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Recently, because of serious global challenges including the consumption of energy and climate change, there has been an increase in interest in the environmental effect of port operations and expansion. More interestingly, a strategic tendency in seaport advancement has been to manage the seaport system using a model which balances environmental volatility and economic development demands. An energy efficient management system is regarded as being vital for meeting the strict rules aimed at reducing the environmental pollution caused by port facility activities. Moreover, the enhanced supervision of port system operating methods and technical resolutions for energy utilisation also raise significant issues. In addition, low-carbon ports, as well as green port models, are becoming increasingly popular in seafaring nations. This study comprises a comprehensive assessment of operational methods, cutting-edge technologies for sustainable generation, storage, and transformation of energy, as well as systems of smart grid management, to develop a green seaport system, obtaining optimum operational efficiency and environmental protection. It is thought that using a holistic method and adaptive management, based on a framework of sustainable and green energy, could stimulate creative thinking, consensus building, and cooperation, as well as streamline the regulatory demands associated with port energy management. Although several aspects of sustainability and green energy could increase initial expenditure, they might result in significant life cycle savings due to decreased consumption of energy and output of emissions, as well as reduced operational and maintenance expenses.

This study incorporates two unique machine learning algorithms, Huber regression and Light Gradient Boosting Machines (LGBM), for estimating ship consumption of fuel. These methods are employed to create forecasting models for ship fuel consumption during journeys, which is especially useful when interacting with non-linear data. The study then analyzes and evaluates the prediction accuracy of these two approaches compared to a baseline model generated using linear regression. The results of the investigation show that both methods establish extremely accurate predictions while handling non-linear data quickly. However, the Huber-based model outperforms the LGBM in terms of prediction accuracy, with an R-squared value of 0.979 versus 0.917 for the LGBM. In addition, the Huber-based model has a diminished prediction error, with an RMSE of 2.278, compared to the LGBM model's RMSE of 4.55. The graphical methods of the violin plot and Taylor’s diagram further established the superiority of Huber ML. These findings imply that Huber regression could be a suitable option for estimating in-route ship fuel usage in real time. As a consequence, this study emphasises the potential benefits of machine learning for accurately predicting ship fuel consumption, providing encouraging possibilities to optimise fuel usage while lowering greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveThe effectiveness of health education on adolescents has been questioned, along with a growing body of empirical studies documenting the absence of behavioral changes after the intervention. However, evidence on its impact on other crucial health domains, besides health practices, is lacking. We evaluated the causal effects of a school-based health education program on adolescents' multidimensional psychological health factors.DesignA cluster-randomized controlled trial.MethodsWe conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial involving 140 lower secondary schools in Vietnam. After stratifying by district, schools were randomized 1:1 to either treatment or control groups. Students enrolled in the treatment schools received monthly stand-alone health education in five topics by school teachers at the class level, but control group students did not receive any intervention. The primary outcomes of the study were students' non-cognitive skills, life satisfaction, aspirations gap, and the Health-Related Quality of Life at five-month follow-up. We estimated the intention-to-treat effects with the panel fixed effects model using student panel data.ResultsOf the 6,477 students enrolled at baseline, 2,958 (92%) treated and 2,967 (91%) control students completed the follow-up survey five months after baseline data collection from October to December 2018. Compared with controls, health education led to improved treatment school students' self-efficacy (p-value = 0.013), presumed life satisfaction five years from the present (p-value = 0.001), aspirations gap for a socially and mentally healthy future (p-value = 0.036), and the Health-Related Quality of Life (p-value = 0.036).ConclusionA school-based health education program enhanced students' non-cognitive skills, life satisfaction and aspirations gap, and the Health-Related Quality of Life significantly. This study proposes essential psychological factors that should be taken into account when evaluating the effectiveness of a health education program in resource-limited settings.

Abstract Background Primary health care plays an important role in addressing the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and middle-income countries. In light of the rapid urbanization of Vietnam, this study aims to explore health professionals’ views about the responsiveness of primary health care services at commune health stations, particularly regarding the increase of NCDs in urban settings. Methods This qualitative study was conducted in Hanoi from July to August 2015. We implemented 19 in-depth interviews with health staff at four purposely selected commune health stations and conducted a brief inventory of existing NCD activities at these commune health stations. We also interviewed NCD managers at national, provincial, and district levels. The interview guides reflected six components of the WHO health system framework, including service delivery, health workforce, health information systems, access to essential medicines, financing, and leadership/governance. A thematic analysis approach was applied to analyze the interview data in this study. Results Six themes, related to the six building blocks of the WHO health systems framework, were identified. These themes explored the responsiveness of commune health stations to NCDs in urban Hanoi. Health staff at commune health stations were not aware of the national strategy for NCDs. Health workers noted the lack of NCD informational materials for management and planning. The limited workforce at health commune stations would benefit from more health workers in general and those with NCD-specific training and skills. In addition, the budget for NCDs at commune health stations remains very limited, with large differences in the implementation of national targeted NCD programs. Some commune health stations had no NCD services available, while others had some programming. A lack of NCD treatment drugs was also noted, with a negative impact on the provision of NCD-related services at commune health stations. These themes were also reflected in the inventory of existing NCD related activities. Conclusions Health professionals view the responsiveness of commune health stations to NCDs in urban Hanoi, Vietnam as weak. Appropriate policies should be implemented to improve the primary health care services on NCDs at commune health stations in urban Hanoi, Vietnam.

Recently, scientists have developed a variety of approaches and techniques to boost the performance of engines and lower hazardous emissions. One method that has received a lot of interest is the employment of nanoparticles in fuels to address several drawbacks of fuels. Indeed, ceria (CeO2) nanoparticles are a common additive derived from fuel to lower particulate emissions discharged from diesel-powered engines. The preparation techniques and physicochemical features of biodiesel-originated fuels including CeO2 nanoparticles were thoroughly introduced in this review work. Also, the performance, combustion, and emission characteristics and tribological properties of diesel engines running on CeO2-included fuels were completely examined. Furthermore, this paper discussed the noticeable effects of CeO2 nanoparticles on human health and the environment in detail. Generally, adding CeO2 nanoparticles in terms of size ranging from 30–50 ppm into various biodiesel/diesel fuels showed positive impacts in terms of mitigating toxic emissions such as CO, HC, & smoke by the highest of about 94.98%, 91.16%, and 90.3% and improving diesel engine performance with a highest of about 31.25%, though their effects on the ecosystem and human health have been a contentious concern that needs handling in further investigations. The novelty of the current review is to provide comprehensive information on the ppm-specific use of CeO2 nanoparticles as a potential additive to blend with various biodiesel/diesel fuels aiming to improve various engine characteristics, tribological behavior, and environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shells of Tamarindus indica could serve as a primary source of energy generation from biomass. This paper deals with non-isothermal thermogravimetric experiments conducted at heating rates of 5, 10, 15, and 20°C/min with temperatures ranging between 25°C and 700°C to evaluate the kinetic behavior and the thermodynamic properties of Tamarindus indica shell pyrolysis. Three iso-conversational models, Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS), Starink, and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), were used to identify the activation energy (Ea), Enthalpy (ΔH), Entropy (ΔS), and Gibbs free energy (ΔG) of the Tamarindus indica shell biomass. The average activation energy when estimated using KAS, Starink, and FWO models was found to be 209.1, 209.3, and 207.5 kJ/mol with R2 values of 0.91, 0.91, and 0.92, respectively. The average ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG values using the KAS method were found to be 204.4 kJ/mol, 82.2 J/mol K, and 155.2 kJ/mol, respectively. The values of kinetic and thermodynamic triplets indicate that the reaction is non-spontaneous. The findings of this present study reveal that there is an opportunity for Tamarindus indica shells to be used as an alternative biomass fuel due to their eco-friendly nature and ideal properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]