was conducted using local water samples, questionnaire survey of 200 households and 4 focus group discussions (FDGs) in Shyamnagar and Tala sub-district of Satkhira district. The study of the water quality parameters exposed the extreme conditions of the drinking water sources in the area. The average values of total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC) and Chloride concentration (Cl−) were found respectively 4044.12 mg/L, 7186.7 μS/cm, and 3143.6 mg/L in Shyamnagar and 2313.60 mg/L, 4390.3 μS/cm, and 1402.1 mg/L in Tala. The result of community perception reveals that local people are aware of the safe water scarcity and nearly all of them perceive that salinity is the main reason behind it. Even though there are a number of socioeconomic factors, communities have their own adaptation technologies to cope with the problem. The study concludes with the development of a community based model defining the key responsibilities of the stakeholders, including local and central government, NGOs and community people to work in a well-coordinated manner which will be effective for reducing the scarcity of the safe drinking water.
•Water quality parameters were tested to find out the current salinity condition.•Spatial mapping of saline water quality parameters was plotted using GIS.•Examined people's perception and the adaptation measures to cope with water crisis.•An integrated community based model was proposed to combat drinking water scarcity.
In this study, we have calculated the structural, mechanical, elastic anisotropy, electronic, optical, and thermal properties of Ba
3
SbI
3
perovskite using first-principles-based DFT calculations. ...We have computed the crystal structure and lattice parameters (
a
= 7.05 Å
)
which consisted with previous theoretical and experimental results. The Ba
3
SbI
3
is stable as checked by the standards of mechanical stability criteria, ductile in nature, and elastically anisotropic. Semiconductor feature of Ba
3
SbI
3
is ensured from the band structure, total density of states (TDOS) and partial density of states (PDOS) calculations as the difference of conduction band (CB) and valence band (VB) in the Fermi level. From the electron charge density mapping, it exhibits ionic bond nature. Furthermore, optical properties have investigated in details. The Debye temperature (123.776 K), thermal conductivity (0.247 Wm
−1
K
−1
), and melting temperature (123.776 K) of the Ba
3
SbI
3
compound were calculated and analyzed, which is potential candidates of thermal barrier coating (TBC) material.
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