Design, Modeling and Development of a Serial Hybrid Motorcycle with HCCI Engine

This paper discusses the design, modeling, and development of small motorcycle equipped with a HCCI engine in an series hybrid configuration. A mathematical model was developed using MATLAB/Simulink and used to size the powertrain components and to predict fuel economy. A conventional 125 cc spark ignition engine was modified to run in HCCI combustion mode and integrated into a prototype vehicle. Dual-fuel and external EGR strategies were used to upgrade the engine speed and torque capabilities of the engine to meet the requirements of the powertrain. An electrical generator, hub-motor, battery pack and other power electronics devices were used to form the electrical system for the vehicle. The advantages of the proposed design compared to the original motorcycle with SI engine and CVT transmission are: 1) a reduction in noxious emissions due to the HCCI combustion, and 2) higher fuel economy in city driving because of the HCCI engine and series hybrid powertrain. Fuel economy was measured by driving the motorcycle on a chassis dynamometer using a sequence of ECE-40 driving cycles. The overall fuel economy was measured to be 73.7km/L which represents a 139.3% increase in fuel economy over the baseline vehicle

Characteristics and Source-specific Health Risks of Ambient PM2.5-bound PAHs in an Urban City of Northern Taiwan

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with highly toxic compounds mainly exist in small-sized particles and can induce considerable human health risks. Studies on PM2.5-bound PAHs and their source-specific human health risks still remain scarce. Daily PM2.5 samples (n = 119) were collected every three days from 2016 to 2017 in Taipei city, Taiwan. Fifteen PAHs in PM2.5 were analyzed via gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MS-MS). We utilized a positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, diagnostic ratios, and potential source contribution function (PSCF) to identify the origins of PM2.5-bound PAHs. The annual concentration of total PAHs (TPAH) was 0.79 ± 0.67 ng m–3 (range = 0.11–3.27 ng m–3). The highest and lowest values of TPAH appeared in winter and autumn with a mean of 1.36 ng m–3 and 0.43 ng m–3, respectively. The contributions of high-molecular-weight PAHs (HMW PAHs) to TPAH were notably higher than those of low-molecularweight PAHs (LMW PAHs) during the sampling period. Benzo[ghi]perylene (BghiP) accounted for the highest percentage (23.9%) of TPAH among selected congeners. Traffic emissions (31.3%) were identified as the predominant contributor to ambient PM2.5-bound PAHs, followed by industrial emissions (29.2%), evaporated/unburned oil (22.3%), and biomass/coal combustion (17.1%). Apart from the local sources, PSCF-derived results showed that emissions from industrial activities in northeast China and shipping around the Yellow Sea and East China Sea could affect the PAHs in the study area. Traffic emissions were the strongest contributor to human health risk, thus pointing to the significance of control over vehicle exhaust. This study suggests that it is necessary to distinguish the sources of the PM2.5-bound PAHs in order to underpin preventive and mitigative strategies for protecting environmental and public health

Functional roles of arginine residues in mung bean vacuolar H+-pyrophosphatase

AbstractPlant vacuolar H+-translocating inorganic pyrophosphatase (V-PPase EC 3.6.1.1) utilizes inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) as an energy source to generate a H+ gradient potential for the secondary transport of ions and metabolites across the vacuole membrane. In this study, functional roles of arginine residues in mung bean V-PPase were determined by site-directed mutagenesis. Alignment of amino-acid sequence of K+-dependent V-PPases from several organisms showed that 11 of all 15 arginine residues were highly conserved. Arginine residues were individually substituted by alanine residues to produce R→A-substituted V-PPases, which were then heterologously expressed in yeast. The characteristics of mutant variants were subsequently scrutinized. As a result, most R→A-substituted V-PPases exhibited similar enzymatic activities to the wild-type with exception that R242A, R523A, and R609A mutants markedly lost their abilities of PPi hydrolysis and associated H+-translocation. Moreover, mutation on these three arginines altered the optimal pH and significantly reduced K+-stimulation for enzymatic activities, implying a conformational change or a modification in enzymatic reaction upon substitution. In particular, R242A performed striking resistance to specific arginine-modifiers, 2,3-butanedione and phenylglyoxal, revealing that Arg242 is most likely the primary target residue for these two reagents. The mutation at Arg242 also removed F− inhibition that is presumably derived from the interfering in the formation of substrate complex Mg2+–PPi. Our results suggest accordingly that active pocket of V-PPase probably contains the essential Arg242 which is embedded in a more hydrophobic environment

東澳嶺崩塌地之地形演育分析

梅姬颱風 (2010) 與東北季風之共伴效應於台灣宜蘭縣蘇澳地區帶來了豐沛降雨，高累積雨量造成了台9 線蘇花公路群集性土砂災害，尤其在115.9K 上邊坡更誘發了約210 萬m3 之大規模崩塌土砂災害。本文從現地地質調查、致災機制、水文分析及遙測影像判釋等面向進行討論。由降雨-延時-頻率分析得知近年來誘發重大崩塌事件的雨量皆高於200 年回歸週期，並獲致良好判別致災雨場之I-R 圖降雨臨界線關係(Re+53.5Iave=1,146)。多時期遙測影像判釋指出東澳嶺坡頂之弧型張力裂隙仍有持續溯源發展之趨勢。裸露崩塌地不連續面方位密度分布圖之裂隙位態大致與區域地質構造位態 (N70°W) 相近，顯示本區域崩塌主要仍受地質條件主控。此外，蝕溝溯源侵蝕、剪裂帶分布及凹漥坡型亦為影響研究區崩塌地地貌變遷之重要因子，而前期地震或長延時高強度降雨則為外在促崩因子。Typhoon Megi coupled with the northeastern monsoon induced an extreme rainfall of 939 mm on the Suao area, Yilan County, in eastern Taiwan on October 21st, 2010, causing the Dong-Ao Peak landslide of 2.1 million m3 along the coastal Su-Hua Section of Highway Route 9. This study adopts a geological survey, rainfall data, satellite images, orthophotos, and high-resolution DEM based on airborne laser scanner surveys to quantify the morphological changes before and after landslide events following major rainfall events since 2010. Rainfall frequency analysis indicates the cumulative precipitation triggering landslide events is greater than the 200-year return period. In addition, both the entrainment effect of debris flow and toe erosion on the down-slope is shown to induce regressive sliding failure at the adjacent roadbed. The results suggest that geological factors such as head-cutting erosion and the concave landform shape the landform evolution of the catchment. The occurrence of landslides also depends on antecedent earthquake events and extreme intense rainfalls

Origin, Transport, and Vertical Distribution of Atmospheric Polluntants over the Northern Sourth China Sea During the 7-SEAS-Dongsha Experiment

During the spring of 2010, comprehensive in situ measurements were made for the first time on a small atoll (Dongsha Island) in the northern South China Sea (SCS), a key region of the 7-SEAS (the Seven South East Asian Studies) program. This paper focuses on characterizing the source origins, transport processes, and vertical distributions of the Asian continental outflows over the region, using measurements including mass concentration, optical properties, hygroscopicity, and vertical distribution of the aerosol particles, as well as the trace gas composition. Cluster analysis of backward trajectories classified 52% of the air masses arriving at ground level of Dongsha Island as having a continental origin, mainly from northern China to the northern SCS, passing the coastal area and being confined in the marine boundary layer (0-0.5 km). Compared to aerosols of oceanic origin, the fine mode continental aerosols have a higher concentration, extinction coefficient, and single-scattering albedo at 550 nm (i.e., 19 vs. 14 microg per cubic meter in PM(sub 2.5); 77 vs. 59 M per meter in beta(sub e); and 0.94 vs. 0.90 in omega, respectively). These aerosols have a higher hygroscopicity (f at 85% RH = 2.1) than those in the upwind inland regions, suggesting that the aerosols transported to the northern SCS were modified by the marine environment. In addition to the near-surface aerosol transport, a significant upper-layer (3-4 km) transport of biomass-burning aerosols was observed. Our results suggest that emissions from both China and Southeast Asia could have a significant impact on the aerosol loading and other aerosol properties over the SCS. Furthermore, the complex vertical distribution of aerosols-coinciding-with-clouds has implications for remote-sensing observations and aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions

Enhanced Differentiation of Three-Gene-Reprogrammed Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells into Adipocytes via Adenoviral-Mediated PGC-1α Overexpression

Induced pluripotent stem cells formed by the introduction of only three factors, Oct4/Sox2/Klf4 (3-gene iPSCs), may provide a safer option for stem cell-based therapy than iPSCs conventionally introduced with four-gene iPSCs. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) plays an important role during brown fat development. However, the potential roles of PGC-1α in regulating mitochondrial biogenesis and the differentiation of iPSCs are still unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of adenovirus-mediated PGC-1α overexpression in 3-gene iPSCs. PGC-1α overexpression resulted in increased mitochondrial mass, reactive oxygen species production, and oxygen consumption. Microarray-based bioinformatics showed that the gene expression pattern of PGC-1α-overexpressing 3-gene iPSCs resembled the expression pattern observed in adipocytes. Furthermore, PGC-1α overexpression enhanced adipogenic differentiation and the expression of several brown fat markers, including uncoupling protein-1, cytochrome C, and nuclear respiratory factor-1, whereas it inhibited the expression of the white fat marker uncoupling protein-2. Furthermore, PGC-1α overexpression significantly suppressed osteogenic differentiation. These data demonstrate that PGC-1α directs the differentiation of 3-gene iPSCs into adipocyte-like cells with features of brown fat cells. This may provide a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of mitochondrial disorders and obesity

Nonapnea Sleep Disorders and the Risk of Acute Kidney Injury: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

Abstract Nonapnea sleep disorders (NASDs) and associated problems, which are highly prevalent in patients with kidney diseases, are associated with unfavorable medical sequelae. Nonetheless, whether NASDs are associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) development has not been thoroughly analyzed. We examined the association between NASD and AKI. We conducted a population-based study by using 1,000,000 representative data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for the period from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2010. We studied the incidence and risk of AKI in 9178 newly diagnosed NASD patients compared with 27,534 people without NASD matched according to age, sex, index year, urbanization level, region of residence, and monthly income at a 1:3 ratio. The NASD cohort had an adjusted hazard ratio (hazard ratio [HR]; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15–2.63) of subsequent AKI 1.74-fold higher than that of the control cohort. Older age and type 2 diabetes mellitus were significantly associated with an increased risk of AKI (P < 0.05). Among different types of NASDs, patients with insomnia had a 120% increased risk of developing AKI (95% CI = 1.38–3.51; P = 0.001), whereas patients with other sleep disorders had a 127% increased risk of subsequent AKI (95% CI = 1.07–4.80; P = 0.033). Men with NASDs were at a high risk of AKI (P < 0.05). This nationwide population-based cohort study provides evidence that patients with NASDs are at higher risk of developing AKI than people without NASDs

An Overview of Regional Experiments on Biomass Burning Aerosols and Related Pollutants in Southeast Asia: From BASE-ASIA and the Dongsha Experiment to 7-SEAS

By modulating the Earth-atmosphere energy, hydrological and biogeochemical cycles, and affecting regional-to-global weather and climate, biomass burning is recognized as one of the major factors affecting the global carbon cycle. However, few comprehensive and wide-ranging experiments have been conducted to characterize biomass-burning pollutants in Southeast Asia (SEA) or assess their regional impact on meteorology, the hydrological cycle, the radiative budget, or climate change. Recently, BASEASIA (Biomass-burning Aerosols in South-East Asia: Smoke Impact Assessment) and the 7-SEAS (7- South-East Asian Studies) Dongsha Experiment were conducted during the spring seasons of 2006 and 2010 in northern SEA, respectively, to characterize the chemical, physical, and radiative properties of biomass-burning emissions near the source regions, and assess their effects. This paper provides an overview of results from these two campaigns and related studies collected in this special issue, entitled Observation, modeling and impact studies of biomass burning and pollution in the SE Asian Environment. This volume includes 28 papers, which provide a synopsis of the experiments, regional weatherclimate, chemical characterization of biomass-burning aerosols and related pollutants in source and sink regions, the spatial distribution of air toxics (atmospheric mercury and dioxins) in source and remote areas, a characterization of aerosol physical, optical, and radiative properties, as well as modeling and impact studies. These studies, taken together, provide the first relatively complete dataset of aerosol chemistry and physical observations conducted in the sourcesink region in the northern SEA, with particular emphasis on the marine boundary layer and lower free troposphere (LFT). The data, analysis and modeling included in these papers advance our present knowledge of source characterization of biomass-burning pollutants near the source regions as well as the physical and chemical processes along transport pathways. In addition, we raise key questions to be addressed by a coming deployment during springtime 2013 in northern SEA, named 7-SEASBASELInE (Biomass-burning Aerosols Stratocumulus Environment: Lifecycles and Interactions Experiment). This campaign will include a synergistic approach for further exploring many key atmospheric processes (e.g., complex aerosol-cloud interactions) and impacts of biomass burning on the surface-atmosphere energy budgets during the lifecycles of biomass burning emissions