Critical evaluation of the battery electric vehicle for sustainable mobility

Can Battery Electric Vehicles replace conventional internal combustion engine vehicles for commuting purposes when exposed to a busy corporate activity within the city of Edinburgh?This thesis investigates the application of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) use in a commercial business environment in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland UK. The motivation behind this work is to determine if the Battery Electric Vehicle can replace conventional fossil fuel vehicles under real world drive cycles and the desire by many to combat the causes of climate change.Due to the nature of this work a significant part of the work will be underpinned by the quantitative methodology approach to the research. As the question indicates the research is supported by real live data coming from the vehicle both in proprietary data logging as well as reading and analysing the data coming from the vehicles own Electronic Control Unit (ECU).There will be mixed research methodology encompassing quantitative and qualitative research to obtain a complete response in respect to the management of the vehicle these methodologies will be the analysis of the measurable data as well as explorative, to gain the underlying reasons and motivations for choosing a battery electric vehicle as an option to the conventional vehicle for this type of application use

Explaining lecture attendance behavior via structural equation modeling: Self-Determination Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior

Some research suggests that university lecture attendance positively correlates with academic performance. Although there are several motivational pathways which may explain attendance, few studies have examined the psychosocial factors leading to student attendance intentions and behavior. Consequently, we evaluated via structural equation modeling (SEM) two prominent motivational theories to help explain lecture attendance: Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Undergraduates (N = 288) from two universities completed pre-semester motivation measurements and post-semester estimates of attendance. Student grades were also examined. SDT was not found to be an accurate model of attendance intentions or behavior. By contrast, TPB was found to be an adequate model to help explain attendance intentions and behavior. Lecture attendance did not significantly correlate with grades. If educators and students are committed to increasing lecture attendance rates, our findings suggest that the enhancement of perceived behavioral control, as well as optimistic intentions, may yield the greatest benefits with respect to students meeting their lecture attendance expectations

Development status of AEOLDOS - a deorbit module for small satellites

A prototype CubeSat module to deploy a gossamer aerobrake, using strain stored in tape-springs, at end-of-life is described. A novel hub geometry to reduce bending shock at end-of-deployment while simultaneously permitting radial, as opposed to tangential, deployment is proposed. The rpm of the hub is measured under various deployment conditions to verify that the system offers highly-repeatable performance, while high-speed photography is used to characterise the behaviour of the tape-spring during unspooling and contrast it to the behaviour of a traditional tangential-deployment system. Secondly the folding pattern of the membrane, which takes advantage of the symmetrical deployment offered by the petal hub, is developed and the unfolding mechanism is verified by numerical and experimental analysis. Finally, the release of the stored strain is considered and a novel burn-though device is designed and prototyped to meet this requirement

Driven Performance of Electric Vehicles in Edinburgh and Its Environs

Fuelled by energy security problems and urban air pollution challenges, several countries worldwide have set the objective to gradually eliminate petrol and diesel cars. The increasing support from government and demands for environmental friendly means of transportation are accelerating the use of battery electric vehicles. However, it is indispensable to have accurate and complete information about their behaviour in different traffic situations and road conditions. For the experimental analysis carried out in this study, three different electric vehicles from the Edinburgh College leasing program were equipped and tracked to obtain over 50 GPS and energy consumption data for short distance journeys in the Edinburgh area and long-range tests between Edinburgh and Bristol (UK). The results showed that the vehicles’ energy intensities were significantly affected by the driving cycle pattern, with a noticeable diminution due to low temperatures. It was found that the real available range of the electric vehicle in some situations could be 17% lower than the predicted mileage shown in the dashboard of the vehicle. The difference from the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) values was even higher. The study has also provided a discussion on the effect of the electricity mix on carbon emission reduction

Energetic, environmental and economic performance of electric vehicles: Experimental evaluation

Fuelled by a rapidly rising human global population, an increasing demand for freedom to travel and the affordability made possible by modern manufacturing there has been an exponential rise in the number of automobiles – in the year 2013 there were in excess of a billion automobiles in use! Three factors that are of serious concern are the consequential energetic, environmental and economic impacts. One solution that is being seen by a number of national governments is the advent (or rather re-introduction) of electric vehicles (EVs). However, one of the key factors that will need to be explored will be the source of the required electricity for the EVs that will define the level of their sustainability.In this article an experimental evaluation of an electric vehicle has been undertaken. The Renault Zoe e-car has been used for this task with the ‘car chasing’ technique employed to measure the driving cycle. The speed and energy use were recorded for the vehicle that was driven along the principal arteries of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. In a separate activity vehicle driving tests were also undertaken in one town in Slovenia (Celje). In both places urban and suburban routes were covered for different times of the day. Results are presented to quantify the energetic, environmental and economic performance indices for the driven vehicle. A discussion is also provided on the potential for reduction of carbon emissions from the transport sector by provision of environmentally-friendly means of generating electricity

Regulators of G protein signalling proteins in the human myometrium

The contractile state of the human myometrium is controlled by extracellular signals that promote relaxation or contraction. Many of these signals function through G proteincoupled receptors at the cell surface, stimulating heterotrimeric G proteins and leading to changes in the activity of effector proteins responsible for bringing about the response. G proteins can interact with multiple receptors and many different effectors and are key players in the response. Regulators of G protein signalling (RGS) proteins are GTPase activating proteins for heterotrimeric G proteins and help terminate the signal. Little is known about the function of RGS proteins in human myometrium and we have therefore analysed transcript levels for RGS proteins at various stages of pregnancy (non-pregnant, preterm, term non-labouring, term labouring). RGS2 and RGS5 were the most abundantly expressed isolates in each of the patient groups. The levels of RGS4 and RGS16 (and to a lesser extent RGS2 and RGS14) increased in term labouring samples relative to the other groups. Yeast two-hybrid analysis and co-immunoprecipitation in myometrial cells revealed that both RGS2 and RGS5 interact directly with the cytoplasmic tail of the oxytocin receptor, suggesting they might help regulate signalling through this receptor. Key words: G protein-coupled receptors; labour; myometrium; RGS protein

Increased Expression of GΑ q/11 and of Phospholipase-CΒ1/4 in Differentiated Human NT2-N Neurons

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65268/1/j.1471-4159.2000.0742322.x.pd

Angiotensin-(1-7) and angiotensin-(1-9): function in cardiac and vascular remodeling

The renin angiotensin system (RAS) is integral to cardiovascular physiology, however, dysregulation of this system largely contributes to the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is well established that angiotensin II (Ang II), the main effector of the RAS, engages the angiotensin type 1 receptor and promotes cell growth, proliferation, migration and oxidative stress, all processes which contribute to remodeling of the heart and vasculature, ultimately leading to the development and progression of various CVDs including heart failure and atherosclerosis. The counter-regulatory axis of the RAS, which is centered on the actions of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and the resultant production of angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7) from Ang II, antagonizes the actions of Ang II via the receptor Mas, thereby providing a protective role in CVD. More recently, another ACE2 metabolite, Ang-(1-9), has been reported to be a biologically active peptide within the counter-regulatory axis of the RAS. This review will discuss the role of the counter-regulatory RAS peptides, Ang-(1-7) and Ang-(1-9) in the cardiovascular system, with a focus on their effects in remodeling of the heart and vasculature