A micro to macro investigation on Electric Vehicle Policy in the UK: Work Package 3 Activity 6 report.

Written by E-Mobility NSR partners Richard Kotter (Northumbria University) and Dr Stephen Shaw (London Metropolitan University, Cities Institute), the report considers how the step change to mainstream market acceptance of Electric Vehicles (EVs) is being supported by macro-level policy to secure economic as well as environmental benefits. Particular reference is made to the UK, where interventions include grants to purchase new plug-in cars and vans, tax exemptions, and match-funding from the government for 'Plugged-In Places': pilot schemes designed to stimulate innovation and development of EV infrastructure at the meso-level of areas within the country. There are also examples of local authorities outside the Plugged-In Places areas that have found other thematic and enabling ways to invest into E-mobility. This is supplemented by private sector commercial investment additional to and outside of the eight Plugged-In Places areas in the UK. It considers how the vision for each area is, in turn, being scaled down to the micro-level of streets and parking spaces. It also reports on the latest government policy to spread EV charging infrastructure around the country. The report concludes that Local Authorities will play a leading role in developing a charging network that is comprehensive, inter-operable and easy to use. Working in collaboration with other key stakeholders, they must be equipped for two critical challenges: - Scaling up to the 'bigger picture': to raise the confidence of EV users who wish to make longer trips (including low carbon journeys where EVs are part of the modes of transport), including transnational journeys through international transport hubs to/from other NSR countries via ferry ports, airports and the Channel Tunnel - Scaling down to 'street level': to ensure that EV users, especially those who are less familiar with the locality, have the confidence to find publicly-accessible points, plug-in, and leave their vehicles charging 'Methodologies for Mutual Learning: a Digital Map Interface for Effective EV Infrastructure' - a supplementary paper to the main report - outlines methodologies to help stakeholders address these challenges and exchange good practice

Interpreting Lived Experience through Writing Online in a Graduate Seminar

Participants in an online doctoral seminar participated in the use of a writing strategy to explore the sociocultural contexts of their lived experience. Creating literary texts in three forms was an effective strategy in mediating participants’ understanding. Each form provided a new lens through which to interpret experience. Participants functioned as an interpretive community. The final papers, autobiographical narratives, illuminated the complex relations among prediscursive experience, reflection on experience, distancing, and the iterative transformational quality of time. The online format embodied a virtual interpretive location which allowed participants to revisit texts and postings over time. Des participants dans un cours de doctorat en ligne, ont utilisé une stratégie de rédaction leur permettant d’explorer les contextes socioculturels de leurs expériences de vie. La création de trois formes de textes littéraires s’est avèrée une stratégie efficace pour faciliter la compréhension des participants. Chaque forme littéraire a offert de nouvelle perspectives aux étudiants pour interpréter leurs expériences. Les participants dans cette communauté ont pu interpréter collectivement leurs expériences de vie. Les textes finaux, qui ont pris la forme de narratifs autobiographiques ont illustré la complexité des relations qui existent entre une expérience pré-réfléchie, la réflexion sur l’expérience, la capacité de prendre de la distance face a l’expérience. Dans ces mêmes textes on y trouve la nature réitérée et la qualitée transformative du temps. Le format en ligne a crée un endroit virtuel interprétatif qui a permis aux participants de revisiter les textes et les messages affichés dans le temps

A new experimental technique for the analysis of cake filtration

An electrical conductivity technique for determining cake heights, and hence average concentrations, during stepped-up pressure filtrations is described. Experimental data are presented which compare the results from individual constant pressure filtrations and a filtration employing a sequence of corresponding pressures. The data are analysed in a variety of ways that show the accuracy of the time saving step-up technique when the solids concentration is measured in-situ

Licensing MLH1 sites for crossover during meiosis

During meiosis, homologous chromosomes synapse and recombine at sites marked by the binding of the mismatch repair protein MLH1. In hexaploid wheat, the Ph1 locus has a major effect on whether crossover occurs between homologues or between related homoeologues. Here we report that—in wheat–rye hybrids where homologues are absent—Ph1 affects neither the level of synapsis nor the number of MLH1. Thus in the case of wheat–wild relative hybrids, Ph1 must affect whether MLH1 sites are able to progress to crossover. The observed level of synapsis implies that Ph1 functions to promote homologue pairing rather than suppress homoeologue pairing in wheat. Therefore, Ph1 stabilises polyploidy in wheat by both promoting homologue pairing and preventing MLH1 sites from becoming crossovers on paired homoeologues during meiosis

Modelling of Mg doped ZnO TFTs

The ever increase in use of ZnO TFTs requires further in depth analysis to obtain the true transport mechanisms. This paper explores the modelling of MgZnO TFTs using a defect state based model based on multiple trapping and release and successfully validates the model with the fitting parameters VFB, To, Nt and σo

Preparation and characterization of benzoxazine based nanocomposites: comprehensive study in curing kinetics and enhanced thermal stabilities

Several bisphenol-A benzoxazine (BEN) based nanocomposites incorporated with several polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and clays, were prepared successfully. The influences of the nanofillers on curing kinetics, network formation, and thermal stability of the BEN were investigated comprehensively. The addition of the nanofillers showed different influence on curing kinetics of BEN. Furthermore, the incorporation of the nanofillers showed good improvement on thermal stability of BEN. An increase of 70 and 336°C at the onset and the half-life decomposition temperature were observed with the addition of 5 wt % 30B clay in nitrogen atmosphere. With the incorporation of 5 wt % POSS, the half-life of decomposition and char yield enhanced by 280°C and 13 wt % in nitrogen atmosphere. For the 4 wt % MWCNT-COOH/BEN nanocomposite, the half-life of decomposition and char yield at 800°C increased by 286°C and 14 wt % in nitrogen atmosphere, respectively