A computer-controlled system, based on the design of S. Brown et al. at the Ontario Cancer Institute, Canada, has been developed for uniform heating of mouse tumors. A steady hyperthermic temperature was maintained in the tumor by combining waterbath heating with RF-heating. The RF field was provided by a transmitter which was connected to two steel capacitive plates via a matching circuit. 50% isotonic saline kept at a temperature 2°C below that in the tumor was circulated in the waterbath. The saline prevented overheating of the skin and provided coupling between the RF field and the tumor. A computer program has been written to measure continually the temperature in the tumor with implanted fine thermocouples. The program also controlled the average RF power delivered to the tumor by switching the transmitter on and off at appropriate intervals. The system has been tested on tumor xenografts growing in the thigh of nude mice. A steady temperature of 42° or 44°c has been maintained in the tumor for up to an hour. The system could be used to study the effect of hyperthermia on the uptake of radiolabelled tumor-associated antibodies and the treatment of tumors by such antibodies. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

Hybrid vehicles are an important technology for reducing oil use and transportation-related emissions. It is well-known that hybrid and electric vehicles are often designed and tested using standard cycles such as the Highway Fuel Economy Test (HWY), Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS), and the US06 Supplementary Federal Test Procedure (US06). However, this begs the questions: How does real world driving compare to these cycles? Can a vehicle be designed using real world driving data which saves fuel in the real world compared to a vehicle designed using standard cycles? This thesis investigates this issue using a set of 5000km of real world driving data by light-duty pickup trucks, with the goal to optimize the fuel savings of a mild hybrid truck. The challenge with using a model-based design approach on thousands of kilometers of real driving data is the long model run-time required to iterate through plant and control parameters. Thus, this work develops a novel script which reduces optimization time by 78%. The key is to run the full model of the non-hybrid truck one time on the full driving data set, and then use the resulting vehicle speed, engine efficiency, engine torque, and engine speed, as inputs to the faster script. The script is then used to quickly iterate through the driving data set many times to find optimal control and plant parameters. In this work, exhaustive search is used; however, evolutionary optimization algorithms could also be used and would benefit from the fast script iteration on real world driving cycles. Overall, the use of the real world driving set for design of the mild hybrid truck resulted in a 7.10% decrease in fuel consumption compared to the non-hybrid truck, while the use of standard driving cycles for design resulted in a 5.45% fuel consumption decrease compared to the non-hybrid truck. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

This work describes the design, development and research applications of a Modular Automotive Technology Testbed (MATT). MATT is built to evaluate technology components in a hybrid vehicle system environment. MATT can also be utilized to evaluate energy management and torque split control strategies and to produce physical measured component losses and emissions to monitor emissions behavior. In the automotive world, new technology components are first developed on a test bench and then they are integrated into a prototype vehicle for transient evaluation from the vehicle system perspective. This process is expensive and the prototype vehicles are typically inflexible in hardware and software configuration. MATT provides flexibility in component testing through its component module approach. The flexible combination of modules provides a vehicle environment to test and evaluate new technology components. MATT also has an open control system where any energy management and torque split strategy can be implemented. Therefore, the control's impact on energy consumption and emissions can be measured. MATT can also emulate different types and sizes of vehicles. MATT is a novel, unique, flexible and powerful automotive research tool that provides hardware-based data for specific research topics. Currently, several powertrain modules are available for use on MATT: a gasoline engine module, a hydrogen engine module, a virtual scalable energy storage and virtual scalable motor module, a manual transmission module and an automatic transmission module. The virtual battery and motor module uses some component Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) principles by utilizing a physical motor powered from the electric grid in conjunction with a real time simulation of a battery and a motor model. This module enables MATT to emulate a wide variety of vehicles, ranging from a conventional vehicle to a full performance electric vehicle with a battery pack that has virtually unlimited capacity. A select set of PHEV research studies are described in this dissertation. One of these studies had an outcome that influenced the PHEV standard test protocol development by SAE. Another study investigated the impact of the control strategy on emissions of PHEVs. Emissions mitigation routines were integrated in the control strategies, reducing the measured emissions to SULEV limits on a full charge test. A special component evaluation study featured in this dissertation is the transient performance characterization of a supercharged hydrogen internal combustion engine on MATT. Four constant air-fuel ratio combustions are evaluated in a conventional vehicle operation on standard drive cycles. Then, a variable air fuel ratio combustion strategy is developed and the test results show a significant fuel economy gain compared to other combustion strategies, while NOx emissions levels are kept low. / Ph. D.

The development of a rule-based hybrid energy management strategy for a parallel P4 full hybrid without access to a functional prototype is presented. A simulation model is developed using component bench data and validated using EPA-reported fuel economy test data, including a proposal for complete criteria for valid test results using EPA speed error and SAE J2951 parameters. A combined Willans line model is proposed for the engine and transmission, with control modes based on efficiency-derived power thresholds. Algorithms are proposed for battery state of charge (SOC) management including engine loading and one pedal strategies. Vehicle drive quality with the hybrid control strategy is analyzed, with acceleration and jerk managed through axle torque rate limits and filters. The simulated control strategy for the hybrid vehicle has an energy consumption reduction of 20% for the Hot 505, 3.6% for the HWFET, and 12% for the US06 compared to the stock vehicle. For standard drive cycles, battery SOC is maintained within 20% to 80% safe limits, with charge balanced behavior achieved. Jerk contributions of the hybrid powertrain are generally kept below a 10 m/s3 tolerable limit, with peaks of 15 m/s3 tuned for vehicle launch drive quality. The complete energy management strategy proposed improves fuel economy compared to baseline data while maintaining vehicle drive quality and is considered well-rounded and ready for in-vehicle testing and implementation. / Master of Science / A hybrid electric vehicle with an engine on the front axle and an electric motor on the rear axle is analyzed. A control strategy is developed based on a set of rules with different modes depending on the vehicle speed and accelerator pedal position, switching between using only the electric motor, only the engine, and a combination of both. The control strategy increases fuel economy while maintaining the charge level of the hybrid battery pack and providing a smooth and enjoyable driving experience.

Growing environmental and economic concerns have driven recent efforts to produce more fuel efficient and lower emissions vehicles. These goals are reflected by the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV), a government, industry, and educational partnership in the United States. The major goal of this partnership is to have production vehicles by 2010 to address these concerns. Ideally, these vehicles will achieve three times the current fuel economy while drastically lowering emissions levels, without sacrificing the features, comfort, and performance of current conventional automobiles. Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) are automobiles which have both electric drivetrains and fuel-consuming powerplants. HEVs provide some of the most promising designs with the capability of meeting the PNGV goals. However, the development of these vehicles within the next ten years will require accurate, flexible simulation tools. Such a simulation program is necessary in order to quickly narrow the technology focus of the PNGV to those HEV configurations and components which are best suited for these goals. Therefore, the simulation must be flexible enough to encompass the wide variety of components which could possibly be utilized. Finally, it must be able to assist vehicle designers in making specific decisions in building and testing prototype automobiles. One of the most widely used computer simulation tools for HEVs is the ADvanced VehIcle SimulatOR (ADVISOR) developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This program is flexible enough to operate on most platforms in the popular MATLAB/SIMULINK programming environment. The structure of ADVISOR makes it ideal for interchanging a variety of components, vehicle configurations, and control strategies. Its modern graphical user interface allows for easy manipulation of various inputs and outputs. Also, the capability to quickly perform parametric and sensitivity studies for specific vehicles is a unique and invaluable feature of ADVISOR. However, no simulation tool is complete without being validated against measured vehicle data so as to ensure the reliability of its predictions. ADVISOR has been tested using data from a number of student-built HEVs from the top engineering colleges and universities around the country. As ADVISOR evolves to meet the changing needs of the vehicle design teams, this testing continues to ensure that ADVISOR maintains its usefulness as a simulation tool. One current validation study was recently completed at Virginia Tech using the FutureCar Challenge entry. This paper details the validation of ADVISOR using the Virginia Tech Lumina, a series HEV. The basic structure of the ADVISOR code is covered to ensure the validity of the vehicle modeling techniques used. The modeling process is discussed in detail for each of the major components of the hybrid system: transmission, electric motor and inverter, auxiliary power unit (fuel and emissions), batteries, and miscellaneous vehicle parameters. The integration of these components into the overall ADVISOR model is also described. The results of the ADVISOR simulations are then explained and compared to measured vehicle data on energy consumption, fuel efficiency, emissions output, and control strategy function for a variety of driving cycles and test procedures. Uncertainties in the measured data are discussed. Finally, the discrepancies between predicted and actual behavior are analyzed. This validation process shows that ADVISOR has extensive value as a simulation tool for HEVs. The existing limitations of the program are also detailed, with recommendations for improvement. / Master of Science

A growing dependence on foreign oil, along with a heightened concern over the environmental impact of personal transportation, had led the U. S. government to investigate and sponsor research into advanced transportation concepts. One of these future technologies is the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), typically featuring both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, with the goal of producing fewer emissions while obtaining superior fuel economy. While vehicles such as the Virginia Tech designed and built HEV Lumina have provided a substantial proof of concept for hybrids, there still remains a great deal of research to be done regarding optimization of hybrid vehicle design. This optimization process has been made easier through the use of ADVISOR, a MATLAB simulation program developed by the U. S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab. ADVISOR allows one to evaluate different drivetrain and subsystem configurations for both fuel economy and emissions levels. However, the present version of ADVISOR uses a constant power model for the auxiliary power unit (APU) that, while effective for cursory simulation efforts, does not provide for a truly accurate simulation. This thesis describes modifications made to the ADVISOR code to allow for the use of a load sharing APU scheme based on models developed from vehicle testing. Results for typical driving cycles are presented, demonstrating that the performance predicted by the load sharing simulation more closely follows the results obtained from actual vehicle testing. This new APU model also allows for easy adaptation for future APU technologies, such as fuel cells. Finally, an example is given to illustrate how the ADVISOR code can be used for optimizing vehicle design. This work was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy under contract XCG-6-16668-01 for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. / Master of Science

No

The Subject of this work is the optimization of the control stratgy for a Plug-In Range Extender in order to decrease CO2 emissions with respect to the regulations. Therefore, the vehicle is equipped with a gasoline combustion engine, a high voltage battery and two electric motors. One electric motor propells the front axle and the other one is connected to the combustion engine to generate electric power. The control is restricted by customer requirements due to the concept of the vehicle. A Model-in-the-Loop is created to simulate the control strategy with support of a battery model. Therefore, the control strategy is optimized in a Matlab/Simulink environment. The simulation results are compared to tests on the dynamometer rig. The optimization highly depends on the specific goal function, which can be a global optimization or a local minimum to balance the State of Charge. Furthermore, customer related drive cycles are taken into account to analyze the control strategy. / Master of Science

The use of alternative fuels and advanced powertrain technologies has been increasing over the past few years as vehicle emissions and fuel economy have become prominent in both manufacturer needs and consumer demands. With more hybrids emerging from all automotive manufacturers, the use of computer modeling has quickly taken a lead in the testing of these innovative powertrain designs. Although on-vehicle testing remains an important part of the design process, modeling and simulation is proven to be an invaluable tool that can be applied anywhere from preliminary powertrain design to controller software validation. The Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team (HEVT) of Virginia Tech is applying for participation in the next Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition. EcoCAR 3 is a new four year competition sponsored by the Department of Energy and General Motors with the intention of promoting sustainable energy in the automotive sector. The goal of the competition is to guide students from universities in North America to create new and innovative technologies to reduce the environmental impact of modern day transportation. EcoCAR 3, like its predecessors, will give students hands-on experience in designing and implementing advanced technologies in a setting similar to that of current production vehicles. The primary goals of the competition are to improve upon a provided conventional, internal combustion engine production vehicle by designing and constructing a powertrain that accomplishes the following: • Reduce Energy Consumption • Reduce Well-to-Wheel (WTW) Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions • Reduce Criteria Tailpipe Emissions • Maintain Consumer Acceptability in the area of Performance, Utility, and Safety • Meet Energy and Environmental Goals, while considering Cost and Innovation This paper presents a systematic approach in selecting a powertrain for HEVT to develop in the upcoming competition using model-based design. Using a base set of powertrain component models, several powertrain configurations are modeled and tested to show the progression from a basic conventional vehicle to several advanced hybrid vehicles. Each model is designed to generate energy consumption data, efficiency, emissions, as well as many other parameters that can be used to compare each of the powertrain configurations. A powertrain design is selected to meet the goals of the competition after exploring many powertrain configurations and energy sources. Three parallel powertrains are discussed to find a combination capable of meeting the target energy consumption and WTW GHG emissions while also meeting all of the performance goals. The first of these powertrains is sized to model a typical belted alternator starter (BAS) system and shows small improvements over a conventional vehicle. The next design is a parallel through the road hybrid that is sized to meet most power needs with an electric motor and a smaller IC engine. This case comes closer to the design goals, but still falls short on total energy consumption. Lastly, the battery and motor size are increased to allow a charge depleting mode, adding stored grid electricity to the energy sources. This electric energy only mode is able to displace a large amount of the fuel energy consumption based on the SAE J1711 method for determining utility factor weighted energy consumption of a plug-in hybrid vehicle. The final design is a Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle using E85 fuel and a 7 kWh battery to provide an all-electric charge depleting range of 34 km (21 mi). / Master of Science

Tesis por compendio / The present PhD thesis, entitled "Design of novel bio-gated nanomaterials for sensing and therapeutic applications", is focused on the design, preparation, characterization and evaluation of new smart hybrid organic-inorganic materials for their applications on the field of sensing and controlled drug delivery. The first chapter of this thesis introduces the concept of organic-inorganic hybrid materials containing switchable "gate-like" ensembles and their applications in the detection of chemical and biochemical species and as suitable materials for drug delivery applications. The second chapter describes the preparation of an aptamer-capped mesoporous material for the fluorogenic detection of thrombin in human plasma and serum. For the preparation of the material dye-loaded MCM-41 particles were capped with a thrombin aptamer (TBA). In the presence of thrombin, TBA was displaced from the surface due to the formation of TBA-protein complex, triggering the release of the dye. The capped system was tested in simulated human blood plasma and in PBS buffer with 10% of human serum and achieved a low limit of detection (LOD) for thrombin. Moreover, the prepared material displayed great selectivity for thrombin in the presence of other non-exclusive binding proteins. The gated-nanomaterial resulted suitable to perform an accurate thrombin detection in human serum. In the third chapter a new fluorogenic sensing nanoprobe for the detection of As(III) is described. The system consists of the combination of MSNs with an aptamer (Ars-3), which possesses a very high affinity to As(III), as a pore blocking agent. The sensitivity of the nanocarrier for As(III) was further studied. Furthermore, the selectivity of the nanocarrier towards As(III) in the presence of other cations was also successfully verified. In addition, the sensor allowed accurate As(III) determination in real media. The fourth chapter reports a novel proof-of-concept to detect Mycoplasma genomic DNA and cocaine. The new approach combined gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. In particular, two gated-hybrid mesoporous materials loaded with a SERS reporter and capped with suitable oligonucleotide sequences to detect Mycoplasma genomic DNA or cocaine, were prepared. Release of the reporter was triggered from the different materials by the presence of the corresponding target, and was detected by SERS upon adsorption on gold nanotriangles. This novel procedure allowed detecting Mycoplasma genomic DNA and cocaine with a high selectivity and sensitivity. The fifth chapter describes the development of a nanodevice able to deliver insulin as a function of the glucose concentration, in simulated human blood plasma. The glucose-driven nanomaterial consisted of ß-cyclodextrin-modified glucose oxidase (CD-GOx)-capped silica nanoparticles loaded with insulin. The reaction of glucose by the capping enzyme (GOx) triggered insulin release in a self-regulated manner. Furthermore, the response to glucose was found to be selective and other saccharides were unable to deliver the entrapped insulin. We hope the results obtained in this thesis may inspire further works to design smart nanodevices with application in analytical chemistry, clinical or environmental assays and self-regulated drug delivery systems. / La presente tesis doctoral, titulada "Diseño de nuevos nanomateriales con puertas moleculares biológicas para aplicaciones de detección y terapéuticas", se centra en el diseño, preparación, caracterización y evaluación de nuevos materiales híbridos orgánicos-inorgánicos inteligentes para su aplicación en el campo de la detección y liberación controlada de fármacos. El primer capítulo de la presente tesis introduce el concepto de los materiales híbridos orgánicos-inorgánicos funcionalizados con puertas moleculares y su aplicación en la detección de especies químicas y bioquímicas de interés y como materiales adecuados para su aplicación en liberación controlada de fármacos. El segundo capítulo describe la preparación de un material mesoporoso con aptámeros como puerta moleculares, para la detección fluorogénica de trombina en plasma y suero humano. En la preparación del material se utilizaron partículas de MCM-41 cargadas con un colorante y cuyos poros se taparon con un aptámero que reconoce la proteína trombina (TBA). En presencia de trombina el TBA se desplazó de la superficie debido a la formación del complejo TBA-proteína permitiendo así la liberación del colorante. El funcionamiento del material se evaluó en plasma humano simulado y en PBS con 10% de suero humano y se alcanzó un bajo límite de detección (LOD) para trombina. Además, el material resultó ser selectivo para trombina en presencia de otras proteínas no específicas. El nanomaterial resultó adecuado para la detección precisa de trombina en suero humano. En el tercer capítulo se describe una nuevo nanomaterial sensor para la detección fluorogénica de As (III). El sistema consiste en la combinación de nanopartículas mesoporosas de sílice (MSNs) con un aptámero (Ars-3), que posee una alta afinidad por el As(III), como agente bloqueante de los poros. Además, se estudió la sensibilidad del nanomaterial para As(III). Por otro lado, se demostró la selectividad del nanomaterial para As(III) en presencia de otros cationes. Adicionalmente, el sensor permitió una determinación precisa de As(III) en un medio real. El cuarto capítulo describe una novedosa prueba de concepto para la detección de ADN genómico de Mycoplasma y cocaína. El nuevo enfoque combinó MSNs con puertas moleculares y espectroscopía Raman amplificada en superficie (SERS). En particular, se prepararon dos materiales híbridos con puertas moleculares y cargados con un reportero SERS. Como puertas moleculares se utilizaron dos secuencias de oligonucleótidos para detectar ADN genómico de Mycoplasma o cocaína. La liberación del reportero SERS desde los materiales se indujo por la presencia del analito correspondiente, y fue detectado por SERS tras su adsorción sobre nanotríangulos de oro. Este nuevo procedimiento permitió detectar ADN genómico de Mycoplasma y cocaína con alta selectividad y sensibilidad. El quinto capítulo describe el desarrollo de un nanodispositivo capaz de liberar insulina en función de la concentración de glucosa en plasma sanguíneo humano simulado. El nanomaterial consiste en nanopartículas de sílice funcionalizadas cuyos poros se taparon con la enzima glucosa-oxidasa modificada con ß-ciclodextrinas (CD-GOx) y cargadas con insulina. La reacción de la glucosa por la enzima bloquenate (GOx) desencadenó la liberación autorregulada de insulina. Asimismo, se encontró que la respuesta a la glucosa era selectiva y otros azúcares no indujeron la liberación de la insulina cargada. Esperamos que los resultados obtenidos en esta tesis puedan inspirar otros trabajos para diseñar nanodispositivos inteligentes con aplicación en la química analítica, ensayos clínicos o medioambientales y en sistemas de liberación autorregulada de fármacos. / La present tesi doctoral, titulada "Disseny de nous nanomaterials amb portes moleculars biològiques per a aplicacions de detecció i terapèutiques", es centra en el disseny, preparació, caracterització i avaluació de nous materials híbrids orgànics-inorgànics intel·ligents per a la seua aplicació en el camp de la detecció i lliberació controlada de fàrmacs. El primer capítol de la present tesi introduïx el concepte dels materials híbrids orgànics-inorgànics funcionalizats amb portes moleculars i la seua aplicació en la detecció d'espècies químiques i bioquímiques d'interés i com a materials adequats per a la lliberació controlada de fàrmacs. El segon capítol descriu la preparació d'un material mesoporós amb aptámeros com a porta molecular, per a la detecció fluorogénica de trombina en plasma i sèrum humà. En la preparació del material es van utilitzar partícules de MCM-41 carregades amb un colorant i els porus del qual es van tapar amb un aptàmer que reconeix la proteïna trombina (TBA). En presència de trombina el TBA es va desplaçar de la superfície a causa de la formació del complex TBA-proteïna permetent així l'alliberament del colorant. El funcionament del material es va avaluar en plasma humà simulat i en PBS amb 10% de sèrum humà i es va aconseguir un baix límit de detecció (LOD) per a trombina. A més, el material va resultar ser selectiu para trombina en presència d'altres proteïnes no específiques. El nanomaterial va resultar adequat per a la detecció precisa de trombina en sèrum humà. En el tercer capítol es descriu un nou nanomaterial sensor per a la detecció fluorogènica d'As(III). El sistema consistix en la combinació de nanopartícules mesoporoses de sílice (MSNs) amb un aptàmer (Ars-3), que posseïx una alta afinitat per l'As(III), com a agent bloquejant dels porus. A més, es va estudiar la sensibilitat del nanomaterial per a As(III). D'altra banda, es va demostrar la selectivitat del nanomaterial per a As(III) en presència d'altres cations. Addicionalment, el sensor va permetre una determinació precisa d'As(III) en un medi real. El Quart capítol descriu una nova prova de concepte per a la detecció de ADN genòmic de Mycoplasma i cocaïna. El nou enfocament va combinar MSNs amb portes moleculars i espectroscòpia Raman amplificada en superfície (SERS). Concretament, es van preparar dos materials híbrids amb portes moleculars i carregats amb un reporter SERS. Com a portes moleculars es van utilitzar dos seqüències d'oligonucleòtids per a detectar ADN genòmic de Mycoplasma o cocaïna. L'alliberament del reporter SERS des dels materials es va induir per la presència de l'anàlit corresponent, i va ser detectada per SERS després de la seua adsorció sobre nanotriangles d'or. Este nou procediment va permetre detectar ADN genòmic de Mycoplasma i cocaïna amb alta selectivitat i sensibilitat. El quint capítol descriu el desenrotllament d'un nanodispositiu capaç d'alliberar insulina en funció de la concentració de glucosa en plasma sanguini humà simulat. El nanomaterial consistix en nanopartícules de sílice funcionalizades els porus del qual es van tapar amb l'enzim glucosa-oxidasa modificada amb ß-ciclodextrinas (CD-GOx) i carregades amb insulina. La reacció de la glucosa per l'enzim bloquejant (GOx) va desencadenar l'alliberament autoregulat d'insulina. Així mateix, es va trobar que la resposta a la glucosa va ser selectiva i altres sucres no van induir la lliberació de la insulina carregada. Esperem que els resultats obtinguts en aquesta tesi puguen inspirar nus treballs per a dissenyar nanodispositius intel·ligents amb aplicació en la química analítica, assajos clínics o mediambientals i en sistemes de lliberació autoregulada de fàrmacs. / Oroval Cucarella, MDM. (2017). Design of novel bio-gated nanomaterials for sensing and therapeutic applications [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/78836 / Compendio