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Enhanced energy transfer efficiency for IoT-enabled cyber-physical systems in 6G edge networks with WPT-MIMO-NOMA
Get PDFThe integration of wireless power transfer (WPT) with massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) networks can provide operational capabilities to energy-constrained Internet of Things (IoT) devices in cyber-physical systems such as smart autonomous vehicles. However, during downlink WPT, co-channel interference (CCI) can limit the energy efficiency (EE) gains in such systems. This paper proposes a user equipment (UE)–base station (BS) connection model to assign each UE to a single BS for WPT to mitigate CCI. An energy-efficient resource allocation scheme is developed that integrates the UE–BS connection approach with joint optimization of power control, time allocation, antenna selection, and subcarrier assignment. The proposed scheme improves EE by 24.72% and 33.76% under perfect and imperfect CSI conditions, respectively, compared to a benchmark scheme without UE–BS connections. The scheme requires fewer BS antennas to maximize EE and the distributed algorithm exhibits fast convergence. Furthermore, UE–BS connections’ impact on EE provided significant gains. Dedicated links improve EE by 24.72% (perfect CSI) and 33.76% (imperfect CSI) over standard connections. Imperfect CSI reduces EE, with the proposed scheme outperforming by 6.97% to 12.75% across error rates. More antennas enhance EE, with improvements of up to 123.12% (conventional MIMO) and 38.14% (massive MIMO) over standard setups. Larger convergence parameters improve convergence, achieving EE gains of 7.09% to 11.31% over the baseline with different convergence rates. The findings validate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques in improving WPT efficiency and EE in wireless-powered MIMO–NOMA networks
Stimulating investments in manufacturing: can policy create supply chains from a void?
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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of a policy, the 2014 UK Supply Chain Plan, which aimed to create a local supply chain in a sector (offshore wind) where the central manufacturing node capabilities and knowledge are not possessed locally. It aims to address the following question: can policy create a new manufacturing supply chain from a void?
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative field research approach is used to derive an original set of theoretical propositions explaining the motivation behind the Supply Chain Plan policy. The outcomes of this policy are examined 10 years later in order to provide an opportunity to observe the impact of the policy.
Findings
The conclusion is that the policy has been successful in increasing local content, and some of that local content has benefited local manufacturers. However, a lot of the increase in local content has been achieved in non-manufacturing areas or in new areas. The main issue, i.e. the lack of a central manufacturing capability, remains unaddressed. The impact of the local content policy on cost is undocumented.
Originality/value
There is an increasing amount of interest in regional/local supply chains after the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing geopolitical tensions. This paper's originality is to document with an industry case study the fact that manufacturing knowledge and capabilities are the central growth engine of supply chains and that creating a new manufacturing supply chain competing with well-established clusters is not a simple matter that can be achieved through a local content policy. Such policies raise critical questions about the policy makers' implicit valuation of manufacturing technology
HCI design methods
No full textAs digital technologies have become the predominant interfaces of everyday work, life, and society, preserving human-centredness in human–computer interaction (HCI) design remains the guiding commitment in the field as it transitions from relative novelty into day-to-day prominence. This chapter introduces design concepts within the HCI domain, highlighting the need for robustness and adaptability to meet ever-shifting design goals motivated by user, organisational, and technological changes. The history of design research is traced from early contemporary approaches to modern methods of HCI and human-centred design. Practical guidance for implementing these approaches is outlined, emphasising respective suitability to foster creativity, innovation, and inclusion. Insights into some non-common HCI methods are offered as contrasts for their potential impact on future HCI conventions. Discussion is offered towards lessons from recurring opportunities and challenges when designing for diverse user groups amidst systemic social change arising from new technologies. This highlights the value of introspection and reflection when incorporating HCI design into product/system lifecycles. The principles underlying these methods present a call-to-action for the HCI community to engage in forward-thinking dialogue and collaborative research to shape future technologies by embracing the aspirations of all people at the centre of our designed experiences inclusive of recreation, work, fulfilled living, and society at large
Communities and impact of a regional Business School: locating the discussion
No full textWith the advent of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992 (Her Majesty’s Government HMG, 1992), former polytechnics and other central institutions in the UK were mandated to apply, if they wished, to attain university status. This marked the start of a significant phase in the expansion of the remit, number and differentiation of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK. In the year following the Dearing Report on ‘Higher Education in the Learning Society’ (Dearing, 1997), the 1998 Teaching and Higher Education Act (HMG, 1992) introduced annual tuition fees of £1000 for England. By 2017/18, fees had risen to a maximum of £9250, with all the implications that this entails for university funding, student access and potential indebtedness.
This has resulted in greater attention being paid to the annual publication of ‘league tables’. These rankings relate to the nature and quality of ‘the student experience’, and reflect the widespread use of a neo-liberal language typically associated with the world of business, such as the prominence of words like competition, marketing, entrepreneurship and customer, and the application of value-for-money impact criteria throughout the HE sector (see Segers, Chap. 12, this book). Indeed, the decades following the Dearing Report (Dearing, 1997) have been characterised by intensifying scrutiny according to such commodifying criteria, in the form of National Student Surveys (Office for Students, 2023), which were introduced in 2005, and in other institutional performance reviews such as the Teaching Excellence Frameworks (TEFs), which were introduced in 2016 (Office for Students, 2020), and Research Excellence Frameworks (REFs), which replaced the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) approach in 2014 (Higher Education Funding Council for England HEFCE, 2014). This period has also seen concerted efforts to recruit greater numbers of students from both at home and abroad, and there are expectations for universities to contribute to a political drive towards what has more recently been labelled a ‘levelling up agenda’ within society. Various iterations of the digital revolution (Clarke, 2012) and more recently the rapid applications of and developments in artificial intelligence are profoundly affecting relationships, research and pedagogy within HEIs in ways that are not yet fully understood. Such pressures and developments have combined to impact on ways that different stakeholders within the field of higher education (HE) are experiencing, interpreting and practising their roles, with an emphasis on ‘performativity’ and other scrutiny pressures induced by ‘the panopticon’ (Foucault, 1980). The 2013 Witty Review (Witty, 2013) urged universities to play a stronger specific role, especially in more local innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development, and this expectation is seen as particularly pertinent to the role of business schools (see Cooper, Chap. 2, this book). The concept of ‘The Civic University’—a network of whose members ‘supports universities across the UK to develop and embed civic aspirations at an institutional level’—has also gained greater traction (Civic University Network – Maximising the civic impact of universities in their place, n.d.).
Given these strands, within a period of acute financial and political turbulence and uncertainty, combined with complex international relations and a general push for institutional growth and expansion, the proposition that ‘small is beautiful’ (Schumacher, 1973), which underpins the premise of this book, is open to challenge. Moreover, polarised ideas co-exist about the role, purpose and value of universities and their constituent business schools, and are hotly debated. Writing on behalf of the Humanistic Management Network in their book Business Schools Under Fire, Amann et al. (2011) make the case for a humanistic management education to save business schools from the charge of being ‘silent partners in corporate crime’ in times of instability when ‘trust in managers is low’. As stated in the rationale of the Humanism in Business book series, to which our book is a contribution, humanistic business education and practice is based on three principles: ‘the unconditional respect for the dignity of life, the integration of ethical reflection in managerial decision making, and the active and ongoing engagement with stakeholders’ (von Kimakowitz, 2019).
With this contested context in mind, we next discuss the relationship between HEIs in general and their various communities
Performance environment parallels: How community sport coaches and youth workers can model practice to improve Young peoples’ life skills and prosocial behaviours
Get PDFWhilst both community sport coaches and youth workers use sport and physical activity to assist young peoples’ development, there is a lack of research related to any best practice that both fields may share. This study explored, through semi-structured interviews with eight workers with experience in both community sport and youth work, how practitioners identified best practice and interactions between the two fields relative to the use of sport. Results demonstrated that, when contextually applied, there are a number of significant parallels that can be drawn between the fields of performance sport coaching and youth work/community sport coaching
The sport and exercise experiences of physically disabled women in Iran: shame, stereotyping, and Goffman’s Stigma
Get PDFTo date, there is a scarcity of research in Iran exploring disabled women’s sport and exercise experiences. However, it is evident that widespread challenges exist for disabled people to participate in daily life on an equal basis to their non-disabled counterparts. Using sixteen interviews, our research aimed to explore the intersecting identities of disability and gender in Iranian women’s sport and exercise participation, using Goffman’s theory of stigma and the social model of disability. Our findings suggest numerous environmental barriers to participation. As traditional gender beliefs still prevail in Iran, this often created a ‘double disadvantage’ for women. Both enacted and affiliate stigma were highlighted by interviewees, with negative perceptions around disability internalised, resulting in self-exclusion from sport and exercise spaces and disempowering elements to their participation. This research adds to the literature on sport/exercise and disability, focusing on Iranian women’s voices which are largely absent from the current literature
Contribution of trunk rotation and abdominal muscles to sprint kayak performance
Get PDFOver the past two decades the importance of trunk contribution to sporting performance has been highlighted through the expanse of literature concerning core stability and strength. However, the role of trunk motion and the abdominal muscles are yet to be established during sprint kayak performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations between trunk rotation, kayak velocity, and abdominal muscle activity during on-water sprint kayaking. Eight international paddlers completed five 150 m sprint trials. During each trial peak muscle activation (peak root-mean-squared electromyogram) of the latissimus dorsi, rectus abdominus, external obliques and rectus femoris for ipsilateral (stroke side) and contralateral (opposite side) were recorded as the paddler passed through a 5m calibrated volume, in conjunction with upper and lower trunk rotation and kayak velocity. Results indicated a significant strong negative relationship between lower trunk rotation and peak velocity (r=-0.684, p<0.05), a significant strong positive relationship (p<0.05) with mean velocity was identified for the contralateral rectus abdominus and multiple significant associations between the rectus femoris, rectus abdominus and external obliques during the paddle stroke. Findings indicate that limiting the rotation of the lower trunk will increase both peak and mean velocity. With the rectus abdominus, external oblique and rectus femoris combining to assist in this process. Training should therefore focus on developing the strength of these muscle groups to enhance performance
Pattern recognition in soccer: Perceptions of skilled defenders and experienced coaches
Get PDFThe ability to perceive and recognise patterns of play is important for performance in tasks with strict spatiotemporal constraints. Study aims were twofold: (i) to qualitatively investigate the mechanisms and processes underpinning how soccer players recognise patterns, (ii) to qualitatively investigate the importance of pattern recognition in competition and practice environments. Six skilled soccer central defenders and seven experienced soccer coaches were interviewed. A reflexive thematic analysis of the data identified six higher-order and twenty-two lower-order themes relating to pattern recognition and anticipation in competition and practice environments. The six higher order themes were: recognising danger and distance to ball, sources of information, experience, opposition team, organisation and communication, and development in practice environments. Participants shared that developing pattern recognition and game reading skill is crucial in creating effective practice environments that support the transfer of skills into competition. Providing central defenders with representative scenarios during practice is recommended to stimulate problem-solving and promote familiarity with patterns of play to underpin game reading and thus skilled performance
Effect of target differentiation, prioritization, and environmental clutter on quiet eye duration in first person shooter esports: A brief report pilot study
Get PDFThe burgeoning prominence of esports underscores its increasing relevance in sport and performance psychology. To enhance its integration into scholarly discourse, established cognitive research paradigms should be applied. In this study, we focused on first-person shooter esports, identifying specific variables unique to this domain and examining their impact on quiet eye (QE) duration—an indicator strongly correlated with successful performance. Using eye tracking equipment, we analysed gaze data related to the QE, the final fixation point preceding a motor response. Our pilot sample (n = 9) participated in three block trials exploring the effects of environmental clutter, target differentiation, and target prioritization on QE duration. Paired t-tests compared mean QE duration between experimental tasks and control trials with single targets. While trend effects of environmental clutter and target prioritization were observed, none reached statistical significance. These findings echo certain aspects of existing esports literature, particularly regarding the reduced prominence of QE in scenarios involving multiple targets. Acknowledging study limitations, we offer recommendations for future research to deepen understanding of cognitive processes and performance outcomes in esports
"Oh … that Mommy needs a bit of help as well”: why every school needs a health and wellbeing lead
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This research explored the impact that the relatively new role of the Health and Wellbeing Lead upon the health and wellbeing of children and their families at this school.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study took place in a primary school (children aged 4–11) in the South-West of England. Data was collected through activities with children, semi-structured interviews with senior staff and parents and a “learning walk”.
Findings
Our data suggested that this role provided compassion, unconditional positive regard and respect for parents, factors that are frequently absent from research into parent partnerships in education. The role presented as invaluable in tackling the many mental and physical challenges that parents faced in rearing their children, and in providing their children with the best possible chance of success.
Research limitations/implications
This is a single Case Study and, as such, may or may not be representative of similar schools. We also question to what extent the findings demonstrated the strength of this role per se, or whether the impact could simply be the result of a uniquely caring and passionate individual.
Practical implications
We concluded that this was a role needed in all schools, recognising the key role that parents play in their child’s wellbeing, and the indirect impact that parent mental health can have upon their child’s success.
Social implications
It is vital that this role is not used as an excuse by the government to further reduce the already denuded Social Services landscape within communities. It is also important that this responsibility does not become yet another burden added to already overstretched teaching staff.
Originality/value
This research presents a fresh perspective on the multiple pressures that parents face and how these can impact upon their child's education