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Regulating hydration and microstructure development of reactive MgO cement by citric acids
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Data will be made available on request.Reactive MgO cement (RMC) is a novel binder formed through the hydration and carbonation of MgO, but its low reactivity hinders its wider application. Preliminary research has suggested that citric acids can form compounds with Mg2+ that regulate these processes, but the mechanism is yet to be understood well. This study investigated the effects of citric acids on the fresh and hardened properties of RMC. Results showed that the shear yield stress and plastic viscosity of the RMC pastes decreased with the addition of citric acids. Under standard curing, 4 wt% and 8 wt% citric acids increased the compressive strength of RMC by โผ100 % at 14 days. The adsorption of citrate on MgO inhibited the formation of brucite, forming an amorphous network-like microstructure crystallised after 14 days. Under CO2 curing, the compressive strength of RMC with 8 wt% citric acids increased by 12 % at 14 days, which could be ascribed to the porous microstructure formed that promotes the uptake of CO2 and the densification of the microstructure.The authors gratefully acknowledge the European Commission's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (under grant agreement no. 893469) for sponsoring this research
Living the Viva: The Oral Examination in Practice
Get PDFThe viva examination or โdefenceโ is a pivotal moment in a studentโs or researcherโs career. It marks the conclusion of one stage and the beginning of another, whether during the study period or when competing for research funding. Unlike many other formal assessments, the viva is an oral performance. Its form may strongly depend on the domain of science or knowledge sector, on the university or even on faculty. The rituals of interaction between jurors and candidates may differ in many cultural contexts. Yet, the core elements of the defence are the debate, the use of evidence, and the justification for a statement or opinion delivered orally, are common to all. Accordingly, although a successful defence is about content, it is also about language and attitude. In academic education, there is insufficient preparation for this moment when one is in front of jurors, a commission, and even a wider audience. We draw on our combined experience in our own careers and in their coaching of students to present an analysis of the โvivaโ process. Our findings may help candidates position themselves in the viva context and offer practical advice on how to prepare, define an attitude, and structure answers and responses in general.All authors are funded by their respective institutions and/or projects. The research has not received any specific
funding, but the aforementioned educational programmes are mainly funded by the Belgian governments, the European Commission, and VLIR-UOS and ARES university cooperation institutions
Design for wellbeing: Exploring the role of workplace design by using XR to promote doctoral researchersโ workplace subjective wellbeing in UK HEIs
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonDespite growing awareness of the mental health challenges faced by doctoral
researchers (DRs) in UK higher education institutions (HEIs), little is known about how
their workplace design, particularly open-plan offices, impacts their wellbeing. This
thesis addresses this gap by focusing specifically on DRs, a group often overlooked
in workplace design research.
The thesis makes several contributions to theory and practice. First, it sheds light on
the unique experiences and needs of DRs in open-plan office environments. Second,
it introduces the Design for Workplace Wellbeing (DfWW) framework, linking physical
environmental variables with the theory of wellbeing to enhance subjective wellbeing.
Third, it demonstrates the innovative use of Extended Reality (XR) to test and evaluate
the design intervention, offering a new method to assess spatial design solutions.
Finally, it provides evidence-based design recommendations informed by
ethnographic and participatory research, guiding improved workplace wellbeing for
DRs.
The research has three phases. Phase one reviews the literature on subjective
wellbeing, workplace design, and XR technologies, leading to the DfWW framework.
Phase two explores and investigates workplace wellbeing through expertsโ input and
ethnographic research with DRs, linking physical environmental variables to the
PERMA constructs. Phase three develops and evaluates a workplace design
intervention using XR, offering practical recommendations.
Results indicate that physical environmental variables, such as noise and light, have
impacts on the PERMA constructs. For example, noise negatively affects all PERMA
elements, while good lighting improves Positive Emotion and Engagement. These
findings underscore the importance of addressing these variables to improve wellbeing
in open-plan office environments for DRs.University of Petra, Jordan, Department of Architecture and Design, for awarding me the scholarshi
Understanding The Development Of Contractures In People With Stroke: An Initial Logic-Model Of The Problem
Get PDFConference e-poster presented at the 19th UK Stroke Forum Conference, 3rdโ5th December 2024, Liverpool ACC, UK.Introduction: In the UK there are approximately 1.3 million people living with stroke. Half of adults admitted to hospital with stroke develop at least one contracture (ie. stiffness and reduction in how much a joint and muscle can move), which may increase impairment severity. There is limited research into the mechanism and wider causative factors associated with contracture development. This review outlines the first logic model of contracture development. Method: Four experts in the management of contracture produced a draft Logic-Model of contracture development. A Public Patient Involvement consultation with people following stroke, carers and clinicians process, based on the literature was then conducted to identify possible missing elements within the Logic-Model. Factors were then categorised and summarised within the Logic-model to present the findings. The process resulted in a comprehensive model to describe factors associated with contracture development. Results: Findings were summarised into a visual format, as the logic model of the problem for contracture development. Following consultation with the PPI group new items were added: Personal Determinants: Person with stroke: sensory impairment, perceived advantage and disadvantage (of knowledge of health condition); Personal Determinants: Family carers and supporters: motivation, depression; Personal Determinants: Professionals and paid carers: Low moral; Environmental Factors: Lack of context, specific tools and training. Items identified in most instances were an addendum to an item already included, adding depth and context to understanding. Conclusion: The resulting Logic-Model of the problem will enable development of evidence-based care pathways to prevent and treat contracture
Capsule Endoscopy Image Enhancement for Small Intestinal Villi Clarity
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The data used to support the findings of this paper are available from the corresponding authors upon request.MSC: 68U10; 92C55.Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) has become an important tool for gastrointestinal examination due to its non-invasive nature and minimal patient discomfort. However, the quality of WCE images is often limited by built-in lighting and the complex gastrointestinal environment, particularly in the region filled with small intestinal villi. Additionally, the morphology of these villi usually serves as a crucial indicator for related diseases. To address this, we propose a novel method to enhance the clarity of small intestinal villi in WCE images. Our method uses a guided filter to separate the low- and high-frequency components of WCE images. Illumination gain factors are calculated from the low-frequency components, while gradient gain factors are derived from Laplacian convolutions on different regions. These factors enhance the high-frequency components, combined with the original image. This approach improves edge detail while suppressing noise and avoiding edge overshoot, providing clearer images for diagnosis. Experimental results show that our proposed method achieved a 45.47% increase in PSNR compared to classical enhancement algorithms, a 12.63% improvement in IRMLE relative to the original images, and a 31.84% reduction in NIQE with respect to the original images.This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, grant number 62172190, the National Key Research and Development Program, grant number 2023YFC3805901, the โDouble Creationโ Plan of Jiangsu Province (Certificate: JSSCRC2021532), and partially by the โTaihu Talent-Innovative Leading Talentโ Plan of Wuxi City (Certificate Date: 202110)
How school studentsโ science identity is influenced by their gender, religion, and ethnicity through the lens of intersectionality
Get PDFThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThis research explores the impact of gender, religion, and ethnicity on school studentsโ
science identities through the lens of intersectionality. In this research, science identity
focusses on identification and recognition as a science person, having an interest in
science, competence in science, and having a career plan in science-related fields.
Intersectionality helps illuminate the influences of gender, religion, and ethnicity on the
science identity of students in this research. Additionally, the study examines how
obligatory and voluntary identities influence one another and highlights intersections
of power, values, norms, and experiences within school, family, and broader social
contexts.
The research is a mixed-methods study, conducted in a secondary school in a London
borough with Year 10 students and their science teachers. Data were collected from
a questionnaire completed by 145 students, seven science teacher interviews, and
five student interviews.
Some teachers believe gender does not affect science identity, while others note
image issues among students. The impact of ethnicity on participantsโ science identity
is related to the importance of being successful in science and having career plans in
science-related fields, especially in medicine, dentistry, or engineering. Religion can
influence the teaching of controversial topics like evolution, and teachers emphasise
the importance of inclusive education. Religion also shapes studentsโ science
identities by influencing their career plans through cultural interpretations.
The percentage of students with a science identity is 21%. Among students who have
a science identity, religion is more important to them. While gender biases and social
norms can negatively affect students by making them feel excluded. The movement
and unity of women have been and will continue to be inspiring and supportive for
women and young women, helping them to develop and maintain their science identity
and strengthen social acceptance in the field.
The study provides valuable insight into how individuals experience the complex
influences of these factors in developing or maintaining their science identity.Ministry of National Education of Tรผrkiy
The evolution of the CMS@Home project
Get PDFA poster presentation of 'The evolution of the CMS@Home project', presented by Federica Fanzago (INFN Padova) on 22 Oct 2024, at the CHEP2024 conference in Krakow, is available online as part of the HSF Training Pre-CHEP Workshop, 19-20 Oct 2024, at: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1338689/contributions/6011881/ .Over time, the idea of exploiting voluntary computing resources as additional capacity for experiments at the LHC has given rise to individual initiatives such as the CMS@Home project. With a starting point of R&D prototypes and projects such as "jobs in the Vacuum" and SETI@Home, the experiments have tried integrating these resources into their data production frameworks transparently to the computing infrastructure. Many of these efforts were subsequently rolled into the umbrella LHC@Home project.The use of virtual machines instantiated on volunteer resources, with images created and managed by the experiment according to its needs, provided the opportunity to implement this integration, and virtualization enabled CMS code from a Linux environment to also run on Windows and Macintosh systems, realizing a distributed and heterogeneous computing environment.A prototype of CMS@Home integrated with the CMS workload management CRAB3 was proposed in 2015, demonstrating the possibility of using BOINC as "manager" of volunteer resources and adapting the "vacuum" concept with the HTCondor Glidein system to get CMS pilots and jobs to execute on volunteers' computers. Since then, the integration of volunteer machines with the CMS workload management WMAgent, the official service dedicated to data production, has been seriously considered. The characteristics of volunteer resources regarding bandwidth capacity, connection behavior, and CPU and RAM capacities make them suitable for low-priority workflows with low I/O demands.The poster describes how the configuration of volunteer resources has evolved to keep pace with the development of the CMS computing infrastructure, including using tokens for resource authentication, exploiting regular expressions to accept workflows, manual glideins to initiate pilots, and other implementation details to achieve successful workflows. Currently volunteers are able to execute task chains of multicore jobs and, despite their limitations, are contributing to CMS computing capacity with around 600 cores daily.Science and Technology Facilities Council grant ref: ST/W00061X/1 (Particle Physics Consolidated Grant 2022-2025)
Innovative Swing Mechanism for Sustainable Energy Generation: Design, Performance, and IoT Integration
Get PDFConference paper presented at the 6th International Conference on Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing, Prague, Czech Republic, 20-22 November, 2024.In this study, the choice of mild steel for the swing mechanism was essential due to its mechanical properties, strength, and environmental resistance. The swing system, incorporating a stand, swing, connecting rod, spur gear, bearings, freewheel, battery, dynamo, and sprocket, was designed for sustainable energy generation without compromising user safety. The design balanced ergonomic needs with performance characteristics, ensuring the structure could endure applied stresses. IoT integration allowed for advanced monitoring, enabling real-time data analysis, performance optimization, and issue detection. The study examined how swinging weight and oscillation frequency impacted the output voltage and current, findings showed that output voltage varied with the swingerโs weight. The swing mechanism, capable of generating 6-8 volts, successfully converted kinetic energy into electrical energy. This study serves as a renewable energy education model with IoT integration, demonstrating innovative energy solutions for parks, schools, playgrounds, and communities
Aggregate Mutual Fund Flows and Stock Market Returns. Evidence from the US Market
Get PDFJEL classification: G10, G12, G14.This is a working paper. It is not certified by peer review.This study contributes new empirical evidence on the dynamic relation between mutual fund flow and stock market return using a multivariate GARCH model. Data consists of daily domestic US mutual funds from 1998 to 2012, while the result robustness is tested under alternative GARCH specifications and sub-periods that cover the US financial crisis, bear/bull and cyclical market phases. In the pre-crisis period, the effect of past mutual fund flows on S&P stock returns is negative indicating that higher inflows (outflows) lead to lower (higher) future stock returns. For the post-crisis period, the correlation between lagged fund flows and S&P returns is positive. Interestingly the negative effect from past flows to stock returns is significantly more pronounced in bearish periods compared to bullish ones. Moreover, a positive relationship between mutual fund flows and past stock market returns is reported across all periods and market phases. Finally, the simultaneous relation between returns and fund flows is uniformly positive and significant. However, the dynamic conditional correlations reveal a few concentrated instances of negative simultaneous correlations between flows and returns
A Human Centred Design Approach to Improve 4D Printing Application
No full textAiming at the challenge of functional damage caused by model deformation in 3D printing technology, this paper constructs a user demand-oriented deformation prediction model for 4D printing. The model aims to provide a strong theoretical basis for the development of deformation pre-compensation algorithms, thus effectively preventing and solving the performance damage problems caused by model deformation in actual 4D printing applications. This work aims at improving the reliability and practicality of 4D printing models, and ensuring that the final printed model can fully meet the predefined functional and performance standards. The research in this paper provides new perspectives and solutions for the application of 4D printing technology in adaptive design
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