Drive-style emission testing on the latest two Honda hybrid technologies

Introduction Hybrid technology is seen by many as a potential solution to reduce vehicle emissions in cities. However type approval tests of hybrid vehicles measure emission levels comparable to those of conventional cars in the same market segment. It has been argued that type approval tests do not represent the reality of emission in cities therefore, to quantify the real emission of hybrids and to compare them with those of conventional vehicles in the same conditions, an emission measurement campaign was organised. Acquisition campaign Three Honda cars, one conventional (the Civic 2.0) and two hybrids (the Civic IMA and the Civic Hybrid), equipped to collect emissions as well as the engine and vehicle working parameters were driven three times by twenty drivers on the same urban route. Drivers were asked to drive normally and not requested to do anything special but to scrupulously follow the given itinerary. Results Two main results were obtained: average and maximum emission levels for the three cars are quantified; the effects of the drivers on such levels assessed. The conventional car (with two people and 250 kg of measurement tools onboard) consumes an average of 12.6 l/100 km, its CO2 emissions range between 200 g/km and 300 g/km with an average of 260 g/km. CO emissions range between 0.25 g/km and 6.25 g/km (Euro IV limit is 1 g/km) with an average of 2 g/km. The most recent of the two tested hybrids consume in average 8.23 l/100 km and emits between 150 and 230 g/km of CO2 with an average of about 180 g/km; it emits virtually no CO in the majority of cases but can reach up to 1.8 g/km and average CO emissions are about 0.2 g/km. The hybrid performs always better than the conventional; in terms of CO2 and consumption it can have up to a 30% reduction and in terms of CO up to 90% reduction. Conclusions The wideness of the measured ranges depends mostly on the drivers. Women tend to consume and emit less than men. The reason for this is the different way they use the accelerator pedal; they push it less and keep it steadier. In other word the standard deviation of the accelerator position (or throttle) is lower. It is here shown how a correlation exist between the throttle standard deviation and the emissions which justify using such parameter as the indicator of drive-style

Users' preferences towards automated road public transport: results from European surveys

Abstract Collective automated road transport systems (ARTS) are the subject of current research in Europe. The paper reports on the results of the investigations about users' attitudes towards ARTS and conventional buses that have been carried out in twelve cities where the implementation of an ARTS service is being planned within the Citymobil2 project. A common stated preference questionnaire has been used. The econometric analysis has been based on the estimation of a logit model which has considered the choice for two alternatives: ARTS and minibus. The observed attributes are: waiting time, riding time and fare. Of particular interest, is the estimation of the alternative specific constant (ASC) of the ARTS, because this represents the mean of all the unobserved attributes of the automated system that affect the choice. With a common specification of the systematic utilities of ARTS and minibus, the observed attributes being the same, a positive value of the ASC is indicative of a relatively higher preference for the ARTS. The results show a relatively higher preference for ARTS across the cities where the ARTS is implemented inside a major facility. In other application contexts, commonalities in attitudes across cities are not found. The impacts on attitudes of the socio-economic attributes of the users are heterogeneous across cities

Using rail to make urban freight distribution more sustainable

Rail is today a minimally used modality in urban freight distribution. To reap the benefits of this more sustainable transport mode a few experiences in Europe have attempted to introduce innovative freight distribution schemes where rail is used. One of such schemes uses rail for the urban penetration leg. After having been consolidated in a centre located outside the urban area, goods are transported by shuttle trains to a centre located inside the central area (the multi-modal urban distribution centre – MUDC) and there are transferred to low-pollution road vehicles to reach their final destination. Other schemes use tramways. The paper provides a review of rail-based schemes which have been introduced in European cities. An in-depth assessment is provided of the scheme based on the use of a MUDC. The case study relates to the distribution of fish food in Rome. The environmental and energy benefits obtainable from the shift from the current road-only scheme to the MUDC scheme are estimated in physical and monetary units. An estimate is provided of the maximum public contribution that would still make the scheme beneficial for society as a whole, obtained as the difference between the social costs of the road-only scheme and those of the MUDC scheme. Also, an assessment is provided of the profitability of the scheme from the operators‟ viewpoint

Advantages of retrofitting old electric buses and minibuses

Abstract Old electric buses and minibuses equipped with obsolete energy storage systems are today circulating on the roads all over the world. A minibus prototype equipped with Ion-Lithium batteries developed in the ENEA Casaccia Research Centre demonstrated that an old minibus can be retrofitted by replacing the old lead acid batteries pack with a new pack assembled with LiFePO4 electrochemistry. The new batteries provide sufficient power to the electric motor, an amount of energy to cover nearly 30 kilometers with a full charge, with a new battery load of 50% of the previous battery pack. The new technology allows fast charging, thus solving the problem linked due to the long periods requested to charge of the conventional batteries. For example during public transport service, the minibus can be charged with only twenty minutes, allowing such operation at the terminus while waiting for the passengers. A "depleting" strategy can be applied in order to allow the minibus to be operating all the day with several charges at the stops. In this paper, the performance of a retrofitted minibus in comparison with the same minibus equipped with old generation batteries are reported. The economic benefits for the retrofitted minibus in comparison with a new minibus purchased from factories are also reported

Automated vehicles and the rethinking of mobility and cities

The project CityMobil2 has carried out a forward-looking exercise to investigate a lternative cybermobility scenarios, including both niche and large-market innovations, and their impacts on European cities and their transport systems. The paper describes the current status of and main trends in automated vehicles, a preliminary vision of the future city with mobility supported mainly by automated vehicles, and freight distribution. The expected positive impacts derive from the development of car sharing, the reduction of space required for parking vehicles, the possibilities for older people or those with disabilities to use cars, the enhancement of safety, and the improvement of efficiency of the transport system

Botanical memory: five centuries of floristic changes revealed by a Renaissance herbarium (Ulisse Aldrovandi, 1551-1586)

We analysed the spatially explicit floristic information available in the herbarium of Ulisse Aldrovandi (1551-1586) to track floristic changes in the surroundings of Bologna across five centuries. Aldrovandi's data were compared with the Flora della Provincia di Bologna by Girolamo Cocconi (1883) and the Floristic Database of Emilia-Romagna (1965-2021). We explored potential variations in native range and life forms composition, and habitat affinity of the species in the three floras, also contrasting between native and alien species. Native species, mainly in terms of variations of hydro-hygrophytes, chamaephytes and therophytes, provide clear signals of human disturbance and habitat loss. Signals of climate change are provided by the high-mountain species, that were comparably rare between Aldrovandi and current flora and more represented in Cocconi, probably reflecting the effect of the Little Ice Age. Our findings also indicate the increasing importance of alien species from the Renaissance onwards. In this perspective, Aldrovandi's herbarium preserves the memory of the first signs of a radical transformation of the European flora and habitats. Finally, the study warns about the risk of dismissing herbaria and herbarium specimens collection, which would cause irreparable lacunas in our botanical memory, hindering our ability to predict biodiversity trajectories

Exosomal transfer of miR-126 promotes the anti-tumour response in malignant mesothelioma: Role of miR-126 in cancer-stroma communication

none11MiR-126 has been shown to suppress malignant mesothelioma (MM) by targeting cancer-related genes without inducing toxicity or histopathological changes. Exosomes provide the opportunity to deliver therapeutic cargo to cancer stroma. Here, a tumour stromal model composed of endothelial cells (HUVECs), fibroblasts (IMR-90 cells), non-malignant mesothelial cells (Met-5A cells) and MM cells (H28 and MM-B1 cells) was used. The cells were treated with exosomes from HUVECs carrying endogenous (exo-HUVEC) and enriched miR-126 (exo-HUVECmiR-126), and the uptake/turnover of exosomes; miR-126 distribution within the stroma; and effect of miR-126 on cell signalling, angiogenesis and cell proliferation were evaluated. Based on the sensitivity of MM cells to exo-HUVEC miR-126 treatment, miR-126 was distributed differently across stromal cells. The reduced miR-126 content in fibroblasts in favour of endothelial cells reduced angiogenesis and suppressed cell growth in an miR-126-sensitive environment. Conversely, the accumulation of miR-126 in fibroblasts and the reduced level of miR-126 in endothelial cells induced tube formation in an miR-126-resistant environment via VEGF/EGFL7 upregulation and IRS1-mediated cell proliferation. These findings suggest that transfer of miR-126 via HUVEC-derived exosomes represents a novel strategy to inhibit angiogenesis and cell growth in MM.noneMonaco, Federica; Gaetani, Simona; Alessandrini, Federica; Tagliabracci, Adriano; Bracci, Massimo; Valentino, Matteo; Neuzil, Jiri; Amati, Monica; Bovenzi, Massimo; Tomasetti, Marco; Santarelli, LoryMonaco, Federica; Gaetani, Simona; Alessandrini, Federica; Tagliabracci, Adriano; Bracci, Massimo; Valentino, Matteo; Neuzil, Jiri; Amati, Monica; Bovenzi, Massimo; Tomasetti, Marco; Santarelli, Lor

Red Listing plants under full national responsibility: Extinction risk and threats in the vascular flora endemic to Italy

Taxa endemic to a country are key elements for setting national conservation priorities and for driving conservation strategies, since their persistence is entirely dependent on national policy. We applied the IUCN Red List categories to all Italian endemic vascular plants (1340 taxa) to assess their current risk of extinction and to highlight their major threats. Our results revealed that six taxa are already extinct and that 22.4% (300 taxa) are threatened with extinction, while 18.4% (247; especially belonging to apomictic groups) have been categorized as Data Deficient. Italian endemic vascular plants are primarily threatened by natural habitat modification due to agriculture, residential and tourism development. Taxa occurring in coastal areas and lowlands, where anthropogenic impacts and habitat destruction are concentrated, display the greatest population decline and extinction. The national network of protected areas could be considered effective in protecting endemic-rich areas (ERAs) and endemic taxa, but ineffective in protecting narrow endemic-rich areas (NERAs), accordingly changes to the existing network may increase the effectiveness of protection. For the first time in the Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot, we present a comprehensive extinction assessment for endemic plants under the full responsibility of a single country. This would provide an important step towards the prioritization and conservation of threatened endemic flora at Italian, European, and Mediterranean level. A successful conservation strategy of the Italian endemic vascular flora should implement the protected area system, solve some taxonomical criticism in poorly known genera, and should rely on monitoring threatened species, and on developing species-specific action plans