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Developing a framework to create an organisational culture that facilitates continuous improvement in the service sector: the case of Saudi Arabia
Get PDFContinuous improvement in Saudi Arabia has become important since the country’s
government introduced the Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to transform the existing business,
economic, and social environment so that it can facilitate diversification. For the service
sector, this means significant changes as organisations seek to maintain quality, meet rising
demands for accountability, and demonstrate their social and economic role. The increase in
accreditation and quality audits required of the service sector by government bodies and
external entities is a manifestation of the push for quality management and quality assurance.
For the Saudi service sector to transform and meet the expectations of the Saudi Vision 2030
and other standards, it is vital to study how organisational culture can be leveraged to promote
continuous improvement in Saudi Arabia's service sector. This exploratory and interpretive
study seeks to fill the existing gap in research relating to the influence of organisational
culture, specifically on the Saudi Arabian service sector, using the qualitative grounded theory
approach. The study employed two main data collection methods: in-person open-ended
interviews and focus group discussions. It identified a number of themes that influence the
implementation of CI in the Saudi service sector and develops a framework of interventions
that will assist in leveraging the organisational cultures of Saudi Arabian service sector
organisations to facilitate continuous improvement.PhD in Manufacturin
Unlocking the agro-physiological potential of wheat rhizoplane fungi under low P conditions using a niche-conserved consortium approach
Get PDFPlant growth-promoting fungi (PGPF) hold promise for enhancing crop yield. This study delves into the fungal diversity of the wheat rhizoplane across seven Moroccan agricultural regions, employing a niche-conserved strategy to construct fungal consortia (FC) exhibiting higher phosphorus (P) acquisition and plant growth promotion. This study combined culture-independent and culture-dependent methods exploring taxonomic and functional diversity in the rhizoplane of wheat plants obtained from 28 zones. Twenty fungal species from eight genera were isolated and confirmed through internal transcribed spacer (ITS) Sanger sequencing. P solubilization (PS) capacity was assessed for individual species, with Talaromyces sp. (F11) and Rhizopus arrhizus CMRC 585 (F12) exhibiting notable PS rates, potentially due to production of organic acids such as gluconic acid. PGPF traits and antagonism activities were considered when constructing 28 niche-conserved FC (using isolates from the same zone), seven intra-region FC (different zones within a region), and one inter-region FC. Under low P conditions, in planta inoculation with niche-conserved FC (notably FC14 and FC17) enhanced growth, physiological parameters, and P uptake of wheat, in both vegetative and reproductive stages. FC14 and FC17, composed of potent fungi such as F11 and F12, demonstrated superior plant growth benefits compared with intra- and inter-region constructed FC. Our study underscores the efficacy of the niche-conserved strategy in designing synthetic fungal community from isolates within the same niche, proving significant agro-physiological potential to enhance P uptake and plant growth of wheat.Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)BBSRC BB/X010953/1This research, part of the Project no. FP01 Microbiome, was funded by the Office Chérifien des Phosphates OCP Group under the UM6P—RRs— Cranfield Uni.Journal of Experimental Botan
Adaptive filter design
No full textA heart pulse signal was sampled using a ECG single ended amplifier. The
heart pulse signal was reconstructed after appropriate filtering, displaying this simultaneously
with the acquired signal, on the oscilloscope.
In some applications, it is necessary to perform simultaneous measurement on weak signals in
extraneous environment, tracking and eliminating the unwanted signals, such as the mains
frequency, and making comparison of discernible parameters.
This project was aimed at designing and implementing an adaptive filter, using adaptive noise
cancelling technique to track and eliminate the mains' noise frequency in a ECG signal, in realtime.
Furthermore a model was developed for the system and was simulated to obtain an optimum value
of µ, a tracking parameter, for the adaptive filter. Consequently software was written to
implement the design.MSc in Eletronic System Desig
Investigation of multiphase of multiphase flow instabilities and development of turbulence models for transient hydrodynamic slug flow in horizontal pipelines
Get PDFJenkins, Karl W. - Associate SupervisorThe knowledge of the slug flow is essential to the design and safety of
hydrocarbon transportation in the pipelines systems of the petroleum industry.
This thesis presents a theoretical and computational investigation of
hydrodynamic slug flow in horizontal pipelines. As slug flow is part of multiphase
flows, a literature review of multiphase models and their instabilities including the
turbulent models involved. A focus on the anisotropic aspect of the prediction of
turbulence has been considered by setting up a new turbulence model that will
help us to solve this multiphase problem (hydrodynamic slug flow).
A User-Defined Function based C code has been implemented to model the
anisotropic turbulence for the new multiphase turbulence model created as a
contribution to the knowledge.
The Ansys Fluent computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software package has
been used to set up the simulations with the aim of investigating the
characteristics of slug flows such liquid holdup, pressure drops in different pipe
sizes (diameter 16mm, 26mm and 50mm). The challenges including the three-
dimensional simulations were carried out with both isotropic and anisotropic
turbulent models to investigate the differences, similarities, and improvements.
The isotropic simulations were validated with a journal paper (Deendarlianto et
al., 2018). As a result, different flow patterns such as stratified Fig. (4-14.) and
Fig. (4-15), pseudo slug Fig. (4-23.), slug Fig. (4-5) and Fig. (4-8) have been
obtained. The analysis shows that at some time steps, numerical and
experimental data values are very closed, showing a good validation.
A comparative study has been performed to compare and assess the
performance of isotropic and anisotropic simulations results for an industrially
relevant engineering application. The validation shows a better result Fig. (4-43)
compared to isotropic simulation.PhD in Aerospac
Enhancing mechanical properties of concrete material with fibres of different materials
Get PDFStarr, Andrew - Associate SupervisorFibre reinforced cementitious composites are highly effective for construction due
to their enhanced concrete properties. Materials such as steel fibre have been
used extensively to reinforce concrete because of their excellent mechanical
properties. Academic researchers have comprehensively discussed the impact
and challenges of fibre reinforcement to obtain optimal properties in the resultant
concrete. Most researchers have reported the mechanical performance of fibre-
reinforced concrete (FRC) under static loads. Concrete with fibre reinforcement
is stronger and more ductile than concrete without reinforcement. Significant
efforts have been made to demonstrate the properties and enhancements of
concrete after reinforcing it with different types and shapes of fibres. However,
the optimization in the reinforcement process is still unanswered. No academic
study in the literature now available can pinpoint the ideal fibre type, quantity,
shape, and, more crucially, the overall technical viability of the reinforcement.
After performing the optimization, researchers considered how these
optimizations could affect the crack resistance or properties under dynamic loads
with different temperatures. However, a comprehensive analysis is still missing
that can explain the crack resistance performance of FRC under dynamic loads
at relatively high temperatures. The main aim of this thesis is to investigate the
mechanical behaviour of concrete structures under thermo-mechanical dynamic
loads about reinforcing fibres of different weight ratios. This study uses
parametric analysis in accordance with extensive mechanical tests to identify the
optimal shape, size, and percentage of fibres. The design variables for
optimization are divided into input and output parameters. The input parameters
are the influences of the type, length, and percentage of fibres on concrete
performance, including samples of fresh and mechanical concrete properties, to
search for the most effective relation of fibre dose and dimension to optimize the
combined responses of workability, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength,
and compressive strength. The current work also proposes the Khan Khalel
model, which can predict the desirable compressive and flexural strengths for any
given values of key fibre parameters. Statistical tools are used to develop and
validate the model with numerical results. The proposed model is easy to use but
predicts compressive and flexural strengths with errors under 6% and 15%,
respectively. This error primarily represents the assumption made for the input of
fibre material during model development. It is based on the elastic modulus of the
material and hence neglects the plastic behaviour of the fibre. A possible
modification in the model for considering the plastic behaviour of fibre will be
considered as future work. Finally, this study analyses the efficacy of FRC beams
for crack resistance under coupled loads, i.e., dynamic loads at relatively high
temperatures. Cantilever FRC beams are tested on a modal exciter in a band
heater to expose the beams to bending loads at different temperature values. The
variation in the dynamic response parameters of the beam, including modal
amplitude and frequency, is discussed and compared with experimental results
for regular and reinforced concrete beams. The stress intensity factor and
displacement amplitude characteristics show that the steel FRC specimens have
excellent ductile behaviour and higher crack resistance than ordinary concrete
samples.PhD in Aerospac
Comment on ‘Estimating methane emissions from manure: a suitable case for treatment?’
Get PDFWard et al (2024 Environ. Res. 1 025003) recently published a paper in this journal (Ward et al 2024 Environ. Res. 1 025003) asserting that methane emissions from manure management in the United Kingdom Inventory of Greenhouse Gas emissions could be under-estimated by a factor of four to five. This was based on extrapolation of measurements from two farms located in the south-west of England where manure management is purposely set-up to encourage methane release and capture, for use as a fuel source. We argue that methane thus extracted cannot be compared with the quantities emitted to the atmosphere on a typical farm which is what the national Inventory seeks to estimate, and show that existing Inventory calculations are consistent with wider literature and typical management practices in the United Kingdom.Rothamsted Research, Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsEnvironmental Research: Food System
The effects of environmental conditions on the failure of double lap composite joints with different overlap lengths and adherend thicknesses
Get PDFThe data that has been used is confidential.This paper provides a comprehensive study of the effects of environmental conditions on the failure of Double Lap Joints (DLJ) with composite adherends of different overlap lengths and thicknesses. The environmental conditions tested are Room Temperature Dry (RTD), Hot Temperature Dry (HTD) and Hot Temperature Wet (HTW). The mechanical properties of both the adhesive and composite adherends were characterised at these environmental conditions, showing conflicting trends. A new way of presenting the data based on simple calculations of strength or fracture dominated failure allows all the data to be shown on a single plot, and satisfactorily explains the failure modes, failure loads and opposite trends observed for a total of 13 DLJ configurations tested at the three environmental conditions.Composite Structure
Assessing skeletal maturity in a UK modern female population
No full textObjectiveThe study aimed to examine the accuracy of Greulich and Pyle (GP) methodology for estimating age in a female UK sample since there is a dearth of studies testing its applicability in the UK.Materials and methodsRadiographs from the left wrist and hand belonging to 257 female individuals from two different hospitals from the UK ranging from 10 to 17 years old were analysed. Correlation was performed between skeletal age (SA) and chronological age (CA) values as well as mean comparisons. In addition, the mean difference (MD) and mean absolute difference (MAD) between these two parameters were also examined to study inaccuracy values.ResultsA strong correlation was found between SA and CA (r = 0.887; p < 0.001). The MD between SA and CA is positive (0.51 ± 12.43 months), meaning that SA based on Greulich and Pyle atlas overestimates CA in general terms (minimum: − 40.17 months; maximum: 31.13 months). In the case of MAD, the mean value is 9.96 ± 7.44 months (minimum: 0.07 months; maximum: 40.17 months). In addition, no significant differences were found between SA and CA either in the global sample or in most of the age cohorts, with two exceptions: 14-year-olds, where mean SA was significantly higher than CA, and 16-year-olds, where the opposite results were observed.ConclusionThese results suggest that the GP atlas can be applied to the present female UK population, although caution must be taken when applied to estimating the age of post-pubertal UK girls.Forensic Science, Medicine and Patholog
Energy-efficient cooling beyond M–cycle: development and evaluation of a two-stage dew-point evaporative cooler
No full textThe Maisotsenko cycle (M–cycle) enables indirect evaporative cooling of air to near the dew point, offering a low-energy alternative to vapor-compression cooling. However, conventional M–cycle coolers operate as single-stage systems and are limited by high working air ratios (30–50 %), low product air output, and constrained energy efficiency. To address these limitations, a novel two-stage dew-point evaporative cooler (DPEC) was recently proposed, employing sequential wet-bulb and dew-point cooling stages to redistribute the thermal load and enhance performance. This study presents a comprehensive numerical analysis of the two-stage DPEC using a validated three-dimensional COMSOL-based model. The model simulates full-scale air channels under realistic hot and humid conditions and enables direct comparisons with conventional single-stage wet-bulb and M–cycle systems. Results show that the two-stage DPEC achieves a high product air ratio (∼90 %) and dew-point effectiveness up to 95 %, significantly outperforming traditional designs. Key performance metrics—such as cooling capacity, COP, and airflow utilization—are examined across varying climates. The findings confirm the thermodynamic advantages of load partitioning and highlight the system’s potential as a scalable, energy-efficient solution for sustainable cooling in hot regions.Applied Thermal Engineerin
Visual servoing MPC framework for shipboard autonomous landing
Get PDFAutonomous shipboard landing under harsh sea state conditions is a challenging task, with platform oscillations being one of the critical challenges to expand the flight envelope. Conventional GNC systems usually rely on deck-mounted equipment to supply relative pose data, which limits interoperability within a naval fleet. Image Based Vision Servoing (IBVS) controllers provide a complementary solution that only relies on feature detections and image plane processing. However, current approaches are limited to mild sea state conditions and mainly consider current ship states within the landing criteria. This can increase the risk of unsafe conditions under harsh sea states, such as rollover. This paper introduces a framework that integrates visual servoing with a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) to address the attitude oscillations of the landing pad by introducing a custom cost barrier function. Vessel states are forecasted in real-time using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) combined with a Discrete Kalman Filter (DKF), enabling short-term prediction without requiring prior knowledge of vessel dynamics. Simulation results and flight test validation demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves a higher success rate under high sea state condition compared to both conventional IBVS based on current or predicted states.This work was supported and sponsored by MBDA UK and the Brazilian Air Force through sponsorship P20227.AIAA Aviation Forum and Ascend 202