Ulster University (Irish: Ollscoil Uladh; Ulster Scots: Ulstèr Universitie or Ulstèr Varsitie), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It is the largest university in Northern Ireland and the second-largest university on the island of Ireland, after the federal National University of Ireland.Established in 1968 as the New University of Ulster, it merged with Ulster Polytechnic in 1984, incorporating its four Northern Irish campuses under the University of Ulster banner. The university incorporated its four campuses in 1984; located in Belfast, Coleraine, Derry (Magee College), and Jordanstown. The university has branch campuses in both London and Birmingham, and an extensive distance learning provision. The university rebranded as Ulster University from October 2014 and this included a revised visual identity, though its legal name remained unchanged.It has one of the highest further study and employment rates in the UK, with over 92% of graduates being in work or further study six months after graduation. The university is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the European University Association, Universities Ireland and Universities UK.
This study presents a techno-economic assessment of a conceptual 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) biorefinery integrating ionic liquid (IL) pretreatment with lignocellulosic biomass conversion. This work provides a novel comparative techno-economic assessment of corn stover (CS) and brewer's spent grain (BSG) as feedstocks for IL-based 3-HP production. A literature-based process model was developed for the continuous production of 50,000 t/year of 3-HP and evaluated using both feedstocks. IL pretreatment was selected for its recyclability and potential to reduce chemical consumption compared with conventional pretreatment methods. Biomass-to-3-HP conversion efficiencies (on a dry basis) of 25.63% and 23.31% were obtained for CS and BSG, respectively, reflecting the lower fermentable sugar recovery achieved from BSG. Economic assessment yielded break-even selling prices (BESP) of $2472/tonne 3-HP for CS and $2643/tonne for BSG, indicating that both configurations are economically competitive with literature-reported bio-based 3-HP values. Sensitivity analysis identified yeast consumption as the dominant cost driver, followed by enzyme and IL requirements. The results highlight the potential of IL-assisted lignocellulosic biorefineries for competitive 3-HP production and identify the optimisation of yeast production and recycling, enhanced IL recovery and recycling, and co-product valorisation through bioethanol and lignin recovery as key opportunities to further reduce production costs.
Liquid fuel fires pose growing risks to environmental sustainability and industrial safety. Conventional foam extinguishing agents are limited by poor thermal stability, increasing the risk of re-ignition, and often rely on fluorinated surfactants, which persist in the environment. This study proposes a novel thermo-responsive gel foam that integrates heat-induced gelation with high-temperature ceramization. The foam is made from environmentally benign materials, such as konjac glucomannan (KGM) and low-melting glass powders (LGP). By optimizing KGM concentration (0.5 wt%) and NaHCO3/Na2CO3 ratio (0.2–0.4), precise control over the gelation transition was achieved. At room temperature, the foam rapidly spreads over the liquid fuel surface. Upon flame exposure, it undergoes in-situ gelation, forming a stable foam layer that significantly reduces the likelihood of re-ignition. Experimental results show a 366.7–464.7% increase in drainage time on an n-heptane surface. At elevated temperatures, melted LGP infiltrates the carbonaceous residue from the carbonized gel network, forming an in-situ thermal barrier and protective char/silica layer. In small-scale flame suppression tests, the gel foam prolonged the burning delay by 297.0% compared to standard film-forming fluoroprotein (FFFP) foam. In large-scale suppression and anti-reignition tests, although the extinguishing time was similar to that of commercial FFFP foam, the gel foam completely prevented re-ignition, highlighting its potential as a high-performance fire-extinguishing agent for liquid fuel fires.
Community fire resilience is a complex system involving multiple stages and factors, and its enhancement is critical to reducing urban fire risks. This study proposes an intelligent method to assess community fire resilience and identify key factors. Firstly, a community fire resilience concept is proposed as the theoretical foundation. Subsequently, a BERT-BiLSTM-CRF model is trained to automatically extract influencing factors using fire accident reports. A modified technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method is then employed to screen factors and construct an indicator system. Finally, a Bayesian network (BN) model is constructed to assess resilience and identify key influencing factors. Results indicate that the BERT-BiLSTM-CRF model achieves strong performance with 90.98% F1-score. The indicator system encompasses 23 influencing factors across four resilience stages. BN inference results indicate that Chinese communities exhibit a high-resilience probability of 62%, while recovery and improvement capacities remain relatively weak. Electrical equipment failures, inadequate resident emergency response, underdeveloped emergency medical assistance mechanisms and accident case learning mechanisms are the dominant contributors across the four resilience stages, representing critical vulnerabilities in community fire governance. This study establishes a data-driven assessment framework for community fire resilience, which can be extended to other accident scenarios.
PurposeFood companies are still unsure about using Internet of Things (IoT) based sensors and remain reluctant to adopt them for the purpose of food waste prevention. To address this problem, this study aims to examine the determinants of the intention to use IoT-based sensors for preventing food waste by the food supply chain companies in the UK. Design/methodology/approachThis research develops a comprehensive Motivation–Opportunity–Ability–Trust (MOAT) model that extends and contextualises the original MOA model in the context of using IoT sensors in food supply chain companies for preventing food waste. The MOAT model is tested using data collected from a questionnaire survey with 315 senior managers in the UK food sector. FindingsThe findings show that opportunity and trust positively influence the managers’ behavioural intention to use IoT for food waste prevention and are therefore key determinants of IoT adoption for food waste prevention. Data analysis highlighted the role of trust as the underlying principle in food supply chains when adopting IoT sensors in all operational-level activities. Originality/valueThis study contextualises and extends the original MOA model into the MOAT framework to reflect the characteristics and applications of IoT in food waste prevention in food supply chains. The MOAT model provides a foundation for further research and practical strategies. This study makes valuable contributions to the theoretical development and practical understanding of the influence of ability, opportunity, motivation and trust on IoT sensor adoption for preventing food waste among food companies.
In recent years, the physical literacy (PL) journeys of children and young people (CYP) have become increasingly relevant to physical activity (PA), physical education (PE) and sport settings. While research has documented understanding of PL among specific stakeholders, such as physical educators and sports coaches, no such research exists regarding the voices of CYP across the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland and Ireland). As such, expanding beyond PL specifically and explicitly, this scoping review explored CYP's perceptions of lifelong PA, including factors they believed influenced their involvement in, or avoidance of, PA, PE, and sport (domains which all contribute to PL). The review examined 29 qualitative research studies conducted across the island of Ireland. Thematic analysis of the data led to the construction of the following five key themes in relation to lifelong PA as part of one's PL journey: (i) providing choice, (ii) fun, (iii) social influences, (iv) competition, and (v) barriers to positive PL experiences. Drawing on the insights generated by this study, we propose targeted PL promotion strategies that resonate with CYP in Ireland and Northern Ireland, with the goal of fostering their holistic PL development, and supporting sustained lifelong engagement in PA.
