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Exploring the effects of compression ratio and initial flame kernel radius on combustion characteristics and fuel economy of a dual-fuel spark ignition engine under oxy-fuel combustion mode
No full textIn order to mitigate greenhouse effect and promote carbon neutrality, Oxy-Fuel Combustion (OFC) technology implemented in the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) has been an effective and promising approach to reduce or even eliminate CO2 emissions from the transportation sector. This research contributes novel insights into the effects of compression ratio (CR) and initial flame kernel radius (FK) on combustion characteristics and fuel economy of a Dual-Fuel Spark Ignition (DFSI) engine under OFC mode by a numerical method. The research results show that by increasing CR from 8.6 to 13.6, an apparent reduction can be seen in equivalent Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFCE). The corresponding ignition delay () has a reduction of 10 degrees, while combustion duration () are relatively stable. Moreover, the maximum cylinder pressure (max) has a rise of 8 bar and 20 bar at low load and mid-high load, respectively. By increasing FK from 0.2 mm to 1.2 mm, max and Pmax each presents a monotonic trend of growth and advancement, respectively. The reduction of at low load and mid-high load is each 28.5 degrees and 34.9 degrees. In the meantime, both BSFCE and in-cylinder temperature show a low level of sensitivity. The research findings could provide valuable insights for enhancing the combustion performance and economy of DFSI engines under OFC mode to mitigate the greenhouse effect
Thermal energy storage solutions for off-grid solar thermal power plant application: a review
No full textThe role of thermal energy storage (TES) is critical in addressing the intermittency of solar energy, enabling continuous power generation in solar thermal power plants. The present paper TES options for a 20 kWe Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)-based solar thermal power plant that is to be commissioned in Sri Lanka developed under the Innovate UK project RESORCS (Off-Grid Renewable Energy Production and Storage). The study explores sensible heat, latent heat, and thermochemical storage technologies, with a focus on commercially available options such as molten salts, water-based systems, and phase change materials (PCMs). HiTEC salt and Na-Li nitrate eutectic salts are optimal TES solutions for low- to medium-temperature applications, offering low melting points, high specific heat capacities, and robust energy densities. Performance analysis at 200 °C and 220 °C confirms their thermal stability and efficiency. Preliminary calculations support 24-hour plant operation but emphasize the need for further modeling to account for system thermal losses. This analysis provides a framework for selecting an efficient, cost-effective TES medium to ensure reliable off-grid energy production with an ORC system
Research synthesis in applied linguistics: more than methodologies
No full textWe are pleased to share this inaugural issue of Research Synthesis in Applied Linguistics, an international refereed journal dedicated to all forms of synthetic research in Applied Linguistics and its methodologies. This journal would not exist without the amazing people behind it. First and foremost, we would like to give a special mention to Takumi Aoyama, Book Review Editor, and Serge Bibauw, our editorial board member. Takumi and Serge were part of the working group (together with Sathena and Sin Wang) who made this journal a reality. We are glad that they continue to stay on as valuable members of this journal. Our gratitude also goes to our Bibliography Editors, Editorial Advisory Board, Technical Advisory Board, and Editorial Board, who bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, and expertise to this journal. We are especially proud to see our boards comprising researchers at different stages, including early-career researchers and established scholars, who represent diverse perspectives and a wide range of subject areas in Applied Linguistics and beyond
Human-centered Digital Twins in hospitality: how employee perceptions and system design shape adoption
No full textThe digital transformation of hospitality is increasingly driven by technologies that integrate human and operational elements of service work. Within this evolution, human-centered Digital Twins leverage both human-related and operational data to digitally represent employees within their work contexts, enabling real-time feedback and data-informed decision making for both employees and organizations. Despite their potential, little is known about how hospitality employees perceive these systems or what shapes their willingness to use them. This study examines the individual perceptual factors that influence employees' intention to use a human-centered Digital Twin, focusing on performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and trust in the system. In addition, the study explores the role of gamification as a system design feature that may shape how these perceptions translate into adoption intentions. Data were collected from 141 customer-facing hotel employees across Europe using a structured survey based on validated scales. An Exploratory Factor Analysis confirmed the reliability and structural validity of the measurement model, and multiple linear regression analysis was used to test both the baseline and the extended models. Results show that all three perceptual factors significantly and positively influence intention to use, with performance expectancy emerging as the strongest predictor. Gamification moderates the relationship between effort expectancy and intention to use in a non-reinforcing manner: when gamification is higher, the positive effect of effort expectancy becomes weaker. These findings suggest that interaction design can alter how employees experience the ease of using advanced digital systems. This study provides empirical evidence on the perceptual determinants that influence front-line employees' intention to use a human-centered Digital Twin in hospitality settings, highlighting the role of both core adoption beliefs and system design features in shaping adoption intentions
Intervention strategies for healthcare workers to promote vaccine uptake in ethnic minority populations: a systematic review of behaviour change techniques
Full text linkBackground/Objectives: Healthcare workers (HCWs) have a crucial role in addressing vaccine hesitancy in ethnic minority populations as they are a trusted source of information. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesise and evaluate behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and strategies in interventions aimed at HCWs to promote vaccine uptake among ethnic minority populations. Methods: The literature was systematically searched in peer-reviewed databases and the grey literature. Studies were included if they reported interventions for respiratory and routinely recommended vaccine-preventable diseases which were delivered by HCWs to increase vaccine uptake in ethnic minority groups. Interventions were coded using the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) and BCT Taxonomy. Results: From 7250 records identified, 14 studies were included in the review. Vaccines targeted by interventions included influenza, pneumococcal disease, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, meningitis and hepatitis B. Seven BCW intervention types, six policy options and 22 BCTs were identified. Main intervention types used were persuasion, enablement and education. Effective interventions had multi-components and were tailored to specific populations. Staff training to improve vaccine recommendation and dialogue with patients, and prompts/cues were associated with positive effects, but there was no strong evidence to recommend one specific intervention strategy over another as effectiveness was linked to a multitude of BCTs and intervention types. Conclusions: Several strategies aimed at HCWs can be used and tailored to increase vaccine uptake among ethnic minority communities; however, this does not address all issues related to low vaccine uptake. While HCWs are necessary, without system-level enablement, they cannot fully address barriers to vaccine uptake
Observer-based control for time-delayed quasi-one-sided Lipschitz nonlinear systems under input saturation
No full textThis paper addresses the observer-based controller design problem for nonlinear time-delayed systems under input saturation. The nonlinearities are supposed to satisfy the quasi-onesided Lipschitz condition, which is less conservative than the one-sided Lipschitz condition. Based on the nonlinear matrix inequalities, control law for nonlinear systems subject to input saturation, time delays, and unavailable states, some sufficient conditions have been developed for an augmented system containing the system state vector and the error vector to ensure the convergence of all states to zero. The paper used a decoupling approach to reduce the complexity of the corresponding observer and controller gain computations. Finally, the effectiveness of the developed results is validated using suitable examples
Conversation analysis in gender and sexuality studies
No full textThe interdisciplinary field of Gender and Sexuality Studies addresses the historical, social and political forces shaping the ways members of society understand and experience their gender and sexuality. Conversation analysis is not primarily concerned with sex, gender, and sexuality: Rather its intellectual project is to explain how everyday life is produced through the routine interpersonal interactions that people have with each other. However, there are some important confluences, including the resonances between contemporary feminist post structuralist theories of gender performativity and ethnomethodological ones of gender as an achievement. Importantly feminist research using conversation analysis is expanding its scope by addressing significant social problems, such as gendered violence, women’s reproductive health, and “isms” in talk and interaction. Furthermore, such research can generate a grounded, evidential basis to inform responses to gender and sexuality issues as they continue to evolve with advances in new technologies
The gap between rhetoric and reality
No full textOur chapter concerns the extent to which the topics of equality, diversity and inclusion are covered in the curricula of UK business schools. These topics are attracting a great deal of interest from higher education policy and professional bodies such as Advance HE (formerly the Higher Education Academy) and the Chartered Association of Business Schools, and yet, despite this high-profile interest, there is increasing evidence that these topics are often not covered in business school curricula, or only in the relatively ‘soft’ topics such as human resource management and business ethics
The presence of a H. pylori infection blunted the upregulation of iron-related duodenal proteins in response to anemia
No full textHelicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is often associated with iron-deficiency anemia. The mechanisms that underlie this association are unclear. We attempted to determine whether the presence of a H. pylori infection affected iron homeostasis. Patients with dyspepsia, who underwent an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, were categorized into those without and with a H. pylori infection. Hematological and iron-related parameters and C-reactive protein (CRP) were estimated in their blood samples. Gene expression of proteins involved in iron absorption (divalent metal transporter 1 [DMT1], duodenal cytochrome B reductase [DCYTB], ferritin [FTN] and ferroportin [FPN]) was determined in duodenal mucosal samples. Hematological and iron-related parameters and CRP levels in blood, and gene expression of duodenal iron-related proteins were not significantly different in those without and with a H. pylori infection. When stratified into quartiles based on hemoglobin values, patients in the lower quartiles (in both groups) showed evidence of a lower iron status. Upregulation of duodenal DMT1 and FPN gene expression in response to anemia (a known physiological phenomenon) was seen in uninfected patients, but not in those with the infection. DYCTB expression was significantly lower in those with the infection, who expressed H. pylori-associated virulence factors, CagA and VacA. H. pylori infection did not significantly affect hematological parameters, blood markers of iron status and gene expression of duodenal proteins involved in iron absorption. However, the physiological response to upregulate DMT1 and FPN gene expression in response to anemia was attenuated in those with the infection
Severe and widespread coral reef damage during the 2014-2017 Global Coral Bleaching Event
Full text linkOcean warming is increasing the frequency, extent, and severity of tropical-coral bleaching and mortality. During 2014–2017, marine heatwaves caused the Third Global Coral Bleaching Event. We analyze data from 15,066 reef surveys globally during 2014–2017. Across all surveyed reefs, 80% and 35% experienced moderate or greater (affecting >10% of corals) bleaching and mortality, respectively. We assess the global extent of coral bleaching and mortality by applying bleaching response curves calibrated from surveyed reefs to predict bleaching globally, based on comprehensive remote-sensing of heat stress. These models predict that 51% and 15% of the world’s coral reefs suffered moderate or greater bleaching and mortality, respectively, during one or multiple years, surpassing damage from any prior global coral bleaching event. Our findings demonstrate that the impacts of ocean warming on coral reefs are accelerating, with the near certainty that ongoing warming will cause large-scale, possibly irreversible, degradation of these essential ecosystems. With heat stress levels during this event surpassing those observed previously, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration developed more extreme Bleaching Alert levels that are now being used during the ongoing Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event.<br/
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