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The University of Bolton's Institutional Repository: demonstrating an increase in visibility and impact
No full textThe effect of chemically reactive type flame retardant additives on flammability of PES toughened epoxy resin and carbon fiber-reinforced composites
No full textThe effect of different concentrations (4 and 8 wt%) of chemically reactive type flame retardant (FR) chemicals on the thermal stability and flammability of an aerospace grade epoxy resin has been studied by thermal analysis, limiting oxygen index, UL-94, and cone calorimetry. Chemically reactive flame retardant term implies that they interact with the polymer during some part of the pyrolysis and fire chemistries. Flame retardants included (i) phosphorous- and nitrogen-containing, active in condensed phase, (ii) intumescent chemicals, active in condensed phase and also known as char promoters, (iii) organophosphates, active primarily in condensed phase, but in some polymers known to have also shown vapor phase activity, (iv) halogen-containing, active in vapor phase. During curing process some of the flame retardants settled on the bottom of the resin plaque, affecting the flammability results. All FRs reduced the flammability of the resin, the extent of which depended upon the FR type, concentration of flame retardant elements in the formulation and the type of fire testing performed. With selective FRs, carbon fiber-reinforced composites have also been fabricated and tested for their fire and mechanical performance. FR chemicals decreased the flammability of composites up to 50% without affecting their mechanical properties
Enhanced field emission and improved supercapacitor obtained from plasma-modified bucky paper
No full textThe surface morphology of bucky papers (BPs) made from single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is modified by plasma treatment resulting in the formation of vertical microstructures on the surface. The shapes of these structures are either pillarlike or conelike depending on whether the gas used during plasma treatment is Ar or CH4. A complex interplay between different factors, such as the electric field within the plasma sheath, polarization of the CNT, intertubular cohesive forces, and ion bombardment, result in the formation of these structures. The roles played by these factors are quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. The final material is flexible, substrate-free, composite-free, made only of CNTs, and has discrete vertically aligned structures on its surface. It shows enhanced field emission and electrochemical charge-storage capabilities. The field enhancement factor is increased by 6.8 times, and the turn-on field drops by 3.5 times from an initial value of 0.35 to 0.1 V μm−1 as a result of the treatment. The increase in Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area results in about a fourfold improvement in the specific capacitance of the BP electrodes. Capacitance values before and after the treatments are 75 and 290 F g−1, respectively. It is predicted that this controlled surface modification technique could be put to good use in several applications based on macroscopic CNT films
Player-game interaction through affective sound
No full textThis chapter treats computer game playing as an affective activity, largely guided by the audio-visual aesthetics of game content (of which, here, we concentrate on the role of sound) and the pleasure of gameplay. To understand the aesthetic impact of game sound on player experience, definitions of emotions are briefly discussed and framed in the game context. This leads to an introduction of empirical methods for assessing physiological and psychological effects of play, such as the affective impact of sonic playergame interaction. The psychological methodology presented is largely based on subjective interpretation of experience, while psychophysiological methodology is based on measurable bodily changes, such as context-dependent, physiological experience. As a means to illustrate both the potential and the difficulties inherent in such methodology we discuss the results of some experiments that investigate game sound and music effects and, finally, we close with a discussion of possible research directions based on a speculative assessment of the future of player-game interaction through affective sound
Exploring evidence-based practice with external partners: engagement, creativity and the HEA-ADM North West network
No full textEthics and the ruling relations of research production
No full textThe role of research ethics committees has expanded across the UK and North America and the process of ethical review has become re-institutionalised under proposals for research governance proposed by government. Ethics committees have gained a powerful role as gatekeepers within the research process. Underpinning the re-constitution of ethical guidelines and research governance, are a range of measures which protect institutional interests, without necessarily providing an effective means to address the moral obligations and responsibilities of researchers in relation to the production of social research. Discussion of research ethics from the standpoint of research participants who in this paper, are service users within health and social care, provides a useful dimension to current debate. In this paper I draw upon experiences of gaining ethical approval for a research study which focused on user participation within a community mental health service. I discuss the strategies used to gain ethical approval and the 'formal concerns' raised by the ethics committee. I then describe and discuss ethical issues which emerged from a participants' perspective during the actual research as it was carried out. These experiences are analysed using aspects of institutional ethnography which provides a framework to explore how the experiences of research participants are mediated by texts which govern the processes of research production. The paper highlights incongruities between the formal ethical regulation of research, and the experiences of research participants in relation to ethical concerns within a research process
Synthesis and characterization of chitosan and silver loaded chitosan nanoparticles for bioactive polyester
No full textThe paper focuses on the synthesis of chitosan nanoparticles (CSN) by ionic gelation with sodium tripolyphosphate and subsequently its loading with silver ions to produce silver loaded chitosan nanoparticles (Ag-CSN). The aim was to enhance the antibacterial property of chitosan in the nanoparticle form and thus improve its bactericidal efficacy when applied on polyester fabrics. The average particle size of CSN and Ag-CSN was 115 nm and 165 nm, respectively. The structure of CSN and Ag-CSN was studied by XRD, FTIR, DSC, TGA and TEM analysis. The minimum inhibitory concentration of both the CSN and Ag-CSN against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria was found to be 50 and 500 times less, respectively, as compared to bulk chitosan. Silver loading on the synthesized CSN showed synergistic antimicrobial effect against S. aureus bacteria. The release of Ag+ from Ag-CSN finished polyester fabric is substantiated by antibacterial testing which shows a clear zone of inhibition
Facial expression of emotion and perception of the Uncanny Valley in virtual characters
No full textWith technology allowing for increased realism in video games, realistic, human-like characters risk falling into the Uncanny Valley. The Uncanny Valley phenomenon implies that virtual characters approaching full human-likeness will evoke a negative reaction from the viewer, due to aspects of the character’s appearance and behavior differing from the human norm. This study investigates if “uncanniness” is increased for a character with a perceived lack of facial expression in the upper parts of the face. More important, our study also investigates if the magnitude of this increased uncanniness varies depending on which emotion is being communicated. Individual parameters for each facial muscle in a 3D model were controlled for the six emotions: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness and surprise in addition to a neutral expression. The results indicate that even fully and expertly animated characters are rated as more uncanny than humans and that, in virtual characters, a lack of facial expression in the upper parts of the face during speech exaggerates the uncanny by inhibiting effective communication of the perceived emotion, significantly so for fear, sadness, disgust, and surprise but not for anger and happiness. Based on our results, we consider the implications for virtual character design
Considering e-marketing strategy for companies operating in fashion retail sector in Vietnam
No full textWith strong growth of Internet users in Vietnam, Internet has become an essential tool in Marketing activities of companies in Vietnam, particularly in fashion retail sector. Due to imperativeness of this issue, the research investigates appropriate E-marketing strategy for fashion retail companies in current time through analyzing and evaluating data of macro-environment, fashion retail market, Vietnamese consumers’ fashion shopping behavior and E-marketing activities of some particular fashion retail firms. Data is collected from reliable secondary sources and primary sources such as: questionnaires by 278 Vietnamese consumers and semi-structured interview with 15 marketers of fashion retail firms.The research points out that in their E-marketing strategy, fashion retail firms in Vietnam should target at the youth segment who are from15 to 30 ages, middle class over, students and office-workers, living in urban, usually use Internet] and position themselves outstandingly in consumer minds regarding main bases: fashion items of the same high-quality as companies stated and committed online, ability to view vital images and videos of fashion collection, ability to try on online fashion items with virtual models, and high-security of online payment for consumers. Besides, companies are suggested to combine both offline and online positioning for the same Brand because consumers’ perceived benefits to online and offline shopping are different.It is recommended that fashion retail companies should construct their fully interactive web-sites to support the whole buying process and implement E-marketing tactics with 7 elements: Products, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, Physical evidence.In range of this research, the author just suggest the general E-Marketing for all fashion retail companies in Vietnam, not for particular company. This E-marketing strategy is evaluated to be most applicable and feasible in the current circumstance for almost companies to grasp opportunities, overcome weakness and avoid threats