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Exploring emerging technologies' impacts on innovation of the creative industries
No full textCreative industries are interesting for management study. Creative professionals work on artistic innovations, credited by distinct creativity. Artistic innovations are collective creativity and group interactions by diverse creative professionals with discrepant knowledge, skills and backgrounds. Meanwhile, artistic distinctiveness is obtained by directorial instruction from centre creators within the group, who are great talents and gifted minds with prominent personal knowledge, intelligence, and expertise. Also, creative industries and professionals are often early adopters and heavy users of emerging technologies. Emerging technology is constantly improving and evolving, changing markets and industries, challenging innovation paradigms and open to various collaborations, crossing domains and sectors.With the increasingly adoption of emerging technology, it is argued emerging technologies, such as GenAI and rooted on its transformative capacity as creative partner and catalyst for creative thinking and collaboration, can help streamline creative process, enhancing creation and reduce creative cost for creative industries as compelling potential for industry contemplation and dynamics. To explore the close interplays between creative professionals and emerging technology, the relational perspective of emerging technology appeared to be one of the beneficial theoretical umbrellas. It is suitable for intricate interactions within creative industries. Digital transformation is often specific to the technology involved (Schneider and Kokshagina, 2021), whereas the creative businesses can engage multiple generations and several types of digital technologies (eg.Hughes, Bendoni and Pehlivan, 2016; Patrickson, 2021). Relational perspective of technology (Bailey et al., 2022; Faraj and Leonardi, 2022) depict the importance and cross flow of relations and functions for the dynamics, rather than put technology in the centre of digital disruption and transformation.Theoretically, this research mainly joins discourse and advances theories of professional learning, human-GAI collaboration, routine dynamics, and innovation ambidexterity. These contributions constitute a complete picture of emerging technology’s impacts on creative industries surrounding the characteristics of artistic innovations identified.Practically, this PhD project presents various management suggestions for creative professionals, firms and traditional creative incumbents regarding adapting to and deploying emerging technology for artistic innovations.Methodologically, for a micro-level empirical study with qualitative inquiry, multiple primary data collection methods are deployed, including non-participant observation, interviews and ethnography for a thorough understanding of emerging technology and their profound impact on artistic innovations
Sustainable operations: well selection in oil and gas projects
No full textPurpose: his study aims to enhance decision-making in the selection of oil and gas (OG) wells for stimulation operations by integrating sustainability into project management practices. By proposing an innovative multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework, the research seeks to improve production efficiency while considering economic and environmental factors.Design/methodology/approach: the proposed framework employs an interval-valued spherical fuzzy (IVSF) entropy method to determine the weights of 14 critical criteria from both engineering and managerial perspectives. Four fuzzy ranking methods are then applied to evaluate well selection strategies, with the results aggregated using the Borda method. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the robustness of the approach, particularly in mitigating risks associated with economic forecasts for carbonate reservoirs.Findings: the study demonstrates that the proposed MCDM-based framework enhances decision-making by providing a structured and transparent evaluation of OG well selection. The integration of sustainability-focused criteria ensures alignment with project objectives while improving economic viability. The sensitivity analysis confirms the reliability of the method, indicating its effectiveness in addressing uncertainties in economic forecasts and operational risks.Originality/value: this research presents a novel approach that bridges project management innovation with sustainable well selection in the OG industry. By leveraging IVSF entropy and multiple fuzzy ranking techniques, the study introduces a more comprehensive and resilient decision-making model. The findings offer practical implications for both technical and managerial stakeholders, supporting more informed, efficient and sustainable OG reservoir management
El Corazón de las Tinieblas o la historia de una exposición contada desde el lugar equivocado
No full textSpatial and contextual factors influencing injury patterns and severity resulting from the 2020 Beirut blast
No full textThis cross-sectional study investigated the factors influencing injury characteristics and outcomes following the 2020 Beirut Blast. Blast victims (n = 310) were identified from hospital registries in Beirut. Soft tissue injuries predominated (N = 276; 88.2%), with most patients struck by objects (N = 261, 84.2%). Minor injuries were common (70.3%), with significant associations noted for eye and internal injuries. Victims were primarily situated 500-1700 m from the blast epicentre (71%), indoors (81%), often in residential dwellings (48%), near windows. Severe injuries, especially musculoskeletal, were more frequent outdoors. Significant associations were found between indoor positioning facing the port and soft tissue injury incidence, and with proximity to windows. A standing posture significantly correlated with musculoskeletal and soft tissue injuries, as well as being struck by objects. A cluster of severe injuries was noted at 600-1400 m radial distance from the blast epicentre. The study underscores the role of spatial and contextual factors in injury patterns post-blast, emphasizing the importance of targeted interventions for disaster preparedness and urban resilience to mitigate the impact of future similar events on affected populations.</p
Behaviour and reproduction of drosophila melanogaster exposed to 3.6 GHz radio- frequency electromagnetic fields
No full textInsects are exposed to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields emitted by wireless telecommunication networks. A part of these fields will be absorbed inside of these insects. This absorption might have biological effects, depending on the amount of absorbed power. It is currently unknown at what level of absorption this might occur. To investigate this, we used RF dosimetry of adult Drosophila melanogaster flies, which we combined with two assays studying the locomotor activity and fecundity of D. melanogaster exposed to electromagnetic fields at 3.6 GHz. To perform dosimetry, we created a 3D digital twin of an adult fly using micro-CT scans of a female D. melanogaster. We used this model in numerical EM simulations to estimate the absorbed power in the fly as a function of RF frequency in the far field of an antenna and during the two experimental assays at 3.6 GHz. In the behavioural experiments no effects were found on the locomotor activity for a 5-day exposure to RF field values between 5.4 and 9 V/m, which correspond to 3.56 nW to 9.88 nW absorbed power. We also did not find any effects on fecundity, at an absorption level of 1.91 mW for 48h at 3.6 GHz. In our future work, we aim to investigate possible exposure effects at higher frequencies and exposures, and for immature stages
Human and biomechanical considerations in hand joint disease
No full textWhile public involvement has become increasingly important in the development, delivery and improvement of healthcare research, there remains limited evidence of its integration in biomechanical engineering research, despite its interrelatedness with healthcare. This thesis adopted an experiential approach to explore the integration of long-term public involvement into a biomechanical engineering doctoral research project concerning the hand joints. Hands play a crucial role in human life, allowing people to grasp, touch and manipulate the world around them. These abilities are impacted by conditions such as osteoarthritis (OA) which can cause pain and limit mobility. This doctoral research project was conceptualised to leverage an existing dataset of finger kinematics and imaging of ten consenting participants (free from hand or wrist disease or injury), using computational methods. Early-stage public involvement consultations with three public contributors, living with hand OA, highlighted key research considerations and encouraged the expansion of the public involvement efforts throughout the project. As a result, the project’s efforts and the selected methodologies were informed by three contributor-recommended research priorities. These priorities included: (1) patient variability, (2) joint instability and (3) raising hand OA awareness.This thesis provided a first-hand account of involving members of the public in biomechanical engineering research. Their involvement guided the utilization and processing of the pre-existing datasets and inspired broader impacts beyond the computational modelling efforts. As a result, this research produced a combination of biomechanical findings and public-centred outcomes, including open-source statistical shape models of the fingers, correlation markers between finger joint kinematics and shape information, and educational and dissemination materials for both public and academic audiences. While there remains a need for an improved infrastructure for integrating public involvement in quantitative-based research fields, where it is currently limited, this thesis acts as an in-depth case study, highlighting the associated successes and challenges while encouraging further exploration and integration
Rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease associations in the UK Biobank.
No full textBackground: this study evaluated observational and causal relationships between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cardiovascular disease and imaging phenotypes in the UK Biobank. Methods: RA was defined using linked hospital records, self-reported diagnostics, and medication data. Controls were participants without a record of RA. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) were defined using linked hospital records over an average of 14 years of prospective follow-up, including: ischaemic heart diseases (IHD), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), atrial fibrillation, any arrhythmia, non-ischaemic cardiomyopathies, pericardial disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and venous thromboembolism. For participants with cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) available as part of the UK Biobank Imaging Study, we considered measures of cardiac structure and function extracted using automated pipelines. Associations of RA with prevalent and incident CVDs were calculated using logistic and Cox regression. Linear regression was used to examine associations with CMR metrics. Models were adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical confounders. Causal associations were assessed using two-sample Mendelian randomisation. Genetic instruments for RA (22,350 cases and 74,823 controls), nine CVDs (FinnGen, n = 224,737), and 11 CMR phenotypes (UK Biobank) were extracted and associations assessed using inverse-variance weighting with pleiotropy adjustments and multiple testing corrections. Results: the analysis included 1,436 RA cases (mean age 59.9 years; 70.6% female) and 476,975 controls (mean age 56.5 years; 54.3% female). Participants with RA lived in more socioeconomically deprived areas (as per the Townsend Deprivation Index), had lower physical activity levels, were more likely to smoke, and had a higher baseline prevalence of CVDs. In fully adjusted models, participants with RA had a significantly higher hazard of multiple incident CVDs, with the greatest risks related to pericardial disease (HR 2.63 (1.85, 3.74)), heart failure (HR 1.68 (1.42, 1.99)), and AMI (HR 1.53 (1.20, 1.96)). Mendelian Randomisation analyses supported causal links between RA and AMI (OR 1.07 (1.02, 1.09), p = 0.009), arrhythmias (OR 1.05 (1.02, 1.06), p = 0.0007), and IHD (OR 1.05 (1.01, 1.06), p = 0.036). No significant associations were identified between RA and CMR phenotypes. Conclusions: people with RA have a heightened risk of multiple prevalent and incident CVDs, independent of shared risk factors, with suggestions of causal links with IHD, AMI, and arrhythmias.</p
HMCF: a human-in-the-loop multi-robot collaboration framework based on large language models
No full textThe role of extraversion in AI-mediated communication: user personality and AI trait preferences in Chinese dyads
No full textAs AI chat assistants become integral to textual communication, understanding user preferences for conversational style is crucial. This user study of 28 people participating in AI-assisted icebreaking conversations in Chinese, explores the effects of AI extraversion levels (Extraverted, Average, Introverted) and linguistic styles (Humorous, Respectful) on user experience. The results reveal a general preference for Extraverted AI—especially among introverted users—and for natural style-personality pairings (Extraverted-Humorous, Introverted-Respectful). These findings highlight the importance of aligning AI personality and language style with user expectations to enhance interaction quality
Microscale computed tomography (µCT) imaging of leak pathways for optimised leak-free 3D printed fluidics
No full text3D printing is a highly attractive method for manufacturing micro- and milli-fluidic devices due to fast fabrication times and low barrier to entry. Of the common 3D printing methods, fused filament fabrication (FFF) is the most accessible but is also susceptible to leakages if using default printer settings. Here we combine microscale computed tomography (µCT) X-ray imaging with bulk leak testing to understand the fundamental structural reasons why leakages occur and the effect of optimising print parameters. In contrast to previous recommendations, we show that the amount of infill can be reduced as required, with print bodies being intrinsically porous regardless of infill. Instead we find it is solely channel wall quality that determines whether leaks will occur. In keeping with previous reports, we see that smaller layer heights (<0.1 mm) and increased flow rates (>100 % compared to recommended rate) are key to preventing leakage and show this is because of their positive effect on channel wall formation. A key consequence of being able to maintain channel integrity whilst using low infill values is that print times and material costs can be greatly reduced (over 50 % time and cost savings for the test pieces used here) without compromising device performance
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