How do policy incentives influence the adoption of electric vehicles?

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are an effective way to reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. BEVs result in lower energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and urban air pollution compared to internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). Although the uptake of EVs has been significant in a short period of time, most government goals for adoption have not been met and the number of BEVs on the road is still low. Therefore, in order to reduce current greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector, a vast number of governments have implemented different policy incentives, aiming to stimulate the mass adoption of electric vehicles. The policy makers have introduced two main types of policies – purchase-based and use-based. This work seeks to determine the relationship of those policy incentives to the market deployment of BEVs to mainstream consumers with demographics and vehicle attribute preferences most common to today’s new vehicle purchasers. Moreover, this research argues that policies intending to stimulate the uptake of BEVs should not focus on mainstream consumers, but instead they should refocus on niche markets and early adopters, targeting them differently. Regarding to that, this work also presents findings, that that there are two main groups of early adopters – high-end and low-end adopters, which have different socio-economic profile and different opinions of their vehicles with high-end adopters viewing their BEVs more preferentially. BEV policies approaching early adopters and niche markets differently would create complementary system that will lead to increased BEV market penetration and realization of intended societal benefits.Os veículos eléctricos a bateria são uma forma eficaz de reduzir o consumo de combustível fóssil e a emissão de gases de efeito de estufa. Os VEB para além de terem como resultado um consumo de energia e emissão de gases significativamente mais reduzidos, têm um impacto menor na poluição atmosférica urbana, em comparação, aos veículos com motor de combustão interna. Embora a receptividade dos VE tenha aumentado significativamente num curto período de tempo, a maioria dos objetivos governamentais e incentivos à adopção de VE ficaram aquém e consequentemente, o número de VE na estrada é consideravelmente baixo. Com o objectivo de reduzir a emissão de gases de efeitos de estufa provenientes do sector dos Transportes, um vasto número de entidades governamentais implementou diversas políticas de incentivos com a finalidade de estimular a adopção em massa de VE. Os decisores políticos introduziram dois tipos de medidas: baseadas na compra ou na utilização. Este trabalho de investigação visa determinar a relação destas políticas de incentivos com o desenvolvimento do mercado de VE para consumidores mainstream, com características demográficas e preferências de atributos mais comuns aos novos compradores de veículos. Essencialmente, esta investigação tem como argumento que os focos deveriam ser mercados de nicho e novos consumidores (early adopters), ao invés de consumidores mainstream. Esta investigação apresenta, ainda, resultados como a distinção de dois grupos de early adopters - high-end and low-end adopters – que têm diferentes perfis socioeconómicos e diferentes preferências quanto à escolha dos veículos. As políticas dedicadas aos veículos eléctricos a bateria dirigidas a mercados de nicho e early adopters iriam criar uma forma complementar de impulsionar a penetração de mercado dos veículos eléctricos a bateria e a concretização dos benefícios sociais pretendidos

Role of Sterylglucosidase 1 (Sgl1) on the pathogenicity of Cryptococcus neoformans: Potential applications for vaccine development

Cryptococcosis caused by C. neoformans and C. gattii affects a large population and is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality. Despite its public health burden, there are currently no vaccines against cryptococcosis and new strategies against such infections are needed. In this study, we demonstrate that C. neoformans has the biochemical ability to metabolize sterylglucosides (SGs), a class of immunomodulatory glycolipids. Genetic manipulations that eliminate cryptococccal sterylglucosidase lead to the accumulation of SGs and generate a mutant strain (Îsgl1) that is non-pathogenic in the mouse models of cryptococcosis. Interestingly, this mutant strain acts as a vaccine strain and protects mice against cryptococcosis following infection with C. neoformans or C. gattii. The immunity induced by the Îsgl1 strain is not CD4+ T-cells dependent. Immunocompromised mice, which lack CD4+ T-cells, are able to control the infection by Îsgl1 and acquire immunity against the challenge by wild-type C. neoformans following vaccination with the Îsgl1 strain. These findings are particularly important in the context of HIV/AIDS immune deficiency and suggest that the Îsgl1 strain might provide a potential vaccination strategy against cryptococcosis