Impact of Public Charging Infrastructure on the Adoption of Electric Vehicles in London

The discussion on the importance of public charging infrastructure is usually framed around the ‘chicken-egg’ challenge of consumers feeling reluctant to purchase without the necessary infrastructure and policy makers reluctant to invest in the infrastructure without the demand. However, public charging infrastructure may be more crucial to EV adoption than previously thought. Historically, access to residential charging was thought to be a major factor in potential for growth in the EV market as it offered a guaranteed place for a vehicle to be charged. However, these conclusions were reached through studies conducted in regions with a high percentage of homes that have access to residential parking. The purpose of this study is to understand how the built environment may encourage uptake of EVs by seeking a correlation between EV ownership and public charging points in an urban and densely populated city such as London. Using a statistical approach with data from the Department for Transport and Zap Map, a statistically significant correlation was found between the total (slow, fast and rapid) number of public charging points and number of EV registrations per borough—with the strongest correlation found between EV registrations and rapid chargers. This research does not explicitly prove that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between public charging points EVs but challenges some of the previous literature which indicates that public charging infrastructure is not as important as home charging. The study also supports the notion that the built environment can influence human behaviour

Applications of lignin in the agri-food industry

Of late, valorization of agri-food industrial by-products and their sustainable utilization is gaining much contemplation world-over. Globally, 'Zero Waste Concept' is promoted with main emphasis laid towards generation of minimal wastes and maximal utilization of plantbased agri-food raw materials. One of the wastes/by-products in the agri-food industry are the lignin, which occurs as lignocellulosic biomass. This biomass is deliberated to be an environmental pollutant as they offer resistance to natural biodegradation. Safe disposal of this biomass is often considered a major challenge, especially in low-income countries. Hence, the application of modern technologies to effectively reduce these types of wastes and maximize their potential use/applications is vital in the present day scenario. Nevertheless, in some of the high-income countries, attempts have been made to efficiently utilize lignin as a source of fuel, as a raw material in the paper industry, as a filler material in biopolymer based packaging and for producing bioethanol. However, as of today, agri-food industrial applications remains significantly underexplored. Chemically, lignin is heterogeneous, bio-polymeric, polyphenolic compound, which is present naturally in plants, providing mechanical strength and rigidity. Reports are available wherein purified lignin is established to possess therapeutic values; and are rich in antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-carcinogenic, antidiabetic properties, etc. This chapter is divided into four sub-categories focusing on various technological aspects related to isolation and characterization of lignin; established uses of lignin; proved bioactivities and therapeutic potentials of lignin, and finally on identifying the existing research gaps followed by future recommendations for potential use from agri-food industrial wastes.Theme of this chapter is based on our ongoing project- Valortech, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 810630

Cognitive impairment in children with hemophilia and children with acute Lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL): Comparison of children with hemophilia and leukemia with healthy children

Abstract &nbsp; Background and Aim: Childhood cancer is associated with fatal disorder and Countless studies about the psychological damage to children with cancer, increasing prejudice toward this group of children. The aim of this study was evaluate the accuracy of prejudices via comparison of children with cancer and children with hemophilia in cognitive impairments. &nbsp; Methods: In this study, as a causal-comparative investigation, participated 50 children with hemophilia, 50 children with acute leukemia and 50 healthy children, in range of 7-12-year-old who referred to a children hospital (Mofid Hospital). In this study, a computerized version of N-back working memory test for assessing working memory function, Continuous Performance Test (CPT) for Attention Maintenance, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) for Executive Function and flexibility were applied. &nbsp; Results: In N-back test, both groups of children with hemophilia and ALL in compare to healthy children reveal faint function in correct answer and no answer (P<0.001), but there is no significant difference between two groups of children with healthy ones in reaction time. In attention maintenance, children with hemophilia react weakly to variables like error in providing response, error elimination and the number of correct answers (P<0/001) but there were no significantly difference between two groups of children in reaction time. Comparing children with ALL and children with hemophilia in executive function showed children with hemophilia couldn&rsquo;t react well in variables % correct, % Errors, Categories achieved, and Failures to maintain set. Children with hemophilia did not differ from children with acute Lymphoblastic leukemia (e.g. active memory) in some of indicators their functions were worst (such as executive functions) and both groups showed poorer performance than healthy children. &nbsp; Conclusion: Leukemia is thought to be worse off than its hemophilia in consequences and cognitive impairment, while this study has shown that other chronic diseases, such as hemophilia, can cause the same cognitive impairment as well. The results of this study emphasize that cognitive interventions are necessary for children with chronic diseases related to blood disorders. &nbsp; &nbsp;Working memory, Executive functions, Attention-maintenance, Hemophilia, Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)