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Team-Based Learning and Threshold Concepts in Biological Security and Dual-Use: Toward a Transformative Biological Security Pedagogy - The Game Changing Implications of CRISPR/Cas and the Design of a Novel Methodology for Influencing the Culture of Life and Associated Science through Awareness Raising and Education
No full textYesCRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) gene editing technologies appear to be a game-changer and suggest great potential for genome manipulation and for developments in next-generation therapeutics. Ethical, legal and social concerns have been raised in light of recent applications in humans. Concern also arises in relation to the potential of such developments for misuse. In addressing the post-COVID19 challenges raised by responsible research innovation and in confronting what to do about the vexed question of “dual-use”, we contend that awareness-raising and education concerning the ethical, legal and social implications of scientific research innovation represents a welcome and empowering alternative to top down regulatory responses that may serve to stifle innovation. The design and subsequent implementation of a novel transformative pedagogy combining Team-Based Learning and Threshold Concepts yields both empirical evidence-based metrics for real-time learning. As well as generating novel empirical data-sets for the identification of subject-specific threshold concepts across discrete specialisms in the life sciences, we argue that this hybrid methodology can be used to engage science professionals and students alike in meaningful and much-needed dialogue about developments relating to genome manipulation. We demonstrate how evidence-based threshold concepts can inform the design of bespoke subject-specific training as we suggest was the case from our deployment of team-based learning and threshold concepts during our proof of concept application, prior to the pandemic, during the course of two European Union Human Brain Project training programmes undertaken in 2017 and 2018, with experts in neuroscience research at the Karonlinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.Leverhulme Trust Grant EM-2018-005/1
Simulation-Based Evaluation of Advanced Threat Detection and Response in Financial Industry Networks Using Zero Trust and Blockchain Technology
No full textYesThe financial sector is increasingly facing advanced cyber threats, necessitating a shift from traditional security measures to more dynamic frameworks. This study presents a novel integration of Zero Trust architecture with hybrid access control system and blockchain technology to enhance security in financial institutions. Zero Trust enforces continuous authentication and dynamic access controls, while blockchain secures digital identities and transaction logs through its immutable ledger, ensuring data integrity and non-repudiation. The proposed framework, evaluated using OMNeT++ simulations enhanced by Ethereum-Ganache, shows improved detection accuracy, reduced false positives, and increased resistance to insider threats and other attacks. It also strengthens compliance with regulatory requirements through robust audit trails, providing enhanced protection for sensitive financial data
Quantitative failure analysis for IoT systems: an integrated model-based framework
No full textYesThe widespread adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) systems emphasises the need for dependable performance. However, challenges emerge due to the inadequacy of informal failure analysis models in evaluating the complex and distributed nature of IoT designs. These challenges can lead to inconsistencies, complicated system modifications, and extended development timelines. This paper presents a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach to create an integrated quantitative analysis framework for assessing the reliability of IoT systems. This approach simplifies the modelling and analysis of failure behaviours in IoT design, linking failure models to system design using standard engineering frameworks. Based on descriptions of IoT systems, the integrated approach establishes a traceability link between the system description and the analysable artefacts generated, such as stochastic Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) and Bayesian network (BN) models, which are essential for effective failure analysis of IoT systems. The approach demonstrates how to quantify system-level failures, identify and prioritise the weakest links in the design, and show how targeted modifications can improve the overall reliability of IoT systems. An illustrative case study on IoT is included to highlight the effectiveness and practical applicability of the proposed framework
Implementing Dementia Care Mapping in Dementia Care: A Narrative Realist Literature Review
Get PDFYesContext: Dementia care mapping (DCM) is a multicomponent intervention to deliver person-centred care (PCC) for people with dementia. While the research has demonstrated the positive impact of DCM in care homes, more needs to be understood about the contexts and underlying mechanisms that may affect its implementation and uptake.
Objective: This review aims to develop a theoretical understanding of what influences the successful implementation of PCC, specifically DCM in care homes.
Method: A realist review was conducted using an iterative, stakeholder-driven, two-stage approach. Several databases were searched to identify studies published in English from 2000 to 2022. Seven DCM expert mappers took part in the focus group. We followed a descriptive, narrative approach to explain the results.
Findings: We found that an individual’s knowledge and skills of DCM can either be a barrier or a facilitator. Limited managerial support and communication among staff and high staff turnover rates were identified as significant barriers to implementing DCM. Leadership support, open communication channels and supportive relationships between staff members facilitated implementation.
Limitations: There may be documents used in practice in diverse care settings that provide information to build on the review. Literature from other countries could have been missed.
Implications: A successful intervention in care homes requires facilitating mechanisms that can support the staff and wider care team to engage with the intervention. Long-term care policies should prioritise evidence-based practices, leadership development, effective communication, and a deep understanding of staff motivations and organisational culture to successfully implement DCM and other PCC interventions
Examining the drivers and boundary conditions of social innovation: Evidence from MNE subsidiaries in a developing economy
Get PDFYesAlthough social innovation can help multinational enterprise (MNE) subsidiaries create social
value for developing countries, they often encounter significant challenges in successfully
implementing social innovation projects. This research applies the knowledge-based
perspective to propose and test a theoretical framework to explain why MNE subsidiaries
differ in their ability to pursue social innovation successfully in a developing country. The
framework contends that MNEs’ relationship learning contributes to social innovation
variability under varying levels of subsidiary autonomy and mode of entry. Analysis of
primary data collected from 207 subsidiaries of MNEs operating in Ghana shows that
relationship learning has a positive relationship with social innovation. Further analysis
reveals that subsidiary autonomy enhances the positive association between relationship
learning and social innovation, and that this moderating effect is stronger for subsidiaries
with equity entry mode as opposed to non-equity entry mode. These insights advance the
limited understanding of the antecedents of MNEs’ social innovation in developing countries
and offer guidance on how MNE subsidiaries can successfully pursue social innovation
interventions in a developing country
Why do microfinance institutions charge higher interest rates than banks? The role of operating costs
Get PDFYesMicrofinance interest is at the center of debate on lending to the poor because microfinance institutions (MFIs) charge significantly higher interest than conventional banks to borrowers with no creditworthiness. We contribute to the debate by documenting that MFIs spend more than banks for every dollar of lending. It occurs because the high marginal operating cost of lending is inherent to the microfinance business model - MFIs spend more than banks to mitigate high credit risks in lending to the poor. This study shed light on MFIs’ systemic limitations in poverty alleviation as envisaged in the sustainable development goals (SDGs)
Computational and experimental analysis of flow velocity and complex vortex formation around a group of bridge piers
Get PDFYesIn this study, the flow characteristics around a group of three piers arranged in tandem were investigated both numerically and experimentally. The simulation utilised the volume of fluid (VOF) model in conjunction with the k–ɛ method (i.e., for flow turbulence representations), implemented through the ANSYS FLUENT software, to model the free-surface flow. The simulation results were validated against laboratory measurements obtained using an acoustic Doppler velocimeter. The comparative analysis revealed discrepancies between the simulated and measured maximum velocities within the investigated flow field. However, the numerical results demonstrated a distinct vortex-induced flow pattern following the first pier and throughout the vicinity of the entire pier group, which aligned reasonably well with experimental data. In the heavily narrowed spaces between the piers, simulated velocity profiles were overestimated in the free-surface region and underestimated in the areas near the bed to the mid-stream when compared to measurements. These discrepancies diminished away from the regions with intense vortices, indicating that the employed model was capable of simulating relatively less disturbed flow turbulence. Furthermore, velocity results from both simulations and measurements were compared based on velocity distributions at three different depth ratios (0.15, 0.40, and 0.62) to assess vortex characteristic around the piers. This comparison revealed consistent results between experimental and simulated data. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of flow dynamics around complex interactive pier systems, which is critical for designing stable and sustainable hydraulic structures. Furthermore, the insights gained from this study provide valuable information for engineers aiming to develop effective strategies for controlling scour and minimizing destructive vortex effects, thereby guiding the design and maintenance of sustainable infrastructure
A legal framework for the future trade and investment relationships of China with the EU and UK
Get PDFThe current study is designed to present the Critical Review of the International Investment Agreements Between the UK, EU and China in the Post-Brexit and Post Covid-19 World.
It is clear that the significant events that have taken place so far, including the financial crisis, the rise of China as an economic superpower, the rise of European nationalism, the UK have left the EU(Brexit), global climate change, the breaking out of the Covid-19 and Russia-Ukraine conflict are altering and affecting future legal relations of investment and trade between UK, EU and China.
These events certainly result in significant changes in the investment policies of all three parties, and from this process, new relationships will emerge. As a result, the thesis’s research questions aim to capture these emerging developments.
Therefore, the research addresses the core objectives of exploring the nature of legal relations of investment and trade between the UK and EU after Brexit, investigating and examining the future legal ties of investment and trade between the UK and China in post-Brexit and post Covid-19 and finally exploring the future Bilateral Investment Agreements between EU and China after Brexit and Post Covid-19.
The application of doctrinal methodology helps to conduct a purely legal analysis of the international agreements between the UK, EU and China after Finally, the research will look to other models of international investment agreements, which can further contribute toward the future new development of investment policy in the three parties
Crystal or Glass? Chemical and Crystallographic Factors in the Amorphization of Molecular Materials
Get PDFYesThe creation of long-lived amorphous phases has potential applications in numerous fields; for example, the instability of the amorphous phase leads to higher solubility of pharmaceutical phases, often leading to higher bioavailability. The rate of recrystallization of an amorphous phase poses a significant limitation to the application of many such phases; however, understanding the energetic and structural factors that control the stability of molecular amorphous phases is limited by empirical classifications based on thermal analysis used to identify materials. From a set of molecularly related benzanilides, examples of all three classes have been identified, allowing use of crystal structural analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and energetic calculations to determine the structural factors playing a role in the different stabilities. While the behavior of most systems reflects the relative energy of the crystalline phase to the amorphous phase, kinetic factors based on whether a NH···O=C hydrogen bond is present in the crystalline phase play a key role in stabilizing the amorphous phase as the loss of this bond reduces the conversion rate. In contrast, systems without this bond display fast recrystallization due to the greater structural similarity between the amorphous and crystalline phases
Clinician measurement of spectacle prescription changes and patient tolerance to them
Get PDFPurpose.
To investigate the subjective refraction techniques of UK optometrists and their influence on patient-reported problems with new spectacles.
Methods.
First, an investigation from optical practices’ perspective, with a study investigating the frequency and causes of patient complaints. Three questionnaires follow; i) quantification of patient-reported symptoms with new spectacles, ii) the methods of refraction used by clinicians and iii) part-refracting as a special case of part-prescribing. Finally, the typical cylinder changes prescribed in patients’ refractive history are examined.
Results.
2.3% of eye examinations resulted in rechecks. Cylinders were implicated in 38% of causes, of which 42% were oblique. 83% of rechecks were due to inaccurate measurement of prescription; presenting symptoms, prescription changes and improvements in visual acuity (VA) were often not reconciled and 93% reported not measuring VA to full threshold. The change in ocular astigmatism from with- to against-the-rule with age was more than three times more likely to pass through oblique axes than a spherical prescription.
36% of eyes were found to have an oblique cylinder prescribed at least once and of these, 78% were transitory in nature.
Conclusions.
Subjective refraction, visual acuity measurement, analysis of refractive change and prescribing techniques were often poor and cylinder changes, particularly oblique, were identified as a cause of increasing rechecks with patient age. These are fundamental aspects of optometry, yet need to be more prominent in continuing professional development