Introducing Research Methods and Skills in a Workshop Environment.

Yes`Research Seminar Series¿ is a 10-credit, Level M module offered to MSc/MEng students undertaking programmes in the areas of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Bradford. The module¿s aims are twofold: i) to disseminate stateoftheart information that could form the basis for future research programmes¿ and ii) to introduce the stages involved in the preparation and presentation of a research paper.Higher Education Academ

Shepherd's Dilemma

Recent outbreaks of Rift Valley Fever in sheep have led to boycotts of African livestock by Middle Eastern importers. To normalize trade, attempts have been made to apply new livestock forecasting and monitoring technologies. In this process, producers have exhibited a resistance in revealing livestock health information, a resistance that could jeopardize the information system and lead to further boycotts. We investigate the incentives governing this problem and model the most fundamental contract issues, those concerning reputation and credibility. Equilibrium contracts require that the buyer compensate the producer for private information to address the shepherd's dilemma of concealing livestock information (and facing continued boycotts) or revealing the information and being blacklisted.Livestock Production/Industries,

Distance learning of engineering based subjects: A case study.

YesWith the advancement of technology, significant changes have been introduced into the learning and teaching environment. The importance of enhancing the interest of learners is an on-going challenge for educators of all levels. In this respect, teaching and learning practices are adapting to students¿ exposure to technological and social trends. In this presentation, a case study of using technology to enhance the learners¿ environment for engineering-based subjects in higher education is presented. The approach consists of delivering interactive materials through a Virtual Learning Environment and integrating web application technologies to enhance the learners¿ experience. Due to the vast subject areas in engineering and the variety of content of each subject, a general methodology is first identified and adopted. This consists of stages that show the progress from initial development to deployment of the materials, followed by evaluation of the module and further improvements carried out on the module based on qualitative evaluation. The evaluation process consists of the application of electronic surveys for feedback on the distance learning module. In addition, monitoring of the students¿ usage of the materials is also carried out. The presentation concludes with the presentation of the initial results from a current e-learning module

An evaluation of students' and lecturers' use of technologies: an engineering case study.

yesThe introduction in the early 1990s of the world wide web was a significant factor in the creation of a global information society, allowing new possibilities to work, entertain and communicate, from home, at the workplace or on the move. In recent years, there have been significant advances in information technology (IT), while a new generation of applications that are able to harness the power of the world wide web has been introduced under the banner of Web 2.0. The increased capabilities of IT and the nature of Web 2.0 applications have attracted interest from the academic community as a means of enhancing the delivery of higher education. This paper considers the implications of introducing technology into the higher education sector from the perspectives of academic staff and students, with particular emphasis on the use of technology and Web 2.0 applications, and the relationship between technology and teaching and learning

Frontiers of molecular biology of cancer

Cancer is rooted in genetic background, with the expression of oncogenesis playing a pivotal role in the early stages of tumor formation. Acquired mutations in somatic cells primarily contribute to the development of most common cancers, while specific germline mutations are responsible for rare hereditary cancer syndromes. Within the realm of cancer-associated genes, oncogenes undergo activation, exhibiting phenotypic dominance, whereas tumor suppressor genes experience inactivation, displaying phenotypic recessiveness. The ongoing effort to improve our knowledge about molecular mechanisms involves defining pathways influencing cancer therapy. Technological advancements have made it possible to identify genes integral to cancer development and have significantly contributed to the growing success of precision medicine in oncology, with targeted therapies directed against tumors and components of the tumor microenvironment. This Special Issue, titled “Molecular Biology of Cancer—Implications for Diagnosis and Treatment”, comprises a total of eight contributions. These include five original articles and three reviews, offering fresh insights into cancer biology, molecular genetics, and innovative therapeutic approaches

Guest Editorial: Satellite Systems, Applications and Networking.

yesGuest Editorial of Special Issue (featuring eight original papers, comprising 133 pages in total). Whilst satellite systems continue to be at the forefront of broadcast communication service provision, they have an increasingly important role to play in the provision of global Internet services. There has been a strong trend towards convergence of communication services in recent times, with the Internet providing the ideal platform on which to base such convergence. Even traditional circuit-switched applications (such as voice and video streaming) have been shown to work effectively over the Internet. Although the Internet is prevalent in the developed world, satellites are vital to extending this into more remote and sparsely populated regions of the world. It is therefore important that satellite technology is advanced to provide seamless interoperability with the Internet and adequate Quality of Service (QoS) support. The purpose of this special issue is to present research devoted to furthering satellite technology and networking to support the provision of both current and future applications

Employing Information and Communications Technologies in Homes and Cities for the Health and Well-Being of Older People

YesHe X and Sheriff RE (Eds.) Employing ICT in Homes and Cities for the Health and Well-Being of Older People. Workshop Proceedings of ICT4HOP’16. 15-17 Aug 2016. Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.British Council, Researcher Links, Newton Fund, NSF

Evaluating the case for employing E-Portfolio tools during the Final Year Engineering Project

yesThe Final Year Project is an integral part of an engineering degree programme. At the University of Bradford's School of Engineering, Design and Technology (SoEDT), the project spans two semesters and is worth 30 credits or the equivalent of 300 hours of work. A student works under the guidance of a supervisor on a particular topic that usually involves some experimental activity, and is required to apply a variety of personal and technical skills as part of the project process. At Bradford, the Final Year Engineering Project (FYEP) concludes with summative assessment, in terms of a technical report and poster presentation, both of which occur at the end of the second semester. For most students the FYEP represents a new way of working, while the nature of supervision can vary from hugely rewarding to very disappointing. There is possible scope for improving the FYEP experience, from the perspectives of supervisor and student, through the use of e-portfolio tools, which make use of the Web to provide the means for maintaining communication, monitoring progress and developing a student¿s skills portfolio. If e-portfolio tools are to be considered as a possible integral part of the FYEP process, then an appreciation of the current FYEP experience among students and supervisors must first be gained. In this paper, quantitative and qualitative results are presented based on face-to-face semi-structured interviews with academic supervisors and responses to on-line questionnaires from supervisors and final year engineering students at the SoEDT. The results provide an insight into the practices and techniques employed as part of the FYEP, and identify where training is needed to develop particular project skills. The results provide a basis for the development of an e-portfolio application that supports the FYEP experience, which is introduced to conclude the paper.National HE STEM Programm

Ubiquitous Internet in an integrated satellite-terrestrial environment: The SUITED solution

yesThe current Internet architecture appears to not be particularly suited to addressing the emerging needs of new classes of users who wish to gain access to multimedia services made available by ISPs, regardless of their location, while in motion and with a guaranteed level of quality. One of the main objectives of so-called nextgeneration systems is to overcome the limitations of today¿s available Internet by adopting an approach based on the integration of different mobile and fixed networks. The SUITED project moves in this direction since it aims at contributing to the design and deployment of the global mobile broadband system (GMBS), a unique satellite/terrestrial infrastructure ensuring nomadic users access to Internet services with a negotiated QoS. A description of the main features of the GMBS architecture, characterized by the integration of a multisegment access network with a federated ISP network is given in this article. The GMBS multimode terminal is schematically described, and an overview of the so-called QoS-aware mobility management scheme, devised for such a heterogeneous scenario,is provided

Design and evaluation of M-Commerce applications.

yesRecent advances in wireless technology have increased the number of mobile device users and given pace to the rapid development and deployment of e-commerce to the mobile user. This new type of e-commerce, conducting transactions via mobile terminals, is called mobile commerce (mcommerce). Due to its inherent characteristics such as ubiquity, personalization, flexibility, and dissemination, mobile commerce promises business unprecedented market potential, greater productivity and higher profitability. With this in mind, it is perhaps not surprising that mobile commerce is growing much faster than its fixed counterpart. Unlike e-commerce, m-commerce is more personalized and there is a need for a novel approach to evaluating m-commerce applications. This paper examines the issues in designing mcommerce applications not only from a technical viewpoint but also from the end users¿ perspective