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Enhanced Voltage Balancing Algorithm and Implementation of a Single-Phase Modular Multilevel Converter for Power Electronics Applications
No full textThis paper presents an innovative primary control strategy for a modular multilevel converter aimed at enhancing reliability and dynamic performance for power electronics applications. The proposed method utilises interactive modelling tools, including MATLAB Simulink (2022b) for algorithm design and Typhoon HIL (2023.2) for real-time validation. The circuit design and component analysis were carried out using Proteus Design Suite (v8.17) and LTSpice (v17) to optimise the hardware implementation. A power hardware-in-the-loop experimental test setup was built to demonstrate the robustness and adaptability of the control algorithm under fixed load conditions. The simulation results were compared and verified against the experimental data. Additionally, the proposed control strategy was successfully validated through experiments, demonstrating its effectiveness in simplifying control development through efficient co-simulation
Towards Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Cities: Mitigating Urban Heat Islands Through Green Infrastructure
No full textRapidly increasing construction and agglomeration in urban areas have made the urban heat island (UHI) problem a turning point for the world, as a result of notably rising earth temperature every year. UHI and its impacts on climate are somewhat linked to weather-related matters, natural disasters and disease outbreaks. Given the challenges posed by urbanisation and industrialisation in achieving sustainability, it is crucial to adopt intelligent and decisive measures to mitigate the adverse outcomes of UHI. Greenery surfaces have long been a significant focus of scientific research and policy development, reflecting their pivotal role in combating urban heat islands and promoting sustainable urban environments. This study critically reviews the potential of green infrastructure, including green roofs, facades, shrubs, and trees, so as to minimise UHI impacts in severe urban contexts. By synthesising findings from a wide range of empirical studies, it highlights key outcomes such as reductions in surface temperatures by up to 2 °C and improvements in outdoor thermal comfort indices by over 10 °C under specific conditions. Additionally, the paper introduces a comprehensive framework for integrating greenery systems into urban planning, combining passive cooling, air quality enhancement, and energy efficiency strategies. The findings reveal that extensive green roofs, in particular, are highly effective in reducing indoor cooling demands, while strategically placed trees offer significant shading and evapotranspiration benefits. This work provides actionable insights for policymakers and urban planners to boost sustainable and climate-resilient cities whilst addressing gaps in current research related to the long-term performance and cost-effectiveness of green infrastructure solutions
The Composers’ Guild of Great Britain and “unofficial” musical diplomacy in Eastern Europe
No full textBritish “official” musical diplomacy with Eastern Europe has been perceived as a project that began only in the 1950s
Dynamic Adjustments in Environmental Input-Output Models: Incorporating Quantity and Price Traverse Disequilibrium
No full textThis paper extends the traditional Leontief Input-Output (I-O) model by introducing a traverse disequilibrium framework that captures simultaneous quantity and price adjustments over time. Unlike standard static I-O models, this approach incorporates continuous-time adjustments in production, prices, and resource utilization. The analysis models how sectors respond to demand fluctuations through inventory accumulation and production adjustments, allowing for temporary imbalances between supply and demand. The model is further extended to include price-setting mechanisms. In this framework, sectors adjust markups in response to cost fluctuations and inventory deviations, and biophysical resource utilisation, leading to physical constraints and cost-push inflation. Calibrated using Brazil's Input-Output matrix and land-use data, the framework is applied to sectoral shocks, including demand surges and price rigidities, to assess their sectoral and macroeconomic impacts. The results highlight the importance of adjustment speeds in shaping economic dynamics, showing that rigid price and quantity settings amplify inventory cycles, while fast quantity adjustments increase output volatility. Sectoral interdependencies create cascading effects, demonstrating how price, and quantity shocks propagate across industries. Additionally, the dependence on environmental services illustrates how pressures on scarce resources feedback into prices and quantities
Data and Knowledge–Driven Approach for Energy Profiling in Smart Context-Aware Buildings
No full textEnergy profiling plays a crucial role in optimising smart building operations, especially with the increasing popularity of personalised, user-centric AI applications. Current research lacks emphasis on interpretability, transparency, and accessibility for non-expert stakeholders, where decision-making either relies solely on machine learning insights or unstructured knowledge bases. Hence, this study aims to enhance the interpretability of energy profiling and generate tailored recommendations based on correlated data sources from various aspects. This approach combines data-driven and knowledge-driven techniques by integrating energy clustering insights and unstructured knowledge bases to provide tailored energy recommendations. By combining Large Language Models (LLMs) and Explainable AI (XAI), this approach leads to: (1) identifying new consumer personas based on contextualised cluster insights, (2) finding the most impactful features reflecting energy insights, and (3) turning those insights into clear, human-readable reports and recommendations. This transforms smart meters from passive data collectors into intelligent advisory tools for consumers, policymakers, and energy providers
Determinants and level of knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) towards physical activity among health care professionals in Fiji
No full textIntroduction: Lack of physical activity is a key risk factor to developing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD), Healthcare professionals are at risk of acquiring this disease as they are presumably occupied with work schedules and do not participate in PA frequently or for sufficient periods of time. This study aimed to determine the level and predictors of knowledge, attitude, and practice towards physical activity among the health care professionals. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional study was carried out among 126 health care professionals in Suva Subdivision, Fiji healthcare facilities. Participants who met the study inclusion criteria were recruited through purposive sampling and were asked to fill out a validated questionnaire. Data was analyzed by a statistical software SPSS, and the p<0.05 were considered as the level of significance. Results: More than two-thirds (73.8%) of the respondents were female and the majority (47.6%) (81.7%) were married. Most of the participants (54%) were nurses with some (27%) regularly practicing physical activity. Most of the participants (96.8%) presented a high level of knowledge of physical activity, additionally, all participants (100%) demonstrated a positive attitude towards physical activity, however, only Paramedics are 1.89 times more likely to have a good PA practice than other occupations (p=0.03) and those earned 1000 fortnightly had 2 times lower chance of having a good PA practice (0.03) than other level of income. The results also revealed that age and occupation were significant predictors of knowledge whilst type of occupation and income were predictors of practice. Conclusion: Although the majority of health care professionals had a high level of knowledge and positive attitude towards physical activity these were not translated into the practice of physical activity. Appropriate health promotion strategies need to be applied to increase the health care professional’s physical activity practice
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Hypertension Treatment in Delaying/Slowing the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease in Adults Aged 18 Years and Above with Impaired Glucose Regulation: A Systematic Review Protocol
No full textIntroduction: Antihypertensive drugs effectively reduce chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression, yet research into their effectiveness for individuals with impaired glucose regulation (IGR) is limited. IGR, which refers to intermediate hyperglycaemia, including impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance, represents a high-risk metabolic state associated with both hypertension and accelerated CKD progression. This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of hypertension treatment in delaying CKD progression in individuals with IGR and aims to provide insights into optimal drug-based treatments for this population. Methods/Design: The electronic databases CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Science, PubMed, Zetoc, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials, and grey literature will be searched for relevant studies from inception to 30th November 2025. Two independent reviewers will screen results, extract data, select studies for inclusion, and assess quality. Inclusion criteria encompass RCTs and non-randomised studies involving adults with IGR and hypertension, using CKD markers like estimated glomerular filtration rate, albumin creatinine ratio, protein creatinine ratio, serum creatinine, and creatinine clearance levels. The authors will estimate between-group and within-group differences, extracting effect measures such as relative risk, hazard ratio, or pre- and post-intervention means and SD, with 95% CIs. If applicable, study results will be pooled for a meta-analysis; high heterogeneity will prompt a narrative synthesis. Evidence quality and risk of bias will be evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) and Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I), respectively. This systematic review protocol is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024529193). Conclusion: Current evidence supports antihypertensive drugs in slowing CKD progression, but research on individuals with IGR is limited. This review explores effective drug-based treatment strategies for adults with CKD and IGR, enhancing clinical practice and patient outcomes
Innovative approaches to embedding evidence-based policing, supporting police learning and continuing professional development: Reflections from a police–academic partnership
No full textThe police education and learning framework in England and Wales has changed dramatically over the past decade, with little empirical evidence available to understand how police officers learn and what pedagogies are most effective. This article provides a discussion on the use of innovative approaches in police learning, specifically relating to evidence-based policing (EBP), using methods designed to enhance engagement with EBP among in-service officers and staff. It offers a reflection on activities undertaken between 2017 and 2021 in one UK police force, facilitated by a police–academic partnership with a local university. The successful formation of an EBP community of practice allowed us to offer a series of fun and engaging learning opportunities for in-service staff and officers. This enabled them to both share and develop their knowledge and to build networks to facilitate peer-to-peer support in understanding and implementing evidence-based practices. The approach appears to have removed some of the barriers to EBP noted previously in the literature, enabling officers and staff to engage more effectively with academics, and with opportunities for development, and to better appreciate the value of research-informed approaches to enhancing policing practices. This article also makes recommendations for further research to explore ‘what works’ in relation to police learning, building an evidence base to inform the development of more effective learning strategies and programmes for use with new and in-service officers
Exploring the interplay between mindful eating and self-compassion: insights from three empirical studies and future directions for research
No full textBackground
Literature on mindful eating explores both mindful eating behaviour and decision-making for mindful eating jointly, which may not necessarily reflect the accurate nature of what mindful eating truly represents. The present research conducted three studies to explore the relationship between BMI, mindful eating behaviour, decision-making for mindful eating, and self-compassion.
Method and results
Using 150 participants, Study 1 examined the correlations between the Mindful Eating Behaviour Scale (MEBS), the Sussex-Oxford Compassion for Self-Scale (SOCS), and their subscales with BMI. Significant positive associations were found between BMI and focused eating, as well as focused eating and hunger and satiety (MEBS subscales) and various facets of self-compassion, but the findings were conflicting, suggested by several measurement limitations. Study 2 aimed to address limitations in the measurement of mindful eating by investigating its association with self-compassion using an alternative scale, the Mindful Eating Behaviour Scale-Trait (MEBS-T) using 152 participants. The findings suggested only BMI was negatively associated with recognising suffering and tolerating uncomfortable feelings (SOCS subscales), but no other significant relationships were found. Study 3 further explored the interplay between self-compassion and mindful eating with 235 participants, utilising the MEBS-T and the original Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), revealing significant positive relationships between sensory attention and non-judgemental awareness (MEBS-T subscales) with common humanity, and mindfulness (alongside non-judgemental awareness and self-kindness), and significant negative relationships between sensory attention and isolation, and non-judgemental awareness and isolation and over-identification.
Conclusion
These findings indicate that associations between mindful eating and self-compassion exist, and specific components of mindful eating, particularly sensory attention and non-judgemental awareness, may play a critical role in fostering a compassionate relationship with oneself—which, for example, in a context of emotional eating and obesity-related stigma propose clear future directions for research and practice but as described in the original Self-Compassion Scale. A critical interpretation of the combined impact and underlying mechanisms in promoting positive eating behaviour change is discussed
Beyond the British Library: How Crisis Reshaped UK Resource Sharing
No full textIt’s been over five years since the pandemic hit, and frankly, the mad scramble to recreate remote ILL solutions for our institutions—or just capitulate and provide nothing for our patrons—feels like a lifetime ago. What we’ve witnessed since then is nothing short of remarkable: two major disruptions that could have destroyed UK resource sharing have instead forced us to become more innovative, more resilient, and arguably more effective than we were before