DESIGN AND TESTING OF A WIND ENERGY HARNESSING SYSTEM FOR FORCED CONVECTIVE DRYING OF GRAIN IN LOW WIND SPEED, WARM AND HUMID CLIMATES

Forced convective drying using a wind turbine mechanically connected to a ventilation fan was hypothesized for low cost and rapid grain drying in developing countries. The idea was tested using an expandable wind turbine blade system with variable pitch, at low wind speeds in a wind tunnel. The design was based on empirical and theoretical models embedded in a graphical user interface (GUI) created to estimate airflow-power requirements for drying ear corn. Output airflow (0.0016 - 0.0052 m3kg-1s-1) increased within the study wind speed range (2.0 - 5.5 m/s). System efficiency peak (8.6%) was observed at 3.5 m/s wind speed. Flow resistance was overcome up to 1m fill depth in 0.5 m x 0.5 m wide drying bin. Drying study at different airflow rates (no forced convection, 0.002 m3kg-1s-1 and 0.008 m3kg-1s-1) were conducted in a controlled environment at 35oC and 45% relative humidity with mean drying time; 40.3, 37.9 and 22.9 h respectively, that reduced with increasing airflow while drying the ear corn from 22% to 15% moisture content. The overall result supports the hypothesis that the wind convection system increased grain drying rates and should be further developed

Are smart innovation ecosystems really seeking to meet citizens’ needs? Insights from the stakeholders’ vision on smart city strategy implementation

The concept of a smart city is becoming the leading paradigm worldwide. Consequently, a creative mix of emerging technologies and open innovation is gradually becoming the defining element of smart city evolution, changing the ways in which city administrators are organizing their services and development globally. Thus, the smart city concept is becoming extremely relevant on the agendas of policy-makers as a development strategy for enhancing the quality of life of the citizen and improving the sustainability goals of their cities. Despite of the relevance of the topic, still few studies investigate how open innovation shapes the way cities become smarter or focus on the experiences of professionals to understand the concept of a smart city and its implementation. This paper fills this gap and analyzes the processes for building effective smart cities by integrating the different perspectives of smart innovations and using the core components of smart cities according to a conceptual framework developed in previous research. In so doing, it provides useful insights for smart city stakeholders in adopting social and technological innovation to improve the global competitiveness of their cities. The empirical dataset allows examining how “smart cities” are being implemented in Manchester (UK), and in Boston, Massachusetts, and San Diego City (United States of America (USA)), including archival data and in-depth interviews with core smart city stakeholders who are involved in smart city projects and programs across the cases. Results from empirical data suggest that the conceptualization of smart cities across the cases is similar with a strong emphasis on social and technological innovation aimed at addressing municipal challenges in the core sub-systems of the cities, which include mobility, environmental sustainability, entrepreneurial development, quality of life, and social cohesion. The results also reveal benefits and challenges relating to smart innovation ecosystems across the cases and the future directions of their diffusion

Developing a framework to promote innovation in socio-economic development in smart cities

The Smart City (SC) concept has emerged as an innovative response to the challenges and opportunities created by rapid urbanisation around the world. Consequently, city governments around the globe are embracing ‘Smart’ strategies as part of major steps towards making their cities more livable and sustainable. Despite global attention on the SC concept and its recognised potential to improve the circumstances of cities in any region, there is paucity of research on appropriate framework models to assess the impacts of smartness on cities in developing countries. Based on a systematic literature review and a pilot study with key SC stakeholders, the study initially built a conceptual framework for a multi-dimensional understanding of the critical success factors (CSFs) and indicators of Smart Cities (SCs) that aligned with stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences of SCs. Then, the study examined Smart Innovations in Boston, FCT-Abuja, and Manchester as case studies of SC development. Through the conduct of in-depth face-to-face interviews across the cases, the field investigation gathered high quality feedbacks from knowledge-rich SC stakeholders. In doing so, the core components of SCs and their underlying CSFs and indicators were identified and examined. In order to validate the factors/indicators extracted from the literature, and interviews with experts, the study adopted a sequential methodology to further collect quantitative data using a survey instrument. The data analysis employed the Kruskal-Wallis H test and Spearman’s correlation with interpretive mean scores to highlight the priority CSFs and indicators of smartness based on their significance. Through a cross-case comparison of the variables emphasised in the analysis, three core components, 11 CSFs, and 32 core indicators of SC KPIs emerged. These established KPIs were modeled using a System Dynamics approach with Vensim PLE. The study highlighted some novel findings in terms of the different perspectives of SC vision and place-based innovation ecosystems that evolved across the cases investigated. The findings suggests conceptualisation of SC innovation around entrepreneurial development, effective and efficient service delivery systems in order for cities to retain sustainable development with strong emphasis placed on an improved quality of life, suitable to be applied both in developed and developing countries. The study concluded with a strong recommendation for cities in developing countries to address the challenges of development infrastructure deficits as a starting point for SC deployment; it proposed a framework model based on the priority core components of Smart Infrastructure, Smart Institution, and Smart People. A particularly notable part of this study into ongoing SC evolution is that it highlights the major contributions of SC practitioners in theory, practice, and methodology

Creating smart and healthy cities by exploring the potentials of emerging technologies and social innovation for urban efficiency : lessons from the innovative city of Boston

The wide-spread adoption of the Smart City concept has introduced a new era of computing paradigm with opportunities for city administrators and stakeholders in various sectors to re-think the concept of urbanization and development of healthy cities. With the world population rapidly becoming urban-centric especially amongst the emerging economies, social innovation will assist greatly in deploying emerging technologies to address the development challenges in core sectors of the future cities. In this context, sustainable health-care delivery and improved quality of life of the people is considered at the heart of the healthy city agenda. This paper examines the Boston innovation landscape from the perspective of smart services and innovation ecosystem for sustainable development, especially in transportation and healthcare. It investigates the policy implementation process of the Healthy City agenda and eHealth economy innovation based on the experience of Massachusetts’s City of Boston initiatives. For this purpose, three emerging areas are emphasized, namely the eHealth concept, the innovation hubs, and the emerging technologies that drive innovation. This was carried out through empirical analysis on results of public sector and industry-wide interviews/survey about Boston’s current initiatives and the enabling environment. The paper highlights few potential research directions for service integration and social innovation for deploying emerging technologies in the healthy city agenda. The study therefore suggests the need to prioritize social innovation as an overarching strategy to build sustainable Smart Cities in order to avoid technology lock-in. Finally, it concludes that the Boston example of innovation economy is unique in view of the existing platforms for innovation and proper understanding of its dynamics, which is imperative in building smart and healthy cities where quality of life of the citizenry can be improved

Marginalization of end-user stakeholder’s in public private partnership road projects in Nigeria

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Construction Management on 19/05/2020, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2020.1766189 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.The operational phase of public private partnership (PPP) projects in Nigeria has consistently witnessed serious challenges. Researches by various authors suggest that the major factors militating against the successful growth and development of PPP projects in Nigeria and other developing countries of the world is the marginalization of end-user stakeholder in PPP projects. As such, this study set out to reveal factors affecting the successful management of the diverse interests of end-user stakeholders of the PPP road projects in Nigeria. Using factors from related literature, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to users of two major PPP road in operation in Nigeria: Lekki/Epe Toll and Apakun Murtala Mohammed PPP toll road. A total of 282 questionnaires were returned representing 70.5% response rate. Cronbach’s alpha test was used to check reliability levels of the questionnaire variables (i.e., Likert scale questions) while factor analysis was used to establish the underlying factors affecting the successful participation of end-users stakeholders in PPP road in Nigeria. These underlying factors were fully discussed. It was concluded that active involvement of end-users stakeholders in decision-making from inception to conclusion will solve the problem of marginalization of end-user stakeholder’s in Nigeria PPP road projects.Published onlin

Female house sparrows "count on" male genes: experimental evidence for MHC-dependent mate preference in birds

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Females can potentially assess the quality of potential mates using their secondary sexual traits, and obtain "good genes" that increase offspring fitness. Another potential indirect benefit from mating preferences is genetic compatibility, which does not require extravagant or viability indicator traits. Several studies with mammals and fish indicate that the genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) influence olfactory cues and mating preferences, and such preferences confer genetic benefits to offspring. We investigated whether individual MHC diversity (class I) influences mating preferences in house sparrows (<it>Passer domesticus</it>).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall, we found no evidence that females preferred males with high individual MHC diversity. Yet, when we considered individual MHC allelic diversity of the females, we found that females with a low number of alleles were most attracted to males carrying a high number of MHC alleles, which might reflect a mating-up preference by allele counting.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This is the first experimental evidence for MHC-dependent mating preferences in an avian species to our knowledge. Our findings raise questions about the underlying mechanisms through which birds discriminate individual MHC diversity among conspecifics, and they suggest a novel mechanism through which mating preferences might promote the evolution of MHC polymorphisms and generate positive selection for duplicated MHC loci.</p

The impact of sex-role reversal on the diversity of the major histocompatibility complex: Insights from the seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis)

Background: Both natural and sexual selection are thought to influence genetic diversity, but the study of the relative importance of these two factors on ecologically-relevant traits has traditionally focused on species with conventional sex-roles, with male-male competition and female-based mate choice. With its high variability and significance in both immune function and olfactory-mediated mate choice, the major histocompatibility complex(MHC/MH) is an ideal system in which to evaluate the relative contributions of these two selective forces to genetic diversity. Intrasexual competition and mate choice are both reversed in sex-role reversed species, and sexrelated differences in the detection and use of MH-odor cues are expected to influence the intensity of sexual selection in such species. The seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, has an exceptionally highly developed form of male parental care, with female-female competition and male mate choice. Results: Here, we demonstrate that the sex-role reversed seahorse has a single MH class II beta-chain gene and that the diversity of the seahorse MHIIb locus and its pattern of variation are comparable to those detected in species with conventional sex roles. Despite the presence of only a single gene copy, intralocus MHIIb allelic diversity in this species exceeds that observed in species with multiple copies of this locus. The MHIIb locus of the seahorse exhibits a novel expression domain in the male brood pouch. Conclusions: The high variation found at the seahorse MHIIb gene indicates that sex-role reversed species are capable of maintaining the high MHC diversity typical in most vertebrates. Whether such species have evolved the capacity to use MH-odor cues during mate choice is presently being investigated using mate choice experiments. If this possibility can be rejected, such systems would offer an exceptional opportunity to study the effects of natural selection in isolation, providing powerful comparative models for understanding the relative importance of selective factors in shaping patterns of genetic variation

SPARC 2018 Internationalisation and collaboration : Salford postgraduate annual research conference book of abstracts

Welcome to the Book of Abstracts for the 2018 SPARC conference. This year we not only celebrate the work of our PGRs but also the launch of our Doctoral School, which makes this year’s conference extra special. Once again we have received a tremendous contribution from our postgraduate research community; with over 100 presenters, the conference truly showcases a vibrant PGR community at Salford. These abstracts provide a taster of the research strengths of their works, and provide delegates with a reference point for networking and initiating critical debate. With such wide-ranging topics being showcased, we encourage you to take up this great opportunity to engage with researchers working in different subject areas from your own. To meet global challenges, high impact research inevitably requires interdisciplinary collaboration. This is recognised by all major research funders. Therefore engaging with the work of others and forging collaborations across subject areas is an essential skill for the next generation of researchers