Edinburgh Napier University

About: Edinburgh Napier University is a education organization based out in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 2665 authors who have published 6859 publications receiving 175272 citations.

Seasonal changes in colour ratios and optically active contituents in the optical Case-2 waters of the Menai Strait, North Wales

Abstract: A time series was conducted in the Menai Strait from March to December 1996 combining optical measurements by a colour sensor with measurements of light-absorbing constituents in the water. In order to improve estimations of pigment concentration in Case-2 waters, an optical model was used to synthesize the spectrum of sea-leaving radiance from the absorption properties of pure sea water, yellow substances, mineral suspended solids and phytoplankton. The original model was tested and improved by using a different set of parameters. Multiple regression was used to empirically relate colour ratios to pigments and total suspended solids.

Total lymphocyte CD8 expression is not a reliable marker of cytotoxic T-cell populations in human peripheral blood following an acute bout of high-intensity exercise.

Abstract: Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes co-express the T-cell receptor, CD3 and the MHC I restricted antigen CD8. Although total CD8 expression is often used to identify CD8+ T-cells in blood, errors are associated with this method as some CD3 negative natural killer (NK)-cells are known to express CD8. As greater relative proportions of NK-cells are found in the blood compartment after exercise, these errors are likely to be amplified in post exercise blood samples. To test this, isolated blood lymphocytes obtained from aerobically trained male subjects before, immediately after and 1 h after an exhaustive treadmill-running protocol were surface stained for CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, and CD56 and analysed by multi-colour flow cytometry. It was found that 25.4 ± 16.9% of all CD8+ cells at rest were CD3 negative, CD8dim+ and expressed the NK-cell markers CD16 and CD56. The magnitude of this error increased to 40.8 ± 20.7% immediately after exercise due to an influx of CD8dim+ NK-cells. Although all CD8bright+ cells expressed CD3, gating around the CD8bright+ cells only identified 79.2 ± 8.7% of the total CD3+/CD8+ T-cell population; however, the magnitude of this error did not change after exercise despite the altered proportions of CD8bright+ and CD8dim+ cells. In conclusion, total lymphocyte expression of CD8 should not be used as a single antigenic marker to identify CD8+ T-cells after an acute bout of exercise. Although there are errors associated with using CD8bright+ as a single antigenic marker to identify CD3+ T-cells, these are not amplified in response to exercise.

The Authoritarian Dynamic During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects on Nationalism and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment

Abstract: Research has demonstrated that situational factors such as perceived threats to the social order activate latent authoritarianism. The deadly COVID-19 pandemic presents a rare opportunity to test w...

MOSAIC: Simultaneous Localization and Environment Mapping Using mmWave Without A-Priori Knowledge

Abstract: Simultaneous localization and environment mapping (SLAM) is the core to robotic mapping and navigation as it constructs simultaneously the unknown environment and localizes the agent within. However, in millimeter wave (mmWave) research, SLAM is still at its infancy. This paper consists a first of its kind in mapping an indoor environment based on the RSS, Time-Difference-of-Arrival, and Angle-of-Arrival measurements. We introduce MOSAIC as a new approach for SLAM in indoor environment by exploiting the map-based channel model. More precisely, we perform localization and environment inference through obstacle detection and dimensioning. The concept of virtual anchor nodes (VANs), known in literature as the mirrors of the real anchors with respect to the obstacles in the environment, is explored. Then, based on these VANs, the obstacles positions and dimensions are estimated by detecting the zone of paths obstruction, points of reflection, and obstacle vertices. Then, extended Kalman filter is adapted to the studied environment to improve the estimation of the points of reflection hence the mapping accuracy. Cramer–Rao lower bounds are also derived to find the optimal number of anchor nodes. Simulation results have shown high localization accuracy and obstacle detection using mmWave technology.

SMART requirements

Abstract: Systems Analysis, or as it is increasingly known as today, Requirements Engineering, is a time consuming, expensive but critical phase in software (and system) development. The "perfect" Requirements Specification should exhibit a number of qualities including correctness, completeness and consistency. Within a Requirements Specification individual requirements at the microscopic level should be justified, clear, unambiguous and verifiable. However, in many cases Systems Analysts or Requirements Engineers describe requirements which fall short of these demands. In addition, outside reviewers faced with presenting an independent qualitative assessment of a Requirements Specification have few guidelines to assist them. In this paper we present a simple technique, borrowed from objective setting in Management Psychology, to assist the construction and evaluation of individual requirements.