This Thesis is titled ?qThe availibility of support from the European Union energy saving in the trafic in South Bohemia region??. It is focuses on the situation in transport in the European Union and the Czech Republic. The transport strategy for next year is to use different types of alternative fuels. This Thesis will describe the possibility of taking the financial subsidies to promote the alternative sources of transport in the European Union, or other sources.

This master work deals with different fuels for trucks Scania and it is divided into theoretical and practical parts. The theoretical part describes the basic concepts related to the topic. The most important are associated with transport and transportation, categorization and types of vehicles, greening road transport or financing. Depending on the practical part it is also place great emphasis on selected types of fuels, their production and also their advantages and disadvantages. In the practical part is introduced Scania company and the products and services that the company offers. Furthermore, this section generally analyzes Scania offer of engines for different types of fuels, including technical recommendations. At the end of the practical part are described specific vehicles, which are compared from financial aspect, in terms of environmental impact and operational limitations. The aim of the study is to compare Scania trucks using diesel, biodiesel and CNG.

The name of this diploma thesis is „Evaluation of combustion engine fuel and its influence on the environment”. At the beginning there is a brief history of fuels. After that there is a chapter which divides fuels according to their state thus they are separate to three main types (solid state, gaseous state and liquid state). There are described main characteristics in the next part of this thesis which are heat of combustion, bulk density, dosage, volatility, resistance to detonation burning and mainly octane and cetane number. There are described currently used fuels for combustion engines right after the characteristic of fuels. These fuels are divided to fuels made of petroleum (gasoline, diesel, and LPG), fuels made of natural gas (CNG, and LNG), biofuels (bioethanol, biomethanol, vegetable oils – FAME and synthetic diesel fuel) and there is also an independent group of hydrogen. Thereafter are described European emission standards. The practical part of the thesis is focused on an analysis of previously mentioned fuels and there is a biggest focus on production of carbon dioxide. Other emissions are evaluated as well such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and NOx gases. The analysis is done on classical fuels like gasoline and diesel and also on alternative fuels such as CNG, LPG, E85, FAME and hydrogen. In the end there are tables and graphs which contains production of flue gases.

Cone cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels are located in the retinal outer segments, mediating daylight color vision. The channel is a tetramer of A-type (CNGA3) and B-type (CNGB3) subunits. CNGA3 subunits are able to form homotetrameric channels, but CNGB3 exhibits channel function only when co-expressed with CNGA3. Mutations in the genes encoding these cone CNG subunits are associated with achromatopsia, an autosomal recessive genetic disorder which causes incomplete or complete loss of daylight and color vision. A missense mutation, aspartatic acid (Asp) to asparagine (Asn) at position 262 in the canine CNGB3 subunit (cB3-D262N), results in loss of cone function and therefore daylight blindness, highlighting the crucial role of this aspartic acid residue for proper channel biogenesis and/or function. Asp 262 is located in a conserved region of the second transmembrane segment containing three Asp residues designated the Tri-Asp motif. We exploit the conservation of these residues in CNGA3 subunits to examine the motif using a combination of experimental and computational approaches. Mutations of these conserved Asp residues result in a loss of nucleotide-activated currents and mislocalization in heterologous expression. Co-expressing CNGB3 Tri-Asp mutants with wild type CNGA3 results in functional channels, however, their electrophysiological characterization matches the properties of homomeric CNGA3 tetramers. This failure to record heteromeric currents implies that Asp/Asn mutations impact negatively both CNGA3 and CNGB3 subunits. A homology model of canine CNGA3 relaxed in a membrane using molecular dynamics simulations suggests that the Tri-Asp motif is involved in non-specific salt bridge pairings with positive residues of S3 - S4. We propose that the CNGB3-D262N mutation in daylight blind dogs results in the loss of these interactions and leads to an alteration of the electrostatic equilibrium in the S1 - S4 bundle. Because residues analogous to Tri-Asp residues in the voltage-gated Shaker K+ channel superfamily were implicated in monomer folding, we hypothesize that destabilizing these electrostatic interactions might impair the monomer folding state in D262N mutant CNG channels during biogenesis. Another missesnse sense mutation, Arginine (Arg) to tryptophan (Trp) at position 424 in the canine CNGA3 subunit (cA3-R424W), also results in loss of cone function. An amino acid sequence alignment with Shaker K+ channel superfamily indicates that this R424 residue is located in the C-terminal end of the sixth transmembrane segment. A3-R424W mutant channels resulted in no cyclic nucleotide-activated currents and mislocalization with intracellular aggregates. However, the localization of cA3-R424W mutant channels was not affected as severely as the Asp/Asn mutation in S2 Tri-Asp motif, showing a lot of cells with the proper localization of Golgi-like and membrane fluorescence. Moreover, the substitution of Arg 424 to Lysine (Lys), conserving the positive charge, preserved channel function in some cells, which is different from the results of the S2 Tri-Asp motif in which the Asp/Glu substitutions, conserving the negative charge, leads to loss of cyclic nucleotide-activated currents. Even though these missense mutations are both associated with canine daylight blindness, the Arg 424 residue might not be as critical for folding as the Tri-Asp residues in the S2 Tri-Asp motif and might be more of a problem in channel structure and function. The cA3 model relaxed with MD simulations indicated a possible interaction of Arg 424 with the Glu 304 residue in the S4-S5 linker. This hypothesis is supported by electrophysiological data in which the double mutation of reversing these residues, Glu 306 to Arg and Arg 424 to Glu (E306R-R424E) preserves channel function. In the model, this salt bridge appears to contribute to stabilization of the open pore state. The R424W mutation might disrupt the salt bridge formation, leading to deforming and closing the pore region. / Biology

Yes / The natural gas as an alternative fuel has economical and environmental benefits. Bi-fuel engines powered by gasoline and compressed natural gas (CNG) are an intermediate and alternative step to dedicated CNG engines. The conversion to bi-fuel CNG engine could be a short-term solution to air pollution problem in many developing countries. In this paper a mathematical model of a bi-fuel four-stroke spark ignition (SI) engine is presented for comparative studies and analysis. It is based on the two-zone combustion model, and it has the ability to simulate turbulent combustion. The model is capable of predicting the cylinder temperature and pressure, heat transfer, brake work , brake thermal and volumetric efficiency, brake torque, brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), brake mean effective pressure (BMEP), concentration of CO2, brake specific CO (BSCO) and brake specific NOx (BSNOx). The effect of engine speed, equivalence ratio and performance parameters using gasoline and CNG fuels are analysed. The model has been validated by experimental data using the results obtained from a bi-fuel engine. The results show the capability of the model in terms of engine performance optimization and minimization of the emissions. The engine used in this study is a typical example of a modified bi-fuel engine conversion, which could benefit the researchers in the field.

La mouche Drosophila melanogaster est un modèle de choix dans l’étude des grandes fonctions neurophysiologiques notamment en raison de la disponibilité d’une importante variété d’outils disponibles (approches génétiques, pharmacologiques et comportementales). Le cerveau de la mouche, malgré sa simplicité apparente, est capable de traiter des fonctions complexes d’intégration des différents paramètres environnementaux nécessaires à sa survie. Dans le cerveau drosophile, les corps pédonculés (CP) sont des structures impliquées dans de nombreuses fonctions neurophysiologiques de premier plan telles que l'apprentissage et la mémoire olfactive, la régulation de l’activité locomotrice, l'orientation spatiale, la régulation du sommeil ou encore la prise de décision. Il a été montré par des approches associant essentiellement observations comportementales et outils génétiques que la voie de signalisation de l'AMPc joue un rôle crucial dans la réalisation des fonctions diverses des CP. Les cellules de Kenyon (CK) qui sont les cellules intrinsèques des CP, reçoivent principalement des afférences du système olfactif par l’intermédiaire des neurones de projections (PN) en provenance des lobes antennaires et des afférences neuromodulatrices (dopaminergiques et octopaminergiques). Les synapses entres PN et CK se font sur un mode cholinergique grâce à des récepteurs canaux à l’acétylcholine de type nicotinique (nAchR). Nous avons utilisé une technique récente d’imagerie calcique par bioluminescence utilisant une protéine recombinante, la GFP-Aequorine. Cette technique nous a permis de suivre l’activité cellulaire calcique consécutive à l’application de nicotine, un agoniste des nAchR. Grâce à l’observation de ces réponses suite à une combinaison d’approches génétiques corroborée par des approches pharmacologiques, nous avons pu mettre en évidence une modulation complexe et régionalisée de la réponse calcique dans les CP par l’AMPc et d’autres différents partenaires tels que des canaux K+ et Ca2+. Dans un premier temps, nous avons démonté l’existence d’une modulation directe de l’intensité de la réponse par l’AMPc. Nous avons également montré, pour la première fois, que des réponses Ca2+ « spontanées » peuvent être directement inductibles par augmentation de l’AMPc. Nous avons mis en évidence l’existence d’un nouveau partenaire de la modulation de la réponse des CP indépendant de la PKA : les CNG (Cyclic Nucleotides Gated Channels) dont le rôle n’avait jusqu’ici jamais été démontré dans les corps pédonculés. Enfin nous avons pu observer une régionalisation de la régulation de l’activité Ca2+ des CP par l’AMPc. Dans un deuxième temps nous nous somme intéressé aux principales conductances calciques et potassiques. Nous avons mis en évidence que différents canaux calciques voltages dépendants (VGCC) sont impliqués de façon régionalisée et séquentielle dans la formation de la réponse calcique. Il a pu également être démontré que le signal est modulé de façon différentielle dans les calices et les lobes par l’AMPc à travers différents canaux potassiques. Enfin des protocoles originaux ont été développés, tels que la micro application de drogue ou l’électrostimulation permettant d’étudier la neuromodulation dans les CP, à réutiliser pour des travaux ultérieurs du laboratoire. Ce travail est une première étape dans la compréhension des voies de signalisations et des mécanismes intracellulaires impliqués dans l’apprentissage et la mémoire olfactive. / In Drosophila, the Mushroom-Bodies (MBs) are implicated in multiple functions, as olfactory learning and memory, locomotor activity, spatial orientation, sleep, decision making, and up to now but indirectly, in various addiction. Notably, the MBs, which express the nAchR, receive their main inputs from the cholinergic olfactory pathways, through the Projections Neurons (PNs). In this thesis we characterized, at the cellular and molecular levels, the nicotine effect on the Kenyon cells (KCs: the intrinsic neurons) of the Mushroom-Bodies. We used the in-Vivo brain imaging approach, based on the Ca2+-Sensitive bioluminescent probe (GFP-Aequorin), to characterize the nicotinic induced Ca2+-Response on the KCs of the MBs. More specifically we searched the role of different partners involved in the cAMP pathway, in order to understand their roles in the different components of the response and in its modulation. First using both genetics and pharmacological approaches to interfere with different components of the cAMP signaling pathway, we first show that the Ca2+-Response is proportional to the levels of cAMP. Second, we reveal that an acute change in cAMP levels is sufficient to trigger a Ca2+-Response. Third, genetic manipulation of protein kinase A (PKA), a direct effector of cAMP, suggests that cAMP also has a PKA-Independent effect through the cyclic nucleotide-Gated Ca2+-Channel (CNG). Finally, the disruption of calmodulin, one of the main regulators of the rutabaga adenylate cyclase (AC), yields different effects between the calyx/cell-Bodies and the lobes, suggesting a differential and regionalized regulation of ACSecond we exploited both genetic approaches to interfere with different types of Ca2+- and K+-Channels, first we show that the disruption of the VGCC, as cacophony, Dmcα1d and Dmcα1g lead to a striking decrease of the Ca2+-Response both in the CCB and the lobes. Moreover, for two of them, cacophony and Dmcα1d, the duration of the response is importantly increased. Second, the disruption of the fast inactivating K+-Currents, as shaker (sh), shaker-Like (shal) and slowpoke (slo) reveal that the knocked-Down of shal and slo lead to a striking decrease of the Ca2+-Response, while the knocked-Down of sh has only a mild effect. Interestingly, the stimulation of the adenylate cyclase (AC) by the forskolin with the various K+-Channels disruption show an antagonist effect of the cAMP in the CCB between sh (inhibitory) and slow (excitatory) while AC simulation mediate excitatory effects in the ML though both shal and sh. Finally, the knock-Down of the two slow inactivating K+-Currents as shaker w (shaw) and shaker b (shab) also yields to a strong decrease of the Ca2+-Response In conclusion, our results provide new insights into the complexity of the Ca2+-Response in the MBs and are a first step toward deciphering the roles of the VGCC and K+-Channels in the multiples roles of the MBs. Finaly we developed several original protocols to explore the role of the neuromodulation on the KC.This work constitutes an important step toward a better understanding of the pathway required in learning and memory.

Numerical simulations have proven itself as a significant and powerful tool for accurate prediction of turbulent premixed flames in practical engineering devices. The work presented in this thesis concerns the development of simulation techniques for premixed turbulent combustion of three different fuels, namely, CNG, LPG and Hydrogen air mixtures. The numerical results are validated against published experimental data from the newly built Sydney combustion chamber. In this work a newly developed Large Eddy Simulation (LES) CFD model is applied to the new Sydney combustion chamber of size 50 x 50 x 250 mm (0.625 litre volume). Turbulence is generated in the chamber by introducing series of baffle plates and a solid square obstacle at various axial locations. These baffles can be added or removed from the chamber to adapt various experimental configurations for studies. This is essential to understand the flame behaviour and the structure. The LES numerical simulations are conducted using the Smagorinsky eddy viscosity model with standard dynamic procedures for sub-grid scale turbulence. Combustion is modelled by using a newly developed dynamic flame surface density (DFSD) model based on the flamelet assumption. Various numerical tests are carried out to establish the confidence in the LES based combustion modelling technique. A detailed analysis has been carried out to determine the regimes of combustion at different stages of flame propagation inside the chamber. The predictions using the DFSD combustion model are evaluated and validated against experimental measurements for various flow configurations. In addition, the in-house code capability is extended by implementing the Lewis number effects. The LES predictions are identified to be in a very good agreement with the experimental measurements for cases with high turbulence levels. However, some disagreement were observed with the quasi-laminar case. In addition a data analysis for experimental data, regarding the overpressure, flame position and the flame speed is carried out for the high and low turbulence cases. Moreover, an image processing procedure is used to extract the flame rate of stretch from both the experimental and numerical flame images that are used as a further method to validate the numerical results. For the grids under investigation, it is concluded that the employed grid is independent of the filter width and grid resolution. The applicability of the DFSD model using grid-independent results for turbulent premixed propagating flames was examined by validating the generated pressure and other flame characteristics, such as flame position and speed against experimental data. This study concludes that the predictions using DFSD model provide reasonably good results. It is found that LES predictions were slightly improved in predicting overpressure, flame position and speed by incorporating the Lewis number effect in the model. Also, the investigation demonstrates the effects of placing multiple obstacles at various locations in the path of the turbulent propagating premixed flames. It is concluded that the pressure generated in any individual configuration is directly proportional to the number of baffles plates. The flame position and speed are clearly dependent on the number of obstacles used and their blockage ratio. The flame stretch extracted from both the experimental and numerical images shows that hydrogen has the highest stretch values over CNG and LPG. Finally, the regime of combustion identified for the three fuels in the present combustion chamber is found to lie within the thin reaction zone. This finding supports the use of the laminar flamelet modelling concept that has been in use for the modelling of turbulent premixed flames in practical applications.

My diploma thesis deals with alternative drive cars that are still more popular these times. Due to limited supplies of oil fields car factories turn their attention to the development of alternative drives, which would be independent of exhaustible resources. The aim of the work will mainly compare the economic efficiency of current alternative fuel vehicles, where belong hybrid drives, electric drives, but also a unit for compressed gas or biofuels, to the current conventional drives. This comparison will be done from the perspective of the end consumer who will decide on the purchase of alternative drive mainly because of its indicating cost savings. Another important part of the evaluation is whether alternative fuels are actually more environmentally friendly and are actually counted all the costs. For this analysis I will provide a variety of specialized studies dealing with the issue of alternative propulsion friendliness to the environment.

<p>This paper aims to examine how the driving forces of the Swedish CNG market have impacted OKQ8’s strategies. This has been conducted through the four drivers’ coercive-, market-, resource- and social drivers. The papers conclusion is that all drivers impact on OKQ8’s strategy but that coercive drivers have the most significant impact on the CNG market and OKQ8’s strategy. OKQ8’s decision to establish a cooperation together with E.ON was smart decision since they minimized their own ambiguity in this market that depends on governmental policies and incentives.</p>

This paper aims to examine how the driving forces of the Swedish CNG market have impacted OKQ8’s strategies. This has been conducted through the four drivers’ coercive-, market-, resource- and social drivers. The papers conclusion is that all drivers impact on OKQ8’s strategy but that coercive drivers have the most significant impact on the CNG market and OKQ8’s strategy. OKQ8’s decision to establish a cooperation together with E.ON was smart decision since they minimized their own ambiguity in this market that depends on governmental policies and incentives.