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Abstract Communication between vehicles and road infrastructure can enable more efficient use of the road network and hence reduce congestion in urban areas. This improvement can be enhanced by distributed control due to its lighter computational load and higher reliability. Despite favourable impacts on traffic, little is known about the effects of such systems on near-road air quality. In this study, an End-To-End (E2E) dynamic distributed routing algorithm in Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) was applied in downtown Toronto, to identify whether benefits to network throughput were associated with lower near-road NO2 concentrations. We observe significant reductions in the emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) with increased penetration of CAVs. Nonetheless, at times, the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) increased with higher CAVs. Besides, a higher frequency and severity of NO2 hot-spots were observed under a 100% CAV scenario. Impacts of the proposed system on electric energy consumption in a full electric vehicle network were also investigated, indicating that the addition of CAVs that are electric did not contribute to high energy savings. We propose that such new transformative technologies in transportation should be designed with air pollution and public health goals.

Alcoholism and alcohol abuse represent a significant medical and societal problem, and have been thoroughly investigated in humans as well as using animal models. A less well understood aspect of alcohol related disorders is the possible effect of this drug on offspring whose parents were exposed prior to conception. The zebrafish has been successfully employed in alcohol research, however, the effect of exposing the parents to alcohol before fertilization of the eggs on offspring has not been demonstrated in this species. In this proof of concept study, we attempt to address this hiatus. We exposed both adult male and female zebrafish to 0.0% (control) or 0.5% (vol/vol) alcohol chronically for 7 days, subsequently bred the fish within their respective treatment group, collected the fertilized eggs, allowed them to develop, and tested the behavior of free-swimming offspring at their age of 7-9 days post-fertilization. We conducted the analysis in two genetically distinct quasi-inbred strains of zebrafish, AB and TL. Although gross morphology and general activity of the fish appeared unaffected, we found significant behavioral alterations in offspring of alcohol exposed parents compared to offspring of control parents in both strains. These alterations included robustly increased duration and reduced frequency of immobility, increased turn angle, and increased intra-individual variance of turn angle in offspring of alcohol exposed parents in both strains. The mechanisms underlying these behavioral effects or whether the effects are due to exposure of the father, the mother, or both to alcohol are unknown. Nevertheless, our results now set the stage for future studies with zebrafish that will address these questions.

Abstract The building industry has been developing measures for reducing operational emissions in the fight against climate change. Some of these well-intentioned measures may result in higher embodied emissions, potentially more than offsetting reductions achieved during operation. This research evaluates the effectiveness of different levels of application of five passive energy efficiency measures to reduce life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in high-rise residential buildings in Toronto, Canada, while considering projected future climate and GHG intensity of energy sources. Through combining and automating life cycle assessment and energy simulation on a visual programing interface, the study evaluates 16,128 envelope variants, examining 56 wall, 12 roof, 6 window assemblies and 4 window-to-wall ratios (WWRs). Decreasing the WWR is found to be the most effective measure to reduce total envelope related GHG emissions (by about 28%). Increasing wall and roof insulation with GHG intensive materials (e.g., extruded polystyrene [XPS]), and increasing spandrel wall insulation potentially augment total emissions, depending on the scenario. Higher trade-offs between embodied and operational emissions are found when highly efficient electric HVAC systems are implemented (e.g., heat pumps). Results demonstrate it is imperative to assess both embodied and operational emissions during the design process of building envelopes to effectively reduce GHG emissions.

Abstract 1. 1. For three groups of rats, intraperitoneal injections of either 250, 500, or 1000 mg/kg ethanol were paired with a distinctive environment and later a choice was offered between that environment and one that had previously been associated with saline injections. 2. 2. For a second set of three groups of animals the identical procedure was followed except that food was available in both the environment paired with ethanol and the one paired with saline. 3. 3. The rats showed no preference or aversion for the environment paired with the 250 mg/kg dose either when the drug was given alone or when combined with the availability of food. No preference or aversion for the 500 mg/kg dose was indicated when the drug was given alone, but the same dose combined with food was preferred to food plus saline. The 1000 mg/kg dose was found to be aversive when given by itself, yet the same dose was neither aversive nor preferred when combined with the availability of food. 4. 4. These findings suggest that ethanol can interact with food, a positive reinforcer, in ways that cannot be predicted from the effect of the drug when presented alone.

Abstract For the first time the electrical conductivity of bamboo biographite-based material reported a ground-breaking milestone of 4.4 × 104 (S/m). This reported conductivity by far exceeded all previous reported conductivity measurements obtained from renewable carbon. Controlled high-temperature thermal carbonization of biomass, notably Asian bamboo, at extended residence times elicited surprising growth of nano-layered biographitic structures with a layer-to-layer distance of less than 0.3440 nm. Moreover, thermodynamically dispersed bamboo and pine biographitic nano-layered carbon-based lightweight composites in a polyamide matrix were found to be intrinsically conductive both thermally and electrically. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding device made from bamboo renewable carbon/cellulose nanofiber (CNF) composites possesses EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of ∼23 dB. These results constitute a new advancement in the materials science of nano-layered graphites from renewables and their applications as EMI filtering devices and as electrode materials in air cathodes, electronics, supercapacitors in energy storage devices, and thermal management of batteries and sensors.

The antithyroid drug propylthiouracil (PTU) has been shown previously to reduce hepatic oxygen utilization and to protect the liver from ethanol-induced injury. The present study examined the effect of PTU on hepatic microsomal oxygen consumption and on the activities of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CYP-reductase) and cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) in rats receiving ethanol or acetone chronically. Liver microsomes from rats treated with ethanol for 29 days displayed increases in (i) O2 consumption (70%), (ii) hydroxyl radical (.OH) production (49%) and (iii) ethanol oxidation (50%). Microsomal CYP2E1 levels were increased markedly by chronic ethanol administration, while CYP-reductase was affected marginally, but not significantly (P = 0.06). Chronic treatment with acetone for 14 days, produced similar effects, except that .OH production was not enhanced. Administration of PTU (25 mg/kg/day) to ethanol- or acetone-fed rats, for 10 and 14 days, respectively, led to a marked reduction in the levels and activity of CYP-reductase, and to a decrease in the rates of microsomal O2 consumption, .OH production and ethanol oxidation, but did not lower the levels of CYP2E1 or the metabolism of the CYP2E1 substrate N,N-nitrosodimethylamine. These data suggest that the ability of PTU to protect the liver from ethanol-induced injury may be due to a reduction in the levels of CYP-reductase, thereby minimizing the enhancement of microsomal oxygen consumption and free radical generation associated with ethanol-induced CYP2E1 activity.

The author presents a method for reducing transient torsional stresses of steam turbine-generators in series-capacitor-compensated power systems, which are equipped with ZnO varistor schemes. The fundamental concept is to reduce the coupling between the electrical network and the shaft system with respect to the troublesome torsional frequency. The electrical network and the rotating shaft system are coupled through the generator air-gap torque. This coupling can be attenuated by unbalancing the network with respect to the phenomenon of torsional oscillations. This is achieved by setting the protective voltage levels of the three phases of a three-phase series capacitor at unequal values. The technical feasibility of the proposed method is demonstrated on a test system, using the BPA Electromagnetic Transients Program (EMTP) as the study tool. The impact of the proposed countermeasure on the transient torques of the system, as a result of different disturbances, is demonstrated. The limitations of the proposed method are discussed. >

Abstract A time domain model is applied to a three-dimensional point absorber wave energy converter. The dynamical properties of a semi-submerged hemisphere oscillating around a pivot point where the vertical height of this point is above the mean water level are investigated. The numerical model includes the calculation of the non-linear hydrostatic restoring moment by a cubic polynomial function fit to laboratory test results. Moreover, moments due to viscous drag are evaluated on the oscillating hemisphere considering the horizontal and vertical drag force components. The influence on the motions of this non-linear effect is investigated by a simplified formulation proportional to the quadratic velocity. Results from experiments are shown in order to validate the numerical calculations. All the experimental results are in good agreement with the linear potential theory as long as the waves are sufficiently mild i.e. H / λ ≤ 0.02 . For steep waves, H / λ ≥ 0.04 however, the relative velocities between the body and the waves increase thus requiring inclusion of the non-linear hydrostatic restoring moment to effectively predict the dynamics of the wave energy converter. For operation of the device with a passively damping power take-off the moment due to viscous drag is found to be negligible.