21649 research outputs found
Sort by
Spatial and vertical wind patterns in a path‐induced blowout in opposing wind conditions
Full text linkBlowouts are geomorphic features formed through the interplay of aeolian processes, vegetation cover and anthropogenic disturbance. Although the basic dynamics of airflow over blowouts under unidirectional winds are relatively well understood, fine‐scale airflow patterns under bi‐directional wind regimes remain poorly characterised. This study investigates airflow dynamics within a small trough blowout located in the coastal dune system of Canet‐en‐Roussillon (SE France), where foot traffic has modified the original morphology. Wind data were collected using 26 anemometers deployed across and within the blowout, capturing spatial and vertical variations during both offshore and onshore wind events. The blowout exhibits a bifurcated morphology that alters airflow asymmetrically: offshore winds are steered oblique to the shoreline and sustain acceleration along the main axis (pattern [c]), whereas onshore winds generate more parallel flow, resulting in deceleration and turbulence (pattern [a]). This contrast gives rise to distinct internal flow structures, flow bifurcation under offshore winds and widespread near‐surface disturbance under onshore winds. A shallow, disturbed near‐surface flow develops within the blowout, constrained vertically by blowout dimensions, and decoupled from the more coherent higher and above‐blowout flows aligned with the incident wind. Peak velocities for both wind directions are observed in the constricted throat region (pattern [b]), though classic jet flow does not develop, likely due to bifurcation and throat morphological constraints. These findings highlight the sensitive coupling between blowout morphology, wind regime and anthropogenic alteration in shaping airflow behaviour within a small trough blowout
Policy Brief: Preventing the harmful effects of anthropogenic noise on biodiversity
No full textNoise pollution is unwanted sound that can impact humans and biodiversity. Pollution is one of the primary drivers of biodiversity loss. To meet the ambitious conservation targets introduced inresponse to widespread and rapid biodiversity decline globally, noise pollution in the environment must be controlled. Many organisms have sensory systems that detect sound and vibration, facilitating perception of and response to opportunities and threats. Variation in these sensory systems and in the requirements of organisms result in differential impacts of sound. For example, the notions of ultrasound and infrasound reflect sounds outside of the human auditory range, but these sounds may be detectable by the sensory systems of other species. Therefore, noise policy should transcend its traditional anthropocentric view. Human activity (e.g. road, rail and air traffic) introduces a variety of sounds into the environment. The differential impacts of these sounds on organisms can harm individuals, affect biological functions on various other levels, and disrupt the ecological balance, leading to biodiversity loss. Natural areas exposed to high levels of anthropogenic noise also impact a vital ecosystem service,mental restoration, as rich natural soundscapes are an integral part of experiencing nature. Therefore, for the policy agenda, anthropogenic noise in the environment should be considered in a one-health context. Noise should be recognised as an environmental pollutant, requiring the avoidance of new chronic sources where possible, the reduction of noise at source, the safeguarding of quiet areas,and long-term monitoring of both soundscapes and biological outcomes to verify recovery following interventions. Addressing anthropogenic noise in this way will benefit both humans and biodiversity
Ecological networks reveal strong pest suppression complementarity between birds and bats within rice-dominated agroecosystems in West Africa
Full text linkThe growing demand for rice across West African countries requires urgent pest control strategies that are costeffectiveand ecologically sustainable. Insectivorous birds and bats can act as biocontrol agents providing pestsuppression services, reducing crop damage and potentially increasing yields. Here, we combined DNA metabarcodingand network analysis to uncover the diets and pest control potential of these predators in the lowlandrainfed rice fields of northern Guinea-Bissau. We identified 2276 predator–prey interactions involving 34predator species (18 bats, 16 birds) and 1347 prey OTUs, including 87 classified rice pests. Bats and birdsconsumed similar numbers of pest species but exhibited largely distinct diet preferences. The predator–preynetwork revealed low connectance and nestedness but high modularity, suggesting a compartmentalization intorelatively independent subcommunities of interacting partner species, with little dietary overlap. Our networkanalysis revealed that species contributing most to overall predator–prey dynamics are not always the same asthose driving pest suppression. While network degree, strength and module roles revealed that species suchScotophilus otu1, Hipposideros cafer/ruber, Scotoecus otu14, Ploceus cucullatus, and Hirundo smithii are key in thepredator–prey community, species such as Afronycteris nana and Euplectes franciscanus also emerged as importantfor pest suppression. Our findings highlight the importance of maintaining and managing a diverse community ofbats and birds for network resilience and as a potential nature-based solution for sustainable rice production
Digital Competency of Psychologists: A Scoping Review
No full textDigital competency is becoming increasingly vital in psychological practice, yet consensus is lacking on the specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for effective technology integration in psychological care and therapeutic settings. Existing frameworks primarily focus on telepsychology and telehealth, neglecting broader psychological practice. This scoping review addresses this gap by synthesizing relevant literature, identifying key digital competencies, evaluating existing frameworks, and highlighting gaps to inform the development of an integrated competency framework for psychologists. A PRISMA-ScR guided research was conducted in August 2024 across seven major databases: Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest One Academic, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Taylor & Francis Online, and EBSCOhost. Two independent reviewers screened 577 articles, of which 19 met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis identified eleven digital competencies, hierarchically grouped into five key domains: technical, ethical and legal, digital practice, training and research, and infrastructure and equity. By mapping these competencies and highlighting gaps in existing frameworks, this study provides a structured basis for developing standardized competency models. This ensures that future frameworks incorporate the necessary skills and knowledge for psychologists to navigate evolving technologies, AI integration, and cross-cultural digital practice effectively
The role of social capital in SMEs for polycrisis management
Full text linkSince 2020 several crises have brought unexpected and complex economic, political and social challenges to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs have had to innovate to survive but urgent responses often preclude strategic consideration for long-term repercussions. This paper explores the role of social capital in organisations and considers how it can assist in navigating external crises and buffering against future change. Using a hybrid social capital perspective we examine the prospects for SMEs to survive crises using two rounds of purposive and convenience sampling driven semi-structured interviews undertaken twelve months apart with the same respondents drawn from a diverse range of industries such as catering, digital agencies, education, and sport organisations. The interviews explored social capital through the attributes of stakeholder trust, reciprocity and shared values also discerning how integration with, and provocation from, wider networks impacts SMEs. The paper critically evaluates the role of social capital in SMEs during current times of seemingly ever-present crisis. Having clear awareness of the influence and role of social capital, its attributes and its role in shaping the continuity of an organisation through crises is a key application of this work that can be directly used within other organisations of this type
Double-diffusive thermosolutal Hadley–Prats flow: stability analysis
Full text linkA mathematical model is developed to study the onset of double-diffusion fluid flow through an infinite permeable channel with internal heat source and viscous dissipation effects under the influence of convection conditions. Darcy's model is utilized for the considered isotropic and homogenous porous medium. A linear instability analysis is conducted and the longitudinal roll disturbances are examined. The dimensionless emerging eigenvalue problem is solved numerically using the fourth order Runge-Kutta scheme for longitudinal roll disturbances. Critical values of wave number and vertical thermal Rayleigh number are determined. A higher value of Gebhart number is observed to correlate significantly with the destabilizing phenomena in Hadley-Prats flow. Concentration based internal heat generation also strongly modifies the critical thermal Rayleigh number. Also, it is found that, the horizontal mass flow and viscous dissipation exert a substantial influence on the onset of instability in the flow regime. Linear instability analysis indicates that, greater values of Lewis number in the porous medium stabilize the convection process for both values of mass diffusion parameter (í µí° ¶ í µí± §). Enhancing í µí° ¶ í µí± § from negative to positive 2 2 values diminishes the critical thermal Rayleigh (í µí± í µí± §) value and consequently induces instability in the porous medium. Increased concentration-based internal heat generation generates the destabilisation process in the flow region. Extensive visualization and interpretation of the solutions relating to the onset of convection are provided. The study is relevant to geothermal, industrial manufacturing and chemical engineering transport processes
The Academic Threat Appraisal Ratio Scale (ATARS): Insights into attainment, academic progression, and retention in higher education
Full text linkBackground: Previous studies examining threat appraisal and the influence of stress on human performance conclude that a challenge state leads to better performance than a threat state. Despite its potential, threat appraisal, particularly using self‐report measures, has been the subject of limited investigation in applied higher educational contexts. Aims: The study explored the potential of self‐report academic threat appraisal to explain academic progression and drop out in first‐year students and investigated associations between self‐report academic threat appraisal and relevant non‐cognitive factors. Sample: The sample comprised 186 first‐year undergraduate university students. Method: Students completed a newly adapted self‐report threat appraisal measure, the Academic Threat Appraisal Ratio Scale (ATARS), at the beginning of their degree course. End‐of‐year grade point average and academic progression were also measured along with self‐report measures of academic self‐efficacy, academic resilience, grit, and mindset. Results: Findings revealed that a significantly greater proportion of students eliciting a challenge state progressed at first attempt, and of those students failing to progress at first attempt, a significantly greater proportion had elicited a threat state (χ2 (1) = 4.445, p = .035). Furthermore, academic threat appraisal was identified as a significant predictor of academic progression, while academic self‐efficacy was identified as a significant predictor of academic threat appraisal. Conclusions: Evidence supports self‐report academic threat appraisal as a significant factor in student attainment and academic progression in higher education, suggesting that the ATARS offers a relatively simple, valid, and scalable tool for early screening of students, enabling targeted student support
Simulating human responses to environmental messaging
Full text linkThis paper presents ongoing work to implement and evaluate virtual humans whose responses to environmental messaging are shaped by their media diets and social interactions. The project scraped thousands of social media post-comment pairs related to environmental issues, classified them by viewpoint through the large-scale orchestration of multiple instances of large language models, and built a vector database of embedded interactions with associated classification metadata to serve as a knowledge source for a chatbot. Dynamic, metadata-based filtering of this knowledge source, in conjunction with retrieval-augmented generation, enabled a chatbot with selectable personas that generate responses to new social media posts based on stereotypical viewpoints grounded in current news, attitudes and zeitgeists. A qualitative and quantitative evaluation was conducted to demonstrate the validity of the approach, though its full potential remains to be explored
Data Science, AI and Applications: First International Conference, ICDSAIA 2025, Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 18–19, 2025, Proceedings, Part III
No full textWe are delighted to present the proceedings of the International Conference on Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Applications (ICDSAIA 2025), held on 18–19 July 2025 at the EATL Innovation Hub, Kaliakair Hi-Tech City, Bangladesh, jointly organized by Ethics Advanced Technology Ltd. (EATL) and the University of Salford, UK. The journey of ICDSAIA 2025 began with a strategic meeting held in mid-2024 at the University of Salford, where the top management team of EATL Innovation Hub met with the University of Salford team to explore avenues for academic collaboration. It was during this pivotal meeting that the idea of jointly organizing an international conference on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence was first conceived. If you are reading this preface, it means that our shared vision has successfully materialized. ICDSAIA 2025 brought together researchers, scientists, practitioners, and industry experts from around the world, especially from all over Bangladesh, to exchange ideas and share the latest advancements in data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and their applications across diverse domains. In a world increasingly shaped by data and intelligent systems, the conference served as a vibrant platform for presenting cuttingedge research, fostering collaboration, and inspiring innovative solutions to real-world challenges. The conference included a wide spectrum of sectors—including healthcare, education, finance, governance, agriculture, and sustainable development—highlighting its potential to solve pressing societal challenges and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We received 190 submissions, including contributions from the USA, the UK, India, Pakistan, and several other countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa. It is an impressive amount as we hold this conference for the first time. We followed a rigorous double-blind peer review process. Initially, all the papers were divided into 5 groups and assigned to five committee members. They acted as metareviewers and assigned reviewers to their part of the papers. Each paper was assigned to three to four reviewers, and a summary of decisions was prepared by the meta-reviewers. Final decisions were made in a meeting where General Chairs, Program Chairs, and Technical Chairs attended. In the conference, eighty-five papers were registered for oral presentation and fourteen papers were registered for Poster Presentation. Overall, the acceptance rate was around 52.1%, which includes 44.7% of oral and7.3% of poster papers. The conference committee was especially honoured to feature two internationally renowned keynote speakers: Latifur Khan, University of Texas at Dallas, USA, a distinguished scholar in Data Mining and Big Data Analytics, and Sushmita Mitra, Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata—a pioneer in Computational Biology and Soft Computing. Their keynotes provided deep insights into the future trajectory of AI and data science, setting the stage for engaging discussions throughout the event.vi PrefaceICDSAIA 2025 provided a rare opportunity for young researchers and students in Bangladesh to engage with global experts and present their work on an international platform. August 2025 Shivakumara Palaiahnakote Rajesh Palit Mo Saraee Pradeep K. Atrey Xiang Bai Balasubramanian Rama
Experimental Investigation of Natural Ventilation Rates in a Domestic House in Laboratory Conditions
Full text linkStack-driven ventilation is one of the key forms of natural ventilation. Yet, it has rarely been tested at full scale, even though such studies offer critical evidence for validating simplified theoretical models. To investigate stack-driven ventilation experimentally, a full-scale Future Home house was tested under controlled laboratory conditions in an environmental chamber at Energy House 2.0, in the absence of wind and with a stable indoor–outdoor temperature difference. The indoor air was heated to 35 °C, while the surrounding chamber was maintained at 15 °C. Subsequently, six windows were opened simultaneously for 24 h, three on the ground floor and three on the first floor. Air velocities were measured at each opening with hot-wire probes and converted into volumetric flow rates. The total inflow averaged 1.19 m3/s compared with a theoretical prediction of 1.93 m3/s, indicating systematic overestimation by the stack effect equation. A back-calculation suggested a discharge coefficient of 0.37 instead of 0.60. The cooling energy from natural ventilation was quantified and evaluated for its capability to reduce internal air temperature in overheating conditions. The findings increase the understanding of buoyancy-driven ventilation, while underlining the need to calibrate simplified equations against experimental data
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage University of Salford Institutional Repository? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!