60419 research outputs found
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A review of research into automation in tourism: Launching the Annals of Tourism Research Curated Collection on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Tourism
No full textDriven by the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and its related technologies, the application of intelligent automation in travel and tourism is expected to increase in the future. This paper unpacks the need to shape an automated future of tourism as a social phenomenon and an economic activity, hence contributes to theory and practice by providing directions for future research in this area. Four research priorities are suggested: designing beneficial AI, facilitating adoption, assessing the impacts of intelligent automation, and creating a sustainable future with artificial intelligence. Research in these areas will allow for a systematic knowledge production that reflects a concerted effort from the scientific community to ensuring the beneficial applications of intelligent automation in tourism
Does dietary nitrate supplementation improve performance in cardiopulmonary exercise testing and post-operative recovery in patients with colorectal cancer? A randomised controlled trial
No full textMajor surgery generates a stress response which increases oxygen demand and consumption post-operatively. Patients with low cardiopulmonary reserve may not be able to meet the increased oxygen demand and are at risk of increased morbidity. Dietary nitrate reduces the amount of oxygen required to perform a set amount of exercise and enhances exercise tolerance and performance in athletes by improving oxygen utilisation.
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) is an established method of assessing patients’ cardiopulmonary reserve prior to surgery. The anaerobic threshold (AT) is the oxygen uptake at which anaerobic metabolism supplements aerobic metabolism; is calculated during CPX and can predict short and long term outcomes after surgery and postoperative complications.
We conducted a single centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled trial to determine if dietary organic nitrate supplementation with beetroot juice (BRJ) improves pre-operative performance in CPX in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Eligible patients were adults undergoing elective laparoscopic resection for CRC. Patients were randomised to receive BRJ or nitrate-depleted BRJ (Placebo). Initial CPX was performed to a standard ramped incremental exercise protocol. Patients then received BRJ or placebo every day for 7 days followed by a second CPX. The primary outcome measure was the change in AT.
There was a statistically significant increase in the mean AT in the nitrate group (+0.706, 95% CI 0.130 to 1.281; p=0.018) but not in the placebo group. There was a significantly lower length of stay in nitrates group. There was no significant difference in rate of complications between the two groups.
Just 7 days of dietary nitrate supplementation results in a significant improvement in oxygen utilisation in an elderly population with colorectal cancer. This is a novel finding and this study is the first in patients undergoing surgery. This trial provides evidence that dietary nitrate supplementation is beneficial in a preoperative setting
Stepping towards the industrial Sixth Sense
No full textThis contribution introduces the development of an intelligent monitoring and control framework for chemical processes, integrating the advantages of Industry 4.0 technologies, cooperative control and fault detection via wireless sensor networks. Using information on the process’ structure and behaviour, equipment information, and expert knowledge, the system is able to detect faults. The integration with the monitoring system facilitates the detection and optimises the controller’s actions. The results indicate that the proposed approach achieves high fault detection accuracy based on plant measurements, while the cooperative controllers improve the control of the process
Untellable tales and uncertain futures: The unfolding narratives of young adults with cancer
No full textIn this paper, we examine the use of creative methods for understanding the experience of young adults aged between 16 and 30 years over a year following a cancer diagnosis. Exploring the renegotiation of identity, the narrative, longitudinal research design of the study demonstrated the unfolding process of the narrative work between participants and researcher. We used a combination of visual, spoken and reflexive psychosocial approaches to understand emergent narratives, many of which do not always find symbolisation in language. Our methodological approach focused on the difficult and sometimes ‘unspeakable’ nature of the young adults’ narratives, demonstrating the importance of different modes of communication in articulating complicated relations with uncertain futures. In this respect the links between narrative, social action and the imagining of possible futures are precarious. In this paper, we explore how untellable issues were explored, and the challenges of doing so
A Topological Cluster of Differentially Regulated Genes in Mice Lacking PER3
No full textPolymorphisms in the human circadian clock gene PERIOD3 (PER3) are associated with a wide variety of phenotypes such as diurnal preference, delayed sleep phase disorder,
sleep homeostasis, cognitive performance, bipolar disorder, type 2 diabetes, cardiac
regulation, cancer, light sensitivity, hormone and cytokine secretion, and addiction.
However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these phenotypic associations remain
unknown. Per3 knockout mice (Per
The characterisation of foot-and-mouth disease viral populations subjected to host immune pressure
No full textFoot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) typically exists within a replication site as a heterogeneous population. This diversity allows FMDV populations to rapidly adapt to new selection pressures, for example an immune response. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies allow for this sequence diversity to be characterised, however challenges still exist to distinguish real biological variation from process-introduced error. To improve variant calling accuracy, artificial DNA and RNA based populations containing sequence variants at known positions and frequencies were created. These were used to systematically investigate the impact of different laboratory and bioinformatics protocols on variant calling and error generation in HTS datasets. Analysis revealed that variants as low as 0.2% could be predicted in all DNA populations and RNA samples with a high amount of template. While decreasing the amount of RNA input required higher frequency percentage thresholds and more technical replicates to maintain accuracy. The optimised pipeline was applied to FMDV infected epithelium samples derived from vaccinated cattle and identified capsid surface bound substitutions associated with immune escape, all of which were unique to individual viral populations. In order to establish more control over the viral and antibody input, an in vitro experiment was performed with FMDV passaged in the presence of sub-neutralising antibody serum derived from vaccinated cattle. HTS analysis identified capsid surface bound immune escape associated substitutions, unique to individual viral populations. This thesis includes a novel systematic approach to accurately characterise low-frequency variants and demonstrates the evolutionary nature of FMDV, with results suggesting at an individual replication site, immune escape evolution is a stochastic process. Characterising immune escape associated substitutions within FMDV populations has the capacity to improve the fundamental understanding of FMDV evolution which in turn can be used to inform vaccine design and FMD control strategies
Unlocking solution provision competence in knowledge-intensive business service firms
No full textBusiness services markets are very competitive and a key challenge for knowledge-intensive
business service (KIBS) firms is delivering effective solutions for business customers. As
solution providers, KIBS firms need to invest competencies that supports their capacity to solve
customers’ problems. We examine how KIBS firms address this challenge by investigating
how solution-provision competence (SPC), as a firm-level competence, contributes to the
delivery of effective solutions, and how and when KIBS firms leverage SPC to transform
knowledge gained from various search paths into effective solutions for customers. The results
show that distal search enriches knowledge diversity, which helps foster solution-provision
competence but only up to a point, after which the relationship turns negative, with distal search
showing a diminishing effect on solution-provision competence. In addressing the diminishing
returns of distal search to solution-provision competence, we show that higher levels of
proximal search and strategic flexibility reverse the diminishing effect of high levels of distal
search on solution-provision competence; however, employee collaboration did not help
counter the diminishing returns (e.g., marginal benefits). Finally, we demonstrate that solutionprovision
competence helps KIBS firms offer effective solutions tailored to business customers’
specific needs
Strengthening interlinked marketing exchange systems to improve water and sanitation in informal settlements of Kigali, Rwanda
No full textInadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is a significant health burden in
Rwanda. Although current approaches for improving water and sanitation provision
to enhance health outcomes are often narrowly associated with monetary exchange,
analysis of two informal settlements in Kigali (Gitega and Kimisagara) shows that
households attempt to meet their water and sanitation needs through four interlinked
exchange systems (market-based, command-based, culturally determined and
non-market-based exchange systems). By focusing on existing social relations and
exchange systems, sanitation practitioners may be able to foster and strengthen
these interlinked water and sanitation marketing exchange systems embedding in
the local context and local capabilities, and as a consequence improve the lives of the
low-income communities of informal settlements
A DSP ACCELERATION FRAMEWORK FOR SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIOS ON X86 64
No full textThis paper presents a DSP acceleration and assessment framework targeting SDR platforms on x86 64 architectures. Driven by the
potential of rapid prototyping and evaluation of breakthrough concepts that these platforms provide, our work builds upon the wellknown
OpenAirInterface codebase, extending it for advanced, previously unsupported modes towards large and massive MIMO such as non-codebook-based multi-user transmissions. We then develop an acceleration/profiling framework, through which we present finegrained
execution results for DSP operations. Incorporating the latest SIMD instructions, our acceleration framework achieves a unitary speedup of up to 10. Integrated into OpenAirInterface, it accelerates computationally expensive MIMO operations by up to 88% across tested modes. Besides resulting in a useful tool for the community, this work provides insight on runtime DSP complexity and the potential of modern x86 64 systems
Fitting a quart in a pint pot: a comparison of selected alcoholic drinks produced in Nigeria and the UK
No full textThis study compared volume, alcohol by volume (ABV), alcohol units, and health warnings on product labels of selected alcoholic beverages simultaneously produced in Nigeria and the UK. The volume, ABV, alcohol units, and health warnings in a total of 13 alcoholic beverage brands simultaneously produced in Nigeria and the UK were documented from product labels and compared. Alcohol units were calculated by multiplying ABV% with volume (milliliters), divided by 1000. There was variation in volume, ABV, alcohol units, and health warnings on product labels. Beer and stout brands produced in Nigeria were sold in 600 mL bottles containing higher ABV and alcohol units compared with similar brands in the UK sold in 400 mL bottles containing smaller ABV and alcohol units. Pregnancy and drink driving warnings were present on 18.2% of product labels of alcoholic beverages produced in Nigeria. The high ABV, alcohol unit, and absence of health warnings on product labels might explain the high level of alcohol consumed, drunk driving and road traffic accidents in Nigeria. Reducing the ABV and alcohol units in beers and stouts while displaying health warnings on product labels would have the potential for reducing harmful alcohol consumption and related harms in Nigeria and the UK
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