Digital Commons Network^™

Designing A Robust Decentralized Energy Transactions Framework For Active Prosumers In Peer-To-Peer Local Electricity Markets, Mehdi Mehdinejad, Heidar Ali Shayanfar, Behnam Mohammadi-Ivatloo, Hamed Nafisi

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In this paper, a fully decentralized local energy market based on peer-to-peer(P2P) trading is proposed for small-scale prosumers. In the proposed market, the prosumers are classified as buyers and sellers and can bilaterally engage in energy trading (P2P) with each other. The buyer prosumers are equipped with electrical storage and can participate in a demand response (DR) program while protecting their privacy. In addition to bilateral negotiating with the local sellers, these players can compensate for their energy deficiency from the upstream market as the retail market at hours without local generation. In this paper, the retail market price is …

Two Mechanisms For Formation Of Ferronematic Phase Studied By Dielectric Spectroscopy, Neelam Yadav, Yuri Panarin, J.K. Vij, Wanhe Jiang, Georg H. Mehl

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A non-chiral ferroelectric nematic compound DIO was studied by dielectric spectroscopy in the frequency range 0.01 Hz to 10 MHz over a wide range of temperatures. The compound exhibits three nematic phases on cooling from the isotropic phase, viz. the ordinary paraelectric nematic N; intermediate nematic NX and ferroelectric NF phases. The lower frequency relaxation process P1 is similar to those observed in other ferronematic compounds. It is a continuation of the molecular flip-flop mode in the isotropic phase and corresponds to the collective movement of dipoles which are strongly coupled with splay fluctuations in the nematic phases. In addition …

Dynamic Effect Of Disintegrated Energy Consumption And Economic Complexity On Environmental Degradation In Top Economic Complexity Economies, Tomiwa Sunday Adebayo, Mehmet Altuntaş, Sanjar Goyibnazarov, Ephraim Bonah Agyekum, Hossam Zawbaa, Salah Kamel

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The current paper explores the influence of disintegrated energy and economic complexity on CO2 emissions (CO2) in the top economic complexity economies. The model also incorporates other drivers of CO2, such as technological innovation and economic growth. The current research utilizes data stretching from 1993 to 2018. The research employed Westerlund cointegration, fully modified OLS (FMOLS), dynamic OLS (DOLS), and method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) to evaluate these interconnections. The outcomes of the slope heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence affirmed the use of second-generation techniques. The study confirmed the long-run association between CO2 and the regressors. The results of the …

Efficient Flatness Based Energy Management Strategy For Hybrid Supercapacitor/Lithium-Ion Battery Power System, Salam J. Yaqoob, Seydali Ferahtia, Adel Obed, Hegazy Rezk, Naseer Tawfeeq Alwan, Hossam Zawbaa, Salah Kamel

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This article offers a flatness theory-based energy management strategy (FEMS) for a hybrid power system consisting of a supercapacitor (SC) and lithium-ion battery. The proposed FEMS intends to allocate the power reference for the DC/DC converters of both the battery and SC while attaining higher effciency and stable DC bus voltage. First, the entire system model is analyzed theoretically under the differential flatness approach to reduce the model order as a at system. Second, the proposed FEMS is validated under different load conditions using MATLAB/Simulink. Thus, this FEMS provides high-quality energy to the load and reduces the fluctuations in the …

Enhanced Chaotic Manta Ray Foraging Algorithm For Function Optimization And Optimal Wind Farm Layout Problem, Fatima Dadqaq, Rachid Ellaia, Mohammed Ouassaid, Hossam Zawbaa, Salah Kamel

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Manta ray foraging optimization (MRFO) algorithm is relatively a novel bio-inspired optimization technique directed to given real-world engineering problems. In this present work, wind turbines layout (WTs) inside a wind farm is considered a real nonlinear optimization problem. In spite of the better convergence of MRFO, it gets stuck into local optima for large problems. The chaotic sequences are among the performed techniques used to tackle this shortcoming and improve the global search ability. Therefore, ten chaotic maps have been embedded into MRFO. To affirm the performance of the suggested chaotic approach CMRFO, it was First assessed using the IEEE …

Hosting A Community-Based Local Electricity Market In A Residential Network, Aziz Saif, Shafi K. Khadem, Michael Conlon, Brian Norton

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This paper presents the potential of building a local electricity market (LEM) to boost the deployment of the local energy communities, centred around active customers with distributed energy resources (DERs). To conduct a comprehensive and detailed study on different cases with reduced computational burdens, this paper adopts a simplified modelling approach where the market and network model simulations are performed in a cascaded, decoupled fashion. This allows achieving the optimal LEM output for the energy community with different DER assets that are not bounded by the network constraints. The investigation involves quantifying the benefits brought by LEM to energy communities …

The Environmental Aspects Of Renewable Energy Consumption And Structural Change In Sweden: A New Perspective From Wavelet-Based Granger Causality Approach, Tomiwa Sunday Adebayo, Ridwan Lanre Ibrahim, Ephraim Bonah Agyekum, Hossam Zawbaa, Salah Kamel

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The current paper assessed the time-frequency analysis interrelationship between CO2 emissions and financial development, economic growth, renewable energy use, structural change, and non-renewable energy use in Sweden. We utilized a quarterly dataset stretching from 1980-2019. In order to unlock these interrelationships, we leverage wavelet tools (wavelet-based Granger causality and wavelet coherence). The wavelet-based Granger causality (WGC) test accounts for the issue of multiple time scales in a time series analysis. Another uniqueness of the WGC lies in its resistance to distribution assumption and misspecification in a time series model. Additionally, the wavelet coherence estimator instantaneously evaluates correlation and causality among …

On The Importance Of Being Earnest: Contrasting The Dangers Of Makeweights With The Virtues Of Judicial Candor In Constitutional Adjudication, Ronald Jr. Krotoszynski

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No abstract provided.

Assessing Amateurism In College Sports, Casey E. Faucon

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College sports generate approximately $8 billion each year for the National C[artel] Athletic Association and its member institutions. Most of this revenue flows from lucrative television broadcasting deals, which often incorporate the right to commercialize and sell the names, images, and likenesses of college athletes. Under its current revenue scheme, student-athletes-85 percent of whom live below the poverty line-receive a share of zero. For over a century, we've justified this exploitative distribution scheme under a cloak of student-athlete "amateurism." Antitrust challenges to the NCAA's amateurism rules clash with the assumption that "amateurism" is a revered tradition and an important tenet …

Retiring Social Security's (Non)Payment At Death After Eight Decades Essay, Alberto Lopez

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No abstract provided.

Assessing The Environmental And Economic Sustainability Of Functional Food Ingredient Production Process, Anushree Priyadarshini, Brijesh K. Tiwari, Gaurav Rajauria

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Development and application of novel technologies in food processing is vital for ensuring the availability of adequate, safe, and convenient food with the desired quality and functional properties. Environmental and economic sustainability of technologies is essential prior to their application in the food processing sector. The objective of this research is to determine the environmental and economic feasibility of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) for recovering functional food ingredients from seaweed. Experimental data is used to conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) to investigate the environmental performance with a functional unit (FU) of obtaining 1 g of extracted polyphenols, measured as gallic …

Application Of High-Intensity Ultrasound To Improve Food Processing Efficiency: A Review, Prasad Chavan, Pallavi Sharma, Sajeev Rattan Sharma, Tarsem Chand Mittal, Amit Jaiswal

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The use of non-thermal processing technologies has grown in response to an ever-increasing demand for high-quality, convenient meals with natural taste and flavour that are free of chemical additions and preservatives. Food processing plays a crucial role in addressing food security issues by reducing loss and controlling spoilage. Among the several non-thermal processing methods, ultrasound technology has shown to be very beneficial. Ultrasound processing, whether used alone or in combination with other methods, improves food quality significantly and is thus considered beneficial. Cutting, freezing, drying, homogenization, foaming and defoaming, filtration, emulsification, and extraction are just a few of the applications …

Advances In Emerging Technologies For The Decontamination Of The Food Contact Surfaces, Shubham Sharma, Swarna Jaiswal, Brendan Duffy, Amit Jaiswal

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Foodborne pathogens could be transferred to food from food contact surfaces contaminated by poor hygiene or biofilm formation. The food processing industry has various conditions favouring microbes' adherence, such as moisture, nutrients, and the microbial inoculums obtained from the raw material. The function of the ideal antimicrobial surface is preventing initial attachment of the microbes, killing the microbes or/and removing the dead bacteria. This review article provides detail about the challenges food industries are facing with respect to food contact materials. It also summarises the merits and demerits of several sanitizing methods developed for industrial use. Furthermore, it reviews the …

Methodological Considerations In Injury Burden Of Disease Studies Across Europe: A Systematic Literature Review, Periklis Charalampous, Elena Pallari, Vanessa Gorasso, Elena Von Der Lippe, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Sara M. Pires, Dietrich Plass, Jane Idavain, Che Henry Ngwa, Isabel Noguer, Alicia Padron-Monedero, Rodrigo Sarmiento, Marek Majdan, Balázs Ádám, Ala’A Alkerwi, Seila Cilovic-Lagarija, Benjamin Clarsen, Barbara Corso, Sarah Cuschieri, Keren Dopelt, Mary Economou, Florian Fischer, Alberto Freitas, Juan Manuel García-González, Federica Gazzelloni, Artemis Gkitakou, Hakan Gulmez, Paul Hynds, Gaetano Isola, Lea S. Jakobsen, Zubair Kabir, Katarzyna Kissimova-Skarbek, Ann Kristin Knudsen, Naime Meriç Konar, Carina Ladeira, Brian Lassen, Aaron Liew, Marjeta Majer, Enkeleint A. Mechili, Alibek Mereke Alibek Mereke, Lorenzo Monasta, Stefania Mondello, Joana Nazaré Morgado, Evangelia Nena, Edmond S. W. Ng, Vikram Niranjan, Iskra Alexandra Nola, Rónán O’Caoimh, Panagiotis Petrou, Vera Pinheiro, Miguel Reina Ortiz, Silvia Riva, Hanen Samouda, João Vasco Vasco Santos, Cornelia Melinda Adi Santoso, Milena Santric Milicevic, Dimitrios Skempes, Ana Catarina Sousa, Niko Speybroeck, Fimka Tozija, Brigid Unim, Hilal Bektaş Uysal, Fabrizio Giovanni Vaccaro, Orsolya Varga, Milena Vasic, Francesco Saverio Violante, Grant M. A. Wyper, Suzanne Polinder, Juanita A. Haagsma

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Calculating the disease burden due to injury is complex, as it requires many methodological choices. Until now, an overview of the methodological design choices that have been made in burden of disease (BoD) studies in injury populations is not available. The aim of this systematic literature review was to identify existing injury BoD studies undertaken across Europe and to comprehensively review the methodological design choices and assumption parameters that have been made to calculate years of life lost (YLL) and years lived with disability (YLD) in these studies.

The Effect Of Transverse Ocular Magnification Adjustment On Macular Thickness Profile In Different Refractive Errors In Community-Based Adults, Hamed Niyazmand, Gareth Lingham, Paul G. Sanfilippo, Magdalena Blaszkowska, Maria Franchina, Seyhan Yazar, David Alonso-Caneiro, David Mackey, Samantha Sze-Yee Lee

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Purpose Changes in retinal thickness are common in various ocular diseases. Transverse magnification due to differing ocular biometrics, in particular axial length, affects measurement of retinal thickness in different regions. This study evaluated the effect of axial length and refractive error on measured macular thickness in two community-based cohorts of healthy young adults.

Methods A total of 2160 eyes of 1247 community-based participants (18–30 years; 23.4% myopes, mean axial length = 23.6mm) were included in this analysis. Macular thickness measurements were obtained using a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (which assumes an axial length of 24.385mm). Using a custom program, retinal …

Normative Data On The Foveal Avascular Zone In A Young Healthy Irish Population Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography, Susan M. O'Shea, Veronica O'Dwyer, Grainne Scanlon

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Purpose: To establish normative data on the size, shape and vascular profile of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) in a young, healthy, Irish population, using the Cirrus 5000 HD-OCT. Certain diseases may alter FAZ appearance. Normative databases provide normal baseline values for comparison, thus improving diagnostic ability.

Methods: One hundred and fifty-four subjects aged 18–35 years old were recruited. Superficial FAZ area, diameter, circularity, ganglion cell layer, central macular thickness (CMT), vascular perfusion and density were measured using the Cirrus 5000. Axial length was measured with the IOL Master and blood pressure was measured using the Omron sphygmomanometer. …

Opportunities And Barriers Faced By Early-Career Civil Engineers Enacting Global Responsibility, Shannon Chance, Inês Direito, John Mitchell

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The term ‘global responsibility’ projects a holistic sense of ethics, sustainability, and obligation. To achieve the long-term viability of human life on Earth, civil engineering must be conducted in increasingly responsible ways, and civil engineers must value and enact global responsibility in their work. Interviews conducted with nine civil engineers in London provide insight regarding engineers’ familiarity with the term, how they learned about it, what opportunities and barriers they face, and what might be done by professional and educational institutions to help them practice more responsibly. Results indicate: the term itself is novel but underlying concepts are not; continuing …

An Examination Of The Impact Of Covid-19 On Assessment Practices In Higher Education, Ziene Mottiar, Greg Byrne, Geraldine Gorham, Emma Robinson

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The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a rapid pivot to online learning across many higher education institutions globally. This paper investigates to what extent assessment strategies changed as a result of this pivot. It explores the case of Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) in Ireland and finds that 95% of respondents altered their assessment practices in some way. Beyond identifying changing practice, the paper also develops a TARC (Typology of Assessment Responses to COVID-19) model which shows four categories of responses. Reactors are those academics who simply moved their assessments online. Adaptive Responders modified assessments slightly for the online environment. While …

Performance Of An Adaptive Aggregation Mechanism In A Noisy Wlan Downlink Mu-Mimo Channel, Lemlem Kassa, Mark Davis, Jianhua Deng, Jingye Cai

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This paper investigates an adaptive frame aggregation technique in the medium access control (MAC) layer for the Wireless Local Area Network (WALN) downlink Multi-User–Multiple-In Multiple-Out (MU-MIMO) channel. In tackling the challenges of heterogeneous traffic demand among spatial streams, we proposed a new adaptive aggregation algorithm which has a superior performance over the baseline First-in–First-Out (FIFO) scheme in terms of system throughput performance and channel utilization. However, this earlier work does not consider the effects of wireless channel error. In addressing the limitations of this work, this study contributes an enhanced version of the earlier model considering the effect of channel …

A Worked Example Of Braun And Clarke’S Approach To Refexive Thematic Analysis, David Byrne

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Since the publication of their inaugural paper on the topic in 2006, Braun and Clarke’s approach has arguably become one of the most thoroughly delineated methods of conducting thematic analysis (TA). However, confusion persists as to how to implement this specifc approach to TA appropriately. The authors themselves have identifed that many researchers who purport to adhere to this approach—and who reference their work as such—fail to adhere fully to the principles of ‘refexive thematic analysis’ (RTA). Over the course of numerous publications, Braun and Clarke have elaborated signifcantly upon the constitution of RTA and attempted to clarify numerous misconceptions …

A New Approach To Self-Assessment Of Community Engagement: A Case Study Of Technological University Dublin., Emma O'Brien, Martina Brophy, Thomas M. Cooney

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Building upon existing international tools, the TEFCE (Towards a European Framework for Community Engagement of Higher Education) Toolbox for community engagement represents an innovative, robust, and holistic framework to support universities in reflecting upon their community engagement. Through a case study approach, this paper highlights the piloting of the TEFCE Toolbox at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Ireland. Through an inclusive and participatory methodology, the process facilitated the recognition of community engagement achievements and the identification of potential areas for improvement.

Life-Cycle Assessment Of Non-Domestic Building Stocks: A Meta-Analysis Of Current Modelling Methods, Julian Bischoff, Aidan Duffy

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Building stock models (BSMs) are essential for simulating the contributions of regional and national building sectors to climate change under different policy scenarios, and for identifying pathways to climate change mitigation. To date, BSMs have focused on the operational life-cycle impacts of domestic dwellings; there has been less emphasis either on non-domestic buildings (NDBs) or full life-cycle analysis. This paper provides a first review of the theory and practice of NDB stock modelling which considers life-cycle energy, emissions and costs. A meta-analysis of the literature was undertaken involving a structured search of relevant articles in key scientific repositories. 98 in-scope …

Perceived Social Support And Stress: A Study Of 1st Year Students In Ireland, Lavinia Mclean, David Gaul, Rebecca Penco

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Social support is consistently associated with positive outcomes for students, in terms of wellbeing and academic achievement. For first year students, social support offers a way to deal with stressors associated with the challenge of transitioning to university. The current research was conducted with a range of first year students (n = 315) early in their first semester in university. Both male and female students reported moderate levels of social support and perceived stress, while those with higher levels of social support reported lower levels of stress. Gender differences were apparent in both the levels and sources of social …

A Micron-Range Displacement Sensor Based On Thermo-Optically Tuned Whispering Gallery Modes In A Microcapillary Resonator, Zhe Wang, Arun Kumar Mallik, Fangfang Wei, Zhuochen Wang, Anuradha Rout, Qiang Wu, Yuliya Semenova

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A novel micron-range displacement sensor based on a whispering-gallery mode (WGM) microcapillary resonator filled with a ne matic liquid crystal (LC) and a magnetic nanoparticle- coated fiber half-taper is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. In the proposed device, the tip of a fiber half-taper coated with a thin layer of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) moves inside the LC-filled microcapillary resonator along its axis. The input end of the fiber half-taper is connected to a pump laser source and due to the thermo-optic effect within the MNPs, the fiber tip acts as point heat source increasing the temperature of the LC material in …

Use And Awareness Of Heated Tobacco Products In Europe, Silvano Gallus, Alessandra Lugo, Xiaoqiu Liu, Elisa Borroni, Luke Clancy, Giuseppe Gorini, Maria José Lopez, Anna Odone, Krzysztof Przewozniak, Olena Tigova, Piet A. Van Den Brandt, Constantine Vardavas, Esteve Fernandez, Tackshs Project Investigators

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Background: Heated tobacco products (HTP) are new forms of tobacco consumption with limited information available on their use among the general population. Our objective was to analyze the prevalence and associations of use of HTP across 11 countries in Europe.

Methods: Within the TackSHS Project, in 2017-2018 we conducted a cross-sectional study with information on HTP use in the following countries: Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain. In each country, face-to-face interviews were performed on a representative sample of around 1,000 subjects aged ≥15 years, for a total of 10,839 subjects.

Results: Overall, 27.8% …

The Locus Algorithm: A Novel Technique For Identifying Optimised Pointings For Differential Photometry, Oisin Creaner, Kevin Nolan Mr, E. Hickey, N. Smith

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Studies of the photometric variability of astronomical sources from ground-based telescopes must overcome atmospheric extinction effects. Differential photometry by reference to an ensemble of reference stars which closely match the target in terms of magnitude and colour can mitigate these effects. This Paper describes the design, implementation, and operation of a novel algorithm – The Locus Algorithm – which enables optimised differential photometry. The Algorithm is intended to identify, for a given target and observational parameters, the Field of View (FoV) which includes the target and the maximum number of reference stars similar to the target. A collection of objects …

All Things Merge Into One, And A River Runs Through It: Exploring The Dimensions Of Blended Learning By Developing A Case Study Template For Blended Activities, Damian Gordon, Paul Doyle, Anna Becevel, Tina Baloh

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The BLITT (Blended Learning International Train the Trainer) Project is focused on developing a training programme to equip teachers to become proficient in championing the use of Blended Learning in the classroom. The training programme will be developed in two phases, in the first phase involves the development of a series of case studies relevant to Blended Learning, followed by a second phase where the BLITT training programme will be designed and developed, using input from these cases. In developing the blended learning case studies, two key documents were identified as being essential, first, a case study tracking template to …

Energy-Efficient Dynamic Directional Modulation With Electrically Small Antennas, Adam Narbudowicz, Abel Zandamela, Nicola Marchetti, Max Ammann

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This letter proposes a compact and energy-efficient directional modulation scheme for small and power constrained devices (e.g., Internet of Things wireless sensors). The scheme uses a uniform circular array of monopole antennas, with a single radiofrequency chain and antenna active at a time. The antennas can be located in close proximity, offering significant size reduction. Furthermore, the schemewas demonstrated to operate successfully with an array of 0.6 λ diameter. The system does not generate additional artificial noise, limiting interference to other systems. Finally, the antenna switching sequence can be randomly generated and without fine-tuned synchronization with the transmitter.

Measurement Of Orientation And Distance Change Using Circularly Polarized Uwb Signals, Janusz Przewocki, Max Ammann, Adam Narbudowicz

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The article proposes methodology to use circularly polarized (CP) ultra-wideband (UWB) signals for simultaneous measurement of orientation and distance changes between transmitter and receiver. The proposed technique uses the rotational Doppler effect on CP pulsed communication. The amplitude of a CP signal is immune to polarization misalignment in the presence of rotation; however, the phase is subjected to a frequency-invariant shift proportional to the rotation angle. This significantly distorts the pulse shape in the time domain and can be used for the measurement of the rotated angle. By combining the technique with the well-known localization capability of UWB systems, one …

Creating And Managing Eu Funded Research Networks: An Exploratory Case, Zeta Dooly, Aidan Duane, Aidan O'Driscoll

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The collaborative European funded research and development landscape drives competitiveness among innovative organisations. Recently it has seen the rise of public private partnerships significantly impacting the dynamics of these networks. Thus, the complexity of managing research networks has intensified with the increased diversity of research network members. Additionally, the emergence of the academic entrepreneur has augmented the focus of educational institutions to include innovation and building start-up organisations. The impact of research is scalable if an optimum research network is created and managed effectively. This paper investigates network embeddedness; the nature of relationships, links and nodes within a research network, …