4101 research outputs found
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Distributed Energy Trading via Cellular Internet of Things and Mobile Edge Computing
No full textSmart Grid is expected to support a variety of services for energy prosumers - entities that are able both to produce and consume energy. Enabling cooperation among such prosumers in the form of energy trading may be highly beneficial for all actors in Smart Grid. However, in order to provide energy trading capabilities, a communication infrastructure that will be able to offer energy trading service to a massive number of energy traders dispersed over a large geographic area is needed. In this paper, we argue that a 4G/5G cellular network that offers cellular Internet of Things (IoT) services and provides mobile edge computing (MEC) capabilities is ideally suited for future widespread energy trading. We discuss architecture of such a system, identify and present analytic models for each of its parts that also account for stochastic aspects, and propose an overall energy trading system model. By doing so, we obtain a novel optimization problem formulation of the energy trading, that is capable of handling uncertainties in price changes. Our results and discussion provides initial insights towards the design of energy trading services via emerging IoT/MEC-enabled mobile cellular networks
Bolton Health Information Partnership
No full textAn increased emphasis on ensuring greater patient and public involvement within the health and social care agenda has created a greater need for information provision tailored towards the needs of patients and the wider public. Dawn Grundy, Paula Elliott and Amanda Stevens explain how a cross-sector partnership in Bolton is changing the way healthcare information is accessed
Theory of free trading markets for non-scarce goods and services and its application in electronic commerce of digital products.
No full textThe Author brings forth principles and theory of primary and secondary free trading markets for non-scarce goods and services operating on principles of supply, demand and price discovery, and postulates that such markets can exist and contribute to the advancement of society and the world economy. Advances in science and technology have enabled digital duplication and the distribution of electronic content, and opened new pathways of doing business, but have also enabled illicit activities in digital goods, namely digital theft and piracy. An extremely low cost of copying, in a trivially short amount of time, has made digital copies of creative works practically non-scarce, thus destroying the equilibrium of supply and demand. As the majority of digital goods are currently sold and distributed on the Internet through retail outlets, which dictate prices and restrict users through monopolistic terms of use agreements, the rights of creators supersede the rights of consumers. Existing copyright laws serve as a legal basis for such operation of the markets. There are no pre-existing, legally operating secondary trading markets for digital goods, and primary markets do not utilise competitive price discovery, as only the copyright owners are entitled to set arbitrary trading prices. There is no pre-existing scientific framework for the operation of free trading markets for non- scarce goods to serve as a model for establishing electronic trading exchanges, for digital goods in particular, and non-scarce goods in general. This thesis provides a theoretical framework of free trading markets for non-scarce goods and services, as well as examples of practical applications for the theoretical framework in electronic commerce of digital goods and services. A software simulation of a free trading market for non- scarce goods, operating on the principles of this theoretical framework, is also provided. The applied theoretical framework is intended to create equitable trading of digital goods in a free market environment, provide a remedy for the growing piracy of digital goods, and enable investing in commoditised creativity, in a manner similar to investing in stocks or commodities
The LEAP (Learning Excellence Achievement Pathway) framework: A model for student learning development in higher education
No full textThis article explores the development of the LEAP (Learning Excellence Achievement Pathway) framework at the University of Bolton, UK. It describes the nature of the project and focuses on the methodology involved in conducting an institution-wide audit of student learning development (LD) provision and producing a visual framework to stimulate a culture of LD within the organisation. Whilst most UK universities offer a student LD programme at undergraduate level, little work has been undertaken to develop and define a visual framework which underpins these programmes and assists students to conceptualise their progress. This paper explores the context for creating an LD framework and outlines how LD provision is mapped to align curricular LD opportunities with co-curricular student engagement initiatives. The article then considers the implementation of the LEAP framework. A mixed-methods evaluation activity was conducted, involving both staff and students, using a variety of data. Evaluation methods were used to assess the impact of the framework on student LD, revealing a number of positive changes to their LD behaviour and habits, their assessment of LD, the accessibility of help and support and their awareness of the context in which LD takes place. Finally, we identify future developments to the framework to embed it further within the institution
The great work: Whitman and the end of death in Chris Adrian’s Gob’s Grief (2002)
No full textIn Walt Whitman’s Civil War poetry, grief and mourning emerge alongside democracy as the poet’s key themes. This paper argues, however, that it is not simply his elucidation of (personal and/or national) grief, or indeed mourning, that comprises Whitman’s key contribution(s) to poetic (and American) discourse, but rather his use of what Leslie Jamison refers to as ‘embodied empathy’ (Jamison, 2007, p.23) as an affective response to that grief, whereby Whitman’s celebrated (and frequently problematized) anti-hierarchical vision of American democracy is manifested through his empathic dissolution of the bodily boundaries between the subjects and (wounded and dying) objects of his work. While Whitman’s racial politics have been (rightly) criticized, his work has, nonetheless, a continuing and significant resonance to twenty-first century readers in the wake of the crisis in American democracy occasioned by the terrorist attacks of September 11th2001 and the U.S. government’s subsequent ideological and legislative response(s). This paper looks at a recent fictional reimagining of both Whitman and his democratic vision – Chris Adrian’s Gob’s Grief(2002) – and argues that Whitman’s work on the Civil War provides Adrian, and his contemporary readers, with an empathic framework for the articulation of a productive response both to individual loss and mass carnage, a framework that has become particularly necessary post-9/11
The effect of TQM practices on organisational performance in the UAE public service organisations: the moderating role of organisational culture
No full textOne of the most pivotal factors that firms need in order to survive in the competitive and everexpanding global market is quality as it determines the firms’ success economically and is integral in determining the competitive edge that the firms can gain which enables them to increase their market share which directly impacts the performance of the firm. Total Quality Management (TQM) is developed to address the pressure caused by the global competition.TQM is a holistic management approach which intends to provide continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, human resource management and process management.The purpose of this research was to examine the TQM-organisational performance relationship by considering the moderating effect of organisational culture in the context of the UAE public service organisations. Motivated by the fact that despite the extensive work focused on the impact of TQM and organisational culture and organisational performance, the empirical results are mixed and the integrated effect of organisational culture and TQM on organisational performance is lacking. To address this, the study focused on addressing the research objectives of systematically examining the effect of TQM practices on organisational performance in the UAE public sector service organisations; critically examining the effect of TQM’s dimensions on organisational performance in the UAE public sector service organisations; systematically investigating the moderating role of organisational culture on the relationship between TQM practices and organisational performance in the UAE public sector service organisations; investigating the moderating role of organisational culture on the relationship between TQM’s dimensions and organisational performance in the UAE public sector service organisations, critically assessing the advantages and disadvantages of the application of TQM in the UAE public sector service organisations and determining the challenges and opportunities of the application of TQM in the UAE public sector service organisations.To fulfil the aim and to address the research questions, the study adopted the realist research philosophy, employed abductive reasoning and utilised both qualitative and quantitative research methods. As the research strategy, this study employed concurrent triangulation, employed both secondary and primary data collection and conducted surveys with 150 employees of the UAE public sector organisations and in-depth interviews with 14 leaders/ senior officers of the organisations subject to study. To address the research objectives, quantitative and qualitative methods used for the analysis of data.The results of this study revealed that TQM and its dimensions were positive and have also been proven to be significant predictors of organisational performance. More importantly, the results have also confirmed the moderating effect of organisational culture on the relationships between TQM and its dimension from one side and organisational performance on the other side. This research has established the determinant role of organisational culture in the successful implementation of TQM. In order words, this study also supported the premises of the resource-based view theory by reaffirming the importance of the supportive TQM and OC for any successful strategy implementation in enhancing organisational performance through the implementation of innovative practices in service sector. However, the findings also showed that, the concept of TQM and its models have been failing to produce much-desired results in the UAE due to short-termism and short-sightedness of the leaders/implementers since the main concern so far is the quality of service
Supportive leadership and teaching: helping teachers and learners reach their full potential
No full textPresentation given at Local Network Event for the Society for Education and Trainin
Exploring how awareness of character strengths can benefit mental health nurses
No full textThis is the third in a series of articles that explores the meaning of positive psychology and the importance of applying the latest research findings for the wellbeing of the mental health workforce. It will focus on character strengths as a positive psychology intervention from its development to present day use and how it is relevant to mental health nursing. The activities provided in the boxes throughout the article will help the reader identify their own strengths and understand how to further develop their transferability to daily work, home life, education and recreation
The Changing Paradigms of Zambia’s National Development Planning: An Enigma or A Necessity?
No full textConstitutional statutes - a brief overview
No full textBolton University academic John McGarry explains the distinction between ordinary and constitutional statute