DORA
DORA (De Montfort Open Research Archive) is De Montfort University's research repository. It forms the primary public and institutional record of DMU research outputs. The breadth of research at DMU means that these outputs include articles, conference papers, books, book chapters, and other material available in a digital form. The record for each item contains descriptive information as well as, where possible, a version of the final research output. DORA also provides access to DMU PhD theses. This includes most PhD produced from 2009 onwards.
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Recent Submissions
Uncovering climate obstruction actors and discourses in Argentina and Brazil
(Climate Social Science Network, 2025-03-21) Edwards, Guy; Milani, Carlos; Gutierrez, R, A; McKie, Ruth E.; Christel, L; Pinto, J. B
Social network group decision making: Characterization, taxonomy, challenges and future directions from an AI and LLMs perspective
(Elsevier, 2025-03-21) Cao, Mingshuo; Gai, Tiantian; Wu, Jian; Chiclana, Francisco; Zhang, Zhen; Dong, Yucheng; Herrera-Viedma, Enrique; Herrera, Francisco
In the past decade, social network group decision making (SNGDM) has experienced significant advancements. This breakthrough is largely attributed to the rise of social networks, which provides crucial data support for SNGDM. As a result, it has emerged as a rapidly developing research field within decision sciences, attracting extensive attention and research over the past ten years. SNGDM events involve complex decision making processes with multiple interconnected stakeholders, where the evaluation of alternatives is influenced by network relationships. Since this research has evolved from group decision making (GDM) scenarios, there is currently no clear definition for SNGDM problems. This article aims to address this gap by first providing a clear definition of the SNGDM framework. It describes basic procedures, advantages, and challenges, serving as a foundational portrait of the SNGDM framework. Furthermore, this article offers a macro description of the literature on SNGDM over the past decade based on bibliometric analysis. Solving SNGDM problems effectively is challenging and requires careful consideration of the impact of social networks among decision-makers and the facilitation of consensus between different participants. Therefore, we propose a classification and overview of key elements for SNGDM models based on the existing literature: trust models, internal structure, and consensus mechanism for SNGDM. This article identifies the research challenges in SNGDM and points out the future research directions from two dimensions: first, the key SNGDM methodologies and second, the opportunities from artificial intelligence technology, in particular, combining large language models and multimodal fusion technologies. This look will be analyzed from a double perspective, both from the decision problem and from the technology views.
Assessing legal socialisation in a youth sample: procedural justice, legitimacy, and popular discontent in Nigeria
(Springer, 2025-03-11) Akinlabi, Oluwagbenga Michael; Amagnya, Moses Agaawena; Bello, Paul Oluwatosin
Several studies have indicated that the experiences of young people with the police, judicial systems, and other legal entities, whether through direct or vicarious means, often establish the basis for their perceptions of the law and legal authorities in their later years. As a concept, the process of legal socialisation pertains to the development of a conscious relationship with the law, wherein individuals acquire law related values and attitudes, regardless of their demographic characteristics. While legal socialisation has received significant academic attention in developed West, it remains largely underexplored in Nigeria, and by extension other developing contexts. Using cross-sectional survey data obtained from a sample of young people in Southern Nigeria, this study examines whether young people’s legal socialisation influences their perceptions and attitudes towards police institutions and officials. The findings indicate that young people are more inclined to report legal cynicism and lower ratings of police legitimacy they perceive the police to be abusing their power, procedurally unfair, and corrupt. The results suggest that several factors that can enhance the relationship between police officers and young people, with the manner in which police treat young people during interactions being a critical component. Thus, the police may not be able to regulate the prevalence of criminal activities or have sufficient resources available to help deal with crime and satisfy community demands, they possess the power to determine the quality of interactions with young people within their community. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Rapport-building in suspect interviews: A survey of Lithuanian investigators
(Taylor and Francis, 2025-03-21) Izotovas, Alexandros; Walsh, David
In criminal investigation interviewing settings, establishing rapport with interviewees has been successively found as paramount in successfully resolving a case. In the present exploratory study, we examined for the first time (to our knowledge) perceptions of Lithuanian police interviewers about what they actually do to obtain rapport when they conduct interviews with suspects. Sixty-one crime investigators took part in a survey where they were requested to answer both open-ended and close-ended questions relating to this subject. Respondents reported their employing a variety of rapport-building techniques. Lithuanian interviewers emphasized relationship-based rapport techniques (e.g., displaying empathy, friendliness, or humor) more so than procedural ones (e.g., when explaining to suspects their rights, or interview purpose) when describing what they did when interviewing suspects. Additionally, behaviors not found in the literature as ones relating to rapport, or those considered as counterproductive techniques, were occasionally reported as rapport-building approaches, especially when they dealt with uncooperative suspects. Also, it was found that respondents paid greater emphasis to the importance of rapport-building at the start of the interview but less so as interviews developed. Overall, Lithuanian criminal investigators appreciated the value of the rapport in interviews with suspects, nevertheless, challenges still remain.
Practical and Theoretical Optimization of Plasma Cutting Parameters for Enhanced Quality and Efficiency in Steel Alloy Processing
(Emerald, 2025-02-25) Kombayev, Kuat; Sypainova, Gulden; Khoshnaw, Fuad; Kozhakhmetov, Yermat; Kurbanbekov, Sherzod; Tabiyeva, Yerkezhan
This study determined the optimal plasma cutting parameters to enhance the quality and efficiency of steel alloy processing. Experiments were conducted on 6 mm thick 09G2S steel alloy using a Kawasaki RS-010L robotic manipulator with a DS 120P.33 inverter power supply. Practical findings revealed that a current of 50 A, voltage of 118 V, cutting speed of 3200 mm/min, and airflow of 1.9 x 10⁻³ m³/s provided the best results, producing a smooth surface, minimal burrs, and a cutting angle within approximately ±4° relative to the surface. The cross-section of the cutting surfaces was analyzed to study the chemical composition across different areas and assess variations caused by the cutting process. Taguchi method was used to find the optimal theoretical parameters, which showed the optimal parameters as 126 V for angle, 118 V for cutting width, 4400 mm/min cutting speed and airflow of 2.3×10−3 m3/s for angle (1.9×10−3 m3/s for cutting width). The microstructure analysis confirmed uniformity in meeting international standards. This research comprehensively analyses cutting conditions and their effects, benefiting metal fabrication by promoting cost-effective, sustainable processes.