Applying project management concepts and tools to built environment research projects

This paper concerns the issue of Built Environment research students utilising a formal approach for designing and conducting research projects. The authors draw upon their experience of supervising and examining Built Environment research projects at undergraduate and postgraduate levels to critically reflect upon issues faced by researchers. Furthermore, student feedback has been obtained via semi formal interviews. Within the paper a case is presented for research students in built environment disciplines to adopt and use Project Management concepts and tools in order to exercise better management control of research projects and increase the possibility of bringing the research to a successful conclusion. The works of Phillips and Pugh (2005), Rudestam and Newton (2001) and Delamont et al (1997) support the authors’ observations and conclusions that research students would benefit from having a more formalised approach when conducting their research in order to better control and succeed in their research activities

Treatment using 448 kHz capacitive resistive monopolar radiofrequency improves pain and function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee joint: A randomised controlled trial

Objective: This study investigated whether capacitive resistive monopolar radiofrequency (CRMRF)-based treatment improves pain and function among patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Design and setting: Three-group randomised controlled trial with concealed allocation, participant blinding and intention-to-treat analysis. Forty-five patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis, from the waiting list for physiotherapy at a local hospital were enrolled. Intervention: Participants in the active and sham groups received eight sessions of CRMRF and sham-CRMRF respectively over four weeks, along with standard care. The control group received standard care only. Assessment: Pain and function were measured at four time points: week zero (baseline), week four (post intervention), week eight and week 16 (two follow-ups) using visual analogue scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index, timed up and go (TUG) test and knee range of motion (ROM). Results: For pain (VAS), there were clinically significant changes in the active group at post treatment compared to sham (Mean difference: 0.79 (95% CI: 0.29 to 1.3), effect size: 1.3) and control (Mean difference: 0.82 (95% CI: 0.32 to 1.3), effect size: 1.5), and at one-month follow-up compared to control (Mean difference: 0.68 (95% CI: 0.10 to 1.3), effect size: 1.1). For function (WOMAC), there was clinically significant change in the active group at post treatment compared to control (Mean difference: 1.3 (95% CI: 0.02 to 2.6), effect size: 0.94), but not compared to sham. No meaningful differences were noted for TUG or knee ROM. No differences were noted at three-month follow-up for any outcomes. Conclusion: CRMRF treatment can improve pain and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis in the short term. Trial registration: NIHR-CRN study ID: 20264.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Skin thermophysiological effects of 448 kHz capacitive resistive monopolar radiofrequency in healthy adults : A randomised crossover study and comparison with Pulsed Shortwave Therapy

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine on 8 January 2018, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/15368378.2017.1422260. Under embargo until 8 January 2019.Radiofrequency-based electrophysical agents (EPA) have been used in therapy practice over several decades (e.g., shortwave therapies). Currently, there is insufficient evidence supporting such devices operating below shortwave frequencies. This laboratory-based study investigated the skin physiological effects of 448 kHz capacitive resistive monopolar radiofrequency (CRMRF) and compared them to pulsed shortwave therapy (PSWT). In a randomised crossover study, seventeen healthy volunteers received four treatment conditions–High, Low and Placebo dose conditions receiving 15-min CRMRF treatment and a Control condition receiving no intervention. Fifteen participants also received high dose PSWT for comparison. Treatment was applied to the right lower medial thigh. Pre, post and 20-min follow-up measurements of skin temperature (SKT), skin blood flow (SBF) and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) were obtained using Biopac MP150 system. Group data were compared using the ANOVA model. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05 (0.8P, 95%CI). Significant increase and sustenance of SKT with both high and low dose CRMRF was demonstrated over the other groups (p < 0.001). PSWT increased SKT significantly (p < 0.001) but failed to sustain it over the follow-up. However, among the five conditions, only high dose CRMRF significantly increased and sustained SBF (p < 0.001). Overall, the CRMRF physiological responses were significantly more pronounced than that of PSWT. No significant changes in NCV were noted for any condition. Physiological changes associated with CRMRF were more pronounced when compared to PSWT, placebo or control. Any potential stronger therapeutic benefits of CRMRF need to be confirmed by comparative clinical studies.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Thermal build-up, decay and retention responses to local therapeutic application of 448 kHz capacitive resistive monopolar radiofrequency : A prospective randomised crossover study in healthy adults

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Hyperthernia on 17 November 2015, available online at: https://doi.org/10.3109/02656736.2015.1092172.PURPOSE: Radiofrequency-based electrophysical agents are widely used in therapy-related clinical practice for their thermal effects, mainly relieving pain and inflammation and improving tissue extensibility. The most commonly used and researched are shortwave therapies that operate at 27.12 MHz. Although relatively new, electrophysical agents employing much lower frequencies have also emerged. Capacitive resistive monopolar radiofrequency employing 448 kHz is one such therapy. This laboratory-based study was aimed to investigate the skin thermal responses to 448 kHz radiofrequency-based therapy in healthy adults.METHODS: In a two-group randomised crossover study, 15 volunteers attended two modes (capacitive and resistive) of 448 kHz radiofrequency-based therapy (using 'Indiba Activ 902') administered locally to the lower thigh region. Starting at minimum, the intensity was increased incrementally until thermal discomfort was felt. Participants reported three time points: thermal onset, definite thermal sensation, and onset of thermal discomfort. Local skin temperature was measured before, immediately post-treatment and up to 45 min post-treatment.RESULTS: Both capacitive and resistive modes of therapy significantly increased the skin temperature and sustained it over the 45-min follow-up. There was statistically significant difference between the thermal response patterns produced by the two modes. Peak post-treatment temperatures attained were not significantly different between the two; however, the retention rate at follow-up was significantly higher for the resistive mode.CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that radiofrequency-based therapy at 448 kHz can significantly increase and sustain skin temperature. The study also provides useful baseline data for further research in the low frequency ranges of radiofrequency-based therapy that remain largely unexplored.Peer reviewe

Peer-assisted location authentication and access control for wireless networks

This paper presents the development and implementation of a location‐based, lightweight peer‐assisted authentication scheme for use in wireless networks. The notion of peer‐assisted authentication is based upon some target user equipment‐ (UE) seeking authentication and access to a network based upon its physical location. The target UE seeks authentication through the UE of peers in the same network. Compared with previous work, the approach in this paper does not rely on any cryptographic proofs from a central authentication infrastructure, thus avoiding complex infrastructure management. However, the peer‐assisted authentication consumes network channel resources which will impact on network performance. In this paper, we also present an access control algorithm for balancing the location authentication, network quality of service (QoS), network capacity and time delay. The results demonstrate that peer‐assisted authentication considering location authentication and system QoS through dynamic access control strategies can be effectively and efficiently implemented in a number of use cases

A profile-driven dynamic risk assessment framework for connected and autonomous vehicles

The Internet of Things has already demonstrated clear benefits when applied in many areas. In connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV), IoT data can help the autonomous systems make better decisions for safer and more secure transportation. For example, different IoT data sources can extend CAV's risk awareness, while the incoming data can update these risks in real-time for faster reactions that may mitigate possible damages. However, the current state of the art CAV research has not addressed this matter well enough. This paper proposes a profile-driven approach to manage IoT data in the context of CAV systems through a dynamic risk management framework. Unlike the current inflexible risk assessment strategies, the framework encourages more flexible investigation of risks through different risk profiles, each representing risk knowledge through a set of risk input considerations, assessment methods and optimal reaction strategies. As the risks change frequently with time and location, there will be no single profile that can cover all the risks that CAVs face on the road. The uses of different risk profiles, therefore can help interested parties to better understand the risks and adapt to various situations appropriately. Our framework includes the effective management of IoT data sources to enable the run-time risk assessment. We also describe a case study of using the proposed framework to manage the risks for the POD being developed in the Innovate UK-funded CAPRI project

Critical infrastructure in the future city - developing secure and resilient cyber–physical systems

Cities face serious challenges that affect competitiveness, sustainability and their occupants’ safety & security. In response, investment is made in city infrastructure projects. Given the complexity of the systems architecture, and interactions between physical and cyber domains, this paper shows how a multi-disciplinary approach can be adopted to address the challenges. It introduces an analysis methodology for use by multi-disciplinary teams to allow the dependencies and interactions of cyber–physical systems in physical–cyber environments to be explored. The analysis methodology offers a systematic way to study the cyber– physical systems and identify safety, security or resilience issues that need to be addressed in the systems design or operation