Public Charging Infrastructure and the Market Diffusion of Electric Vehicles

A comprehensive roll-out of public charging infrastructure will be costly. However, its impact on the diffusion of electric vehicles (EVs) is not clear at all. Our study aims at estimating the extent to which an increasing availability of public charging infrastructure promotes consumers’ decisions to switch to EVs. We make use of a German data set including monthly registrations of new cars at the ZIP-code level between 2012 and 2017 and match it with the official registry of charging stations. We measure charging infrastructure by its visibility, capacity and abundance in order to estimate its impact on EV adoption. A CS-ARDL approach is deployed in order to identify the structural long-run relationship between charging infrastructure and monthly EV registrations. There is evidence of a positive long-run relationship but on a rather low scale. We conclude that consumers do not necessarily react to the mere number of chargers but attach more importance to charging speed

Empathic ability as a determinant of children\u27s attitude toward handicapped peers.

The role of empathy in children\u27s attitudes toward handicapped peers was investigated in the present study. Empathic ability was found to be significantly correlated with positive attitudes toward handicapped peers (r =.48). Females scored significantly higher in empathy and positive attitudes toward the handicapped than males. Furthermore, children at higher grade levels demonstrated greater empathic ability and more positive attitudes than children at lower grade levels. The Kids on the Block program was successful in improving attitudes toward the handicapped; however, the change in attitudes resulting from the intervention was not related to the children\u27s empathic ability. It was concluded that empathy may play a significant role in attitude modification, if the intervention utilized permits the formation of an empathic connection with a handicapped individual. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1990 .I555. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 30-03, page: 0908. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1990

Reforma režimu prospektu

v českém jazyce Tato diplomová práce se zabývá probíhající reformu režimu prospektu v Evropské unii. Dne 30. listopadu 2015 představila Evropská komise návrh nového nařízení, jež by mělo nahradit stávající Směrnici o prospektu. Hlavním cílem této práce je zjistit nedostatky současné právní úpravy prospektu a kriticky zanalyzovat návrh Evropské komise za účelem určení, zda tyto nedostatky řeší a zda celkově představuje zlepšení právní úpravy prospektu. Práce sestává ze tří hlavních částí: první popisuje prospekt cenného papíru, jeho hlavní charakteristiky a současnou právní úpravu v EU; druhá zkoumá a analyzuje text samotného návrhu nařízení a činí závěry ohledně vhodnosti navržených změn; třetí a závěrečná část práce se zabývá otázkou odpovědnosti za obsah prospektu s ohledem na určení rozhodného práva. Na základě provedeného výzkumu dospívám k závěru, že hlavními nedostatky současné právní úpravy jsou vysoké náklady spojené s přípravou prospektu, neflexibilní požadavky na zveřejnění pro určité typy emitentů, neefektivní ochrana retailových investorů a rozdílné procesy a implementace Směrnice o prospektu v členských státech EU. Návrh Evropské komise většinu těchto nedostatků řeší a představuje zlepšení současného režimu, měl by však být více ambiciózní a zavést další změny. Současně je však třeba...in English This diploma thesis explores the ongoing reform of the prospectus regime in the European Union. On 30 November 2015, the European Commission presented a proposal for a new regulation, which is to replace the current so-called Prospectus Directive. The primary aim of this thesis is determine the shortcomings of the current prospectus regime and to critically analyze the proposal in order to determine, whether it addresses these shortcomings and whether it improves the prospectus regime in general. The thesis consists of three main parts: the first introduces the prospectus, its characteristics and current regulation in the EU; the second explores and analyses the proposal itself and makes conclusions on the proposed changes; the third and final part explores the topic of prospectus liability and conflict-of-law rules. Based on the conducted research I arrive at the conclusion that the biggest issues of the current prospectus regime are the high costs connect to the preparation of a prospectus, inflexible disclosure requirements for certain types of issuers, ineffective retail investor protection and diverging implementation of the Prospectus Directive across EU member states. While the European Commission's proposal addresses most of these shortcomings and certainly represents an...Department of Financial Law and FinancesKatedra finančního práva a finanční vědyPrávnická fakultaFaculty of La

Suitability study for real-time depth map generation using stereo matchers in OpenCV and Python

Stereo imaging provides an easy and cost-effective method to measure 3D surfaces, especially due to the availability of extensive free program libraries like OpenCV. An extension of the application to the field of forestry was aimed at here in the context of a project to capture the elevation profile of forest roads by means of stereo imaging. For this purpose, an analysis of the methods contained in OpenCV for the successful generation of depth maps was carried out. The program sections comprised the reading of the image stream, the image correction on the basis of calibrations carried out in advance as well as the generation of the disparity maps by the stereo matchers. These are then converted back into depth maps and stored in suitable memory formats. A data set of the image size 1280x864 pixels consisting of 30 stereo image pairs was used. The aim was to design an evaluation program which allows the processing of the described steps within one second for 30 image pairs. With a sequential processing of all steps under the used test system and the usage of a local stereo matcher a processing time of 4.37 s was determined. Steps to reduce the processing time included parallelizing the image preparation of the two frames of the image pair. Further reduction in total processing time was achieved by processing multiple image pairs simultaneously and using storage formats without compression. A total processing time of 0.8 s could be achieved by outsourcing the stereo matching to the graphics card. However, the tested method did not achieve the desired resolutions in depth as well as in the image plane. This was made possible by using semi-global matchers, which are up to 10 times slower but significantly more accurate, and which were therefore used for further investigations of the forest path profile

Investigation into the implementation of a multimodal 3D measurement system for a forestry harvesting process

In the context of digitalization, monitoring and traceability are also becoming increasingly important in the forestry sector. An essential component of the most efficient value creation is the recording of relevant characteristics right from the start. The optical and tactile recording of characteristics, such as diameter and volume, have been solved to a large extent in the harvesting of heavy timber, but differs significantly from that of small timber. This paper is about an investigation on the implementation of a multimodal 3D sensor system, which is used for the stable detection of biomass directly in the harvesting process of weak wood. System technical possibilities are shown how biomass can be determined directly during the harvesting process by means of multimodal 3D measurement technology. Considerations regarding possible measurement principles and methods result in two methods, which are discussed within this thesis regarding their advantages and disadvantages. The development stages are presented in detail up to the practical tests, which also includes the acquisition of empirical a priori information. Finally, data are determined by means of test scenarios, which prove the principle functionality and make the methods evaluable

Transitioning from crates to free farrowing: A roadmap to navigate key decisions

There are animal welfare concerns about the continued use of permanent crating systems for farrowing and lactating sows, which is the most prevalent maternity system in global pig production. Greater societal attention in recent years has culminated in changes (or proposed changes) to regulations as well as market-driven initiatives to move away from crated systems. Transitioning from farrowing crates to systems that allow the sow greater freedom of movement and behavioral expression requires a number of key decisions, with various trade-offs apparent when trying to balance the needs of different stakeholders. This review discusses these decisions based on common questions asked by farmers, policy makers and other stakeholders when deciding on a new system to build/approve. Based on the latest scientific evidence and practical insight, decisions such as: whether to retrofit an existing barn or build a new one, what spatial dimensions are necessary per sow place, whether to adopt free farrowing or temporary crating, how to provide substrate/enrichment and be hygienic and environmentally friendly, and how to optimize the human inputs and transition between systems are considered. The aim of this paper is to provide a roadmap for those interested in uptake of higher welfare systems and practices, as well as to highlight areas requiring further optimization and research

Snížení dopadů zemědělské činnosti zlepšením zdraví, welfare a výživy prasat v ekologickém zemědělství

Snížení dopadů zemědělské činnosti zlepšením zdraví, welfare a výživy prasat v ekologickém zemědělství Setkání se uskutečnilo 9. 12. 2014 v rámci setkání členů České technologické platformy pro ekologické zemědělství. Byly prezentovány první výsledky projektu ProPig, prezentace bookletu pro farmáře a nejnovější ustájení pro laktující prasnice. Ze strany farmářů byl projeven velký zájem o příručku pro farmáře. Proběhla také velice zajímavá diskuze týkající se nové technologie pro ustájení laktujících prasnic

A new wireless system for decentralised measurement of physiological parameters from shake flasks

BACKGROUND: Shake flasks are widely used because of their low price and simple handling. Many researcher are, however, not aware of the physiological consequences of oxygen limitation and substrate overflow metabolism that occur in shake flasks. Availability of a wireless measuring system brings the possibilities for quality control and design of cultivation conditions. RESULTS: Here we present a new wireless solution for the measurement of pH and oxygen from shake flasks with standard sensors, which allows data transmission over a distance of more than 100 metres in laboratory environments. This new system was applied to monitoring of cultivation conditions in shake flasks. The at-time monitoring of the growth conditions became possible by simple means. Here we demonstrate that with typical protocols E. coli shake flask cultures run into severe oxygen limitation and the medium is strongly acidified. Additionally the strength of the new system is demonstrated by continuous monitoring of the oxygen level in methanol-fed Pichia pastoris shake flask cultures, which allows the optimisation of substrate feeding for preventing starvation or methanol overfeed. 40 % higher cell density was obtained by preventing starvation phases which occur in standard shake flask protocols by adding methanol when the respiration activity decreased in the cultures. CONCLUSION: The here introduced wireless system can read parallel sensor data over long distances from shake flasks that are under vigorous shaking in cultivation rooms or closed incubators. The presented technology allows centralised monitoring of decentralised targets. It is useful for the monitoring of pH and dissolved oxygen in shake flask cultures. It is not limited to standard sensors, but can be easily adopted to new types of sensors and measurement places (e.g., new sensor points in large-scale bioreactors)