A Reservation-Based Vehicle-to-Vehicle Charging Service Under Constraint of Parking Duration

Electric vehicle (EV) has been applied as the main transportation tool recently. However, EVs still require a long charging time and, thus, inevitably cause charging congestion. The traditional plug-in charging mode is limited by fixed location and peak hours. Therefore, a flexible vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) charging mode is considered in this article. Here, parking lots (PLs) widely dispersed in cities are reused as a common place for V2V charging. EVs are divided into EVs as energy consumers and EVs as energy providers to form as vehicle-to-vehicle charging pairs (V2V-Pairs). In this article, we propose a V2V charging management scheme, which includes a distance-based V2V-Pair matching algorithm and a PL-selection scheme. As the occupation status at PLs is difficult to predict, to achieve high PL utilization and evenly PL selection, V2V charging reservation is introduced. Meanwhile, since EV drivers usually park at PLs within a limited duration, our proposed V2V charging scheme introduces the parking duration to optimize V2V charging under a temporal constraint. We simulate this V2V charging scheme under the Helsinki city scenario. The results prove that our proposed V2V charging scheme achieves great charging efficiency (minimized charging waiting time and maximized fully charging times)

Genome Sequencing of the Sweetpotato Whitefly \u3cem\u3eBemisia tabaci\u3c/em\u3e MED/Q

The sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a highly destructive agricultural and ornamental crop pest. It damages host plants through both phloem feeding and vectoring plant pathogens. Introductions of B. tabaci are difficult to quarantine and eradicate because of its high reproductive rates, broad host plant range, and insecticide resistance. A total of 791 Gb of raw DNA sequence from whole genome shotgun sequencing, and 13 BAC pooling libraries were generated by Illumina sequencing using different combinations of mate-pair and pair-end libraries. Assembly gave a final genome with a scaffold N50 of 437 kb, and a total length of 658 Mb. Annotation of repetitive elements and coding regions resulted in 265.0 Mb TEs (40.3%) and 20 786 protein-coding genes with putative gene family expansions, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on orthologs across 14 arthropod taxa suggested that MED/Q is clustered into a hemipteran clade containing A. pisum and is a sister lineage to a clade containing both R. prolixus and N. lugens. Genome completeness, as estimated using the CEGMA and Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs pipelines, reached 96% and 79%. These MED/Q genomic resources lay a foundation for future \u27pan-genomic\u27 comparisons of invasive vs. noninvasive, invasive vs. invasive, and native vs. exotic Bemisia, which, in return, will open up new avenues of investigation into whitefly biology, evolution, and management

Rheological Properties and Microscopic Morphology Evaluation of UHMWPE-Modified Corn Stover Oil Bio-Asphalt

In order to promote the efficient utilization of bio-oil, corn stover oil and petroleum asphalt were used to prepare bio-asphalt. UHMWPE was adopted to strengthen the high-temperature properties of bio-asphalt. UHMWPE-modified corn stover oil asphalt was prepared. Rheological and microscopic tests were carried out to study its performance. The softening point and viscosity of the modified asphalt were enhanced with a rise in the UHMWPE dosage. Its ductility and deformation ability increased at 5 °C. An MSCR test suggested that the asphalt’s creep recovery ability and anti-rutting properties decreased at a high stress level. Meanwhile, the low-temperature rheological behavior of UHMWPE-modified corn stover oil asphalt was superior to that of neat asphalt. The corn stover oil ameliorated the asphalt’s low-temperature properties but weakened its high-temperature behavior. The optimal preparation schemes for UHMWPE-modified corn stover oil asphalt were recommended through a comprehensive analysis of the properties. The recommended dosage of UHMWPE was 3–4%, while the corn stover oil dosage was 5%. However, when the dosage of corn stover oil was 10%, the recommended dosage of UHMWPE was 4%. UHMWPE powder was melted and cross-linked with neat asphalt during high-temperature preparation, demonstrating that UHMWPE can enhance the properties of asphalt. The UHMWPE polymer macromolecules can be dispersed in corn stover oil. UHMWPE can form a compact and robust network structure with asphalt. The feasible application of corn stover oil in road engineering was verified, which provides efficient solutions for waste utilization. This study will contribute to the sustainable development of road construction

The Sequence Characteristics and Binding Properties of the Odorant-Binding Protein 2 of <i>Euplatypus parallelus</i> to Semiochemicals

Euplatypus parallelus is one of the dominant rubber bark beetle species in Hainan’s rubber-planting area. Semiochemicals, including the volatiles found in rubber trees and aggregation pheromones, play an important role in the search for suitable host plants. To examine the possible functional role of highly expressed odorant-binding protein 2 of Euplatypus parallelus (EparOBP2) in the semiochemical recognition process, we cloned and analyzed the cDNA sequence of EparOBP2. The results showed that EparOBP2 contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 393 bp that encodes 130 amino acids, including a 21-amino-acid residue signal peptide at the N-terminus. The matured EparOBP2 protein consists of seven α-helices, creating an open binding pocket and three disulfide bridges. The results of the fluorescence binding assay showed that EparOBP2 had high binding ability with α-pinene and myrcene. The docking results confirmed that the interactions of α-pinene and myrcene with EparOBP2 were primarily achieved through hydrophobic interactions. This study provides evidence that EparOBP2 may be involved in the chemoreception of semiochemicals and that it can successfully contribute to the integrated management of E. parallelus

Ultrastructure Characteristics and Sexual Dimorphism of Antennal Sensilla in Tirathaba rufivena (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Tirathaba rufivena Walker, a major insect pest of Areca catechu L., has severely threatened areca nut cultivation in Hainan, China. To improve our understanding of the communication mechanism in host plant seeking and mate-finding for T. rufivena, we described and further characterized the external morphology and internal sensilla structures using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy in this study. The antennal morphology was similar between males and females, and there was no significant difference in length between the two sexes. In total, nine sensilla types were identified: sensilla trichodea (Str), sensilla chaetica (Sch), sensilla basiconica (Sba), sensilla auricillica (Sau), sensilla coeloconica (Sco), sensilla styloconica (Sst), B&ouml;hm sensilla (Bs), uniporous peg sensilla (Ups) and sensilla squamiformia (Ssq). Sexual dimorphism mainly occurs in variation in the length of Sba, Sch, Sco1 and Bs, and the abundance of Sba, Sau1 and Sau2. The Sba had larger size and numbers on female antennae than that on males, suggesting that these sensilla might have important roles in locating host plants. Both Sau1 and Sau2 were significantly more abundant in females and were probably associated with the detection of mates and host plant for oviposition. These data were important for ongoing studies on host plant seeking and mate-finding behavior in T. rufivena and provided a theoretical foundation to further studies of semiochemical control for this pest

A Hybrid Electric Vehicle Energy Supply System via Direct and Asynchronous V2V Charging Modes

In recent years, great attention has been paid on Electric Vehicles (EVs) in terms of environmental pollution. Here, EVs can greatly reduce the environmental pollution, compared with traditional Internal Combustion Vehicles (ICVs). However, since EVs cannot be replenished fast like ICVs, the rigid deployment of charging infrastructure and its limited charging capability, leads to service congestion particularly due to a large number of EVs being parked with charging demand. Compared to CSs with rigid extension in location and charging facilitates, the Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) charging service provides a spatial and temporal advance in flexibility, with potential to supplement with G2V charging mode, which can supplement or even replace the G2V Charging Mode. In this paper, we propose a hybrid V2V charging scheme, consisting of direct and asynchronous V2V charging modes, to achieve a great charging flexibility and alleviate the burden for grid load. Here, we estimate the Minimum Waiting Time (MWT) under each mode, as guidance to switch between modes and optimize charging service under each mode. Results show that our proposed hybrid V2V charging scheme outperforms literature works, in terms of average waiting time and number of full charged EVs

Dynamic simulation analysis of bar insulator pollution in strong wind

In order to probe into the pollution characters of the surface of an insulator used in high-speed railway, forces on polluted particles in a strong wind environment were analyzed, and a simulation model for pollution of QBJ-25/20 type bar insulator was established. By taking the pollution volume fraction of insulator shed as the index of pollution measure, the relationships between the volume fraction and wind velocity and wind coming angle were obtained. The research result shows that in a strong wind condition there is a negative exponential relationship between the volume fraction and the coming angle, and there exists the same rerelationship between the volume fraction and the wind velocity. The pollution on the upper surface of the shed is mainly influenced by the coming angle ranging from 0° to 90°, while the pollution on the lower surface of the shed is seriously affected by the wind velocity. With the increase of polluted particles' diameters, the volume fraction shows a trend of first increase and then decrease

Genetic divergence among Bradyrhizobium strains nodulating wild and cultivated Kummerowia spp. in China

Distribution of rhizobial species is affected by geographical isolation and selected by leguminous hosts, however, little is known about the molecular evolution of rhizobia nodulating the same legume in different eco-environments. In present study, the microevolution of Bradyrhizobium associated with the leguminous grass Kummerowia grown in exurban areas and cultivated in urban areas in China was investigated. Total 14 genospecies, including seven new groups, were identified based on a concatenated sequence analysis of taxonomic markers (SMc00019, truA and thrA) for 94 representative strains. Results demonstrated that lower levels of nucleotide diversity were found in the strains isolated from urban areas compared with those isolated from exurban areas, based on the evolutional analyses of three housekeeping genes (atpD, glnII and recA), two symbiosis-related genes (nodC and nifH), and the taxonomic markers. Moreover, compared with urban areas, gene exchange and recombination occurred more frequently among the genospecies isolated from exurban areas, regardless of the geographical distribution. Finally, the evolutionary lineage of Bradyrhizobium strains isolated from urban areas was independent of that of the strains isolated from exurban areas. In summary, the evolutionary history of Kummerowia bradyrhizobia may have been gradually segregated to different evolutionary lineages, irrespective of distinct biogeography. (C) 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved

A holistic review on E-Mobility service optimization : challenges, recent progress and future directions

In recent years, countries around the world have attached great attention to the development of transportation electrification. As an alternative to achieve carbon neutrality, Electric Vehicles (EVs) are deemed as the goal of vehicle transformation to achieve zero carbon emissions. However, the challenges of EV energy supplementation has not been adequately investigated, causing the concerns on range anxiety, inconvenience of perceive charging service etc. By identifying stakeholders and investigating various services under the umbrella of E-mobility services, this paper firstly introduces the concept, population and challenges of EVs as the key enabler of Electro-Mobility (E-Mobility), and then summarizes recent E-Mobility services with holistic insight. Then, overviews of plug-in charging, battery swapping, vehicle to vehicle charging, mobile and wireless charging are introduced, including the objectives, risks and their service optimization categories. Further to literature review, concern on identifying the gap between academia and industry application is also provided to help coach the technology transformation. From our review, it is observed that flexible and emerging service modes beyond plug-in charging has been receiving great attention from both academia and industry. Therefore, several recent market efforts have been showcased, by following the summarization of mainstream optimization methods been applied for E-Mobility services. Finally, this paper is concluded with several future direction highlights including integration of multi-energy source, concern on cyber security, application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and promotion of global policy to guide with wide communities

Binding Properties of Odorant-Binding Protein 4 of Tirathaba rufivena to Areca catechu Volatiles

Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) play a key role in the olfactory system and are essential for mating and oviposition host selection. Tirathaba rufivena, a serious lepidopterous insect pest of the palm area in recent years, has threatened cultivations of Areca catechu in Hainan. Female-biased odorant-binding protein 4 of T. rufivena (TrufOBP4) expression was hypothesized to participate in the process of oviposition host recognition and localization. In this study, we cloned and analyzed the cDNA sequence of TrufOBP4. The predicted mature protein TrufOBP4 is a small, soluble, secretory protein and belongs to a classic OBP subfamily. Fluorescence binding assay results showed that TrufOBP4 had high binding abilities with the host plant volatiles, octyl methoxycinnamate, dibutyl phthalate, myristic acid and palmitic acid. These four components tend to dock in the same binding pocket based on the molecular docking result. The interactions and contributions of key amino acid residues were also characterized. This research provides evidence that TrufOBP4 might participate in the chemoreception of volatile compounds from inflorescences of A. catechu and can contribute to the integrated management of T. rufivena