Gonçalo Duarte

Evaluation of low power electric vehicles in demanding urban conditions: An application to Lisbon

This research paper analyses the use of four electric vehicles, two motorcycles (EM) and two small low powered electric vehicles (EV) in an urban environment with demanding topography and driving profile. The vehicles were compared with conventional technologies using a methodology that was developed to estimate its drive cycle (EV-DC) as well as the corresponding energy consumption, in a life-cycle approach. This methodology uses real-world driving cycles as input performed with conventional vehicles, in this case, on representative routes in Lisbon, and estimates the impacts on the driving cycle considering that an electric vehicle was used. The deviation between the original and the estimated driving cycles for electric vehicles was quantified considering the power and speed limitations of the electric vehicles and the average speed and trip time impacts were quantified. The results indicate up to 13% longer trip time for the vehicles and up to 25% longer trip time for motorcycles, resulting of reductions in average trip speed of up to 11 and 20% respectively. In terms of fuel efficiency, the electric technologies considered may reduce the Tank-to-Wheel (TTW) energy consumption in average 10 times for the vehicles and 4 times for the motorcycles. However, the reductions in a Well-to-Wheel (WTW) approach are reduced to a 5 times reduction in energy consumption for vehicles and a 2 times reduction for motorcycles. In all, this methodology corresponds to an innovative way oThis research paper analyses the use of four electric vehicles, two motorcycles (EM) and two small low powered electric vehicles (EV) in an urban environment with demanding topography and driving profile. The vehicles were compared with conventional technologies using a methodology that was developed to estimate its drive cycle (EV-DC) as well as the corresponding energy consumption, in a life-cycle approach. This methodology uses real-world driving cycles as input performed with conventional vehicles, in this case, on representative routes in Lisbon, and estimates the impacts on the driving cycle considering that an electric vehicle was used. The deviation between the original and the estimated driving cycles for electric vehicles was quantified considering the power and speed limitations of the electric vehicles and the average speed and trip time impacts were quantified. The results indicate up to 13% longer trip time for the vehicles and up to 25% longer trip time for motorcycles, resulting of reductions in average trip speed of up to 11 and 20% respectively. In terms of fuel efficiency, the electric technologies considered may reduce the Tank-to-Wheel (TTW) energy consumption in average 10 times for the vehicles and 4 times for the motorcycles. However, the reductions in a Well-to-Wheel (WTW) approach are reduced to a 5 times reduction in energy consumption for vehicles and a 2 times reduction for motorcycles. In all, this methodology corresponds to an innovative way of understanding how low-powered electric technologies, both vehicles and motorcycles, would perform in specific applications to replace conventional technologies, both in terms of trips statistics and of energy and environmental performance.f understanding how low-powered electric technologies, both vehicles and motorcycles, would perform in specific applications to replace conventional technologies, both in terms of trips statistics and of energy and environmental performance.

Real-Time Feedback Impacts on Eco-Driving Behavior and Influential Variables in Fuel Consumption in a Lisbon Urban Bus Operator

The main purposes of this research were, in a first stage, to assess the impacts of real-time feedback on the driving behavior of bus drivers, considering vehicle age and type and drivers experience and, in a second stage, to identify the main influential variables in fuel consumption. Data was collected with an on-board device used by a Portuguese urban bus transport operator. Significant increases in the performance of undesirable events were observed without real-time feedback, followed by decreases with the restart of real-time feedback. Higher increases (between 6% and 170%) were observed when driving Mini vehicles in comparison with other bus types, particularly in extreme accelerations, excess rpm, extreme braking, and hard starts. Furthermore, a General Linear Model was applied to assess the most influential variables on fuel consumption. Vehicle type and age are the most influential variables on fuel consumption, with minibuses presenting higher increases when compared with standard buses. Increases up to 3% were observed leading to an extra 3769 liters of fuel consumed when feedback was not provided. Decreases in fuel consumption between 0.3% and 2% were observed with real-time feedback, avoiding the consumption of 4280 L of fuel. The results obtained in this paper provide bus companies with insightful information for the development of future operational strategies and training programs.

Energy and environmental characterization of operational modes of plug-in vehicles

This paper presents an energy and environmental characterization of the two most relevant Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles available in the market (Opel Ampera and Toyota Prius Plug-in), in order to provide an estimate of fuel and electricity consumption, tailpipe emissions and charge depleting mode mileage for any drive cycle studied, based on vehicle specific power methodology. These vehicles were monitored under real-world operation with a portable laboratory that collects data from vehicle sensors (via on-board diagnosis port), exhaust gas composition and GPS in a second-by-second basis. An indirect method to measure battery energy fluxes and consequently estimating electric range was developed, providing maximum errors for the Charge Depleting driving range of 4.2% for the Toyota Prius Plug-in and -0.2% for the Opel, when comparing with measured data. Regarding fuel consumption, the maximum error verified was of -4.1%. Using two driving profiles measured in Portugal and the USA, the performance of the two vehicles under charge depleting (CD) and charge sustaining (CS) conditions was compared. Major findings indicate that Opel Ampera is more efficient in CD mode, while the Prius Plug-In is more efficient under CS conditions, but highly dependent on driving behavior when in CD mode.

One millennium of historical freshwater fish occurrence data for Portuguese rivers and streams

The insights that historical evidence of human presence and man-made documents provide are unique. For example, using historical data may be critical to adequately understand the ecological requirements of species. However, historical information about freshwater species distribution remains largely a knowledge gap. In this Data Descriptor, we present the Portuguese Historical Fish Database (PHish–DB), a compilation of 2214 records (557 at the basin scale, 184 at the sub-basin scale and 1473 at the segment scale) resulting from a survey of 194 historical documents. The database was developed using a three-scale approach that maximises the inclusion of information by allowing different degrees of spatial acuity. PHish database contains records of 25 taxonomical groups and covers a time span of one millennium, from the 11th until the 20th century. This database has already proven useful for two scientific studies, and PHish further use will contribute to correctly assess the full range of conditions tolerated by species, by establishing adequate benchmark conditions, and/or to improve existing knowledge of the species distribution limits.

Engine cold start analysis using naturalistic driving data: City level impacts on local pollutants emissions and energy consumption

The analysis of vehicle cold start emissions has become an issue of utmost importance since the cold phase occurs mainly in urban context, where most of the population lives. In this sense, this research work analyzes and quantifies the impacts of cold start in urban context using naturalistic driving data. Furthermore, an assessment of the influence of ambient temperature on the percentage of time spent on cold start was also performed. Regarding the impacts of ambient temperature on cold start duration, a higher percentage of time spent on cold start was found for lower ambient temperatures (80% of the time for 0°C and ~50% for 29°C). Results showed that, during cold start, energy consumption is >110% higher than during hot conditions while emissions are up to 910% higher. Moreover, a higher increase on both energy consumption and emissions was found for gasoline vehicles than for diesel vehicles. When assessing the impacts on a city perspective, results revealed that the impacts of cold start increase for more local streets. The main finding of this study is to provide evidence that a higher increase on emissions occurs on more local streets, where most of the population lives. This kind of knowledge is of particular relevance to urban planners in order to perform an informed definition of public policies and regulations to be implemented in the future, to achieve a cleaner and healthier urban environment.

Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and hematologic malignancy: a systematic review of case reports and case series

OBJECTIVE Demographic and clinical characteristics associated with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) are well described. Patients with hematologic neoplasms may share some of these characteristics, and it may be useful clinically to better understand this set of patients. Our objective is to review systematically the characteristics of patients with both hematologic malignancies and NAION. DESIGN Systematic review. PARTICIPANTS Patients with NAION diagnosis related in time to a hematologic neoplasm. METHODS Data sources for the study included MEDLINE, Web of Science, LILACS, SciELO, and OpenGrey. The study eligibility criteria included case reports and case series. RESULTS We found 261 records, with 15 studies included plus our case report. A total of 19 patients (8 female) with mean age of 54.6 years (range, 12-87) were analyzed: 37% (7) non-Hodgkin lymphoma; 26% (5) myeloproliferative neoplasms; 21% (4) myelodysplasia; 16% (3) leukemias. The limitations included verification bias, inability to test statistical association between NAION and hematologic neoplasms, the small number of cases, and confounding factors related to medical history and specific interventions in each case limited the robustness of our conclusions. CONCLUSIONS Our results identified the characteristics of patients with NAION and hematologic neoplasms related in time. Additional observational studies may enlighten the importance of looking for evidence of an occult neoplastic disorder in patients presenting with NAION. A prompt diagnosis would be of invaluable significance for the best management, in terms of follow-up and therapeutics.

Analysis of the Cochrane Review: Antihistamines for the Common Cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;11:CD009345.

The common cold is an acute, self-limiting inflammation of the mucosa of the upper airways, which may involve one or all the sinuses, nasopharynx, oropharynx and larynx. It is common to have at least one episode per year. Common cold symptoms, which may include sore throat, sneezing, nasal congestion, runny nose, headache, malaise and mild fever usually disappear within a few days without treatment. The causative agent of most colds is rhinovirus. Although not associated with mortality, common cold is associated with significant morbidity. There is no vaccine or cure for common cold and, therefore, their treatment is centered on relieving the symptoms. This Cochrane review aimed to synthesize the existing evidence about the clinical benefit of antihistamines, used as monotherapy, compared with placebo or no treatment in children and adult patients with common cold. A total of 18 randomized clinical trials with 4342 participants were included. Main results were: 1) Antihistamines have a small (days one and two) beneficial effect in the short term on the severity of overall symptoms in adult patients, although this effect is not present in the medium to long term; 2) antihistamines were not associated with a clinically significant beneficial effect on the individual symptoms (nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, and sneezing); 3) Antihistamines are not associated with an increased risk of adverse effects; 4) No conclusion can be made about the effectiveness of antihistamines in pediatric populations. Our interpretation of the results is that the available evidence is insufficient to support the prescription or buying OTC antihistamines to relieve the symptoms of common cold without allergic component.

ICT for Mobility Pattern and Driver Behavior Characterization: Trial Case-Study in the City of Lisbon, Portugal

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) may provide additional opportunities for energy savings and avoided emissions in the transportation sector, namely by using on-board devices for large scale urban sensing on the road network. This research work presents a preliminary analysis, using an on-board device, of the mobility patterns of a five driver sample in Lisbon, Portugal. The results for the average driver are: 54 km traveled and 5 trips per day; average trip distance of 11 km; and average speed of 31 km/h. Weekdays are characterized with higher vehicle usage (7% more distance, 28% more time and 10% more trips). Aggressiveness indicators are concentrated 80% on weekdays and the comparison of driving patterns indicates up to 58% of variations on fuel consumption. The monitoring technology used allows a seamless transition to longer monitoring periods and sample enlarging with more robust and accurate results.

Impact on Biker Effort of Electric Bicycle Utilization: Results from On-Road Monitoring in Lisbon, Portugal

The objective of this work was to estimate the biker real physiological impacts (more specifically heart rate) of using electric bicycles (EB) instead of conventional bicycles (CB), by developing an appropriate methodology for on-road bio-signals data analysis. From the on-road monitoring data of 6 bikers, 2 routes and 3 bicycles in Lisbon, the results indicate a 57 % average reduction in HR variation from the use of EB, since under high power demanding situations, the electric motor attenuates human effort. The energy expenditure evaluation indicates that the total energy spent reaches ≈70 Wh/km for CB, while for EB that value is of ≈51 Wh/km of human energy (28 % lower than the CB) and ≈9 Wh/km of electricity consumption, resulting in a total of ≈60 Wh/km. As a result, using the EB allow a 14 % reduction in the total energy per km compared to the CB.