Showing papers by "University of Salford published in 2022"

A conceptual framework for determining metaverse adoption in higher institutions of gulf area: An empirical study using hybrid SEM-ANN approach

Abstract: The metaverse is a kind of imagined world with immersive digital spaces that increase, allowing a more interactive environment in educational settings. The metaverse is an expansion of the synchronous communication that embraces an effective number of users to share different experiences. The study aims to investigate the students' perceptions towards metaverse system for educational purposes in the Gulf area. The conceptual model comprises the adoption properties, namely trialability, observability, compatibility, and complexity, users' satisfaction, personal innovativeness, and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) constructs. The novelty of the paper lies in its conceptual model that correlates both personal-based characteristics and technology-based features. In addition, the novel approach of hybrid analysis will be used in the current study to perform deep-learning-based analysis of structural equation modelling (SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN). Moreover, the importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) is used in the current study to evaluate the involved factors for their importance and performance. The study identified Perceived Usefulness (PU) to be an essential predictor of the factor of Users’ Intention to Use the Metaverse System (MS). The fact was discovered during ANN and IPMA analysis. Furthermore, this study is practically significant, as it helped the concerned authorities in educational sector in understanding the significance of each factor and allowed them to make efforts and plans according to the order of significance of factors. Another important implication of the study is methodological in nature. It validates that deep ANN architecture can offer deep insight into non-linear relationships shared by various factors of a theoretical model.

Thriving at work but insomniac at home: Understanding the relationship between supervisor bottom-line mentality and employee functioning

Abstract: Bottom-line mentality (BLM) describes a one-dimensional frame of mind revolving around bottom-line pursuits, which pervades most organizations today. But how does working with high BLM supervisors ...

Multiple slip effects on nanofluid dissipative flow in a converging/ diverging channel: a numerical study

Abstract: A mathematical model is developed for viscous slip flow and heat transfer in water/Ethylene glycol-based nanofluids containing metallic oxide nanoparticles, through a converging/diverging channel geometry. Our approach is based on the single-phase Tiwari– Das nanofluid model considering nanoparticles and base fluid masses as a substitute volume concentration of nanoparticles. The governing (dimensional partial differential) equations are transformed to a set of dimensionless ordinary differential equations with the help of similarity transformation, before being solved numerically using Maple17. Extensive validation of the velocity gradient and temperature solutions is achieved with the second order implicit finite difference Keller Box method (KBM). Further validation is included for the special case of noslip nanofluid flow in the absence of viscous heating. The effects of the emerging parameters namely velocity slip, thermal jump, channel apex angle, Eckert number, Prandtl number, Reynolds number and nano-particle volume fraction on velocity, temperature, skin friction and heat transfer rate are investigated in detail. Two different nanofluids are studied, namely water-Titanium oxide- and Ethylene glycol-Titanium oxide. Both convergent and divergent channels are addressed, and significantly different thermofluid characteristics are computed due to slip and viscous heating effects. The novelty of the current work is that it extends previous studies to include multiple slip effects and viscous heating (Eckert number effects) which are shown to exert a significant influence on heat and momentum transfer characteristics. The study is relevant to certain pharmaco-dynamics devices (drug delivery), next generation 3-D nanotechnological printers and also nano-cooling systems in energy engineering where laminar flows in diverging/converging channels arise.

Spectral Numerical Study of Entropy Generation in Magneto-Convective Viscoelastic Biofluid Flow Through Poro-Elastic Media With Thermal Radiation and Buoyancy Effects

Abstract: Electromagnetic high-temperature therapy is popular in medical engineering treatments for various diseases include tissue damage ablation repair, hyperthermia and oncological illness diagnosis. The simulation of transport phenomena in such applications requires multi-physical models featuring magnetohydrodynamics, biorheology, heat transfer and deformable porous media. Motivated by investigating the fluid dynamics and thermodynamic optimization of such processes, in the present article a mathematical model is developed to study the combined influence of thermal buoyancy, magnetic field and thermal radiation on the entropy generation, momentum and heat transfer characteristics in electrically-conducting viscoelastic biofluid flow through a vertical deformable porous medium. Jefferys elastic-viscous model is deployed to simulate non-Newtonian characteristics of the biofluid. “It is assumed that heat is generated within the fluid by both viscous and Darcy (porous matrix) dissipations. The governing equations for fluid velocity, solid displacement and temperature are formulated in a Cartesian coordinate system. The boundary value problem is normalized with appropriate transformations. The non-dimensional biofluid velocity, solid displacement and temperature equations with appropriate boundary conditions are solved computationally using a spectral method. Verification of accuracy is conducted via monitoring residuals of the solutions. Validation of solutions with Runge-Kutta shooting quadrature is included. The effects of Jeffrey viscoelastic parameter, viscous drag parameter, magnetic field parameter, radiation parameter and buoyancy parameter on flow velocity, solid displacement, temperature and entropy generation are depicted graphically and interpreted at length. Increasing magnetic field and drag parameters are found to reduce the field velocity, solid displacement, temperature and entropy production. Higher magnitudes of thermal radiation parameter retard the flow and decrease Nusselt number whereas they elevate solid displacement. Entropy production is enhanced with an increase in buoyancy parameter and volume fraction of the fluid. The novelty of the work is the simulatenous inclusion of multiple thermophysical phenomena and the consideration of thermodynamic optimization in coupled thermal/fluid/elastic media. The computations provide an insight into multi-physical transport in electromagnetic radiative tissue ablation therapy and a good benchmark for more advanced simulations.

The Making of Constitutional Democracy

Abstract: This book addresses a palpable, yet widely neglected, tension in legal discourse. In our everyday legal practices – whether taking place in a courtroom, classroom, law firm or elsewhere – we routinely and unproblematically talk of the activities of creating and applying law. However, when legal scholars have analysed this distinction in their theories (rather than simply assuming it), many have undermined it, if not dismissed it as untenable. The author shows that the relevance of distinguishing between law-creation and law-application transcends the boundaries of jurisprudential enquiry and is a crucial component of political theory. For if there is no possibility of applying a legal rule that was created by a different institution at a previous moment in time, then our current constitutional-democratic frameworks are effectively empty vessels which conceal a power relationship between public authorities and citizens which is very different from the one on which constitutional democracy is

Cloud Computing Adoption-Based Digital Open Government Services: Challenges and Barriers

Abstract: The governments of the Arab Gulf have given strong guidelines on growing the use of the cloud in the public sector as part of their digital strategy. The adoption of cloud is identified as the most significant investment pillar within digital transformation initiatives. Cloud is a model or architecture and a modern framework for computation. And the Service-Oriented Design is the central architecture. Cloud Computing has emerged as a core resource-sharing computing network that incorporates storage, apps, frameworks, and business processes. Digital open Governance (DOG) plays a critical position across every enterprise, and digital open governance systems are assisted by clouds of multiple levels. Cloud has a range of resources that are combined and reused. Since digital open governance utilizes distributed services, this needs a lot of infrastructure. Cloud platforms are beneficial in reducing infrastructure and software expenses. This paper explains how cloud services can be used in digital open governance applications to reduce hardware and platform costs, improve network protection, etc. Digital open government cloud-based project, in Kuwait, is considered to be of great importance for free government agencies. In spite of the fact that it has evolved phenomenally, there are still many adoption challenges faced by various open governmental data cloud-based digital services; problems require careful treatment and consideration by any government agency which intends to implement it. The current paper discovers the different features of the degree to which these barriers obstruct the adoption and utilize of cloud computing in the Kuwaiti public area, and also examines the impact of the barriers on the participants’ perception of security. The practical proof that was seen by participant’s offered strong responses to the set online questionnaire from Kuwaiti users, which comprised IT-staff from several government sectors.

Computation of unsteady generalized Couette flow and heat transfer in immiscible dusty and non-dusty fluids with viscous heating and wall suction effects using a modified cubic B-spine differential quadrature method

Abstract: In this paper, the unsteady flow of two immiscible fluids with heat transfer is studied numerically with a modified cubic B-spine Differential Quadrature Method. Generalized Couette flow of two immiscible dusty (fluid-particle suspension) and pure (Newtonian) fluids are considered through rigid horizontal channels for three separate scenarios: first for non-porous plates with heat transfer, second for porous plates with uniform suction and injection and heat transfer, and third for non-porous plates with interface evolution. The stable liquid-liquid interface is considered for the two immiscible fluids in the first two cases. In the third case, it is assumed that the interface travels from one position to another and may undergo serious deformation; hence the single momentum equation based on the (volume of fluid) VOF method is combined with the continuum surface approach model, and an interface tracking is proposed. The flow cases are considered to be subjected to three different pressure gradients, of relevance to energy systems- namely, applied constant, decaying, and periodic pressure gradients. For each case, the coupled partial differential equations are formulated and solved numerically using MCB-DQM to compute the fluids velocities, fluid temperatures, interface evolution. The effects of emerging thermo-fluid parameters, i. e. Eckert (dissipation), Reynolds, Prandtl, and Froude numbers, particle concentration parameter, volume fraction parameter, pressure gradient, time, and the ratio of viscosities, densities, thermal conductivities, and specific heats on velocity and temperature characteristics are illustrated through graphs.

(Dis)orientation and Design Preferences Within an Unfamiliar Care Environment: A Content Analysis of Older Adults’ Qualitative Reports After Route Learning:

Abstract: Ensuring that environments are designed to cater for those with decreasing orientation, perceptual and mobility skills, is an example of how environments are being changed to become more age and dementia friendly. However, environmental design should directly involve potential users of the environment to ensure that their views are accounted for. Four open-ended questions, focusing on orientation strategies, reasons for disorientation, and design preferences, were given to 32 older adults after they had completed a route learning task through an unfamiliar environment. A Content Analysis found a strong focus on participants’ ability to memorise routes based on verbally encoding the route and on their ability to remember landmarks, with the reports linking closely to cognitive theories of navigation. Design suggestions included the importance of a homely and welcoming environment, memorable features, and access to the outdoors. The findings can be used inform age and dementia friendly design principles.

Exploring the relationship between psychological flexibility and self-report and task-based measures of cognitive flexibility

Abstract: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) interventions aim to increase psychological flexibility (PF) leading to positive treatment outcomes. It has been suggested that successful development of PF may depend on cognitive flexibility (CF). There is however a lack of clear empirical evidence accounting for the relationship between the two constructs. The current study investigated the relationship between PF and CF in a large nonclinical sample of younger adults (N = 246). Participants completed self-report measures of PF, and both self-report and task-based measures of CF. Results indicated that self-report, but not task-based, CF correlated with and predicted PF (r = −0.49, 95% BCa CI [−0.58, −0.38], R2 = 0.236). The results are discussed with reference to rule-governed behaviour, approaches to measurement, and ACT, with suggestions for future research.

‘Defunding the police’: A consideration of the implications for the police role in mental health work

Abstract: This paper examines the role of the police in mental health work. It explores whether the calls to ‘defund the police’ can be the basis for fundamental reforms of mental health services and the police role. The paper outlines the roots of the calls to ‘ defund the police’ situating the perspective in the wider Black Lives Matter movement (BLM). The wider BLM movement seeks to overturn long standing racial and social injustices, including the disproportionate use of force against black citizens and racial biases within the Criminal Justice System. It goes further in that BLM calls for a shift in funding from policing towards an investment in welfare and community services. These calls are captured in the phrase ‘defund the police’. These calls have highlighted the police role in mental health, particularly, the police response to citizens in mental health crisis. The paper examines the police role in mental health work, highlighting the historic impact of policies of deinstutionalisation and more recently austerity and welfare retrenchment. In calling for this policy shift, campaigners have highlighted the need to significant investment in mental health services. The police role in mental health services increased because of the failings of community care ( Cummins, 2020a ). Police officers have increasingly become first responders in mental health crises. The paper, focusing on England and Wales, uses ‘defund the police’ perspective as a lens to examine long standing areas of concern. Police involvement in mental health emergencies is inevitably stigmatizing. There are also concerns from the police. This is an area of police demand that has grown of austerity and the wider retrenchment in public services. Police officers often feel that they lack the skills and knowledge required to undertake their role in mental health work. In addition, there is frustration generated by poor interprofessional working. Police officers on an organizational and individual level feel that they are often left ‘ picking up the pieces’ . There is a wide recognition that mental health services are failing to provide appropriate responses to those in crisis ( Wessley, 2018 ). As well as being an issue of human rights and social justice, these failures place vulnerable people at increased risk. All aspects of police work involve contact with people experiencing mental health problems. People with mental health problems are first and foremost human beings who should be treated with dignity and respect. They are also citizens, family members, carers and work colleagues. Having acknowledged that core value perspective, if we accept that police officers will be involved in mental health work, we should seek to limit their role as far as is possible. The paper concludes that it is likely that there will be always be some form of police involvement in mental health–related work. However, there is a need to limit this as far as possible.

Prosthetic and robotic wrists comparing with the intelligently evolved human wrist: A review

Abstract: Abstract Both prosthetic and robotic research communities have tended to focus on hand/gripper development. However, the wrist unit could enable higher mobility of the end effector and thus more efficient and dexterous manipulation. The current state of the art in both prosthetic and robotic wrists is reviewed systematically, mainly concerning their kinematic structures and resultant capabilities. Further, by considering the biomechanical advantages of the human wrist, an evaluation including the mobility, stability, output capability, load capacity and flexibility of the current artificial wrists is conducted. With the pentagonal capability radar charts, the major limitations and challenges in the current development of artificial wrists are derived. This paper hence provides some useful insights for better robotic wrist design and development.

Autologous Minimally Manipulated Homologous Adipose Tissue (AMHAT) for Treatment of Nonhealing Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Abstract: Background: Diabetic foot complications are increasingly burdensome for patients, clinicians, and society. Development of innovative therapies to support good quality basic care is a priority among those with an interest in this area. One of these involves scanning and printing tissues to match and conform to a defect (so-called 3D printing). Methods: A single-arm pilot study of ten consecutive patients with a history of a chronic diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), treated with autologous minimally manipulated homologous adipose tissue (AMHAT), dispensed by a specialized 3D bioprinter, Dr. INVIVO, was performed. Patients with nonhealing DFUs present for more than 4 weeks and refractory to standard-of-care therapies were included. Wounds were treated with a single application of AMHAT, and then followed up weekly for up to 12 weeks, or until the wounds healed. The primary outcome measure was complete epithelialization of the wound up to 12 weeks after the treatment. Secondary outcome measures included wound size and/or volume reduction, assessment of ulcer grade, and time to closure. Results: Five wounds were healed by 5 weeks and one at 8 weeks. The mean percent area reduction at 12 weeks was 78.3% (SD: 33.23). Complete closure was achieved in 60% of wounds. The mean time to closure in these wounds was 49.1 days (95% CI, 29.9–68.3). No adverse events were reported. Conclusions: Single treatment of bioprinted AMHAT appears to be a safe and potentially effective treatment modality for patients with chronic DFUs. Further studies are warranted to explore the full potential of 3D bioprinting for tissue repair in this high-risk population.

Frugal innovation in wound care: a critical discussion of what we can learn from low-resource settings

Abstract: Frugal innovation is a common philosophy in low-income settings due to limited access to resources. However, with both the increasing prevalence and clinical acuity of patients with wounds in the UK, it is essential that alongside innovation such as harnessing cutting-edge new technologies, frugal innovation is also pursued. This may improve both economic efficiency and patient outcomes. Frugal innovations were adopted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and included opportunistic solutions such as video-conferencing services to run clinics. However, there are many more opportunities for frugal innovation in wound care, including the use of smartphone technology, which is already accessible to 99.5% of UK clinicians caring for wounds, or the simplification of wound-assessment processes using pulse oximeters as an alternative to dopplers, as in the Lanarkshire Oximetry Index. This article explores what frugal innovation is and how it could improve UK wound services. The authors invite clinicians working in wound care to consider their access to existing resources that may not be considered useful for wound-care processes and explore how these could be used to improve clinical outcomes.

Snapshot of the Atlantic Forest canopy: surveying arboreal mammals in a biodiversity hotspot

Abstract: Abstract The Atlantic Forest of South America supports a rich terrestrial biodiversity but has been reduced to only a small extent of its original forest cover. It hosts a large number of endemic mammalian species but our knowledge of arboreal mammal ecology and conservation has been limited because of the challenges of observing arboreal species from ground level. Camera trapping has proven to be an effective tool in terrestrial mammal monitoring but the technique has rarely been used for arboreal species. For the first time in the Atlantic Forest, we obtained data on the arboreal mammal community using arboreal camera trapping, focusing on Caparaó National Park, Brazil. We placed 24 infrared camera traps in the forest canopy in seven areas within the Park, operating them continuously during January 2017–June 2019. During this period the camera traps accumulated 4,736 camera-days of footage and generated a total of 2,256 photographs and 30-s videos of vertebrates. The arboreal camera traps were able to detect arboreal mammals of a range of body sizes. The mammal assemblage comprised 15 identifiable species, including the Critically Endangered northern muriqui Brachyteles hypoxanthus and buffy-headed marmoset Callithrix flaviceps as well as other rare, nocturnal and inconspicuous species. We confirmed for the first time the occurrence of the thin-spined porcupine Chaetomys subspinosus in the Park. Species richness varied across survey areas and forest types. Our findings demonstrate the potential of arboreal camera trapping to inform conservation strategies.

Digital Innovation in Sport – Barriers and Opportunities for Branded Fitness Apps for Fans

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging the growth and future of businesses globally and technological innovation, via digital means, has been identified as a key factor for brands to survive the pandemic. However, whilst the majority of decision-makers in sports clubs recognise the value of innovation, less than half have a clear strategy in this area generally let alone in digital innovation. This chapter examines the opportunities and barriers for sporting brands in adopting digital innovations to engage fans.

System of Systems as a Solution to Mitigate the Spread of Covid-19

Abstract: System of systems is a compilation of systems that focus on a specific task or a system by combining multiple resources to create complicated task-oriented or dedicated systems that combine their resources and skills to develop a new, more complicated system with higher capability and performance than the individual systems. The paper will define the System of Systems in terms of its architecture and the importance of having a System of System; then, it will define Covid-19’s spread and effect on economics. After that, it will describe System of Systems in the medical sector as a case study in terms of mitigating Covid-19 and the challenges. Finally, the solutions are provided, where different applications can be combined to operate in real-time and assist the government agencies and medical staff in operating effectively.

Psychology and Mental Health

Abstract: First published in 1950, Psychology and Mental Health describes the origin of behaviour disorders and the psychoneuroses especially as regards their causes in early childhood. Most psychologists agree that such disorders as hysteria, sex perversion, the obsessions and anxiety states, as well as many behaviour disorders and delinquencies, find their roots in childhood experiences. If this is the case it should be possible to prevent them from developing into full-blown neurotic disorders which may take years to cure. The purpose of this book is to describe the early causes of these disorders with a view to their treatment, but more particularly with a view to their prevention. As mental health is the concern not only of the doctor but of the parson and the priest, of the teacher and the parent, this book is written in non-technical language as far as the demands of accuracy will allow. It embodies the result of over thirty years’ experience in the treatment of patients suffering from these disorders, and the views here maintained, which differ somewhat from the other analytic schools, are illustrated with clinical examples throughout. This book is a reissue originally published in 1950. The language used reflects its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this republication.

An Empirical Investigation of Agile Information Systems Development for Cybersecurity

Abstract: Cybersecurity has been identified as a major challenge confronting the digital world, neglecting cybersecurity techniques during software design and development increases the risk of malicious attacks. Thus, there is a need to make security an integral part of the agile information system development process. In this exploratory study, we empirically explore the agile security practices adopted by software developers and security professionals. Data was collected by conducting ten semi-structured interviews with agile practitioners from seven companies in the United Kingdom (UK). The study was conducted between August–November 2020. An approach informed by grounded theory was used for data analysis including Open coding, Memoing, Constant comparison and Theoretical saturation. The security practices identified in this study were categorized into roles, ceremonies and artefacts and mapped onto the different phases of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). We discovered practitioners use five artefacts: security backlog documentation, software security baseline standards, security test plan templates, information security and security audit checklists; and that there are more artefacts than roles and ceremonies. Also, while most practitioners rely on automated tools for software security testing, only one practitioner mentioned conducting security tests manually. These practices that we have identified comprise a novel taxonomy which form the main research contribution of this paper.

Universal closed-tube barcoding for monitoring the shark and ray trade in megadiverse conservation hotspots

Abstract: Summary Trade restrictions for many endangered elasmobranch species exist to disincentivise their exploitation and curb their declines. However, the variety of products and the complexity of import/export routes make trade monitoring challenging. We investigate the use of a portable, universal, DNA-based tool which would greatly facilitate in-situ monitoring. We collected shark and ray samples across the Island of Java, Indonesia, and selected 28 species (including 22 CITES-listed species) commonly encountered in landing sites and export hubs to test a recently developed real-time PCR single-assay originally developed for screening bony fish. We employed a deep learning algorithm to recognize species based on DNA melt-curve signatures. By combining visual and machine learning assignment methods, we distinguished 25 out of 28 species, 20 of which were CITES-listed. With further refinement, this method can provide a practical tool for monitoring elasmobranch trade worldwide, without the need for a lab or the bespoke design of species-specific assays. Highlights We applied a portable, universal, closed-tube DNA barcoding approach originally developed for bony fishes to distinguish between shark and ray species traded in Indonesia. We built a deep machine learning model to automatically assign species from the qPCR fluorescence spectra produced by two barcodes The model achieved 79.41% accuracy for classifying 28 elasmobranch species, despite the barcode regions being designed for teleost species This tool can serve as a potent single-assay in-situ diagnostic tool to regulate trade operations and it will be significantly enhanced by further optimisation of the barcode regions to fit elasmobranch DNA sequence variation