Showing papers by "Edinburgh Napier University published in 2022"

The Relationship Between Financial Worries and Psychological Distress Among U.S. Adults

Abstract: This study examines the association between financial worries and psychological distress among US adults and tests its moderating effects by gender, marital status, employment status, education, and income levels. Data were derived from the cross-sectional 2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) of the adult population. The hierarchical regression analysis revealed that higher financial worries were significantly associated with higher psychological distress. Additionally, the association between financial worries and psychological distress was more pronounced among the unmarried, the unemployed, lower-income households, and renters than their counterparts. The findings suggest that accessible financial counseling programs and public health intervention programs are needed to mitigate financial worries and its negative influences on overall psychological health, with greater attention devoted to vulnerable populations.

AdipoR1 Regulates Ionizing Radiation-Induced Ferroptosis in HCC cells through Nrf2/xCT Pathway

Abstract: Radiotherapy has been used for decades in the treatment of liver cancer. We previously found that adiponectin receptor (AdipoR1) is a prognostic biomarker for hepatoma carcinoma (HCC) after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and blocking AdipoR1 enhances radiation sensitivity in hepatoma carcinoma cells. In the current study, we aimed to elucidate the roles of AdipoR1 in ionizing radiation- (IR-) induced radiosensitivity by activating ferroptosis pathway in HCC cells. We found that IR upregulated the expression of AdipoR1 and furthermore promoted the protein stability of transcription factor Nrf2, Nrf2 binded to the xCT promoter and increased xCT transcription and expression, and this directly contributed to the protective function in the early stage of radiation in HCC cells. AdipoR1 knockdown significantly inhibited expression of Nrf2 and xCT and, furthermore, increased both IR- and erastin-induced ferroptosis, which could be abolished by the rescue of Nrf2 and xCT. For the first time, we found that radiation-induced ferroptosis was mediated by AdipoR1-Nrf2-xCT pathway in HCC cells. These results provide new insights to the development and application of novel therapeutic strategies for hepatoma carcinoma.

Is Population Density Associated with Non-Communicable Disease in Western Developed Countries? A Systematic Review

Abstract: Over the last three decades, researchers have investigated population density and health outcomes at differing scale. There has not been a systematic review conducted in order to synthesise this evidence. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines, we systematically reviewed quantitative evidence published since 1990 on population density and non-communicable disease (NCD) within Westernised countries. Fifty-four studies met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated utilising a quality assessment tool for ecological studies. High population density appears to be associated with higher mortality rates of a range of cancers, cardiovascular disease and COPD, and a higher incidence of a range of cancers, asthma and club foot. In contrast, diabetes incidence was found to be associated with low population density. High and low population density are therefore risk markers for a range of NCDs, indicating that there are unidentified factors and mechanisms underlying aetiology. On closer examination, our synthesis revealed important and complex relationships between population density, the built environment, the nature of greenspace and man-made exposures. In light of increasing rates of morbidity and mortality, future research is required to investigate these associations in order to establish causative agents for each NCD.

Automatic Architectural Drawing Labelling Using Deep Convolutional Neural Network

Abstract: Architectural designers and technologists are able to make an assessment on buildability, thermal and hygrothermal performance of design details. To process drawings, human vision segments, classifies and distinguishes the drawing objects on the basis of their knowledge. With the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence methods, vast opportunities become available for performing tasks that used to require human intelligence or assistance by humans. Image processing and analysis is one of these tasks that consists of the manipulation of images using algorithms. There are various applications in different fields, and the use of it is increasing exponentially. This paper explores the use of image processing in identifying building materials in order to check compliance with building regulations and identify anomalies. In this paper, an encoder-decoder based deep convolutional neural network (DRU-net) for image segmentation is applied on architectural images to segment various materials including insulations, bricks and concrete in the conceptual development phase. An experimental analysis is performed on numerous detail drawings and an evaluation is made by mathematical models.

Pride, belonging and community: What does this mean if you are Aboriginal and LGBT+ and living in Western Australia?

Abstract: The lived experience of being LGBT+ and an Aboriginal person was a major focus of the mixed methods Breaking the Silence research project led by Aboriginal LGBT+ researchers. Aboriginal LGBT+ participants were invited to respond to a survey that canvassed how they were included and accepted within their own families, on social media, dating apps and the wider community. The analysis and discussion of the findings from the survey examine the issues of discrimination, racism, homophobia and what belonging to a community means for intersectional identities. The findings show that while participants do experience microaggressions and queer-phobia, they also describe agency and positive experiences. The question is how these instances of resistance and disruption can be enabled to proliferate and (if appropriate) be supported collectively, to enable Aboriginal LGBT+ individuals to experience a sense of pride and belonging to communities at times and in spaces of their own choosing.

GC Insights: Geoscience students' experience of writing academic poetry as an aid to their science education

Abstract: Abstract. The study presented here employs thematic analysis to explore geoscience students’ experience of writing poetry as an aid to their science education. It was found that themes could be categorised as being related to either the ‘Task Process’ or ‘Task Meaning’. The results of this study present evidence that writing poetry can aid geoscience students by making newly learned information more digestible, and therefore easier to memorise efficiently.

The Nature and Role of Visitor Attractions

Abstract: Visitor attractions play a vital role in the development and success of tourism destination. The aim of this chapter is first to define the terms ‘visitor attraction’ and ‘tourism destination’, showing how they are distinct yet increasingly overlapping. The chapter will then explain how visitor attractions fit into the tourism sector and link with its other component parts. The chapter will then introduce the multiple roles of visitor attractions, including not only their economic contributions but also their environmental and socio-cultural impacts, both positive and negative, and their role in generating destination attractiveness. This will link to a discussion of the purposes of visitor attraction. In doing so, the chapter will focus on the distinctions between visitor attractions in developed and developing countries, and in urban and rural locations. Lastly, the chapter will discuss the role of visitor attractions in local, regional and national economic development, including the use of visitor attractions as growth poles and flagships.

Data-inspired co-design for museum and gallery visitor experiences

Abstract: Abstract The capture and analysis of diverse data is widely recognized as being vital to the design of new products and services across the digital economy. We focus on its use to inspire the co-design of visitor experiences in museums as a distinctive case that reveals opportunities and challenges for the use of personal data. We present a portfolio of data-inspired visiting experiences that emerged from a 3-year Research Through Design process. These include the overlay of virtual models on physical exhibits, a smartphone app for creating personalized tours as gifts, visualizations of emotional responses to exhibits, and the data-driven use of ideation cards. We reflect across our portfolio to articulate the diverse ways in which data can inspire design through the use of ambiguity, visualization, and inter-personalization; how data inspire co-design through the process of co-ideation, co-creation, and co-interpretation; and how its use must negotiate the challenges of privacy, ownership, and transparency. By adopting a human perspective on data, we are able to chart out the complex and rich information that can inform design activities and contribute to datasets that can drive creativity support systems.

GLASS: Towards Secure and Decentralized eGovernance Services Using IPFS

Abstract: The continuously advancing digitization has provided answers to the bureaucratic problems faced by eGovernance services. This innovation led them to an era of automation, broadened the attack surface and made them a popular target for cyber attacks. eGovernance services utilize the internet, which is a location addressed system in which whoever controls its location controls not only the content itself but also the integrity and the access of that content. We propose GLASS, a decentralized solution that combines the InterPlanetary File System with Distributed Ledger Technology and Smart Contracts to secure eGovernance services. We also created a testbed environment where we measure the system’s performance.

A Survey on the Integration of Blockchain and IoT: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract: Since Satoshi Nakamoto first introduced the blockchain as an open-source project for secure financial transactions, it has attracted the scientific community’s interest, paving the way for addressing problems in domains other than cryptocurrencies, one of them being the Internet of Things (IoT). However, to demonstrate this potential, a clear understanding of blockchain technology and its suitability to meet the IoT’s underlying security requirements is required. To accomplish this goal, this study intends to provide a coherent and comprehensive survey on blockchain integration with IoT identifying the limitations and benefits of Blockchain in IoT applications. The survey presented an overview of blockchain and IoT and illustrated their principal architecture. The state-of-the-art blockchain efforts in different IoT domains are also reviewed. Then presents the current challenges of integrating blockchain and IoT and looks at the recently proposed solutions. Finally, the potential future research directions for integrating blockchain and IoT is discussed. Based on the study’s findings, it is hoped that this survey will serve as a reference and source of motivation for future research directions in this area.

Assessment of predictive probability models for effective mechanical design feature reuse

Abstract: Abstract This research envisages an automated system to inform engineers when opportunities occur to use existing features or configurations during the development of new products. Such a system could be termed a "predictive CAD system" because it would be able to suggest feature choices that follow patterns established in existing products. The predictive CAD literature largely focuses on predicting components for assemblies using 3D solid models. In contrast, this research work focuses on feature-based predictive CAD system using B-rep models. This paper investigates the performance of predictive models that could enable the creation of such an intelligent CAD system by assessing three different methods to support inference: sequential, machine learning, or probabilistic methods using N-Grams, Neural Networks (NNs), and Bayesian Networks (BNs) as representative of these methods. After defining the functional properties that characterize a predictive design system, a generic development methodology is presented. The methodology is used to carry out a systematic assessment of the relative performance of three methods each used to predict the diameter value of the next hole and boss feature type being added during the design of a hydraulic valve body. Evaluating predictive performance providing five recommendations ( $k = 5$ ) for hole or boss features as a new design was developed, recall@k increased from around 30% to 50% and precision@k from around 50% to 70% as one to three features were added. The results indicate that the BN and NN models perform better than those using N-Grams. The practical impact of this contribution is assessed using a prototype (implemented as an extension to a commercial CAD system) by engineers whose comments defined an agenda for ongoing research in this area.

GC Insights: Diversifying the Geosciences in Higher Education: a Manifesto for Change

Abstract: Abstract. There is still a significant lack of diversity and equity in geoscience education, even decades after widespread calls for improvement and action. We propose an approach and specific opportunities for educators to improve diversity in geoscience education within higher education: 1) advocating for institutional change, 2) incorporating diverse perspectives and authors in curricula, 3) teaching historical and sociopolitical contexts of geoscience information, 4) connecting geoscience principles to more geographically diverse locations, 5) implementing different communication styles that consider different ways of knowing and learning, and 6) empowering learner transformation and agency.

Women's “Voices” in Rabindranath Tagore's Later Poetry. A Postcolonial Perspective

Abstract: The prevailing conflict in the interwar years in literary circles in Bengal on modernism is reflected in Rabindranath Tagore’s own poetic conflict, as his poems reaffirm his position at the metropolitan center of Kolkata’s literary milieu of high modernism, underscoring the final stroke of the master poet. The urban locus, the solitary individual, the distinctive voice of the narrator in dramatic monologues, portrayed in an everyday existence where the immense possibility of human potential is evident but unrealizable, find expression in the rhythms of prose poems, where ordinary lives become the subject of poetic exploration. However, in some significant poems of Punascha, Tagore moves beyond the modernist male flaneur’s objective consciousness, focusing on the feminine will and expression. This can be seen as a project of recovery in poems which undertake the task of addressing the “silence” of the subaltern woman. The position of women and their “voices” will be considered in these narrative poems, through a postcolonial lens, in a reappraisal of Tagore’s modernist enterprise and its significance in a postmodern literary context.