University of Salford

About: University of Salford is a education organization based out in Salford, Manchester, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 13049 authors who have published 22957 publications receiving 537330 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Salford Manchester & The University of Salford Manchester.

The metrics of surface adsorbed small molecules on the Young's fringe dual-slab waveguide interferometer

Abstract: A method for analysing thin films using a dual-waveguide interferometric technique is described. Alternate dual polarization addressing of the interferometer sensor using a ferroelectric liquid crystal polarization switch allowed the opto-geometrical properties (density and thickness) of adsorbed layers at a solid?liquid interface to be determined. Differences in the waveguide mode dispersion between the transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes allowed unique combinations of layer thickness and refractive index to be determined at all stages of the layer formation process. The technique has been verified by comparing the analysis of the surface adsorption of surfactants with data obtained using neutron scattering techniques, observing their behaviour on trimethylsilane coated silicon oxynitride surfaces. The data obtained were found to be in excellent agreement with analogous neutron scattering experiments and the precision of the measurements taken to be of the order of 40?pm with respect to adsorbed layer thicknesses. The study was extended to a series of surfactants whose layer morphology could be correlated with their hydrophilicity/lipophilicity balance. Those in the series with longer alkyl chains were observed to form thinner, denser layers at the hydrophobic solid/aqueous liquid interface and the degree of order attained at sub-critical micelle concentrations to be correlated with molecular fluidity.The technique is expected to find utility with those interested in thin film analysis. An important and growing area of application is within the life sciences, especially in the field of protein structure and function.

Forging the nation: National identity and nation building in post‐communist Russia

Abstract: AFTER THE DOWNFALL OF THE USSR all the newly independent states had to embark on the road of nation building (defining 'who are we the people' and fostering the people's national identity, i.e. their sense of belonging to one distinct community) and state building (defining state boundaries which can be accepted by all major political players and creating new political institutions which can inspire the loyalty of the people). By now they have achieved varying degrees of success, depending on the demographic and ethnic composition of a country, its political culture, and its economic situation. In the case of the Russian Federation (RF) this set of issues is further complicated by the fact that Russia has traditionally been the centre of an empire, and therefore confusion over the 'just borders' of the new state is greater among politicians, intellectuals and even ordinary people than is the case in the non-Russian newly independent states. Thus more ideas about what is the Russian nation and what should be the geography of the new Russian state are currently to be found in the RF than is the case in the other 14 former Soviet republics. However, in both Russia and other newly independent states, the main problem of nation building is the same-namely, how to reconcile civic identities based on inclusive citizenship and exclusive ethnic identities based on such common characteristics as culture, religion, language and a common ancestor of a dominant nationality, on the one hand, and of ethnic minorities, on the other. Civic nations (communities of participating citizens) and ethnic nations (communities bound together by common language, culture and history) are only ideal types, which rarely exist in pure forms, and even civic nations are usually strongly connected with earlier ethnic communities.' In the countries of the former USSR the confusion between ethnic and civic identities is especially strong, as reflected in the newly adopted constitutions and legislation on citizenship and minority rights. Partly this confusion stems from the fact that political institutions, which are supposed to inspire the loyalty of members of a civic community, are still in the process of formation; partly, as elsewhere, accommodation of the interests of ethnic minorities poses problems which do not have immediate solutions. The aim of this article is to show that not only do these objective factors influence nation building, but the very structure of nationalist discourse, which is shaped through intellectual debates, has an impact on policy making in the RF. In other

Cross‐functional team working for overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)

Abstract: Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is being used increasingly in industry This paper defines OEE and explores the purpose of this concept in modern operations The paper discusses OEE as a total measure of performance that relates the availability of the process to the productivity and quality of the product Therefore, the concept of OEE is appropriate to all operations containing plant and machinery Research has shown that the most successful method of employing OEE is to use cross‐functional teams aimed at improving the competitiveness of business

An aggregate-disaggregate intermittent demand approach (ADIDA) to forecasting: an empirical proposition and analysis

Abstract: Intermittent demand patterns are characterised by infrequent demand arrivals coupled with variable demand sizes. Such patterns prevail in many industrial applications, including IT, automotive, aerospace and military. An intuitively appealing strategy to deal with such patterns from a forecasting perspective is to aggregate demand in lower-frequency ‘time buckets’ thereby reducing the presence of zero observations. However, such aggregation may result in losing useful information, as the frequency of observations is reduced. In this paper, we explore the effects of aggregation by investigating 5000 stock keeping units from the Royal Air Force (UK). We are also concerned with the empirical determination of an optimum aggregation level as well as the effects of aggregating demand in time buckets that equal the lead-time length (plus review period). This part of the analysis is of direct relevance to a (periodic) inventory management setting where such cumulative lead-time demand estimates are required. Our study allows insights to be gained into the value of aggregation in an intermittent demand context. The paper concludes with an agenda for further research.

Sustainable Soundscapes: Noise Policy and the Urban Experience

Abstract: This paper introduces regulatory components influencing city soundscapes in Europe and the UK, illustrating the abatement approach taken within noise policy, demonstrating the importance of individual experience in assessing the soundscapes of urban environments and identifying a terminology to facilitate an introduction of soundscapes into the planning process. Drawing on work from soundscape ecology, a way is demonstrated to coalesce these divergent positions. Reviewing interviews undertaken in Clerkenwell, the paper demonstrates that it is not simply noise levels that are important to people in an urban area. Context, source, distance, temporariness and control over noise, are all relevant to whether people would want to see a particular sound eliminated from their soundscape. Using Schafer's terminology 'keynote sounds', 'soundmarks' and 'sound signals', a rationale is proposed through which experienced soundscapes may be articulated, challenging the strategy of noise abatement which could produce a conformity of soundscape that homogenises place and dissolves local uniqueness. This paper arises from research undertaken as part of the EPSRC project ‘Vivacity 2020: urban sustainability for the 24 hour city’ GR/S18380/01(P).