Ali Sohaib, Laurence Broadbent, Abdul Rehman Farooq, Lyndon Neal Smith and Melvyn Lionel Smith
Significant research has been carried out in terms of development of new bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) instruments; however, there is still little…
Abstract
Purpose
Significant research has been carried out in terms of development of new bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) instruments; however, there is still little research available regarding spectral BRDF measurements of human skin. This study aims to investigate the variation in human skin reflectance using a new fibre optic-based spectral-BRDF measurement device.
Design/methodology/approach
Design of this system mainly involves use of multiple fibre optics to illuminate and detect light reflected from a sample, whereas a hemispherical dome was 3D printed to mount the fibres at various slant/tilt angles. To investigate the spectral differences in BRDF of human skin, 3 narrowband filters in the visible spectrum were used, whereas measurements were taken from the back of the hand for Caucasian and Asian skin types.
Findings
The experiments demonstrate that the BRDF of human skin varies with wavelengths in the visible spectrum and it is also different for Caucasian and Asian skin types. Both skin types exhibit off-specular reflection with increase in angle of incidence and show less variation with respect to viewing angles when the angle of incidence is normal to the surface.
Research implications
A database of spectral BRDF measurements of human skin will help not only in creating realistic skin renderings but also in development of novel skin reflectance models for biomedical and machine vision applications. The measurements would also provide means to validate the predictions from existing light transport/spectral simulation models for human skin and will ultimately help in the accurate diagnosis and simulation of various skin disorders.
Originality/value
The proposed system provides fast scatter measurements by utilising multiple fibres to detect light simultaneously at different angles while also allowing easy switching between incident light directions. Due to its flexible design and contact-based measurements, the device is independent of errors due to sample movements and does not require any image registration. Also, measurements taken from the device show that the BRDF of skin varies significantly in the visible spectrum and it is different for Caucasian and Asian skin types.
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Abdul Farooq, Ahsan Anwar, Muhammad Ahad, Ghulam Shabbir and Zulfiqar Ali Imran
This research aims to inspect the existence of the “environmental Kuznets curve” (EKC) in the presence of foreign direct investment (FDI), financial development (FD) and…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to inspect the existence of the “environmental Kuznets curve” (EKC) in the presence of foreign direct investment (FDI), financial development (FD) and urbanization throughout 1972–2018 for Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
For time series analysis, Phillips and Perron (PP) and Augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) unit root tests are used to confirm the level of integration. For robustness, Kim and Perron (2009)’s structural break unit root test is employed, which identifies the order of integration in the presence of structural break years. Further, combined cointegration analysis is performed to confirm the existence of a long-run association between underlying variables. Furthermore, autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) analysis is employed for the robustness of the cointegration approach.
Findings
The cointegration analysis confirms the existence of a long-run association among variables. The authors find a positive and significant impact of urbanization, FD and foreign development on environmental degradation in the long run. Similarly, only FDI increases environmental degradation in the short run. In addition, the authors find an inverted U-shape relationship between economic growth and environmental quality which, further, confirms the presence of EKC in Pakistan.
Originality/value
This research contributes to applied economics in many ways: the combined effect of urbanization, FD, FDI and economic growth on carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is checked simultaneously. To avoid ambiguity, this study constructs the FD index through the principal component analysis (PCA). Moreover, the role of structural breaks has been considered through the analysis. Novel Bayer-Hanck combined cointegration analysis is employed to detect the existence of long-run relationships among underlying variables.
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Wenhao Zhang, Melvyn Lionel Smith, Lyndon Neal Smith and Abdul Rehman Farooq
This paper aims to introduce an unsupervised modular approach for eye centre localisation in images and videos following a coarse-to-fine, global-to-regional scheme. The design of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to introduce an unsupervised modular approach for eye centre localisation in images and videos following a coarse-to-fine, global-to-regional scheme. The design of the algorithm aims at excellent accuracy, robustness and real-time performance for use in real-world applications.
Design/methodology/approach
A modular approach has been designed that makes use of isophote and gradient features to estimate eye centre locations. This approach embraces two main modalities that progressively reduce global facial features to local levels for more precise inspections. A novel selective oriented gradient (SOG) filter has been specifically designed to remove strong gradients from eyebrows, eye corners and self-shadows, which sabotage most eye centre localisation methods. The proposed algorithm, tested on the BioID database, has shown superior accuracy.
Findings
The eye centre localisation algorithm has been compared with 11 other methods on the BioID database and six other methods on the GI4E database. The proposed algorithm has outperformed all the other algorithms in comparison in terms of localisation accuracy while exhibiting excellent real-time performance. This method is also inherently robust against head poses, partial eye occlusions and shadows.
Originality/value
The eye centre localisation method uses two mutually complementary modalities as a novel, fast, accurate and robust approach. In addition, other than assisting eye centre localisation, the SOG filter is able to resolve general tasks regarding the detection of curved shapes. From an applied point of view, the proposed method has great potentials in benefiting a wide range of real-world human-computer interaction (HCI) applications.
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Jiuai Sun, Xiaoping Xu, Abdul Rehman Farooq, Lyndon Neal Smith and Melvyn Lionel Smith
This paper aims to review state of the art of techniques for dimensioning chronic wounds, and validate the possibilities of employing a new proposed optical imaging approach for…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review state of the art of techniques for dimensioning chronic wounds, and validate the possibilities of employing a new proposed optical imaging approach for general task of wound assessment.
Design/methodology/approach
Current techniques used for quantifying wound surface are reviewed and evaluated from various perspectives to exam their usability in wound care clinical settings. A photometric stereo (PS) approach will be identified and verified to work as an alternative solution to better satisfy practical requirements on quantifying the dimension of real and mocked wounds.
Findings
Both contact and contactless approaches provide some useful functions for wound management; however, new imaging modalities are still required for achieving good portability, affordability and applicability in assisting decision-making in clinical settings. The PS approach can work as a potential solution to provide these functionalities as well as dense geometrical and color texture information of measured areas. The experiments demonstrate that the new approach is able to conveniently produce comparable results to those from latest stereo vision-based techniques.
Research limitations/implications
This work proposed and initially verified the potential of PS technique for the task of wound measurement. Substantial improvements on the prototype and more clinical trials are still required to validate the new technique before it is accepted as a tool for practical wound measurement.
Originality/value
This new PS approach has good potential to reliably measure the dimension of wounds as well as recover their color texture which could contain additional valuable information for predicting a healing procedure for those wound occurring deeper underneath the skin surface.
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This study presents a systematic review of the literature on monetary policy and corporate investment together with bibliometric analysis.
Abstract
Purpose
This study presents a systematic review of the literature on monetary policy and corporate investment together with bibliometric analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
This study selected 455 articles from databases, Scopus and Web of science and the papers are reviewed systematically to identify their theoretical and empirical contributions.
Findings
The results reveal that monetary policy can influence corporate investment. Post to the economic crisis (2008), there is an exponential growth in the number of publications. Berger, A., and Hubbard are the two prominent authors based on the highest citation score, whereas Marquez, R., and Vermuelen, P. are the two prolific authors, subject to their highest h-index. Journal of Banking & Finance was the top journal (total citations = 1482) and 5 publications.
Practical implications
This study positively contributes to the comprehensive understanding of corporate investment, monetary policy transmission and firm capital structure choices.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study that conducts a systematic review of the influence of monetary policy on corporate investment.
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Muhammad Bilal Khan, Rehan Zahid, Ali Hussain Kazim and Khalid Javed
Depleting reserves of crude oils and their adverse environmental effects have shifted focus toward environment friendly and biobased lubricant base oils. Natural oils and fats act…
Abstract
Purpose
Depleting reserves of crude oils and their adverse environmental effects have shifted focus toward environment friendly and biobased lubricant base oils. Natural oils and fats act as good lubricants but they have low oxidation and thermal stability which makes them unsuitable for modern day uses. This paper aims to produce trimethylolpropane ester biolubricant from cottonseed oil and study the effects of its use in spark ignition (SI) engines.
Design/methodology/approach
In this work, cottonseed oil is converted to TMP lubricant by a two-step based catalyzed esterification. The lubricants thermophysical properties are then analyzed and a 20% blend with synthetic poly-alpha olefin is used in an spark ignition engine.
Findings
The produced lubricant has viscosity @100oC of 4.91 cSt, a viscosity index of 230 and a flash point of 202oC. When used as a 20% blend in a petrol engine, the rate of oil deterioration was reduced by 18%, however, the overall wear increased by 6.7%. However, this increase is offset by its improved environmental impacts.
Originality/value
In its current state, such a biolubricant can be used as an additive to most commercially available lubricants to improve oil deterioration characteristics and environmental impact. However, further work on improving biolubricant’s wear characteristics is needed for the complete replacement of mineral oil-based lubricants.
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Over recent decades, talent agglomeration has emerged as a critical topic for scholars, businesses and government officers. Innovative ability is a core competition for high-tech…
Abstract
Purpose
Over recent decades, talent agglomeration has emerged as a critical topic for scholars, businesses and government officers. Innovative ability is a core competition for high-tech talents. In China, low innovation is the bottleneck, as the high-tech industry usually cannot provide sufficient support for the continuous needs of innovative talents. To enhance the continuous support of talents, it is important to obtain the mechanisms of talent evaluation and flow in high-tech industry. Exploring the incentive factors influencing the scientific and technological personnel, adjust the layout of talents and promote the rational agglomeration. It’s significant to realize the regional economic development.
Design/methodology/approach
This study proposes an assessment model using the multi-criteria decision-making method of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to determine the weights of incentive factors and a nonlinear programing model, from micro, meso and macro perspectives of individual, organizational and social incentives by adopting Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, Kurt Lewin’s field theory and Lee’s push-pull theory. After the literature review and interviews with 14 experts, this study produced a research framework and a pairwise comparison questionnaire. In addition, the relative quantitative weights of 3 main categories and 15 indicators are identified and ranked based on the AHP method.
Findings
The results demonstrate that the most important dimension is the individual, and the top three highest weighted factors are job satisfaction, sense of working accomplishment and interpersonal relationships. The discussion in this study showed that the proposed model is rational and acceptable to motivate high-tech innovation talent (HTIT) agglomeration for high-tech enterprises, universities, government and start-ups.
Research limitations/implications
The pairwise comparison using the AHP method is limited to expert opinions, which are considered comparatively subjective. The number of incentive factors should be increased, as some indicators may have been omitted from the AHP model.
Practical implications
According to the results, some suggestions can be recommended to corporate executives, HR managers and government officers to attract and retain high-tech talents and further to improve industrial clusters and economic development.
Originality/value
This paper derives a relative ranking of importance based on the opinions of experienced HR specialists, high-tech talent, scholars and government official, and assesses the consistency of results. The ordering represents the importance of indicators and sub-indicators of two levels from respondents’ perspectives in an industry cluster background. The study, focusing on the high-tech industry in China (which is a developing country), offers a unique view, as earlier studies mainly collect data from developed countries.
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Muhammad Usman, Muhammad Umar Farooq, Junrui Zhang, Nanyan Dong and Muhammad Abdul Majid Makki
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the crucial question of whether gender diversity in boardroom is associated with CEO pay and CEO pay-performance link.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the crucial question of whether gender diversity in boardroom is associated with CEO pay and CEO pay-performance link.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used the data of companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange for a sample consisting of KSE-100 index companies for the period of five years. The authors used the ordinary least square regression technique to test the developed hypotheses. The authors also used the two-step Heckman selection model, two-stage least square regression and propensity score matching method to control the problem of endogeneity.
Findings
The authors find reliable evidence of a negative association between gender diversity and CEO pay and of board gender diversity’s strengthening the relationship between CEO pay and firm performance. The authors also find that women director are more effective in setting the optimal contract in non-family-owned firms and firms with dispersed ownership structure as compared to family-owned firms and firms with concentrated ownership structure. Moreover, results also reflect that the influence of board diversity on both CEO pay and CEO pay-performance link is stronger when gender diversity goes beyond tokenism.
Practical implications
The findings have implications in terms of providing the basis for policy makers to accord the same level of importance to gender diversity in the boardroom as well as contributing to the current debate on the desirability of mandating or recommending gender diversity on boardrooms.
Originality/value
This study is among the few studies which investigate the moderating role of boardroom gender diversity on the CEO pay-performance link. In addition, this study contributes to the institutional theory by providing the empirical evidence that the effect boardroom gender diversity on CEO pay and CEO pay-performance link varies by type of ownership.
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Usman Ahmad Qadri, Mazuri Binti abd Ghani, Shumaila Bibi, Abdul Haseeb Tahir, Muhammad Imran Farooq and Abdul Rauf Kashif
The aim of this study is to investigate the serially mediating effect of knowledge management (KM) practices (namely, knowledge creation, storage and sharing) on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to investigate the serially mediating effect of knowledge management (KM) practices (namely, knowledge creation, storage and sharing) on the organizational learning (OL) and organizational performance (OP) relationships during a crisis.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on theories-of-action, knowledge-based and resource-based theories, this study proposed a sequential mediation model where OL underlying mechanisms through which KM practices have facilitated OP during the crisis. The sample dataset contains 440 responses collected from the managers of the software development companies in Pakistan. The authors used Hayes Process macro with SPSS to test the study hypotheses.
Findings
The results of the study reveal that knowledge creation, storage and sharing serially mediate the relationships between OL and OP. These findings strengthen the argument suggesting that OL plays the key role in KM that helps software companies to mend their performance in times of crisis.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the KM literature in two ways: (1) grounded on the study's proposed framework, organizations can improve and manage their businesses in times of crisis and (2) learn how to generate new knowledge in response to business crises.
研究目的
本研究擬探討在危機中,知識管理做法(即知識的創造、儲存和分享),如何連續地在組織學習與組織績效之間的聯繫上起著仲介效應
研究方法
研究以行為理論、知識基礎理論和資源基礎理論之論據,提出了一個系統化的仲介模型,闡釋知識管理如何在危機中、透過以組織學習為基礎之機制,去促進組織之績效。數據集為取自在巴基斯坦的軟件開發公司工作的主管的440個調查答覆;我們以 Hayes, A. F. 的 PROCESS macro、並附以 SPSS,去測試我們的研究假設。
研究結果
研究結果顯示、知識的創造、儲存和分享,會在組織學習與組織績效之間的聯繫上,起著連續性的仲介效應。知識管理被認為可幫助軟件公司在危機中改善其表現不足之處,而組織學習在知識管理上或許扮演著關鍵的角色。研究結果強化了肯定這個角色的論據。
研究的原創性
本研究對知識管理文獻有兩方面的貢獻: (一)若以本研究提出的框架為基礎,組織可於危機中改善及管理其業務; (二)組織可學習如何創造新的知識,以能應對業務上極其困難的時刻。
關鍵詞
組織學習、知識管理做法、組織績效、行為理論、2019冠狀病毒疫情危機、軟件開發產業.