Impact of automated driving systems on road freight transport and electrified propulsion of heavy vehicles

The technological barriers to automated driving systems (ADS) are being quickly overcome to deploy on–road vehicles that do not require a human driver on–board. ADS have opened up possibilities to improve mobility, productivity, logistics planning, and energy consumption. However, further enhancements in productivity and energy consumption are required to reach CO2–reduction goals, owing to increased demands on transportation. In particular, in the freight sector, incorporation of automation with electrification can meet necessities of sustainable transport. However, the profitability of battery electric heavy vehicles (BEHVs) remains a concern. This study found that ADS led to profitability of BEHVs, which remained profitable for increased travel ranges by a factor of four compared to that of BEHVs driven by humans. Up to 20% reduction in the total cost of ownership of BEHVs equipped with ADS could be achieved by optimizing the electric propulsion system along with the infrastructure for a given transportation task. In that case, the optimized propulsion system might not be similar to that of a BEHV with a human driver. To obtain the results, the total cost of ownership was minimized numerically for 3072 different transportation scenarios that showed the effects of travel distance, road hilliness, average reference speed, and vehicle size on the incorporated electrification and automation, and compared to that of conventional combustion–powered heavy vehicles

Transportation-mission-based Optimization of Heterogeneous Heavy-vehicle Fleet Including Electrified Propulsion

Commercial-vehicle manufacturers design vehicles to operate over a wide range of transportation tasks and driving cycles. However, certain possibilities of reducing emissions, manufacturing and operational costs from end vehicles are neglected if the target range of transportation tasks is narrow and known in advance, especially in case of electrified propulsion. Apart from real-time energy optimization, vehicle hardware can be meticulously tailored to best fit a known transportation task. As proposed in this study, a heterogeneous fleet of heavy-vehicles can be designed in a more cost- and energy-efficient manner, if the coupling between vehicle hardware, transportation mission, and infrastructure is considered during initial conceptual-design stages. To this end, a rather large optimization problem was defined and solved to minimize the total cost of fleet ownership in an integrated manner for a real-world case study. In the said case-study, design variables of optimization problem included mission, recharging infrastructure, loading--unloading scheme, number of vehicles of each type, number of trips, vehicle-loading capacity, selection between conventional, fully electric, and hybrid powertrains, size of internal-combustion engines and electric motors, number of axles being powered, and type and size of battery packs. This study demonstrated that by means of integrated fleet customization, battery-electric heavy-vehicles could strongly compete against their conventional combustion-powered counterparts. Primary focus has been put on optimizing vehicle propulsion, transport mission, infrastructure and fleet size rather than routing

Within-Host Speciation of Malaria Parasites

BACKGROUND: Sympatric speciation—the divergence of populations into new species in absence of geographic barriers to hybridization—is the most debated mode of diversification of life forms. Parasitic organisms are prominent models for sympatric speciation, because they may colonise new hosts within the same geographic area and diverge through host specialization. However, it has been argued that this mode of parasite divergence is not strict sympatric speciation, because host shifts likely cause the sudden effective isolation of parasites, particularly if these are transmitted by vectors and therefore cannot select their hosts. Strict sympatric speciation would involve parasite lineages diverging within a single host species, without any population subdivision. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we report a case of extraordinary divergence of sympatric, ecologically distinct, and reproductively isolated malaria parasites within a single avian host species, which apparently occurred without historical or extant subdivision of parasite or host populations. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This discovery of within-host speciation changes our current view on the diversification potential of malaria parasites, because neither geographic isolation of host populations nor colonization of new host species are any longer necessary conditions to the formation of new parasite species

Serologic Analysis of Returned Travelers with Fever, Sweden

We studied 1,432 febrile travelers from Sweden who had returned from malaria-endemic areas during March 2005–March 2008. In 383 patients, paired serum samples were blindly analyzed for influenza and 7 other agents. For 21% of 115 patients with fever of unknown origin, serologic analysis showed that influenza was the major cause

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

A Methodology for the Design of Cost Effective Hybrid Vehicles

This thesis deals with system design of cost effective hybrid and fuel cell vehicles. Today (2004) the major disadvantages of these vehicles are increased complexity and component costs. However, the decrease in cost of electrical components and the environmental concern make these vehicles more and more competitive. To make hybrid and fuel cell vehicles cost effective, a sensible system design plays a decisive role. Configuring, choosing, sizing and energy management of vital powertrain components determine how cost effective a system is. The powertrain is the system in a vehicle that develops and transmits traction power. A cost effective powertrain system is both fuel efficient and cheap in component cost. On the road and in the showroom today, hybrid vehicles are powered by both a small gasoline engine and an electric machine. By using the electric machine in combination with an energy buffer, braking energy can be regenerated. Thanks to the power assisting buffer, the engine can also be smaller in size. Energy management is a specific and crucial problem in hybrid vehicles; it determines how power is distributed between the buffer and the primary power unit. The primary power unit can be a combustion engine, a fuel cell or a high capacity battery. A computer tool THEPS has been developed by the author. THEPS uses simulation and optimization to propose a powertrain concept from requirements and conditions. An example of a requirement is the desired top speed of the vehicle. Some conditions are fuel price and interest rate. The approach is to regard the output from a simplified vehicle model as a function of design variables. Characteristics defined by the design variables are: type of powertrain, type and size of vital components and directives for the energy management. The intention is to minimize the operating cost of the vehicle, i.e. the sum of component, fuel and component wear cost. An evolutionary algorithm is utilized for optimization. For the complex nonlinear optimization problem, which exists in THEPS, such an algorithm is suitable because the solution space contains numerous local minima and is discontinuous. Another contribution is a library including powertrain models. The library is developed in the modeling language Modelica and includes models that are more detailed than the models used by THEPS. The objective with the library is to analyze hybrid powertrains proposed by THEPS. The thesis also describes the development of a scaled, hybrid electric, model car prototype. The primary power unit of the model car is a lead-acid battery and the buffer of the model car is a high-power super capacitor. Traction and steering of the car are radio remote controlled. Three case studies using THEPS are also included. In the first case study a powertrain is adapted to an existing city bus route in the Swedish city of G\uf6teborg. The second case study deals with a waste disposal truck and the third case study deals with a taxi car. The case studies indicate that new powertrain technologies can be competitive from a cost perspective, in some applications, already at present time. It is for example reasonable to equip heavy vehicles running in urban areas with hybrid powertrains. The case studies also indicate that hybrid and/or fuel cell cars can be a more cost effective choice than conventional cars in a near future (2015). Another indication is that it will not be clear for a customer which powertrain concept to choose. The reason is that many cost effective powertrain concepts will be offered. The best choice will depend on the application

A Methodology for the Design of Cost Effective Hybrid Vehicles

This thesis deals with system design of cost effective hybrid and fuel cell vehicles. Today (2004) the major disadvantages of these vehicles are increased complexity and component costs. However, the decrease in cost of electrical components and the environmental concern make these vehicles more and more competitive. To make hybrid and fuel cell vehicles cost effective, a sensible system design plays a decisive role. Configuring, choosing, sizing and energy management of vital powertrain components determine how cost effective a system is. The powertrain is the system in a vehicle that develops and transmits traction power. A cost effective powertrain system is both fuel efficient and cheap in component cost. On the road and in the showroom today, hybrid vehicles are powered by both a small gasoline engine and an electric machine. By using the electric machine in combination with an energy buffer, braking energy can be regenerated. Thanks to the power assisting buffer, the engine can also be smaller in size. Energy management is a specific and crucial problem in hybrid vehicles; it determines how power is distributed between the buffer and the primary power unit. The primary power unit can be a combustion engine, a fuel cell or a high capacity battery. A computer tool THEPS has been developed by the author. THEPS uses simulation and optimization to propose a powertrain concept from requirements and conditions. An example of a requirement is the desired top speed of the vehicle. Some conditions are fuel price and interest rate. The approach is to regard the output from a simplified vehicle model as a function of design variables. Characteristics defined by the design variables are: type of powertrain, type and size of vital components and directives for the energy management. The intention is to minimize the operating cost of the vehicle, i.e. the sum of component, fuel and component wear cost. An evolutionary algorithm is utilized for optimization. For the complex nonlinear optimization problem, which exists in THEPS, such an algorithm is suitable because the solution space contains numerous local minima and is discontinuous. Another contribution is a library including powertrain models. The library is developed in the modeling language Modelica and includes models that are more detailed than the models used by THEPS. The objective with the library is to analyze hybrid powertrains proposed by THEPS. The thesis also describes the development of a scaled, hybrid electric, model car prototype. The primary power unit of the model car is a lead-acid battery and the buffer of the model car is a high-power super capacitor. Traction and steering of the car are radio remote controlled. Three case studies using THEPS are also included. In the first case study a powertrain is adapted to an existing city bus route in the Swedish city of G\uf6teborg. The second case study deals with a waste disposal truck and the third case study deals with a taxi car. The case studies indicate that new powertrain technologies can be competitive from a cost perspective, in some applications, already at present time. It is for example reasonable to equip heavy vehicles running in urban areas with hybrid powertrains. The case studies also indicate that hybrid and/or fuel cell cars can be a more cost effective choice than conventional cars in a near future (2015). Another indication is that it will not be clear for a customer which powertrain concept to choose. The reason is that many cost effective powertrain concepts will be offered. The best choice will depend on the application

Modelling of Hybrid Electric Vehicles in Modelica for Virtual Prototyping

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